Xavier Eugene Prather (born May 12, 1994)[2] is an American lawyer and reality television personality. He is the winner of the 23rd season of the American reality television series Big Brother, becoming the first African American to win a regular season in the show's 21-year history.[3] In 2022, he appeared as a contestant on The Challenge: USA where he was eliminated in episode 4.
Xavier Prather | |
|---|---|
 Prather in 2021 | |
| Born | Xavier Eugene Prather May 12, 1994 |
| Other names | X |
| Education | Spring Arbor University (BA) Marquette University Law School (JD) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Big Brother (winner) The Challenge: USA |
| Website | xaviereprather |
Outside reality television, Prather is a lawyer, model, and a former college basketball player.
Personal life and career
editPrather was born on May 12, 1994, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He graduated from Gull Lake High School in 2012, where he stood out as a member of the school's varsity basketball team.[4] He attended Spring Arbor University from 2012 to 2017, earning his Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice. While there, he played for the Spring Arbor Cougars men's basketball team.[5] He went on to attend the Valparaiso University School of Law in 2017, before transferring to Marquette University Law School in 2018 and subsequently earning his Juris Doctor in 2020.
After graduation, he worked as an attorney for one of the top 200 largest law firms in the United States until he founded his own law practice, LawyerLike, in April 2024. Outside of his legal career, Prather is a model signed to Option 1 Models, a modeling agency with offices located in Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.
On May 27, 2023, Prather became engaged to Kenzie Hansen.
Big Brother
editSeason 23
editCBS announced Prather as a HouseGuest for Big Brother 23 on July 1, 2021.[6] During his time in the house, he became a member of the six-person alliance named "The Cookout". The alliance, consisting of only African Americans, was created to ensure the crowning of the first black winner of a regular season of Big Brother.[7] During the September 9 double-eviction episode, the last non-Cookout HouseGuest was evicted, leaving the final six composed solely of members of The Cookout.[8]
On September 29, 2021, Prather won the final Head of Household competition of the season, evicting HouseGuest Azah Awasum and earning a spot in the final two. He was crowned the winner of the season by a unanimous vote, defeating Derek Frazier and earning the $750,000 prize.[9] He is the third player in the history of the show to win by a unanimous vote in a regular season, following Dan Gheesling and Cody Calafiore.
Reindeer Games
editIn 2023, CBS announced that Prather would be returning to Big Brother to compete in the holiday spin-off season, Big Brother Reindeer Games.[10] He made it to the finale and tied for 3rd place alongside Frankie Grande.
The Challenge: USA
editOn June 8, 2022, CBS announced Prather as a contestant on The Challenge: USA.[11] He competed alongside former Big Brother HouseGuests from his season and past seasons. Attempts for the former HouseGuests to work together ultimately failed and during the July 27 episode, Prather and his partner Shan Smith were thrown into elimination against Justine Nbdia and fellow Big Brother alum David Alexander. Prather and Smith lost the elimination and were eliminated from the competition.[12][13]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Big Brother 23 | Contestant | Winner; 37 episodes |
| The Bold and the Beautiful | James | 2 episodes[14] | |
| 2022 | The Challenge: USA | Contestant | 4 episodes, 11th place |
| Big Brother 24 | Himself | Guest appearance; Episode 33 (aired September 22) | |
| 2023 | Big Brother 25 | Himself | Guest appearance; 25th Anniversary Celebration Episode (aired July 26) |
| Big Brother Reindeer Games | Contestant | 3rd place; 6 episodes | |
| 2024 | The Anonymous | Contestant | 10th place; 7 episodes |
References
edit- ^ "Xavier Prather". CBS. 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ @xaviereprather (2018-05-13). "Mother's Day Today ✔ Birthday Yesterday #24 ✔ Finished 1st Year of Law School Friday ✔ You could say it's been a pretty good weekend 🙂". Retrieved 2022-10-16 – via Instagram.
- ^ Ross, Dalton (2021-09-30). "Xavier Prather on making history as Big Brother's first Black winner — and fulfilling a promise to his late brother". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Watkins, Nicole (2010-03-15). "Xavier Prather makes his mark for Gull Lake boys basketball team in Class B regional semifinal win over South Haven". MLive. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ "2014-15 Men's Basketball - Xavier Prather". SAU Cougars. 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Mauch, Ally (2021-07-01). "Big Brother Season 23 Cast Revealed: Meet the 16 New Houseguests!". People. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
- ^ Narayanan, Varsha (2022-07-07). "Who were the members of the Big Brother Cookout Alliance? BB Alums are the most sought after on The Challenge: USA". SK Pop. Sportskeeda. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Sim, Bernardo (2021-09-21). "Big Brother 23: The Cookout Makes History With All-Black Final 6". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Seemayer, Zach (2021-09-29). "'Big Brother' Season 23: History Is Made as a New Champion Is Crowned in Dramatic Finale". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Longeretta, Emily (December 7, 2023). "'Big Brother Reindeer Games' Cast: Meet the Past Winners and Fan-Favorites Competing in the Holiday Showdown". Variety. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (2022-06-08). "Meet the Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, and Love Island stars taking on The Challenge: USA". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Bloom, Mike (2022-08-04). "Xavier Prather and Shan Smith Call Kyland and Alyssa "Trash" for Their Blindside on 'The Challenge USA'". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Jacobs, Meredith (2022-08-01). "'The Challenge: USA': Shan & Xavier on 'Stupidity' of 'Big Brother' Betrayal". TV Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Lewis, Errol (2021-10-08). "'Big Brother' Winner Xavier Prather Heads To 'The Bold And The Beautiful'". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved 2022-10-15.