He came. He saw. He was denied a double win. Dan Gheesling was praised by viewers for his master gameplay but criticized for his ruthless approach. In the end the jury sided with hurt feelings and it ended his incredible journey. Dan might not have won the Jury over but he won our poll on who should have won after the Jury votes were revealed.
Today I had the chance to talk with Dan and get his thoughts on the Big Brother season and how it all turned out. Read on for what he had to say.
Big Brother Network (BBN): I called it a mistake at the time, so prove me wrong. Why didn’t you let the Frank and Jenn evictions go to a tie and force Ian to handle their evictions?
Dan Gheesling: That’s a great question. At the end of the day, especially with the Frank thing, I had just pulled off that move to get Britney out of the house and I couldn’t afford to lose any ground with the Quack Pack. So I figured if I threw my vote that way it would definitely jeopardize my position in that alliance in the house. The same thing with Jenn. I told Jenn right before the eviction that she was going home no matter what and I said I hope she understood why I had to do what I had to do.
Doing that [forcing a tie-breaker] wouldn’t really gain me a lot of ground with Jenn and Frank’s vote because eventually they would have found out in the Jury anyway. My whole goal was to get to the Final 2, get one of those seats, and get my shot at talking some people in to throwing a vote my way. Had I not done those things, had I thrown a vote that way, maybe I don’t get to the end. Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. My goal is just to get to that seat because I figured I’d have a shot at talking my way in to the half-million.
BBN: Speaking of the Final 2, a lot of readers thought you’d have a better chance against Danielle. From what we heard from the Jury it seemed like they were dead set against you, but do you think you would have done better against Danielle?
Dan Gheesling: In hindsight, I’m pretty sure she would have been a lot less harsh on me and maybe not been as pointed as Ian especially after how mad he got. At the same time I think you’re right. Regardless they were not going to give this game to someone who had won it before, especially another coach who backstabbed everyone. That’s why I feel good about what I did. I left everything out on the field. I don’t have any regrets. I don’t feel like there were any major blunders that cost me the game.
BBN: If you could cherry-pick one of those other 7 Jury members to swap with Ian, who do you think would give you your best odds?
Dan Gheesling: That’s a great question. No one has asked me that. My dream final three was myself, Danielle, and Jenn. And then I was hopefully going to get Danielle to dump the HoH to me and then take Jenn. That was my goal, my sure fire to scrounge up four votes. Then when things didn’t go that way I knew I was in trouble.
One thing I look back on was Danielle talking me in to keeping Shane when I had him on the platter and I kept him down. That’s one thing that would have maybe kept Jenn in this game longer. The other thing with that I knew with taking Jenn to the Final 3 is that I have to win to get in. Jenn wasn’t going to take me and Danielle might not have taken me because she thought she’d have beat Jenn.
At the end of the day it was my goal to secure a seat in the Final 2. When I blasted Shane out of the house I knew both Ian and Danielle were going to take me so I felt pretty good about that.
BBN: Did you throw Round 3 of the Final HoH?
Dan Gheesling: Contrary to popular belief, I did not throw it. Ian flat out beat me. I would have taken Ian to the Final 2 anyway, but in hindsight Ian and I both believed that Danielle was just so well liked in the Jury that we’d get slaughtered by her.
BBN: Which season, BB10 or BB14, did you enjoy more and which was more difficult?
Dan Gheesling: Fourteen was extremely, extremely difficult for me for multiple reasons. One is the fact that everyone knew who I was in the game and what I was capable of playing and two, the competition was a lot stiffer. Overall enjoyment, both were different in their own ways. Fourteen was cool for me because I got to play against legends like Boogie and Janelle and got to know what a great player Britney was firsthand. That was fun for me in that aspect.
But in the first season I felt like I had a little more fun because everyone was on the same even footing and I made a best friend in Memphis and we rode it out to the end. I just remember the end days with Memphis were a hundred times more enjoyable than the end days with Ian and Danielle. With Memphis and I the game was over. We trusted each other and it was just us two in the house hanging out. With Ian and Danielle there was a little bit of an age gap between us and we kinda ran out of things to talk about. With Memphis and I it was just two guys hanging out.
I enjoyed both seasons in completely different ways, but season fourteen was very, very difficult for me.
BBN: At the end of BB10, the Jury set up was completely different and allowed you more time to talk to the Jury, right?
Dan Gheesling: Yeah, basically the Jury was set and Memphis and I had a night to talk to them. There was no time limit. I think I might have talked for four to five minutes. That was a speech that I crafted and had a lot of time to think about. This one, the way BB14 was set up, it was definitely a lot more difficult to put a prolonged mist on a Jury because I had 90 seconds to squeeze in everything I did that I thought was worth of winning the game. But at the same time I knew that, so ultimately it falls on my shoulders for not convincing the Jury this time around.
BBN: And by the time the Jury gets to talk to the Final 2 they’ve already decided.
Dan Gheesling: It’s unfortunate because the only thing I wanted, and maybe I’ll never know, all I wanted was a fair shake at four votes. Four people with an open mind to consider it. What really, it didn’t bother me, but disappointing was I heard after the fact was Jenn voted based on solely because she didn’t want to give the game to someone else who had won it before as compared to someone on the merit of how they played the game. That was disappointing to me as a player and a lover of the game.
BBN: We posted a poll on our site today that asked “Who Should Have Won? Ian or Dan?” and with over five thousand votes you took it with 58% of the vote [at the time of the interview]. So it seems the viewers did not side with the Jury on this one.
Dan Gheesling: Well that’s a moral victory, but you know at the end of the day Ian played a solid game and he deserved to win. I’m happy for him and he’s going to do good things with that.
BBN: Thanks, Dan. Congratulations on making it to the Final 2.
There were a few extra tidbits I took away from the call with Dan so I’ll add them on here.
- It wasn’t until he saw the HGs’ concern for him after the solitary dance party that he decided he had a chance to pull off the “Funeral” event.
- He gave an eloquent description of his “dirty” game. He said you can’t play a ruthless game halfway, it’s all or nothing. He couldn’t backstab just some of the HGs, he had to do it to all of them. Once he turned that corner it was full on.
- When asked if he thought the Jury was bitter he refused to call them that but instead said he doesn’t think they voted based on game but rather emotions.
As Big Brother fan site writer we depend entirely on an entertaining cast. If there’s nothing happening in the house then it’s hard to get blood from a stone when you want to share a story or ignite a discussion. Thankfully this season was routinely saved by Dan and his mischief which is probably why I enjoyed him so much this season. Love him or hate him, he was a fountain of content and I greatly appreciated him for that.
Love Ian””!quack quack
at least he’s not a sore loser. can’t say the same with the Dan lovers though! Congrats Ian!! Go enjoy your $500K!!
Classy Dan!
a game is a game hope dan come back next season
I hope Lan comeback next season.
Kind of disappointing that the jury voted based on personal. Personally i think Dan should have one, that funeral will go down as one of the greatest moves.
Dan the man <3 Him or Will? tough call! He made this season. He pulled off one incredible move after another. He's a class act and not even bitter. Love the guy!
Love Dan but Dr. Will was so funny as well as a great player.
Why do people like Ian so much? I really don’t get it. Didn’t you guys see how disrespectful he was to Dan last night? Kid needs to grow some balls, Dan was a class act.
Yeah he was mad after finding out Dan also had a final two with Danielle but I didn’t really think he was disrespectful. What do you mean?
All he did was run his mouth everytime Dan was speaking. Dan made one comment when it wasn’t his turn to speak but he did it after Ian finished talking. Very cocky and rude of Ian I thought.
Did you watch the same finale? Dan was contradicting things Ian said to undercut his case during the questions, then Ian found out about Dan’s final 2 deal with Danielle too. Did you expect him to just shrug, not be mad, and say good plan Dan??? No. He was upset, because he bought into the whole Renegades 2 bit and the fact Dan swore on a cross to him. When you act like a sleaze, don’t be surprised when people get angry about it. It is just a game, and Ian holds no grudge over this…but in the heat of the moment he was upset and who can blame him.
I seen the same finale… and Ian was undercutting Dan more… at one question, Ian was saying “bull, bull, bull, bull” through Dan’s whole answer, and yes, when Ian found out about the other final 2 deal, he should of said good plan… cuz that is what Dan would have done, and that is what Boogie DID when Ian betrayed him.
He was cocky. And Dan contradicted him after Ian was finished speaking but Ian kept running his mouth everytime Dan was trying to talk.
At this point it’s hard to tell who is the Best player of all time Dr. Will or Dan. Dan played a fantastic game. There is no rule on how this game should be played…… so shame on the jury for letting their emotions get the better of them!!! Dan congratulations on an unbelievable game!!!
You said it: “There is no rule on how this game should be played”. That includes the fact that there is no rule on how the jury can vote. If they wanted to vote for the person who dressed the nicest, that’s perfectly ok. If they wanted to make their vote personal, then that’s ok, too.
It’s’ a game……. judge based on game play. Leave your personal emotions outside the BBH before you get in.
Paul I agree with you. Each jury has the right to vote the way they want. Just because Dan didn’t win now the jury is at fault. Dan should have thought about the end game and obviously did not. When you stab people in the back and you end up losing because of that it is not the jury’s fault it is your own for not thinking about that very important part of the game. Also, Jenn voted because she wanted a new person to win. Again, her right as a jury member to vote for who she wants and for whatever reason she wants.
That is true but some might hope they would consider the game play and not the nicest clothes someone brought.
Shame on you Jury! Dan had played you all and deserve to win! What a bitter jury!
Maybe they weren’t bitter as much as offended by his game play. He was really evil.
So was Evel Dick and he still one. And he was worse than Dan. This was a bitter jury.
Depends on your definition of evil. E.D. was loud and crude and would call you out to your face. His personal insults went a bit too far at times, but it certainly is a viable strategy if you can get in other people’s heads. I wouldn’t necessarily say he “backstabbed” anyone quite to the extent that Dan did. E.D. sort of stabs you in the front and you see it coming. Bit of a difference there. Dan pretends to be on your side and with you, and then you get blindsided. That can hurt a lot more.
I completely agree and Dan could have had all the time in the world and he would not have changed this jury’s mind. It is their right to vote the way they want and for the reasons they want. Dan should have thought more about his end game which includes the jury part. That is where he went wrong and lost the game.
Who didn’t play like they were on your side? Frank did it, Ian did it. Joe was one of the worse doing it, etc.
I think Dan is right about giving them more time to make their case to the jury. For a game that lasts 3 months….it takes more than 90 seconds to cover your moves and why you made them. Make the finale 2 hours….and give them time to fully state their case.
If the finalists could have a debate-type thing that would be even better…
He got $50,000. That’s not a bad paycheck for the summer.
i am glad he did not win 500K. i think he would not have gone that far without the help of danielle. he just used danielle to his advantage because of her wins of pov and hoh.
Congratz Ian!! very classy Dan…
LOL What a sore LOSER! “I need more time to talk to the jurors” You HAVE 75 DAYS!!! IDIOT!~!
I agree and the jury has the right to vote any way they want. I love all these comments about a bitter jury. Like they are at fault. He stabbed them in the back with his ruthless play and he could have had days to talk to them and they would never have changed their minds. Doesn’t make them wrong and if anything Dan should have thought about that and is the reason he lost the game. He may have been entertaining to watch, but not the best player ever to play the game. Even Dr. Will picked Ian to win. Guess he thought Ian played better than Dan.
Dan is awesome. Seriously, my favorite Big Brother player of all time. He’s one of the few house guests that didn’t go soft. Shane and Frank went soft which is why they got evicted. Ruthless is the perfect word to describe his game play this season. I’m still a little butt hurt he didn’t win it all.
He played Ian like he played the entire house. One of the puppets won the money instead of the puppet master. Bummer.
Push come to shove, Shane for sure and Frank didn’t really know how to play the game. Boogie played for Frank and he floundered once Boogie was gone. Shane could only shake his head yes to whomever he was talking to at the moment. I am not saying he didn’t, but did he ever have a single thought he came up with?
Matt, be honest did you get misted during this interview? Your interview with Dan really must have polished his ego knowing he had you misted all season too! lol
I saw a tweet from Dr. Will that said that Dan earned his black belt and he is asking BB if they are ready for a clash of the titans. That would be a great show to watch — Dr. Will, Dan, Boogie, Jeff, Rachel, Janelle, Evel Dick and maybe even Ian. It would be interesting to see how the alliances form.
ooooo…that would be good. I’d definitely watch that!
Everyone but Boogie…he can stay home!
Everyone but Ian. Although he played a good game, he wasnt entertaining.
Because Ian wasn’t entertaining to you, does not mean he wasn’t entertaining. I don’t think I saw any popularity poll that Ian wasn’t leading in. I know everyone didn’t appreciate him, but many did.
janelle so she can be a 4 time loser? Haha most overrated player ever … All stars are for winners only!
Don’t put Boogie back in, I don’t want to give Dr. Will (or any other player) any advantages. Boogie’s already been in the house 3 times anyway and so has Janelle.
Dr. Will, Dan, Evel Dick, Britney (underrated), Rachel, James (give him one more shot!), Danielle (BB3), Jun (BB4, seriously underrated), Matt (BB12), Natalie (BB11). The next 4 are harder…Kaysar (BB6), Cassie (BB13…had high hopes for her but she never had a chance), Ian, and Ragan (token gay guy).
Thanks for the laughs Dan, loved watching you. I still laugh at the image when you tricked Dani into thinking your were sad and disappointed in yourself..lol. As you clearly stated when she walked out “I love this game”. :)
Dan was very entertaining this season. I thoroughly enjoyed watching. I hope he considers an all-stars. I watched every single show so I could see him play the game. He should have won. I would not watch the show to see Ian play. He received too much credit.
Wow. Just wow. SHAME ON YOU for reporting the way you have in BOTH of these interviews. In Dan’s you are clearly kissing his azz and in Ian’s you are belittling him. *refer to my post in Ian’s interview.
I agree. I realize that the writer is a Dan fan and certainly has that right to like whoever he wants, but it would have been a bit nicer to conduct both interviews in the same manner and not so geared to favor Dan.
Dan said he didn’t throw the last HOH comp to Ian b/c if he admitted to it then he’d be admitting he was an idiot! We all know he knew the right answers – and he talked about it on the live feeds that was going to throw it.
No, he would have lost to Danielle too. At least this way he gave the half mil to someone who at least might deserve it. I’m not sure if he threw it or not but he will never beat Ian at that sort of competition.
Janelle put it best…a travesty that Dan didn’t win. Ian made some moves, but for the most part he was played completely by Dan.
Bitter Jury…don’t hate the player, hate the game
BAD setup by BB production for the finalists to have 90 secs
Dan is the best BB player ever…bar none
I don’t know if you saw the backyard interview with Janelle or even the interview that she gave at the after party. She also said that she was rooting for Frank and was hoping for a win for him. Only after Frank was eliminated did she start to root for Dan. She thought Frank played the most like herself and that was the type of player she liked. She also said that she was happy for Ian and he played a great game as well. At the end of the day all these people realize it is just a game and move on. IMO Dan fans need to do the same. So now that Dan didn’t win it was a bad setup by Production. I don’t remember it being any different last year with the jury when Porsche and Rachel had their time with the jury.
Janelle is a loser just like Dan!
I’m glad Dan didn’t win. I found him arrogant and annoying. His gameplay was just too full of “over the top” dishonesty that continually trashed his faith even though his persona was one of a religious person. Not to mention he came into the game as a NON-player and realistically shouldn’t have even been eligible to play. It’s typical of “production” aka Julie Chen that the reset button pushers was not revealed to the newbies at the final… they didn’t know Dan also lied about the fact that he pushed the reset button as well… oh well, I hope they never have returning players enter the game except for an all-star game and I hope if that happens there will be a season of newbies plus the all star game.
If Dan was such a great player, he wouldn’t have lost by a landslide!
Dan is a good player or he wouldn’t have gotten to the F2. He got to the end with cunning, outwitting the others and backstabbing as needed because he could not rely on competitions. Ian needed comps to win. Without shark veto and F5 HOH, Ian’s game would have been over. He also needed Dan to scumbag Shane in order to stay in the game. Ian did nothing to fight to stay F4 week after he lost that veto. Ian played a good game but it wasn’t amazing. Dan played a great game to get to final 2. The funeral and deal with Frank/Jenn kept him in the game when his game was all but over. The others also didn’t bother to try to take him out after that. Ian benefitted that Dan wanted an F2 deal with him. Dan benefitted from Ian’s loyalty so they both benefitted from each other. Ian had friends on the jury (Britney and Ashley) and three bitter sore loser jurors (Frank, Shane, and Joe). Dan also won already so Jenn flipped too.
This is the nature of the game. You take the risk when you play dirty and you also take the risk when you are a floater. There is no one way of going about winning this game. You either win because you won the most physical and won the most competitions or you win because you played a better social game. Very rarely does someone win because of both. You stand the risk of alienating those other HG’s who are trying for the same money as you are and the only difference in whether or not they win or you win is if you can convince them that you were the better player. Obviously Dan isn’t that convincing and yes, they may have voted based on emotions but Ian played on those emotions…and ultimately, as we already know, he won. So, did he deserve to win? Yes, he did because his game play was just as good but in a different way. Not only that…Dan didn’t really get his hands, “bloody” as he stated. Someone else had that blood on their hands and it was mostly Ian. Dan was dirty, don’t get me wrong, but most of the hacking was done by someone else. Dan thought he could score points that way and ultimately led to him not winning.
Dr. Will still rules, even predicted the winner, Ian Terry!
After jury polls only attract sore losers.
The fact that Dan tried to drag Jenn to F2 showed he was not that good at the game. Dan FAILED! Ian got all the people out he said he wanted out. Ian won the game, Ian won the jury.