Could Felon Anna Sorokin Host the ‘House of Villains’ Reality TV Show?
Most of us like to cheer for the underdog or the sweetheart. But those characters wouldn’t be the favorites in their stories without the villains they face. But what happens in a plot where all of the cast is cut from the same twisted cloth? If rumors are to be trusted, that’s the premise of an upcoming new reality TV show from E! called House of Villains.
The series will put all of the biggest villains from across the unscripted universe on a collision course. The most cunning, sly — and dare we say unlikeable — cast members from franchises like Real Housewives, The Challenge, and The Bachelor will compete against one another to crown an ultimate villain hero. And, it might all be hosted by a real-life conwoman.
‘House of Villains’ is rumored to be a ‘Big Brother’-style show
There is very little solidly confirmed information about the much-rumored series from E! Vanderpump Rules’ fired villain, Jax Taylor, seemingly confirmed the show’s existence in a Tweet about a month ago, per Just Jared. However, he has since deleted that evidence. Other would-be participants, including The Apprentice’s Omarosa Manigault Newman and Big Brother’s Rachel Reilly, haven’t made a peep about the show on social media.
One social media account known for breaking reality TV news, The Real Housewives Zone, said the show will supposedly be in the style of Big Brother. Contestants will be sequestered in a mansion together and ousted based on popular or jurors’ vote. The key to success on those shows, which might also include The Traitors and Survivor, is forming solid alliances and choosing the right moments to break them.
Rumored contestants like Johnny Bananas (The Challenge), Tiffany Pollard (Flavor of Love), and Heidi Montag (The Hills) should have no trouble figuring out potentially winning strategies if they do end up making the cast roster. If they have any qualms about taking their deception to the next level, they might have to look no further for an example than the show’s potential host, Anna Sorokin.
Anna Sorokin’s paused deportation could make hosting ‘House of Villains’ possible
Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, has exhibited deception that goes beyond your garden variety reality TV tropes. The con artist was arrested and found guilty of grand larceny, among other charges, for pretending to be a wealthy socialite while defrauding banks and friends out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Her story was retold in the Netflix miniseries, Inventing Anna.
Sorokin served almost four years in prison and was released in 2021 on probation. She was detained again for overstaying her passport shortly afterward but has since been under house arrest in New York City on a $10,000 bond. The judge in Sorokin’s deportation case ruled that the fake heiress “has demonstrated interest in pursuing legitimate employment” in the U.S. and that her activities would be under heavy scrutiny given her prior conviction, Forbes summarized. As a result, he did not deem her to be a significant flight risk. (Sorokin, for her part, is appealing her conviction and subsequent deportation order.)
Given Sorokin’s terms of release on bond, including the house arrest and a social media ban, it’s unclear if she could host a series like House of Villains. Perhaps the contestants will post up in Sorokin’s East Village apartment building?
It wouldn’t be the first time Sorokin has rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous since her release: According to Town & Country, in recent months, she has hosted invitation-only dinners with actors, journalists, musicians, and other social elites in small groups dubbed Delvey’s Dinner Club.
The E! network is looking for another reality TV show hit
It’s been a while since E! dominated the reality TV airwaves: That’s more in Bravo’s wheelhouse these days. (Meanwhile, E!’s programming relies heavily on reruns of Saved by the Bell and Modern Family.) However, E! was the network that first brought us Keeping Up With the Kardashians, so we suppose any new projects by the NBC-backed brand can’t be dismissed. Plus, having marquee TV villains and Sorokin as a host could increase fans’ interest.
The network was a reality hitmaker for several years: Chelsea Handler’s Chelsea Lately was a mainstay on the platform for several years. It also hosted the Kardashian spin-offs like Khloe and Lamar and Kourtney and Kim Take New York. The E! True Hollywood Story also ran for 19 seasons and spilled the tea on the dramatic happenings in Tinseltown, and was considered a staple for the brand.
E! News is still around, but it’s safe to say the network is searching for another hit that can revive the brand’s relevancy. Perhaps pitting the country’s biggest and baddest TV nemeses against each other will do the trick.
