Nicole: It was all strategy, not personal – globaltv

Nicole Layog. Photo Courtesy: CBS.

By John Powell – GlobalTV.com

Nicole Layog, the home chef from Florida, and Taylor Hale, the personal stylist from Michigan, didn’t always see eye-to-eye in the Big Brother house. Their relationship has been as rocky as Marvel’s The Thing The fantastic Four.

Though their relationship got heated at times, Nicole says it was all just part of the game.

“That was strategy. I thought I could use them as a shield. I thought I could manipulate them and have some sort of control over their game, and the fact that the majority of the people I worked with wanted them out, I thought I could achieve that for them,” she said they plan to build loyalty and trust with others in the home.

Nicole and Daniel’s plan this week to finally liberate the Taylor home went disastrously wrong. Thinking they had the votes and not knowing about The Leftovers alliance, Daniel used the power of veto to save Alyssa and Indy, knowing that Head of Household would put Monte Nicole and Taylor on the block as a Festie Bestie couple . What they didn’t know was that the leftovers had been working on targeting Alyssa before Daniel made his decision.

“I should have listened to Michael and I didn’t believe a single word Monte ever said to me. When Ameerah went home, I didn’t know who to really trust. I thought that I was taking the big risk that they would veto and be thrown out with Taylor, I thought that I would make a move that would be like a big “Ha-Ha!” Wait, but it didn’t work out like that,” she said of the duo’s massive misjudgment.

Now that she knows everything, Nicole is quick to back The Leftovers.

“It’s perfect. It’s actually a coincidence. It’s pretty amazing! It’s big brother! I love it! I’m so happy for them! I hope they all go far. Hopefully Kyle’s showmanship doesn’t get in the way though “, she said.

When it comes to her own gameplay, Nicole admits she’s sometimes been overcome by her emotions. Like many previous players, she found it difficult to separate the game from personal relationships. This bitter feud within her sparked her breakdown on television and eventually her blowout with Taylor. Emotionally, Nicole felt like she was being pulled in many different directions.

“I think the struggle was that I was playing this game with an alliance that I wanted to prove my allegiance to. I’ve been trying to figure out what I can do to prove to them that I ride or die and will do whatever it takes to keep them all safe, move forward and hopefully get to the end. I’m a competitor and competing is one of the worst feelings of being in game mode. In addition, I began to realize that I was allowing her judgments about Taylor and her feelings about her to cloud my own judgments about and feelings about her. I fell down that rabbit hole too,” she admits.

However, Nicole fears that her boyfriend Daniel has fallen into the same trap and is letting his emotions get the better of him.

“He has to stop wearing his emotions on his sleeve and switch to game mode. He has to check his feelings at the door. That’s the best way for him to get through this game. He’s a super fan. He watched Big Brother. He has watched every single episode so far and looks at the live feeds. I think his emotions interrupted his game. Going forward, he needs to review that and just really, really work on beast mode and game mode,” she advised.

As a former police officer and now a personal chef, one wonders what skills served Nicole better around the house? It’s clear for Nicole.

“Be cook hands! (laughs) More than anything, these people ate my cooked slop in a way I never knew slop could be cooked! I inspire people like Turner to turn slop into things that weren’t possible, like French toast sticks. It’s crazy about me! My kitchen and board game should have been my driving force,” she said, smiling and shrugging.

As if the drama in the Big Brother house wasn’t enough, Nicole’s life was turned upside down when her mother, Rosie, was diagnosed with cancer before she even received her Big Brother house key. At the time of our conversation, Nicole had not spoken to her mother directly, but production has been in frequent contact with her and has been monitoring her situation.

Daniel Durston and Nicole Layog. Photo: CBS.

“My mother taught my sister and I so much independence. She’s a strong, fighting woman,” Nicole said proudly, tears welling up in her eyes. “Without their motivation and support, this would not be possible.”

Despite not making the judging panel and her game ending the way it did, Nicole has no regrets about her Big Brother experience.

“The fact that I’ve walked through the same doors as legends like Janelle Pierzina, Kaysar Ridha, Derrick Levasseur and Tiffany Mitchell, the people I’ve looked up to has been amazing. I’m proud that I was able to walk through the same door as them, even if my stay lasted only thirty days. I’m happy! Now I can see my mom. I see my niece and nephews. I get to spend time with my family. I get to go to my best friend’s wedding. I’m very happy with the life I have outside of it and I can’t wait to continue cooking for my client and keep moving forward,” she said.

Big Brother USA airs three times a week on Global TV. It airs Sundays and Wednesdays (8pm-9pm ET/PT) and Thursdays (9pm-10pm live ET/delayed PT) and features the live clearance show hosted by Julie Chen Moonves is moderated.

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