Dan Gheesling and Janelle Pierzina Confirm They've Got Each Other's Backs in 'The Traitors' (EXCLUSIVE)

Allison DeGrushe - Author
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Jan. 11 2024, Published 11:38 a.m. ET

Dan and Janelle's official cast photos for 'Big Brother 14.'
Source: CBS

If you're drafting the ultimate Big Brother Hall of Fame, the first two inductees absolutely have to be Dan Gheesling and Janelle Pierzina. These strategic masterminds not only wowed us with their gameplay but also effortlessly stole our hearts — unlike some "legends" who left us unimpressed.

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Remember the shocker in Big Brother 14? Everyone was buzzing about a Janelle and Dan alliance, but plot twist! Dan pulled off a sneaky move, leaving us all too stunned to speak. Now, with Season 2 of The Traitors around the corner, will this dynamic duo patch things up and join forces?

Ahead of the premiere, Distractify sat down with Dan and Janelle to dig into their Big Brother history and explore the possibility of these fan favorites finally teaming up on The Traitors.

Dan and Janelle during Season 2 of 'The Traitors.'
Source: Peacock
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What happened between Dan and Janelle on 'Big Brother'?

Janelle made her Big Brother debut in 2005, becoming a fan favorite on Season 6 and finishing in the top three. She returned the following summer for All-Stars, setting a record for most competition wins and again placing third.

When she came back for Big Brother 14, her long-time rival Mike "Boogie" Malin — along with Season 10 winner Dan Gheesling — sent her packing at the first opportunity. Janelle faced a similar fate in the second All-Stars season.

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Dan's shift in stance on the notion of backdooring Janelle stemmed from her steadfast refusal to vote out one of her original teammates. Following the fourth Power of Veto competition, Boogie proposes using it to execute a backdoor plan against the Queen of Big Brother.

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Later on, Dan makes Janelle an offer: If Frank gets vetoed, then Joe goes up. But Janelle's hesitance signals the end of the possibility of all four coaches working together. With no other option, Dan reluctantly accepts Boogie's offer, and the "Silent Six" alliance conspires to backdoor Janelle. On Day 34, Janelle was evicted by an 8 to 1 vote.

Dan and Janelle have each other's backs in Season 2 of 'The Traitors.'

Given his role in Janelle's eviction, fans wonder if Dan should be on the lookout for a countermove in Season 2 of The Traitors. Fortunately, it looks like he's off the hook, as Janelle exclusively revealed to Distractify that she was eager to join forces with her fellow Big Brother legend.

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Dan and Janelle during Season 2 of 'The Traitors.'
Source: Peacock

"I absolutely planned to work with Dan. When I saw him, I was like, 'If I get selected as a traitor — hopefully I do — I'm gonna work with Dan. And if he's a traitor, I'll definitely work with him.' My strategy was to work with him," she told us, emphasizing that she had stood up for him multiple times in the game.

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Dan chimed in, saying, "When I got out of the Jeep, and I saw Janelle, it was kind of one of those things where it's like, I looked at her, and I'm like, 'You know I got your back. Regardless of the situation, I got your back.' My only concern was that I didn't want to spend a lot of time around Janelle, because [it would've put] an even bigger target on us."

"But the game happens so fast, that you still need to find like little windows of time to check in with each other. But for me, when I saw Janelle, it's like 100 percent, like, we're good. You can't really say that, but I just knew I wanted to work with her all the way to the end of the game, for sure," he added.

New episodes of The Traitors drop every Thursday at 9 p.m. EST on Peacock.

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