Reality television documents real-life drama and experiences for the screen.
67% of the top 100 prime-time telecasts for viewers between the ages of 12 and 34 are reality shows, according to Worldmetrics.org
Most shows have a narrative where one star is presented as a villain.
Megan Watts is a multimedia journalist for the Herald covering lifestyle and entertainment.
OPINION
Everybody loves a good villain - especially when settling in for a night of gossip, betrayal and real-life drama on the screen. But what is it about their brooding, scheming and ability to start a fuss that is so engrossing? These are some of the villains we love to hate, and why we can’t get enough of them.
The world is made up of two types of people: those who love reality TV shows and those who don’t (but still find themselves standing in front of the telly when it’s on). And while the format presents many reasons for fans to watch on a regular basis, a lot of its appeal comes down to the vibrant characters that take to the screen, especially those presented as baddies.
A reality show is only as good as its designated villain, and there are many great antagonists on air. We love to hate them and hate to love them and they never fail to keep sparks flying even when the fire is dying out on screen.
But reality shows, while boasting the promise of real-life drama, aren’t always what they seem. Many past participants have shed light on the sometimes-scripted reality behind the cameras, being positioned as a show’s villain, and how this characterisation impacts them post-filming.
Olivia Frazer reflected on her “villain edit” on MAFS, saying: “They made me look like a criminal on the biggest show in Australia,” while Kiwi Bachelor Jordan Mauger says the stigma from the show still follows him around like a “bad smell.” Selling Sunset’s Christina Quinn revealed: “I received so many threats against my own life. People think this is real, but reality is just an illusion.”
From brutal talent show judges to seasoned bachelors, here are eight of our favourite reality show villains and why they never fail to make for great TV.
Reality star Harry Jowsey. Photo / Instagram
Harry Jowsey: Heartbreak Island, Too Hot To Handle, Perfect Match, Dancing With The Stars
Name any reality dating show and chances are Harry Jowsey has probably been on it. The Kiwi star first appeared on New Zealand’s Heartbreak Island in 2018 and has since starred in Too Hot To Handle, Perfect Match and Dancing With The Stars - all of which have seen him presented in the role of the villain.
In 2020′s Too Hot To Handle,Jowsey lied about kissing co-star Francesca Farago, which saw her receive a lot of heat from her fellow contestants. In a similar kissing scandal, Harry lied to his partner Jessica Vestal about kissing contestant Melinda Berry in 2024′s Perfect Match. Only when the tapes were rolled back at the end of the season did the truth come out.
Jowsey was further embroiled in controversy after appearing on Dancing With The Stars. The reality star was rumoured to be having a relationship with his then 18-year-old dance partner Rylee Arnold when he confessed on his podcast Boyfriend Material to having a secret relationship with someone else while filming the series. Arnold and Jowsey promptly unfollowed each other after his confession, reports the Sun, sparking rumours that the pair were in fact romantically involved and more serious than Jowsey let on.
Nothing says villainous like a trail of broken hearts, and no one leaves quite a trace like Jowsey.
Since leaving the show, Frazer revealed to 2Day’s Hughesy, Ed & Erin radio showthat she had lost her job as a “direct result of this show” and said she’s “more hated than Vladimir Putin”.
The MAFS bride later alleged she received a “villain edit” - where the show’s producers manipulate how the show’s contestants come across in order to frame them in a bad light and create drama. She told ABC at the time: “They made me look like a criminal on the biggest show in Australia. And I didn’t sign up to be framed as a criminal.”
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Gordon Ramsay: Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares
Chef Gordon Ramsay is not only a TV villain but he has embraced his bad-tempered side and made it his brand.
With 81 restaurants and eight Michelin stars to his name, the “bad boy” chef definitely has a knack for good food, but would he be where he is without his bad temper?
Notorious for starting fires in the kitchen - and not the physical type - the TV chef has let his fiery personality dominate in cooking shows such as Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares and has become synonymous with hilariously mean critiques.
Some of his most viral outbursts include when he asked one of the chefs: “Why did the chicken cross the road? Because you didn’t f***ing cook it!” He also told one contestant: “My gran could do better! And she’s dead!”
TV Personality Abby Lee Miller at Nickelodeon's 2017 Kids' Choice Awards at USC Galen Center on March 11, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Photo / Wire Image
Abby Lee Miller: Dance Moms
Passionate dance teacher Abby Lee Miller was renowned for turning her dance students into stars on the hit show Dance Moms. However, audiences questioned her methods and painted her with the villain brush for her treatment of the kids.
Known for insulting and shouting at her students, Miller put a lot of pressure on the dancers she taught, which has left a bad taste in some girls’ mouths. Former golden girl on the show, Maddie Ziegler, described the show as “toxic” in an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2022 and in 2018, she told Us Weekly that she and Miller “don’t keep in contact”.
Miller told ABC News’ Juju Change that she had a few regrets about her reactions on the show, but showed no remorse for the impact of her behaviour. “No matter how harsh I was on the kid, they weren’t gonna get it,” the reality TV personality explained. “They just didn’t have the talent.”
Simon Cowell at America's Got Talent's season 18 finale. Photo / Getty Images
Simon Cowell: Pop Idol, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent, X-Factor
Known for his blunt commentary and brutal criticism, Simon Cowell has made a name for himself as Mr Nasty on various talent shows across the globe. But while his condemnations often send a collective shiver down the spines of those watching at home, it makes for great TV, hence his 22 years in the spotlight.
“You look a little odd, your dancing is terrible, the singing was horrendous, and you look like one of those creatures that live in the jungle with the massive eyes,” he told one contestant, with no remorse.
Joey Essex: The Only Way Is Essex, Splash!, I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Educating Joey Essex, The Jump, Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Ex On The Beach, Dancing On Ice, Love Island
Reality TV regular Joey Essex has enjoyed 13 years on the silver screen since appearing on The Only Way Is Essex, but his most recent role in Love Island UK’s11th season saw him branded as the villain.
From “egging” on the boys to “crack on” with the Casa Amor bombshells to causing arguments with his ex-girlfriend Grace Jackson, fans were quick to pinpoint Essex as the pot-stirrer of the season.
But since exiting the Villa, Essex has revealed that he knew he had to be the “pantomime villain” in the series but had no regrets from his time on the dating show. Speaking to This Morning, he said: “Everyone is encouraged to pot stir, the difference with me is that I don’t hesitate, I just do what I need to do and I know what the producers want.
Essex later told the Sun: “I mean, I need a medic right now because my back is killing me because I carried that show so hard...”
Tom Sandoval on Watch What Happens Live. Photo / Getty Images
Tom Sandoval: Vanderpump Rules
Never was a reality show so shaken than when the truth of Tom Sandoval’s infidelity.
Vanderpump Rules is a reality show that follows Lisa Vanderpump and the staff at her restaurants and bars in West Hollywood, who all have big dreams of making it on the screen. Sandoval, who is the owner of TomTom, created so much drama in season 10 that the show was nominated for an Emmy and he was soon branded as “the most hated man in America”, reports the New York Times.
Sandoval, who had been dating Vanderpump Rules co-star Ariana Madix for nearly 10 years, made headlines when it was revealed he had been cheating on her with another star on the show, Raquel Leviss, for what is suspected to have been several months. News of the scandal, dubbed “scandoval”, as well as two revenge-porn lawsuits filed by Leviss against Madix and Sandoval, nearly saw the end of the series, which went on hiatus after season 11 aired.
Screenrant branded Sandoval as “easily the most villainous cast member of Vanderpump Rulesto date”, blaming his sense of entitlement, lack of remorse and cheating ways for his spiral as the series’ baddie. “Tom is the true villain of Vanderpump Rules,” the publication claimed.
While the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player Tristan Thompson isn’t a regular on the show, he is regularly mentioned thanks to his multiple cheating scandals.
The athlete formerly dated the brood’s third-eldest daughter Khloe Kardashian and shares two kids with her, True, 6, and Tatum, 2. However, after multiple headlining cheating incidents, the pair have separated and are co-parenting amicably.
Recently, Thompson has appeared in a number of episodes of hit reality show The Kardashians, but these days the only interactions that make the screen are his sweet play dates with his kids and the rejections from his former partner. Reflecting on their relationship, Khloe said on the show: “There’s still boundaries, I’m definitely putting my foot down around a lot of things.”
Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn is not in the dark when it comes to her villain reputation. In fact, she intentionally put on a show for viewers to become one of the most iconic characters.
The blunt and hilarious Quinn - known for her heated season one fights with Chrishell Stause - revealed to Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she played into her role as the villain. However, it was just that. a role.
“I’m a character. Yes, I’m myself, I’m outspoken, I say what I want, but at the end of the day, it’s a show,” she told Cooper. “People need to realise that.”
But fans’ misconception of her villain facade saw her receive a “flood of hate”. She said: “I received so many threats against my own life. People think this is real, but reality is just an illusion.”
After five seasons on the show, her bad edit seemed to get the better of her, after being fired from The Oppenheim Group for bribing a client, which she claims is untrue.
Jordan Mauger with Fleur Verhoeven.
Jordan Mauger: The Bachelor NZ, The Bachelor Winter Games
Kiwi bachelor Jordan Mauger brought some drama to local reality TV after his stint on The Bachelor NZ.
Mauger made headlines in 2016 when he chose and paired up with Fleur Verhoevan in the show’s final, just to dump her soon after she was announced the winner. The reality star later revealed that he didn’t feel a connection with anyone and “flipped a coin” to choose a match, reports The Spinoff.
“I knew it was very likely it wouldn’t work out with anybody,” Mauger said on The Real Pod, “but if you sign up to something, you see it through.”
“Now that I’ve distanced myself from The Bachelor NZ, people are starting to realise who I really am. It’s taken two years, but hopefully I can get back into that space where the old Jordan can be influential and start doing some good. "
Megan Watts is a lifestyle multimedia journalist for the Herald whose passions include pop culture deep dives, backstage band chats and doing things for the plot.
