On Thursday, CBS announced the brand new cast for Big Brother 23 and one of the cast members is 24-year-old Derek Xiao. The announcement gave fans even more excitement for the new season, which will premiere in less than one week. These new houseguests are currently in sequester preparing for the life changing adventure. They will soon be moving into a house with 16 strangers that they will be competing against for a chance at a half-million dollar grand prize. Longtime viewers have had high expectations for this new season, as the past few years have let them down both from the cast and the overall lack of entertainment.
Amongst the 16 new houseguests is Derek Xiao. Derek is one of the younger ones amongst the bunch. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Derek currently resides in New York City. He is currently working as the founder of a start-up company focused around meal kits. In his free time, Derek enjoys playing chess and surfing. Growing up, his mom would only cook Chinese meals. This led to Derek learning how to cook so he could make himself whatever he wanted. Now, he loves cooking and trying out new recipes.
According to his bio on CBS, Derek would best describe himself as, "Funny, logical, and thoughtful." He cannot wait to get inside the Big Brother house and meet new people from all over the country. He said, "I love meeting new people and getting everyone laughing." Reflecting on past seasons of Big Brother, Derek's favorite duo from the show was Dr. Will and Mike "Boogie" despite the recent drama surrounding the two alum. When asked what his favorite Big Brother moment is, Derek gave the same answer that many of his soon-to-be fellow houseguests gave; Dan Gheesling's Big Brother funeral in season 14. It was an iconic moment on the show.
As for gameplay, Derek intends to build strong relationships with all of the other houseguests playing the game alongside him. He does not plan on rushing into any alliances. Instead, once he forms these friendships, he will slowly turn them into alliances. Then, he will use his logic to talk others into making the gameplay decisions he wants them to make. This is most likely why Derek loved Dan's funeral act so much because it had the same psychological effect on the other houseguests as he plans to have this summer.
When it comes down to it, Big Brother really is just a game and Derek is ready for all of the fun that comes along with it. He is going into the house with the motto, "If you laugh at yourself first then everyone is just laughing with you." This is a good motto to have since he will be televised 24/7.
Big Brother 23 premieres Wednesday July 7 at 8pm EST on CBS.
Source: CBS, Derek Xiao