Netflix got serious about reality TV in 2020, releasing one hit show after another. With so many reality shows to watch on the streaming service, viewers have gotten to know a lot of memorable competitors, and it’s fair to say that some were way meaner than others.
Thankfully, nearly all of the iconic reality show villains on Netflix were a lot of fun to watch, and fans loved to hate them the entire time. Here, we’ll explore the 10 best reality TV antagonists on Netflix that viewers secretly loved to meet.
Kori (Too Hot to Handle)
It seems like Kori’s sole mission going into Too Hot to Handle was to cause absolute chaos. He wanted to break all the rules, lose all the money, and take all the girls, which made him a very entertaining villain to watch.
Kori didn’t last very long on Too Hot to Handle, but he was definitely what the first season needed once it reached a point when most of the contestants were plateauing. And unlike Lydia and Madison, who walked into the season with him, Kori didn’t try to fit in or play nice with others.
Jessica (Love is Blind)
She has since apologized and explained her actions on the show, but there’s no way around it: Jessica was the villain of Love is Blind season 1 and was also one of the key players that turned this series into a global sensation.
The main reason why Jessica became one of the most entertaining reality TV villains on Netflix is that she constantly (and seemingly sincerely) denied things that were obvious to everyone: she didn’t like Mark, she did like Barnett. Jessica’s hot-and-cold attitude with Mark and her clear attempts to get Barnett back were fun exactly because those felt like real actions from someone who wasn’t playing to the cameras – a rarity in this day and age of reality TV.
Raf/Ana (The Circle Brazil)
The thing about Raf – who played as “Ana” – on The Circle Brazil is that his constant shadiness came off as mean rather than funny. Whereas players like Dumaresq, Marina, Lucas, and Marcel were also masters at throwing shade, there was a feeling that Raf’s jokes were cutting a bit deeper, and that he wasn’t necessarily having fun with the jokes – they were just judgment calls.
What’s more, Raf is perhaps the only player on The Circle Brazil who did not even attempt at making any genuine or positive connection. His entire strategy was to be calculated and fool everyone else. While this is seemingly a smart strategy, it didn’t win him any friends on the popularity contest that the show is all about.
Francesca (Too Hot to Handle)
Francesca is a dream-come-true for any dating competition show: she’s beautiful, she doesn’t care about the rules, and she makes it very easy for viewers to love and hate her at the same time.
Over the course of Too Hot to Handle season 1, Francesca kissed the most people, broke the most rules, and took the most money away from the show’s grand prize. Then, after one night of restraint, Francesca received lots of praise from the other competitors and the show managed to somehow give her a convoluted redemption arc. Francesca is, without a doubt, the golden standard for a reality TV villain.
Cedric (The Circle France)
After he was blocked on The Circle France, Cedric did a complete 180 and revealed himself to be a very sweet and genuine guy. However, this doesn’t change Cedric’s journey as a contestant who blatantly lied and tried to pin drama on Elea, who struggled for most of the game because of it.
It was a lot of fun watching Cedric on The Circle France, but there’s no denying that he let the game get in his head and got lost along the way. Thankfully, we were allowed to see a completely different side of Cedric once the competition was over for him, and he even went out of his way to redeem Elea on his farewell video message.
Rob/Julia (The Circle Brazil)
At first glance, Rob (who played as “Julia” on The Circle Brazil) was a seemingly well-meaning guy who tried too hard but didn’t hurt anybody. However, when “Luma” (Lucas and Marcel) enters the game, Rob gets obsessed with the idea that she is trans, and proceeds to keep talking about it and asking all sorts of personal questions for their first interaction.
It is clear that none of the players approved of how Rob / “Julia” treated Luma. Even if she was a trans girl (she wasn’t), the questions that were asked were incredibly invasive and outright irrelevant for their first interaction.
Haley (Too Hot to Handle)
Haley crushed on Francesca, kissed her, and didn’t tell anybody. They were then exposed, and Francesca got back with Harry. Too Hot to Handle wasn’t an easy ride for Haley, but it was quite entertaining to watch her not take the series seriously at all and just break all of the rules.
On Episode 6, Too Hot to Handle eliminated Haley for seemingly not taking the process seriously. She walked out like a true reality TV villain, claiming that the entire thing was nonsense and that she didn’t learn a thing from the experience.
Antonio (The Circle US)
One may argue that there wasn’t a clear villain on the first U.S. season of The Circle. With that said, Antonio did cause some major drama during the season, constantly picking fights with Karyn/Mercedeze and even targeting Joey for unclear reasons.
Despite all the unnecessary drama caused by Antonio, it was undoubtedly fun to watch him bickering with Karyn/Mercedeze. What’s more, Antonio indirectly helped Joey set himself up as the protagonist of the season, which ultimately landed him the big prize.
Ray (The Circle Brazil)
It may feel weird to categorize Ray as a villain, but there’s no denying that she got in her head during the first season of The Circle Brazil and made some questionable choices in the meantime. Over the course of the season, Ray regularly tried to inject a little bit of chaos into the game, which, despite being entertaining to watch, certainly made her look villainous.
One of the most glaring examples was when Ray went after Akel despite knowing full well that he had something going with Lorayne. Moreover, there was always a sense that Ray’s alliance with JP was purely self-serving, despite the fact that JP genuinely liked and protected her all season.
Gary (The Circle France)
For most of the first season of The Circle France, Gary was a funny and well-meaning player who had a clear alliance and a non-confrontational strategy. But then, things started to look ugly for his side of the game, and Gary attempted to switch sides in the snap of a finger. Then, during his exit interview, Gary literally exposed his best friend in the competition.
Gary’s last few episodes on The Circle France were an entertaining trainwreck for the viewers, but those actions do earn him the title of a reality TV villain.