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Xavier E. Prather made history as the first Black winner of the U.S. version of Big Brother, a groundbreaking achievement that resonated far beyond the confines of reality television. His strategic prowess and composed gameplay not only earned him the $750,000 grand prize but also cemented his place in the show’s legacy. Now, he’s breaking new ground again by competing in the inaugural season of The Anonymous.

The Anonymous features two types of interaction among players. At times, they come together in the same physical space, engaging face-to-face. Other times, they enter a virtual world where they can speak freely under the veil of digital anonymity. However, if their virtual identities are revealed, the real-world group dynamic can quickly intensify.

In our exclusive two-part interview with Xavier, we delve into the intricacies of The Anonymous, exploring how he minimized his threat level among competitors, navigated the fast-paced nature of the game, and adapted his strategy to thrive in this intense environment.

Part 1:

PC: You’re no stranger to reality television competitions, having won Big Brother and competed on The Challenge: USA and Big Brother: Reindeer Games. But The Anonymous is such a unique, fast-paced concept where players are eliminated each day. In most shows you participate in, you have the time to adapt and evolve your strategy. How did this fast-paced environment affect your game?
Xavier: To a degree, it was as if they took the social and strategic aspects of Big Brother and put them at Reindeer Games‘ pace because Reindeer Games was fast. Santa wanted me in all the showdowns—I don’t know why he hates me so much, but he did.

It was very fast-paced. It doesn’t give you much time to think strategically, so when you’re in the hideout, you have to be intentional. You really have to be on. You need to be analyzing, thinking, and using every single nugget of knowledge you receive to influence your gameplay and strategy.

This game stretched and challenged me more socially and strategically than any other game I’ve played, which I found enticing. I’ve heard people say that I don’t think strategically or socially enough, so I appreciated that this was a concept that had never been done before. We get to be the blueprint for the first season. Every show I’ve done up to this point has been different; I’ve never done the same show twice.

It also challenges me as a player. Ultimately, I want to see how good of a reality TV competitor I am across all genres. I’m only going to learn that if I keep trying out these different concepts that force me to elevate my game.

PC: Great answer. I feel like you’re such a well-rounded player—you’re a comp beast, but you also have that strategic mindset. When you’re a past winner of any show, you’re immediately seen as a target and a threat, but you made the decision early on to tell your fellow players that not only have you competed, but you won. What was the thought process behind revealing that information? Did you ever consider hiding the fact that you were a winner?
Xavier: I was banking on hiding the fact that I was a winner. I wasn’t going to tell them that. I haven’t seen the episodes yet, so I don’t know how you all saw me divulge it or what led to that happening.

It happened to me on Big Brother with Derek Frazier—he called out my profession in Week 1. Luckily, no one listened to Derek. But on this show, on the first night, Dillian [Frelow] and I were in the orange room. He comes up to me and says, “You know that I know who you are, right?” I was like, “No!” At that point, I hadn’t told anyone about my reality TV history. I told Robbi [Jade Lew] what I did for a living, just in case someone knew. If someone knew who I was and I lied about being a lawyer, they would sniff it out. So I decided to tell them I was a lawyer and feel it out. No one had come forward. But after Dillian told me, I thought, I can either trust that he keeps it to himself—which he might have—or I can consider that there may be other people who know and are waiting to expose it in the chat and blow up my game on Day 1. So, I told everybody because I figured if anyone was planning to use my reality TV past against me as a checkmate, well, no—uno reverse.

I was really hoping that no one knew who I was. I mean, Britney [Haynes] didn’t know who I was, and we were from the same show, so I was really banking on the idea that no one knew me. It’s funny because after I told people who I was, several came out and admitted they knew. That was definitely the move I had to make because many had it tucked away in their back pocket and could have used it in the anonymous chat.

Let me give you another angle. Let’s say I trusted that Dillian would keep it to himself. If we went into chat and it got revealed who I was, my first thought would be, “Oh my God, Dillian just outed me,” but really it could have been anyone. This way, I was able to take this grenade off the table.

PC: It was also interesting that when Andy [King] revealed his involvement with Fyre Fest, everyone was like, “He doesn’t need the money.” How were you able to not only tell them you won but also minimize your threat level?
Xavier: There are two types of threats: the obvious threat and the person who’s a threat and a gamer, but nobody knows it. When you’re the obvious threat, which I would say I usually am in most shows I participate in, the goal isn’t to talk your way out of being a threat. You’re just trying to quiet that voice in other players’ heads that says you’re a threat. You’re trying to give them reasons to keep you around. I’m a threat, but I’m a threat you can use to your advantage. I would say something like, “I’ve been on these shows before. Some of you are new. Let me help you out. Use my brain to benefit you. We need to add money to the pot? I’ve done a few competitions in my day. I’m here. I can help make sure you’re walking away with more money in your pockets.” Everyone knows I’ve won, so there’s always going to be a reason to get rid of me. If you ever find yourself at risk, you want me standing next to you.

There are so many different ways you can turn things in your favor. You also need to make sure you’re building relationships with people socially. That’s something I’m familiar with from Big Brother and The Challenge. I didn’t really get to do it on Reindeer Games—they were like, “He’s big? He’s strong? Get him.” Even though there wasn’t a lot of time, there was still enough to try to make those connections with the players who were there. I’d say it was pretty effective.

PC: Yeah, with this show, you also get to show off a lot of your humor. Being a veteran of reality TV competitions, what do you think is the biggest mistake that a first-time player should avoid in this environment?
Xavier: Avoid talking too much. Literally, avoid talking too much. You never want to be seen as a leader. For me, people were going to assume I was a leader because I’ve done it before. I can’t really fight that. But if you’re someone like Kacie [B. Mize], Tyrenna [Tolbert], Lilly [Jenkins], or Dillian [Frelow], who haven’t done prior reality competitions, the key is not to give people a reason to think you’re this top-notch gamer. Lay low, take it easy, and navigate the game that way. Don’t get caught up in leading conversations or doing too much too fast.

That’s something you often see on Big Brother when a superfan comes on the show—they go all out and do way too much too soon, and it bites them in the butt. They either go home early or, at some point down the line, their overplaying ends up costing them the game.

Part 2:

PC: With this being the first season, you’re setting the tone for how this game will be played in the future. For players who may compete in the future, what aspect of your strategy do you hope they adopt?
Xavier: I figured out how DANI works and how a group of people can manipulate the anonymous mode to their advantage. I tried to find a way to do it alone, but it’s nearly impossible unless you’re willing to sacrifice a close ally, which I found too risky.

For example, if I were really close with Christopher [Shulstad], I could go into chat and put a huge target on him. People wouldn’t suspect me because he’s my ally, which could increase my chances of becoming the Anonymous. But if I don’t get the Anonymous power and someone else targets Christopher, I might have just sent him home indirectly. That’s too risky, so I didn’t like that strategy. Instead, I thought, “Let’s use the chat as a group to filter out our targets. We can figure out who to vote for, and by splitting our votes strategically, we can decrease the likelihood of them becoming the Anonymous.”

For our allies, if you think you know their handle, throw a random vote on it to increase the chances that someone you’re working with becomes the Anonymous. This way, even if I don’t get the power, it’s more likely that one of my allies does, and if I’m at risk, they can bail me out. This approach increases the probability that you’ll get the Anonymous power without putting your allies at risk.

Initially, my strategy of pretending to be Lilly worked because I ranked high. In the first few rankings, I was in the Top 4 or 5, even Top 3. But then I realized that if people were voting for me as fish, thinking I was Lilly, it meant Lilly was probably ranking high too because no one was guessing her correctly. That’s dangerous. If you’re going to pretend to be someone, it should be one of your allies so you can gather more votes.

The group strategy was the most effective for me. It prevents you from risking your allies and increases the chances that someone you’re working with will get the Anonymous power. The key is whether everyone can stay on the same page or if they’ll be too focused on getting the Anonymous power themselves to stick to the game plan.

PC: They definitely show that.
Xavier: I’m hoping people will see that I do know what I’m doing, both socially and strategically. Some might think I don’t have a knack for these games, but I hope this time they’ll see more of how I operate socially and how my mind works. In this game, you’ll see just how analytical I am—that’s really me. I just don’t always vocalize it.

PC: As someone who has watched you compete across different shows, it’s clear that you bring a unique strategic mindset. You were also part of one of the strongest alliances in reality television. Which of your fellow Cookout members would do the best on this show? And who would do the worst?
Xavier: Who would do the worst? Probably Kyland [Young] or Big D. They’re not bad players, just more outspoken. You’ve seen Kyland on The Challenge—he’s not afraid to get in someone’s face and point a finger, which makes him a big target. So, it would likely be Big D or Kyland, but only because they’re more vocal.

As for who would do the best, I think Azäh [Awasum] would excel at getting along with everyone. People would trust her. However, I’m not sure how she’d handle being anonymous, since that often requires deception or being willing to sacrifice allies, which I can’t see her doing. Tiffany [Mitchell] could also do very well, as long as people don’t recognize her. If they do, she might face more challenges. But if they don’t, she could navigate the game similarly to how Cirie [Fields] did in her first season of The Traitors.

However, I believe the person with the best shot is Hannah [Chaddha]. She’s not likely to come off as super threatening, and she’s a high-level thinker, so strategically she’d know how to navigate the game. Socially, she wouldn’t have a problem—she’s not overly outspoken, gets along with most people, and is very kind. But she can also be cutthroat when needed. Out of all the Cookout members, I think Hannah would probably do the best in this game. Even if people know who she is, she wouldn’t be a glaring target, and she’d be willing to engage in the anonymous chat and do what needs to be done. If I could figure out this game, Hannah definitely could too.

To keep up with Xavier, follow him on X and Instagram. The Anonymous premieres on August 19th at 11/10c on USA Network.

Photo Credit: USA Network