15 'Bachelor' Contestants We All Love To Hate

The Bachelor is one of the most popular reality shows around. Millions of viewers tune in every week to stay current on all of the dramatic happenings that take place inside the show's lavish mansion (oh yeah… and there's also that whole falling in love and getting engaged thing). If you've ever watched a single episode of The Bachelor, you've probably heard the phrase "I didn't come here to make friends" more times than you can even count. Let's face it, some people are there for a shot at love while others are there for their fifteen minutes of fame… even if it means going down in history as one of the biggest villains in bachelor franchise history. These iconic adversaries have lied, cheated, manipulated, back-stabbed, started arguments, and made a house full of enemies in the process. Trust us, no amount of crafty editing by production is enough to excuse the behavior of these unruly past contestants.

Mike Fleiss, an executive producer of The Bachelor and its many spin-offs within the franchise recently revealed that villains are just important to the show's success as the people who are there looking for their potential soulmate. Fleiss insisted that the show casts villains on purpose saying, “We need our fair share of villains every season. And now we're very careful in our casting… to develop characters that the audience is going to root for and root against”. It should come as no surprise that when it comes to reality television there are two kinds of personalities: those we all love… and those we all love to hate.

Here are 15 of the most villainous Bachelor contestants ever.

15 Kalon McMahon

Kalon McMahon appeared on season eight of The Bachelorette and became a controversial contestant right from the start. The then-27-year-old was one of the two dozen men competing to win the heart of Emily Maynard, a devoted single mother from North Carolina. Kalon certainly made a grand entrance on the show's premiere when he arrived at the Bachelorette mansion in a helicopter. McMahon made it no secret that he comes from a wealthy family and it was abundantly clear that he thought he was better than everyone else. He often clashed with the other men on the show and could always be found at the center of every argument. The self-proclaimed 'reformed player' instantly rubbed both viewers and his competition the wrong way with his constant bragging and antagonistic attitude. McMahon was a far cry from humble, describing himself as “a young, fun, good-looking guy with a few dollars in my pocket. I can wine. I can dine. I am the modern Southern gentleman."

Of course, every season of The Bachelorette needs at least one unforgettable villain to stir the pot, but Kalon's days were numbered once word got back to Emily that had some pretty harsh things to say about her young daughter. Tensions rose to an all-time high during a group date when Maynard confronted McMahon in front of his housemates. Emily asked Kalon outright if he actually referred to her child as "baggage" -- a claim that he did fess up to. After giving him a piece of her mind, Maynard proceeded to tell Kalon to “get the f--- out” and he was eliminated on the spot (and rightfully so, if you ask us!). The Bachelorette has gone on to have many successful seasons since then, but Kalon McMahon still remains one of the most disliked contestants of all time.

14 Tierra LiCausi

Season 17 of The Bachelor was filled with more drama than usual, and we had Tierra LiCausi to thank for every ounce of it. She was an instant favorite from the start and it seemed like the 20something would do pretty much anything to steal Sean Lowe's attention away from the other ladies, even if it meant fabricating serious medical situations and getting hauled off on a stretcher. Yup, Tierra was all kinds of crazy but she made for some seriously riveting reality television. LiCausi would put on her best innocent act in front of Sean, but as soon as she was alone in a room full of women she would throw temper tantrums, make catty remarks and take center stage during every fight. Tierra was so insufferable that she even earned herself the nickname “Tierra-ble”.

Tierra's most memorable moment was definitely when she got into a heated argument with fellow contestant Ashlee Frazier. The women went back and forth about Tierra's bratty behavior, with Tierra infamously yelling “I can't control my eyebrow!” when accused of giving other contestants dirty looks. She even said that she had a special “sparkle” about her, which was more than enough to solidify her spot as everyone's favorite villain. Sean eventually gave Tierra the boot, but she took her craziness a step further when she appeared on the Women Tell All post-season special with a giant diamond ring from an unnamed (and likely imaginary) fiancé. Tierra refused to speak of her alleged husband-to-be and the other women on the panel accused her of making the whole thing up. Sure enough, once all of the Bachelor hype died down Tierra announced that she ended her so-called engagement. Sure, she may have been totally out of her mind, but that's exactly what we liked about her.

13 JJ Lane

Arrogant, cocky, outspoken: these are all qualities any woman would want in a potential husband, right? Way wrong! JJ Lane graced us with his presence on Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of The Bachelorette and right from the start, he was a clear contender for the title of most despised contestant ever. Just in case you weren't convinced he was someone you'd love to hate by episode two, he once told cameras, "More than anything I'm feeling just smugness wrapped inside of cockiness wrapped inside of confidence wrapped inside "I just talked to the girl and you didn't." JJ didn't get along with many of the other guys on the show, but he took a strong liking to fellow villain, Clint Arlis.

In true Bachelorette fashion, these two showed their true colors when Kaitlyn was gone. JJ and Clint developed a budding bromance, even saying that they have a better time with each other than with the girl they were supposed to be competing for. The diabolical duo strangely took great pride in fulfilling the bad-boy roles on the show, even coining the infamous catchphrase “villains gotta vill”. Though both guys were up to no good, JJ was the obvious true antagonist of the season. Although he was super annoying and made us all cringe with his over-inflated ego, there was something about JJ that made viewers want to tune every week. There's no denying it, JJ Lane is one contestant we all just loved to hate.

12 Joe Bailey

We first were introduced to Joe Bailey on season 11 of The Bachelorette where he had his sights set on Kaitlyn Bristowe. Joe was best known as the sometimes unintentionally humorous, slightly dim-witted, guy-next-door type with a thick Southern drawl. Both Kaitlyn and most of America took a liking to him. Unfortunately for Bailey, he wasn't able to win Bristowe's heart, but he made his second reality TV appearance on the following season of Bachelor In Paradise. It seemed like as soon as Joe stepped foot on the island of singles he became an entirely different person. Viewers were stunned as he openly deceived, manipulated, and spoke poorly about several of his fellow female contestants. It was later revealed that Joe had one goal in Paradise, and that was to link up with Samantha Steffen from Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor.

There was only one problem for Joe: he was determined to do whatever it took to stay on the island, even if it meant trampling other people's hearts in the process. Joe reached an entirely new level of d-baggery when he took advantage of Juelia Kinney's interest in him. Kinney was a single mother whose husband tragically passed away, and she came on the show with the genuine intent of falling in love again. Joe said he wanted to be with her but it was a total lie. Even former villain JJ Lane redeemed himself by confronting Bailey for the way he treated his co-star. Eventually, Joe's deplorable actions finally caught up with him, and once Samantha arrived on the island she played him like a fiddle and sent him packing in favor of another suitor. Although Joe definitely got what he deserved, he will forever be known as one of reality TV's most unlikable characters.

11 Nick Peterson

Don't let Courtney Robertson's beauty and charm fool you. Courtney appeared on Ben Flajnik's season of The Bachelor, and she was the clear-cut villain right from the start. Robertson was super confident that she would be able to wrap Ben around her finger, and that's exactly what she did. The other contestants were both threatened by Courtney's beauty and disgusted by her manipulative ways, but Ben was seemingly under her spell from day one. Every time one of the other women would try to warn Ben about Courtney's bad behavior, she would instantly regain control by flirting her way to the top. On one occasion, the model even stripped down to her birthday suit for an impromptu skinny-dipping session.

On top of all that, viewers were treated to an extra dose of Courtney's villainous ways during her private sit-down interviews, where she would often talk smack about her competition and brag about how she was 'winning.' Sure enough, Courtney did become the last lady standing on finale night, with Ben getting down on one knee and presenting her with a sparkly Neil Lane diamond ring. However, once Ben was able to watch the show he saw Courtney's true colors and the couple had a tumultuous on again/off again relationship until they finally parted ways for good. Whether you loved her or couldn't stand her, there's just no denying that Courtney Robertson truly made the sixteenth installment of The Bachelor a standout season.

9 Chad Johnson

Let's be honest: when you sign up to be on a reality TV show, you should pretty much expect to be exploited to some degree. Often, contestants on The Bachelor complain that they were given “the villain edit” in order to boost ratings, but for Chad Johnson, being the bad guy was a dream come true. Chad became an overnight sensation when he appeared on season twelve of The Bachelorette, where he was set to compete for the heart of JoJo Fletcher. The workout-obsessed, deli meat-eating, muscle man didn't hold back one bit during his time on the show, often butting heads with pretty much every other guy on the show and even JoJo herself on occasion. The cocky breakout star insisted from the beginning that he would be the winner, and he made little effort to engage in group date activities or make nice with his housemates because, in his mind, he was above everything. Chad made for some seriously riveting reality television, mainly because viewers never knew what to expect from him next.

On one group date, Chad almost crossed the line when he told JoJo that she was being too “naggy” for his liking. Despite his numerous flaws, JoJo kept Chad around until he caused utter chaos back at The Bachelorette mansion. He was so unpredictable and out of his mind that the other men didn't feel safe around him and security had to be on stand-by at all times. It wasn't until JoJo caught wind of the physical threats Chad made to eventual winner, Jordan Rodgers that she sent him packing once and for all. Of course, that wouldn't be the last we would see of Chad Johnson, who went on to appear on the following season of Bachelor In Paradise. "Hurricane Chad" was a true force to be reckoned with once he entered paradise, picking fights with everyone from the cast and crew to the host. Needless to say, production gave Johnson the boot after one night on the island, and Chad further solidified himself as one of the most notorious Bachelor contestants that we all loved to hate (and hated to love).

8 Juan Pablo Galavis

Juan Pablo Galavis made Bachelor history as not only the first Latino to headline the series, but he also earned himself the title as one of the most hated bachelors ever. Juan Pablo became a surprising fan favorite when he first appeared on Desiree Hartsock's season of The Bachelorette. Though he didn't have a whole lot of screen time before being sent home, viewers were captivated by his hunky looks and his thick Venezuelan accent. Producers would soon regret their decision to make him the next Bachelor for a number of reasons, with the most notable being that he didn't seem to care one bit about the women's feelings… or even falling in love for that matter. Juan Pablo frequently disregarded the women's concerns by telling them that “it's okay” whenever they voiced an opinion. One contestant, Andi Dorfman, was so repulsed by Juan Pablo's demeanor that she told him off and voluntarily eliminated herself from the show.

To add insult to injury, Galavis infamously hooked up with runner-up Clare Crawley in the ocean shortly before sending her home, a move that quite clearly upset viewers. Shockingly, despite his many flaws, one woman still desperately wanted to be with him. Nikki Ferrell happily accepted Juan Pablo's final rose, and in another shocking moment, he failed to both propose to her and tell her he loved her. This bold move secured his fate as the most disliked Bachelor of all time, but regardless of how awful he was, Juan Pablo definitely made for some entertaining reality TV.

7 Kelsey Poe

The Bachelor usually casts some unique contestants with interesting back stories, and season 19's Kelsey Poe definitely made sure that everyone knew about her unfortunate past. The school guidance counselor signed up for the show in hopes of winning Chris Soules' heart, but instead she made a name for herself as someone we all couldn't stand, yet couldn't get enough of. Poe appeared to be very calculated in her tactics to steamroll her way to the top, even if her success came at everyone else's expense. Her interviews often consisted of her talking poorly about the other women on the show, but Kelsey's biggest downfall was her offbeat remarks about her late-husband. While Poe was previously married, her husband unexpectedly passed away, making her a widow before she even hit her mid-20s.

Of course, her situation was extremely unfortunate, but many felt as though she was using a detailed account of her past as a way to get an advantage over the competition. After revealing what had happened to Chris, a very satisfied (and borderline smug) Kelsey was all smiles when she was shown during a private interview, where she infamously said “Isn't my story amazing!? It's tragic, but it's amazing." Kelsey was given the title of “the black widow” by other contestants, and she immediately became one of the most distasteful contestants the show has ever seen. She certainly had her flaws, but we just couldn't look away every time she came on the screen. Kelsey was surely one Bachelor contestant that everyone loved to hate.

6 Bentley Williams

Few people on the show come close to the foulness of Bentley Williams. Bentley appeared on the seventh season of The Bachelorette that starred Ashley Hebert. Ashley was into Bentley, but he made it clear to viewers that the feelings weren't mutual. Williams confessed to cameras that he not only found Ashley unattractive, but he only signed up for the show in hopes that Emily Maynard would be The Bachelorette. The mean-spirited villain even referred to Hebert as an “ugly duckling,” which was enough to make all of America loathe him. Williams humiliated Hebert in front of millions of viewers when he quit the show during week three.

As if things weren't going bad enough, Bentley selfishly decided to string Ashley along yet again when he randomly showed up for a final face-to-face conversation with the heartbroken bachelorette. All of the drama proved to be more than Ashley signed up for, telling Bentley, “I thought you respected me enough as a human being to give me the closure that I needed if you were going to leave me at that point, and you didn't.” In true bad-boy form, Williams later assured cameras that the reason for his return wasn't that he was interested in Ashley, but that he just wanted to see her again (and likely get more screen time to cash in on his fifteen minutes of fame). It's super clear to see why Bentley Williams made it so easy to hate him. Many seasons have come and gone since then, yet Williams is still known as one big giant jerk.

5 Leah Block

Leah Block appeared on season 20 of The Bachelor, where she was one of the lovely ladies hoping to steal the heart of Ben Higgins. Leah appeared to be somewhat shy and sweet throughout the course of the season, but when she finally sensed that Ben was losing interest in her, she proved herself to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Having never received a one-on-one date from Higgins while everyone else had already spent ample alone time with him, Leah assumed that she would be the next one sent home. During a group date, Leah saw an opportunity to get a leg-up over her biggest competition, clear front-runner Lauren Bushnell.

Leah stunned Ben when she told him that Lauren couldn't be trusted. Of course, Leah successfully planted a seed of doubt about Lauren in his head, causing quite the controversy once word got back to the rest of the women. Block's bold-faced lie came back to bite her, as she was eventually sent home and Lauren Bushnell won the entire season. Months later on the follow-up Women Tell All episode, the other girls confronted Leah about her insecurity and her backstabbing ways, but Leah was unapologetic about her actions. Needless to say, Leah's sudden switch from quiet contestant to the season's biggest villain was shocking, but if Block appeared on the show with the intention of getting her fifteen minutes of fame, she sure managed to accomplish her goal. There's no way around it, all of us loved to hate her.

4 Ian Thompson

Though he might not have had a whole lot of screen time during his stint on The Bachelorette, Ian Thompson managed to dig a hole for himself and earn himself a spot as one of the most hate-able contestants in the show's lengthy history. Thompson appeared on season eleven as one of the love-seeking hopefuls pursuing a relationship with Kaitlyn Bristowe. Thompson was overtly cocky, smug, and incredibly offensive during his entire stint on the show, often telling cameras that he could sleep with any woman he wanted and that Kaitlyn wasn't as attractive as his ex-girlfriend. Things only got worse for Ian when he approached Kaitlyn for a private sit-down, where he unleashed a verbal barrage of insults on the poor unsuspecting bachelorette.

Thompson proceeded to tell a visibly disgruntled Kaitlyn that she was merely a “surface level person” who only was only there to “make-out with a bunch of dudes on TV."  To make matters worse, Ian continued to insult the star by calling her “shallow” while complimenting his own character. Viewers were aghast by Thompson's level of blatant disrespect, and he instantly became a hated character for obvious reasons. Months later on the Men Tell All special, Thompson appeared to acknowledge the errors of his ways and offered an apology to Kaitlyn but the damage had already been done. Ian Thompson's reputation will forever be that of a reality TV super-villain that everyone absolutely loved to hate.

3 Michelle Money

With a name like hers, you've either got to be super awesome or super devious. We'd like to think that Michelle, who appeared on season 15 of The Bachelor, was a little bit of both. Money couldn't quite win the heart of Brad Womack, but she did walk away with the title of the 'biggest villain' on her season. It was very clear that Michelle wasn't on the show to make friends, but not to worry, because she didn't really make any during her stint in the Bachelor mansion. Money was super aggressive in her pursuit of Womack, and she made sure to trash-talk any woman who stood in her way of getting the final rose. Her relentless pushiness and antagonistic ways proved to be too much for Brad, who sent her packing following a steamy date in Anguilla.

Deterred by her assertiveness, Womack told cameras, “I think kissing Michelle went a little too far” before giving her the boot towards the end of the season. Michelle went on to appear on a season of Bachelor In Paradise, where she managed to redeem herself and show off her true human side. She linked up with former Bachelorette castoff, Cody Sattler, and the two had a whirlwind romance for some time before appearing on season five of Marriage Bootcamp: Reality Stars, only to call it quits a short time later. Although it has been several years since Michelle Money's stint on The Bachelor, she still remains one of the best-known villains the show has ever had.

2 Vienna Girardi

When Vienna Girardi appeared on season 14 of the popular reality show, she tried her hardest to win the heart of Jake Pavelka. The dramatic diva ultimately did end up receiving the final rose, but not before reaping havoc throughout the entire season. Vienna rubbed many of her fellow housemates the wrong way, but she particularly had bad blood with Ali Fedotowsky. Vienna was without a doubt, the villain on her season, and fans were super surprised when Jake decided to ask for her hand in marriage on the show's finale. Needless to say, Vienna and Jake didn't last very long as a couple in the real world, and the former flames engaged in an infamous grudge match during a 2010 Bachelor special. The pair bickered back and forth and hurled accusations at one another, with Vienna exposing Jake's cheating ways and Jake yelling at her to let him speak, causing her to storm off the stage in tears. Of course, that wouldn't be the last we'd all see of Girardi, who appeared on season two of Bachelor Pad.

Vienna found herself in the middle of another totally toxic relationship, this time with Kasey Kahl (who was a castoff from Fedotowsky's season of The Bachelorette). Vienna and Kasey became notorious for their heated arguments and often broke up… only to get right back together again. After being in two rocky romances on national television, it's pretty safe to assume that the common denominator was Vienna and that she was the bulk of the problem. Girardi and Kahl aired out all of their dirty laundry once and for all when they appeared together on VH1's Couple's Therapy. Eventually, the mismatched couple finally broke up, and Vienna had become one of the most notorious and most despised contestants from the entire Bachelor franchise.

1 Nick Viall

Let's face it: if you don't know who Nick Viall is by now then you definitely aren't up to date on your Bachelor knowledge. He's totally a contestant that we loved and loathed at the exact same time. We first met the smooth-talking, over-confident, ladies' man in season ten of The Bachelorette, where he competed for the affection of Andi Dorfman. Viall was an immediate front-runner from the get-go, which became a major point of contention for other men on the show. Andi gave Nick the first impression rose on night one, and by the end of the season, he had secured himself a spot in the final two alongside his rival, Josh Murray. On an episode of After The Final Rose, a bitter Viall spilled the beans on the intimate moments that took place between him and Dorfman while in the fantasy suite, saying “If you weren't in love with me, I'm just not sure why… why you made love with me”. The revelation sent shockwaves around the world, and Nick became a notorious a-hole virtually overnight.

Of course, we would become reacquainted with Nick yet again when he made a surprise appearance on the next season of The Bachelorette, this time setting his sights on Kaitlyn Bristowe. Kaitlyn was smitten with Nick from the start, admitting that they had exchanged some flirty moments prior to filming. She decided to keep Nick as a contestant, much to the dismay of pretty much every other guy on the show. Her band of suitors all saw Nick's manipulating ways, but there was no convincing Kaitlyn to send him packing. Viall and Kaitlyn got hot and heavy off-camera, enraging other contestants. Again, Viall made it to the final two on finale night and for the second time, didn't get the second rose. We would see Viall on the franchise for a third time on season three of Bachelor In Paradise, only this time things went much different for the polarizing reality star. Nick became a surprising fan fave while looking for love on the island, as he showed off his more genuine and caring side. Nick became so popular among viewers, in fact, that production made the shocking choice for him to headline the upcoming season of The Bachelor. This would mark Viall's fourth appearance on the show, making him the most baffling mixture of both good and evil. What can we say? We can't wait to see this villain-turned-hero make a comeback as The Bachelor. Looks like this time, being someone we all love to hate has finally paid off.