Throughout the Bravo, only a few names can strike viewers with panic. Due to their ability to manipulate and calculate their way through drama, these best of the best have triumphed as true villains. Each personality, whether from Real Housewives or Vanderpump Rules, has perfected their ability to gaslight or confuse their prey. And even though some villains can often be the glue that holds a series together, don’t be fooled. Here are some of Bravo’s most feared villains …
Jax Taylor – Vanderpump Rules
Jax Taylor, the king of poppycock and flim flam, is easily the best villain of all time on Bravo. On Vanderpump Rules, he schemed and slept his way through half the SUR waitresses. He rarely apologized for his wrongdoings and was unapologetically rude in almost every scene. During his time on the hit series, Jax found himself in the middle of most feuds, including who was the number one guy in the group. And he just couldn’t help himself when it came to being entwined in cheating scandals.
Jax was a larger-than-life pain in the ass who was meant to shine bright on reality TV. Over and over again, Jax proved he was incapable of empathy. One scene that stands out is when he mocked Ariana Madix for her mental health issues. The bartender couldn’t see his co-worker was struggling and, instead, thought she was a drama queen. What makes Jax so perfect for the villain role is that he was bad with or without cameras. The man would have cheated on his girlfriends whether he was being documented or not. Jax just couldn’t help himself.
Tamra Judge – Real Housewives of Orange County
Correct me if I’m wrong, but sometimes Tamra Judge gives off Scar from The Lion King vibes. Just like Scar, Tammy Sue has a problem with her antagonistic practices. She just can’t help herself when it comes to stirring the pot. Almost every scene in the Real Housewives of Orange County has Tamra’s fingerprints on it. Whether she is throwing a truth bomb or fighting with Shannon Beador, the realtor never lets viewers down. Tamra has a long history of being a villain, which includes trying to get Gretchen Rossi “naked wasted” and throwing drinks in foes’ faces.
What makes Tamra such a great villain is her ability to bring up uncomfortable topics that the rest of the cast wouldn’t dream of. She knows how to contort a storyline to work in her favor and is always one step ahead of the rest of the women.
Bethenny Frankel – Real Housewives of New York
Bethenny Frankel isn’t just another B from New York City. In fact, she is the HBIC, and Bravo fans shouldn’t forget it. The former Real Housewives of New York star is a hard nut to crack. During her time on the show, she proved she was a great friend who always said what was on her mind. Yes, her delivery sucked at times as I think back to Scary Island. But the mother of one’s intentions always seemed to be pure. When she first started with Bravo, she was a great role model for women who wanted to break out on their own.
But somewhere along the line, something went terribly wrong. Once Bethenny decided she was done with the network, she didn’t just walk away. The Skinnygirl owner instead turned the tables and went after Bravo. Bethenny made sure to align herself with Rachel Leviss and led the charge to expose Bravo and their bad business practices. Needless to say, her fall from grace was swift.
Danielle Staub – Real Housewives of New Jersey
Never before was there such a villain like Danielle Staub. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star had a knack for painting herself as the victim. But Danielle was never really a victim. Who could forget how she used to walk around with ex-cons as bodyguards to intimidate her co-stars and hint at her mob connections? Danielle has consistently downplayed her role in the Miami kidnapping and extortion scheme. But when the true crime memoir Cop Without a Badge came to light, fans saw just how bad to the bone Danielle could be. The book painted a tale of a drug deal gone horribly wrong that led to her arrest almost 40 years ago.
Danielle didn’t change her evil ways after she returned to the Garden State franchise. In fact, many would argue she doubled down. Cameras caught her physically assaulting Margaret Josephs when she pulled her hair. The most villainous part of the whole debacle was how she just laughed it all off.
Tom Sandoval – Vanderpump Rules
Even though Tom Sandoval might not be the number one guy in the group, he is a decent villain. For years, he tried to act woke and supportive of the women around him. While Jax and Tom Schwartz were off cheating, he was the one at home painting his nails. But Tom fooled everyone, even his long-time girlfriend, Ariana. Viewers were shocked to learn that he had been having a months-long affair with Rachel, Ariana’s close friend. Perhaps the worst part was that he didn’t seem remorseful. Instead, he tried to blame Ariana and their lack of a sex life, noting she wouldn’t even take her t-shirt off.
The season finale of Vanderpump Rules did Sandy no favors. Time after time, he was seen trying to confront Ariana, who clearly didn’t want anything to do with him. Sandoval is the worst type of villain because, in his mind, he doesn’t even realize all the lives he upturned.
