Big Brother has seen its share of villainous players throughout its lengthy run. For 21 seasons, people from across America have entered a massive house where they plan to live out the summer, competing against one another in physical challenges and forming alliances that will help them stay in the game.
Given the fact that the houseguests are completely cut off from the outside world during the duration of their stay, it’s not surprising that things can sometimes get heated in the house. And while some contestants choose to lay low, or play fantastic social games in an effort to be liked by all, others take a different approach. They lie, backstab, start fights, get on peoples’ nerves, and bully others to get what they want.
Plenty of male players fit this bill, but here are the 10 best female villains from the show’s history, ranked.
Isabella Wang
From the latest season 21, Wang started out as a seemingly sweet girl who wanted to make sure she portrayed herself well for her strict mother who would be watching. But her attitude quickly changed and she became this mean girl, taking everyone by surprise.
As part of the dominant alliance, they quickly turned on her when they realized how nasty and manipulative she could be. She even started a massive fight with fellow houseguest Nicole who many viewers felt was unnecessarily bullied by many of the houseguests, including Wang. Both Wang and her showmance partner Nick, who later hooked up with another fellow houseguest in the jury house, were booted from the game early on.
Alex Ow
Ow was a target in the house by many and had bitter rivalries with other players, including Kevin and Jessica. While she was considered a villain by some in the house, she was a fan favorite underdog who played a fierce and competitive game.
She formed a strong and unlikely bond with the rodeo cowboy Jason, but ended up getting blindsided by Paul, with who she had a supposed secret alliance. She wasn’t as disliked as other “villains” on this list. But in the house, some competitors saw her as public enemy number one.
Danielle Reyes
Reyes was the first villain in the game to be punished for her villainy through a loss, mainly because the jury was able to see her unflattering diary room comments before casting their votes for winner. This is because, in the early seasons, the jury wasn’t sequestered. In fact, this vote is what prompted the show to make that change, since many believe that Reyes should have won the season.
She was cocky, strategic, and played a strong social game. Many have named her one of the best houseguests to have never won the show. Still, her candid diary room confessionals put her squarely in villain territory.
Shannon Dragoo
From the second season, Dragoo was a mean girl, through and through. So mean in fact, that she even scrubbed a toilet with a fellow houseguest's toothbrush! She also implied that another houseguest was overweight, and was generally mean to others.
As part of the Chilltown alliance with Dr. Will Kirby and Mike “Boogie” Malin, she only placed ninth, being voted out unanimously against Will. Though she was on the jury, her vote was nullified by a finalist. Even though she's from an earlier season, Dragoo remains one of the biggest villains the series has ever seen.
Jessica Graf
Another “mean girl” Graf might have gotten a bad rap because of her showmance with Cody, who was universally disliked in the house. While they started off being close with the two other showmance couples, the friendship slowly broke down as Cody continued to put a target on his back and the others distanced themselves from him.
Graf was caught in the crossfire, but she participated fully in fights and drama, mainly in her attempts to defend her showmance boyfriend (the two are still together, with child). While she was liked by fans, even receiving an advantage through in America’s Vote, the odds were stacked too high against her and she was sent packing.
Natalie Martinez
Sticking with her fellow athletes on Big Brother 11, including having a strong bond with Mr. Pec-tacular himself, Jessie Godderz, Martinez made it all the way to the finals but couldn’t pull out a win because of her villainous status in the house.
She played ruthlessly, lying, cheating, and doing whatever it took to try and win the game. Even though she’s physically petite, she has a big personality. That got her labeled a villain, of sorts, if for no other reason than for playing a strong game and being a member of the popular alliance.
Vanessa Rousso
While she got more emotional and did more crying than the rest of the houseguests combined, Rousso was a villainous boss who was calling all of the shots and ruling the house like a dictatorship.
She founded an alliance called The Sixth Sense, then used others to do her dirty work. Many on the jury admitted they would have voted for her to win had Steve decided to take her to the finals instead of evicting her in third place. Some might call it villainy, but for this strategic houseguest and pro poker player, she was playing her cards just right.
Aaryn Gries
We use the term “best” loosely here, as Aaryn was certainly one of the most vile players on the show, which makes her worthy of this list of female villains. Her season was rife was controversy thanks to Gries’ many comments, especially during the live feeds, that viewers deemed racist and homophobic. She was even booed when she left the house, seemingly unaware of what all the fuss was about.
She talked behind peoples’ backs and personified "mean girl" in the house, making her one of the most controversial and disliked players in the history of the game.
Chima Simone
While Chima started out as your average textbook Big Brother villain, her attitude escalated quickly when Jeff’s Coup d’Etat power essentially deemed her HoH reign and nominations useless. Angered, Simone stormed around the house cursing about producer manipulation in the game, and eventually took off her mic pack and threw it into the jacuzzi. Taking off your mic pack is a big no-no for players, but damaging the equipment, too?
Not surprisingly, Simone became one of a few players to be ejected from the game for her actions (though she has claimed she quit willingly). But even prior to her angry outburst, Simone caused a lot of friction in the house.
Rachel Reilly
“Floaters, grab your life vests!” This is one of the most notable lines from Reilly, uttered whenever she won a competition and wanted to put all of those she felt were floating through the game on notice. One of the most outspoken players who appeared twice in the game, winning her second time around, she was often angered at those who lay around tanning outside or sleeping for hours in the house instead of actually playing the game. And she was never afraid to speak her mind.
Starting fights with many other houseguests, annoying others with her grating laugh, and constantly crying, she got under everyone’s skin. But her ability to win competitions helped her ink out a win, while her showmance with fellow player Brendon (now her husband) helped make the pair fan favorites.