Big Brother season 24 may be over for the year, but fans are still reeling about how Taylor Hale made history in the BB house when she won. As a target from the first week of the game, Taylor was able to outsmart the other houseguests as she played through the entire summer and ultimately emerged from the house victorious. After delivering an incredible final speech to the jury, Taylor took home the $750,000 grand prize, beating Monte Taylor in a landslide 8-1 vote, as her fellow houseguests cheered her on. Taylor, who deserved the Big Brother win, has been one of the most talked about players in the show’s recent history, and her win will keep fans buzzing long after the summer heat.

While Taylor’s game was not perfect in execution, she did have one thing that several other Big Brother players did not: impeccable social skills. Being painted as a target from the earliest days in the house made Taylor incredibly adaptable to Big Brother politics from the beginning, and fans took notice of this skill. Taylor was able to get other houseguests to do her dirty work without them realizing she was doing so. She also got very comfortable with the uncertainty of sitting on the nomination block after being put up a total of six times throughout the summer. Even though she played an incredibly thorough social game, Taylor was “surprised” by her Big Brother win, as she felt Monte had a better connection with the jury members.

Related: How Big Brother's Taylor Hale & Monte Taylor Went From Enemies To Allies

Taylor made history by overcoming high levels of adversity within the game. She won both the grand prize and America’s Favorite House Guest and became the first black woman to win Big Brother in the show’s history. In a season that many felt echoed Big Brother’s older seasons in a good way, viewers were nervous when Taylor was first targeted by fellow houseguests. Many fans felt this would be a repeat of past seasons, where players of color have been targeted by white players and were ultimately evicted too early. When several houseguests were seen on camera calling Taylor “aggressive,” fans were worried that things were going south for the Big Brother winner; however, she ultimately prevailed and gained viewers' support. Moving forward in the game, Taylor, whose mistreatment made Big Brother unwatchable, was able to use her strength to her advantage and navigate her way through some incredibly difficult situations.

Taylor Hale Made Big Brother History with Multiple Wins

Taylor and Monte Big Brother 24 smiling sitting on small sofa

On Big Brother finale night, one houseguest is awarded the prize of America’s Favorite House Guest. This fan-voted award comes with a cash prize of $50,000 and is typically given to a competitor who fans felt deserved to go further in the game. In an incredible turn of events, after winning the $750,000 grand prize, Taylor was announced as the first Big Brother winner to take home the title of America’s Favorite. This added to her prize money while also making it clear that the show’s viewers understood just how good she was at the game.

Big Brother 24 has been called the best ever, so it was only right to see the show make history with its winner. Taylor is the first Black woman to win the grand prize in Big Brother history after a whopping 24 seasons in 22 years. After three seasons of Black women winning America’s Favorite House Guest (previously Big Brother season 22’s Da’Vonne Rogers and season 23’s Tiffany Mitchell), it is clear fans love to see authentic, skilled players winning the prizes they deserve. Fans have criticized Big Brother in the past for having so few winners of color, but Taylor has broken the streak and shown fans that it is possible to overcome adversity and achieve greatness.

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