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4 Houseguests who worked in bars in Los Angeles who fared very well on Big Brother

What is it about people who work in bars or as waitresses and having success on Big Brother? We already looked at the many waitresses who excelled at this reality TV show, now let’s look at some Houseguests who worked in Los Angeles bars who also did very well on our favorite show.
ByJames Kevin Stott|
"Big Brother" Season 10 Grand Finale
"Big Brother" Season 10 Grand Finale | Frederick M. Brown/GettyImages

Throughout the 26 seasons ofBig Brother, Houseguests who have worked at or owned bars in Los Angeles have fared very well with three of them actually winning their seasons.

Who knows if the nature of working in such an environment helped these players get so far and do so well or if the fact they lived and worked in the Los Angeles metropolitan area—the site of theBig Brotherhouse—made them better Houseguests.

Whatever it was, it worked. We already looked at how well manyBig Brothercontestants who werewaitressesfared in the game, so let’s look at a bartender, a bar manager, and two bar owners who all made it to the Final 2.

Other players likeRubina Bernabe(BB26, Event bartender), Reilly Smedley (BB25, bartender), Kaitlin Barnaby (BB15, bartender), JoJo Spatafora (BB14, bartender), Annie Whittington (BB12, bartender), Jen Diturno (BB9, bartender), Amanda Craig (BB4, bartender), and Justin Sebek (BB2, bartender)—the first US playerexpelled—also were bartenders when they all made the show.


Lisa Donahue, winner Season 3

Lisa Donahue is the only bartender to have wonBig Brother, doing so onBig Brother 3when the Los Angeles resident beat runner-up Danielle Reyes in a 9-1 vote in a house with 12 players In 2002. Jason Guy was the lone vote for Danielle.

The Princess of Darkness lasted all 82 days and won two Head of Households (Weeks 4 and 10) and won Veto (Week 5). She was nominated twice for eviction (Weeks 4 and 10). Lisa was 26 when she entered the Big Brother house and is now 48. She won $500,000 for winning the season.


Mike “Boogie” Malin, winner Season 7 (All-Stars)

Mike “Boogie” Malin is the only bar owner who has ever wonBig Brother, capturingBig Brother 7: All-Starsin his second time playing the game. We were introduced toMike Boogie and Dr. Will Kirbyand their Chilltown alliance inBig Brother 2, where Dr. Will was the winner of the most entertaining season to date with Boogie being evicted on Day 33 and finishing in eighth place.

He returned again for Season 7 where Dr. Will helped him last all 72 days and win the $500,000, also taking home an additional $10,000, a plasma TV, a trip to Aruba, and a Pontiac Solstice.

Mike would return for another season of All-Stars (Big Brother 14) where he began the game as the coach of Team Boogie but entered the game where he was evicted in tenth place on Day 48. Boogie won an additional $16,000 in his last season. He was 30 when he first played Big Brother and is now 54.


Evel Dick Donato, winner Season 8

One of the best, funniest, and most controversial players onBig Brotherwas “Evel Dick” Donato, who won Season 8 ($500,000) with his daughter Daniele finishing as the runner-up ($50,000). When he finally made the cut and entered the house at age 44, he was a bar manager in Los Angeles.

ED has playedBig Brothertwo times (BB13: All-Stars) and never been evicted and isthe oldest US player to ever winBig Brother. He has one of, if not the bestBig Brotherpodcast-streams with his tri-weekly (when the show is on)Dick At Nite.

Dick, now 61, finally got sick of the silliness of living in the state of Florida and moved to Ireland this summer with his cats. The last season ofBig Brotherthat Evel Dick really liked wasBig Brother Greece 404 B.C.when Plato beat teacher Socrates by a 7-2 vote.


Memphis Garrett, runner-up, Season 10

Robert “Memphis” Garrett was a 25-year-old mixologist in Los Angeles when he entered the house inBig Brother 10, and he and Dan Gheesling formed The Renegades alliance and cruised through the house with Dan winning by aunanimousvote and Memphis becoming the first Final 2 member to ever get 0 Jury votes. He did win $50,000 though as runner-up and a mint condition 1969 Chevrolet Camaro.

Memphis eventually became a bar owner and returned to play onBig Brother 22and lasted 72 days where he finished in fifth place. He also married anotherBig Brotheralum, Christmas Abbott, but the two are now divorced.

Memphis is now 41 and a restaurateur—the CEO of Garrett Hospitality Group—and started a fitness kick living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has a 9-year-old son named River whom he shares time with his ex-wife Ashley Zuppas.

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