Big Brother welcomed Victor Arroyo back into the game and crowned Nicole Franzel the new Head of Household during Sunday night's CBS broadcast.

ADVERTISEMENT
Once Nicole became the new HoH, she in turn nominated Paul Abrahamian and Michelle Meyer for eviction. Michelle was her target and Paul was her pawn.

The Big Brother broadcast began on Day 72 of the competition but featured a flashback from four hours before the live eviction in which Victor Arroyo was sent home.

Paul had gotten into a big argument with Michelle in which she called him a liar and he called her a bully. The fight escalated when Paul appeared to call her the "c" word, which really offended Michelle.

Paul continued to blow up his game by accusing James Huling of being behind his and Victor's nominations when Natalie Negrotti served as the HoH. Paul suggested James and Natalie always worked as a pair in that they never thought for themselves or would choose to disagree over a decision.

Natalie insisted that while James promised support, he didn't control her actions. Paul wasn't buying it, and James was clearly getting more frustrated, so he yelled out that Natalie wanted Victor to stay but he wasn't sure if he was onboard with that plan.

Nicole was shocked to overhear the conversation since she and Corey Brooks -- who was also nominated for eviction at the time -- had previously made a Final 4 deal with James and Natalie. Nicole therefore no longer trusted the showmance and felt it was necessary to win the next HoH competition.

The broadcast then returned to the ongoing Head of Household competition dubbed "Welcome to Loch Ness."

The endurance challenge required the four remaining houseguests and five jurors -- Victor, Da.Vonne Rogers, Bridgette Dunning, Paulie Calafiore, and Zakiyah Everette -- to stand on a small platform holding onto a wall as the wall repeatedly angled forward and back and they were sprayed with water.

Da'Vonne and Zakiyah were the first two contestants to exit the challenge, and were followed by Corey and then Bridgette.

The two jurors left were Victor and Paulie, and after about 48 minutes, Paulie couldn't hold on anymore, so Victor earned himself the right to return to the game yet again! Victor appeared to intentionally quit the challenge right after Paulie was out.

Paul then fell after about 95 minutes, leaving only James and Nicole in the challenge.

Nicole told James that she would never put him or Natalie up on the chopping block, but James promised the same thing. Nicole was trying to make a deal because she badly wanted to receive a letter from her mother at home.

After saying she's a woman of her word, James dropped out of the challenge two hours and four minutes in and handed over the HoH reign to Nicole. James trusted her and hoped they'd continue to have each other's backs.

Nicole, however, wasn't sure if she was going to honor their deal since James and Nicole had been shady about potentially going after Corey.

Michelle was worried about Nicole being in charge of the house since she had been gunning after her for a while now. But Paul, on the other hand, felt great because he had been cozying up to Nicole for the past few days.

Nicole definitely wants Michelle to go home this week. Paul needed to stay close to Nicole since he had damaged his relationship with Michelle, James and Natalie.

While James fully trusted Nicole, Natalie worried the one competition James threw could be the one that sends her home.

Afterward, Paul and Victor told Nicole and Corey they'd work with them and keep them safe in case one of them received the final "America's Care Package" of the season. The group discussed targeting Michelle first but Nicole still feared Victor and Paul might jump ship the following week.

Corey talked with Nicole about how Natalie and James had sent many of their allies home, including Paulie, which left them in serious predicaments.

Corey and Nicole determined it might be smart to instead make a Final 4 with the best players in the house, Victor and Paul, so they wouldn't have to compete against them. Nicole said if she made Michelle her target, the two of them could probably continue playing the middle between two duos.

ADVERTISEMENT
Nicole's reasoning was Victor and Paul could go at each other in competitions while she'd be able to honor her word to James and keep him and Natalie happy.

"America's Care Package" then dropped from the sky in the backyard, and it belonged to Corey. Corey received a jockstrap, sunglasses, candy canes -- because he loves Christmas -- and the "BB Bribe."

For the "BB Bribe," Corey was afforded the chance to offer one houseguest $5,000 in exchange for an action that will benefit his game. Whichever houseguest accepts the bribe must perform the action he or she has promised.

The bribe could be made publicly or in secret, and if no bribe was carried out, no one would be able to keep the money. The bribe expires at the next HoH competition.

Nicole advised Corey to wait until after nominations because they'd probably feel differently about the house once the Power of Veto rolls around.

Nicole then told Victor and Paul that she thought Michelle was the bigger threat because she's smart and strategic. Nicole therefore asked Paul if he'd be willing to go up on the chopping block as a pawn.

Paul was perfectly fine with the idea because it was a chance to show his loyalty to Nicole, proving she could trust him. Paul intended to act angry once Nicole revealed her nominations to fool Natalie and James. Paul, Victor, Nicole and Corey therefore made an official Final 4 alliance.

At the Nomination Ceremony, Nicole announced she had decided to nominate Michelle and Paul for eviction because they are both intelligent and have made it known she's their target. (Which was an act when it came to her relationship with Paul at this point).

Michelle felt okay about being on the block next to Paul because she considered him Public Enemy No. 1.

James just hoped he and Natalie wouldn't be backdoored later this week. Nicole thought her decision was a win-win since she could hide her alliance with Paul and simultaneously remain aligned with James and Natalie.

This marks Paul's fifth time on the chopping block, and he said the "vomiting, crying Super Fan" will be going home once he wins the Power of Veto. 

 
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.