'The Challenge Final Reckoning': Paulie Calafiore Reveals What Wasn't Aired During the First Elimination

Culture Challenge

Big Brother stars Paulie Calafiore and Natalie Negrotti were the first Challenge competitors voted into Armageddon, Season 32's elimination round. A twist meant they chose the team that beat them in Tuesday's episode.

Host T.J. Lavin had the teams vote in secret, but at Armageddon, he revealed who selected the losing team (Paulie and Natalie): Joss Mooney and Sylvia Elsrode, Kam Williams and Kayleigh Morris, Zach Nichols and Amanda Garcia and Brad Fiorenza and Kyle Christie. "If you got the guts to vote somebody in, you better have the guts to take them out yourself," T.J. said, before letting Paulie and Natalie choose their opponents. Kyle and Brad were safe after winning the second episode's challenge.

There was more to their decision than what aired, Paulie told Newsweek Monday. He wanted to face Joss and Sylvia or Zach and Amanda because they were in an alliance with Kyle and Brad, who "in my opinion … threw us in," he explained. After Joss and Sylvia "got very, very drunk" the night before elimination, Paulie knew they weren't ready and said their names. "T.J. was about to call them down and Natalie stopped him," he said. She wanted to go against Kayleigh because she outed her on social media.

There was also more to "what was really going down" with Cara Maria Sorbello and Kyle. Cara Maria and Kyle were involved during The Challenge: Vendettas earlier this year, and Kyle didn't like that she and Paulie started flirting the first night in the Final Reckoning house. "I didn't really like how Kyle was being towards Cara," Paulie said. "I had multiple conversations with Kyle [and said], 'I don't know what's going on with you and Cara, but I think if you guys like each other, you should get back together,'" but he'd be friends with both of them.

"The more jealous he got, the more I was like, 'This guy clearly isn't a f***ing man'" and was "immature," he said. "If I was [playing as an individual], once he started acting jealous, I would've probably made it way worse for him."

Playing as a team means having to "think about the person that you're partnered up with," he said. In another team scenario, he wouldn't get "involved in a little love triangle in the beginning."

While Cara Maria and Paulie first connected on the show, they are currently dating. They'll be seeing each other next week.

Kyle said Paulie's loss was a "great thing" to happen to him on The Challenge but he didn't know about the redemption house. Paulie and Natalie could earn their way back into the main house. Paulie's mindset "is to get back into the game, period," then he'll focus on going after those who played a role in sending him and Natalie into elimination.

If they do get back in the game, they need to get past their previous issues. She did nearly everything in her power to get him out of the Big Brother house in Season 18 in 2016, but his issues with her have to do with what she did after the show. "Our communication on things in the house was definitely a little bit off at first," he said. "Hopefully we figure it out for the rest of the season."