It’s hard to believe that House of Villains has made it to Season 3, because, compared to other competitive reality TV formats, it’s barely part of the conversation.
With its move to Peacock this year, I figured it would blow up the same way Love Island did when it hit the streamer a few years back.
Peacock has the reach, and its unscripted slate has a habit of breaking into the cultural zeitgeist.
(Casey Durkin/Peacock)
But we’re halfway through House of Villains Season 3, and it’s hands down the most refreshing competition format to hit the small screen in a long time.
At its core, it has a lot in common with Celebrity Big Brother. The celebrity cast lives together, competes as a group, and navigates an ever-shifting social game built on alliances, betrayals, and power plays.
The difference? They’re not cut off from the outside world. They have their phones. They leave the house for challenges. It’s Big Brother with fewer restrictions and, somehow, even more chaos.
The premise is simple: One contestant is crowned the “Supervillain” each week and nominates three players for elimination.
(Adam Rose/Peacock)
One of those nominees can save themselves by winning a challenge, leaving the remaining two to face a vote from their fellow castmates.
Are you getting the Big Brother comparisons yet?
House of Villains Thrives as CBS Lets Celebrity Big Brother Rot
That’s why it’s so frustrating that CBS continues to sideline Celebrity Big Brother, especially when it had the perfect opportunity to bring it back during the Olympics.
The network treats the franchise like an afterthought, which is wild considering Big Brother practically carries its summer lineup.
(Adam Rose/Peacock)
In the meantime, House of Villains is stepping up, and then some.
It’s not just the format that makes it feel like the next best thing. It’s the cast.
The show pulls from across the reality TV landscape, assembling a group of infamous personalities who know exactly how to stir the pot.
They bring these huge personalities under one roof. House of Villains Season 3 alone features Kate Chastain (Below Deck), Drita D’Avanzo, and Tom Sandoval (Vanderpump Rules), to name a few.
(Casey Durkin/Peacock)
The series thrives on its social dynamics, pitting alliances against each other and letting tensions simmer until they inevitably explode.
It’s the same addictive formula that made Big Brother a staple, but House of Villains pushes it further by fully embracing the absurdity of its premise.
There’s So Much to Love About This Format
It also has a secret weapon: Joel McHale.
Unlike most hosts who stay on the sidelines, McHale is deeply embedded in the action, lobbing sarcastic one-liners at the cast during challenges and feeding into the madness rather than trying to contain it.
(Casey Durkin/Peacock)
The result is a show that feels self-aware, unpredictable, and, most importantly, fun in a way that few competition series manage anymore.
House of Villains Season 3 still has a wealth of episodes to come, and if it continues to be this good, it should be getting the attention it deserves.
Peacock didn’t do it any favors by releasing the premiere episodes on the same day as The Traitors Season 4 finale.
The veteran competition series’ finale was so intense that many viewers probably needed a breather.
(Casey Durkin/Peacock)
House of Villains Season 3 sort of appeared out of nowhere, and if Peacock plays its cards right, it could blossom into a bigger success story than first thought.
Hopefully, in the process, CBS realizes that the Celebrity Big Brother format should be revived, too, because these shows can perform very well if people know they exist.
Over to you, TV Fanatics! What’s your take on the state of House of Villains and how it feels like a replacement for Celebrity Big Brother?
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