‘House of Villains’ Winner Interview: Tanisha Thomas Discusses Her Shocking Win And Her “Full Circle” Transformation Since Her ‘Bad Girls Club’ Days

You can have your Succession and The Bear and all your prestige shows of 2023, but for my money, one of the great shows of this year has been House of Villains, thanks to its sheer unpredictability. Case in point, when underdog Tanisha Thomas, formerly of Bad Girls Club, was voted as the winner of this season, I’m pretty sure no one was expecting her to take the top prize. In a vote between Thomas and her good friend Johnny Bananas, a man who had been considered the frontrunner all season, Thomas beat Bananas by one crucial vote, earning the $200,000 prize in the process.

Her journey wasn’t without some torment, from having to put her hand in a box filled with rats (which she refused to do) to eating testicles (which she did do). But through it all, Thomas was great TV. Decider spoke to her about her big win, why she thinks Omarosa voted for her, and what’s next now that she’s moved out of the house of villains.

DECIDER: Congratulations, Tanisha! I’m someone who got to know you from when your Bad Girls Club clip was always replayed on The Soup, so I was wondering what it was like working with Joel McHale after all this time?

Tanisha Thomas: First of all, Joel is fine as hell. Could you believe in like all these years that he looks that young and trim? Baby, let me tell you, when Joel comes on set, he has a whole entourage. Oh, he don’t come by himself. He got the hair person, the make-up person, the person who dresses him, his assistant, it just was so fitting. He looks so good, teeth is so white, delivering lines just like back in the day. It was great to be back there with him. He was a huge fan of Bad Girls Club. He had me on The Soup plenty of times. So it was awesome. And ultimately, I think I think he was proud to see the transition for sure. He’s known me from the beginning. Real full circle moment for sure.

Did you recognize any of your competitors in the house when you first arrived?

Obviously, we know who Omarosa was, and New York [Tiffany Pollard], the pioneer of reality television. Definitely Anfisa – I was a big fan of 90 Day Fiancée, I think I might have been the only one who actually recognized her. And of course, who doesn’t know Bobby Lytes, who lights everything on fire?

The most surprising thing about your win to me was that Omarosa voted for you, how did you feel about that?

It was surprising. I definitely didn’t see that one coming at all. I mean, we did not get along. It was giving, you know, definitely the haves and the have nots the entire time in the house. But you know the old saying, “if you can’t beat them, you got to join them.” And I think in the end, she realized that. And ultimately, we had no real big beef anyway, and her wrist was fine.

I said to her, “Why would you want to vote for me? Like, why would you want to help me?” She goes, “Because I like what you stand for. I appreciate the fact that you’re a mom that you’re trying. You’re working. You’re out here for your son,” and I’m like, finally, finally, this woman has come to her senses. I love it.

Aside from Omarosa, the other really important thing I need to know from this episode is… what do balls taste like?

When I tell you, I get asked a lot of questions, but that?! They taste horrible! like I knew they would which is why I stay away from all of them. I didn’t like it, girl.

What was worse, eating balls or putting your hand in a cage with rats and scorpions?

Oh my gosh, I think for me was attempting to put that hand inside with the snakes and the rats and stuff. Production had to come out and be like, “Tanisha, we can’t kill you.” Because, baby, I was losing my mind. I’m like, hello, you guys, I’m from Flatbush, Brooklyn. We don’t know nothing about this.

I thought that challenge would be the end of you, but then you pulled your choir stunt to save yourself.

Yes, I had to do something drastic, Elizabeth. I stayed up all night, didn’t have no dinner or nothing, okay? And in the middle of me packing up my wigs, which was very tiring for me, I said, you know what, if I’m going home, baby, I’m not going without a fight. And I fought and it worked.

Since Johnny Bananas is the one who put you up for the final vote, do you feel like, do you feel like you owe him a debt of gratitude?

Johnny Bananas. I mean, listen. It’s called the House of Villains. There was no way, shape or form that I thought that I would make such a great friend. He was like more than that to me, almost like a brother. He was just so true to the game, so dope, such a vibe, kept his word. He’s a real one. We’re still friends. We’re still close. I mean, I did win the ultimate prize, but to me, the friendship that I have with Bananas is truly priceless. And I look forward to like what happens. Everyone loves us together. Tananas is what they call us online.

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So when is the “I Didn’t Get No Sleep ‘Cuz of Y’all” single dropping?

You are asking all the right questions. I really do need to do a single, for sure. For so many years, people have approached me and told me they wake their kids up to “I Didn’t Get No Sleep.” They wake the kids up to the banging of the pots and the pans. And now that I am older and wiser and slightly more refined and I have found the Lord, Amen, turned it into a gospel song. So as you can see, there’s range. There’s growth. It’s perfect for Sundays, so I am considering releasing on Apple and all major outlets.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.