The Traitors Season 2 is set to premiere on Peacock in the new year, and this cast features some star-studded reality legends. They include Real Housewives stars Phaedra Parks and Shereé Whitfield, as well as Challenge icons Johnny Bananas and CT Tamburello. Also joining the mix are a handful of Survivor and Big Brother giants, including Dan Gheesling and Janelle Pierzina. They’ve both played BB more than once and in Season 14, they played together. Janelle’s latest run at the pot of gold was Season 22 — All-Stars. Since then, neither has returned to the series, so what made them want to play another similar game?
“I have three young kids, and Big Brother is very taxing,” Dan told Parade in an interview before entering the house. “It’s like 90 days. I don’t really have any interest in being away from my kids, and you can never call home. There’s a lot of wellness things at Peacock. I’m going to have a phone call home with my kids tomorrow, which in other games, you don’t get. So it really was the right show at the right time, and I’m just really excited to be here.”
Regarding Janelle, she said it was simple. “I mean, to play a game and to come to Scotland and play it in a castle. I couldn’t say no to that.” So, how do these two plan to move forward in this game that promises more twists and turns than before?
Janelle and Dan spill all … kind of
Since this interview with Parade occurred before the game started and in front of the rest of the cast, know that some of Janelle and Dan’s answers could’ve been strategic fluff. They are pros, after all.
Not only has Janelle played BB four times, but she’s also played Snake In The Grass and The Amazing Race. When asked how the similarities in the games would help, she took the spotlight off her and placed it on everybody else. “There’s people here that are here just to play the game. They don’t care about the money. Those are gamers. Just because we come from Big Brother or Survivor doesn’t mean that we have a leg up,” she said.
Dan, on the other hand, expressed different thoughts. “I feel kind of the opposite. On Big Brother, and this is all due respect, we have to like throw a ball in a hole. I knew the competitions were gonna be big. It’s been over a decade since I’ve been on Big Brother. Do I still got it? Or maybe I never had it.”
When the conversation switched to strategy, Janelle and Dan danced around the question. “It’s such a good cast,” Janelle said, “I’m a huge Housewives fan. I watch all of them, so I know everything about them. I mean Phaedra, she’s an OG and a queen. Shereé. It’s like how many memes in the world has she made. I mean, I’m from Big Brother, which isn’t as big of a show. These are some heavy, heavy hitters.”
The question on everybody’s mind, though, is whether Janelle and Dan would target each other in The Traitor’s castle since Dan sent Janelle home during BB14. “Dan and I were like not ever together. Like I won’t be like I’m dying to work with Dan or upset that something happened in the game where he took me out. I’m not gonna bring that into this game,” Janelle said.
We’ll have to tune into the new season to see if these two Big Brother players still have the dog in them. Based on their answers, I don’t think BB fans should be too worried. Oh, and before we go. As the cast exited the interview room, Dan hung back a little. Before he left, he told Parade, “You think I’d tell you my strategy?” HA. Get real.
The Traitors Season 2 will be available to stream on Peacock from January 12, 2024.
TELL US – WHO ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO SEE ON THE TRAITORS SEASON 2? WHAT DO YOU THINK JANELLE AND DAN PLAYING TOGETHER?
