Some houseguests gained admiration for their dirty tricks, others just got a lot of heat from fans.
Big Brother always tells fans to expect the unexpected. However, viewers can also expect to find at least one houseguest who fills the role of the season's villain.
Sometimes, a contestant can earn their reputation by being a master manipulator who plays everyone to their advantage before stabbing his closest allies in the back at exactly the right moment. Other times, the season's villain is someone who simply cannot be bothered to be a decent human being and goes out of their way to make the Big Brother house a kingdom of chaos.
Either way, out of 300 contestants to have ever haunted the halls of the Big Brother house, a select few have gone down in fans' memories for their brilliant backstabbing or buffoonish bullying.
With Season 24's Daniel Durston and Nicole Layog earning reps as some of the most reviled houseguests in recent memory, due to their behavior toward Taylor Hale, ET is taking a look back at a few of the show's most notorious and timeless villains.
Will Kirby
Can there be such a thing as a truly beloved villain? Will Kirby somehow managed to walk that tightrope when he charmed and masterfully manipulated his way to victory during the second season without winning a single Head of Household Competition. He later returned for season seven, the first All-Stars season, where he didn't make it nearly as far, but was instrumental in ousting some huge targets. It was also the season where Will delivered his now-iconic "I hate you all" speech that was an instant classic moment, showcasing the power of reverse psychology.
Mike "Boogie" Malin
There's no question about "Boogie" being a villain -- the real question is how much of his villainy was simply due to his allegiance to Will Kirby. In season 2, the pair began what was known as the Chilltown alliance, along with lesser-villain Shannon Dragoo. Boogie proved quickly that he had no qualms about backstabbing and lying to people's faces. While he came up short alongside Will in season 2, he and Will both returned for season 7, they restarted the Chilltown alliance, and Boogie went on to claim victory. His troubled and criminally checkered post-BB life hasn't exactly improved his rep.
"Evel" Dick Donato
"Evel Dick" was, as his nickname suggests, a real dick evil dude, but in the most entertaining way imaginable -- as long as you weren't in the house with him. Evel Dick allegedly cheated at competitions to get other players disqualified, he was rude and loud with fellow houseguests, he did whatever he wanted to do, and continuously got away with it until somehow winning season 8! In fact, he even changed the way the game was played, as he used a special Cold War spy-style code system with his son, who sent him a message in his letter from home when Dick won the title of HOH. Because of this, all HOH family letters are written and submitted to producers at the start of the season. Dick came back for season 13 but was self-evicted just days after entering the house for health reasons.
Dan Gheesling
If there's anyone who could give Will Kirby a run for their money when it came to playing people and being a superb puppet master, it's Dan Gheesling. He became a king of blindside evictions, gaining trust on all sides and then flipping votes and ousting whomever he wanted, with no regard for how his betrayal affected others. Then, just days later, he'd have those same people he betrayed helping him once more. When he won season 10 -- beating out final-two ally Memphis Garrett -- he became the first Big Brother champ to play a "perfect game," as in he never earned a single vote to be evicted and he won a unanimous vote from the jury to be crowned the winner.
Rachel Reilly
Rachel is considered by many to be a "villain" because she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, and called people out right and left, sometimes even blowing up people's strategies in the process. She could be overbearing, but it also meant a lot of people bent to her will, and she didn't back down from a fight. However, she played hard and is considered to be one of the best physical competitors in the show's history. She didn't make it far when she first competed in season 12, but came back the next year in season 13 and went on to win it all.
Amanda Zuckerman
Season 15 of Big Brother is one of the show's more controversial, and Amanda is one of the most controversial houseguests of said season. She was big into late-night fights, made snide, undercutting remarks to other players' faces (and behind their backs) and wasn't worried about making things messy in a way that sowed a whole lot of chaos. Unfortunately, despite her talent for tumultuousness, Amanda ended up getting the boot and landed in 7th place.
Paul Abrahamian
Paul beautifully demonstrated, in two seasons in a row, how to stir the pot without getting your hands dirty. Paul was a power player, unafraid of confrontation, making big moves and fighting, before quietly getting others to duke it out while stepping over the rubble. Paul could get heated and earned his villain rep through a combination of backstabbing blindsides and emotional outbursts... but there was always a lot of respect from fans for Paul's game. Playing in back-to-back seasons, Paul made it to the final two twice. Both times, Paul lost by a vote of 5 to 4.
Maggie Ausburn
Sometimes, a good villain is the one no one ever suspects -- and that is exactly the case with Maggie, who smiled her way to the head of the Friendship Alliance (arguably one of the most boring and simultaneously suspicious alliance names imaginable). The real-life nurse had exceptional powers of persuasion and cultivated a small following of acolytes who did her bidding while she stayed above the fray. Some fans equated her to a cult leader in the way she managed to win people over, and she wound up winning the grand prize.
Season 24 of Big Brother airs Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on CBS.
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