‘Big Brother’: Where Is Enzo Palumbo Now?
Big Brother two-time finalist Enzo “the Meow Meow” Palumbo has seemingly mastered the social game, as his likeability prevents him from getting nominated. After competing in Big Brother twice, he gave his shot at The Challenge. Where is Enzo now?
Enzo Palumbo placed third in ‘Big Brother 12’
In 2010, then-32-year-old New Jersey-based insurance adjuster Enzo Palumbo competed on Big Brother 12. The “Meow Meow” quickly protected himself by forming an alliance with Hayden Moss, Lane Elenburg, and Matt Hoffman, which he named the Brigade.
The group played an under-the-radar game and remained in control thanks to their nine combined Head of Household and Power of Veto wins.
They employed a similar strategy to what Tiffany Mitchell used in season 23, where the allies publicly paired up with another houseguest to avoid detection and getting nominated alongside each other.
However, they turned on each other quicker than the final four when Matt discovered his low placement in the alliance, resulting in him placing seventh. However, the remaining made it to the end, where Enzo finished third as the eventual winner Hayden cast the deciding vote, believing he wouldn’t win against the likable New Jersey native.
Enzo returned for ‘Big Brother 22’
Enzo was married to a woman named Joella during his time on the show, and the couple had an infant daughter, Gia. Following his time on the reality series, the insurance adjuster returned to his hometown and continued to grow his family as they welcomed a son Nico in 2013.
However, they divorced before he returned for Big Brother 22: All Stars. Despite the separation, the two remain friends and co-parent their kids together.
In his second season, he made another alliance shortly after entering the house. However, instead of forming a team, the Meow Meow made a pact with fellow New Jersey native Cody Calafiore, The Root. His connection with Cody, a member of the dominant group The Committee, fake alliances, and four combined competition wins kept him safe. Additionally, his likability prevented him from getting nominated until the final three, when he ended up on the block by default.
Cody brought Enzo to the final two, and the Meow Meow’s under-the-radar game had a chance to bring home the victory. However, the jury respected his ally’s game and answers more and gave the BB16 runner-up the win, despite his clashes with other houseguests. As Enzo has played twice and made it to the finale night both times, he’s considered a decent competitor, having mastered the game’s social aspect.
Enzo also competed in ‘The Challenge: USA’
Following his time on Big Brother: All Stars, Enzo remained a part of the reality TV community. For example, he attended a premiere party for Survivor star Rob Cesternino’s award-winning platform Rob Has a Podcast.
Additionally, he participated in a 2021 reality TV boxing event Celebrity Net Fights facing off against Big Brother Canada 3 runner-up Godfrey Mangwiza, which ended in a draw.
In July 2022, the Meow Meow returned to CBS for The Challenge: USA, where he quit during the first portion of the finals that required them to swim to a shore and solve a puzzle.
Following his third reality competition appearance, Enzo appeared on an episode of Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves’ podcast, God 101. His most recent Instagram post, uploaded in January 2023, documents his Las Vegas strip vacation.
