Warning! The following contains spoilers from Big Brother Season 23's live feeds. Read at your own risk!
Sarah Beth Steagall's Week 7 Head of Household win was quite a shocker for Big Brother fans, and at first glance, it was also a chance for The Cookout to face some real adversity in its quest for all members to reach the Final 6. Whether or not that will actually happen remains to be seen, though, as Sarah Beth has essentially laid a plan that benefits The Cookout's goal for yet another week.
Before we get into the veto, let's back up to recap things for those who haven't watched the fun since Thursday's episode. Sarah Beth originally nominated Claire Rehfuss and Derek Frazier. Since then, Alyssa Lopez entered the High Roller Room and won the roulette wheel challenge, which removed Derek F from the block. Playing the roulette wheel guaranteed Alyssa safety for the week, but the wheel then determined Xavier Prather would go up on the block in Derek F's place. In short, Claire and Xavier are on the block, but will either actually go home? Let's get into the veto competition and how the week could unfold from here.
Xavier Prather Won A Veto...But With A Twist
Xavier Prather didn't ask to be on the block, and nor did Sarah Beth put him there, but now he's in control of his own destiny with the Power of Veto. Big Brother live feed viewers have learned there is a small hitch in Xavier's veto win, though, and it could have a major impact. Xavier's punishment following the veto ceremony stated that if he does not win Head of Household the following week, he will become that week's third nominee on the block.
Will Xavier Use The Power Of Veto?
The golden rule of Big Brother is never to reject safety when given the opportunity. With that being said, Xavier Prather knows he has the numbers to stay within The Cookout alliance plus Alyssa. He would totally survive the block against Claire Rehfuss, but why would he even chance it? Choosing not to use the veto could send up major red flags to those outside The Cookout, so I have to believe there's a very slim chance he go without using it.
Who Is Xavier's Veto Win Bad News For?
Sarah Beth Steagall was not mad to see the veto won because that fell exactly into the plan that's best for "her" game. I use those quotes because Sarah Beth has ultimately let Kyland Young run her Head of Household, with the trust that their collective strategy will set them both up for a Final 2 alliance down the stretch. Of course, Sarah Beth is completely oblivious to the existence of The Cookout, and that Kyland's suggestion to use the veto to backdoor Derek Xiao will undoubtedly set up The Cookout to run the table these next couple of weeks on Big Brother.
To be completely fair to Sarah Beth, there are legitimate reasons to backdoor Derek X. He's a solid competitive threat and has been in America's Top 3 for BB Bucks for 2 consecutive weeks. Next week he'll likely have enough money to win the Coin of Destiny, which gives him a 50/50 chance at stealing the Head of Household from whoever wins the next week. The only other person who has a shot at it is Derek Frazier, and he's safe because of Alyssa Lopez playing the roulette wheel.
Basically, there are a ton of valid reasons to put up Derek X after Xavier Prather comes down. Derek X has a chance of staying over Claire Rehfuss, but ultimately his survival would rely on how the next few days unfold, and whether or not he's actually nominated. The odds seem high, but Sarah Beth's Head of Household has been unpredictable so far. I wouldn't be surprised if things shift a bit over the next few days, but that could just be the Derek X fan in me hoping for the best.
Big Brother airs on CBS on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for more updates on the situation. in the house in the coming days, and read up on our recent conversation with Britini D'Angelo about her journey with autism and her advice to future players.
