The next stage of their relationship! Big BrotherAlums Derek Xiao Claire RehfussYou are all moving together across the country.
“We’re moving out to L.A.,” Derek, 25, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, August 11, adding that he and Claire, 26, “had to ditch” New York. “You know, those rent prices. We couldn’t stay.”
The CBS personality added that the couple’s next living situation is “semi-temporary” as they look “for a more long-term lease.” The two reality TV alums met during season 23 of Big BrotherIn 2021. The show began as a series of friends. However, they discovered their romantic connection while being kept apart in the jury house.
Claire Rehfuss and Derek Xiao Claire Rehfuss/Instagram
“I think that we both really felt the chemistry once we got to jury house and could really connect with each other,” Claire exclusively told UseInterview in October 2021. “We would stay up late talking every single night and we just really developed a bond.”
Derek agreed that the duo’s feelings for each other became more evident when they weren’t on camera 24/7.
“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,” he said. “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.”
The Maryland native waited until his expulsion to make a move. He then told Use that he “knew from one week that Claire was my type.” As for what held him back, he said, “I mean, you saw what happened to Alyssa [Lopez] Christian [Birkenberger]Week 1. Even though I was taken out very early, I still wanted to win that game. … I knew that if I let myself, I would just fall for Claire in the house.”
Derek was a contestant for CBS this summer. The Challenge: USAIt features competitors from Big Brother, Survivor, The Amazing Race Love Island. He made it past halfway point and lasted longer than his co-pilot. Big Brother 23Alums Tiffany Mitchell, Xavier Prather Azah Awasum. He was eventually eliminated in episode 6. Love Island’s Shannon St. Clair.
When Derek’s elimination episode aired on Wednesday, August 10, Claire shared a video via Instagram Stories of her and her beau toasting cocktails. “Always a winner in my book,” she wrote.
Sharon Tharp reporting
