‘House of Villains’ Season 3 Stars on Embracing Villainy & Who Else Belongs in the Mansion
House of Villains is coming back once again — this time, to a new home on Peacock after moving to streaming from E! for Season 3.
Host Joel McHale returns to oversee reality’s most hated for a third time, bringing all of his sharpest barbs to taunt the villains as they try to win the title of supervillain (and the cash prize) by out-badding the competition.
For McHale, the beauty of the show is its embrace of the best part of reality TV: the ne’er-do-well-ers who keep it interesting: “We’re like, ‘You guys were the most memorable personalities from your shows, and let that fly here, and let it go,'” he told TV Insider. “When we got to that first season, the Johnny Bananas season, the energy in that room that first season, it set the tone, I think, for the whole series, where I’m like, ‘Oh, yep! All these people know how to be on TV.’ … You could power a city with the energy that was coming off them. So yeah, I love the fact that that’s how the show goes. It’s just, ‘Be a great villain, and you could win.'”
“We want the personalities, and we want it to be fun, and there’s going to be a ton of jokes, and… we’ll have a lot of humor in the actual games, which I think makes a difference,” McHale continued. “I want the show to be super competitive and funny and silly and really play up how these folks [are]. There’s a reason why they have singled themselves out; it’s because they’re so good on TV. So I’m always like, make it as funny as possible and as competitive as possible.”
One of the biggest personalities of the show — and all of reality television, for that matter — is Tiffany “New York” Pollard, who makes a three-peat attempt at the win in Season 3. Bringing her back, per McHale, was an absolute no-brainer.
“Tiffany Pollard is television gold,” he said. “She energizes a room almost every time she’s in it. There was a reason why [after] she first got on Flavor of Love that she got her own show. After that, she was instantly watchable. And she is a gamer. When that camera turns on, she is ready to go, she wants to play, and she’s game, and she’s got such a unique personality that, I mean, I don’t think there’s anybody else like her on television. And she’s gotten pretty far in the games every season, and I like how the other contestants aren’t even questioning that she’s been asked back.”
Speaking of the others, like Pollard, Season 3’s new crop of TV villains also embraced the opportunity to break bad. Read on to find out what they had to say about taking on that mantle with pride for this quirky mega-reality series before the first three episodes of the new season drop on Thursday, February 26.
House of Villains, Season 3 Premiere, February 26, 9/8c, Peacock
Johnny Middlebrooks, Love Island
On embracing villainy for the show: “I think a lot of people go on reality TV to become famous, and we ended up here because we make infamous decisions. And yeah, a lot of times it takes some balls to make some decisions that are definitely gonna ruffle some feathers, and we’ve all done that, which is why we’re here.”
On which other Love Island star would be a good match: “I feel like my boy Tyrique [Hyde] from Love Island Season 2. He’d be great at this. He kind of prides himself in being able to manipulate people.”
Ashley Mitchell, The Challenge
On embracing villainy for the show: “Well, being on TV consistently for the past 12 years, I’ve seen the difference of how people want to try to edit their own personality in live time. While the camera’s up, different person. And with this, we get to be ourselves, and that lets us let our guard down, so we are a little more relaxed and a little more funny and a little less maybe hateful. It comes off because we can just relax and be a little villainous. Yeah, so that’s what I like about it, because there is no story without the villain, there’s no book, there’s no movie, there’s nothing without a villain. So honestly, the world should be thanking us, not ostracizing us.”
On which other The Challenge star would be a good match: “My Satan sister, Amanda [Garcia]! She would be so good at this show. They are so lucky in this house we’re not together because not only would it be strategic, but just our tear-downs of everyone would be epic, and we’re memorable. But yeah, Amanda’s got to be the next. She’s the best.”
Plane Jane, RuPaul's Drag Race
On embracing villainy for the show: “It’s amazing to get that freedom to lean into our inner craziness, trust that we’re all crazy.”
On which other RuPaul’s Drag Race star would be a good match: “I’m gonna shout out Mistress Isabelle Brooks… She is absolutely diabolical, and she is real, true villain, true to her name.”
Tom Sandoval, Vanderpump Rules
On embracing villainy for the show: “It was fun. Obviously, with being a labeled villain from past things … it’s a little bit different on my side. So I think it’s been fun and been nice to be able to go in and just be myself and connect with people in a new way.”
On which other Vanderpump Rules star would be a good match: ” Stassi Schroeder would do well on House of Villains. I think she would have fun with it.”
Christine Quinn, Selling Sunset
On embracing villainy for the show: “I think it’s really fun because one minute, Ashley will be across the house screaming at the top of her lungs, naked, streaking around the house or whatever…. No matter what happens, you’re like, ‘Oh, OK, anyway. It’s not a big deal. It’s just like a normal Tuesday, anyway.’… There’s no judgment. There’s no shame…. It’s a really great family dynamic.”
On which other Selling Sunset star would be a good match: “If we’re talking rotten, definitely Chrishell [Stause]. But if we’re talking in terms of entertainment and what the people actually want to see and not fall asleep at the wheel, it would definitely be Nicole [Young], and it would definitely be Davina [Potratz]. They would absolutely slay on the show and just bring an amazing dynamic.”
Tyson Apostol, Survivor
On embracing villainy for the show: “I’m not afraid to be labeled a villain on TV. Being a gamer and being labeled a villain is kind of a badge of honor. I think it’s different for the other genres of reality TV, but as far as being a villain, what do I care what people call me? I know what I am to myself, and I know what I am to my family, and I know what I am to the people who know me. So for me, being a villain is just, it means we’re having fun, right?”
On which other Survivor star would be a good match: “I think you can look at the villains tribe from Heroes Vs. Villains and literally work your way down that entire list. I mean, you have the obvious: You have Parv[ati Shallow], you have Boston Rob [Mariano]. There’s Sandra [Diaz-Twine] there, but I think Courtney Yates could be a really good addition to this show on Season 4.”
Paul Abrahamian, Big Brother
On embracing villainy for the show: “This is actually one of the reasons why I decided to do the show was because of that aspect. It’s like, ‘OK, embrace the villainous. Let’s rip this band-aid off, because we know that’s what gets good TV.’ That’s what’s fun. People watch reality TV, in my humble opinion, for the drama, for the chaos…. Unfortunately, with other challenge-type shows, people have become a little polished or worried about how they’re going to come off, so it’s like they’re not doing the devious things that would be entertaining because they’re afraid of their perception, where the genius of this show is that they just rip that band-aid off and say, ‘Hey, you’re horrible. That’s why you’re here. Let’s lead with that.’ … I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m in. Sign me up. I love it.'”
On which other Big Brother star would be a good match: “The two people that I’ve spent three months in a house with that I would say, would probably be good would be like Josh [Martinez] and Paulie [Calafiore], who also are in The Challenge world, I’m sure, without a coincidence… They’re pretty nuts. So I think they would do they would
cause some chaos.”
Jackie Christie, Basketball Wives
On embracing villainy for the show: “It’s amazing. It is. Because when you’re labeled a villain on a show like Basketball Wives, it’s more in a derogatory way, but this is more in a loving way. You want to be a villain. You want it. And you know what? You can actually win a huge prize at the end by being a villain. Yeah, it is something to lean into, something to be amazed about.”
On which other Basketball Wives star would be a good match: “Vanessa Rider, Isaiah Rider’s wife, or Dr Bryant, Dr. Cheyenne Bryant, one of those.”
Drita D'Avanzo, Mob Wives
On embracing villainy for the show: “Everyone’s a villain on reality TV.”
On which other reality costar would be a good match: “When I did Scared Famous… Alaska would be great for House of Villains.”
Kate Chastain, Traitors
On embracing villainy for the show: “Nice can be very boring, and I have never been accused of being boring.”
On which other The Traitors star would be a good match: “There’s a lot of Traitors cast members that would easily translate into this world, and they’d love it just as much as I did, I’m sure.”
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services