Big Brother 18 cast member Paulie Calafiore, 27, hails from Howell, New Jersey and is quite the entrepreneur. In addition to owning an entertainment company, he also owns a gym. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is listed as the co-owner of SWEAT Elite Fitness in Freehold, NJ which is a sport specific gym. However, according to his CBS profile, his occupation is listed as a DJ which likely means he DJ’s, even if only occasionally, for his entertainment company. Naturally, one of his concerns about living inside the Big Brother house all summer is the operation of his businesses, but he has faith in his employees (and of course the other co-owner(s) of the gym).
Paulie is not just your usual houseguest and may even be considered a “twist” this season. He is related to a beloved houseguest who did very well in the game. His younger brother is Cody Calafiore from Big Brother 16. Cody was the second member in the “hitmen alliance” and made it to the final two along with fellow alliance member and winner Derrick Levasseur. It also turns out that several of the new houseguests revealed that Cody is their favorite former player, which could be interesting for Paulie in the game when his relationship to him is inevitably revealed.
It can easily be said that one of the hardest things for Paulie to do is going to be making a name for himself instead of being known as “Cody’s brother”. In Paulie’s “Meet the Houseguests” interview, Jeff Schroeder asked him how he was going to separate himself from Cody. The answer he gave really wasn’t so clear. Paulie went on to describe the ways they are similar such as their mannerisms and appearances. He indicated that he wanted to “play his exact social game” and referred to Cody as “probably one of the best social players to play the game”.
Paulie does want to avoid being in the same situation that Cody found himself in near the end of the game where he had to make a choice between his “boy” and a floater. Instead he wants to go to the end, say top 5 or 6, with strong players who all deserve to win in their own right and battle it out. In the end, he knows it is up to the one “who can talk better to the jury” and he’s going to prepare his speech to ensure it sounds better than whoever is standing next to him, even if he doesn’t think he can win.
Being related to a former houseguest, especially one who was a good player, can definitely put a target on your back from the very beginning. One of the first things you have to decide is whether or not you are going to tell the other houseguests or try to keep it a secret. If you decide to keep it a secret and are perceived as lying about it, and you are later caught, this can cause a lot of problems. Paulie and Cody have matching tattoos on their ribs that say Calafiore in addition to looking and sounding a lot alike. Paulie thinks it would be “very foolish” to not go in and be honest, but he also wants it to come naturally. It doesn’t seem like he is necessarily going to hide it or lie about it, but he probably won’t come right out and say anything unless he senses that they already know.
When asked Jeff Schroeder’s signature question about whether he would rather be “hated by America and win or lose and be loved”, it was clear that Paulie wanted to win the game and would not be satisfied with the $50,000 that comes with second place. He feels that relationships and image can always be repaired over time and “who you are in the house not always reflects who you are outside of the house”. In fact, he would rather be “hated as a winner than hailed as a loser” and he pointed out Tom Brady as an example. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Paulie says he “gives zero f**ks what anyone outside of the house thinks” which includes past contestants. He goes on to reference that he only cares about his big family and that they love him and that’s all he needs.
Paulie Calafiore has very specific financial goals that are motivating him to win Big Brother. Some of these goals include paying off his parents’ mortgage and his sister’s school loans, as well as help struggling family members. If he plays the game anything like his brother, we are in for some good game play, especially on the strategic and social side of the game. Considering he enjoys exercise, as well as martial arts, he could also end up being a competition beast.
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