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Is Cookout alliance racist? 'Big Brother' fans divided over Whites being targeted

'The Cookout is racist. They’re targeting one race. That’s it.,' wrote a fan

Season 23 of 'Big Brother' is making history with several first-ever instances. From having the most diverse casting in the history of the popular reality show to a strategic alliance of the Black house guests called Cookout alliance, the ongoing season promised drama and suspense like nothing we have ever seen before. 

With $750,000 prize money up for grabs, the houseguests were ready to do whatever it takes to take home the grand prize. Banking on the most diverse casting the show has ever seen, the Black houseguests decided on forming an alliance in order to make sure that one of them wins this season. While being strategic and scheming against fellow house guests by forming alliances is nothing new on 'Big Brother' what set the Cookout apart from the previous alliances we have seen on the show is that this alliance is a secret one. The six members of the alliance-  Azah Awasum, Derek Frazier, Kyland Young, Hannah Chaddha, Tiffany Mitchell, and Xavier Prather, didn't meet together until day 52. 

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Owing to their secrecy and their determination to put the alliance above their personal relationships meant that the Cookout alliance quickly became one of the most dominant and powerful alliances this season. With the non-members of the alliance completely unaware of its existence, many of them ended up on the chopping block without even realizing what was going on around them.

The Cookout alliance came into existence in the first week itself when Tiffany pulled Derek F aside and expressed her desire to form an all-Balck alliance in the house. Soon the other Blackhouse guests were added to the group. In order to not raise any suspicions and keep their alliance a total secret, the members agreed to stay low and help each other out based on the information flying around the house, instead of gathering together as a group and coming up with a game plan. So far things seem to be working well for them, as they have managed to influence nearly every elimination this season by trying to remove non-members out of the game.

Fans have mixed opinions about the Cookout alliance and its strategy of targeting non-group members. While several fans felt that the Cookout alliance was racist as it was targeting Whites and thus being racist, others were glad that the Blackhouse guests were putting up a united front on the reality show. A fan who is clearly opposed to the Cookout alliance tweeted, "@CBS how is it okay to show people targeting white people? We are all equal. This is showing hate and racism. #racist #bigbrother #racism #endracism." "#BigBrother this season makes me sick. The most racist TV show I've EVER seen. How can the #cookout not be considered racist??," wondered a fan. Another fan added, "The Cookout is racist. They’re targeting one race. That’s it. #BigBrother #bb23."

Fans who favored the Cookout alliance came forward defending the alliance. A fan shared, "I find it hilarious how many white people are calling this season Racist because a group of black people joined an alliance to get everyone out that doesn’t look like them #BigBrother." "LMAO. I’m loving all these yt tears. It’s funny how suddenly #BigBrother is “racist” because y’all gotta exit the house. But for 22 seasons when POC complained about this it was just “bad game play”. So suck it up, it’s just bad game play," seconded a fan. Another fan echoed similar thoughts with, "No body had an issue in 22 years of white people winning #BigBrother the 6 blacks on here just wanna make history on a historic show and now white people up in arms. Wasn’t mad when they only featured 2 of 16 on this show in the past STOP TRYING to be the victim ."

Catch all the new episodes of 'Big Brother' Season 23 on CBS every Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday at 8/7c. For more information, check your local listings. If you don't have access to cable, there are a handful of streaming services such as AT & TV TV, fubo TV, and Hulu that offer CBS as a part of their channel lineup. For those based out of the United States, using a VPN will help your case.