Dan Gheesling
American reality television personality (born 1983)
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Daniel Robert Gheesling (/ˈdɛənɡiːzliŋ/; born September 1, 1983) is an American reality television and YouTube personality. Gheesling is best known for winning the tenth season of the CBS reality show Big Brother in 2008.[2][3] He subsequently returned to Big Brother for the fourteenth season where he finished as runner-up,[4] and he later competed on the second season of The Traitors, where he was the first traitor eliminated.
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September 1, 1983
- TV personality
- Twitch streamer
Big Brother 14
The Traitors 2
Dan Gheesling | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Daniel Robert Gheesling September 1, 1983 Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | Michigan State University (BS; MS) |
| Occupations |
|
| Television | Big Brother 10 Big Brother 14 The Traitors 2 |
| Spouse | Chelsea Gheesling |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Twitch information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Genre | Video gaming |
| Followers | 150,000 |
Outside of reality television, Gheesling has a Twitch channel where he primarily streams video game content.
Early life
Dan Gheesling was born on September 1, 1983 in Dearborn, Michigan.[5] He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in human resource management in May 2005[6] and a master's degree in Kinesiology in 2006.[7]
During his tenure at Michigan State University, Gheesling pursued a career in football coaching.[8] He joined the Michigan State Spartans football program in 2002 and earned the Frank Cowing Award as the outgoing senior manager[9] in 2004. During that time Gheesling also interned with the National Football League’s Detroit Lions.[10] In 2006, Gheesling continued to work with the Spartans as the team's Defensive Graduate Assistant.[10]
Career
Big Brother
After several auditions, a private school teacher Gheesling was selected to participate in the tenth season of Big Brother US.[11] He won $500,000 against its runner-up Robert "Memphis" Garrett by the unanimous 7–0 jury vote, despite the jury's dislike toward the finalists especially for their eliminations. He became the first winner with the unanimous jury votes.[12]
Gheesling re-participated in the fourteenth season of Big Brother US. He became the runner-up to the eventual winner Ian Terry by the 1–6 jury vote, earning Gheesling $50,000.[13][14]
Gheesling made a cameo appearance in the nineteenth season of Big Brother US as The Funeral Director in a fictional trailer for a film titled The Revengers, which was shown to contestants.[15][16]
The Traitors
Gheesling participated on the second season of The Traitors in 2024. He was the first "Traitor" to be voted off in the sixth episode.[17] Polygon described Gheesling's appearance on The Traitors as "facing an uphill battle" and doing "too little, too late."[18]
Twitch
Gheesling has been streaming on Twitch since 2012. Gheesling played an early version of a video game Balatro[19] and beat Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree with no upgrades.[20] The creator of Balatro, LocalThunk, recognized Gheesling's gameplay on Twitch for making the game increasingly popular.[21][non-primary source needed] Gheesling frequently collaborates with other streamers such as Northernlion.[citation needed]
Personal life
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Big Brother 10 | CBS | Contestant | Winner |
| 2012 | Big Brother 14 | Contestant | Runner-up | |
| 2017 | Big Brother 19 | Cameo | N/a | |
| 2024 | The Traitors 2 | Peacock | Contestant – Traitor | 13th Place |
Bibliography
- Gheesling, Dan (December 3, 2012). How a Normal Guy Got Cast on Reality TV. Mist House Publishing. ISBN 9780615718279.[23]
- Gheesling, Dan (December 24, 2012). Punch It In: 24 Days To Crossing Your Goal Line. Mist House Publishing. ISBN 9780615747811.[23]
- Gheesling, Dan (November 26, 2013). Clean Your Own Mirror: 6 Necessary Duties to Lead and Influence People. Mist House Publishing. ISBN 9780615925530.[24]