Who wins House of Villains?

This article contains spoilers for House of Villains season 1.

E!’s fiery new reality competition series House of Villains wrapped its first season ahead of 2024. So, who earned the illustrious title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain”?

Ten of reality television’s most notorious and diabolical stars moved into a California-based mansion to snag a six-figure check while writing another chapter in their legendary careers. Competition veterans like The Apprentice’s Omarosa, The Challenge’s Johnny Bananas, and Survivor’s Jonny Fairplay duked it out with notable reality personalities including Flavor of Love’s Tiffany “New York” Pollard, Love & Hip Hop’s Bobby Lytes, and The Bachelor’s Corinne Olympios.

Through 10 episodes, the eccentric and over-the-top villains vied for power and staved off elimination until only five contestants remained on finale night. And after the dust settled, it was Bad Girls Club alum Tanisha Thomas who stood above the rest as House of Villain’s queen.

Not only did Tanisha earn the series’ first championship, but she also cashed the $200,000 grand prize that came with it.

So, let’s take a brief look into how her season unfolded, and what she had to say about it.

Tanisha allied with Johnny Bananas, which paid dividends in the end-game

Tanisha’s reality TV tenure began in 2007 when she starred in the second season of Oxygen’s Bad Girls Club as a 21-year-old hailing from Flatbush, New York. After that, she began popping up on other shows as a personality, including Tanisha Gets Married in 2012 and in 2014’s Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, as well as in several other iterations of Bad Girls Club.

Her lengthy resume preceded her when she walked into the “Villain’s Lair” on episode 1. But, she was known for her hilarious and boisterous personality, not her strategic and gaming prowess like others. However, in what was likely her best move, she attached herself to Johnny Bananas as a key ally.

Although Omarosa and Jonny Fairplay are heralded as reality competition icons, Johnny Bananas is the face of MTV’s The Challenge. He was far and away the most experienced competitor on House of Villains, which directly helped Tanisha navigate the game.

After Vanderpump Rules’ Jax Taylor had the unfortunate honor of being the first player voted out, Bananas became the second “Supervillain of the Week,” ensuring Tanisha’s safety. But, what followed was Tanisha’s most difficult week on House of Villains. Her nemesis, Omarosa, ascended the throne again and nominated her for the “Hit List” alongside Tanisha’s ally, Corinne, and Love Is Blind’s Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee. Omarosa and Tanisha engaged in multiple heated arguments throughout the 10-episode season.

Their ups and downs included when Omarosa accused Tanisha of striking her wrist with a trombone — something that was refuted by the show’s edit.

Shake won week 3’s “Redemption Challenge,” leaving Corinne and Tanisha on the chopping block. The deck seemed stacked against Tanisha, especially because Bananas and Corinne were living their best showmance life. But, Bananas showed his undying loyalty to Tanisha by cutting Corinne over her.

And that was the last time Tanisha’s House of Villains campaign was in danger.

Her exceptional social game kept her in the good graces of all the players — except for Omarosa, of course — and in the final three rounds of play, she enjoyed safety without winning any competitions.

Tanisha locked in the season’s victory during the finale after Bananas became the last Supervillain of the Week. With the win, he had the opportunity to bring one person to the finals with him, and he chose his ride-or-die companion. Bananas said after the fact that he knew he sealed his fate by selecting Tanisha, but that their friendship was more important than the cash prize.

Anfisa triumphed in the last Redemption Challenge and joined Bananas and Tanisha in front of the eliminated players. One by one, the ousted villains chose between the trio for whom they wanted to award the $200,000.

Jax, New York, and (surprisingly) Omarosa threw their votes at Tanisha while Corinne, Shake, and Jonny Fairplay voted for Bananas. Because there was a tie (Bobby didn’t return to the show after he was eliminated), Anfisa was tasked with delivering the game-winning decision.

And as history has it, Anfisa picked Tanisha to represent House of Villains’ inaugural season.

Tanisha’s strategy was to compete authentically

Although Tanisha had one of the biggest personalities on the House of Villains roster, she wasn’t viewed as a top-tier villain. When she spoke with The Messenger after the finale aired in December, Tanisha said she used her dynamic identity as her main strategy to win over her housemates.

“I recognize most people would not see me as a villain — at least not my fans. They know I’m really a sweetheart at my core. However, I feel like it was so great to show that there’s so many facets … like, I could be a villain, I could be a sweetheart. It really depends on the day and the circumstance. And I won being true to myself, being real and honest and loving and caring, and to have my fellow villains vote for me in the end was super dope.”

Tanisha also beamed about her and Bananas’ friendship. Besides recently helping him open up a boxing gym in Boca Raton, Florida, she said she viewed him like a “new brother.” “They’re calling us Banisha online, it’s wild,” Tanisha said. “They love us. They’re saying we’re the duo you never knew you needed. And I agree.”

She also gave the seven-time Challenge champion major credit for her success on House of Villains. But, that’s not to say that Tanisha isn’t tipping a cap to herself.

“If it was not for him, I don’t know if I would have made it to the finals. I mean, I didn’t really win a challenge. But ultimately, I think I won. What’s most important was the respect and the love and the compassion of the house and this understanding that Tanisha is a valuable player despite her not winning any challenges — like, we should keep her around if not for anything else, for her entertainment purposes or whatever it was. But I’m glad that they did. And he definitely, I think, contributed to me standing next to him in the end, and I’m sure that probably will haunt him for a long time, but it’s OK.”

E! has yet to announce whether or not they’ll go ahead with a second season of House of Villains. It was a super fun product, but, although not terrible, the ratings and social media engagement weren’t a homerun. Hopefully the network films season 2. But, if they don’t, Tanisha will live in the history books as America’s one and only Ultimate Supervillain — a well-deserved title.

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