Paulie Calafiore was known for his bad boy behavior on Big Brother Season 18, but the reality star now says he is in a much better place. Paulie, who butted heads with several of his fellow houseguest in the Big Brother 18 house, didn’t walk away with any prize money, but it sounds like he walked away with something better. In an interview with The Actor’s Audience, Paulie said he now has a strong relationship with God, something he didn’t have before he signed on to the CBS reality TV show.

Before he was cast on Big Brother, Calafiore says his relationship with religion was pretty much non-existent. But that all changed when Paulie had time to rethink his life while sequestered in the CBS summertime house.

“It’s crazy to say, but I found a better relationship with God,” Calafiore said of the aftermath of his BB18 experience. “I don’t want to get all cheesy and all that but I didn’t really have a relationship with God prior to going into the house, I didn’t really have a set mindset on religion.”

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While Paulie Calafiore hasn’t gone so far as to say he spends long hours in church every day, he does say his spiritual self has blossomed.

“I’m still very loose on it, it’s not very strict,” Paulie revealed.

“I just feel like it’s helped me kind of open my heart and my spirit, too. Whereas before the house, I was focused on making money, making money, making money, and growing and influencing people, but the money was the motive. And since finding that I’ve found that giving back as much as make is such a humbling experience and it’s something you can take with you throughout this.”

Calafiore says he attributes his newfound faith to the scriptures he reads every morning.

“Whether you believe in a higher being or not, whatever religion you believe in, as long as you have a belief and a faith, it doesn’t have to be in someone or something, but just have something you can attach yourself to that makes you want to be a better person, and that’s what I kind of found through this whole experience.” Paulie said.

“And I can thank my father for that, I can thank Zakiyah for that, so I’m really blessed to have the people in my life that I do have and it made me kind of cherish those relationships more.”

Paulie Calafiore and Zakiyah Everette were one of three showmances on this summer’s Big Brother. While “Zaulie’s” relationship was tumultuous, the duo came together in the real world. During one of the couple’s many Periscope sessions, Paulie revealed that Zakiyah sends him Bible scriptures every day and that she told him God has to be present in their relationship in order for it to thrive.

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In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, Zakiyah said she listens to God when it comes to her relationship with Paulie. Calafiore lives in New Jersey while Everette lives in North Carolina, but the two of them have still been practically joined at the hip since exiting the Big Brother house in late September.

“Honestly, I’m just gonna listen to God,” Everette said of her relationship with Calafiore. “I’m just gonna have to pray on it… if God wants me to stay in Charlotte, I’m gonna stay in Charlotte. If God wants me to move to New Jersey, then that’s where I’m gonna go.”

Now, it sounds like Zakiyah isn’t the only one listening to God.

You can see Paulie Calafiore’s full interview below.

[Featured Image: CBS Big Brother, Paulie Calafiore Facebook]