Dick Donato
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| Big Brother contestant | |
| Richard Louis "Evel Dick" Donato | |
| Date of birth | June 24, 1963 |
|---|---|
| Resides | Los Angeles, CA |
| Season(s) | Big Brother 8 |
| Finish | Winner |
Richard Louis Donato, known as "Evel Dick" Donato (born June 24, 1963), a 44-year-old bar manager from Los Angeles, California, is the winner of the reality game show Big Brother 8. He and his daughter, Daniele Donato, are the only family member pair to win the American Big Brother program's top two prizes in the same competition. Dick holds the record as the show's oldest winner (age 44 at the time), and Daniele is the youngest person (having turned 21 during the competition) ever to win one of the American program's top two prizes.[citation needed]
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[edit] Biography
Dick was a stand-in for Keith Richards in the motion picture Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[1] Because of Dick's claims to have met, known, or even dated various celebrities, he has been accused of lying just to drop names. However, Dizzy Reed of the rock band Guns N' Roses says that Dick is not a name dropper, that people drop his name.[2] The nickname "Evel Dick" originated with an email address Dick once made up.[3]
Dick is the father of Vincent and Daniele Donato. One year older than Daniele, Vincent looked after things for Dick during Big Brother. Vincent became known to the viewing public because Dick and Daniele would talk about him and because Dick would frequently talk to his son through the cameras. Vincent appeared briefly in episodes of Big Brother 8, including the first and last episodes.
Dick is an atheist[4] although his mother Charlotte is an ordained minister.[citation needed] Charlotte also appeared in the final episode of Big Brother 8.
[edit] Big Brother 8
In 2007, Dick was one of fourteen contestants on Big Brother 8. Six of the contestants were confronted with people they had unfinished business with from their pasts. Dick's daughter Daniele, from whom he'd been estranged for two years prior to the beginning of the show,[5] was the person in the house for him. Although they were nominated against each other three times (in weeks 2, 6, and 10), they made it to the final two together. Among Dick's records is that he was the first Big Brother contestant who ever won a Power of Veto competition but used it to protect someone other than themselves from eviction,[6] that being his daughter Daniele. Daniele became the second when she used the season's final Veto to protect Dick.[7]
Dick was consistently on top of many reality website's popularity polls when viewers are asked to choose their favorite member of the House, including the main poll on the official CBS site.[8]
On Day 81, the jury cast a 5-2 vote that crowned Dick the winner of Big Brother 8 and the recipient of $500,000. In the final episode, broadcast September 18, 2007, Dick received the votes of Dustin Erikstrup, Eric Stein, Amber Siyavus, Jessica Hughbanks, and Zach Swerdzewski to win $500,000. The season's concluding episode featuring Dick Donato's win made CBS the most-watched television network that night.[9]
[edit] Controversy
Before winning the Veto, Dick had deliberately angered other contestants by disturbing their sleep, insulting them, and in the process offending some viewers while he was trying to get other HouseGuests to hate him enough to vote him out instead of Daniele. The California National Organization for Women called for Dick's removal from the house for comments he made to a female contestant.[10][11] Online petitions emerged which called for Dick's removal on grounds on inappropriate actions, although others defended him.[12] Dick was verbally abusive at times to the other HouseGuests, and taunted some of the religious beliefs of some players because of their complete contrast to their behavior in the House. To accusations of misogynistic behavior, Dick has pointed out that he tried to offend everyone regardless of gender.[13] No sooner than he won, he was inducted into the Reality TV Hall of Shame for his behavior along the way.[14] Further controversy[15] arose over the possibility that Dick had cheated when his son Vincent sent him a coded letter intended to reveal information about other contestants, a fact which Dick acknowledged.[16] Despite some outrage, executive producer Allison Grodner said that the Donatos did not actually violate any specific rules in doing so.[17][18]
[edit] After Big Brother
Dick said he plans to use a portion of the $500,000 to pay for his daughter's college education.[19] Although directly splitting prize winnings is banned by contest rules and law,[20][21] he can legally pay for his daughter's education and buy presents.[22]
On Wednesday, March 19, 2008 episode of Big Brother 9, Dick revealed that with his prize money he had taken Daniele to Europe, and bought her a red car.
He was nominated for[23] and won[24]the Golden Realitini for Favorite Reality Performer[25] in the Fox Reality Really Awards for 2007 against Len Goodman, New York, Sanjaya Malakar, Ant (comedian), and Christopher Knight & Adrianne Curry.[26] He was also nominated for Best Winner, Favorite Villain (which he also won[citation needed]), Favorite Potty Mouth, and Best Fight for his confrontation with Jen Johnson.[27] Fox Reality Channel recorded the ceremony on October 2, 2007, and aired it on October 13.[28]
In 2008, Donato co-hosted the House Calls broadcast which accompanied Big Brother 9.
[edit] References
- ^ Grodner Looks Forward to Getting 'Interactive'
- ^ http://www.realitywanted.net/2007/08/10/big-brother-8-recap-thursday-august-9th-big-brother-live-eviction-show/ Big Brother 8 Recap - Thursday August 9th Big Brother Live Eviction Show
- ^ The 'Big Brother 8' Winning Father-Daughter Team Sounds Off
- ^ Big Brother 8 Episode 812
- ^ Big Brother 8 on Reality TV World
- ^ Zimbio Big Brother 8 Spoilers
- ^ Big Brother 8: PoV Competion #11; Live Eviction #11; Final HoH
- ^ http://www.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother8/polls/results.shtml HouseGuest poll] CBS official site
- ^ "Big Brother" finale boosts CBS to most-watched status Tuesday
- ^ Media Life Magazine
- ^ [1] Pot of stew that's become 'Big Brother'
- ^ Big Brother 8: In Defense of Evel Dick
- ^ Dick: “I went after everyone. It has nothing to do with sex!”; “Jen came after me”
- ^ Brother' finalists talk about the experiencerticle=article1112.art&page=1 Winning the Game With Vile Behavior: Big Brother 8’s Dick Donato
- ^ BB8 Winning the Game With Vile Behavior: Big Brother 8’s Dick Donato
- ^ Chatting with the Donatos from "Big Brother 8"
- ^ Big Brother producer Allison Grodner says Dick’s coded letter, behavior is okay
- ^ Entertainment Weekly September 21, 2007
- ^ http://www.mortystv.com/big_brother_interviews.shtml Daniele Donato Interview
- ^ Real Chat with Nick, Dani and Dick pt 2
- ^ BB8 Big Brother's Evel Dick and Daughter Daniele Sound Off
- ^ 'Big Brother' finalists talk about the experience
- ^ Fox Reality
- ^ Big Brother Takes Top Honors at Fox Reality Channel Really Awards 2007 with Five Awards Including Audience Nominated Golden Realitini
- ^ Really Awards 2007
- ^ Announcing the Reality Remix Awards 2007
- ^ Reality Rollcall
- ^ Fox Reality Doing Second Really Awards Show
[edit] External links
- "Evel" Dick Donato on MySpace
- Vincent Donato on MySpace
- Joker's Updates
- Photo Gallery
- Dick Donato at IMDB
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