What’s the use of having reality shows if there isn’t going to be some divatude on the show that grabs your attention, right? Right. Thankfully, we’ve compiled a list of top 20 divas, who not only grabbed attention with their antics on their shows, but also created a brand for themselves while doing so. Without further ado, here’s our list of Top 20 Reality Show Divas of All Time:
20. Tiny & Toya
Divatude: One is the new wife of T.I. (that would be the redhead, Tiny). The other is the former wife of Lil Wayne.
Both tried to grow into their womanhood on their self-titled show, attempting entrepreneurship and fulfilling motherhood duties. They sported lots of high-heeled pumps and gave a little sass while doing so.
19. Jade – “America’s Next Top Model”
Divatude: This former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant wasn’t “green” like her name suggests. According to the diva Jade, it was other contestants who were green with envy at her “undiscovered supermodel” status. Oh, Jade.
18. The Osbournes
Divatude: This foul-mouthed family couldn’t be more loving towards each other…er in their own #@^!%@$ kind of way. The patriach of the family, Ozzy could not have had a more dedicated & nutty matriarch by his side: Sharon. The first season of “The Osbournes” became MTV’s most watched series ever.
17. Bethenny Frankel – “Bethenny Getting Married?”
Divatude: This “Real Housewife of New York” had acted in movies and placed second on “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” before she even became a “housewife.” What’s more, she had a degree from N.Y.U., and her own catering business before RHONY aired. During the show, she found true love and landed her own spinoff: “Bethenny Getting Married?” which had the highest ratings of any series debut in Bravo history. Just what more could you ask of this diva?
16. Snooki – “Jersey Shore”
Divatude: Who could fail to take notice of the uber-short Snooki (a.k.a. Nicole Polizzi), whose clumsy appearances on MTV’s hit show, “Jersey Shore” keep audiences laughing? Don’t mistake this seemingly cute diva for a mouse though. She brings 100 percent kick-buttness to the TV screen.
15. Kate Gosselin – “Jon & Kate, Plus 8”
Divatude: The ever saucy Kate Gosselin grew in popularity alongside her then-husband Jon Gosselin. Their TLC reality show about marriage with eight children, “Jon & Kate, Plus 8,” gave us insight into his and her antics. After the two divorced in 2009, Kate took to changing her hair, and we took to scratching ours, wondering why we cared so much about the diva and her ex.
14. Tyra Banks – “America’s Next Top Model”
Divatude: On the her very own “America’s Next Top Model” show, Madame Tyra Banks is supposed to serve as a judge on the show, but ends up in almost every pic in which the contestants are featured. And, if that’s not diva enough for you, who could forget her infamous Tiffany tantrum? Errr…Hmm.
13. Aubrey O’Day – “Making the Band”
Divatude: Aubrey O’Day’s diva antics increased exponentially after she made the band, so to speak, on P. Diddy’s audition-based reality show, “Making the Band.” The band, which became known as Danity Kane, experienced heavy tensions, which led O’Day to question P. Diddy about his intentions for the group. And…you know, since Diddy’s ego can’t handle being “questioned,” the two split ways and O’Day found freedom, botox, and bisexuality.
12. The Kardashians – “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”
Divatude: The Kardashians are the easily supreme divas in any town, but their family unit resides in Calabasas, California. The sassy, entrepreneurial bunch yielded such high ratings for their flagship show, “Kepping Up With the Kardashians,” that they earned a spinoff show focused on Khourtney and Khloe, entitled “Khourtney & Khloe Take Miami.” They run two clothing stores in both Miami and Calabasas and keep very busy being the fab divas that they are.
11. Tanisha – “Bad Girls Club”
Divatude: This “queen of bad” made the train wreck that is “Bad Girls Club” even more impossible to avoid. From banging on pans to screaming at the top of her lungs, to reciting her mantra, “pop off son!” Tanisha left quite an impression on the show. To date, she’s the only ‘bad girl’ whose 15 minutes of fame lasted long enough to earn her a spot on a celeb reality show, “Celebrity Fit Club,” on VH1.
10. Tila Tequila – “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila”
Divatude: This tiny vixen showcased her wild, flirty behavior on the MTV reality show, “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” which aired for two seasons. Since then, she’s been caught up in pregnancy rumors—most notably one involving rapper The Game, and a few instances of violence in the public sphere. We do hope she takes care of herself.
9. Que – “Making the Band”
Divatude: Que began a relationship with Dawn when the two appeared on “Making the Band” together. Thank goodness, as usual, for a woman’s presence because his behavior on the last season of “Making the Band” was nothing short of diva-filled. He cried, he screamed—and just fumed so much that only Dawn could save him.
8. Dennis Rodman – “Celebrity Apprentice”
Divatude: On Donald Trump’s business-based reality show, “Celebrity Apprentice,” all the celebs seemed to notice Rodman’s drinking problem, save for Rodman himself. Naturally, he brought tons of drama to each episode, which eventually resulted in him getting…you guessed it…fired.
7. Kimora Lee Simmons – “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane”
Divatude: The former wife of Russell Simmons gives us insight into her glamorous life on “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.” When she’s not covered in sparkly outfits or getting glammed for an event, she’s raising two littler divas, her baby Kenzo, and doting on her new husband, Djimon Honsou.
6. Sheree Whitfield – “Real Housewives of Atlanta”
Divatude: The former wife of a football player, Whitfield had been caught in a divorce settlement battle, from which she’d hoped to get piles of money. The battle turned out to be a losing war with her ex. But, it was a war she says strengthened her on the show, “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” You could hear every bit of her strength in her signature retort to one punk of an event planner: “who gon’ check me boo?”
5. Janice Dickinson – “Surreal Life”
Divatude: Originally a judge on Tyra Banks’ “America’s Next Top Model,” Dickerson parted ways with the modeling show and landed her own. The self-proclaimed ‘world’s first supermodel’ could be seen afterwards in many dramatic reality TV moments, not just on “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency,” but also through her infamous fights with Omarosa on VH1’s “Surreal Life.”
4. Nene Leakes – “Real Housewives of Atlanta”
Divatude: Between her stripper past, her antics with her (soon-to-be ex?) husband, her eldest son’s troubles, and her constant aggressiveness on the show, “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” it’s hard to figure out how this diva found time for her brand new nose job (not shown in pic). But, she did find time—and the jury’s out on whether or not it suits her.
3. Dwight Eubank – “Real Housewives of Atlanta”
Divatude: While the Atlanta “housewives” grab the highest percentage of divas on this list, Dwight Eubank grabs the highest percentage of divatude on “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” From his very first show-stealing moment with Nene Leakes, to his superhero save of Sheree Whitfield’s fashion show, it’s hard not to give Eubank some love. “A fashion show with no fashions? How dreadful!”
2. New York – “I Love New York”
Divatude: Who knows what New York is up to these days really, but even if she’s gone forever, it’s hard to debate the villainous mark she left on VH1’s reality show lineup. New York, whose real name is Tiffany Pollard, managed to appear on the two seasons of “Flavor of Love” and land four seasons of her own spin-off show. Puzzling, yes, but not too far-fetched, considering her reputation as the train wreck you couldn’t stop watching.
1. Omarosa – “The Apprentice” & “The Ultimate Merger”
Divatude: This vixen couldn’t leave the reality television business if you paid her. Well, maybe if you paid her a large, large sum of money, she would indeed leave, because we all know this diva is all about that cash. Quick to give you a cuss-out for fun, Omarosa rose the ranks of reality show divatude from Donald Trump’s business reality show “The Apprentice,” to “Celebrity Apprentice,” to a show Trump himself produced for her: “The Ultimate Merger.”
How’s that for a diva, huh?
Let us know if some other diva should have knocked Omarosa off the top spot—or, if we’re missing any divas from this list!
