Everything You Need to Know About the 'House of Villains' Cast
Over 30 years, reality TV has turned from a nascent fad into an outright genre in television. Across hundreds of shows, we have seen real people perform acts so deplorable and hatable, it forever marked them as a "villain." Now, E! is bringing some of the infamous baddies under one roof in the upcoming House of Villains.
Premiering on October 12 and hosted by Joel McHale, House of Villains takes ten of reality TV's most noteworthy villains and puts them in a titular house together. Every week, they'll compete in a Battle Royale challenge to test them physically, mentally, and emotionally. The winner of the Battle Royale is safe, and nominates three of their fellow villains for elimination. Similar to Big Brother, the house them votes to eliminate one of the nominees, ending their pursuit for the title of "America's Favorite Supervillain" and the $250,000 cash prize that goes with it.
Here's everything you need to know about the cast of House of Villains, including their original show and some of their most infamous moments. House of Villains premieres on October 12 with a simultaneous episode across E!, Bravo, Syfy, and USA.
House of Villains cast
Anfisa Arkhipchenko
Anfisa Arkhipchenko first appeared on our screens in the fourth season of TLC's his series 90 Day Fiancé season 4 in 2016. Appearing on the show at only 20, the season depicted her immigrating from her home country of Russia to marry Jorge Nava. Questions about her true feelings to Jorge were present from the beginning, especially when she erased his cell phone and canceled her flight to the United States initially upon him declining to buy her a $10,000 handbag.
Little did fans know that would be the tip of the iceberg with Anfisa's treatment of Jorge. Throughout their time on 90 Day Fiancé, they would consistently fight over money--in one instance, she blew up on him after he wanted to buy an engagement ring that was "only" $45,000. She was emotionally abusive towards her fiance, habitually destroying his phone, kicking him out of his apartment, and even keying his car. That abuse got physical in one memorable incident, when, after coming clean about his financial situation, Anfisa struck Jorge on camera.
Related: Which '90 Day Fiancé' Couples Are Still Together in 2023?
Bobby Lytes
Bobby Lytes is an openly gay rapper who was a mainstay in the first three seasons of Love and Hip Hop: Miami. While Bobby was able to make a statement about sexuality in the world of hip-hop, he's known for making many statements over the course of his time in the spotlight. As a self-proclaimed "sucker for some good old shade," he has gotten into plenty of controversies over the years with dramatic statements about his fellow cast members, people in the hop-hop community, and more.
Corinne Olympios
Ever since the Bachelor franchise hit the season, there's always been villains associated with the search for romance. But Nick Viall's saw one of the show's biggest villains in Corinne Olympios back in 2017. Corinne was very upfront from the beginning about how she did not care a lick about the other women in the house. She gloated about her "nanny" Raquel and her lavish lifestyle constantly. She even slept through a rose ceremony, a controversy then referred to as "Napgate."
If it wasn't clear with her behavior, Corinne was there for Nick and Nick only. And she made that explicit when she made several lewd advances towards him throughout the season. She straddled him in a bouncy house, went topless during their first date, and even once show up on his doorstep in a trench coat with practically nothing under it. Her lack of humility, overt moments, and conflict with every other woman made her a villain for the ages.
Jax Taylor
Jax Taylor immediately stuck out amongst the cast of workers on Vanderpump Rules with his alpha male personality and chiseled looks. But, though fellow cast member Tom Sandoval has made headlines for nefarious deeds, Jax's resume makes it look like child's play. Over eight seasons, he had absolutely torrid relationships with Stassi Schroeder and now-wife Brittany Cartwright. He consistently cheated on both of his partners, including with a Vegas porn star, a SUR waitress, and even fellow cast member and Sandoval's then-girlfriend Kristen Doute.
No matter what corner he was in, Jax's M.O. was always to deny everything. He would do so in a furious manner, getting into explosive arguments with his cast members and even fist fights. It all culminated in the season 8 finale when, after erratic behavior following his marriage to Brittany, he told titular star Lisa Vanderpump that it was "his show." Bravo soon showed that wasn't the case, as he was fired from the show after racist comments about previous cast member Faith Stowers surfaced in 2020.
Johnny Bananas
Johnny Bananas originally debuted on The Real World: Key West in 2006. But he's much more well-known for The Challenge, where he has become the face of the long-running MTV franchise and one of its most successful players. Across 25 seasons, he has won over $1 million and has never been afraid to stir the pot. There was even one season where he came in with a note written by his sister that he planted in another woman's suitcase to fabricate drama.
Despite being on TV for decades, Bananas' most villainous moment can be singled out by any Challenge fan. After making it to the end of the Rivals III season with Sarah Rice, he was given the option to split the pair's winnings between them, or take it all for himself. In one of the most memorable moments in the show's history, he chose to take the money and run, taking $275,000 to the bank and leaving Sarah with nothing.
Jonny Fairplay
Jonny Fairplay is one of the earliest baddies on House of Villains. He entered reality TV in 2003 on Survivor: Pearl Islands, where he was ready to cause fights and conflict from the beginning. His most infamous moment, though, came during the season's family visit. His friend visited him on the island, only to inform him that his grandmother had passed away while he was filming. Fairplay was instantly heartbroken, earning the sympathy of nearly all of the remaining castaways, to the point where they decided to give the reward to him.
Except, it turned out, it was all fake! Fairplay and his friend had concocted a plan before he went out to play that he would lie about his grandmother's death to gain the hearts of everyone who was left. As he himself put, "My grandmother's at home right now watching Jerry Springer." The "dead grandma lie" had become not only one of the most infamous moments in Survivor history, but in television history as a whole.
Related: Everything We Know About 'Survivor' Season 45
Omarosa Manigault Newman
Omarosa Manigault Newman appeared on the very first season of Donald Trump's show The Apprentice in 2004. She instantly became the most famous person to come out of the series, earning the rare one-name celebrity status. Omarosa immediately butting heads with contestants and touting her success as a political consultant under Vice President Al Gore (commendations which were later found to be fabricated).
Omarosa's war with words with the various women on her season earned her a spot as the only contestant to cross over to the Celebrity Apprentice spin-off, where she famously faced off with Piers Morgan several times over the season. Her relationship with Trump paid off tenfold when he was elected President. Once again, she found herself in the White House, serving as an assistant to the President and director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison in 2017 before being fired later that year.
Shake Chatterjee
Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee immediately became the talk of Love is Blind when he appeared on the Netflix show's second season in 2022. In a show based on the idea of finding your true love sight unseen, Shake was adamant about finding out specific things about his potential partner from the start, asking them about their exercise routine and body size. But his controversies only just begun when he left the pods and proceeded with his relationship with Deepti Vampati.
When the couple stepped out of the pods and took the seasonal trip to Mexico, he was upfront about his immediate lack of attraction to her in both the confessionals and to other cast members. His openness with his opinions led Deepti to break off the engagement at the end of the season. Several months later, during the reunion, Shake stood by his controversial comments, even going so far as to say that the only woman in the room he was attracted to was cohost Vanessa Lachey.
Related: Which 'Love Is Blind' Couples Are Still Together in 2023?
Tanisha Thomas
Tanisha Thomas instantly became someone fans "loved to hate" when she first appeared on the second season of Bad Girls Club. Though a fan favorite, given the title of the show, it wasn't a surprise that she was more than happy to speak her mind and cause fights, both verbal and physical. After making it to the end of her season, Tanisha's popularity exploded, causing her to host several BGC reunion specials and even getting her own spin-off. But her attitude continued off the show, as she's made headlines for getting in many scuffles, both over social media and in person.
Tiffany "New York" Pollard
"New York is the mother [expletive] house!" With those words, Tiffany "New York" Pollard instantly became a reality TV icon. She was one of the original stars of VH1's "Celebreality" program, making it to the end of back-to-back seasons of Flavor of Love. While competing for Flavor Flav's heart on the Bachelor-like show, she got into a multitude of fights with her cast members. In perhaps her most infamous moment, after contestant Brooke "Pumkin" Thomas spit in her face, she proceeded to shove her headfirst into the camera.
Though the self-proclaimed "Head Bitch in Charge" was unable to get the man both times, her undeniable popularity got her spin-offs in two seasons of I Love New York, as well as the series New York Goes to Hollywood and New York Goes to Work. During her various reality seasons--including a memorable appearance on Celebrity Big Brother UK in which she misinterpreted David Bowie's to be of cast member David Gest--she has carried through the traits of speaking her mind and not being afraid to argue.
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