Paul R. "Paulie" Calafiore (born November 13, 1988) is an American television personality who has competed on season 18 of Big Brother, as well as multiple seasons of The Challenge: Final Reckoning (2018), War of the Worlds (2019), War of the Worlds 2 (2019), USA (season 2, 2023), and The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras (2024). He and his brother Cody Calafiore played in The Soccer Tournament in 2023.
Early life and education Paulie Calafiore was born in Howell Township, New Jersey, to Paul Jr. and Linda Calafiore.Sargeant, Keith. "Big Brother 18: Why ex-Rutgers soccer player Paulie Calafiore could win $500K" , NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 23, 2016. Accessed October 18, 2025. "As it turned out, Paulie Calafiore was set to go on Big Brother 18 instead. A Howell native who started in 49 of the 54 games he played in from 2007 through 2011, Calafiore is one of 16 contestants living in a house outfitted with dozens of cameras and microphones recording their every move, 24 hours a day, for a popular reality TV show." He attended Howell High School, where he says he was bullied, and later played on the soccer team while attending Rutgers University. He was a defensive back and team captain for the Scarlet Knights. His brother is Cody Calafiore, the winner of season 22 of Big Brother. Paulie and Cody also have a sister.
Career Calafiore is a former professional soccer player. He "had a brief spell" with the Colorado Rapids. Calafiore and his brother played in The Soccer Tournament in 2023. He is also a disc jockey, a model, and a personal trainer.
Calafiore has been cast on multiple television series, including season 18 of Big Brother, season 1 of Ex on the Beach (2018), and multiple iterations of The Challenge: Final Reckoning (2018), War of the Worlds (2019), War of the Worlds 2 (2019), USA (season 2, 2023), and The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras (2024). On season 18 of Big Brother, he placed eighth overall. Calafiore suffered two concussions on Battle of the Eras. He also made a guest appearance on the second season of Vanderpump Villa.
Personal life Calafiore has lived in North Carolina. He and co-star Cara Maria Sorbello dated on and off from 2018-2026, after meeting on The Challenge. He came out as bisexual in 2023. He and Sorbello have relocated to Montana.
Calafiore plays the guitar, has practiced martial arts (particularly Krav Maga), and has trained in bobsledding. Queerty has described him as a "fitness pro". He creates content on OnlyFans.
Filmography Television Year Title Role Notes 2016 Big Brother 18 Contestant 8th place2018 Ex on the Beach Himself Season 1, 11 episodes The Challenge: Final Reckoning Contestant 3rd place How Far Is Tattoo Far? Himself 1 episode2019 The Challenge: War of the WorldsContestant 9th place The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 Runner-up 2023 The Challenge: USA 2 12th place 2024 The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras20th place 2025 Vanderpump Villa Himself Season 2
See also List of Big Brother (American TV series) houseguests List of bisexual people (A–F) List of Ex on the Beach (American TV series) cast members List of Rutgers University people List of The Challenge (TV series) contestants
References
External links Paulie Calafiore at IMDb