Big Brother 2 is maybe the only season where the best 2 game players made it to the end of the game.
Will is the Og puppet master who makes deals and breaks them just as quickly. He is arguably the best to ever play. He works his way all the way to the end by being sneaky, and making everyone know that they can beat him in the end (ironic).
Nicole was a very strong woman who despite nearly being evicted in week 1, makes it all the way to the end. Nicole controls the game through her #1 ally Hardy for a lot of the game. When Hardy was HOH it was pretty much Nicoles HOH. Even though she loses to Will in the end, she probably would've only got Hardys vote if she had taken Monica to the end.