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Big Brother 23 houseguest Claire Rehfuss had several conversations throughout the season about the possibility of an all-Black alliance. However, she never seemed to fully put it together until her number one ally Tiffany Mitchell hinted at it when she backdoored her. According to Claire, she had her suspicions about the group while in the house and wanted to share them with the Live Feed viewers. However, she didn’t due to the “fear of being dragged” if they weren’t actually working together.

Finalists from the CBS series 'Big Brother 23' being interviewed on the CBS Radford Lot for Entertainment Tonight. Pictured L-R: Kyland Young, Hannah Chaddha, Derek Frazier, Xavier Prather, Azah Awasum, and Tiffany Mitchell
‘Big Brother 23’ final six, Kyland Young, Hannah Chaddha, Derek Frazier, Xavier Prather, Azah Awasum, and Tiffany Mitchell | Francis Specker/CBS/Getty Images

Claire Rehfuss admitted she didn’t name the Cookout out of fear of getting ‘dragged’

During Big Brother 23, The Cookout, consisting of the six Black players, made history by advancing all its alliance members to the end.

In an Oct. 2021 Ask Me Anything on Reddit, a fan asked eighth-place finisher Claire Rehfuss if she actually didn’t know of the group’s existence. She admitted she had “moments” when she thought about it in the house but never fully figured it out.

While the houseguest didn’t know the group officially worked together, she said she realized at some point she would stand out as the only white player remaining. Claire also admitted she almost identified it during conversations with now-boyfriend Derek Xiao and contemplated talking to the Live Feed viewers about her suspicions.

She stated she opted not to “out of fear of being dragged if I was wrong.” Claire ended her answer by explaining the several “rifts” between The Cookout helped hide the group.

She almost figured it out during Week 5 of ‘Big Brother 23’

While her close ally Derek X. served as Head Household during Week 5, he held the regular one-on-one meetings in his HOH room.

Even though he already planned on backdooring physical threat Christian Birkenberger, he wanted to talk to everyone and make sure he had the votes to pull it off.

During his conversation with Claire, she named Xavier as the biggest threat in the house, noting she couldn’t get a complete read on him. Additionally, she felt nearly all the houseguests protected him. She also pointed out that he only talks to the five other Cookout members, naming all of them.

Claire and Derek X. frequently acknowledged the racial dynamics of the remaining houseguests and joked about the possibility of an all-Black alliance during Week 6. Although they came close, the two never fully put it together while in the Big Brother house.

Tiffany Mitchell and Derek Frazier’s tension helped hide The Cookout

Derek Frazier and Tiffany Mitchell didn’t have the best relationship from the beginning of the competition, as their personalities frequently clashed.

During Week 5, Tiffany demanded he and Azah Awasum tell Christian they wouldn’t vote to keep him, upsetting the two. Additionally, the Jokers’ teammates unexpectedly accompanied Britni to the HOH room when Tiffany wanted to talk to her about flipping the vote to keep Christian.

Related

‘Big Brother 23’: Hannah Admitted She Once ‘Questioned’ if The Cookout Would Make It to Jury

Not appreciating how her Cookout allies approached her, Tiffany took offense. She and Derek F. attempted to reach common ground, but a heated conversation in the storage room nearly threatened to expose their alliance.

While they seemingly never got on the same page, the six managed to stay together and carried out their mission. Watch Big Brother 23 on Paramount+.

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