Actually, Nicole's not necessarily dumb. Jozea, Paul and Zakiyah are all on the same team - maybe Da'vonne didn't want to look like she was selling out her team completely to the vets, or maybe Nicole didn't wanna make it look like she was targeting one team right away.
lowkey i'm really glad no one outed Paul's obsession to get rid of the vets yet (at least up until nominations). One of his goons being evicted seems like it'll turn him even more psychotic.