‘Big Brother’: Da’Vonne Rogers the First Black Contestant To Win America’s Favorite Houseguest; Fans React
Popular houseguest Da’Vonne Rogers returned for her third season, Big Brother 22: All-Stars, where she brought thought-provoking conversations about race into the house for one of the first times in the U.S. franchise’s history. The three-time competitor also used her eviction speeches to speak about racial injustice in a way that moved a lot of viewers. Additionally, she was the only player to save a nominee with the Power of Veto and gave the viewers unforgettable Diary Room sessions. As a result, Da’Vonne won America’s Favorite Houseguest, becoming the first black player to do so.
America’s Favorite Houseguest award on ‘Big Brother’
A week before the Big Brother finale, viewers can vote for their favorite player on the CBS website. The houseguest who receives the most votes wins the award, which comes with a $25,000 prize.
Introduced in season 7, only jury members were eligible for the honor. However, the show opened it up to all competing houseguests, excluding anyone who got expelled or quit, in BB11.
Janelle Pierzina (BB7), James Zinkand (BB9), Keesha Smith (BB10), Jeff Schroeder (BB11 and 13), Britney Hayes (BB12), Frank Eudy (BB14), Elissa Slater (BB15), Donny Thompson (BB16), James Huling (BB17), Victor Arroyo (BB18), Cody Nickson (BB19), Ross Matthews (Celebrity BB1), Tyler Crispen (BB20), Tom Green (CBB2), and Nicole Anthony (BB21) have previously won the prize.
Da’Vonne Rogers returned for ‘Big Brother 22: All-Stars’
Even though Da’Vonne Rogers went home second on Big Brother 17, she instantly became a fan-favorite and the object of several GIFs. Therefore, the poker dealer came back for the following season, where she lasted a few weeks longer.
The popular contestant returned for a third time to compete in Big Brother 22: All-Stars four years later. She quickly teamed up with Bayleigh Dayton, together “Black Girl Magic,” and their closeness put a target on their back.
They ended up on the block next to each other during Week 5, with Bayleigh leaving as expected. Her other ally, Kevin Campbell, ended up on the block the following week, and Da’Vonne won the Power of Veto, her first competition win in three seasons.
Even though the majority alliance, “The Committee,” tried to convince the acting coach not to use the POV, she did anyways, forcing then-Head of Household Dani Briones to nominate another player.
Da’Vonne Rogers won America’s Favorite Houseguest
Because The Committee ended up dominating the season, Da’Vonne’s solo POV play stood out as one of the only “big moves” pulled. Additionally, fans enjoyed the usually predictable Live Feeds during Week 6 because it caused the majority alliance to somewhat scramble for the and only time in the competition.
Da’Vonne ended up on the block the following week and went home, becoming the jury’s second member. After her eviction, many fans noted they canceled her CBS subscription and began campaigning for her to win America’s Favorite Houseguest.
It paid off as the acting coach historically won the fan-favorite award on finale night with over 1 million votes. Da’Vonne is the first black player to receive the prize in U.S. franchise history. She’s also the lowest placing houseguest to win it.
Following her unprecedented win, several fans and former houseguests took to social media to celebrate the three-time competitor. Many followers noted they “fell out” or screamed when host Julie Chen Moonves announced Da’Vonne as the winner and profusely congratulated the popular contestant.
A few hours after the finale, the newest AFH thanked her supporters and stated her win was “for the culture.” She also admitted she’s “still in shock” from the prize. CBS will return with Big Brother 23 presumably in summer 2021.
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