‘Big Brother’ Villain Dick Donato’s Net Worth
Among the long list of Big Brother villains, Dick Donato remains one of the most memorable. The season 8 champ, who bested his hard-to-root for daughter Dani for the top prize, made waves with his attacks on other houseguests. Still, it paid off for him as he took home $500,000 for winning his Big Brother season. Where does Donato’s net worth sit now? Let’s check in on the former Big Brother cast member and find out.
Dick Donato frequently used offensive behavior on ‘Big Brother’ Season 8
Dick Donato’s Big Brother Season 8 victory didn’t come without some controversy.
The California-based bar owner mocked Dustin Erikstrup’s sexual orientation, poured tea on Jen Johnson, and burned her with a lit cigarette later in the season. He and his daughter, Dani, teamed up in the game and were the final two players left standing. Despite his behavior, five of the seven jurors felt the California native played the best game and awarded Dick the win over Dani. Dani and Dick Donato returned for Big Brother Season 13, though Dick left less than a week into the competition.
Donato found the spotlight again years later when Paul Abrahamian called him out for using racial slurs. Donato denied it, but his season 8 behavior certainly didn’t help his case.
He was a memorable player, and his win helped boost Donato’s net worth.
‘Big Brother’ villain Dick Donato’s net worth
Donato remains one of the most memorable houseguests Big Brother has ever seen. A few former champs have ruled out an all-winners season of the show, but Donato does not appear to be one of them. A return for a third appearance could see him boost his celebrity once again, though Donato’s irritating and coarse behavior might be hard to stomach for fellow players and viewers.
Donato parlayed his season 8 win into a role in the small-budget indie movie GPS in 2010, and he built a podcasting career after his victory (according to his website).
Donato’s Big Brother win, coupled with his business and entertainment ventures, help give him an estimated $300,000 net worth, per Celebrity Net Worth. He used his winning to buy Dani a car and help pay for her college education, per TV Guide.
His win helped Donato revive his relationship with his daughter
Working together to win season 8 helped the Donatos build a strong relationship after reportedly being estranged from one another for years.
During a joint interview following their win, Dick said working together helped rebuild his relationship with Dani, reported TV Guide.
“It’s off in a positive direction. We’ve taken care of a lot of the surface things of trying to get along. I think we really need [to] work on communication, just working out some deep-rooted issues and resolving those, so we can get on with more of a normal father-daughter relationship, which I’m really, really excited about.”
Dani echoed those sentiments, saying teaming up on the show was the magnet that drew them together.
“We didn’t really have a choice: It forced us to come together. The first night, I told him I don’t know what’s going to happen with our personal lives, but if you have my back, I’ll have yours. We had to put things aside and work together. The best times we had in the house with each other were all three times that we were up on the block together. Even though it was stressful, working together, getting along, and just showing these people what we’re made of was fun.”
Dick Donato boosted his net worth and rekindled his relationship with his daughter with his Big Brother Season 8 victory. That’s a win-win.
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