When did Dan Gheesling and Janelle Pierzina play ‘Big Brother’ together and what happened?

This article contains spoilers for the first five episodes of The Traitors US season 2.

The Big Brother community was hit with a brick of nostalgia during the second season of The Traitors US when Dan Gheesling and Janelle Pierzina graced our television screens as part of the show’s cast. The former Big Brother housemates started the game as a strong duo, but by episode 5, Janelle had sniffed Dan out as a Traitor.

The two duked it out during the third banishment ceremony of the season. And although it was Janelle who mounted an offense against Dan, it was the latter who was once again left standing after the dust cleared. Janelle was sent packing as a Faithful while Dan continued his murderous streak.

But, for those who don’t know their history, he’s a brief breakdown of their past.

Dan and Janelle are two legends of the reality competition series. Before Big Brother 14 aired, both stars had played in different iterations of CBS’s flagship series. Janelle placed third in both seasons 6 and 7 while Dan won season 10.

Along with fellow veteran houseguests Britney Haynes and Mike Boogie, Dan and Janelle joined season 14’s roster in 2012. The four fan favorites filled the role as coaches for 12 rookie contestants until they entered the game as regular players in week 3.

Unfortunately for Janelle, her game ended a week later at the hands of Dan’s alliance. Janelle had already cemented herself as a legendary player by the time she played Big Brother 14, and Dan and the rest of the housemates knew that. Further, Janelle had chosen not to play ball with the rest of the ex-coaches, which was the nail in her coffin.

After Dan’s key alliance member Danielle won both the Head of Household and Power of Veto in week 4, Janelle was backdoored. She made it clear she was prioritizing saving the players she coached earlier in the game instead of working with the three other veterans. Because of that, Dan teamed up with a crop of other contestants and eliminated the Veto queen.

Dan and Janelle’s relationship on Big Brother wasn’t volatile, unlike Janelle and Boogie’s.

But, things got spicy between them during The Traitors. It was clear from the get-go that Janelle intended to work with Dan. But, Dan’s decision to remain quiet and reserved sketched her and others out.

Regardless, Janelle’s aggressive strategy became her downfall. She had incorrectly marked other Faithfuls as Traitors before, and she led strong campaigns against them, which helped usher in their demise. So, Janelle caught nine votes during episode 5’s round table while Dan was hit with five.

But, unlike Big Brother 14 when Dan made it to the end, it looks like he’s likely following her out of the Scottish Highlands castle sooner rather than later.