TVSquad

So, I was going to do a list about the most villainous women of reality TV but then I thought...wouldn't a list of bad-ass women be way more interesting? Being bad is overrated (almost as overrated as being good). But being bad-ass, now that's a tricky balancing act, one that is way more intriguing.

This list therefore is dedicated to the women of reality TV that make being bad look oh so good. And no, Omarosa Stallworth-whatever is NOT on the list. I'll explain why after the jump.

Let me just get the omission of Omarosa out of the way now. Firstly, she's on like every list about reality TV I have ever seen. It's too easy to include her on yet another one. She and Jonny Fairplay are the fall-backs for almost every reality TV list. Secondly, she's really just bad, not a bad-ass. She was an inconsiderate bitch on The Apprentice and I don't think she deserves a spot with these other women.)

Oh my gosh. I've gone too far. In explaining why I will not include Omarosa, I have inadvertantly included her on yet another reality TV "best of" list.

Jillian Michaels (#10)

Show(s): The Biggest Loser

Why she's a bad-ass: Trained in martial arts disciplines such as Muay Thai and Akarui-Do, Jillian has appeared on The Biggest Loser in both America and Australia. While Jillian is known for her drill sergeant-esque training techniques, the cast knows that her yelling comes from her truly wanting to help them change their lives. Jillian was once overweight herself and after she got into shape with martial arts, she dedicated her life to helping others take control of their diet and physical fitness.

Coral Smith (#9)

Show(s): The Real World, Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Battle of the Reality TV Stars, Camp Reality

Why she's a bad-ass: Coral first stepped on to the MTV scene with The Real World: Back to New York. Probably one of the biggest conflicts that season was between Coral and Mike Mizanin, who offended Coral by saying that his uncle thinks that African-Americans are slow. An outraged Coral fought with Mike viciously. However, in the end Coral and Mike became good friends (good enough to compete together later in one of the Challenge shows) and Coral opened Mike's perspective about African-American culture. Since her appearance on The Real World: Back to New York, Coral has appeared on almost every Real World/Road Rules Challenge show. It was on this series that we really saw what a tough competitor she was. Coral has gotten to the finals in four out of five Challenge shows. MTV even recognized Coral's "bad-assness" with an award in 2006 at the first ever MTV Reality Awards (she won "Bad M*F*").

Adrianne Curry (#8)

Show(s): America's Next Top Model, The Surreal Life, My Fair Brady

Why she's a bad-ass: Adrianne Curry took the first season of America's Next Top Model by storm. Displaying a no-holds-barred attitude, Adrianne attacked the challenges on Top Model (like the one where she had to pose completely naked) and showed Tyra Banks and the other judges that she was there to win. After winning the show, Adrianne appeared on VH1's The Surreal Life. Here, she was the first to make dinner for the cast. However, she didn't exactly prepare the meal so much as serve it...off of her naked body. Some of the cast were appalled by her boldness as they walked into the dining area to see her lying on the table with sushi covering her, well, you know. (Mini-me was not appalled though...he was, shall I say, titillated?) She spent the rest of the season throwing herself at Christopher Knight, her childhood TV crush. Chris eventually conceded to Adrianne's suits and another reality TV show was born: My Fair Brady. This show gave us a glimpse into the two's engagement and planning of their wedding.

Heather West (#7)

Show(s): Hell's Kitchen

Why she's a bad-ass: At only 25 years old, Heather, a sous-chef from Port Jefferson, NY, won season 2 of Hell's Kitchen and is now an executive chef at the Green Valley Ranch Red Rock resort. Heather managed to impress world-renown chef-turned-tv-host Gordon Ramsay with not only her cooking skills but also her creativity. However, skills nor creativity is what won Heather the Hell's Kitchen crown. She was one of the only competitors to manage the people in her kitchen effectively enough to complete dinner services. Of course, her leadership rubbed some competitors the wrong way but too bad for them (they don't have sweet executive chef positions in awesome hotels).

Saaphyri Windsor (#6)

Show(s): Flavor of Love, Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School

Why she's a bad-ass: After getting kicked out of Flav's house just minutes into the taping of Flavor of Love, Saaphyri (who never even got a nickname from Flav) played her way to the end of Charm School winning $50,000. She harnessed her independent-spirit and changed herself from an anger-management candidate into the first lady of Charm School. I loved her witty observations about the other girls and her journey through the show, turning her desperation (at times) into triumph. The same woman who cried hysterically when she had to sell her precious UGGs boots was the woman who made such an inspiring speech at the end that even Mo'nique was tearing up.

Janice Dickinson (#5)

Show(s): America's Next Top Model, The Surreal Life, The Janice Dickinson Project

Why she's a bad-ass: A bad-ass long before she started her stint in reality TV, Janice Dickinson touts herself as the first "supermodel." On Top Model, Janice was known for a few things: big lips, big boobs, and big attitude. She often received flack for insensitive comments about the contestants' appearance, especially their weight. Wait, were people really that scandalized that an ex-supermodel told aspiring models to lose weight on a TV show about modeling? Janice brought real perspective about high fashion modeling to those contestants. After breaking back into the world of pop culture with Top Model, Janice appeared on VH1's Surreal Life and spent the entire season taking abuse from Omarosa about her kids and alleged drug use. Janice retaliated by holding a knife up to Omarosa during a photo shoot.

Kelly Wiglesworth (#4)

Show(s): Survivor

Why she's a bad-ass: Dominating the first season of Survivor, Kelly earned herself a spot in the final two of the competition (she lost to Richard Hatch). Kelly, a true physical competitor, won four immunity challenges in a row to propel herself to the finals. Unfortunately for Kelly, she will not be remembered solely for her fierce performance during the show's challenges. During the finale, Susan Hawk called her a "rat" and told her that she wouldn't help Kelly even if she was lying practically dead on the side of the road. It stinks to have to sit quietly while someone compares your ethics and integrity to a that of a rat's.

Janelle Pierzina (#3)

Show(s): Big Brother 6, Big Brother All-Stars

Why she's a bad-ass: Known as the "Buxom Blonde" to Big Brother fans, this voluptuous vixen (sorry, I love alliteration) is one of the fiercest, not to mention most attractive, players to grace the Big Brother game. Aside from winning Head of Household several times across two seasons, she holds the title for most vetoes won in a season (a title now tied with Danielle Donato, I believe). Every time the Big Brother cast would align to get this girl out, she would win the veto and take herself off the chopping block. One of the hardest players to get rid of, Janelle's crowning strategic moment came in Big Brother All-Stars when she gave the evil Dr. Will the boot from the house and showed that she was no longer playing his puppet game.

Beth Chapman (#2)

Show(s): Dog the Bounty Hunter

Why she's a bad-ass: Beth is on a show with the term "bounty hunter" in the title. I don't even know if I have to say more than that to prove her "bad-assness." But I'll indulge you all with an explanation. A survivor of many hardships, Beth spends her time with her husband Duane "Dog" Chapman hunting down wanted criminals and serving up her own brand of justice. She's wicked with a can of mace! Beth became a licensed bondsman at age 21 (the youngest person in Colorado at the time) and has since helped to rewrite some of Colorado's bail laws.

Jackie Warner (#1...The WINNER!)

Show(s): Workout

Why she's a bad-ass: Jackie Warner is without question one of the most successful, dynamic and fierce women to ever hit reality TV. Her show Workout follows her as she manages one of the hottest fitness spas in Los Angeles, deals with her zany and sometimes rebellious bunch of trainers, and works through relationship problems with her even zanier and more rebellious girlfriend. Sky Sport and Spa (a gym with state-of-the art equipment and 360-degree views of Beverly Hills) is not Jackie's first business endeavor. When she was 22, she founded and co-owned the third top-grossing cellular company in Southern California. Not bad for someone just out of college. I think the most bad-ass thing about Jackie is the way she handles her trainers. When watching the show, you can really tell that the key to her success is that she demands the best from both her trainers and her clients. And her employees, who sometimes disagree with Jackie in their confessionals or private conversations with one another, never really have the guts to tell her off. Why? Because they know, they'd probably be out of a job. Furthermore, they know that if it wasn't for Jackie's awesome abs, they wouldn't have clients in the first place. So, show some respect, meatheads!