When it comes to legends of the game of Big Brother, there is no denying that Danielle Reyes is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. In fact, her loss in the third season of the show forever altered the course of the game for the better and made it possible for the many legends who followed in her footsteps to make it to the end and win the game.
Back in season 3, Danielle played a masterful game as she was unafraid to make big moves to further herself in the game, no matter the cost. Not only was her gameplay flawless, but she delivered some of the most iconic Diary Room confessionals in the history of the game, which helped to make her a fan favorite among the viewers watching at home. The only problem was that the viewers weren’t the only ones watching Danielle’s DR sessions.
In Big Brother 3, housemates who made it to the jury were not sequestered and had the chance to watch the show unfold after their elimination from the game. This led to a bitter jury, with Danielle’s fellow houseguests labeling her a villain and refusing to vote for her to win the game, leading to Lisa Donahue taking the $500,000 grand prize despite Danielle being the most deserving player in the Final 2.
After the ordeal, CBS changed the format for Big Brother and began sequestering the jury members so that they could only base their decisions on their personal relationships in the game and the gameplay they were aware of. Eliminated jury members began getting highlight reels to watch with previously eliminated jurors to bring them up to speed on the events of the week, but players no longer have the ability to watch DR sessions.
Danielle literally changed the game of Big Brother for the better and is one of the best to play the game; however, in the eyes of Alan Cumming, her legend status did not transfer over to The Traitors. In fact, he’s gone as far as to call her the worst traitor in the history of the show.
“I thought she was great TV, but it was like … it was like someone had thrown a puppy into the turret, and then thrown in some treats, and she was like, ‘Rargh!’” Alan told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “Yeah, she was nuts. So, I don’t think she was a very good, you know, in terms of like, uh, the sort of structure and what you’re trying to do and sort of the motives.”
Harsh, Alan!
Yes, it’s true that Danielle played a bit of a sloppy game and wasn’t as strategic in the game of The Traitors, but to call her the worst traitor to play the game? That seems to be taking it a bit too far, especially when you consider she made it further than her fellow original traitors in the game.
Sure, she was a bit too over-the-top and dramatic at times, and yes, going after fellow traitors late in the game proved to be her downfall. However, let’s not forget that it was Boston Rob who sent the traitors’ game into a freefall when he quickly turned on Bob the Drag Queen way too early in the game. This ultimately led not only to Bob the Drag Queen’s banishment, but also Boston Rob’s elimination. It also sent Caroline and Danielle into a spiral that eventually led to the demise of their respective games.
We’d definitely would not put Danielle’s face on the Mount Rushmore of all-time greatest traitors, but we’re not sure we’d call her the worst to play the game.