When it comes to Big Brother, there’s no shortage of villains on the reality competition series. One of the scariest players to ever play the game was Justin Sebik in Season 2, who notoriously threatened other houseguests and even held a knife to one woman’s neck, causing him to be the first person ever to be ejected from the game.
But most villainous activities are far less heinous, but still despicable. From bullying to lying to manipulating to trash-talking others, there have been players who have shocked viewers over the years as they prove they will do just about anything to win. While there have been plenty of female villains throughout the 21 seasons to date, here’s a look at the 10 best villainous male players of all time, ranked.
Frankie Grande
He wasn’t quite as villainous as the others on this list, but Grande dished out his share of treacherous behavior, including being accused of bullying other contestants, flipping sides, and boasting about his own successes, including his massive social media following (though he waited until late in the game to reveal that he was the older brother of pop singer Ariana Grande).
He was such a villain, in fact, that his own alliance turned against him and left him to compete in a two-person challenge on his own, even if it meant his partner Caleb could have potentially gone home following a loss (though Caleb was confident he would have been safe.). The joke was on them as Grande won anyway, but he was eventually voted out.
Jack Mathews
Hailing from the latest season, many viewers were calling for Mathews to be booted from the game due to many thing such as his despicable comments that some deemed racist and misogynist, his terrible treatment of fellow housemate Kemi, and his egotistical and narcissistic attitude.
Mathews played like a bully, sticking with the “cool crowd” and making a lot of enemies on the other side of the house (and among viewers of the live feeds). He was eventually voted out and apologized for his behavior after the fact, but that doesn’t make him any less of a villain when we was there.
Jackson Michie
The winner of Season 21, Michie was right there alongside Mathews dishing out commentary and an attitude that many people in the house, and mainly viewers, did not like. He was also often mean and cruel to his showmance partner Holly. Also, he seemed egotistical – even Zingbot “zinged” him by calling him a pompous douchebag! – to say the least.
But the most villainous thing he did, even if he felt bad after doing it, was to outright lie about his friend Tommy to Cliff and Nicole, to the point of making Tommy scream and cry out of frustration. He knew it was the only way to save Holly. Still, it was a low move.
Matt Hoffman
More despicable than any villain in the show, Hoffman’s most notorious move was telling others in the house by saying that his wife had a serious illness in an effort to gain sympathy. This, however, was all a lie, and his wife was just fine.
As a member of The Brigade alliance (one of the most successful alliances in Big Brother history), Hoffman was seemingly at the helm. But while three Brigade members were in the finals, Hoffman was not one of them. His alliance member Hayden went on to win that season instead.
Jessie Godderz
Nicknaming himself “Mr. Pec-tacular,” Godderz took any opportunity he could to show off his body and talk about his life’s dedication to chiseling it as a professional body builder. Still, he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. He teamed up with the other athletes in the house, and proceeded to cause arguments, fight with other housemates, and talk up himself to eye-rolling levels.
He ended up getting evicted during Week 4, due to an America’s Player twist. To this day, he remains part of the Big Brother family, often appearing to host challenges and other events in new seasons. He was even “The Twist” that was unleashed in the house when a player opened Pandora’s Box.
Mike “Boogie” Malin
One-half of the Chilltown alliance, the first successful alliance in Big Brother that led Malin and his teammate Dr. Will Kirby right to the end of the game, Malin is known for his boasting diary sessions where the two laughed hysterically at how well they were fooling others in the house.
Backstabbing, lying, and shifting allegiances was par for the course for him, helping Malin win the second time he returned to play in All Stars. Never known as the nice guy, he was, however, a fan favorite whenever he appeared onscreen alongside his partner-in-villainy, Dr. Kirby (more on him in a bit).
Paul Abrahamian
Plotting, manipulating, dictating the shots, and starting arguments, Abrahamian was a masterful player, but one who was so much of a villain that he ended up runner up twice in the game because the jury really didn’t want him to win.
While his stellar gameplay helped him make it to the finals twice, both times, the jury was so bitter about the way Abrahamian played and his inability to own up to his mistakes during his final speeches and jury questioning period that they awarded the other person the win.
Dr. Will Kirby
The original Big Brother villain, Kirby partnered up with Malin to form the Chilltown Alliance, then proceeded to pick off players one by one until he was the last man standing.
Still a part of the Big Brother family who interviews jury members at the end of each season, his strategies continue to be employed to this day. He remains one of the best to ever play the game, even if he had to make some questionable moves to get there.
Dick Donato
I mean, his nickname in the house was “Evel Dick.” That about says it all. He had so much friction with others in the house, including his own estranged daughter Danielle. He ended up winning, with he and Danielle as the final two but it wasn’t without some seriously villainous behavior.
He attacked many of his housemates personally, using intimidation to get what he wanted while walking around declaring how he really didn’t give a you-know-what. Nevertheless, he remains one of the biggest and baddest villains, not to mention one of the most memorable players to ever play the game.
Dan Gheesling
Topping most lists relating to Big Brother, Gheesling is the best villain because he never really came across as one. Even though he cheated, lied, and backstabbed his way to the top like the other villains, he was always sweet and friendly, even liked by many in the house. Yet behind the scenes, he was quietly manipulating every move. He was more cheeky about it than boastful, explaining the rationale behind his moves in diary sessions rather than boasting. He also successfully convinced those he just turned his back on that he was doing it to help them (Spoiler alert: he wasn’t).
He orchestrated some seriously clever moves to help him stay in the house, evicted those he wanted out, and sway votes in his favor. He played the first time and won without ever having a vote cast against him, and came in second the second time around, losing to a Big Brother superfan to whom he served as a mentor.
