Corey Brooks’ time in the Big Brother house is over, but is his romance with Nicole Franzel a done deal, too? A few days after his eviction, the 25-year-old Dallas baseball coach is making it clear that he was playing Big Brother, not The Bachelor . In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Brooks revealed that he’s not sure that he’s ready to continue a romantic relationship with Nicole, his Big Brother 18 showmance, in the real world.
“We are both recently single so this is something we need to discuss outside the house,” Corey said of Nicole.
“I have never known Nicole outside of the house and she lives on the other side of the country. If it is something we want to be serious about, things need to progress with our friendship outside of the house.”
Nicole and Corey are full of PDA today More kitchen cuddling from Nicorey #BBLF #BB18 pic.twitter.com/FoTO5kWBO7
— #BB19 CoCo (@CocoBay180) August 28, 2016
While Brooks is using the “friend” word, he does seem to think his relationship with Franzel was the strongest in the Big Brother house. Corey told the Hollywood Reporter that he and Franzel had each other’s backs the entire time in the Big Brother house, unlike duos like James and Natalie and Paul and Victor. Corey pointed out that Paul even pushed to get Victor out of the house when he came back the second time, something he would never have done to his own ride or die.
“Nicole never bad mouthed me or wanted me out,” Corey said. ” She always stuck by my side. She was a very good ride or die to have and we went the furthest.”
I’m so happy Corey did what he needed to do to save his Ride or Die Nicole this week! #Nicorey ? #BB18 pic.twitter.com/BI6QF17PqC
— BBCAN7 ?? (@BB_Bae_Watch) September 10, 2016
Brooks also revealed that his biggest game move was when he threw the first Head of Household competition to Franzel, saying it was risky and put him in a dicey spot with the rest of the houseguests, but it paved the way for his summer showmance with the blonde Big Brother veteran.
“All the new players wanted me to get HOH and get the vets out,” Corey explained. “I was like, nope. I threw it to Nicole and she can get new people out. Everyone in the house was super ticked off and I had to play damage control.”
Corey and Nicole celebrate her POV win. #BB18 pic.twitter.com/1wmWBIZjEE
— ?BB Truth? (@BBTruth) September 11, 2016
While Corey Brooks seems to be non-committal regarding his future relationship with Nicole, one thing is for certain: Corey’s Big Brother showmance is definitely his type.
Live feed viewers saw Corey talk about his ex-girlfriend earlier this season. Brooks told Franzel that his ex was a jealous type who would watch over everything he did. This news was enough to freak Nicole out, and she began to worry that Corey’s ex would trash her on social media. While it is unclear which of Corey Brooks’ ex-girlfriends he was referring to, Bustle reached out to the most recent girl he appears to have dated, at least according to his Instagram account. Brooks’ ex, Alexia Standish, replied to Bustle via Twitter, confirming that she has “nothing to say in regards to Corey.”
“We broke up a long time ago, I’m not one to stalk, and I’ve been dating someone for a few months. Wish him nothing but the best,” Corey’s ex told Bustle .
Corey Brooks last posted pictures of him and Alexia more than two years ago and she may not even be the girlfriend he was talking about, but there’s no denying that he has a thing for pretty blondes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/kDSdpjhc4B/?taken-by=coreybrooks&hl=en
As for any future NiCorey wedding bells, ousted houseguest Victor Arroyo told the Hollywood Reporter that Brooks will ultimately end things with Franzel once they are both outside of the Big Brother house.
“Corey doesn’t want to be in a relationship after the show,” Victor told THR . “He is going to break little Nicole’s heart.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKReqcQhzyf/?taken-by=cbs_bigbrother&hl=en
Even Big Brother host Julie Chen downplayed Corey and Nicole’s romantic connection when she was ranking this season’s showmances.
“Forget about Corey and Nicole,” she told ET Online earlier this summer. “That’s a one-sided thing. He looks at her as a kid sister. I think he adores her, but not in a romantic way.”
Indeed, Corey Brooks told ET he wasn’t looking to be on “a dating show or anything like that.” Turns out Brooks wasn’t, but his showmance outlasted all of the others this season on Big Brother.
Take a look at the video below to see Corey Brooks talking about his Big Brother showmance.
[Featured Image by CBS Big Brother Live Feeds via Twitter ]