The runner-up on Big Brother 18 is still a bit shocked that he lost in the end.

Paul Abrahamian won the final Head of Household competition of the season and decided to evict James Huling, while taking Nicole Franzel to the Final 2 with him. This ended up costing him in the end as the jury awarded Nicole the win by a narrow 5-4 decision.

There have now been reports of the jury admitting they would have handily given Paul the win if he took James to the end instead of Nicole. So what was Paul thinking by taking Nicole to the end?

"I don't know. Honestly, I'm hearing left and right - jury would have done this, jury would have done that," Paul said in a new Entertainment Weekly interview. "I honestly think that the jury was a little bit bitter and no matter what I would have done, the outcome would have been the same."

Paul also admitted that he was surprised by the final jury decision.

"I was a little bit shocked. I don't know what more I could have done," he said. "The most in-house competition wins of the season, cleaning house towards the end of the game, really winning every single competition, and being up against two people who have played the game before. I thought it was a no-brainer, but clearly the jury was a little bit pissed, let's put it that way."

James, Victor Arroyo, Michelle Meyer and Bridgette Dunning voted for Paul in the end, while Corey Brooks, Natalie Negrotti, Paulie Calafiore, Zakiyah Everette and Da'Vonne Rogers voted for Nicole to win. It was Da'Vonne's vote that surprised much of the audience, and even Paul himself.

"I was really shocked by Da'Vonne's vote. I didn't really understand why she did that," Paul said. "I know she didn't necessarily like Nicole throughout the game and even though she went out on my HOH, it was discussed that it was what the entire house wanted."

Either way, Paul does at least walk away $50,000 richer for making it to the Final 2.

Tags: Big Brother Reality TV CBS