Taylor Hale, 27, becomes the first black woman to win Big Brother, taking home $750,000 in prize money plus $50,000 as America’s Favorite Houseguest
Taylor Hale became the first black woman to win Big Brother on Sunday during the season 24 finale on CBS.
The 27-year-old Michigan beauty queen beat out Monte Taylor, 27, of Delaware, and Matthew “Turner” Turner, 23, of Massachusetts to win the $750,000 grand prize.
Taylor also won an additional $50,000 after being voted America’s Favorite Houseguest by viewers.
The moment: Taylor Hale is shown reacting after Julie Chen revealed she won Big Brother on Sunday, becoming the first black woman to win the CBS reality show
She was also the first Big Brother winner to win America’s Favorite Houseguest Award.
Taylor was crowned the winner after easily taking the jury vote 8-1.
The Miss Michigan USA 2021 winner compared winning America’s Favorite Houseguest to her Miss Congeniality award at the Miss USA 2021 pageant.
“It’s like winning Miss Congeniality all over again, but this time there’s a cash prize!” she said.
The winner: Taylor was congratulated by Big Brother on social media
Taylor became known for constantly munching on Lays potato chips during her 82 days in the Big Brother house.
She joked to Julie Chen Moonves, 52, during her post-show interview that she “will spend a lot on potato chips afterwards.”
Monte won the final household maker contest of the season, opting to take Taylor to the final two after forming a “showmance” over the past few weeks.
Grand prize: The 27-year-old Michigan beauty queen beat Monte Taylor, 27, of Delaware, and Matthew “Turner” Turner, 23, of Massachusetts, to win the $750,000 grand prize
Taylor focused on her ability to persevere during her pitch to the jury, which consisted of nine previously convicted houseguests, despite being bullied on the show and facing eviction six times.
“I connected every time and stood up and kept fighting because like so many other women in the world, that’s what we have to do to get to the end,” Taylor said.
“I am more than my wins in this game. I overcame so much in this game and I understood that I’m not a shield, I’m a sword,” she added during her impassioned speech.
Third Place: Turner placed third on the CBS reality show
“I’m not a victim, I’m a winner. And if there’s one word that describes the season, it’s resilience. And if you’re wondering who was the most resilient person of the season, that was me,” she said.
“I challenge you, the judges, to choose persistence as the reason to win this game. Change the course of this game,” Taylor added.
Kyle Capener, 29, said earlier in the season he thinks the remaining black contestants would team up to beat white contestants.
The clip aired on the show’s 24-hour live stream, but was not included in the main broadcast.
Big Brother premiered on CBS in July 2000.
Resilient Candidate: “I’m not a victim, I’m a victor. And if there’s one word that describes the season, it’s resilience. And if you were wondering who was the most resilient person of the season, it was me,” Taylor told the judges