@lizburrito Published Feb. 26, 2026, 1:00 p.m. ET Where to Stream: House Of Villains Powered by Reelgood More On: TV Reviews Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Part 2 on Netflix, Where Benedict and Sophie’s Forbidden Fairy Tale Gets Its Happy Ending ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Part 2 Has a Unique Problem: Too Many Bridgertons Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Scrubs’ Season 10 On ABC, A Return Of The 2000s Hospital Comedy, But Now J.D., Turk And Elliot Are The Ones In Charge At Sacred Heart Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Taylor Tomlinson: Prodigal Daughter’ On Netflix, Where The Former Late-Night Host Addresses “A Lot Of God Stuff And A Lot Of Gay Stuff” Every great reality show has at least one villain – whether they mean to be or not – but there’s always someone who’s not here to make friends. And that’s why the premise of Peacock’s House of Villains is so genius: gather up the most treacherous cast members from some of the most notable shows, and put them all in a house together and see what happens. The series is heading into season 3 this week and with a cast that includes Tiffany “New York Pollard (again!), Tom Sandoval, Drita D’Avanzo and more, it’s more duplicitous – and funnier – than ever.
Opening Shot: Okay, it’s not the opening shot of the first episode, but this season of House of Villains features the cast doing an opening credits dance routine, a la The Perfect Couple, and it’s truly unexpected and entertaining.
The Gist: “The premise of the show is simple,” host Joel McHale tells the 11 House of Villains contestants when he first arrives at their house, called the Villains’ Lair. “You take all the things you got in trouble in the past for, lying, cheating, talking shit, literally being in the mob, and use them to claim the title of America’s ultimate super villain.” (And to also win $200,000.) The 11 competitors assembled this season are Tiffany “New York” Pollard, the self-proclaimed HBIC who has appeared on the show every season so far, also with Mob Wives fan favorite Drita D’Avanzo, Basketball Wives star Jackie Christie, Vanderpump Rules‘ Tom Sandoval, Below Deck star Kate Chastain, Selling Sunset‘s Christine Quinn, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Plane Jane, Love Island playboy Johnny Middlebrooks, Big Brother‘s Paul Abrahamian, Survivor winner Tyson Apostol and The Challenge‘s Ashley Mitchell. At various times on all of their shows, each of these people has done something conniving or vicious and earned a reputation for it, and on this show, they’ll compete in a series of challenges where they can use their reputations to their advantage.
The weekly winner, the Super Villain, gets to choose two allies and they’re given the power to select three other competitors to go on the week’s “Hit List,” a.k.a. the short list for elimination, and ultimately two of them will compete in a final challenge where one of them will be eliminated. Alliances will be made (and betrayed), and by the end of the season, the cast will have been whittled down to a precious few until one Super Villain remains.
This season features a few new twists and rules: There’s a brand new Stronghold and the introduction of a Super Villain suite, which is a posh, private room where one player gets to sleep. Past competitors like Johnny Bananas make cameos. But what you’re really here for is the battle of wits (and egos) of a group of TV’s biggest personalities.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? When House of Villains first premiered in 2023, it came out just as a bunch of similar “reality all-star” shows were arriving on the scene like The Traitors, which is so beloved and addictive it won an Emmy, and The GOAT, a Daniel Tosh-hosted competition that the world has long forgotten. House of Villains has settled into a space somewhere in between the two; it’s nowhere near as campy and stylish as The Traitors, but it’s also a great way to reunite beloved characters and offer a platform for their often hilarious, sometimes crass schtick.
Our Take: House of Villains originally aired on E! and that made sense: it feels very much like a throwback E! show, especially as it relies heavily on Joel McHale’s signature sarcasm and reality TV-roasting skills that he honed on The Soup in the early aughts. (None of the contestants on this show are immune to his snide comments, and they’re all self-aware enough to laugh at the jokes.) One gets the sense that the NBC Universal overlords want to coast a little on The Traitors coattails at the moment, which is why they moved the show to Peacock for Season 3 just as The Traitors‘ latest season is ending so it will fill the void that show leaves.
The thing House of Villains typically does so well is casting. While some people who have been on this show (cough, Omarosa) have taken themselves too seriously, this season is a chaotic and hilarious mix of characters. Bringing New York back for another season is smart because that woman will be a reality star till the day she dies, and this show is the ideal vehicle for her. Folks like Tom, Drita, Plane Jane and Christine Quinn are all funny – usually intentionally, sometimes not. But the show would truly be nothing without such brash personalities that can turn up the villainy while also constructing the perfect jokes with a knowing wink.
Performance Worth Watching: New York. It’s always New York.
Sex And Skin: None, although Ashley Mitchell hints that she’s open to hooking up with her roommate Johnny Middlebrooks.
Parting Shot: Super Villain Tyson sits in the Stronghold and selects three players to put up for banishment. He names Paul, then Christine, and – oop, we won’t find out the last person till next time.
Sleeper Star: No one in this cast is subtle or understated, but in a sea of big personalities, my favorite is always gonna be my girl Drita. If you know Mob Wives, you’ll understand why it was so funny when Jackie Christie said of Drita, “She was beatin’ up Karens before it was even cool.” IYKYK.
Most Pilot-y Line: “I’m just wondering, why am I here at House of Villains?” Tom Sandoval asks when he is first introduced on the show. He then quickly follows up with, “I’m kidding, I know why I’m here. When you make some bad decisions in your life like I have, this is where you end up.”
Our Call: STREAM IT! House of Villains is a throwback to the celebreality era of TV, but for as badly-behaved as the cast can be, they’ve made sure they’re also funny as hell, which is what makes the show so watchable.
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.
