Fans were shocked during Wednesday night's finale when it was revealed that Da'vonne voted for Nicole to win Big Brother 18 , giving her the victory over Paul. Day's vote broke a tie of 4-4 between the two, but also left many viewers confused, especially after the jury deliberations seen earlier in the episode. Before voting began, Da'Vonne called Paul her boy — she wanted him to be in the final two, and made it clear that she could very well vote for him. She even went so far as to call Paul's game "phenomenal." Something must have changed her mind, but what?
Well, it might have something to do with Paul's personality. As a Big Brother player, Da'Vonne had nothing but respect for Paul, but as a person, she found him obnoxious, something she also said during the jury talk. Of course, fans will recall that Da'Vonne also disliked Nicole. In fact, she pretty much came into the house hating her. And yet, to Day's own surprise, she found herself respecting Nicole's game. When Michelle discounted Nicole's game in the jury's talk, Da'Vonne defended her, saying that Nicole's game, no matter how dirty or secretive, had been smart. Instead of leaving herself open to attack, she aligned herself with Corey and other men in the house who could protect her. To Da'Vonne, that was a win.
Da'Vonne didn't say this, but part of me wonders if part of the reason why she voted for Nicole was because she was sick of the boys in the BB house. Frank, Paul, Paulie, and Victor all got on the women's nerves this season, and after her eviction, Da'Vonne appeared to form new bonds with her fellow female jury members. I think that Da'Vonne realized that the boys had stuck together and allowed the women to go against each other, which eventually contributed to her downfall. It wouldn't surprise me if Da'Vonne voted for Nicole out of respect for having survived the bro-heavy game.
Whether that was a factor or not, Da'Vonne started Big Brother 18 hating Nicole, but respected her game by the end, and thanks to that change, Nicole just won $500,000.
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