Big Brother 8 Review

This Season of Big Brother was the best one yet.  Due for the most part to Dick Donato.

Dick appeared to have split America straight down the middle...You either loved him or hated him.  For my part I loved Dick Donato.  Yes, Dick was rude, crude and tattooed.  He had the whole aging bad boy rocker  thing down pat.  And if that had been all there was to Dick then he would have bored me to tears before the first week was over.  But Dick Donato had a heart and his goal to improve his relationship with his daughter Daniele was very emotional and heart-warming.  Time and time again Dick would deliberately anger the other houseguests in order to take the focus off his daughter.  Everyone hated Dick so much in the game that Daniele was given the opportunity to advance.

Don't misunderstand me, Daniele was the best player in the game at the physical challenges, and everytime either Dick or Daniele was on the block they came through in the clutch by wnning either the veto or head of household.  But it was Dick who kept all the other houseguests on their toes.  Dick was brutal in his assesments of the others characters...brutally honest.  In a game where lying is the stepping stone to winning Dick did not mask his emotions or thoughts with deception. 

I liken this season of Big Brother and Dick Donato to the Man of La Mancha tilting at windmills.  Everyone else was playing for the $500.000 but Dick was playing for something so much more precious...the love and respect of his daughter.  In the beginning Daniele said she had not spoke to her father in several years and actually was brought to tears when she realized that her dad was going to be a houseguest.  Dick showed Daniele his complete loyalty and tried to show her that he was willing to do anything for her.  I do not think that Dick would have ever placed more importance on winning the money at the expense of his growing relationship to Daniele. 

As we all know, Dick Donato did win the $500,000 prize as well as the respect and love of his daughter.  For me, the emotional highlight of the entire season was during the last head of household challenge.  It was a brutal one...for over 7 hrs. Dick stood on a little pedestal with one arm holding on to a key over his head while freezing water was poured over his head.  Dick did not win this challenge....as a 47 yrs. old man who chain smokes this physical aspects of the game beat him and Zach won the first part of the 3 part challenge. But when Daniele looked at her dad and said "I love you and I am proud of you."  I am not ashamed to admit that I cried...as did Dick Donato.  and when he finally stepped down off that pedestal and Daniele Came over to her father and put a blanket around his shoulders and gave him a hug and a kiss that was the moment that I knew that whatever the outcome of the game...Dick Donato had just won something far more important that $500,000.

Cheers to you, Dick Donato.  The best player of Big Brother ever.  I hope you have a wonderful life and that someday soon you and Daniele will be back on tv.  I, for one, will be watching!