What makes someone a villain? It’s a question that endlessly fascinates pop culture, from Netflix’s never-ending scammer series to Disney’s villain origin stories.
The line that separates heroes and villains is also one of the most compelling aspects of The Real Housewives — the reality TV franchise I have spent hundreds of hours watching, writing about, rewatching and passionately debating. Since the first installment aired 2006, these shows have evolved from a fabulous-lives docu-series into a Survivor-style contest, where rich women get liquored-up and battle for relevance, approval and fame. Who is right, and who is in the wrong? Who will be cast as the villain in the editing suite, and who will win redemption? Who will survive to fight another day? These dynamics shift from one season to the next.
In the first season of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which debuted in 2020, self-described “queen bee and MVP” Jen Shah easily fulfilled the trope of the reality TV villain. Long before she was arrested in March 2021 and charged in connection to a telemarketing scam that targeted older people — a crime she pleaded guilty to this week and could face up to 14 years in prison for — Shah was RHOSLC’s most controversial cast member. (And that’s saying a lot, because her then-co-star Mary Cosby is married to her former step-grandfather and has been accused of running a religious cult). She threw things across rooms; she splashed water all over the…
