Hannah Chaddha Is Not Your Typical Big Brother Contestant

The 21-year-old HouseGuest from Big Brother 23 reveals her strategy going into the house and what she would have done differently.

Photo Courtesy of Hannah Chaddha

Hannah Chaddha is by far one of the most iconic contestants in Big Brother. During the summer, she was presented to fans of the show as a 21-year-old grad student from Illinois. Even before entering the house, Hannah was already generating buzz. She became the first ever contestant in the show's history to have been born in the 2000s. From her first appearance, she approached the game with a clever strategy, leading her to form the iconic Cookout alliance with the five other Black contestants on season 23.

Hannah Chaddha's path to the Big Brother was that of a conventional contestant. At just nineteen years old, she graduated from college. Even though she told everyone at the house that she was a college student studying fashion, the prodigal Biomedical student has been breaking down barriers since day one. After skipping two grades in school, she attended a science-focused boarding school for gifted students. At sixteen, she graduated from high school, then moving to Chicago to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she majored in biology and spanish, as well as, started on the pre-med track. Most recently, Hannah is getting a masters in Biomedical Ethics at Loyola in Los Angeles, but due to Covid-19 she has been attending school remotely.

With her amazing history, it's a surprise that Hannah's strategy at the Big Brother house did not mention a lot from her academic past. According to her, this was her plan.

"I didn't want my fellow houseguests to know that about me. I also wanted them to feel like I was their baby sister. So I changed up the way I wore my hair on the show, changed up my make up," she said. "I wanted them to feel the need to protect me."

And her strategy paid off. People at the house felt emotionally attached to her, and saw Hannah as someone they wanted to remain around for a long time. This strategy is incredibly smart, considering the competitive environment of the show. As soon as someone is perceived as a threat, that person could become victim to tactics and attitudes aimed at making them unsuccessful.

"As a person and as a player, they underestimated my knowledge of the game," Hannah said. "That caused them to look in the other direction. I wasn't an immediate problem."

After watching the entire season, however, Hannah said that if she had the chance to start the game all over again, she would change her strategy.

"Knowing what I know, I probably wouldn't have played the same."

While Hannah Chaddha will always be regarded as one of the most iconic and clever contestants in the Big Brother 23, her life outside of the house is just as remarkable. On a recent Instagram post, Hannah reflected on the highs and lows of the past year. With her academic achievements, she would have never thought she would appear in one of TV's most popular reality shows.

In her caption, Hannah thanked her fellow contestants for being an important part of her year:

Whether she returns to the Big Brother house in the future, or continues to break barriers and academic records, we are excited for what's ahead for Hannah Chaddha. As one of our 2021 Trailblazers, she embodies the vision to create paths where there were none.

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This feature is part of our Trailblazers to Follow 2021 campaign, which is honoring artists, actors, and internet personalities that are changing the game. You can visit our Trailblazers portal for more interviews. Follow Hannah Chaddha on Instagram.