‘Big Brother 18’ Jurors Explain Their Votes For Nicole & Paul

The Big Brother 18 Jury definitely surprised a lot of viewers with their decision to give the win to Nicole Franzel over Paul Abrahamian this week during the season finale and it certainly left me scratching my head. So what happened and how did they make that choice?

Big Brother 18 Jurors

With the Big Brother 18 cast and its Jurors now out in the wild answers are starting to arrive. TV Guide caught up with each of the nine voters and asked what was going through their minds and what guided their votes.

So how did Nicole win Big Brother? Even Google was wondering and, though it’s gone now, for the past few days if you typed in “how did n” its auto-suggestions’ top pick was “how did nicole win big brother.” Even more pressing of a need-to-know apparently than “how did Nelson Mandela die” or even Napoleon’s death. That’s kinda funny.

Google search for how did Nicole win

Of course several of the votes were of no surprise so we can skip over the decisions by Victor and Corey, but what about the rest of them? Let’s run down the list and see what they had to say.

James on his vote for Paul to win: “I voted for Paul because he didn’t know anything about the game when he came on… And the fact that he survived the block six times, no one tried to take a stab at him, and any time I tried to take him out, no one wanted to. He made it all the way to final two, so I gotta give the kid props. Nicole was a vet. She knew what she was doing. I felt like he definitely deserved to beat her and I thought he was going to take it.”

Sounds like James weighed in all the advantages Nicole had in the game and went with Paul. An interested aside from James was his comment to TVGuide that if he had won R3 he would have taken Nicole because she was a Vet while Paul got there as a newbie against the Vet threat.

Natalie on her vote for Nicole to win: “I really honestly wanted a girl to win this season… In my final week, I went up to [Paul] and I told him he and Victor had my final if they made it to final two – obviously not over James – and he made fun of me for it and he went behind my back and didn’t believe it and just really pooped on me. When I heard he was pooping on me, I decided he lost my final two vote. Sorry, Paul, it was your own mouth that got you this vote.”

Okay, let’s take a moment here. Weeks ago after Natalie had her conversation with Victor and Paul where she threw James under the bus saying she trusted his judgment and opinions but shouldn’t have done that. Later Paul was out in the Tokyo bedroom discussing medieval life. He was called to DR and made loud comments mocking his “medieval conversation.” Natalie was in the London bedroom and overheard him mistakenly thinking he said “meaningful conversation” which she thought was in reference to her talk upstairs. She was so upset that she never forgave him and ended up voting against him citing that as a reason and Nicole won the game. If that doesn’t make you pull your hair out, then I don’t know what will.

Bridgette on her vote for Paul to win: “I didn’t even know who I was [going to be] voting for until I was up on the stage and I decided… If James had been there, then I knew for sure I was going to pick the other person… I think both Paul’s and Nicole’s gameplay were so impressive.”

Interesting that Bridgette was still undecided aside from “anyone but James.” I didn’t think either Paul or Nicole gave great Q&A’s though Paul’s final speech was better at contrasting his accomplishments so maybe that was it.

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Paulie on his vote for Nicole to win: “I was sitting there weighing both of them and I realized Nicole made it through all these competitive dudes who were just crushing the game. She did it. I think they both nailed it and it could’ve went either way… I’m reliving moments of BB16 — Cody had the opportunity.”

Of course if you’re comparing this to BB16 then Paulie’s generic explanation could substitute Victoria for Nicole as she survived “all these competitive dudes” but no one would have voted for Victoria over Cody if they were there together so that’s not a very good justification. And NO, I don’t think Nicole’s and Victoria’s gameplay styles were comparably. You’ll still never convince me that Paulie wasn’t completely set on voting for his family friend Nicole anyway the F2 turned out if she was there.

Michelle on her vote for Paul to win: “I knew it was going to be close. It was 50-50. It all depended on Day, I knew that. I do think Paul played a better game, but at the end of the day, she won. It is what it is.”

I doubt most were surprised by Michelle’s vote and apparently Nicole was upset that she never got a “congrats” or hug from Michelle after the show. Did Nicole miss the past few weeks? Even though Paul dropped some nasty words on Michelle she wasn’t going to vote for Nicole.

Da’Vonne on her vote for Nicole to win: “America, don’t hate me! I didn’t think it was going to come down to me… He played a great game, but you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. I chose her because I liked Nicole’s gameplay from the inside… I was so pissed he didn’t take James.”

Despite not liking Nicole’s game while in the house and repeatedly voicing hope for Paul to reach the end she then went and voted for Nicole. Well, the Vets stuck together on that one and Da’Vonne says she liked what she saw.

Day also mentioned on Twitter that she only knew what she heard coming in from evictees and heard more about Nicole doing things than Paul. You could argue then Nicole’s game was just less hidden while Paul’s moves were subtle (hard to say anything else about Paul was subtle). Or maybe Paulie and Corey were just better champions for Nicole’s case than Paul had with Victor.

Want more? You can read the full report and commentary from the Jurors at TVGuide.com.

Well, I was bummed by the results but I’m sure many fans were pleased. Do you think Paul was robbed or did Nicole was the rightful winner of Big Brother 18? Cast your votes below and watch Julie draw the keys one more time.



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163 Comments

    • I’m with you. And, in the end, when Natalie called him on it, he just laughed it off and said, “that’s who I am.” Not apologizing for all that filth might have cost Paul $450,000.

      • I completely agree. This time there was a consequence for being an asshole. Based on overall gameplay, I think Paul should have won (it is close though). But, his social game took a hit because of his lack of filter and it cost him.

      • I was just teasing Dan. What bothers me most, is that on BBAD, it’s rated for kids 14 and up. Think of all the kids who were younger than that who heard that filth night after night after night.

      • Wow Sharona…14 and up huh? Can’t imagine how they came up with that idea. Now you’ve got me thinking, I seem to remember when BBAD switched from Showtime to regular cable (can’t recall the network) that it became censored. Do you remember that Sharona?

      • I do. It’s now on POP (used to be the TV Guide Network)—you have to have cable to get it, and they used to censor as much as they could. Then in season 15 or 16, they couldn’t keep up with all the f bombs and just gave up. This year was just awful…and it wasn’t just Paul. He was the worst—but all of the guys and girls (!) dropped so many bombs…ugh. But they also said s**t a lot. There’s no way to censor the cast. But they shouldn’t have it on regular TV when kids have access to it. Although, I don’t know which is worse, hearing all the bleeped out words—like on every reality show on MTV, TLC or any other network—or hearing the words themselves.

      • Yeah you’re right, kids hear the swearing everywhere these days. I guess it really only bothers me when it’s used excessively in normal conversation…like Paul and Paulie.

    • Never liked Paul as a person. His treatment of Frank when he was campaigning and about to be evicted and Paul called him out for campaigning to stay? That was classless and was a form of bullying. He did not have to do so, knowing full well that Frank would be evicted! Frank asked Paul what he was supposed to do when he is on the block? Did not also, like his harassment of Paulie and other guests about to be evicted! That is way too much, an overkill! He reeked of arrogance and his speech at the end cost him too! Instead, of telling the other house guests his big moves in the game, he talked about being put on the block 6 times! Biggest mistake was taking Nicole to Final 2. I said then, that Paul probably had an edge over Nicole but, it was going to be close. Taking James to Final 2 would have given Paul the win!

      • it seemed like paul was scared frank was going to stay

        i forget myself but i just trust what your saying is true cause i know how paul can be haha

        and yea myself i didnt want paul to win either. i didnt want nicole either lol

        i wanted james! :o

      • and i mightve been thinking the same thing as you
        cant really remember too well lol

        that paul probaley wouldve had a better chance if he took james

        but really james mightve had, michelle, natalie, cory, nicole

        and possibly one more vote. so paul mightve lost either way

    • Lying in bed “fooling around” with a complete stranger on t.v.for 75 days makes her more deserving than a foul mouth????

      • My thoughts exactly. Of course she could do that because she had the protection of Paulie the whole time he was in there. Paulie’s ride or die was Corey and since she was with Corey she was kept safe. Even James was looking out for her. I had to laugh when she said she was hard at work the entire game strategizing because it seemed all her and Corey did was lay in bed and I think the other HGs forgot they were even in the house lol.

    • Never realized you couldn’t say bad words if you want to win Big Brother.

      That final speech was all I needed to see from Nicole to tell me she didn’t even have a plan this season. “I don’t know” should never go into your final speech. That’s pathetic.

    • Leseeee…..Potty Mouth[Paul]? or SEX on American live feeds[Nicole]? Well, that was easy….I’ll take the potty mouth anytime over the girl who “sleeps’ her way to the end….especially one who admittedly didn’t even like Nicole like THAT and didn’t want a relationship with her after the game!!!

  1. I definitely think they both played well enough to earn a win, but if that’s Natalie’s reason for her vote, then Paul was robbed 100%. How disappointing.

    • He was robbed. Can’t wait for someone to clue her in on what Paul really said in the DR wasn’t about her but something else. I do think she’s REFERING to them pooping on her by telling James that Nat threw him under the bus too though. Nat claimed she didn’t throw him under the bus in the argument James and her had in the house before she went home. James said something like “according to Paul
      And Victor you did” and so I think she’s deff REFERING to that also.

      • i dont know if i would consider floating through-out the entire game a “great game”

        its a good tactic dont get me wrong, great tactic
        but really anybody can do it

        unlike victor winning competition after competition

        that takes skill.

      • Nicole won competitions. She won more than Natalie and James combined. She played strategic from day one and deserved to win. Don’t be bitter because your favorite lost.

      • Alright, relax. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re bitter. Furthermore, using Natalie and James as a reference point for any point of the game is a pretty weak argument.

        Nicole was protected due to her returner status throughout the game (friends with Paulie’s family pregame, teams twist, etc), which allowed her to do nothing until day 70. How can you actually argue against that with sincerity?

      • Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they need to relax. I’m giving my opinion just like everyone else is. Nicole won and deserved it. The game is over and people are still bitching about. Move on.

      • Nat said in her interview with Jeff in the backyard that she was all about girl power. She had said that many times during the game so I wasn’t surprised by her vote. Da in her backyard interview said Nicole was a vet and she had to vote for another vet. Not saying Nicole played a bad game, but imo Paul played a far superior game especially being a newbie. It’s one of the reasons I don’t like it when they have people who played before playing against those who have never played.

    • IMO, while the “meaningful conversation” comment was misunderstood by Nat, Paul was pooping (love that) on her quite regularly in those final weeks. Nat was good at reading between the lines and I kinda doubt that particular comment was the deciding factor. More likely it was the cumulative negativity that cost Paul the win.

      • Good point. Also kind of ironic since fans were blasting Nicole for poor social game, but poor social game wrt Natalie lost Paul a crucial vote.

    • Actually nevermind. I was thinking about it and if you have to take Nicole’s vote away from a bitter Natalie, then you also have to take Paul’s vote from a bitter Michelle. If you disregard all of the obviously personal votes, Nicole still wins 3-2. (Paulie’s and Zakiyah’s votes may have been personal but I’m not sure one way or the other)

      So I’m not as disappointed actually.

    • screw who played a “better game”

      its all about your own decision. if somebody was being a jackoff to you in the game, then its completely understandable why you wouldnt vote for them

      they did it to themselve

      • Ehh, sure you can vote however you want, but I think it’s poor sportsmanship for a juror to vote based on personal disagreements, etc…

      • There was another reason that both Nat and Da mentioned in their backyard interview with Jeff when he asked them why they voted the way they did. Nat said she was all about a girl winning and girl power. Something she said often during the game and Da said Nicole was another vet. Both said they loved Paul and he played a fantastic game. They said Nicole played a great game as well. I think they thought both played good games, but the immediate answer from Nat was the girl thing and for Da it was the vet thing. These interviews were given right after the live show ended so not long after they actually voted and before they had a lot of time to think about it.

    • i actually think paul played a better game

      like he said, he was being a loud mouth and they STILL didnt vote him out

      usually if you being rude in the game, people kick you out. but for some reason he seemed immune to it. the only thing that stopped him from being kicked out was that victor was a really good competitor

      he was viewed as a bigger threat. if nicole or james won any of those competitions paul wouldve been out of there

      cause im sure even nicole thought that paul was liked by alot of people, and thats why it wouldve been better to kick him out in the end

      but unfornately she didnt win. i was hoping james wouldve won

  2. Well, Whatever you might want to say about Michelle at least we can say she was consistent. Yes a consistent jealous bitch. We all watched her cry her way thru because she needed sex. She evicted Frank for choosing Bridget over her. Frank knew whats he wanted him for, thats why he hung with Bridg, the both had partners outside the house and were only there to play. Michele wasnt going to hand Niic any money after she spent the summer in bed and called it her game. You can go and thow up some more now Michelle because thats the game YOU played.

    • well yea good for michelle. i stand by her. it should be your own personal vote

      thats what big brother is for! if you dont get along with somebody in the house, its GOING to cost you a vote

      thats all part of the game. trying to get along haha

    • me personally, if i was in that game, i wouldve been f_cked too

      i didnt want either paul or nicole to win. so my vote probaley wouldve been random

      but obviously if there was somebody in the house i didnt get along with, you cant expect me to vote for them

      cause the social game is part of big brother. no exceptions

  3. Paul was rude and annoying most of the time, but he played a much better game and was more deserving of the win. Nicole used Corey as her meat shield and spy with the other men. She stayed in bed for most of the summer. Having more worthy targets in the game is what kept her safe. Her “gameplay” obviously didn’t win the game, being less obnoxious than Paul did.

    • She was in bed at night not all day like Natalie and James. And if you listened to her interview with Jeff the next day she said she only took a couple of naps all season. She was always talking game. She even said Corey got tired of her always wanting to talk game. She played great and deserved the win.

      • She might not have been sleeping, but Nicole spent a lot of time in that corner bed, according to Nicole.

        She said that was part of her strategy to avoid personal relationships which might lead to backstabbing (fearful of a repeat of BB16). This comes from Nicole as why she self-admits to having a poor social game. She discussed it in the final days while developing her speech.

      • She spent it there strategizing. She sure wasn’t going to talk game in the middle of the living room. Unlike James, Natalie, Michelle that slept all day. And when the backyard was open she was outside.

      • I have to agree with Matt. She did spend a lot of time in that corner bed with Corey and I have to say I didn’t hear them do much strategizing at all until closer to the end of the game. Only live feeders could see how much time she and Corey spent in the Tokyo Room. When Paulie was still in the game he was running the house and since Corey was his ride or die both Corey and Nicole were kept safe along with Z. Not much strategizing had to be done by Nicole at all. I think as Matt mentioned she was staying away and avoiding personal relationships. It was easy to say she spent all that time strategizing, but I didn’t hear it.

      • You know I really wanted Paul to win. I really did, however…I have to give credit where it is due.

        In the beginning Nicole had a great social game, but after a few weeks and a few episodes of name calling and temper-tantrums, I think she realized there were some people in the house that wanted to target her, therefore, she chose to avoid the confrontations by seeking shelter in the anime room…I’m sorry,, but when people are out for your blood, staying away from them is good BB game play imo. Nicole rolled with the cards that were dealt her after Frank betrayed her and told Da’ what she’d told him in confidence…and then when Da’ was targeting her, Nic stayed awat from Da’ and her explosive temper in order to not get in any more beefs. All of this is wise game play. Moreover, now that I have gone back and watched some of my DVR’d episodes of BB, I realize Nicole actually tried to work with the girls in the Fatal Five alliance, but Da’Vonne is the one who blew that up when she went to Frank and told him that Tiffany was targeting him. That was an outright lie (which Da’ was called out on later) because at that point, Tiffany was NOT targeting Frank…Da’ was the one targeting Frank and used Tiffany as a scapegoat! Nicole happened to be collateral damage in that whole affair as well, which started her period of seclusion within the house.

        I think Nicole played it just right. She stayed low when Tiffany, Frank, Da’ and Bridgette were in the house, but once they were gone, she made herself more known and started to get more involved in the moves being made within the house. When Paulie left, she had no choice, she had to step it up and she did. She manipulated stupid Natalie and Michelle to put the ONLY two people in the house who were seriously going to take them (Michelle & Natalie) to a F5! That is a brilliant bit of work there! It changed the entire dynamics of the house and got Vic & Paul on HER side, rather than Natalie & James’.

        I give Nicole serious props for that move, and even though I wanted Paul to win I can admit Nic was playing the game the whole time, just at a lower key than Paul’s game was. However, lower-key, does not make it any less strategic imo. And this observation is coming from someone who is NOT a Nicole fan…ask anyone here! ;) LOL! I am just starting to see the entire strategy behind her game is all.

      • Very well said. At least you can see the game and not personal. I wanted Nicole to win and didn’t care for Paul but if he would of won he would of also deserved it. I would of been disappointed but would of said he deserved it. Lot of people don’t see it like that though. ;-)

      • she was a floater

        anyone can float. its just you got people who think starting trouble is somehow going to get them far

        and thats really the only reason why she was able to float

        without trouble makers should couldve easily gone home

      • I saw it by the feeds as Nick starting out like Fr4ank & Day to hard and heavy and had not Corry stepping up his interest in her, thus resulting in her spending so much time in bed with him, was not lying low intentionally. And IMO she spent more time (during this Lying low stuff talking up Cooorrrreeey then talking game,& weak minded Nat did what production told her & was actually the one that approached Nick to work with them.She did start playing very late in the game I will admit to. But in her own words she just let things happen that she agreed with.Which pretty well sums up most of the game.

      • Thank you Linda because I saw that very thing that you saw as well. I’m talking about Nat being the one who approached Nic right after coming out of the DR. When it happened and she went to Nic and said: “So what do you think about Paul?” I went WTH just happened? I couldn’t believe it. So when Nic took credit for it being all her idea to get them to change their mind and put up both Vic and Paul I just shook my head in disbelief. I agree very late in the game she and Corey started to play the game, but before that like you said they spent a lot of time in Tokyo laying low with her constant Cooorrreeeyyy. I heard no game talk at all between them in the early weeks and they didn’t have to because Paulie was running the house. I think Nic played a decent game by staying out of the limelight and she certainly played better than James because her and Corey started winning some comps when they had to. IMO Paul played the best game of all and if he had taken James he would have won. He didn’t know that Nat always wanted a girl to win if James wasn’t there at the end and that Da would vote for another vet. Both Nat and Da gave these reasons when asked by Jeff why they voted the way they did in the backyard interview right after the live show ended. Both acknowledged that they both played good games, but first mentioned wanting a girl to win by Nat and Da mentioned the vet thing.

      • What a great summary TGJ and I agree with you 100%.
        Nicole managed to survive a very difficult time during the first weeks with Frank and Day after her.
        Day told so many lies about Nic and turned the other women against Nic.
        .
        Just looking back on the game play of Day, Tiffany, Vanessa and Amanda it doesn’t seem like the gals that play a more aggressive game can make it to the end.
        .
        Nicole’s game might’ve been boring to a lot of people but it was the perfect style of gameplay for her.

      • I totally agree. And laying low when you need to and winning when you need to is a very valid strategy. I am confused as to why some think being loud and obnoxious is a better strategy. Plus even though she laid low a lot, she still got done what she wanted done a lot of the time AND avoided the block until the end.

    • What about using someone as a meat shield and spy is not good gameplay? That sounds like smart and effective way to gather information and keep yourself from being targeted, two key goals in the BB game. And did Paul not use Victor as a meat shield? Also, why is her preferred choice of furniture relevant to her game?

      • You are right about Paul’s use of Victor. Obviously Paul and Nicole had very different ways of playing the game. Paul’s game was more obvious than Nicole’s. I counted votes near the end and knew Nicole had it won even before the jury voted. The only vote that surprised me was from James.

  4. So… it’s only now, when they hear her reason for voting against the HG that they wanted to win, that people are now admitting how self-centered, immature, and insecure Nat-Nat is.

    Sorry, but I find that funny.

    • Nope, I’ve never cared for Nat. She tried to hide her true colors and play the sweet girl, nice to everyone card but it always seemed fake to me and I never cared. Lol

      • Yeah, and it sickens me that so many people here have tried time and time again to defend her.

      • lmmao….oh yeah…As a female myself I understood her perfectly…by the time she is my age she will have her book of “TRICKS” ready to be published…Natalie is “”one slick chick”..

      • i just dont think you understand her

        your taking her the wrong way, you just wanna believe shes slick

        you gotta look at the facts. she even said during the interview with julie that she didnt intentionally try to screw james over

      • I watched the entire season.. I watched and listened to Natalie…so I watched the same person u watched and listened to…U see her as a poor misunderstood girl. I see her as a self serving user of men.. I see her as a street wise been around the block scheming lying female that will do whatever is necessary to attain her goals.. and she don’t care who she steps on in the process.. Natalie went after 3 men in the house and James was the sucker that she hooked…Natalie is all about “NATALIE” and I don’t just believe shes “slick” I know she is…
        If shes ur dream girl go get her…but be sure to take ur bank book and a camera…Natalie has a preference for both..

      • I hope you’re right about that. James may be utter crap at this game, but he’s a nice guy and he deserves to be happy. But I just don’t think Nat-Nat’s “the one?”

      • I saw Nat as you did and early on because if you read her bio before going into the game she did just what she said she was going to do and you are right she went after Vic and Corey first and when none decided they were interested she latched on to James. She wanted America to like her and played that sweet innocent girl to us and when I heard her say Americaaaaaa over and over I thought I would barf!!! The rest of what you wrote is how I saw Natalie as well. I think she likes James as a friend, but just listening to James on the After Show interview he still thinks there is something between them. I hate to see James get hurt, but I don’t think James is the guy she wants. I hope I am wrong and if I am I won’t mind admitting it.

      • I don’t think you’re wrong. And I don’t mind admitting that. She was a ‘friend’ to Jamesie. I DO believe her when she said she’ll always love him…but I also believe she meant it in a ‘friend’ way.

    • Oh no, I never liked her. That whiny voice was like nails on a chalkboard to me ALL season long! Ugh! Trust me, I was hoping for a Gnat-Nat eviction every week! :)

      • I’m glad to hear that. I never really liked her either. Her situation with Paulie was as much her own damn fault as it was his. A lot of people were defending her during that simply because they hated Paulie. And, while I’ve always said that he was way out of line, it doesn’t excuse her own behavior during that time.

    • i honestly dont think she was fake. its just people took what she said the wrong way

      as she said, she had good intentions

  5. Everything I expected happened, and my feelings are the same.
    Whoever won deserved to win bcuz they won. Deserve is such a tricky word.
    I wanted Paul to win. He could’ve, maybe should’ve, but he didn’t and it’s his fault.
    I’m disappointed in him. The only thing I think he “deserves” is losing to Nicole for choosing her over James. You gotta make smart decisions throughout the entire game. That last decision is one of, if not the most important decision. I couldn’t be mad a Da. I don’t blame her.

    • “deserve” is whatever you think qualifies as a deserving quality

      if you think winning competitions is a person who deserves to win, then it should be victor

      social game is also a quality. i think a person deserves to win by everything overall

    • At first I thought Paul lost because he took Nicole and not James, but if you listen to both him and James on the After Show Paul still think if he took James based on how the jurors voted he still thinks he would have lost to James. He said James didn’t make any of the jurors mad and even if they now say he would have won over James that’s easy for them to say after the fact, but based on how they casted their votes at the time he feels the votes would have been their for James.

  6. They both deserved F2 and if Paul would of won he would of deserved it too. I would of been disappointed but he would of deserved it. Just like Nicole deserved it. These sore losers need to get over it and move on the season is over and Nicole won.

    • I agree LG, both Nicole & Paul were the most deserving for F2, however, Natalie’s reasons for voting the way she did were based on something that never happened! Therefore, her vote was misguided and ridiculous b/c she based it upon events that were only real in her mind…That is so unbelievable, it just makes me smh and wonder how that situation never got cleared up.

      • Exactly. It’s so incredibly unbelievable, it makes me not only want to smfh, but to shake hers as well! I hope she realizes at some point what he really said. Then again, would she even be capable of even realize and/or understand? I wonder about her sometimes.

      • I don’t know if you listened to the interviews after the show was over that were done by Jeff, but the very first thing Nat said was she voted for Nicole because she wanted a girl to win. She was all about girl power. I remember her saying that several times on the feeds and the only thing that would have changed that was if James was in F2. This was said right after the show. Perhaps later when she had more time to think the other issue about her not understanding something properly became part of it. The only interviews I saw were those done by Jeff and this other thing about misunderstanding something wasn’t even mentioned. I don’t know if that makes you feel any better or not, but clearly she was not going to vote for Paul regardless.

      • Thank you Jacee2! Hey, it was so nice chatting with you—I hope to see you next season. You take care of yourself, my dear! :)

  7. To me they both deserved to win. It was a close vote 5/4, I would just give a little edge to Paul, but what I find troubling is Nat’s reasons why she cast her vote the way she did.

    • Yeah, using “I wanted a girl to win & he said something mean” is a weak argument. Saying “she made this move & overcame this situation, and won that comp, etc.” would be much different and more convincing.

    • Natalie’s reasons are as ridiculous as her entire game has been all season! She says she’s all about girl-power, but ditched her “girlfriends” for a guys ASAP! She told Paul and Vic they were her F2 vote, but then got sore at Paul b/c she thought he said something bad about her (something he NEVER said btw) and then cast her vote for Nicole, the person she told James that if he worked with she (Natalie) would NEVER speak to him again! I’m sorry, but her reasoning is ludicrous! I am not saying Nicole didn’t deserve the win…I think Paul deserved it more, but Nicole definitely deserved to be up there… But Gnat-Nat’s reasons for giving Nic the vote are silly, childish and, more than anything, untrue. Paul never said what she thinks he did, so her vote ended up just as pointless and misguided as her one and only HOH!

      • While I agree with you I think Paul has only himself to blame because not taking James cost him the game. He is this season’s Cody.

    • That is true. However, Michelle’s vote is even worst because she took her hatred of Nicole personally to vote for Paul! She even bawled in front of the camera because of the supposed smiling look on Corey’s face? It is more pathetic of a vote than Natalie’s vote.

  8. I thought this was over until the 28th.
    I remember the jurors raising their hand when asked who would have voted for Victoria if Cody had been next to her. Most of them chose Victoria.
    Nicole shouldn’t have fairly won, and these people are getting paid to keep their mouths shut.
    I think Nicole played a good game, but Paul was better.
    James was mad because she told Paul what they talked about and I agree with Natalie. I knew all along she would vote for a girl. I’m surprised Brigitte wouldn’t have voted for James since she is good friends with Natalie.

  9. I don’t really have an issue with the reasons Nat gave for her vote. You might say that her “girl power” vote is the opposite side of the all-guy alliance coin. We’ve seen these male dominated alliances rule the BB house a few times now. It’s often accompanied with the “bro” behavior that was on strong display this season. Voting against that behavior is ok by me should one choose to do so.

    I also don’t think Nat would have had a problem voting for a guy over Nicole should James (obviously) or even Vic would have made it to F2. The difference was that Paul and his “that’s how I am” personality was sitting next to Nicole.

    • Yeah, but Dan she told both Paul and Vic they had her vote if either of them made it to F2 the week she was evicted. She only changed that opinion after she misunderstood a comment Paul made about something he & Vic were talking about earlier. I saw her reaction to James after the misunderstanding…she threw a total fit about it and barely spoke to Paul the rest of the week…she was evicted that week, so obviously it was the comment she *thinks* she overheard that changed her mind. It was wrong. It was pointless and it was misguided..just like her HOH and her vote!

      • I’m not so sure TGJ. Nat had plenty of negative opinions of Paul prior to that comment. You’re right that that particular comment really set her off. But, had Nat not have misheard that one comment and had instead heard one of the other many negative comments Paul said about her in that final week, the result would have been the same. Mistaken comment or not, Paul was pooping on her a lot in those final weeks. Paul and Nat’s social games were pretty similar in that they both played EXTRA friendly with those they really couldn’t stand. They both probably recognized this about the other. During that final week they stopped the act toward each other.

        As far as Nat saying that she would give her vote to either Paul or Vic, I’m thinking she was playing up their prior alliance/friendship while throwing James UTB, just hoping she would stay.

  10. Does anyone know if Z was on Friday’s episode of The Bold and the
    Beautiful? There was this African American women carrying a bridal gown, same body type and hair. She had one line. If you have the CBS app you can watch it.

    • Oh, never mind. Couldn’t have been her. They tape these episodes weeks in advance. Sure looked like her though.

    • Philly Cat I don’t know who the girl was, but Victor, Paul and Da are the only ones so far that were going to be taping for the Bold & the Beautiful and that was suppose to take place on Thursday or Friday.

  11. What happened to all the conspiracy theorists who swore on their mother’s life that James and Nicole had something going on before they entered the house?

    Can they explain James’s vote for Paul to win the game?

    • There are still people who swear they did. I never saw an evidence. Conjecture, yes. In the end it was proven false since he didn’t vote for her. I don’t even think Paulie was always going to vote for Nicole from the start. For me it is no different than the paranoia that runs rampant in the house.

  12. I wonder how Nicole feels knowing that most of the viewers (it seems) don’t think she deserves the win. I, for one, do think Paul was robbed as well. Natalie’s reasoning is the dumbest thing that has come out of her mouth…and there have been a lot. smh

    • Does anybody really think Nicole cares who likes her and who don’t???? Nicole will take her check ..put the money in the bank and put peoples comments out of her mind…Nicole is now the one saying “Never Cared” while laughing all the way to the office of her new financial advisor…

      • Actually it did bother her when she had her interview with Jeff on the After Show interview. He mentioned to her that he had asked the jurors why they voted the way they did and Nat said it was because she wanted a girl to win and it’s all about girl power. Da said that she voted for Nicole because she was a fellow vet. Both did say both Paul and Nicole played good games. Jeff’s interview had no mention of Nat misunderstanding something that was said. When Nicole heard what Jeff said right away you could tell she was upset by the fact that anyone would vote just because of her gender and she disagreed with that and said it had to be because of her strategic game play. Jeff told her don’t shoot the messenger, but that was what was said. He also said what do you care you are the one who is getting the money. She agreed, but you could tell it bothered her. I am sure it won’t bother her for long, but she does want the win to be associated with game play and no other reason.

  13. While I’m pissed (not really just wanna borrow Paul’s vocab lol) that Paul didn’t win, Nicole didn’t play too bad either. Granted she was more passive but there were times where Paul over did things.

  14. From this point on, in my mind, Paulie never participated in BB18. I have no room in my precious remaining brain cells to remember such a baby who left a stain of crap so large and foul in the BB House I doubt that the team remodeling for the turnover, will be able to remove the stench of his poor sportsmanship. I choose never to remember what a blatant misogynist he is and always will be.
    So in reading the votes, all I can do is look confused and say, “Who’s Paulie?” He does not count. He is nothing.

  15. Either way Natalie has had many issues with Paul, and it was all poor jury management on his part. Not only that, but Paul must have known what Natalie wanted to hear when she asked him the jury question about his behavior and such in the house.
    If he was as smart as people claim he is, he would have played it humble and given her something more than “I am who I am and I’m not gonna apologize for it” basically. Then when he was asked why he should win he didn’t even elaborate and came off as incredibly cocky.
    His final speech made up for some of it but overall Nicole answered her questions better. She beat him fair and square, and he if wanted to win he should have just taken James. That was incredibly stupid of him and in the end he deserved to lose.

    • Every eviction move Nat made was at least IMO mostly B/C of the FT comments. Yes they were big gamer’s but she could not help CONSTANTLY bringing the FT comments into it. Paul had REPEATEDLY!!! APOLOGIZED!!! but she would constantly go back there after alleging she was “forgiving”. She even misunderstood the convo she thought she heard that she states changed her vote. IMHO Paul was just tired of rehashing OVER & OVER 7 that’s why his answer came off cocky.

      • It’s funny because in the first interview all the jurors gave to Jeff which took place in the backyard right after the show she never mentioned anything except wanting to vote for a girl and she is all about girl power. She said as much several times on the live feeds with the exception of James being in F2. I know at one point she had said she would have voted for Vic or Paul, but that was like a one time thing. Maybe after thinking and talking other things came out in other interviews, but I only listened to the ones they did with Jeff and there was nothing about her vote changing at all. In fact the reason Jeff even asked the question was Julie Chen for the first time that I have ever seen came out and also was interviewed by Jeff. She was the one who wondered if any of the jurors changed their votes because of the questions and then answers by both Paul and Nicole. Julie thought Paul’s answers were not that great, but his speech was fantastic. So that’s why Jeff asked and all the jurors said they had made up their minds at the round table and the questions didn’t sway them one way or another. Now in here I am hearing differently which I find interesting. It makes me wonder if the more interviews that they do and the different questions that are asked make them have different answers. Hmmmm…..

  16. I don’t care what no one says production played a huge part in Nicole’s win and that the truth can’t argue that! Remember at the end of the day it’s still a show and they have to do whatever they can to keep their ratings up and a women winning against a man was in their best interest because it’s making big brother history and a lot of fans are gonna talk about that which make it perfect for their ratings and a perfect setup for more fans to watch BBOTT.

    • If production was capable/willing to do the things you are accusing them of doing, wouldn’t you think they’d rig the game for James and not Nicole?

      I think Paul choosing to take Nicole instead of James, despite the fact he surely would have won easily against him, should have put this finally to rest. It probably wouldn’t have been too difficult to convince Paul to take James. But he didn’t.

      I honestly don’t think you people will ever stop.

      • Whoa.. You people!! I just said you can’t argue that?! Lol not accusing just facts! Just take a look at the mcgyver veto, comic book veto and, the baseball themed veto then you will understand. Why would they rig the game for James? Production definitely didn’t want him to win and no it wouldn’t have been hard to convince him to take James but they didn’t want that, they wanted a girl to win because it’s been so long since a girl won and a girl has never beat a guy so they were like perfect! I found it very fishy when Paul won the first part of the hoh and was so adamant on taking Nicole to final 2 even though she has screwed him over way harder than James has. Like you said he could have easily beat James in final 2.

    • Regarding production I think we have to go by what has been said by past hamsters.Derrick would not be honest in the diary room B/C he did not want production interfering.Evil Dick has said the totally control “Weak minds”.
      With that said Nick states her biggest move was getting Nat to convince Meech to help put up Paul & Vick.There is a well circulated clip of Nat approaching Nick stating Mom & Dad told her to work with Nicory. That move obviously made by Production. Nick didn’t even have to approach Nat with that idea.BTW I was watching feeds as this went down.Nick also stated she had to convince a stranger to be a pawn the first week.Well if you watched the feeds,it was actually Frank that convinced Paulie he would be OK, while Nick wined about how hard it was to be the first HOH.Nick has now stated on numerous interviews that things just kept going the way she would have wanted them to go anyway. So there you have it.And that just covers the so called biggest moves & how production obviously had a impact on Nat’s decision & was not Nick. Even if on a outside chance Nat misunderstood she at that time was doing what she at least thought production wanted.

      • The moments you are referring to when Nat and Nic were supposedly urged by the DR to work together could have been only suggestions.
        But at that particular time in the game it was a great plan for Nicorey and Jatalie + Michelle to align and work to get out Victor and Paul. It was an excellent suggestion and an excellent plan.
        .
        But once Victor returned to the game James’s alliance of 3 were doomed – through no fault of their own.
        Nicorey were the stronger duo so of course V/P would be coming after them first so they had no option but to work with them against Jatalie.
        .
        You also have to consider the numbers.
        Once Nicorey helped Jatalie take out V/P Jatalie would have the superior numbers over them 3 to 2.
        .
        It wasn’t a bad move for anyone to start whittling down James’s numbers since he had that advantage.
        .
        Jatalie were just unlucky when Victor returned and that cost them the game.

  17. Natalie’s ‘reasons’ for voting for Nicole are so disappointing. Voting for her purely because she’s a woman is so bogus. Everyone should have a completely open mind when they enter the house so that everyone has a chance to earn your vote. Not being female is something Paul is not able to overcome. He was already on an unleveled playing field when it came to Natalie from the moment they walked through that door on Night 1.

    Not to mention, it’s a completely insulting way of supporting other women and her cause. Acting like Nicole’s most redeemable quality in her game was being a woman instead of really examining her gameplay and the effort and forethought it took to getting to the end… it’s insulting.

    I’d like to think Natalie would take more ownership over her time spent this summer in the Big Brother house and the many nuanced intricacies of the game than just throwing her hands up and saying, “meh. just wanted a girl to win.”

    No matter your opinion on who deserved to win, the jury should be fair and open-minded. Natalie has made it quite clear she was not.

  18. I thought Paul deserved the win. Natalie’s reason was really bad, yet Paul could have answered her question to him better. Not sure it would have mattered, but I cringed a bit at his answer. All his other answers were better than Nicole’s IMO. I also thought it would be nice for a woman to finally win. But I enjoyed Paul more in the game and his group was targeted from the beginning. He also put together some impressive wins at the end to ensure his safety. Now last year, Vanessa was deserving. While Vanessa annoyed me at times, she played her heart out and was behind so many evictions. Maybe BB OTT’s winner will finally satisfy.

  19. I like all the comments about how most viewers are upset. I am not upset, I wanted Nicole. My husband wanted Nicole. People who talk the loudest and most often does not make them the majority. Paul was loud. Paul was obnoxious. His speech at the end gave him the chance to have a lil humility and say, hey I should have watched my tongue a few times, but he did not. He said I am how I am. Rude people always say that as if it makes it ok. Ok you called Michelle the c word but as long as that’s how you are it’s ok, not. Whether or not the jury made a “mistake” is like beating a dead horse. Does it change anything? Does it take away from the fact that had Nicole not won it still would have been close despite the hatred some had for her weeks ago when a lot of people swore they would “never” vote for her. If some of the jury saw she played a great game I don’t see why we can’t.

  20. I’m not a Nicole fan, but the girl played an extremely sneaky game this season. She’s not my cup of tea, but the girl did what she had to do to win. I’m still pissed that Paul lost to a veteran, but I won’t debate Natalie’s reasons on voting Nicole over Paul. Because she’s dumb AF and Nicole used Corey way better thank she used James. However in Big Brother, no one has to do your social game for you, you have to do it yourself, and Nicole looses points with me because of this. It’s a social game, you can’t be cornering yourself with your “summer fling” and then be “cool”. After watching girls like Danielle Reyes, Janelle, Daniele Donato, and even Rachel Reilly, to me it’s a shame that Nicole won. She shouldn’t have been rewarded 500k over a complete rookie that took even more bullets than her as a vet, survived 6 trips to the block and worked pretty much in the open opposite to her. She’s no Derrick, he really did play “behind the scenes” masterfully but never was shy to be with the rest of the House. So to me, she’s been given way too much credit. I’d prefer to see a whole bunch of Vanessa’s, Janelle’s, Rachel’s or Daniele’s before a bunch of Nicole’s playing Big Brother. Oh btw, Andy took credits on her win this past Wednesday! ? He said on Twitter that “he coached Nicole prior to BB18”.

  21. It takes a lot to get to the final two, so whoever receives the votes has earned it. I’m not a fan of bitterness and complaining about the winner. Congratulations to Nicole!

  22. Its very simple Natalie voted the way she did….Even at the end Natalie made the event all about her…Natalie was a diva.. a self centered camera hog….let her go and not return…and according to online gossip she has already dumped James…(maybe true or not) which comes as no surprise ..

    • James put a picture of them on Twitter and Facebook, saying he miss her and can’t wait to see her again. But many are telling him to forget it, that she played him (just opinion obviously). But there are even rumors that she hooked up with Victor in the jury house.

      • I just check her account on twitter. She has not a single pics of her with James. She even choose a pic of her with Michelle for her banner.

      • Maybe not, but I think it is kind of telling. Don’t take me wrong, I wish the best to James, hope he get what he want.

      • Never in a million years. She’s done with him. It was all a show. But you’re allowed your opinion–as am I and millions of others who are of the same opinion.

      • Let’s not underestimate jamesey; as soon as he finds out Natalie address he will be knocking on her door :(

      • Just wanted to provide an update on Jatalie. From their personal social media posts they are definitely still “an item.” There may have been some sort of tension or tiff between them during the finally night after party (possibly due to Nat hearing, from friends/family things James said in the BB house about other girls). But it was quickly resolved late the next day and they friended each other on IG, Twitter, Snap, etc.

        James left for Vegas with friends while Meech and Nat stayed in LA with Nat’s family. Since then they’ve each posted various flirtatious photo comments to each others social media accounts (many pointing to their future together). Nat and Meech Periscoped together while watching the entire first episode of the BB season. It was pretty entertaining commentary and Nat was visually excited/screaming each time James appeared. She shared that they’ve been “texting all day, everyday” since the finale. So, for the moment, all is well with these two. Time will tell, but at this point it certainly seems her intentions with James were always genuine.

      • Thanks for the update Dan and I agree that Nat must have some sort of feelings for James if only deep friendship.
        Remember last year when Liz hung around Austin all the time in desperation to stay in the game? She kept telling her twin during the swap outs that she couldn’t stand him and told various HG’s that she couldn’t stand him but actions speak louder than words.
        She spent all her time with him, laughed at his jokes and they never ran out of things to talk about giving me the impression that she really did like him after all. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to be around him everyday.
        .
        Natalie spent many days in bed with James talking, laughing, plotting and planning so she had to like the guy on some level – otherwise she would’ve lost her mind pretending to like somebody she couldn’t stand.
        .
        I was so happy that Nat was able to put aside her dislike of Nicole and vote for her to win.
        Maybe she did forget throwing James UTB to Victor and Paul…
        But I’m now a Nat fan and I hope she finds all the happiness she deserves.

      • Maybe, just going by what we see. OTOH you see, Paulie has tag a picture of him with Zak. 1st thing you see when you go to his account.

      • Check this page, they have pretty much everybody:

        mobile.twitter dot com/BBGossip/lists/big-brother-18-hgs-usa/members

  23. Natalie is claiming she voted for Nicole because she wanted a woman to win. If Paulie voted for Paul and said he wanted a man to win he would have been slayed by fans for a misogynistic comment.

    I think Natalie’s vote and her reasoning basically deprived Paul of a win and money he earned on merit. Does Natalie think we should have a gender war with men against women rather than equality and rewards based on equal justifications? Why not just base your vote on the merits of the game play instead of the apparatus the finalists have between their legs?

    Having said that, Paul made a huge mistake taking Nicole to the final two and that is a game play mistake that cost him $450,000.

  24. How lucky for Nicole that Natalie didn’t understand what Paul was really saying :D
    Maybe she was ticked off that Paul told James that she threw J. UTB? Since she still denies doing that she had to go with the Paul comment she misunderstood instead.

  25. I still can’t believe anyone is shocked about this, I knew the minute he kept Nicole over James he lost the game. Too bad his ego didn’t know. No one to blame but himself.

  26. I know I’m commenting on last season’s BB but, I don’t see how the writer of the article could say the vets stuck together when James (a vet) voted for Paul??? It appears someone wasn’t paying attention to the voting!

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