As I'm sure you all know, Dan won Big Brother 10 last night by a 7-0 vote. I was rooting for him all along, but wasn't sure he could pull it off. I certainly didn't expect a unanimous vote.  But congratulations to both Memphis and Dan. Dan was absolutely delightful to speak with today. Follow along after the jump for the interview.

First off, congratulations!
For what?

Winning Big Brother!
Did I win something?  [laughs]

How do you feel?
Excellent!  I haven't slept a wink in the past 24 hours, but it's great.  I've had Bunky and Evel Dick asking me questions and all these interviews and I'm enjoying every second of it. People are coming up to me, saying they wanted me to win and it's completely overwhelming. I thought I'd have three fans: my mom, my sister and my girlfriend, but it seems like there are a few Dan Fans out there!

Why did you audition to be on Big Brother?
It goes back to season two. I was 15 or 16 at the time and I was enamored with season two. I decided when I turned 21 that I'd give it a shot. I went through the casting process a couple times and we had some missed timings but then here I am in season ten.

So you've been through casting for seasons before now?
I can't really talk about it much, but yes. I had to back out for career reasons and lucky for me I did!

It worked out okay for you.
Yes, it worked out great.

Did you actually think before the season started that you could win it all?
Yeah, definitely. I treated Big Brother like an examination. I had eight seasons to study from and so going into this house I felt really prepared. However, the second I stepped into the house I saw a physical threat in Memphis and two master manipulators in Brian and Libra and a superb athlete like Michelle and that was a big dose of reality. I still thought I could win if I played it right, though.

Would you have done anything differently in your game play?
[laughs] Ah regrets, I have a few. But then again, too few to mention.

Awesome.  [both laugh]

How do you respond to the poeple who think you were hiding behind your religion or using it as a crutch?
Do I need to thank Jerry for stirring that up? I came into the house as a Catholic school teacher and I'm leaving as a Catholic school teacher. Yes, I go to church, but I don't walk around in my every day life with a Bible in my hand, reciting verses. People in the house wanted me to be that person. Libra called me Father Dan and I tried to play that role as long as I could, but eventually I had to play the game the way it is meant to be played. I wanted to get as far as I could and knew I had to play the game that I wanted to play.

Were you surprised by the vote?
Memphis and I talked right before the vote and I felt I had Keesha and Renny's votes and that Memphis had Libra and Jerry's votes. I thought it'd be 4-3 and I'd be fighting to get two more people over on my side. It coming down unanimous was shocking. I can't remember if someone's ever won unanimously. I'm sure they have, but I can't remember any. It was very surprising.

Were you really throwing competitions early on in the game?
Yes, I definitely was. I think one of my biggest risks was throwing the HOH competition with Steven and Keesha both competing. I threw everything up until the Braveyard competition. I wanted to throw that one too but Renny made such a bad guess with the snake that it kind-of forced me to play and once you win one competition you can't go back to throwing them, so I had to play hard from there on out. I'm a competitor, I coach football, so I don't like to lose, but I tried to make it fun and make it laughable for myself.

Any other thoughts you'd like to add?
Yes, there is. I talked to my girlfriend and she was a little disturbed by my perception in the pre-show stuff, like my bio on the website. I want to clear up that I was playing this game starting in the casting process. I was saying extreme things because they weren't going to put a 5'9 150 lb Catholic school teacher in the house unless I had some extreme views. I started playing the game in the casting process because half the battle is getting in the house.

Thank you so much for talking to me today and congratulations again!
Thank you. I had a tremendous time on Big Brother.

Comments

He just rocks so much! He needs his own TV show so we can all watch him every week! He'd be an awesome talk show host! I'm so glad he won. He played the game very hard and very well and I'm glad the jury put aside personal feelings and voted for the better game player. A truly well deserved win.

Dan Fan | Sep 17, 2008 12:34:53 PM | #

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My favorite part of last night's show was when Ollie asked Dan his question and Dan told him he was an emotional player and that is why he played him the way he did. The camera then focused on Ollie and you saw no reaction! Priceless! Who knows what he was thinking, other than feeling completely dumb, and weak. Other favorite part was of course Keesha winning, i voted for her because besides Dan she deserved the half a mil! Great season! By far the best besides Dr. Will's season.

Robert | Sep 17, 2008 1:55:23 PM | #

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I loved the way you played this year. hope you and your girl get married and live happy . Memphis was good but he leaned on you alot but you under stood the game better. I thinkthe best man won

paulette | Sep 17, 2008 3:19:53 PM | #

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I think that Dan was the correct choice to win. I liked Memphis, but Dan rocked!
I am glad Dan cleared up his profile. When I read about him prior to the start, I was sure I would totally dislike him. But Dan was my fav!

Mandy | Sep 17, 2008 4:47:40 PM | #

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So who was the girl who ran up to Dan after he'd won? The look on his face was a bit shocked. Was it his girlfriend? I couldn't tell. Anyone with an answer? Anyway, good game Dan, Memphis and everyone. Rock on!

Jackee | Sep 17, 2008 6:28:19 PM | #

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this is the show where the biggest scumbag always wins!!!

I have almost finished vomitting

jasmine | Sep 17, 2008 6:46:16 PM | #

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I am thrilled Dan won! He was by far the best player and he made me laugh so much. I am going to really miss watching BB!

Jamie M | Sep 17, 2008 6:51:11 PM | #

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For me this is the best season of Big Brother to date. Im gonna miss this season, Dan made it a season to remember

David U | Sep 17, 2008 8:41:43 PM | #

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Dan, by far, has been the best player of Big Brother. He completely understood the dynamics of the game and did not take anything personally, like a lot of the other contestants this year. He took many risky moves and they payed off big!

Stacy | Sep 18, 2008 5:20:14 AM | #

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Note to Jasmine
You must be a Loud mouth Jerry fan. Stop throwing up and realize the best player won

Kellyb | Sep 18, 2008 10:23:45 AM | #

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Liked Dan very much.

Also, loved Renny.

SJU | Sep 18, 2008 9:07:00 PM | #

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We lost all power from the storms on Sunday, so I missed the final BB show. Glad to see that Dan won. Hope Renny won the fan favorite. Too bad there isn't some way I could watch the finale, but I only have dial-up. Congratulations to Dan

Jackie | Sep 19, 2008 4:18:39 AM | #

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OH DANNY BOY! THE FANS, THE
FANS ARE LOVING YOU!

Congrats to Dan. Poor Memphis
didn't get any votes from the
jury but Heck He got a car and
$50,000 not a bad job for the summer. Spend it wisely guys,
Uncle Sam always get his cut,
and don't invest it in the stock market

Beth | Sep 19, 2008 11:49:30 AM | #

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HUrricane Ike caused me to lose power for a week and the first thing I did when it went back on was to see who won. It just HAD to be Dan and I was so happy to see that it was a unanimous decision by the jury. Never has a player made it so much fun to watch.

Diane Ingram | Sep 20, 2008 9:57:41 AM | #

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Stacy,

You must not have watched much of Big Brother in the past.

Liz | Sep 20, 2008 2:56:32 PM | #

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I love that Dan won, and I'm supper happy that Memphis came in second with Keesha winning America's Choice. All three of them were my favorite house guests with Renny right on their heels; mostly because as a woman Renny's age I'm hoping she is well situated in life and that the three younger players will use their winnings in a positive way to improve their lives. Team Dan all the way.

Trish | Sep 21, 2008 2:46:24 PM | #

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Jerry called Dan a Judas. How come no one called him (jerry)out when he had to lie and be deceitful to the point that he could not wear his marine pins when he had to send someone home after he gave them his word he would not. Who is the Judas?

debbie | Sep 22, 2008 6:53:22 PM | #

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