Who is Enzo Palumbo? The Challenge contestant participated in two Big Brother seasons

Enzo Palumbo is all set to appear on The Challenge: USA (Image via enzp_/Instagram)
Enzo Palumbo is all set to appear on The Challenge: USA (Image via enzp_/Instagram)

Enzo Palumbo will again make his appearance on reality TV with CBS' series The Challenge: USA after his stint on Big Brother. The show is set to premiere on Monday, July 6, 2022, on the television network and will be available to stream on Paramount+ the whole summer. The contestants will be former reality stars from shows like The Amazing Race, Love Island, Survivor, and Big Brother.

Fans know Enzo from his stint on Season 12 of Big Brother and Big Brother 22: All-Stars. He will now appear on The Challenge: USA with 27 other contestants and fellow stars from the Big Brother franchise, including Alyssa Lopez, Azah Awasum, Angela Rummans, David Alexander, Derek Xiao, Kyland Young, Tiffany Mitchell, and Xavier Prather.


Enzo Palumbo was a fan favorite on two Big Brother seasons

Enzo Palumbo first appeared on Season 12 of Big Brother and became the season's fan favorite. He also became well-known for the moniker "The Meow-Meow" and has since gone by the same name amongst his fans. The contestant was also a founding member of the Brigade alliance alongside fellow cast members Hayden Moss and Lane Elenburg.

This secret alliance worked well for Enzo. The Brigade alliance went on to win several advantages throughout the show, including seven Head of Household (HOH) competitions and two Power of Veto (PoV) competitions. However, he managed to personally only win on PoV.

But his social game was strong, and he went on to be placed third in the competition after Hayden cast the sole vote to evict him, making him the seventh and final jury member. In his introductory interview with CBS, Enzo confessed that aligning with the strongest forces on his season was the wrong move. He revealed that he would never be able to beat them in the final HOH competition.

He then appeared on Big Brother 22: All-Stars and became an affiliate of The Committee alliance. The contestant formed strong connections with members Cody Calafiore and Memphis Garrett and made a final 3 deal called The Wise Guys. He then made a final two alliance with Cody called The Root.

Enzo went on to win two Head of Household (HOH) competitions, one Power of Veto (PoV), and one Safety competition. However, his game fell short before fellow finalist Cody, leading him to become the runner-up of the season and the second-ever houseguest to receive 0 jury votes after Memphis.

The 44-year-old New Jersey native works as an insurance adjuster and describes himself as "funny, cool, and obnoxious." In his interview with CBS, he revealed some fun facts about himself, like his love for rap and motorcycles, his fluency in Italian, and his passion for boxing in the past.

After his stint on Big Brother Season 12, he also began working as a model. He got married in 2000, however, it didn't last long. Irrespective of the divorce, he is close to his two children, Gia and Nico. The former couple is great at co-parenting their kids, as can often be seen on his Instagram.

He has over 57K followers on Instagram, where he updates them about his gym routines and fun activities with his kids. His love for boxing and motorcycles is also prominent on his page.


Enzo will be part of The Challenge: USA, which will be filmed in Buenos Aires, with T.J. Lavin hosting the "most unpredictable and cutthroat game." The contestants will fight hard to keep moving forward in the competition until one male and one female participant will be named the champion and will win $500,000. The winners will compete in the upcoming Paramount+ tournament, The Challenge: Global Championship (working title).

Quick Links