Entertainment

19 Reality TV Stars Everyone Loves to Hate

EntertainmentPublished Sep 26, 2016
By Celia San Miguel
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Rivalries, love triangles, cat fights, back-stabbing, name-calling, and full-on brawls — reality TV thrives on chaos. Often those at the very center of the drama emerge as the most recognizable names of their respective series. In some cases, playing the villain has allowed these reality TV stars to earn spin-off series, launch clothing lines, and land endorsement deals — all because of how amusing or entertaining viewers found their bad behavior. 

In other cases, their antics became so unforgivable they essentially lost whatever fans they'd gained. Whatever their fate, these reality TV stars will forever be synonymous with scandal, treachery, and rancor. From The Apprentice's Omarosa to The Real World's Puck, check out some of reality TV's most notorious and unforgettable villains.

Image via Saleem Elatab-AhmadElatab/Splash

1/19
Tila Tequila — 'A Shot of Love With Tila Tequila'-placeholder
Tila Tequila — 'A Shot of Love With Tila Tequila'
Richie Buxo / Splash News

Tila Tequila — 'A Shot of Love With Tila Tequila'

Back in 2006, Tila Tequila was the most popular person on MySpace, with more than 1.5 million friends. Social media made her a star — in 2007, she starred in her own VH1 show, A Shot of Love With Tila Tequila — and it later facilitated her downfall. In 2015, producers ejected her from Celebrity Big Brother 16 after learning of a 2013 Facebook post in which Tila Tequila praised Adolf Hitler. Since then, she's continued her anti-Semitic Twitter rants, expressed her desire to "hunt down illegal immigrants," and claimed she's controlling Donald Trump's mind.

2/19

Peter Gunz — 'Love & Hip-Hop New York'

What kind of man juggles two women and gets them both pregnant in the process? That would be Peter Gunz of Love & Hip-Hop New York. In season four, viewers were introduced to Peter; his longtime lady, Tara, the mother of three of his sons; and his mistress, singer Amina Buddafly. As the season went on, Tara learned that Peter had secretly married Amina and left him in the dust. Amina, in turn, revealed she was pregnant. As time passed, Peter continued lying to both women about his standing with the other one. By the end of the season, both Tara and Amina were pregnant. Talk about double trouble!

3/19
Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt-placeholder
Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt
Saleem Elatab-AhmadElatab/Splash

Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt

Once Lauren Conrad's BFF on MTV's The Hills, Heidi Montag was quick to betray her bestie the moment she linked up with Spencer Pratt (the two wed in April 2009). The couple, who became known as "Speidi," spread rumors that Conrad had made a sex tape with her then-boyfriend Jason. After years of denials, Spencer Pratt finally admitted he'd started the sex tape rumors. "Lauren is a cold-hearted killer," he said in Complex magazine's October 2015 issue. "She will cut you in your sleep. She tried to destroy us. If you want to throw missiles, I'm throwing a nuke. This is how I operate."

4/19
Omarosa Manigault — 'The Apprentice'-placeholder
Omarosa Manigault — 'The Apprentice'
Derek Storm / Splash News

Omarosa Manigault — 'The Apprentice'

Sure, Donald Trump had the name recognition to make The Apprentice a success, but it was the combative conduct of season one contestant Omarosa Manigault that proved to be ratings gold. She bickered with her teammates, making it difficult for the group to finish any tasks, and manipulated boardroom meetings so as to shift the blame to others. As one of her teammates said, "With Omarosa, it's either her way or its no way." By the time she returned for The Celebrity Apprentice, Omarosa was a household name, but her villain persona had been well-established.

More fromCafeMom: 13 Reality Shows You Won't Believe Aired on TV

5/19

Evel Dick Donato — 'Big Brother 8'

He quickly gained enemies in the Big Brother 8house with his confrontational nature, brash language, and thinly veiled attempts at intimidation (including T-shirts with phrases like, "I'm mean because you're stupid"). Viewers, meanwhile, were shocked by how he treated costar Jen, blowing cigarette smoke in her face while she ate, pouring iced tea over her head, and throwing her clothes out of the house. Despite the controversy, Evel Dick Donato went on to be crowned the winner.

6/19

David "Puck" Rainer — 'Real World: San Francisco'

The world first met the hygiene-challenged Puck in 1994's Real World: San Francisco. The bike messenger's bizarre conduct involved taking photos of his scabs and scrapes, then holding onto them as keepsakes; picking his nose right before scooping peanut butter from the jar; and generally refusing to shower. Hygiene aside, Puck attacked his roommate Pedro Zamora, the show's first HIV-positive, openly gay contestant. Puck hurled homophobic slurs at Pedro and mocked his Cuban accent, which eventually led to him being evicted. Since the show, Puck has been in and out of jail for stalking and domestic violence.

7/19

Lacey Sculls — 'Rock of Love'

Most reality competition shows have at least one troublemaker. In season 1 of VH1's Rock of Love, that title belonged to Lacey. The redhead was allegedly so passionate about animal rights that she picked an argument with castmate and unrepentant fur lover Dallas in hopes of having the latter turn the confrontation into a physical altercation, thereby guaranteeing her swift removal from the competition. She manipulated and back-stabbed all of her opponents, including her alleged BFF Heather, causing even Brett Michaels to dub her "a little malicious."

8/19
Janice Dickinson — 'America's Next Top Model'-placeholder
Janice Dickinson — 'America's Next Top Model'
Parisa/Splash News

Janice Dickinson — 'America's Next Top Model'

As a judge on the first four seasons of America's Next Top Model, Janice Dickinson delivered some of the harshest critiques to wide-eyed contestants, often chipping away at their self-esteem through fat-shaming comments and declarations that they were "too short" or "too shy" to excel in the competitive modeling industry. After ANTM, Janice Dickinson continued making the rounds on reality TV, eventually landing on The Surreal Life, where she regularly clashed with roommate Omarosa. During a publicity shoot for the series, Dickinson even wielded a knife near Omarosa as "a joke," thereby escalating their feud.

More from CafeMom: 19 People Who Have Been on More Than One Reality Show

9/19

Richard Hatch – 'Survivor'

The first-ever Survivor winner, Richard Hatch quickly adopted a ruthless approach to the game, back-stabbing alleged allies without a second thought, walking around completely naked simply to make his opponents uncomfortable, and displaying unbridled arrogance. He arguably set the tone for the wilderness survival show, which can be summarized with his own take-no-prisoners statement: "It's not about games, and it's not about morals — it's a game." After famously being convicted for not paying taxes on his $1 million win, Richard Hatch served time in jail.

10/19
Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino-placeholder
Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino
Mejia / Asadorian / Splash News

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino

For the first two seasons Jersey Shore, The Situation was an audience favorite — he even coined the term "GTL" (gym, tan, laundry)! But by season four, The Situation started morphing into a villain as he spread rumors about allegedly hooking up with Snooki before their season in Italy began taping, a claim she fervently denied. The Sitch hung the alleged incident over Snooki's head, threatening to tell her boyfriend Jionni, which he eventually did, effectively ending his friendship with Snooki.

More from CafeMom: 15 Celebrity Couples Who Were Doomed by Reality TV

11/19

Johnny Bananas — 'The Challenge'

On the Rivals 3 season of MTV's The Challen**ge, veteran player Johnny Bananas emerged victorious, but his win didn't come without controversy. Alongside his "rival" Sarah, Bananas made it all the way to the finale. Then, host TJ announced a twist: One teammate would earn the right to split the $275,000 prize with his/her teammate or keep all the money. Bananas chose the latter, and Sarah left empty-handed.

12/19

Joseline Hernandez — 'Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta'

From Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta's debut episode, stripper-turned-singer Joseline Hernandez was positioned as Stevie J's unapologetic side chick. Joseline knew the hit-maker had a 2-year-old daughter with Mimi, his girlfriend of 15 years, but she did not hesitate to aid and abet in his infidelity. In a be-careful-what-you-wish-for twist, she did eventually wind up with Stevie, but their relationship quickly soured. He even got an order of protection against her! Now pregnant, Joseline says she's carrying Stevie's child, a claim he has publicly questioned.

More from CafeMom: 20 Reality TV Stars Who Went From Nobody to 'Really Big Deal'

13/19
Jonathan Baker — 'The Amazing Race'-placeholder
Jonathan Baker — 'The Amazing Race'
Hulu/CBS

Jonathan Baker — 'The Amazing Race'

Perhaps no husband-and-wife team on The Amazing Race has seemed as dysfunctional as season six's Jonathan and Victoria. In one particular episode, the spouses rushed to the pit stop in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and, when Victoria was unable to run any faster (she was carrying both of their backpacks!), they lost first place. Furious, Jonathan shoved his wife, who almost tumbled over. When they checked in with Phil, the host looked at the wailing Victoria and told Jonathan, "I think you need to talk to your wife." Jonathan did, but only to continue his rant, screaming, "This is a race! This isn't about compassion!" What a guy, right?

14/19
Justin Sebik — 'Big Brother'-placeholder
Justin Sebik — 'Big Brother'
CBS

Justin Sebik — 'Big Brother'

It's surprising that sharp objects are still allowed in the Big Brother house after Justin Sebik's insane behavior on season 2 of the show. In between a make-out session with contestant Krista Stegall, Justin picked up a knife and said, "Wait, hang on, I'm going to slash your throat," then, holding the blade to her throat, asked, "Would you get mad if I killed you?" Producers quickly ejected him from the show, but the incident made national headlines and led to questions about whether CBS had conducted thorough background checks — especially when news outlets uncovered the Bayonne, New Jersey, native had been arrested on assault and theft charges in the past.

15/19

Ashley Klarich — 'Rock of Love Bus'

Ashley was the leader of the "Blondtourage," the Rock of Love Bus equivalent of a Mean Girls clique. She always seemed more interested in drinking and partying than making a love connection. When her baby daddy, James, showed up for an episode during which ex-boyfriends were interrogated, she was quick to flutter her eyelids, admitting, "I hadn't seen my ex in a while, but when I saw him, I was like, 'Damn, you look good, baby!'" In the end, it was clear her heart was still with her ex, and she'd been playing Brett like a fiddle.

16/19
Tiffany "New York" Pollard-placeholder
Tiffany "New York" Pollard
Entertainment Press

Tiffany "New York" Pollard

The self-proclaimed "HBIC" of the Flavor of Love house, New York Pollard loved stirring up trouble, taunting her fellow contestants, and bragging about her good looks and her intuitive "third eye." By the second episode, she was already cooking up chaos. "I wanted to see if I was powerful enough to twist her mind," she said of an argument she provoked with Rain. As the season progresses, she alienated all the other ladies in the house but still managed to emerge as the runner-up. When she returned for season 2 of the show, New York was more vicious than ever, and yet her evil antics were so hilarious, we couldn't help but laugh. She may not have won Flav's heart, but she did earn several spin-offs shows on VHI: I Love New YorkNew York Goes To Work, and New York Goes to Hollywood. HBIC indeed!

More from CafeMom: 9 'Bachelor' Alums Who Became Even More Famous After The Show

17/19

Colton Cumbie - 'Survivor One World'

Contestant Colton Cumbie quickly gained infamy for his vindictive and childish actions, as well as his prejudiced comments about fellow contestants — including referring to Leif Manson, a little person, as an "Oompa Loompa" and "Munchkin." In one episode, the snooty, sheltered, openly gay Republican from Alabama got into a heated argument with African-American contestant Bill Posely, calling him "ghetto trash." When others later asked why he disliked Bill, Colton claimed his feelings weren't motivated by bigotry but by the fact that Bill was an "obnoxious" and "loud" stand-up comic who needed "to get a real job."

18/19

Stevie J — 'Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta'

He once produced hit records but from the moment Stevie J appeared on Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta, all he produced was heartache. He cheated on his long-time girlfriend, Mimi, with his so-called protégé, Joseline Hernandez, and once Mimi voiced her suspicions, Stevie vehemently denied he was having an affair. He even agreed to go to couples' counseling with Mimi to "save" his relationship, but he had the audacity to invite Joseline along to the session, which came as a complete surprise to Mimi. When Joseline realized Stevie was still trying to juggle both of them, she smacked him upside the head. Mimi watched in amusement. The drama between these three only continued from there.

19/19
Jade Cole — 'America's Next Top Model'-placeholder
Jade Cole — 'America's Next Top Model'
Janet Mayer / Splash News

Jade Cole — 'America's Next Top Model'

In cycle six of this fan favorite, contestant Jade Cole strutted into the competition like she'd already won the whole thing. Her arrogance, however, was clear from the first moment she met the judges and said, "People think I'm a bitch when they first meet me because I'm pretty, I have this beautiful body, but when they get to know me, I'm so cool." Rolling your eyes yet? It only got worse from there as she regularly made statements like, "I feel like I am the undiscovered supermodel."

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