Tiffany Mitchell opened up about being named America’s Favorite Player on Big Brother season 23. Tiffany won the coveted title after a seven-day period during which viewers could text the name of their favorite houseguest to cast their votes. The prize was doubled to $50,000 this year. With this win, Tiffany joins an elite group of Big Brother houseguests who won the respect and hearts of fans of the show. The award was introduced on Big Brother 7: All-Stars, and its first-ever recipient was Big Brother legend Janelle Pierzina. Janelle expressed her support for Tiffany on her Instagram this season, encouraging her fans to vote for her. Other notable winners include Keesha Smith (BB10), Britney Haynes (BB12), Elissa Slater (BB15), Victor Arroyo (BB18), Tyler Crispen (BB20), Da’Vonne Rogers (BB22) and Jeff Schroeder, who is the only houseguest to win the prize twice (BB11 and BB13).
Tiffany proved herself to America by creating the strategy that helped the Cookout alliance to reach the Final 6 fully intact. Her idea was nicknamed “the master plan” and consisted of each member of the Big Brother Cookout having a plus-one with whom they would share a place on the chopping block as a pawn, thus disguising the Cookout and ensuring the votes to keep it safe. Fans of the show were in awe of Tiffany’s masterful gameplay, praising her intelligence and physical prowess, and her commitment to the mission of the Cookout to crown Big Brother‘s first Black winner.
In an interview with Parade, Tiffany discussed her win. Before revealing the result, host Julie Chen Moonves said that it was a close vote between Tiffany and fellow fan favorite Derek Xiao. Even Tiffany was surprised when she won against him because she knew how much America loves him, and she loves him too. She added, “When Julie said it was between Derek and myself, I was definitely thinking, ‘Come on, America, I need the money!’ I did not think that I would beat out Derek because who doesn’t love him? But the fact that America loves me, I am so appreciative of that because I talked to America every single day. America was the only person I was loyal to.” Tiffany often spoke directly to the live feed cameras, explaining her gameplay and figuring out her next move. She gained the respect and admiration of fans, including Big Brother legends like Janelle Pierzina, who campaigned for Tiffany on Twitter.
When she was informed that several Twitter users had changed their usernames to “Text TIFFANY to 97979,” Tiffany exclaimed, “Get out of here!“ still in awe of her win. When told that America felt she should be rewarded for her contribution to the Cookout, Tiffany again expressed her gratitude, saying, “Wow, that means so much to me. I really did feel accomplished making a contribution to the Cookout. The contribution that I made was really just a gift that was passed through me that I shared. And I’m so glad that we all welcomed the master plan. It feels great to be acknowledged in that way for what my contribution was.” Once Tiffany became a member of the jury, America clearly felt that she deserved some accolades and some prize money. Her loyalty to her alliance and her plan to get them to the end of the game helped her to earn the respect of fans of the show. Her willingness to share the credit for the success of the Cookout with the rest of the alliance shows that she is a humble and grateful player.
Tiffany Mitchell participated in a season that will go down in Big Brother history for finally crowning its first Black winner. However, Big Brother season 23 will also be remembered for Tiffany’s iconic “master plan.” Perhaps one day, fans will see Tiffany back for an All Stars season, teaming up with her fellow America’s Favorite Player legendary winners.
Source: Parade