Watch CBS News

Xavier Prather Leaves 'Big Brother' With $750,000 And Bonds That He Will 'Absolutely Cherish Forever'

(CBS) - Another season of Big Brother is in the books and we have our newest winner, Xavier Prather. Prather, a lawyer from Kalamazoo, Michigan, took home the largest grand prize in Big Brother history last night - $750,000.

Today he spoke with CBS' Matt Weiss to discuss becoming a part of Big Brother history, what it's like to live on camera 24/7 and what he'll take with him from the Big Brother experience (besides 3/4 of a million dollars).

MW- Hey Xavier, so tell me how'd it feel to wake up today with a whole lot more money in your pocket?

XP- Good day, might be an understatement. [Laughs] It's a good feeling, you put in a lot of work and for it all to pay off, and to be a part of history is something special.

MW- Back in the real world you're an attorney, do you feel like those skills helped you out on Big Brother?

XP- Absolutely. I felt like the skill set that you have when you are an attorney was ideal for the Big Brother house. Working as an attorney or just in the legal community, everyone knows that your network is huge, not only your ability to work well with others but your ability to incentivize others to want to work with you.

I was able to translate some of those skills and some of the networking skills into the Big Brother house to give myself a strong social game to position myself well in the house, not only within The Cookout but also outside.

MW- I'm sure you mentally prepared as best as you could but when you first stepped foot in the house, what's that moment like?

XP- Oh, when I first stepped foot in the house, I was like, yes, there's another bald black guy and I'm gonna be the only one sweating up storm, just fantastic [laughs]. But everything else, yeah it was a lot to take in.

MW- [Laughs] And what's the experience having your life be live streamed 24/7?

XP- In a sense, and I think a lot of the other house guests will reiterate this as well, it's just kind of like you have to be yourself. We all had to be ourselves, we're all human, I'm sure we'll all make mistakes, I'm sure we'll all do things that we'll watch and be like Ah that was cringe.

We were cast on the show because of who we are though and I think showing that through the live feeds is a unique experience. You see the good, you see the bad. The good you love and the bad you try to learn from.

MW- Is there any acclamation getting back to regular life now or does it feel like there's still a camera pointed at you? Except for right now where there is literally still a camera pointed at you [laughs].

XP- [Laughs] Right. Yeah, like I mean for the first 20 minutes when I got my phone back I was trying to figure out how to hack into it because I had forgotten my passcode. I found out the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Finals, that was great.

I'm playing catch up right now and I feel like a caveman. It's a lot. I've really got to get reacclimated with the world.

MW- What do you take from this experience now, aside from the $750,000?

XP- First and foremost that I've made bonds with people that I will absolutely cherish forever. Secondly, I think what we've proven this season is that when people come together with the same goal in mind they can accomplish historic things, incredible feats. I think the cookout proved that.

So for future alliances or just people in general, I think when people come together and really set their mind to doing something they can accomplish just about anything,

MW- Absolutely, well thank you for the time today Xavier. You played a great game and congratulations!

XP- I appreciate it, take care.

Big Brother returns this winter with Celebrity Big Brother coming February 2022 on CBS or streaming with Paramount+. Check your local listings for more information.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.