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Daniele "Dani" Briones (née Donato) is the runner-up of Big Brother 8 (US). She later competed on Big Brother 13 (US) and Big Brother 22 (US).

Daniele first competed on Big Brother 8, alongside her estranged father Dick Donato, as a part of the rivals twist. While managing a tumultuous yet beneficial relationship with Dick throughout the season, she was able to win several competitions (2 HoH's and 5 PoV's), which helped her and Dick to eliminate their enemies and reach the finale night. She came in 2nd place as she lost to Dick, while receiving 2 votes to win.

Daniele also returned for Big Brother 13, where she was partnered with Dick once more. After Dick left the game, Daniele was given a Golden Key, allowing her to stay safe until the final ten. Initially entering the house as a part of the Veterans Alliance, she eventually defected from this alliance to team up with newbies Porsche Briggs and Kalia Booker. She also had a season-long feud with Big Brother 12 (US) houseguest and eventual winner Rachel Reilly. Deemed as a massive threat by her former allies, she was nominated by Jeff Schroeder evicted during the first half of the first Double Eviction by a vote of 3 to 2 placing 8th and becoming the second member of the Jury.

In Big Brother 22, Daniele was a key member of the dominant The Committee alliance and formed close relationships with fellow alliance members Nicole Franzel and Cody Calafiore. She also maintained a friendship with outsider Da'Vonne Rogers. After becoming the HoH in week 6, she targeted ally Tyler Crispen for throwing her under the bus the previous week after the disruptor power David Alexander from removed himself from the block. However, feeling anxious about her last appearance, Daniele decided to play it safe and patch things up with Tyler and nominated her former ally Ian Terry as the new target, This proved to be a fatal mistake as two weeks later during the triple eviction, she became the first victim when the Committee had to turn on themselves, as she was nominated by Tyler in the third round of the Triple Eviction against her ally Nicole. When her and Nicole failed to win the veto, Dani called out Tyler and Christmas for having a final 2 during plea speeches. Despite this, she was evicted unanimously over Nicole in a 4 to 0 vote. She had a dislike towards David Alexander, found quarrels with Kevin Campbell and a short-lived rivalry with Kaysar Ridha, but was one of a few people to tolerate Janelle Pierzina. She placed 7th and was the 5th member of the jury.

Daniele is often considered one of the best physical competitors in the history of the show. Across all her three seasons, she won a total of 5 HoH's and 5 PoV's, which is the third most competitions wins among multi seasons.


Biography[]

Retrieved from CBS

Daniele Donato was born on August 20, 1986. She is the daughter of Dick Donato and Michelle Donato and has a brother named Vincent. Daniele was raised by her grandparents, though had a relationship with both her mother and father. Daniele began working as a waitress while living in Huntington Beach, California. She was a finalist to appear on Big Brother 6 (US) along with her father, though neither were selected to compete.

Retrieved from CBS
Name: Daniele Donato
Age: 24

Previous "Big Brother" season: "Big Brother" 8

Retrieved from CBS
Age: 33
Hometown: Orange County, California
Current city: Orange County, California
Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Previous seasons: Big Brother 8 (runner-up) and Big Brother 13. Dani married her fellow Houseguest from Season 13, Dominic Briones.
Three adjectives that describe you: Practical, tenacious, and witty.
Favorite activities: I love doing anything with my daughter, working out, cooking, spending time with my husband and watching Real Housewives.
Why do you want to play Big Brother again?
I want to bring back the old-school Big Brother gameplay... also want to finally get my W!
What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house?
I will have a hard time being away from my baby girl, Tennessee Autumn.
Which past Big Brother cast member did you like most and why?
I respected the game play of Diane from BB5 and I like Eric from BB8 as a person, outside of the game.
What is your strategy for winning the game?
I plan to lay low for the first half and then turn the house upside down.
How does this strategy differ from the last time you played?
Last time I played too hard, too fast… oops!
Have you changed/evolved since the last time you were on the show?
Yes! Every time I play, I feel like a different person. I am older and hopefully wiser.
My life's motto is…
"I don't think I know everything, but I want to learn everything"
What would you take into the house and why?
-My daughter
-My cat
-Books
Fun facts about yourself:
-I have a hairless cat named Rudy Galindo.
-I was raised by my grandmother.
-I've road tripped through almost every state with my husband, and one day we will hit them all.
-I am a big St. Louis Cardinals fan.

-My daughter and I share the same birthday.
[1]

Big Brother (US)[]

'Big Brother 8 (US)'[]

Daniele joined *Big Brother 8* in 2007, alongside her father, Dick. On Day 7, the House competed for the Power of Veto. Kail Harbick, as HoH, and Amber Siyavus and Carol Journey, as the nominees, automatically got to play. During the random draw, Kail drew "Houseguest Choice" and selected Daniele, Carol drew Nick's name, and Amber drew Jameka's. The competition, titled "Hide and Seek Veto," required players to hide a veto box inside the Big Brother house within one minute. After hiding all six veto boxes, players had a time limit to find another player's veto box. The player whose veto box remained unfound would win the Power of Veto. Daniele found Kail's veto box, making her the winner of the first Power of Veto competition. Meanwhile, Jen was beginning to annoy her fellow houseguests, leading to confrontations with Dick and Nick. Despite Daniele considering using the Veto to backdoor Jen, she chose to leave the nominations intact on Day 9.

On Day 14, Jen nominated Daniele and Dick for eviction, considering them the most negative people in the house. On Day 15, the houseguests competed for the Power of Veto. Amber, Mike, and Joe were drawn to play for the power. The competition, titled "Cutthroat Christmas," involved sliding a curling stone down an icy path towards a red line. The least accurate slider in each round was eliminated and had to choose a present from under a giant Christmas tree. The last player standing won the pick of the prizes. Daniele won the Power of Veto, Amber won a chance to be handcuffed to another houseguest, Dick won a plasma TV, Mike won a date with another houseguest, Jen won a red unitard, and Joe won a slop pass. On Day 17, Daniele used the Veto on herself, and Jen nominated Joe in her place.

On Day 34, the houseguests competed in the Endurance Head of Household competition, "Times Up," where they hung upside down on rocking pendulums. Players were eliminated if they fell off their pendulum or if their torso was raised above the bar. Daniele won the title of HoH after nearly two hours. On Day 35, Kail and Jen were nominated together for the third week in a row. Daniele informed Kail that she was merely a pawn and had a backdoor plan in mind. Daniele suspected Eric of casting the second vote against Kail, which was attributed to her best friend Nick. During the Veto Competition draw, Daniele picked Jameka, Jen picked Dustin, and Kail picked Zach. The competition, "The Numbers Don't Lie," required players to bid how many hours they would endure a difficult task. The player with the lowest bid was eliminated, while those in the middle avoided the task. Jen won the Power of Veto after agreeing to wear a bunny suit for 120 hours. Daniele, Kail, and Zach had to endure dumping smelly substances on themselves 24 times per hour, and Daniele, Jameka, Kail, and Zach had to eat slop for 720 hours. Jameka and Kail also forfeited their right to compete in the next five HoH competitions but failed to win the Veto. On Day 38, Jen used the Power of Veto on herself, and Daniele nominated Eric, as planned. Despite the Donatos' wishes, their former allies turned against them, and on Day 41, Kail was evicted by a close vote of 4 to 3, with votes from Jen, Dick, and Zach.

On Day 42, Dick and Daniele were nominated for eviction. During the Veto competition, "Shot for Shot," players drank concoctions to secure shots in a croquet game. The player with the most points in the game won the Power of Veto. Dick beat Dustin by one point and won the Power of Veto. On Day 45, he used the Veto to save Daniele.

On Day 48, Daniele won the "Strange Visitors" HoH Competition, where houseguests were visited by odd characters, including the Mad Hatter. Contestants answered true-or-false questions about the visitors. Daniele and Dick made a final four deal with showmance partners Eric and Jessica, forming the "Little Julie Chens" alliance. On Day 49, Daniele nominated Amber and Jameka for eviction. In the "Slop Pong" food competition, the house split into red and blue teams. The red team, consisting of Dick, Eric, Jessica, and Zach, won food for the week by beating the blue team, which included Amber, Daniele, Jameka, and Jen. Daniele was not put on slop as HoH. On Day 50, Daniele and Amber won a special prize during the Power of Veto competition, a chance to compete on the new reality game show *Power of 10*. Daniele won the Golden Power of Veto. On Day 52, she changed her nominations, removing Amber and nominating Jen instead. Jen was penalized for breaking the slop restriction, receiving a penalty eviction vote. She also had a controversial altercation with Dick, where she was burned by one of his cigarettes. On Day 55, Jen was evicted unanimously by a vote of 6-0.

On Day 64, former houseguest Janelle hosted the Veto competition "The Janelle-O-Vision," where players spun on a pink chair and identified mixed face swirls of houseguests. Daniele won her fourth Power of Veto of the season with seven correct swirls. On Day 66, she chose to keep the nominations intact.

After Zach won HOH, he and Jameka aimed to evict either Dick or Daniele. On Day 70, the father-daughter duo was nominated for the third time. On Day 71, during the final Power of Veto competition, "Big Brother Decoder," the final four houseguests matched clues to houseguests' faces and corresponding numbers. Daniele was the first to solve the puzzle and won her fifth Power of Veto, tying with Janelle for the most Veto wins in a single season. On Day 74, Daniele used the Power of Veto on her father instead of herself, making it the second time this season, and the third in *Big Brother* history, that a nominee won the Golden Power of Veto and left themselves on the block. Dick cast the sole vote against Jameka, leading to her eviction.

Dick won the final HoH competition and immediately evicted Zach, making Dick and Daniele the Final Two.

On Day 77, the Final Two houseguests participated in a three-hour session where jury members, connected via satellite from the jury house, questioned them about the game. On Day 81, during the live season finale, Dick won the game with a vote of 5 to 2, with Daniele receiving votes only from Jen and Jameka.

Big Brother 13 (US)[]

In 2011, Daniele and her father, Dick, were asked to appear on Big Brother 13, where they and other notable duos from past Big Brother seasons returned to play doubles with eight new houseguests for a chance to win the grand prize of $500,000.

Before the duos were announced, Daniele hosted a show on Superpass with Big Brother 12 contestant Ragan Fox called Rumor Control. People could call in and ask questions about the new season of Big Brother. The callers were unaware that Daniele was in sequester when she was hosting the second episode of Rumor Control. Her best friend Annie Whittington, also from Big Brother 12, took over for Dani on Rumor Control for the last episode when Dani was actually in the BB House.

On Day 6 of Big Brother 13, Dick had to leave the show for personal reasons, leaving Daniele without a partner and with a Golden Key. Shortly after, Daniele turned on her own alliance of veterans from past seasons and formed a new alliance with Kalia Booker and Porsche Briggs. Shortly after Dominic's eviction, the houseguests were informed that the Golden Key twist was over, and all houseguests except for Rachel competed in the next Head of Household competition, Big Brother Slalom. The houseguests had to hold on to a wall while standing on ‘skis,’ which moved from side to side while having snow blowing on them at random times. The first five eliminated houseguests had to choose a numbered snowball, four of which contained a punishment while one contained a prize. Lawon, Brendon, and Jordan picked the snowballs that contained Have-Not tickets; Adam was required to wear an elf suit for a week; and Jeff won $10,000. On Day 28, Daniele nominated Brendon and Rachel for eviction, and the next day, Brendon won his third Power of Veto competition, Time's Up. The six players had to complete mini-tasks based on previous competitions in as short a time as possible. Brendon chose to save Rachel from eviction. On Day 31, Daniele chose Jordan as the replacement nominee. Brendon was evicted from the house on Day 34 with Rachel and Porsche as the only two votes to evict Jordan.

Daniele won her second Head of Household competition, Count on America. Shelly and Adam were nominated for eviction the next day by Daniele. Daniele and Jeff threw the Power of Veto competition to Adam, Big Brother Cornhole, on Day 43, which saved Adam from eviction on Day 46. During the competition, houseguests competing won a variety of prizes, including a Caribbean vacation for Kalia, $5,000 for Jeff, a Veto ticket for Daniele ensuring her a spot in next week's Veto competition, 24-hour solitary confinement for Shelly with the privilege of receiving a phone call from home, and a "humilitard" to be worn by Jordan for a week. Daniele then nominated Brendon for eviction alongside Shelly. After a 5-1 vote in Shelly's favor, Brendon was once again evicted from the house, becoming the first Jury member.

However, after Jeff won Power of Veto, he removed Porsche from the block and replaced her with Daniele, completing his plan to "backdoor" Daniele. On Day 55, Daniele was evicted on a 3-2 vote, becoming the second Jury member.

Player History - Big Brother 8 (US)[]

Competition History[]

Week 1 HOH Loss
Food Loss
POV Win
Week 2 HOH Loss
Food Loss
POV Win
Week 3 HOH Loss
Food Win
POV Not Picked
Week 4 HOH Loss
Food Win
POV Loss
Week 5 HOH Win
POV Loss
Week 6 HOH Previous HOH
Food Loss
POV Loss
Week 7 HOH Win
Food Loss
POV Win
Week 8 HOH Previous HOH
Luxury Win
POV Loss
Week 9 HOH Loss
POV Win
HOH Loss
POV Loss
Week 10 HOH Loss
POV Win
Week 11 HOH Part 1 Loss
HOH Part 2 Loss
HOH Part 3 Unable to Play

Food History[]

Week 1 Slop
Week 2 Slop
Week 3 Food
Week 4 Food
Week 5 Food
Week 6 Slop
Week 7 Food
Week 8 Food Competition Phase Over
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11

Voting History[]

Week Position Voted for With Majority?
1 POV Holder Carol Journey Yes
2 Used POV on Self Joe Barber Yes
3 – Mike Dutz Yes
4 – Nick Starcevic Yes
5 HOH – –
6 Vetoed Dustin Erikstrup Yes
7 HOH/POV – –
8 – Amber Siyavus Yes
9 POV Holder Jessica Hughbanks Yes
– Eric Stein Yes
10 Nominated/POV – –
11 Nominated – –
Finale Runner-Up – –

HOH History[]

Original Nominees Post-Veto Nominees Intended Target
Week 5
Kail Harbick
 Evicted
Kail
Week 7
Jen Johnson
 Evicted
Jen

Player History - Big Brother 13 (US)[]

Competition History[]

Week 1 HOH Loss
Have/Have-Not Have
Co-POV Golden Key
Week 2 HOH Golden Key
Have/Have-Not Golden Key
POV Golden Key
Week 3 HOH Golden Key
Luxury Loss
POV Golden Key
Week 4 HOH Win
POV Loss
Week 5 HOH Previous HOH
Have/Have-Not Have
POV Not Picked
Week 6 HOH Win
POV Loss
Week 7 HOH Previous HOH
POV Loss

Have/Have-Not History[]

Week 1 Have
Week 2 Have
Week 3 Have
Week 4 Have
Week 5 Have
Week 6 Have
Week 7 Have-Not

Voting History[]

Week Position Voted for With Majority?
1 Golden Key Holder Keith Henderson Yes
2 Cassi Colvin Yes
3 Adam Poch No
4 HOH – –
5 – Lawon Exum Yes
6 HOH – –
7 Post-POV Nominee – –
Finale Jury Member Porsche Briggs No

HOH History[]

Original Nominees Post-Veto Nominees Intended Target
Week 4
Brendon Villegas
 Evicted
Brendon
Week 6
Brendon Villegas
 Evicted
Brendon

Player History - Big Brother 22 (US)[]

Competition History[]

Week 1 HOH Part 1 Loss
HOH Part 2 Ineligible
Safety Suite Sat Out
POV Not Picked
Week 2 HOH Loss
Safety Suite Sat Out
POV Not Picked
Week 3 HOH Loss
Safety Suite Loss
POV Not Picked
Week 4 HOH Loss
POV Not Picked
Week 5 HOH Loss
BB Basement Win
POV Loss
Week 6 HOH Win
POV Loss
Week 7 HOH Previous HOH
POV Loss
Week 8 HOH Loss
POV Not Picked
HOH Loss
POV Loss
HOH Loss
POV Loss

Have/Have-Not History[]

Week 1 Have
Week 2 Have
Week 3 Have
Week 4 Have-Not
Week 5 Never-Not
Week 6 Never-Not
Week 7 Never-Not
Week 8 Never-Not

Voting History[]

Week Position Voted for With Majority?
1 – Keesha Smith Yes
2 – Nicole Anthony Yes
3 – Kaysar Ridha No
4 – Kaysar Ridha Yes
5 – Bayleigh Dayton Yes
6 HOH – –
7 – Kevin Campbell No
8 – Kevin Campbell Yes
– David Alexander Yes
Nominated – –
Finale Jury Member Cody Calafiore Yes

HOH History[]

Original Nominees Post-Disruptor Nominees Post-Veto Nominees Intended Target
Week 6
Ian Terry
 Evicted
Ian
THEN THEN

Post-Big Brother[]

  • Following her appearance on Big Brother 8, Daniele appeared on the companion series House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show until its cancellation in 2010. She also appeared on the television series Reality Wanted as herself.
  • Daniele briefly dated fellow houseguest Nick Starcevic outside of the house, though the two eventually broke up.
  • Daniele and her father briefly appeared on Big Brother 9, however, they had stopped talking by 2009.
  • Daniele married fellow Big Brother 13 (US) houseguest Dominic Briones on January 19, 2013.[2]
  • Dominic and Daniele announced that Daniele was pregnant on Valentine's Day, 2018.[3]
    • Their daughter, Tennessee Autumn Briones, was born on August 20, 2018, the same day as Daniele's birthday.[4]
  • Daniele returned for Big Brother 20 (US) along with Derrick Levasseur, Paul Abrahamian, Josh Martinez, and Britney Haynes to celebrate Nicole Franzel and Victor Arroyo's engagement. Dominic was there as well, but since they brought Tennessee, he had to stay with her and did not enter the house (besides the Diary Room), and thus did not appear on the episode.[5][6][7]
  • Daniele viewed the private livestream for Eric Stein's wedding on June 12, 2021.[8]
  • On September 26, 2021, Daniele and Dominic announced they were expecting a second child.
    • She gave birth to their second daughter, Lux, on November 19, 2021.[9]

Trivia[]

Reflist[]

Big Brother 8 (US) Houseguests
BB8 Dick
BB8 Danielle
Daniele
BB8 Zach
BB8 Jameka
BB8 Eric
BB8 Jessica
BB8 Amber
BB8 Jen
BB8 Dustin
BB8 Kail
BB8 Nick
BB8 Mike
BB8 Joe
BB8 Carol
Winner
Runner-Up
Evicted
Jury
Big Brother 13 (US) Houseguests
Rachel13 Small
Porsche13 Small
Adam13 Small
Jordan13 Small
Kalia13 Small
Shelley13 Small
Jeff13 Small
Daniele13 Small
Daniele
Brendon13 Small
Lawon13 Small
Dominic13 Small
Cassi13 Small
Keith13 Small
Dick13 Small
Winner
Runner-Up
Jury
Evicted
Walked
Big Brother 22 (US) Houseguests
BB22 Small Cody
BB22 Small Enzo
BB22 Small Nicole F
BB22 Small Christmas
BB22 Small Memphis
BB22 Small Tyler
BB22 Small Dani
Dani
BB22 Small David
BB22 Small Kevin
BB22 Small Da'Vonne
BB22 Small Ian
BB22 Small Bayleigh
BB22 Small Kaysar
BB22 Small Janelle
BB22 Small Nicole A
BB22 Small Keesha
Winner
Runner-Up
Jury
Evicted
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