Reality TV’s 10 Worst “Producer Plants,” Ranked

Let’s be honest. Reality television fanatics love the genre because of the drama! Sometimes the drama comes naturally. Other times, it’s a bit manufactured. Perhaps a personality is cast simply to create chaos. Whether it’s through their own volition or as a producer plant, these characters are the ones that viewers take to social media to talk about.

We are going to explore ten characters from a variety of reality television styles, including docufollow and competition, who came onto the show with a mission for drama. Whether it’s through instigating issues or simply being overdramatic, these are ten individuals who pushed the boundaries to the point where viewers questioned the authenticity of their casting. Here are ten “producer plants.”

10 Plane Jane

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

RuPaul’s Drag Race has mostly been about celebrating the art of drag and the queer community. It’s one of the best, if not the best, reality programs of the decade. But one thing drag queens are well known for is throwing shade. One queen who was not only well-versed at throwing shade, and doing it with intent and at moments when it wasn’t necessary: Plane Jane. The Season 16 queen was an exceptional drag artist.

She brought a wealth of comedy through the challenges, a sense of fashion in her runways, and viral sound clips whenever she opened her mouth. Part of what made Plane Jane a unique character was her ability to forgo fan’s perceptions in order to make excellent television. She got under the skin of her fellow competitors with her blunt remarks. The way she fabricated a lopsided feud with Amanda Tori Meating was wild. If you heard her lead a statement with the word “sister,” expect something pointed to come your way. She may not consider herself a villain, but she was certainly an antagonist. She came onto the show eager to make a scene. And she did! Over and over again.

9 Lea Cayanan

‘The Bachelor’

One would think that when they decide to appear on The Bachelor, their main goal is to find love. But as the series has evolved over the years, many contestants have realized that love would likely not be in the cards, so you have to make a statement somehow! Such was the case in The Bachelor Season 28. Lea Cayanan became a mean girl, and some fans accused her of being a producer plant simply to amplify the dramatics. Joey Graziadei was the lead of the season following his stint on The Bachelorette Season 20. Following his runner-up placement, the show introduced Joey to his first contestant, Lea Cayanan. Coincidence? Seems fishy.

She received an envelope that allowed her to steal a one-on-one with Joey, but on her arrival at the mansion, she tossed it into the fire as she didn’t want to take away a date from another woman. Seemed nice, but it might have been a charade. During her tenure on the season, Lea was a mean girl. She got jealous during a group date when Maria Georgas, who she believed should have already been eliminated, got more one-on-one time with Joey. So what did she do? She joined in on an attack over ageism. Many fans believed Lea’s demeanor changed when the season’s first villain was eliminated. Did she do it because she was advised to or was this just her way to stay? Whether acting or not, it got her into the top 8.

8 Lala Kent

‘Vanderpump Rules’

Lala Kent first arrived at Vanderpump Rules as a recurring presence during Season 4 before being promoted to a full-time cast member in Season 6. She became a big presence on the show, but during Season 11, many fans questioned just what exactly Lala was doing. When Scandoval rocked Vanderpump Rules, the show took a dark turn. With real-life consequences coming into action, Lala Kent was accused of being a production puppet to help guide the storylines of the season. But Lala had adamantly denied it, stating she was only sharing her honest opinions. On her podcast, Give Them Lala, she said, “I went in, and I was authentic. And things that didn’t make sense to me, I asked questions. If I felt it, I said it. I will always have an opinion. It’s what allows me to go in and make TV.” And TV she made.

With Lala being one of the voices believing that their storylines for the season were pushed aside to talk about Scandoval, which destroyed the dynamic of the group. When Ariana Madix shifted her stance, Lala changed hers and she became an instigator. When the spotlight moves to someone else, ya gotta get it back. And Lala Kent did just that.

7 Aaron Erb

‘The Bachelorette’

A producer plant on The Bachelorette? Say it ain’t so! On the Jenn Tran-lead season of the show, fans were introduced to eligible bachelor Aaron Erb. The Season 21 contestant was a professional aerospace engineer. During the third week of trying to win over Jenn’s heart, Aaron received a call. A call that would change the course of his life, and his time on the dating show. Aaron was called back to flight school, as he was in the process of earning his pilot’s license to fly F-22 Raptor planes for the Air Force.

Aaron was left with a difficult decision: profession or love. He chose the former, which Jenn understood. Aaron self-eliminated, but he left Jenn with a parting gift. On his way out, Aaron disclosed, “There’s people that I don’t think will be ready at the end like you are.” Jenn wanted names. So did the fans! He didn’t reveal any but left chaos in the group as Jenn questioned the remaining bachelors about their intentions. Fans were none too keen that Aaron dropped this bomb and left, believing he was present just to stir the pot. It was just a way too convenient exit from the show.

6 Chef Mila Kolomeitseva

‘Below Deck Mediterranean’

Below Deck is one of the biggest franchises on Bravo. The series has spawned off multiple spin-offs. What viewers love, aside from the drama, is watching the beyond five-star service the charter guests receive. In order to get the best quality experience, the crew onboard must be worthy of their positions. When it comes to the role of the chef, many of the chefs hired have excelled at their role. And then there was Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4’s Chef Mila Kolomeitseva. Does she even deserve that title of chef? Not based on her performance! Since Below Deck hires individuals who actually work in the yachting industry, every crew member who is hired goes through a hiring process where their resumes have been scrutinized.

Some have skirted past this by embellishing parts of their yachting history, but Chef Mila, how she even got on this show is baffling. She was horrid at her job. She served vile microwave nachos. She didn’t know how to make a box cake. And then, when it was time to make a necessary change, she left the crew gasping for air with her homophobics remarks. Even if she was halfway decent at her job, this would have led to her departure. Chef Mila had no right to be cast on this show, and yet she was!

5 Lexi Wilson

‘Below Deck Mediterranean’

Staying in the Med, there was one stewardess who lived for the drama. It was Below Deck Mediterranean Season 6’s Lexi Wilson. The beautiful model was a former Miss Universe contestant for the Bahamas. What Lexi Wilson clearly wasn’t was Miss Congeniality. As Captain Sandy Yawn put it during an episode of Watch What Happens Live, “Disturbing, and I wish that the crew would have really painted the picture for me. Just hearing it’s bad isn’t a description of behavior. So you know, in a position that I’m in, I need to know details and I never really got details until the end, and that’s when I let Lexi go.” Lexi was a magnet to the drama.

She was a very outspoken individual. But after a crew night out, she got into a heated spat with her chief stew, Katie Flood, boson, Malia White, and then got into a physical altercation with deckhand Mzi Dempers. Her drunken antics were loathed by her crewmates, but this was just Lexi. As the crew continued to turn on Lexi, she got more and more antagonistic, causing drama that didn’t need to happen. Following another verbal altercation with Chef Matthew Shea, she was finally let go. Lexi ended up leaving the yachting industry following her departure, making many question her intentions of even appearing on Below Deck Med.

4 Rob Rausch

‘Love Island USA’

A new king of drama has entered the villa. Rob Rausch first appeared on Season 5 of Love Island USA. He entered on Day 16 before being dumped on Day 21 after not being selected by one of the original Islanders. There was something the producers saw in Rob that they said, let’s do it again! For Season 6, many Islanders, and fans, were shocked when he entered the Villa for a second go at the show. This was his second chance at love, and he was eager to bring excellent television. He started off with one girl, Leah Kateb, but bombshell Liv Walker, wanted him for herself. Rob didn’t care. He would be caught by Liv sneaking off and kissing Leah. And then another bombshell entered the villa.

Rob hit it off with Andrea Carmona, and when she was eliminated, he was ready to leave with her. But it didn’t stop there. He met Cassidy Laudano, who ultimately left him single after three days. At Casa Amor, he took on a fling with Daniela Ortiz-Rivera. He finally got the boot on Day 30. Yet fans truly questioned why Rob remained as long as he did as he escaped the bottom vote nearly every time. He joked on the show that he was a jinx due to almost every girl he met going home. His presence wasn’t organic and fans felt he was there just to bounce around.

3 Brandi Glanvillle

‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’

Brandi Glanville is pure evil, but she does make for excellent television. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills initially followed the lavish lives of some of the most elegant women in the 90210. And then Brandi Glanville entered the picture and a new energy was introduced. Brandi was coming off the heels of a messy public divorce from her ex-husband, Eddie Cibrian, who cheated on her with LeAnn Rimes. She made herself appear as an outsider who wanted to so be a part of the group. She integrated herself well, but she was eager to manipulate the other women by divulging secrets and fabricating situations.

But Brandi had an innate skill for making everyone believe she was telling the truth by tapping into their insecurities. She hazed new girl Joyce Giraud while being racist. She chose violence when she drunkenly smacked Lisa Vanderpump, pushed Kyle Richards, and threw a glass of wine at Eileen Davidson. She created animosity by claiming LVP planted a tabloid in her bag. And this was all while she was still a full-time castmember. Yet her most egregious moment was when she returned for a cameo and alleged she had an affair with Denise Richards. It was a bombshell that truly rocked the show, and exposed an unhinged side of Denise, who then spiraled. Brandi Glanville knew exactly how to ensure she would be a household name. And RHOBH knew exactly what they were doing when they continued to allow her to appear.

2 Bryton Constantin

‘Squid Game: The Challenge’

Squid Game was one of the biggest cultural events to ever hit streaming, so Netflix thought it would be a brilliant idea to turn the concept of the scripted series into a competitive reality show. What was produced was an equally extraordinary hit. Squid Game: The Challenge caught viewers’ attention with the real-life, high-stakes version of the series. With 456 players hungry to walk away with the $4.56 million prize, true colors were exposed as many players truly showcased they would do literally anything to win. Enter player 432, later revealed to be Bryton Constantin. Bryton initially appeared as a frontrunner in this version of the game as he was a strong physical threat and emerged as a socially skilled individual. But then he exposed his bully jock persona and a villain was born.

The more Bryton appeared on the screen, the more viewers felt he was only there to fabricate action. His hateful actions were unnecessary, and his giant ego was tested. He played up a flawed individual that his fellow players were eager to target and watch get knocked out in karmic fashion. His alpha narcissism felt as if it was a scripted character rather than a genuine individual. He did capture the heart of Netflix as he was then invited to appear on Season 2 of Perfect Match. Many fans hope he never appears on another show ever again after his off-camera antics have led to accusations of being homophobic.

1 Monica Garcia

‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’

Reality Von Tease. Need we say more? Season 4 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is considered one of the single best seasons of reality television because of the explosive bombshell that was exposed. And this is the show that gave us Jen Shah being arrested straight from the sprinter van! For the show’s fourth season, a new Housewife was introduced into the mix. Her name was Monica Garcia. She was an outsider who didn’t have the monetary means that some of the other women had, but she so desired to be a part of the group. She seemed like a cool person. She wanted to get along with everyone. But the more Monica’s story came to light, the more questions arose. A major part of the show’s drama was encapsulated by a gossip account that was wreaking havoc on the women. It caused a lot of tension between the women as it was revealing secrets that shouldn’t have seen the light.

No matter what, as they do on The Real Housewives, a group trip was in the works to Bermuda. It was an important trip for Monica as this was her chance to connect with her family roots. Until they suddenly didn’t want to have anything to do with her. Was this fabricated? Was this all a setup? Well, many people believed it might be when the Reality Von Tease of it all came to light. In the final episode of the season, at the last dinner in Bermuda. Before the women sat down for the final feast, Heather Gay gathered the original castmembers to reveal the truth behind the account that had been haunting them. It was Monica all along. Having previously worked for Jenn Shah, she was a part of the account that tried to take her and the other women down. It ended up being one of the most incredible moments in reality television history. While the producers claimed they had no idea about Monica’s past, it was obvious that Monica’s sole mission was to bring drama to the franchise. And she did! It’s near impossible for her to film with the other women, but damn, the show is going to sorely miss her.

KEEP READING: ‘Big Brother 26’ Star Has Ties to Past Houseguests