Cody Calafiore won the power of veto and secured his place in the final three alongside Enzo Palumbo on Wednesday’s episode of Big Brother: All-Stars.
Winning the last veto competition of season 22 gave Cody the ability to keep Christmas Abbott, 38, and Nicole Franzel, 28, on the block, where they must vie for the last spot in the finale.
The win for Cody, 29, was a real triumph and the high point of a long season in which he was never nominated for eviction and seemed to control most alliances in the house.
Final three: Cody Calafiore won the power of veto and secured his place in the final three alongside Enzo Palumbo on Wednesday’s episode of Big Brother: All-Stars
‘Took care of business again!’ Cody told himself afterward, excitedly pumping his fists.
To the cameras, he added, ‘I couldn’t be more excited. This was so amazing to win.’
Incredibly, Cody will also be the only person to decide which woman gets voted out on Thursday.
It was the outcome that neither woman wanted, and they both felt like they were in jeopardy.
Strong season: The win for Cody, 29, was a real triumph and the high point of a long season in which he was never nominated for eviction and seemed to control most alliances in the house
‘How many different ways can you say, ”This sucks?” Christmas wondered aloud.
Everyone had been focused on the veto competition for days, recognizing how close they were to winning the show’s $500,000 prize.
The person that won veto power could decide who was on the chopping block, and that would then affect who made the final three.
Tough situation: ‘How many different ways can you say, ”This sucks?” Christmas Abbott said after losing the competition and remaining on the chopping block
It was clear that no one had more to lose than Christmas, who was sure she’d be voted out.
‘It’s just so much harder than I thought,’ she said, crying in the confessional room. ‘I feel like I’m by myself against three others. And I feel like I’m in a snake pit right now.’
Christmas’ strategy was to stay quiet before the game, so she ignored her housemates as they scurried around wondering what she was thinking.
Separation strategy: Christmas’ strategy was to stay quiet before the game, so she ignored her housemates as they scurried around wondering what she was thinking as she cried in bed
‘She won’t speak to anyone,’ Nicole told Cody, who said he couldn’t wait to see the ‘abrasive’ fitness coach evicted.
Cody already had decided to bring either Nicole or current Head of Household Enzo, 42, into his final two, and he knew Christmas was gunning for him.
‘Whatever happens, she cannot win this veto, because I have a very strong feeling if she does, I’m gonna be the one she sends home,’ Cody said.
Endgame strategy: Cody already had decided to bring either Nicole Franzel or current Head of Household Enzo Palumbo, 42, into his final two, and he knew Christmas was gunning for him
Ahead of the veto competition, the houseguests played Clash of the Comics, a separate game in which they had the chance to win $10,000.
‘You can buy a lot of things with ten Gs,’ Enzo considered. ‘A bigger TV, maybe another motorcycle, a bidet… I would buy a bidet!’
For the game, each houseguest had to choose four ‘BB Comic Books’ with pictures of season 22 players on them, then watch those players engage in cartoon battles.
Bidet money: ‘You can buy a lot of things with ten Gs,’ Enzo considered. ‘A bigger TV, maybe another motorcycle, a bidet… I would buy a bidet!’
The winner of each battle was chosen by random draw, with the victor of the final round earning $10,000 for the houseguest who had chosen him.
After several battles, it turned out that an animation of former houseguest Memphis Garrett, 37, was the winner, and Nicole walked away with the prize.
‘Oh my gosh!’ she said in a confessional. ‘Memphis, who I literally just evicted, won me $10,000.’
Comic battles: For the game, each houseguest had to choose four ‘BB Comic Books’ with pictures of season 22 players on them, then watch those players engage in cartoon battles
Christmas, who had been Memphis’ best friend in the house, went back to her room to cry, feeling like she’d ‘betrayed’ him by not picking his character.
‘Stupid Memphis,’ she wept. ‘This house just sucks.’
Christmas felt better moments later when Cody allowed her to wax his eyebrows, grimacing through the pain.
Wax job: Christmas felt better moments later when Cody allowed her to wax his eyebrows, grimacing through the pain
‘Christmas is going in on Cody now, like, heavy,’ Enzo observed. ‘She’s taking no prisoners. She just does not care.’
The week’s veto competition was next, and all of the houseguests prepared to fight.
The game called for them to guess what day important events had happened in the house, then run on a giant hamster wheel to dial in their answer.
Veto competition: The veto competition game called for them to guess what day important events had happened in the house, then run on a giant hamster wheel to dial in their answer
It was trickier than it looked, because the wheel didn’t always stop where they wanted it to, and the last person to answer each question correctly earned a strike.
‘Remembering the right days? Easy,’ conceded Christmas. ‘Running on that giant wheel? Easy. Stopping that wheel and not going over is kicking my butt.’
In successive rounds, Enzo, Christmas and Nicole each got three strikes and were eliminated, making Cody the winner of the game.
Hamster wheel: ‘Remembering the right days? Easy,’ conceded Christmas. ‘Running on that giant wheel? Easy. Stopping that wheel and not going over is kicking my butt’
He was understandably excited, recognizing how important the win was.
‘The past couple nights I’ve barely been able to sleep thinking about this veto, and now I’ve got my hands on it,’ Cody crowed. ‘I’m going to be wearing it around my neck, and I’m going to pick who will come to the final three with me.’
For her part, Christmas realized that Cody’s win might have sealed her fate.
Holding on: ‘The past couple nights I’ve barely been able to sleep thinking about this veto, and now I’ve got my hands on it,’ Cody crowed. ‘I’m going to be wearing it around my neck, and I’m going to pick who will come to the final three with me’
‘I really wanted to be able to control my future in this house,’ she said. ‘That was heartbreaking.’
Nicole, who’d only lost to Cody by a hair, was equally upset.
She knew that Cody would keep her and Christmas on the block, and suspected he might actually pivot and save Christmas if he felt it was better for his game.
Heart broken: ‘I really wanted to be able to control my future in this house,’ Christmas said. ‘That was heartbreaking’
‘My game could be over at this point,’ Nicole said in a confessional, her eyes wet with tears.
Cody wasn’t sure what he would do, and knew that the time for tough decisions had come.
‘Nicole is somebody that I’m very, very loyal to,’ he admitted. ‘But is loyalty enough to win me this game?’
‘The last time I was in this game, loyalty got me second place. And I didn’t come back to get anything short of first,’ Cody added.
Big Brother: All-Stars will return Thursday on CBS.
Loyalty issue: ‘The last time I was in this game, loyalty got me second place. And I didn’t come back to get anything short of first,’ Cody said