CBS Nicole Franzel and Cody Calafiore on 'Big Brother All-Stars'
“Big Brother All-Stars” winner Cody Calafiore is finally opening up about cutting Nicole Franzel at the end of the season and where they stand now. The two were friends from when they played “Big Brother 16” together — their moms even became friends after that.
But Franzel felt so betrayed by Calafiore when he evicted her at the all-stars finale and chose to take Enzo Palumbo the final two. She said later on her podcast that she “didn’t prepare” for that possibility at all and she thought she “deserved to be sitting next to him” at the end because she played with him all season. Franzel was also very hurt that Calafiore said if he had not been in the final two, he would have voted for Palumbo to win.
Now in a new interview on Nicole Anthony’s “Hello Friends” podcast, Calafiore has opened up about his decision to cut her and if they have managed to repair their friendship. Here’s what he had to say.
Calafiore Still Feels Horrible About What He Did
In an interview with fellow all-stars Anthony and her podcast co-host Eric Curto, Calafiore admitted that “what [he] did to her was horrible” and he feels terrible about it.
“I gotta be honest with you … I felt horrible about what I did to her because she was like a younger sister to me,” said Calafiore, adding, “What I did to her was horrible.”
But he went on to say that he doesn’t regret it because he wanted to win.
“I refused to make the same decision that I did on [season] 16. … There’s nobody I’m willing to not backstab, as horrible as that sounds — I was going to win. When it came to that decision with Nicole, it was gutwrenching, but I felt like it was what I needed to do for the game,” said Calafiore.
He was referring to how he famously took Derrick Levasseur to the end of “Big Brother 16” instead of Victoria Rafaeli, whom Calafiore would have easily beaten in the final two. Instead, Levasseur beat Calafiore by a vote of 7-2.
Calafiore Also Said That Maybe Their Relationship Wasn’t That Good In the First Place
CBSNicole Franzel and Cody Calafiore on ‘Big Brother All-Stars’
Calafiore pointed out on the podcast that he always says “when people let a decision that happens in the game affect their relationship [in real life], it’s a questionable relationship,” so maybe he and Franzel weren’t as good of friends as he thought.
He went on to say that when the game ended, he knew how hurt she was and he just wanted to “give her some time” to get distance from it. But then she started unfollowing a bunch of players on social media, himself included, and he took as an indication that she didn’t want him to reach out. He said he “could be the person to reach out” now, but he’s not the one who unfollowed her.
He said they have not spoken since the season ended, but he still has great affection for her.
“I adore her no differently than how I did in the house, but she’s going through a lot. … There was a lot that went into the decision with Nicole and I never thought it would be like where we’re at now, I really didn’t,” he said.
Calafiore added, “I still adore Nicole. I have no negative thoughts or feelings toward her, but at the end of the day — I have all the best friends in the world, so if somebody doesn’t really care to reach out, it is what it is. I wish the best for her, I know that she’s so happy having that baby … I’m happy for her and Victor. I wish nothing but the best for her.”
Big Brother U.S. returns in summer 2021 for its 23rd season. Big Brother Canada returned for its ninth season on March 3.
READ NEXT: ‘Big Brother’s’ Dr. Will Kirby Has a New Gig