‘Big Brother 24’: Nicole Admits She ‘Overreacted’ With Taylor and Addresses Her Last Lie to Target Her

Big Brother 24 fans watched a duo get split after a disastrous mistake. Nicole Layog talked to Showbiz Cheat Sheet over Zoom on Aug. 5 about her experience and targeting Taylor Hale, and more.

[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead for the Big Brother 24 episode on Aug. 4, 2022.]

Nicole Layog reacts to being left out of the Girls’ Girls alliance on ‘Big Brother 24’

Q: At the beginning of the season, the women formed the Girls’ Girls Alliance and included all the women except Taylor and you. They assumed you two would be more loyal to men. How do you feel about that assumption? 

Nicole: Well, this is the first time I am hearing about some Girls’ Girls Alliance, and I’m going to say that I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised because when I have been around groups of women. I have never felt fully comfortable. I have never been fully accepted. And being a lesbian older woman in the house, I know that I put off a lot of masculine energy. And because I’m an athlete or because I talk about sports and because of the subject matter that comes along with me, that, you know, women tend to think that I’m not a girls’ girl. What does that even mean? I don’t even know how that’s even a thing. I’m actually–I’m–I think it’s hilarious. 

Q: So in that same week, Paloma [Aguilar] was offended by Taylor for two things. One: Taylor said “not the pineapple” after Paloma dropped pineapple. Two: Taylor asked why she was making a face and mimicked the face to Paloma. Instead of Paloma talking about how these things offended her, she made a personal and game campaign against Taylor and effectively painted her as a bully. Taylor was then ostracized by the house. You seemed at first during the first week not wanting to be a part of this. But then you joined in. Was this a game move or personal move?

Nicole: As far as joined in, I, you know, again, I want to be able to go back and really look at those…those things and see exactly where that happened. Because I feel like I’ve addressed some things with Taylor, and I would like to continue those–continue addressing those things with her going forward once she comes out of the Big Brother house, hopefully not sooner than later.

Nicole, on that big blow-up and targeting Taylor Hale in ‘Big Brother’

Q: Was it a game over a personal move for you? 

Nicole: Well, it definitely was a game move going forward because when I’m being told majority of the house wants her out, I was thinking strategically, OK, well, I don’t want to be on the wrong side of the coin, and let’s try and get her out of this house. And so going forward, that was one of my goals was to get Taylor out or to keep her as a shield. But it was my demise. And that’s why I’m here talking to you and not still inside the house. 

Q: The personal and game often do get mixed. For the blow-up in the house, you left the diary room you talked to Daniel privately talked about Taylor being a bad person. That you’re willing to throw the veto to go on the block to get her out. Meanwhile, the house thought you had bad personal news about your mother. Taylor asked Monte to pray for your mom. Then she comes to talk to you and…basically says to keep your mental–mental health first. Don’t worry about her when it comes to game. You took this offensively…and said that you weren’t a quitter, not in your vocabulary. But you were planning to throw that veto. So can you explain why you took that comment offensively?

Nicole: Well, to be honest with you, I want to be able to look back on that moment because I do feel that I overreacted in a way that I had my emotions were high. There was a lot of…there was a lot of feeling and emotion going on in that moment because I had been in the diary room, and I thought that I was receiving bad news about my mom, that I was being asked questions about Taylor.

Being in the Big Brother house, I feel like everything just started kind of like flooding through me, and it all just came to a head, and I wasn’t able to fully address everything in the diary room before I walked out. And so things escalated to a point that I definitely wasn’t expecting to happen. But what I can say is that I know that I need to address that with Taylor when she comes out of the house because I think that that’s something that we can watch together. It’s something that I’m definitely going to watch on my own. And I definitely don’t want her to be slated in any way whatsoever. 

Nicole addresses her last lie to target Taylor and other Black houseguests

Q: One of your last efforts to stay in the house was basically talking about how Monte’s an Alpha. Jasmine’s husband, I guess, is an Alpha, and Taylor was in the sister sorority. But that’s incorrect. But…why did it come to your mind to basically paint most of the Black people as, like, tied together and put a target on their back before you left? 

Nicole: Oh, I definitely wasn’t tying that…it was because they were Black people. I was tying together the fact that sorority and fraternity, brotherhood and sisterhood is very strong. And the conversation was actually started with Terrence when I was putting this all together, and the conversation between him and I, we basically were like, I basically was like, ‘Holy crap. Like, this is real. Like, this bond is real, it is unbreakable. And if they make it through, like good for them.’ But going forward, the reason why I brought it up was because strategy for Michael. I told him I said it’s an unbreakable bond. And if you want to go far in this game, and I think that you and Jasmine can make it to the end, you’re going to have to figure out a way to get rid of Monte.

Q: But where did that lie that Taylor was in this Black sorority come from? 

Nicole: I thought that I heard her say that she was in the sorority. So I’m–I’m–I’m incorrect. 

Q: Do you have any regrets or something you would have done differently in the game? 

Nicole: I wouldn’t have played somebody else’s game. I felt like I was definitely using other people’s feelings towards Taylor to kind of guide me through. And I strategically thought that I’d be able to use her as a shield. And essentially, I thought I could manipulate her and control her, and I couldn’t. And that is why I am here. And she is in there. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for this article.