Dan Gheesling

Dan Gheesling
Born
Daniel Robert Gheesling

(1983-09-01) September 1, 1983
Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
EducationMichigan State University (BS; MS)
Occupations
  • TV personality
  • Twitch streamer
TelevisionBig Brother 10
Big Brother 14
The Traitors 2
SpouseChelsea Gheesling
Children3[1]
Twitch information
Channel
Years active2012–present
GenreVideo gaming
Followers150,000

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.

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] Gheesling frequently collaborates with other streamers such as Northernlion.

Personal life

Following his appearances on Big Brother, Gheesling began work in personal coaching and public speaking.[5]

In 2011, Gheesling married his wife Chelsea. They have three children.[22]

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 Neccesary Duties to Lead and Influence People. Mist House Publishing. ISBN 9780615925530.[24]

References

  1. ^ Vulpo, Mike (November 23, 2021). "Big Brother's Dan Gheesling and Wife Chelsea Welcome Baby No. 3". E! Online. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  2. ^ "Big Brother Hall Of Fame - CBS.com". CBS. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018.
  3. ^ Ross, Dalton (June 23, 2022). "Dan Gheesling built a flamethrower on 'Big Brother'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Who Won 'Big Brother' Season 14?". HuffPost. September 20, 2012. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  5. ^ a b Ougler, Jeffrey (January 18, 2013). "Big Brother winner is a true survivor". The Sault Star. pp. 1, B5. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  6. ^ Michigan State University Commencement - 2005 Spring Semester (PDF) (Report). May 2005. p. 25. Retrieved February 19, 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Commencement Program (PDF) (Report). 2006. p. 55. Retrieved February 17, 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Gheesling, Dan (December 3, 2012). How To Get On Reality TV: How A Normal Guy Got Cast On Reality TV: The Four Year Journey of a Normal Guy's Journey to Getting Cast on Reality TV. Mist House Publishing. ISBN 978-0-615-71827-9.
  9. ^ 2009 Spring Football Media Guide (PDF) (Report). Michigan State Athletics. July 27, 2009. p. 210. Retrieved February 19, 2026.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b 2007 Michigan State Football Media Guide (PDF) (Report). Michigan State Athletics. August 2, 2006. p. 73. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  11. ^ "Michigan man joins 'Big Brother 10' cast". The Muskegon Chronicle. Associated Press. July 12, 2008. p. C1. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  12. ^ Berman, Craig (September 17, 2008). "Dan runs away with Big Brother 10 crown". Today. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  13. ^ Walker, Dave (September 21, 2012). "Ian Terry remembers Big Brother finale as 'an absolute blur'". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Archived from the original on February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  14. ^ Drum, Mark (September 20, 2012). "Big Brother 14 Finale Episode Breakdown: Ian Quacks To 500K". CBS Detroit. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  15. ^ Big Brother 19. Season 19. Episode 35. September 10, 2017. CBS.
  16. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: 'Big Brother' Alums Reunite for Epic 'BB Comics' Shoot -- and React to Season 19 aka 'Big". ktvb.com. September 8, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  17. ^ Graham, Adam (February 8, 2024). "Gheesling makes not-so-triumphant return to TV". The Orlando Sentinel. The Detroit News. p. 5. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  18. ^ Gennis, Sadie (January 26, 2024). "The Traitors' Dan Gheesling has one last shot to win back my respect". Polygon. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  19. ^ Schreier, Jason (February 7, 2025). "Maker of Smash Indie Hit Balatro Talks About What's Next". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 17, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Lewis, Catherine (March 10, 2025). "After 423 hours and over 15,000 total deaths, Elden Ring player finally beats Shadow of the Erdtree without the upgrades FromSoftware urged everyone to use: 'Never give up'". GamesRadar. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  21. ^ "The Balatro Timeline". LocalThunk. Retrieved February 19, 2026. Dan Gheesling plays Balatro on his stream. This is a massive streamer for my game (and a great guy!), and it starts making my wishlist numbers spike.
  22. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin; Slater, Georgia (November 24, 2021). "'Big Brother' Alum Dan Gheesling and Wife Chelsea Welcome Third Baby, Daughter Celine: 'We Love You'". People. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  23. ^ a b Kelly, Brian (January 15, 2013). "Woman heads north to meet her Big Brother hero". The Sault Star. p. A-3. ISSN 0839-203X. ProQuest 2215840742.
  24. ^ Fernandez, Lia (October 14, 2013). "Big Brother Winner, Dan Gheesling, Speaks at UCF". KnightNews.com. University of Central Florida. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
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