The strongest alliance of Big Brother 23 has been The Cookout, but it looks like the group is starting to turn on one another. The Cookout alliance began in week one and originally consisted of Azah Awasum, Derek Frazier, Kyland Young, Tiffany Mitchell, and Xavier Prather. The five players agreed to keep each other safe while forming individual bonds with other houseguests. They soon welcomed Hannah Chaddha into the alliance, making it a six-person coalition in the game.
The Cookout has exercised considerable power thus far. Not only are all of the members still in the game, but the alliance has gone undetected by the other houseguests. The six Cookout members have managed to keep their agreement under the radar and look out for each others' interests in the competition.
This week, viewers of the Big Brother live feeds saw the alliance begin to fracture. For several weeks, there has been tension between Azah and Tiffany due to differences in their personalities and approaches to the game. Tiffany's calculated gameplay has worked so far, but it has rubbed against Azah's more emotional style of play. Although the two have previously attempted to navigate their differences, the conflict is now reaching a boiling point.
While talking to Azah and Derek F.'s former Jokers teammate Britini D'Angelo, Tiffany expressed her unwillingness for backdoor target and presumptive evictee Christian Birkenberger to consider her a swing vote this week. Tiffany told Britini, Derek F., and Azah that they should tell Christian he is being evicted so that Christian won't campaign for Tiffany's vote. Azah and Derek F. became frustrated with Tiffany's approach and have discussed severing ties with her in the game. Azah said she will stop talking game with Tiffany completely, while Derek F. is considering actively targeting Tiffany in the coming weeks and disbanding the Cookout.
Though Tiffany's strategic maneuvering has been effective so far, she should be wary of her fellow Cookout alliance members. The Cookout has the potential to go very far in the game, but in order to do so, the personal conflicts between the group need to be better managed. Azah and Derek F. feel disrespected by Tiffany, and her unemotional gameplay might ultimately be her downfall.
It's likely that the Cookout's infighting will continue in the days ahead, as the houseguests are weighing the paths that would be most beneficial to their individual games. It will be exciting to see how the players handle the complex relationships and alliances in the Big Brother house. The live feeds are sure to be electric and unpredictable as the game continues to ramp up.
Big Brother 23 airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8 PM ET on CBS.