In BB16, Nicole became best known for her showmance with Hayden Voss, and being a competiton threat: winning 3 HoHs and 2 BotBs. After her ally Jocasta Odom was blindsided during the first half of the first Double Eviction, Nicole was left on the bottom along with Hayden and Donny Thompson. She and Hayden were nominated during the second half of the first double eviction, and Hayden was evicted. In Week 7, she managed to win HoH, but she was dethroned and later backstabbed by her friend Christine Brecht, who nominated her against Donny. She was evicted in an unanimous 6-0 vote. However, she managed to return to the house by winning the Jury Buyback competition one week later. In Week 9, she was nominated against her ally Donny, once again, but ultimately survived eviction. In Week 10, she became a pawn against Christine. Despite Christine winning the Power of Veto, Derrick Levasseur wanted to keep her, and HoH Caleb Reynolds wished to backdoor Frankie Grande. However, after Nicole told Derrick he reminded her of Dan Gheesling, he decided to turn on her. He convinced Caleb not to backdoor Frankie, and Caleb nominated Nicole's last remaining ally, Victoria Rafaeli. She ultimately was evicted for the second time, in an unanimous 4-0 vote during the first half of the second double eviction. She finished in 7th place and was the 5th member of the jury.
In BB18, she became best known for her under the radar gameplay, showmance with Corey Brooks, and avoiding nomination until Day 91. She joined the 8-Pack alliance in Week 1. Nicole was in a comfortable position throughout the first half of the season, and subtly convinced others to do what she wanted, all while avoiding blame and covering her tracks. However, when her ally, Zakiyah Everette was blindsided in the first half of the double eviction, Nicole along with Corey and Paulie Calafiore were on the outs. However, they regained power during the second half of the double eviction as Corey became the Head of Household. Paulie was evicted in Week 8, leaving Nicole and Corey on the bottom. Despite being in the minority, and the obvious targets in the following week, they managed to survive when Nicole convinced HoH Natalie Negrotti to target Paul Abrahamian and Victor Arroyo. When Paul won the PoV and Corey went up as the replacement, they managed to convince James Huling, who was the swing vote, to align with them and evict Victor. However, after Victor returned by winning the jury buyback, and Nicole became the HoH, she and Corey began playing the middle between Paul and Victor and James and Natalie. She ended up casting the tiebreaker vote to evict Michelle Meyer. In Week 11, when Victor became HoH, she joined Corey and Paul in taking Natalie out. However, after Corey won HoH at the final 5, he and Nicole decided to split up Paul and Victor, and worked with James to evict Victor for the third and final time. However, when Paul became the HoH at the final 4, Nicole was nominated for the first time against Corey. After Paul won the final PoV, he left the nominations the same. Nicole survived as James cast the sole vote to evict Corey. Despite losing part 3 of the final HoH, she convinced Paul to take her to the final 2 over James. Her behind the scenes gameplay, subtle persuasion, and the jury's distaste towards Paul's behavior won her the game in a close 5-4 vote. She became the first female to defeat a male in the final 2.
Retrieved from CBS.com Age: 21 Hometown: Ubly, Mich. Current City: Ubly, Mich. Occupation: Recent Nursing Graduate Three adjectives that describe you: Nerdy, flirty and classy. Favorite Activities: Eating, cuddling, and shopping. I like to hang with my friends and pull pranks on people. Also, I like to study because that is what I do most often. What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house: Forming an alliance you can trust. Going into the Big Brother house thinking someone is going to have your back might be the craziest thought yet. Also, not seeing familiar faces will be difficult too. Do you have a strategy for winning Big Brother?: Ideally, I would want to align with a male who would excel in the physical competitions and have a secret final two deal and have separate alliances on top of that. I want to win the first HOH so everyone can come to me and I can feel them out and see who I think I could trust. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most:Dan because he is intelligent and cocky which made for good TV. Ian was one of my favorites too. He can talk nerdy to me anytime. Also, Jordan was too cute and sweet not to love. What are you afraid of: Heights are a big one and surgery. I've been in the operating room, and it isn't pretty. Also, sharks and ghosts. What is the accomplishment you are most proud of: Getting a callback from Big Brother Casting. This is a dream; I'm still having tachycardia. Finish this sentence: My life’s motto is… All or nothing. What would you take into the house and why: 1. My vintage spoon bracelet, I wear it every day, it's from my mom, and I am superstitious. 2. Starbucks/coffee- I get really weird on caffeine and think of really good ideas when I drink it. 3. A picture of my family because I know that I will miss them. What would you do if “Big Brother” made you famous: Maybe I could hire someone to blow dry my hair because that is a workout.
Nicole has dreamt of moving into the Big Brother house since she was eight years old and would love to have a showmance with someone like Ian.[1]
Retrieved from CBS.com Age: 23 Hometown: Ubly, MI Current city: Ubly, MI Occupation: ER nurse Three adjectives that describe you: Classy, flirty, and adventurous. Favorite activities: Watching basketball and hockey, cuddling, coffee dates, traveling, and shopping! What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house? Being away from my family and missing their love and support. I will miss my daily talks with my mom. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most?Frank Eudy [from Season 14] because he was very trustworthy and loyal to his alliances and ally. He had to fight to stay in the house continuously and didn't crack under pressure. Do you have a strategy for winning the game? Yes, there are always twists that change your strategy, so a good social game is definitely needed. I plan on finding a great alliance, staying loyal, and being very observant. It's easy to get emotionally invested in people while playing this game, but that’s something I need to control better this time around. I'm very emotional and get attached quickly, so I need to keep my guard up a little longer, be sneaky, and play the game hard. My life's motto is... Make the most of your situation.
What would you take into the house, and why? First would be a journal because I like to write out my thoughts and feelings as a way of stress-relief. Also, it helps me stay focused. Next, I'd want my pups because they are better cuddlers than any human I know. Finally, my ring because it's from my mom and it's meaningful.[2]
Retrieved from CBS Age: 28
Hometown: Ubly, Michigan Current city: Ubly, Michigan Occupation: Social media influencer Previous seasons: Big Brother 16 and Big Brother 18 (winner). Nicole won Season 18 and was
the first female to beat a male in the final two. Three adjectives that describe you: Quirky, feisty, and loyal. Favorite activities: Eating!! Playing board games, spending time with my loved ones, and to be honest, 90 percent of my time and income goes to helping animals. Why do you want to play Big Brother again?
I love the game, I love everything about it. The fangirl in me could never turn it down. I'm also here to become the first EVER two-time winner, no big deal. What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house?
Aside from being away from home, probably being expected to look cute. I haven't worn a bra
or makeup in months. LOL. Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most and why?
Victor from Season 18! He was really funny, cute, lovable, determined, and a competition beast!!
Very good TV! What is your strategy for winning the game?
Be adaptable. Once I walk in and see who my competition is, I can come up with a game plan. How does this strategy differ from the last time you played?
I used to think you could have a pre-meditated strategy, but honestly that's really hard to do
without knowing the cast. Have you changed/evolved since the last time you were on the show?
I'm NOT afraid to own my moves anymore. Before I was afraid to lie and play the game openly.
This time I'm playing loud and proud. My life's motto is…
"Confidence is not 'they will like me,' confidence is 'I'll be fine if they don't.'" What would you take into the house and why?
-My pups and kitten to help with the stress of the game!
-Victor to win me some competitions and cuddle time.
-A phone to call my mom aka my best friend because we talk 10 times or more a day and I'll
really miss her. Fun facts about yourself:
-I love pickled eggs and pickled veggies.
-I pee my pants when I laugh too hard.
-I am a Registered Nurse.
-I am the Coco on The Coco Caliente Podcast.
-My life goal is to have lots of kids and a hobby farm in the country.[3]
Although Nicole and Victor were only dating when The Amazing Race 31 filmed, they were marketed as an engaged couple on the show, due to it airing after their engagement on season 20. That explains why Nicole isn't wearing her engagement ring and why Victor's hair is much longer on the show.
Nicole and Victor visited the Big Brother 20 house on September 7, 2018, and while there, Victor proposed to Nicole and they got engaged.
On January 8, 2019, Nicole and Victor revealed a new project of theirs: a podcast titled Coco Caliente.[6]
Big Brother - Big Brother Engagement
Trivia
Nicole is the first female to beat a male in the Final Two in the American version of Big Brother. From that point, all US seasons (BBOTT and Celebrity seasons included) with a male-female Final Two after that ended with the female winning against the male, up until Big Brother 21 (US).
However, Jillian's win was an accident due to Topaz Brady voting incorrectly, so Nicole is technically the second female to legitimately win against a male, after Sarah.
Nicole is the first houseguest to wear two different costumes for two consecutive weeks.
She is the second person and first female to wear two costumes in one season, following Frank Eudy.
Coincidentally, they both returned to compete again in Big Brother 18, along with both being in the Top 3 for the Fan Favorite Award of their seasons, but unlike Nicole, Frank won the award in his first season.
Nicole is the second female to win Head of Household in Big Brother 16, the first being Amber Borzotra.
Nicole is the first female to remain Head of Household for the week after the Battle of the Block competition.
Nicole is the only female houseguest to win HoH multiple times in Big Brother 16. However, due to Battle of the Block, she was only HoH officially once.
Nicole has also won 3 of the 5 HoHs won by a female in Big Brother 16.
Nicole is the first person in Big Brother history to win HoH and then become evicted in the same week in a non-double eviction week.
If you include double eviction week, Nicole would be the second houseguest since Jeff Schroeder won HoH and was evicted all during a double eviction week in Big Brother 13.
If the Battle of the Block is included or not, Nicole is tied with Christine Brecht for the most competition wins for a female in Big Brother 16.
She is the second houseguest to return to the house from jury and not win HoH or be evicted immediately upon returning, the first being Judd Daugherty.
Nicole did not cast a vote throughout the Jury Stage of the game in Big Brother 16.
Nicole is the only female from the first group of eight houseguests to reach the jury phase.
Nicole is the only person to win a permanent HoH outside of the Bomb Squad.
Nicole has won a total of 9 competitions in multiple seasons (5 HoHs, 2 PoVs, and 2 BotB competitions).
Without the Battle Of The Block, she would have seven wins in total.
Nicole is the fourth HouseGuest (and third female) to win the first Head of Household competition and then win the game following Lisa Donahue, Hayden Moss, and Rachel Reilly.
She is the only winner who did not go on to win the final HoH.
Nicole is the only returning HouseGuest to win HoH twice in Big Brother 18.
Nicole and Rachel are the only two winners who did this on their second seasons.
Nicole is the first houseguest who had been evicted and returned to the game to win the game, although she did not win in the same season in which she was a Previously Evicted Contestant. However, she is still the first person to be evicted twice before winning the game.
Her first and last vote to evict on Big Brother 18 was to evict Victor Arroyo. He was evicted both times.
Ironically, Victor and Nicole ended up in a relationship after their season.
Nicole holds the record for most consecutive votes to evict in one season with 12, beating McCrae Olson and Victoria Rafaeli's previous record of 10.
Nicole is the only returnee on Big Brother 18 who was in the top three to win America's Favorite Houseguest and didn't win it.
She is the second female to win a part of the final HoH Competition against two males. The first was GinaMarie Zimmerman.
She is the second female (the first being Jun Song) to make it to the end and never receive any votes against her.
Coincidentally, they both went on to win their seasons.
Nicole is the first person to receive immunity as a gift from viewers through America's Care Package.
Jason, however, did not receive the immunity directly from viewers, as Kryssie Ridolfi received the Save-A-Friend power and chose to use it on him, making him safe for the week.
Justin did not receive the immunity directly either, instead, he won the opportunity to complete a challenge which would grant him immunity, which he completed, making him safe for the week.
Nicole is the first female and fourth American houseguest overall to win HOH in the first part of a double eviction and then again after it happened. The other HouseGuests to accomplish this were Zach Swerdzewski and Ian Terry. She would later be followed by Victor Arroyo, Shelby Stockton and Jackson Michie.
However, Nicole's second HOH reign was dethroned due to the Battle of the Block.