Claire Rehfuss and Derek Xiao, who met on Big Brother and later won The Amazing Race together, announced their breakup after four years of dating.
The couple shared the news through a joint statement on Instagram Stories on Saturday, September 20.
“After 4 wonderful years together, Derek and I have decided to end our relationship. Nothing dramatic happened, just the realization that we’re different people who want different things. We still care deeply about each other, are grateful for the time we shared, and will remain friends.”
They asked for privacy in their statement, writing: “Thank you for all the love and support, it truly means so much. We hope that by sharing we can be given the space and grace to move forward without any speculation or drama.”
The announcement was first reported by TMZ and Parade after the Instagram Stories post expired.
Rehfuss, 29, and Xiao, 28, first met as contestants on Big Brother 23, which aired from July to September 2021. Rehfuss finished in eighth place while Xiao placed tenth.
They went public with their relationship that October. Xiao announced it on social media with the caption “expect the unexpected,” referencing Big Brother‘s catchphrase.
“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,” he wrote at the time. “I’m so excited to see what’s next for us!”
Rehfuss called their relationship “the absolute best thing to come out of the most stressful 3 months of my life.” She told Us Weekly that they began “officially dating” after leaving Los Angeles for New York following the show.
“I am really glad that it started outside of the house,” she said.
Amazing Race Victory
The duo later competed on The Amazing Race 34, which aired between September and December 2022.
They won the $1 million prize after visiting countries including Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Iceland and Jordan.
Xiao credited their Big Brother experience with preparing them for the race. “Definitely understanding social strategy, but also being able to hold your wits in a high-pressure scenario,” he told Gold Derby.
“I think that’s not something you encounter in everyday life, but being able to keep calm, keep cool and collected when you’re doing a challenge and everyone’s already gone, you’re in last place – can you finish this up and recover?”
Rehfuss agreed that Big Brother helped her handle stress. “Big Brother taught me how to handle a high amount of stress and pressure and just keep living and keep doing it,” she said. “And wake up and tackle it and let’s get it done. I think I did better on challenges in The Amazing Race than Big Brother, but I think that’s because I was with him.”
