Anybody want cake? When the 10th season of Big Brother premiered in the summer of 2008 viewers were given reality TV gold — and one of the greatest players of all time.
Inside the house, 13 competitors battled against one another for the $500,000 prize. Dan Gheesling, who has been hailed as one of the best players the game has seen, went on to win the competition series that year. The Michigan native was the first winner to achieve a perfect game, where he received zero eviction votes against them and earned the win by a unanimous jury vote.
“Man I was hoping to get four votes … maybe. But 7-0, wow, what a phenomenal feeling,” the season 10 champion said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in September 2008. “I thought Keesha [Smith] and Renny [Martyn] were solid but the others were up in the air. I thought Jerry [MacDonald] and Libra [Thompson] would vote for Memphis [Garrett] and April [Dowling], [Bryan] Ollie and Michelle [Costa] would decide the game. I think this is a first in Big Brother history.”
The Catholic school teacher started off on the outs in the house, throwing competitions early on in the game to lower his threat level. By doing so, he remained off the radar of his competitors in the early part of the game. Later in the season, Dan went on to win two Veto and three Head of Households (HOH) competitions, including the final HOH.
In the fourth week of the show, however, the audience voted for the former football coach to be America’s Player. He was tasked with voting out Jessie Godderz. Dan completed the mission by convincing Keesha, Libra and Renny to vote out the professional bodybuilder over Memphis. The Michigan State University alum accomplished the task and earned a prize of $20,000 when he cast the deciding vote to blindside the Iowa native.
In that same week, Dan also teamed up with Memphis to form an alliance they dubbed “The Renegades.” The pair enlisted the help of Keesha, Libra and Renny, noting them as their “affiliates.” With the help of the women, the two men ended up taking control of the game and made it to the final two.
Along with Dan’s strategic prowess, the 10th season of the reality show included many dramatic moments. Before Jessie’s shocking eviction, the professional wrestler got into an argument with Keesha and Libra. The historic fight, known as “Keesha’s Birthday” led to a screaming match that got almost the whole house involved. The drama ended with the houseguests singing Keesha “Happy Birthday” in an unenthused manner and after a moment of silence Libra spoke up asking, “Anybody want cake?”
In the aftermath of Jessie’s exit from the game, Jerry called out Dan for using religion in his strategy and stated: “You would always be Judas in my house.”
Keep scrolling to see what the cast of Big Brother 10 are up to now:
Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock
‘Big Brother’ Season 10 Houseguests: Where Are They Now? Dan Gheesling, Memphis Garrett, Keesha Smith and More
Anybody want cake? When the 10th season of Big Brother premiered in the summer of 2008 viewers were given reality TV gold — and one of the greatest players of all time.
Inside the house, 13 competitors battled against one another for the $500,000 prize. Dan Gheesling, who has been hailed as one of the best players the game has seen, went on to win the competition series that year. The Michigan native was the first winner to achieve a perfect game, where he received zero eviction votes against them and earned the win by a unanimous jury vote.
“Man I was hoping to get four votes … maybe. But 7-0, wow, what a phenomenal feeling,” the season 10 champion said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in September 2008. “I thought Keesha [Smith] and Renny [Martyn] were solid but the others were up in the air. I thought Jerry [MacDonald] and Libra [Thompson] would vote for Memphis [Garrett] and April [Dowling], [Bryan] Ollie and Michelle [Costa] would decide the game. I think this is a first in Big Brother history.”
The Catholic school teacher started off on the outs in the house, throwing competitions early on in the game to lower his threat level. By doing so, he remained off the radar of his competitors in the early part of the game. Later in the season, Dan went on to win two Veto and three Head of Households (HOH) competitions, including the final HOH.
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In the fourth week of the show, however, the audience voted for the former football coach to be America’s Player. He was tasked with voting out Jessie Godderz. Dan completed the mission by convincing Keesha, Libra and Renny to vote out the professional bodybuilder over Memphis. The Michigan State University alum accomplished the task and earned a prize of $20,000 when he cast the deciding vote to blindside the Iowa native.
In that same week, Dan also teamed up with Memphis to form an alliance they dubbed “The Renegades.” The pair enlisted the help of Keesha, Libra and Renny, noting them as their “affiliates.” With the help of the women, the two men ended up taking control of the game and made it to the final two.
Along with Dan’s strategic prowess, the 10th season of the reality show included many dramatic moments. Before Jessie’s shocking eviction, the professional wrestler got into an argument with Keesha and Libra. The historic fight, known as “Keesha’s Birthday” led to a screaming match that got almost the whole house involved. The drama ended with the houseguests singing Keesha “Happy Birthday” in an unenthused manner and after a moment of silence Libra spoke up asking, “Anybody want cake?”
In the aftermath of Jessie’s exit from the game, Jerry called out Dan for using religion in his strategy and stated: “You would always be Judas in my house.”
Keep scrolling to see what the cast of Big Brother 10 are up to now:
Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock ; Courtesy of Dan Gheesling/Instagram
Dan Gheesling
After winning the season, Dan went on to compete in the 14th season of the CBS series where he was the runner-up. The former winner was asked to compete in the show’s second all-stars season in 2020 but ultimately declined. Now, the TV personality has gaming channels on YouTube and Twitch. He married Chelsea Niemiec in July 2011, and they share three children: Desmond, born in 2016, Miles, born in 2018, and Celine, born in 2021.
Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock ; Courtesy of Robert Memphis Garrett/Instagram
Robert “Memphis” Garrett
The season 10 runner-up returned to the Big Brother house for season 22 for the all-stars season in 2020, where he came in fifth place. The Garrett Hospitality Group founder ended up finding love in the house that year with Christmas Abbott. He proposed to the fitness personality in 2021 and the couple tied the knot in May 2022. Memphis is the father of son River whom he shares with ex-wife Ashley Garrett.
Credit: Youtube
Jerry McDonald
The retired marketing executive made history as one of the oldest contestants to compete in the Big Brother house at the age of 75. While the third-place finisher is not on social media, he appears to be alive. For the 10-year anniversary of this season in 2018, Dan caught up with Jerry and the rest of the cast on his YouTube channel.
Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock Courtesy of Keesha Smith/Instagram
Keesha Smith
After winning America’s Favorite Player, the California native returned to the series to compete in the 22nd season of Big Brother for their second all-stars competition. She was the first voted out. Keesha also has two children.
Credit: Youtube ; Courtesy of Lorenza “Renny” Martyn /Instagram
Lorenza “Renny” Martyn
Renny is married and shares two children with her husband. In February 2021, the hair salon owner suffered from a heart attack and made a recovery.
Credit: Youtube ; Courtesy of Bryan Ollie/Instagram
Bryan Ollie
The Minnesota native had a showmance with fellow castmate April but the pair split after the show. The Ollie Athletic Training founder married Ashley Ollie in April 2019 and the pair share a daughter.
Credit: Youtube ; Courtesy of Michelle Costa/Instagram
Michelle Costa
After the show, the real estate broker went on to host “The Rad Reality Show” online radio show where she interviews contestants from different reality TV series, including, Big Brother, Survivor, The Amazing Race and Mob Wives.
Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock
April Dowling
The Arizona native shares two children Easton and Wyatt with her husband Ryan Cruise.
Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock Courtesy of Libra Thompson/Instagram
Libra Thompson
The former human resources representative is married with two children. In 2020, she went on to launch a jewelry business called Pretty Posh Jewels.
Credit: Youtube ; Courtesy of Jessie Godderz/Instagram
Jessie Godderz
Jessie, also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, went on to compete on the CBS series again in season 11. After the Big Brother house, he pursued a career in wrestling and acting. The Iowa native became a one-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time OVW Television Champion and a seven-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion for Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Credit: Youtube
Angie Swindell
The Florida native keeps her social media private however it appears she is married since she now goes by Angie Davis.
Credit: Youtube
Steven Daigle
In 2010, the former rodeo competitor was arrested for misdemeanor battery after allegedly battering ex-boyfriend Trent Locke. After the show, Steven became most well-known for his work in the porn industry.
Credit: Youtube (2)
Brian Hart
The first evictee was invited back to play again in Big Brother 11 in 2009 for the Brains clique. However, the team lost the challenge and he was sent home.
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