Leaning into love! Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss have Big Brother to thank for their relationship — but it wasn’t until they were both evicted that their romance took off.
The pair met in July 2021 while living under the same roof on season 23 of the CBS series. Following their respective eliminations from the house in August and September 2021, they got a second chance at love when they were in the jury house together for two weeks.
“I definitely liked Claire in the house. I knew that Claire was just my type,” Xaio exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2021. “I knew that from week one that Claire was my type, but I don’t know. I guess I just never let myself explore that beyond just a friendship.”
Us broke the news of the TV personalities’ off-screen romance in October 2021, shortly after the show crowned a winner in late September. (Xavier Prather was the season’s champion.)
Their showmance was able to flourish because there weren’t cameras documenting their late-night conversations while in the jury house as opposed to when they were competing in the main house.
“Once you’re off camera, that’s when you really, really get to know who a person is and you can really be vulnerable and you can really be open and really talk about a lot of things from your life,” Rehfuss told Us.
Xiao added, “I feel like I know Claire better than I know a lot of my best friends.”
The twosome told Us in October 2021 what they love about each other most after shaping their relationship behind-the-scenes of the CBS’ show.
“I think what I really like about Derek is just genuinely his humor. We do just really make each other laugh,” the University of Michigan alum said. “But then, also, I think Derek has one of the biggest hearts out of anyone that I’ve ever met. He just always sees the good in any situation. He sees the good in every single person. And he’s just so kindhearted. He just has so much love to give and takes love so well.”
Xiao, on the other hand, pointed to Rehfuss’ “fantastic” sense of humor as one of her best qualities.
“She never fails to put a smile on my face. She is one of the most fun-loving people that I’ve ever met. She has this saying, ‘Remember the rule. Have fun.’ And that is one of my favorite sayings I learned in the house,” the University of Maryland alum told Us. “She gave me a bracelet that has it and I wear it every single day. She also has an incredibly kind heart. The love that she showed for everyone in the house was completely genuine. So creative, just all the great things, I feel like Claire embodies.”
Scroll down to relive Xiao and Rehfuss’ whirlwind relationship:
After houseguest Christie Valdiserri tested positive for COVID-19, Rehfuss stepped in as her replacement before the show’s season 23 premiere. According to Xiao, he knew from week one that the Ohio native was his “type,” but didn’t act on it because he was trying to win the game. Rehfuss had a similar reaction to meeting the Baltimore native.
“I think both of us had like a little bit of a crush, or at least saw maybe there's some potential there, pretty early on in the game,” she exclusively told Us in October 2021. “But then you just get wrapped up in the game and you just don't think about it anymore. You just are so focused on trying to win the money. And you're not exploring it. You're not really thinking, “Oh, what if this?'"
CBS
Xiao was evicted from the Big Brother house during the August 26 episode.
CBS
One week later, Rehfuss was sent packing during the September 9 episode after pal Tiffany Mitchell, who was the Head of Household, nominated her.
CBS
The duo were then reunited in the jury house, which is where they started to realize that there might be something romantic between them. “I remember the first or second night that she was there, we stayed up all night just talking until 5:00 a.m. That happened every single night for the first, like, five days,” the Hell’s Kitchen, New York, resident told Us the following month of his time with Rehfuss in the jury house. “That’s when I started really thinking like, ‘Wait a second, why didn’t this happen in the house? There’s such a strong connection and chemistry between us.’ I think that was the beginning of us thinking about what this could be.”
CBS
The twosome announced their relationship status via social media the same day. “The absolute best thing to come out of the most stressful 3 months of my life,” Rehfuss captioned a steamy photo of the couple on Instagram.
Xiao shared his own snap with his girlfriend, writing, “Expect the unexpected? 😅 Shoutout to all my fellow houseguests for helping us keep one last secret 🙏🏼. Coming out of the Big Brother house has been overwhelming, but I’m so lucky to have had Queen Claire by my side making me smile and laugh everyday ❤️ I’m so excited to see what’s next for us!”
Erik Johnson for E-Studios
The start-up founder shared a goofy TikTok video with his love in celebration of their romance. “When you finally go public with your relationship,” he wrote alongside a clip of the pair dancing and hugging while the Bee Gees’ “More Than a Woman” played in the background. “We were way too happy at this take,” he captioned the video.
Courtesy of Derek Xiao/TikTok
The lovebirds shared a sweet Instagram Story video together after returning to NYC, where they both currently live. “Here is her gorgeous New York apartment that isn’t in Queens, because she is a liar,” Xiao joked as his GF joined him in the kitchen. After Rehfuss accidentally disclosed where she lives in the Big Apple, her man explained that they’ll be hanging out in New York for two weeks and would love recommendations of things to do.
Courtesy of Derek Xiao/Instagram
The Al engineer gave Xiao a crash course in watching Survivor during one of their first days back in New York. “It’s happening! Here we go. Going to be trying to give him lessons, tell him what’s happening,” she said in a series of Instagram Story videos before teaching her BF how to play the game within a game.
Courtesy of Claire Rehfuss/Instagram
0 Comments