Many Big Brother fans wanted Tiffany Mitchell to win out in Season 23, but the chips ultimately didn’t fall her way. Tiffany’s master strategy and comp wins helped The Cookout reach its goal to the Final 6, and perhaps with that in mind, fans honored her by voting her America’s Favorite Houseguest. The win came as a surprise to Tiffany, who was quite frank in revealing to me there were times she thought audiences actually hated her.
I spoke to Tiffany Mitchell shortly after Big Brother Season 23 crowned Xavier Prather’s its first Black winner, and we spoke about her longtime fandom and how that may impact her intake and enjoyment of future seasons, as well as the upcoming Big Brother: Celebrity Edition. Tiffany revealed her game perspective has changed a lot since playing it herself, and as a result, she’ll be nicer in commentary about Houseguests on Twitter. Here’s how she put it:
I will definitely view this game totally differently watching it now. Hey, I was reading my old tweets. I had to delete them before I came into the house. [Laughs.] There’s a lot of judgment I was passing on previous Houseguests, and you don’t realize how you [as a Houseguest] are affected and the things that you think that you wouldn’t do, [or] the things you’d actually do until you are in that situation, which is a lot of things in life. My outlook now, moving forward, [and] being a player of the game, there’s a lot of respect. My hat goes off to the people that step behind those doors and decide to play this game. It looks like a game, it’s called reality tv, but it’s real in there.
Tiffany Mitchell, like many other Big Brother fans, has oft used Twitter to participate in the online discourse and discuss Houseguests, strategies, or other elements of the game. Those who participate in those conversations can attest to there being a toxic element to it, and Houseguests can go for weeks in the game completely unaware of what fans are saying, and unable to defend themselves or address decisions and behavior that fans don’t agree with. Tiffany obviously felt she’s shared some opinions that were a little too harsh before joining the show, and it doesn’t sound like she’ll be skewing quite so negative when tweeting about future Houseguests.
America’s Favorite Houseguest is a revered title in Big Brother-dom, as it ostensibly proves the winner was the most-liked cast member of the season. Many who win the title aren’t expecting it, as they have no context for how they were portrayed on television and perceived by fans until they arrive home after finale night. I asked Tiffany Mitchell if there were ever moments in the house where she feared the fandom would turn on her, or would say mean things about her for moves she made during the season. Surprisingly, Tiffany confessed she thought about it almost all the time.
Every day. [Laughs.] Every day. I am a very opinionated person. I joke and talk a lot of crap, ok? I never know who I may have offended, [or] what I said that was offensive. So, I questioned a lot of times like, ‘Uh oh, I probably offended somebody. I am so canceled!’ Every day I woke up saying, ‘You know you’re cancelled, right?’ [Laughs.]
Tiffany Mitchell wasn’t entirely immune to fan criticism while playing Big Brother, but by and large, she had a bulk of the online community in her corner. Granted, some definitely felt she would’ve gone much further had she not won her second Head of Household, but strategic mistakes are oftentimes the least harsh criticisms a Houseguest can receive.
If there was one thing Tiffany feared specifically, it was how Big Brother fans and the public at large would understand and react to The Cookout alliance. Tiffany said she thought about the idea that targeting all non-black players, regardless of intention, could be seen as racist, and ultimately overcame that worry by focusing on the common goal she shared with her alliance.
Even with The Cookout, there were some times especially in the beginning, where I was wondering will this be taken negatively? Even though our intentions are not negative, will this be taken negatively, and how will this impact others and my reputation. And then, at some point, I had to realize that I was standing for something that I believed in, and a unity is not a bad thing. There are many cultures that unify and grow together, and it is not looked upon as a negative thing. And I had five other individuals who I did not have to convince to believe in what I believed in. We came in on day one with the same mindset, so that let me know I was in the right place and I was doing the right thing.
Tiffany Mitchell also alluded to some potential personal fallout regarding The Cookout in mentioning that her son, Christian, attends a school predominantly populated by white students. Tiffany said it was important for her when she got home to check-in with him to see how he felt about what she did, as well as what his friends thought. Tiffany expressed it was important to her that her Big Brother actions were not meant to embarrass her family, and thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case based on a video message Christian sent her when she was still in the jury house.
Big Brother Season 23 is finished at CBS, but auditions for Season 24 are happening, and Big Brother: Celebrity Edition Season 3 is on the way in February. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more coverage on the finale, and other thoughts on the season from the cast.
