The Challenge Scouting Reports: Big Brother 23
*SPOILER ALERT FOR BIG BROTHER SEASON 23*
Big Brother 23 ended just a couple of weeks ago and the cast from this season was particularly strong even if the way the season played out was a bit disappointing in my mind. Since Big Brother has become one of the major shows that The Challenge looks at for rookies, I broke down who they should and should not cast for future seasons.
Click here to see my other Big Brother casting choices
And here for all my casting discussions
I am breaking down the cast members from each show in to one of four categories “Not Right for The Challenge”, “I’m not excited but they could surprise me”, “Good Casting Choice” and “Absolutely! Why aren’t they already cast?
”Not Right for The Challenge”
Frenchie
Frenchie is the kind of person that is right for shows like Big Brother and Survivor which are significantly less physically intense and (usually) more strategically complex than The Challenge. Frenchie is an absolute mess strategically & socially and those are some of players I do like seeing on The Challenge when they are good physical competitors since there is tension with them having the chance to win power or elimination rounds but that is not the case for Frenchie. He was not a zero for Big Brother competitions but I do not see him standing a chance in competitions on The Challenge. On top of that Frenchie is on the older side for a potential rookie and a family man with a farm and several young children.
Derek Frazier
Derek went really far this season of Big Brother but that was absolutely not due to anything he was doing because he was dragged along as part of the (probably) strongest alliances in Big Brother history and seen as an easy opponent to win against in the final 2. Derek was delusional thinking he was running the game strategically because he “created the alliance” but in reality all he did was name itafter they all had already agreed to work together. Socially he thought he was influencing other players and in control of allies, when in reality after trying to get players to do something they left the conversation wanting to do the opposite and then one of his allies would have to go fix it. On top of that Derek is absolutely dreadful in competitions, not winning or really coming close in a single competition even though he played in the majority of them. One fun thing is he did get in a spat with Josh on twitter but if that’s the only reason to cast somebody half the viewers also could get a spot next season and it doesn’t justify ignoring all the glaring reasons he should not be on The Challenge.
Tiffany
Tiffany was the absolute best player on Big Brother this season being one of the major strategic forces behind her alliance getting all 6 of them to the final 6 and accomplishing their mission to crown the first black winner of Big Brother (US). She was also the fan favorite this season due to her great game. Tiffany is also a great social player and did well in several competitions on Big Brother. Tiffany is however far older (40)than the rookies that usually come to The Challenge, she has a teenage son and she does not give me the vibe that she is looking to go to the environment of a challenge house.
Sarah Beth
For the most part I really enjoyed Sarah Beth on this season of Big Brother she got snowed by the Cookout alliance but so did everyone so that is not the worst. At times she had good strategic ideas and was able to win a couple competitions so those are not the main reason I don’t think she is right. She was not the best social player isolating herself a few times during Big Brother which is not ideal. Sarah Beth does not have the personality for The Challenge, she is nerdy and socially awkward and I think she would be an early target. Physically Sarah Beth did okay in the competitions on Big Brother but is someone I think would be overmatched on The Challenge.
Britini
I feel similarly about Britini as I do about Sarah Beth. I think Britini would potentially have even more trouble socially in a challenge house (although considering her incessant cringeworthy rapping maybe Tori and her could work together). She was also not great strategically being used as a pawn throughout the beginning of the season before being taken out mid game. Finally, Britini was not a great competitor and I think that physicality would be another major liability for her on a show like The Challenge.
“I’m not excited but they could surprise me”
Kyland
Throughout most of this past season of Big Brother Kyland was much higher up for me in terms of contestants I wanted to see on The Challenge.There are a lot of positives about Kyland, he has a natural charm that draws people to him but it also goes both ways since most people who didn’t get drawn in by that charm were very against him. Strategically he was similarly polarizing, making one good or great move but then turning around and making a big mistake and forcing him to need to make several moves to either correct his mistakes (which to his credit he sometimes could)or get bailed out by an ally. Kyland is also a solid physical competitor and I could see him do okay in that aspect of The Challenge. The big but for me with Kyland that dropped him for me was how terrible he was at the end of the season. He completely crossed the line after being blindsided implying that the betrayal made one of his fellow houseguests a bad role model for his nephew(you can watch that below). Kyland similarly said some really disrespectful (and chauvinistic) comments about both Tiffany and Hannah in the jury and in interviews. I am normally high on people who are messy but he was over the line for me and I would be happier to see other people get the opportunity on The Challenge.
Brent
Brent is like many an archetypical young fit and cocky guy. He was one of the early boots this season and mostly memorable for his terrible gameplay such as admitting to someone that he was reading their lips from across the room and causing them to be both incredibly uncomfortable and wanting to target him. Brent also made some tone deaf comments trying to flirt with several of the women in the house. To his credit he joked about his poor gameplay instead of being salty but there are only so many spots to bring on really “Broey” guys and there are plenty of similar guys that could bring a lot more to the table for a Challenge season.
Travis
Just like Brent Travis is another one of the “broey” young athletic guys. Travis ended up getting out first in the chaotic week that was Frenchie’s HOH and Travis did not play particularly poorly since he was Frenchie’s fourth or fifth target. Travis’s biggest hurdles for me are like I mentioned there are a lot of guys that fill that archetype to name a few Dean & Jack from survivor season 39 and Xander survivor season 41 and Nick from season 3 of the Circle let alone more players this season. Does Travis have some potential to fit in if he were brought on the Challenge? sure, but there are many other people I would be happier to see get that shot. both from this Big Brother season and many other places.
Whitney
Whitney to me is in a similar situation for the women as Travis is for the men, she is a flirty young girl that was sent home early this season without making a lot of mistakes beside being on the wrong side of the numbers. I think that she could fit in on a Challenge season but she doesn’t excite me especially compared to other people similar to her, for example Kat Dunn from Big Brother 21 or Lauren O’Connell from Survivor 38. In addition Whitney didn’t impress in competitions on Big Brother and I think that she would be a below average competitor on The Challenge. Therefore I think that MTV would be best served going in another direction.
“Good Casting Choice”
Xavier
Xavier played a really solid game winning this season of Big Brother but he definitely benefited from being a part of the “Cookout” alliance. Without that protection he likely would have been targeted as a big threat and back doored sometime around jury. He knew to lay low by throwing challenges early and played the end game really well earning his win. Xavier was good at competitions in Big Brother and is a big physical guy playing division II college basketball. He is also really smart and a lawyer so I think he would definitely be able to compete well physically and mentally on The Challenge. He is a relatively entertaining guy but I am afraid he could be someone who turns out to be a bit boring in a house full of personalities like The Challenge. Another thing that makes me put him lower is he might not have interest in more Reality TV since he has his career as opposed to people who are college students or Instagram influencers looking to give themselves bigger names.
Azah
Azah is curious to me she got very far this season as a part of the “Cookout” alliance but was much more of a number rather than a decision maker. She is really personable making a lot of friends on the season but she often didn’t take the step to solidify those friendships into alliances which could be a bit less of an issue on a show like The Challenge. She is also somebody I could see being really chaotic for example at a point during Big Brother she got mad at her alliance member for nominating her friend for elimination instead of putting herself at risk. Azah is also somebody I could see do okay in dailies even though she didn’t do great in the Big Brother competitions she is tall and in shape so I think she would be an about average Challenge competitor most seasons. I think the mix of her being chaotic, pretty likable and having potential athletically makes Azah an intriguing option for The Challenge.
Claire
Claire is someone I really liked on Big Brother this season she was a good strategic player and reasonably social. She is also genuinely a fan of reality tv so that’s always something that I am happy to see. Similarly to people like Sarah Beth, Claire is nerdier than the typical challenge competitor but I think she has the potential to succeed like Challenge legend Sarah Rice, who was also nerdier than your average challenger. Claire was not the best competitor but she is tall & really smart and I think could do alright on The Challenge if she wanted to put some time getting in better shape. She is also now dating one of her cast mates Derek X (who I will get to later) and bringing in the both of them is something I think would be a good move by MTV.
Alyssa
Alyssa reminds me a lot of Analyse (Sis) from Big Brother 21 who was also a flirty athletic young woman that seemed perfect for The Challenge. Except where Sis was boring and didn’t care about trying to win the the game Alyssa is significantly better. Alyssa is a more interesting personality and was at least trying to win even if she was completely snowed by the “Cookout.” Alyssa was strong physically winning three competitions and doing well in others and I think could do well in the types of competitions on The Challenge. She was in a showmance during Big Brother with Christian though they are apparently just friends now and I would not be shocked to see her get in one were she brought on The Challenge.
“Absolutely Why are they not already cast”
Derek X
Derek X was one of the break out stars from this season of Big Brother and I would be thrilled to see him make the jump to The Challenge. He was great at competitions in Big Brother winning three competitions and being seconds away from a few others and I think he would do well in the kinds of things we see in daily challenges. Derek also learned the game quickly starting not knowing much about the game he quickly became one of the better players which is something that could be a huge asset on a show like The Challenge where the rules can change very quickly. He is a really social player and I think would get along well. Derek was in a flirtmance with Chaddha in the Big Brother house though they decided they were best as friends and he is now in a relationship with Claire. He was also really well liked by the audience coming in second to Tiffany for fan favorite. A final reason that I think production should cast Derek is that The Challenge has been severely lacking Asian representation over the years with just Nam pretty much and in addition to being an excellent choice excluding that I’d be happy to continue to see the show be one of the most diverse like it has been recently.
(Hannah) Chaddha
Typically when I really like a player but am not sure if they will want to do The Challenge because of commitments (like family, school or work) I move them down my list but for me Chaddha, who is in med school, is the number one woman that I want to see from this season. She showed herself to be one of the best strategist this season in a season full of strategic players. She was good at making friends in the Big Brother house inside her alliance and she had some of the best relationships with the rest of the house. Chaddha was solid at the competitions but I think would definitely benefit from some working out beforehand to set herself up better for a more physical game. She is a beautiful girl and was really flirty during this season so I think there is also potential of her getting in a showmance. I think MTV should absolutely call Chaddha and I really hope that she has the desire and availability to do The Challenge.
Christian
Christian is an athletic likable dude similar to a lot of guys that have been on other seasons of Big Brother & Survivor. He is also the main reason I have people like Travis & Brent from this season much lower since I think he s the much better choice. What sets Christian apart is his incredible natural athletic ability, he does not look like a Joss, Fessy or Nam who looked like they were sculpted in marble coming on The Challenge but he won five of the eight competitions he was eligible for on Big Brother. He is also the kind of guy that gives me the impression that he would be a lot of fun in the house. During Big Brother he was in a showmance with Alyssa but it appears that they have decided just to be friends so he would be coming in single which is another plus. For me it just makes so much sense to cast Christian, he is one of the best versions of his archetype and I believe he talked about wanting to do more reality tv. With all that in mind I hope to see him and others from Big Brother 23 on The Challenge season 38 or 39 soon.
