Kaycee Clark Becomes the Second Gay Contestant to Win ‘Big Brother’

In a tight 5-4 vote — the third such vote in three seasons of the United States’ variant of the CBS reality series — Kaycee Clark won the 20th season of Big Brother. The out lesbian winner becomes the second gay winner of Big Brother‘s American variant, and the first lesbian to take home the prize.

Following in Big Brother season 15 champion Andy Herren’s footsteps, Clark won on a combination of social gameplay and a nearly unprecedented late-game competition streak. She won five of the last six Power of Veto competitions, giving her a remarkable hold on the late phase of the game, and tying the record for most Veto wins in a season. (The record is co-held by Big Brother All-Stars‘ Janelle Pierzina, Big Brother season 8 runner-up Daniele Donato, and Big Brother season 19 runner-up Paul Abrahamian.)

Clark, a football player, managed to win the votes of fellow houseguests Bayleigh Dayton, Angie “Rockstar” Lantry, Faysal Shafaat, Scottie Salton, and Sam Bledsoe. Four were in the opposing alliance “The Hive,” while Bledsoe was a free agent. Brett Robinson and Angela Rummans, both members of Clark’s and Crispen’s alliance “Level 6,” voted for Crispen. JC Monduix, fellow gay member of the final 3, also voted for Crispen. (Haleigh Broucher, a Hive member, voted for Crispen.)

Clark’s win caps off a great year for LGBTQ+ Big Brother players, one that started with Courtney Act‘s win on the UK variant of Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year. Alongside her, Ross Matthews won second place and America’s Favorite Player on Celebrity Big Brother‘s U.S. variant, while Johnny Mulder and Erica Hill both made great cases for themselves on Big Brother Canada.

Big Brother will return in the U.S. with Celebrity Big Brother season 2 this winter.