'Big Brother' recap: Victor Arroyo wins HoH, nominates Paulie Calafiore and Corey Brooks for eviction, Paulie cries over their bromance ending

Big Brother houseguest Victor Arroyo was crowned the season's new Head of Household and nominated Paulie Calafiore and Corey Brooks for eviction during Sunday night's broadcast on CBS.


Big Brother's Sunday night broadcast began with a flashback to the game-changing house drama that had occurred in the hours before Thursday night's live double eviction episode. 

Realizing that Paulie appeared to be in control of the Big Brother game and frustrated that his showmance partner Zakiyah Everette was unaware of the disrespectful comments Paulie had been making about her and other women, Natalie Negrotti shared some of the details with both Zakiyah and James Huling, Natalie's own showmance partner.

However rather than keep Natalie's information confidential, Zakiyah, a 24-year-old preschool teacher from Charlotte, NC, and James both confronted Paulie, a 27-year-old deejay from Howell, NJ, about Natalie's allegations.

The events caused Paulie to lose his cool and publicly boast that Natalie, a 26-year-old event coordinator who currently resides in Franklin Park, NJ, would be evicted from the game next and tell James was being blinded by his relationship with Natalie and getting played by "a Jersey girl."


Together with Paul Abrahamian's prior realization that his own "PP" alliance with Paulie wasn't as strong as he had previously believed, Paulie's meltdown appeared to (unbeknownst to Paulie) fracture the five-guy "The Executives" alliance that Paul, Paulie, James, Victor, and Corey" had been using to control the Big Brother house.

While Paul and Victor had held off openly proclaiming whether they were members of the pro-Paulie or anti-Paulie groups, the Paulie drama had seemed to leave only Corey and his showmance partner Nicole Franzel truly still loyal to Paulie.

After chronicling the confrontational events that had proceeded Thursday night's special live double eviction episode, Sunday night's Big Brother episode showed the houseguests participating in the subsequent Head of Household competition. 

Dubbed "Hollywood Squirrels," the competition required the houseguests to face-off, two at a time, and correctly answer which version of the show's "Benny the BB Squirrel" cartoon mascot had been part of the Big Brother season's prior challenges.

Victor defeated Paul in the final round of the challenge, becoming the season's next Head of Household and putting him in a position in which he and Paul would now have to publicly side with the house's pro-Paulie or anti-Paulie camps.


"Myself and Paul have been straddling both sides of the house. But now that I have the power, we're going to have to show our cards and pick one side," Victor explained in the Diary Room.

Meanwhile, Paulie appeared oblivious to the fact that his own neck could soon be on the chopping block.

"This may be an easy rest of the game," he told Paul and Victor after Victor's HoH win. "Why not [Michelle Meyer] and Natalie [this week]... it doesn't matter."

"Look Paulie, all your BS came out into the limelight -- I'm going to sit here and smile and nod, but when you're on the block this coming week then let's see what you have to say to me," Paul bragged in the Diary room afterwards.

"Paulie and Corey are strong competitors, Victor and I are strong competitors.  It all comes down to who is going to take the big shot [at the other one] first, so I'm going to make sure the shot gets taken [by us first]."


Victor wasn't thrilled with the idea that, as HoH, he would be the one taking the heat for taking "the big shot," however Paul reminded him it was a good gameplay move -- and that Paulie was the reason Victor was previously evicted from the game before managing to return as part of the Big Brother season's "Battle Back" twist.

"If you put up Paulie and Corey, one of them is going home... we're down to eight. We need to think about our game," Paul told Victor.

After ensuring that James and Natalie would also be on board with the move to evict Paul or his closest ally Corey -- and also getting Natalie's assurance that she would also ensure Michelle was also on board with the move -- Victor held the week's nomination ceremony and revealed he had decided to nominate Paul and Corey for eviction.

"Paulie, you're the strongest competitor in this house, so if I have a chance I have to go for it the same way you would... Corey, you're just guilty by association, if he puts a plan in place to take me out, you would follow suit and it would be me going out," Victor told the men. 

"I still love you as people, but it's a game and this is what we're doing."


Blindsided by the move, Paul then broke down in tears over the apparent end of his bromance with Corey in the Diary Room.

"I've been with that kid since Week 1! Since Week 1, that kid was my freaking -- that was my everything," he said through tears.  "The hardest part about it is that I'm a competitor and I know I'm going for this veto and I know I'm going to win it, and if I come down then he's going home."

"It almost makes me not want to win it just to keep him here."

Big Brother's next episode will air Wednesday, August 17 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS.






About The Author: Steven Rogers