As Big Brother's Rome Seymour and Lyric Medeiros continue thinking about moving in together, one former Houseguest is imploring them not to succumb to the pressure of producers and fans of the show. Season 23's Claire Rehfuss, who can speak to the allure of a post-show romance quite well, had a warning for the couple as they navigate their relationship after the show.
Claire famously came out of Big Brother Season 23 in a relationship with Derek Xiao, but after four years, they went their separate ways. While she didn't get into specifics about how her own relationship went wrong, she gave advice on The Royal Tea about how Rome and Lyric should proceed that makes it sound as though she's speaking from experience:
You do not need to rush moving in together. I know it is very easy to become very codependent very quickly. You guys have gone through an experience that only you two can understand, you've lived together already, it's not that big of a difference. Take the time to enjoy dating.
Makensy Manbeck was also a guest on the podcast and nodded along to everything Claire said. Makensy ended up dating Matt Hardeman after Season 26, and they've since broken up. Both relationships started during or very quickly after the show, similar to what happened with Rome and Lyric.
Claire and Derek X also had a lot of attention on them after Big Brother ended, and even received an invitation to compete on The Amazing Race. Claire, who ended up winning alongside Derek, told them to jump on those types of opportunities, but not to rush the part of being in a relationship:
I did it immediately. At least make them pay rent. Take the time. Maybe move to the same city, but enjoy the time to take dating. You have the rest of your life. If you get the chance to go on Amazing Race, go on Amazing Race. Do not move in together. Wait a year.
While plenty of people watch Big Brother, only a limited number of people have the unique experience of actually playing it. It's a strange experience, especially when exiting to a horde of fans who feel like they know you because they watched you live in the house via their Paramount+ subscription. I can definitely see how easy it would be to embrace the comfort of another person who understands how weird it is, and mistake that connection for what it takes for a lasting relationship.
On the other side of the coin, Julie Chen Moonves loves to bring up that we've seen plenty of Houseguests get married after Big Brother and go on to have a strong marriage. So, are Lyric and Rome wrong for pushing full steam ahead?
Genuinely, I don't think they will, but I'm basing that on how Rome spoke to CinemaBlend about the possibility of her moving on when he was eliminated. He acknowledged they'd only known each other a short time, and he was grateful for what they shared if she decided against a relationship.
At the end of the day, if Rome and Lyric split before the end of the 2026 TV schedule, what consequence is it to anyone but them? They should do whatever feels right for them, which may be what Claire was getting at with her comments.
Big Brother will return to CBS next summer, hopefully without Survivor players ready to ruffle the feathers of more BB icons. There's plenty of past seasons to watch on Paramount+ in the meantime, so get to it and enjoy all the other past showmances that did or didn't last.
