Greatest Reality TV Personalities of All Time: Comic Relief

While we can’t honestly classify most of it as “real,” we admit that we’ve been hopelessly hooked on reality TV for, oh, about a decade and a half now. In honor of the 15th anniversary of Survivor (the show that kick-started the reality TV revolution premiered on May 31, 2000), we’re celebrating our favorite reality TV personalities in eight categories… and letting you pick the winners. Be sure to vote in the poll below — and if we left out your favorite, feel free to submit a write-in vote in the comments. Today’s category: Comic Relief.

John Cochran, Survivor (Seasons 23, 26)

Why He Makes the Cut: Possibly the nerdiest of all the “students of the game,” Cochran came to the South Pacific season as a pasty, weak underdog who was underestimated by everyone. His sharp tongue and quick wit made him eminently watchable. He came back in Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites… as a favorite! And he basically became that season’s highly entertaining narrator.

Best Moment: Anytime Cochran cut down one of his fellow castaways, like when he compared Julia Landauer on Caramoan to vanilla, except even blander:

— Kelly Woo

Bethenny Frankel, Real Housewives of New York City (Seasons 1-3, 7)

Why She Makes the Cut: Welcome back, Bethenny; RHONY just wasn’t the same without your witty quips. We love Bethenny because she seems to recognize how ridiculous this entire reality TV enterprise is and makes the kind of catty comments we make from our couches while watching it. Like when she sniped about fellow cast member Kelly Bensimon’s alleged stint at Columbia University: “Did you go to Colombia, the country? I just wanna make sure, cause there’s no effin’ way that broad went to college at all.”

Best Moment: We have to go back… to Scary Island. The high-water mark for RHONY lunacy, this ill-fated trip to St. John ended with Kelly going waaaaay off the deep end and Bethenny rejoicing that the others finally see how crazy she is: “This is the best dinner party I’ve ever had! Because the lunatic came out!”

— Dave Nemetz

Santino Rice, Project Runway (Season 2)

Why He Makes the Cut: Sometimes abrasive, sometimes crabby, but always delightfully irreverent and good for a bit of levity in the tense workroom, Santino was also a talented designer, a fact that made us respect his comic relief skills all the more. Well, talented except for that disastrous but unforgettable lederhosen lingerie he designed in Season 2, Episode 4. It was definitely high on the irreverence scale, though, a quality that endeared Santino and made him a welcome addition in an industry that sometimes — often — takes itself way too seriously.

Best Moment: His Tim Gunn impersonation, which even the big Gunn himself seemed to enjoy.

— Kimberly Potts

Uncle Si Robertson, Duck Dynasty (Seasons 1-7)

Why He Makes the Cut: Uncle Si dispenses so much wisdom, there’s even a name for it: Si-cology! From his crazy Vietnam War stories to his advice about dogs to how “kids these days” don’t know a damn thing, Uncle Si keeps the wit flowing.

Best Moment: That time Si boasted about how he was going to kill a million ducks with his “icy stare” — an icy stare so strong he was once approached by a professor in a wheelchair, or so he said.

— Kelly Woo

Alana Thompson aka Honey Boo Boo, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (Seasons 1-4)

Why She Makes the Cut: While it’s easy to hate on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, it’s nearly impossible to loathe Honey Boo Boo herself. That’s because lil’ Alana seems entirely nonplussed at being the star of a reality program, carrying on as she would even if the cameras weren’t there. Her reactions and one-liners are hysterical precisely because they’re genuine.

Best Moment: Taking an extra-long pause before affixing the “O” when she spelled “Bingo.”

— Ethan Alter