Top 10 Moments a Reality Contestant Became the Villain

From the jump, Bravolebrity Kate Chastain wasn’t gonna play anyone else’s reindeer games. She was there to deliver great TV. She told us herself she believed in directness and honesty. While she started the game as a straight shooter, it wasn’t until her name was brought up as a potential traitor in episode 3 that Chastain really committed herself to the role of villain. That’s when she decided to unleash all hell. From then on, she dedicated herself to making everyone else miserable. Amazingly, she stayed several more episodes to entertain us and keep her competitors on their toes.

There were a lot of red flags about Shake even before he and his fianceé, Deepti, saw each other for the first time. His preoccupation with his partner’s weight didn’t exactly square with the show’s mission to forge relationships based less on looks and more on emotional connection. But when he told a fellow cast member his bride-to-be wasn’t his physical type, likening being with her to being with his aunt, we ran out of sympathy. His treatment of her throughout the season left a bad taste in viewers’ mouths. Deepti eventually ran out of patience, and dumped him at the altar to the cheers of millions of Netflix viewers.

There was no love lost between self-proclaimed undiscovered supermodel Jade Cole and her competitors. She was full of so much self-confidence that no amount of criticism, or even genuinely helpful advice, could dull her shine. But Cole cemented her place as the season’s villain when she barged in on fellow contestant Wendy Wiltz and demanded to use the phone. This seemed particularly insensitive, as Wiltz was literally getting updates about her family’s home, which had sustained damage during Hurricane Katrina. Cole’s ensuing tirade became an instant classic, and popularized one of the show’s most iconic quotes.

The long-running talent show launched several careers. Season 7 saw the formation of supergroup One Direction. It also saw the rise and fall of Ablisa. These two British teenagers, Abbey Johnstone and Lisa Parker, took the stage and provided a truly memorable talent show audition. Their talent, though perhaps questionable, was severely outweighed by their attitudes. From the moment Lisa told the audience to shut up, it was a wrap. And that was before they even started singing. When Abbey slugged her mouthy friend, it cemented their status as a viral sensation. Strangely, the duo did not make it to the live shows.

Eventual runner-up Marcel Vigneron got under his fellow chefs’ skin on the second season of “Top Chef.” His showy and flamboyant way of cooking annoyed his fellow contestants. The conflict came to a boiling point late in the season, when the other contestants got drunk and Cliff Crooks forcibly held Vigneron down and tried to shave his head against his will. Although Crooks would be disqualified, several other contestants egged him on. The moment made everyone involved look terrible, and it cast a cloud over the end of the season, which saw Vigneron take second place to bystander Ilan Hall, who videotaped the incident.

Tensions ran high during the fifth leg of this globetrotting adventure series. Married couple Jonathan Baker and Victoria Fuller bickered the entire time. No matter how well they were doing, the vibes between them were always bad. The bickering took on a disturbing tone here, though. Baker, furious at his wife for picking up the bag he dropped and thereby letting another team pull ahead, berates her as she cries. He then pushes her down as they run to the finish line. Baker’s treatment of his wife made headlines. If anyone was rooting for him before then, they definitely stopped after this episode.

Some reality contestants hide their villainy at the start of the game. But the best ones don’t think they’re villains, so they just show up on ten from day one. That was Omarosa Manigault Newman. On season one of “The Apprentice,” she and fellow contestant Ereka Vetrini got into a sudden argument. Ereka’s comment about the pot calling the kettle black saw Omarosa accusing her of racism. Omarosa’s increasingly contentious relationship with her castmates was widely reported. Whether you love her or love to hate her, Omarosa made it clear who she was from the off.

Gameplay on this MTV spin-off can get dirty. That’s the name of the game. For all his spats and bad blood with rival Sarah Rice, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio almost threatened to turn over a new leaf when the two were paired together for “The Challenge: Rivals III.” After they won the season together, Johnny Bananas was given the opportunity to take all the money for himself. He earned villain status forever when he selfishly, and shamelessly, took the entire prize pot for himself. While he’d always been arrogant and brazen, this felt like the first time “Challenge” fans truly saw how ruthless he was willing to be.

Jaremi Carey, formerly known as drag queen Phi Phi O’Hara, was never one to hold back. After Sharon Needles threw her under the bus on the runway, the gloves came off. Likening the eventual winner’s drag to something you’d find at a cheap costume store, Carey unleashed a series of insults that became part of “Drag Race” hall of fame. For the rest of season 4, she found herself constantly at odds with her fellow contestants, who chalked her rudeness up to her immaturity. Carey has been vocal about the threats and mistreatment he received after appearing on “Drag Race.” He has since retired the Phi Phi persona.

Surprisingly, Tiffany “New York” Pollard laid low in the premiere of “Flavor of Love.” It wasn’t until the start of episode two that she gave us our first taste of that New York hospitality. Coming down to breakfast, she made a show of telling her fellow contestants good morning. Everyone got a good morning from her except Rain. The kicker is New York didn’t really have a problem with Rain. She just did it to rattle her. Considering the two ended up in a screaming match by the end of the episode, it’s clear that mission was a success. It was just a rehearsal for all the mind games and quotable insults to come.

Who’s your favorite reality villain? Let us know in the comments.