Nicole Franzel won Big Brother 18 without winning the final Head of Household. Paul won it and chose to take her to the final two. She beat him 5–4 — the win came from jury management, not from the last competition. That is the through line across all three of her seasons: she played Big Brother 16, won Big Brother 18, and returned for Big Brother 22 as the defending champion. On BB22, she was one question away from choosing the final two herself, and this time the person holding the decision took somebody else.
- Seasons: Big Brother 16 (2014), Big Brother 18 (2016), Big Brother 22 (2020)
- Best finish: Winner (BB18, 5–4 over Paul)
- BB16: 7th place — evicted, returned via jury competition, evicted again
- BB22: 3rd place — Cody won Part 3 of the final HOH 8–7 and took Enzo
- Jury votes cast: Derrick (BB16), Paul (BB18), Cody (BB22)
Big Brother 16
Nicole’s first season was the Battle of the Block era — dual HOHs, eight nominees a week, and a frog suit for the HOH whose nominees lost the BOB. She was on both sides of that: she won the Battle of the Block with Hayden early, and later wore the frog suit after losing one as HOH. She survived as a replacement nominee on one double eviction and was evicted on another. She came back through the jury competition, then was evicted again — finishing seventh. Two years before she won Big Brother, she was already thinking about what wins it: “If Victoria makes it to the final 2 she has a good chance at winning because its a bitter jury.” She voted for Derrick in the 7–2 finale.
Big Brother 18
Nicole returned as one of four veterans and played a game built around relationships rather than competition wins. Paul won Part 3 of the final Head of Household and chose Nicole over James for the final two — the same kind of decision that would define her BB22 ending. The jury split 5–4 in her favor: Corey, Natalie, Paulie, Zakiyah, and Da’Vonne voted for Nicole. James, Victor, Michelle, and Bridgette voted for Paul. America’s Favorite Houseguest that night went to Victor.
Big Brother 22
Nicole came back for All-Stars as the only previous winner in the cast and reached the final three alongside Cody and Enzo. She won Part 1 of the three-part final HOH, but Cody beat her 8–7 in Part 3 — one point — and chose Enzo. Nicole finished third, not runner-up. She voted for Cody in the 9–0 finale. Two seasons built on the same bet: the person sitting next to you at the end matters more than the competitions you won getting there. In BB18, Paul made that bet in her favor. In BB22, Cody made it against her.
