Big Brother 18: Is Natalie Playing James? [POLL]

Big Brother 18 has offered up several showmances and flirtmances so far this season but one that’s seem to be caught in limbo is an interesting pairing between Natalie Negrotti and James Huling. Is it real or is it strategy on Natalie’s part?

Natalie and James nap on Big Brother 18

James is ridiculously girl crazy and just like we saw last season when he followed Meg around like a puppy dog we’re getting it again this summer with him and Natalie. After a brief stint with Victor, which Natalie continues to obsess over, we’re now seeing her focused on James and making lots of comments on the situation.

Natalie speaks well of James when he’s not around as she’s told Bronte and Bridgette how grateful she is to have him watching out for them. She’s also mentioned how she likes “chubby guys” and she’s more interested in caring, sweet personalities then traditional “good looks”. So is she being sincere with James or is it a game move to keep her going in the house?

Last night on the Live Feeds, Flashback to 3:14 AM BBT 7/12 (get the Free Trial to watch), Paulie, Zakiyah, and Paul were discussing what was going on here between James and Natalie. Paul wonders if they’re going to have a problem when it comes time to get rid of Natalie. He mentions how James becomes fully occupied when Natalie enters the room.

Paulie and Zakiyah discuss how Natalie explained the ways to flirt and how she’s now doing those very things with James. Paulie says they’re going to have to split that up before it drags James down because they like James and don’t want him to get hurt.

Paulie explains that if James is so distracted by Natalie then he won’t see someone coming after him until it’s too late. So if they want to keep James fighting with them they need to end what she’s doing to him.

All three agree that Natalie would use James to further her game in a pinch, but he would never “throw her under the bus” to help his own game. Yeah, I’d at least have to agree with the latter. Whether or not Natalie is sincere in her interest, I do see this as potentially damaging to James’s game.

Paul believes the real danger is for them as she could use James’s infatuation to control him and convince him to take shots at her targets just by suggesting it to him.

What do you think of all of this? Did Natalie really make the leap from Victor to James? She does spend a lot of time with James and I’ve yet to hear her disparage him in private, but it does seem suspicious and opportune at times for her to be taking advantage of this situation. I can’t quite decide. Can you? Vote in our poll below and share your thoughts on the James & Natalie showmancing.


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53 Comments

  1. I’ve read elsewhere that her real-life friends say she’s into guys like James outside of the house.

  2. I think she is actually into James but she strikes me as a girl that needs constant validation. The saying about nothing worse than a woman scorned strikes true with her and Victor. She still talks about why she doesn’t like him and it’s mainly because he chased her but later decided she wasn’t his type. Also she has been flirting with Corey quite a bit lately which is what prompted this conversation between Corey, Paulie, Z, and Paul. She always seems to make things about her regardless of who or what things are about. I think she will drag James down the longer this plays out.

    • Um you realize Victor was making fun of her and constantly poking at her throughout his time in the house? She wasn’t scorned, he was, and he acted like an egomaniacal brat when she didn’t return his advances.

      • You must not watch feeds. Yes he nitpicked her and was annoying, but don’t be mistaken. He dumped her. She talks about how embarrassing it was to be dumped on live tv. He ended the relationship and only then did she get really vocal about all his negative qualities. I’m not saying Victor wasn’t a bad guy, because he certainly did do a ton of annoying stuff that is not acceptable behavior.

      • Yes, I read that he told her they had nothing in common after they started talking and getting to know each other and that he told her it’d be best to shut it down before the show really got started.
        I keep reading how she talks about him a lot even though he’s gone and that she said she could get any man she wanted outside of the house. So yeah, sounds like she’s butt hurt and I say that only because she couldn’t have possibly known him well enough to be that hurt over him dumping her. Her comment about being embarrassed seems to be a lot of it. But I wish she would move on. If he doesn’t want you, fine. You have no trouble getting men, you say, so get another who wants you and be happy. Let him go and be happy!

      • yea but she is playing james i just feel it i know its a game but you do not have to hurt someone even if it is a game.. i would never do that to a girl,, all this talk saying james is her typed i dont believe that for one second

      • I agree. Game is game but playing someone you know is catching real feelings is harsh.
        I think she really likes James but only as a friend and that is just a combination of things (though I hope I’m proven wrong in the end):
        – She told Corey she didn’t like him that way
        – Her body language is just not there beyond good friends.
        – She told Corey she has a flirting system.
        – She is a recruit and asks James how many people watch the show…He tells her he had so many hashtags last year (AFP) and probably has a lot this time. Since she’s a recruit and has an entertainment background, it’s plausible she’s looking for popularity. And that makes me think that’s why she claims to really like him in her DR sessions (because she knows he’s popular).
        – She flirted with Corey and keeps bringing up Victor. Corey said he’s tired of her playing games. And her bringing up how much she can’t stand Victor – not sure I’d want her for a gf right now. Not sure she’s ready for a relationship iif her pride is that powerful over a guy she only knew a week. And if she’s embarassedto over that, she should consider that before she hurts a guy who has had longer to develop feelings.

        Probably not explaining my reasons well but it’s just a combination of these things. Like I said, hope I’m wrong. He seems like a genuine, good guy who is empathetic and considerate. I’d hate for him to get hurt especially on tv. I hope I’m wrong.

  3. I don’t think James is ruining his game because of Natalie, in fact I don’t think he cares about the game much at all. He seems to love having funny, love the ladies, and love the fame outside of the house. It’s clear the other guys are viewing this showmance as ruining their own games however, which is why they seem to be nervous about it, since he could easily flip his allegiance to the other side of the house instead of theirs. The big alliance seems very unstable with all the antics of James and Frank, and so it will be interesting to see if they stay together.

  4. I don’t think James is ruining his game. He’s just having fun and I think he’s really just there for the fun of it all. Natalie seems to like James, but I’m wondering if it’s the “friend zone.” How can you not love James?

  5. I don’t think she is necessarily playing him for game purposes, if she is at all. I think her, like Bridgette, is a little too bubble gum and moonbeams and not really cut out for this game. Unlike Bridgette, however, I think whatever actually went on with Victor was just a bit of a negative exposure to her and then how the house played Josea scared her. James is totally the most non threatening guy in the house but he isn’t a pushover or a wimp. And just the way she talks about him as protecting her and the other Spygirls, I think she is just in general scared. She happened to discover that James is a nice guy along the way. I almost think its a hero worship thing from her part. I actually have been sort of wondering about James along the way, he likes her well enough and enjoys flirting, but I sort of wonder if he is a little more cautious with his actual feelings. I just had the thought the other day, that James should start talking a lot more about his daughter to her, just to maybe make her start remembering that James is older than she is probably used to and has a kid.

    • I think Natalie could be easily underestimated in the social game. Bridgette, not so much.

      • Yup. Neandertals like Frank see big boobs and “cheerleader” and automatically think “she’s an idiot so I can roll right over her.”

        I have no idea how intelligent she really is, but I know that she’s a lot smarter than Frank the Caveman thinks.

      • Oh, ultimately me too, I think as she starts to feel more comfortable she starts to see the dynamics and, honestly, given her profession she does know how groups tend to work, and she might see how she can get through the game. But, I think by then James will be her ‘ride or die’ partner.

  6. James is totally being played! Natalie has said previously that part of her strategy in the game is to snuggle up to the guys to further her game.

  7. If you watch her when she is talking to the other Spy Girls she gets giddy when she talks about James. I think she is as sweet in real life as she is on the show. I love seeing her and James together!!

  8. She might really feel she likes James (in the house), but everything changes and goes back to reality outside the house. High probability this dies 6 months after the show is over.

    • Except for the fact she says she really likes him in her dairy room interviews. She has no reason to lie there. She really likes him.

      • A lot of players lie to America in the diary room. It has happened a lot over the years. The diary room is not some sort of truth serum.

      • A lot of players lie in the diary room. Practically everything Derrick said in the DR was a lie.

  9. ..If you watch her when she is talking to the other Spy Girls she gets giddy when she talks about James. I think she is as sweet in real life as she is on the show. I love seeing her and James together!!

    • I hope you are right, but I still think James might allow his affection for her to damage his game and that would be a real shame.

      • Me, too, Linda. I recall reading that he was going to be cautious with her in the beginning because he was unsure if she was running game on him.

      • I agree James was cautious in the beginning, but now I think he has let that guard down. Day and Bronte told him that Natalie really liked him and shortly after that he told Natalie about Frank being the one who won RK and was the one who put Bronte up and Bridgette before that. Before that he had never spoke about game with her. Nicole and Corey were trying to decide whether or not to let James know how Natalie was flirting with Corey. Nicole thought it would be better coming from a guy rather than her, but if Natalie truly liked James so much why flirt with Corey? I think she likes James as a very good friend, but not sure just how serious she is. Her and Bronte are only making it seem like they just want to get to jury, but really their agenda is to win the game and are all about girl power. So if they are all about girl power where does that leave James? jmo

      • When James started revealing info about the 8 pack to Natalie I knew he was in big trouble.
        I hope the HG’s get her out of the house next so they won’t have to hurt James’s feelings by telling him what a flirt she’s being with the guys in the house.

    • The whole bunch of them seem very high school boy/girl crazy. These things do tend to hurt someone when they fade for one side and not the other.

  10. I don’t believe Natalie is playing James, but I believe Zakiyah is playing Paulie.

    • I don’t get the sense that Z is playing Paulie, I think she’s just enjoying her time with him.

      • I don’t feel Z is playing Paulie either. I do think she’s riding along on his shirttail and hasn’t done anything in way of playing the game.

      • Zak will be interesting to watch when it does become necessary to play the game.

      • That’s a good point, lindia. He does seem like he may have that type of personality.

      • Paulie is probably used to having girls throw themselves at him and he’s at that extremely ‘hormonal’ age as well – not good boyfriend material although I enjoy watching him on BB.

  11. If she was playing James, she would say so when she was with the Spy Girls and especially in her DRs. Everything she says about James when he’s not around definitely indicates she really likes him.

    • I agree, she really does seem to like him in friend zone. But, I think she is very media savvy and doesn’t want to be perceived in a negative light later. This doesn’t make her bad, imo, she’s playing the game just like a lot of guys do, like say, Paulie?

  12. The fact that she is so hard to read in this situation say something. Maybe she’s a better player than we gave her credit for. Personally, I think James is a good guy but he’s in for a fall.

  13. The main thing for me is that I don’t want to see James hurt.
    Natalie is so young she might not realize how cruel she’s being if she is indeed leading James on just for the sake of making it to jury or whatever her long range plans in the game may be.
    I’m still undecided about Nat but I’ve always had the impression that she is a nice person in real life; but what is just a flirty, friend thing for Nat could hurt James badly if he falls for her.

    • She’s not a nice person outside the house. Of course depending on how you define nice, your results may vary.

      • Hmm, can you give me an example of Nat not being a nice person outside the house?

      • She’s as fake as they come. Shes not the person she makes herself out to be. She wouldn’t give James the time of day if cameras weren’t rolling.

      • No Paulie does. He’s met her at least a dozen times before BB since they used to work for the same company. And he knows all of her best friends. Paulie knows the real Natalie and has spoken all about on the live feeds. Paulie called her the fakest the person he’s ever met.

  14. Remember the day that Day had her meltdown over Frank?
    Before that happened she had lost the HOH comp to Frank Jr.
    She realized she was the odd girl out in the FF alliance with 2 showmances and that Zak would probably choose Paulie over her.
    .
    So what’s a girl to do? She decides to latch on to Tiffany and work with her. Yes, the same Tiff that she had previously hated and didn’t hesitate to lie about to Frank.
    .
    If I’m Nicole and I saw Day’s manipulations I would be wanting her out of the house too. After all, if she could do all this to Tiff she could do the very same exact thing to Nicole.
    .
    I wouldn’t call Nicole flip flopping, just following her gut reactions. She’s not acting impulsively and has decided to observe things for now – which I think is a good move. Wait and see who wins the HOH first.

  15. if james wants to make the same BB mistakes as he did last yr, then all i can say is i hope this relationship works out for him bc that will be his BB win.

  16. I personally have never liked the bimbo type I much prefer a woman that I can have a conversation with. A real conversation with. Not just hours upon hours of small talk and bed jumping.

  17. Yes Natalie is playing James. She has said (very arrogantly) that she can get any guy she wants. That was when we saw natalies true colors. And Paulie actually met Natalie a bunch of times before BB, and he has said that Natalie is as fake as they come. That she is nothing like she portrays herself as. She wouldnt give James the time of day if there went cameras around. Everything natalie has said has been completely disproven by paulie.

  18. LOL look at you cuck boy… you look like the type who would watch his girl take another mans load as long as she wouldnt leave you.

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