Bad Girls Club

Bad Girls Club (abbreviated BGC) is an American reality television series created by Jonathan Murray[1] for the Oxygen network in the United States.[2][3] The show focused on the altercations and physical confrontations of seven aggressive, quarrelsome, and unruly women. They were featured on the show as "charismatic tough chicks." The cast, deemed "bad girls," would enjoy a luxurious lifestyle in a mansion for three months, during which they obeyed specified rules. Their lives inside and outside of the house were recorded by a production team.

This article is about the television series. For the song by Jeanette, see Bad Girls Club (song).

Bad Girls Club
GenreReality television
Created by
Opening theme
  • "Love Me or Hate Me" by Lady Sovereign (season 1)
  • "Bad Girls" by Tokyo Diiva (seasons 2–4)
  • "Bad Girls" (remix) by Tokyo Diiva (seasons 5–15)
  • "Bad Girls Anthem" by unknown artist (seasons 16–17)
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons17
No. of episodes275 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Camera setupMultiple
Running time
  • 20–22 minutes (seasons 1–2)
  • 40–43 minutes (seasons 3–17)
Production company(s)Bunim/Murray Productions
Release
Original networkOxygen
Picture format
Original releaseDecember 5, 2006 (2006-12-05) –
May 2, 2017 (2017-05-02)
Chronology
Related shows
External links
Website

Bad Girls Club aired in three nations besides the United States: MTV Australia, RTL 5 in The Netherlands, and TV11 in Sweden. If a cast member violated production rules, she was evicted from the show and often replaced by a new cast member. The fourth season was the series' "breakthrough season" as Oxygen's first series to average over one million viewers per episode.[4]

There were four spin-offs including Bad Girls Road Trip, Tanisha Gets Married, Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too, and Bad Girls All-Star Battle. In late 2016, Bad Girls Club was renewed for a seventeenth season titled Bad Girls Club: East Meets West.[5] In February 2017, the series' future was put in limbo, with the network's announcement that it would convert to a true crime programming format, which was instituted in July 2017. When discussing the series' future, Frances Berwick, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Lifestyle Networks' president, said, "Bad Girls Club, at this stage, I don't see it on Oxygen linear," suggesting that it could air in a non-linear media form. "Beyond that, we haven't figured it out yet."[6]

Critical reception

Homophobic slurs caught the attention of media outlets.[18][19][20] Adolescents emulated The Bad Girls Club.[21] Mary Mitchell of Sun Times stated that the show was "hazardous to the female psyche" and wrote, "Just like some teens try to emulate rappers in their dress and behavior, the same is true for 'bad girls. '" She also commented that the show gives a "distorted picture" of how to live the good life, calling the cast "wannabes" who are "sleeping in a mansion they can't pay for". Mitchell believes that most people know the cast are living "a bogus lifestyle", and assesses the message of the Bad Girls Club as "disturbing".[22]

In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that Bad Girls Club was especially popular in the south, with the greatest popularity in Orangeburg, South Carolina.[23] The show has received negative criticism from African-American viewers, believing that it is "not what being a black woman is all about."[24] Mary Chase Breedlove of Reflector objected that "there are several TV programs devoted to acting as trashy and mean as possible ('Bad Girls' Club, ' ...)".[25] The New York Daily News suggested that Bad Girls Club was the equivalent of professional wrestling.[26] Kris De Leon of BuddyTV described the show as "crude, rude and pointless, but sort of addictive to some people. "[27]

Brian Lowry of Variety thought that the producers made the "wrong decision" when they created the show.[9] He believed that the cast of Bad Girls Club auditioned for the show for their "15 minutes of fame".[12] He said that Bad Girls Club "arrived a little late in this game, on a channel lacking the kind of exposure or public footprint to qualify the show even as the stuff guilty pleasures are made of". Lowry believed that the show "loses" and that Oxygen attracts viewers who generally get drunk at bars and make a scene. He also suggested that "maybe it's time to "BAG" these bad-attitude girls and beat a hasty retreat back to the real world".[12]

Anita Gates of The New York Times referred to Bad Girls Club as "a great argument for bringing back programming with actors". She believed that the "average emotional age" appeared to be 15, in contrast to the girls' real ages. She stated that the "unpleasant villains cancel one another out and actually make badness uninteresting", commenting that their behavior might not be "bad enough". Gates concluded by suggesting that Bad Girls Club is the on-location equivalent of The Jerry Springer Show.[28] Kelly West of Cinemablend stated that Bad Girls Club is "so much fun to watch".[29]

Controversies

Season 4

During "Off The Wall", the first episode of the fourth season, Natalie Nunn told Annie Andersen that Chris Brown was at a night club that she wanted to attend, and asked Anderson if she was a fan. Anderson said not, because of the domestic violence case that Brown was involved in. Nunn defended Brown, saying "Who cares, Rihanna was a punk bitch, and she got her ass beat for a reason".[30] Nunn called Rihanna a "crazy bitch" and claimed to know her, unlike Anderson. After the episode aired, Brown reportedly stated that he did not know who Nunn was. Nunn questioned this during the reunion show,[31] claiming that Brown had said it because the cast of the show had not yet been revealed. Perez Hilton, the host of the reunion, asked Nunn if Rihanna had confronted her about her comments. Nunn answered yes, stating that the two had argued during a dinner party in New York City.[32] During the reunion, Nunn claimed to have had a "fling" with Brown before the show.[33][34] Shortly before the end of the reunion, Nunn said that she did not condone domestic violence and apologized if her comment had enraged fans and people who had been victims of it.[34]

Season 5
"I had no idea where I was and [I] had to go to the ER over night. They later discovered someone put PCP in my drink. They can't show it on the show because then that guy could sue for slander. I am honestly really upset they didnt explain that [during] the show. I think its [sic] really messed up how the entire story [wasn't ever] shown [on air], whatever. DONE!"[35]

Kristen Kelly describing an incident that ensued prior to her altercation with Lea.

During the episode "The Wicked Witch Of Key West", a stranger at a bar offered to buy drinks for Kristen Guinane and Christina Marie Hopkins. He spiked the drinks with PCP hallucinogenic pills, and Guinane became intoxicated. She claimed to have suffered bruises on her body when the man grabbed her and handled her roughly. Guinane reported that the producers of the show did not want to identify the man on television for fear of a lawsuit. She blamed the drug for her hitting cast-member, Lea Beaulieu, in the face, leading to a fight.[35]

After season five had wrapped, Catya Washington was sentenced to jail for possession of a concealed weapon and illegal use of drugs.[36][37]

Season 6

During season six production, residents of Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, complained that noise levels and swearing were unbearable and inappropriate for them and their children to listen to during the night.[38] The residents called local law enforcement agencies four or five times to deal with the late-night disturbances.[38] Clarissa Keller, a Sherman Oaks resident, complained that she had a six-year-old son and didn't want him to listen to the swearing. She set up a petition calling for a ban on all production companies in the Sherman Oaks hills.[38] Location managers and production crew declined to discuss the neighbors' complaints.[38] The Bad Girls Club permit required the entire production to abide by a "minimum outdoor activity and noise" rule, but local residents claimed that the show did not keep noise levels down.[38] The house for season six was rented for $20,000 a month. The owner said that he would not allow this type of production to rent his home in the future.[38]

Season 7

On April 12, 2011, cast member Tasha Malek complained to an on-duty police officer outside the Bad Girls house about the conduct of fellow cast member Nastasia Townsend. She claimed that Townsend had placed her personal belongings into a garbage bag, telling her "she needed to leave the house", and that the incident had escalated into a fight.[39] The two were issued summonses by the police for disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct.[40]

Malek released a statement saying "I don't think it’s right to be gay", offending many fans of the show.[18][19][20]

Season 12

The twelfth season of the Bad Girls Club sparked a debate with The Village Board of Trustees of Highland Park, Illinois, who argued against filming the series in the Chicago North Shore suburb.[41]

Spin-offs

Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too

Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too premiered on March 16, 2010. The show follows three past bad girls in their search for true love. The first of the Bad Girls Club, Amber Meade and Sarah Michaels from the third season and Kendra Jones from the fourth season. The season concluded on April 27, 2010.[42] Oxygen renewed the show for a second run,[43] with Tanisha Thomas (from season two of the Bad Girls Club) as the host. In this season, Natalie Nunn (season four), Amber Buell (season three) and Lea Beaulieu (season five) competed for true love.[44] The second season consisted of eight one-hour episodes aired between April 18, 2011, and June 13, 2011. The third season aired on December 5, 2011, with Thomas as host once more, and Kori Koether, Sydney Steinfeldt, and Judi Jai as cast members. Kori Koether and Sydney Steinfeldt were on season six of Bad Girls Club; while Jai was on Season 7.[45] Season 4 aired on November 5, 2012, with Tanisha Thomas as the host yet again. This marked Tanisha's third time being the host in the series. This season also featured Season 8 girls, Danielle "Danni" Victor, Amy Cieslowski, and Camilla Poindexter as the cast members looking for love.[46]

Bad Girls All-Star Battle

Bad Girls All-Star Battle show features bad girls competing for $100,000 and the title of "Baddest Bad Girl of All Time." The series has the girls divided into two teams, put to the test every week in an array of physical and mental challenges. It is hosted by R&B singer, Ray J.[47] Bad Girls All-Star Battle premiered on May 21, 2013. Bad Girls Club season 10 alumnus Jenniffer "Jenn" Hardwick won the competition, with season 4 alumnus Florina "Flo" Kaja being the runner-up.[48] The second season premiered on January 7, 2014. Season 11 alumnus Tiana Small won the competition, with season 11 alumnus Sarah Oliver being the runner-up.

Other spin-offs

Bad Girls Road Trip premiered on June 12, 2007.[49] It featured season one cast members Zara Sprankle, Aimee Landi, and Leslie Ramsue touring their respective hometowns in search of casting opportunities for the second season of Bad Girls Club.[49] On the series, they also visited their former housemates.[49]

Bad Girls Club: Flo Gets Married is a one-hour special that centers on season-four cast member Florina "Flo" Kaja, who had a traditional Albanian wedding, and on her pregnancy. It aired on Oxygen on February 28, 2011[50] and was watched by 859,000 viewers.[51]

A documentary series titled Tanisha Gets Married premiered on May 7, 2012. It follows Bad Girls Club season 2 cast member Tanisha Thomas as she prepares for her wedding. With preparations for the wedding in order, issues arise between Tanisha and her soon-to-be husband Clive. The show covers the family drama that occurs. Former bad girls featured in the series include Natalie Nunn and Florina from season 4, as well as Amber M. from season 3; all appear as bridesmaids. The series also shows how Natalie's and Florina's issues with each other turn violent, and how this affects Tanisha. The series was produced by 495 Productions with SallyAnn Salsano as executive producer.[52]

Episodes and Seasons
See also: List of Bad Girls Club episodes
Season First aired Last aired Number of girls
(including replacements)		 Location
1 December 5, 2006 April 24, 2007 10 Los Angeles, California
2 December 4, 2007 May 13, 2008 8
3 December 2, 2008 March 24, 2009 8
4 December 1, 2009 March 9, 2010 8
5 August 3, 2010 November 9, 2010 10 Miami, Florida
6 January 10, 2011 April 25, 2011 10 Los Angeles, California
7 August 1, 2011 October 31, 2011 8 New Orleans, Louisiana
8 January 23, 2012 April 23, 2012 10 Las Vegas, Nevada
9 July 9, 2012 October 15, 2012 10 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
10 January 15, 2013 April 23, 2013 10 Atlanta, Georgia
11 August 13, 2013 November 26, 2013 13 Miami, Florida
12 May 13, 2014 September 29, 2014 10 Chicago, Illinois
13 October 7, 2014 December 9, 2014 10 Los Angeles, California
14 August 11, 2015 November 3, 2015 11
15 March 15, 2016 June 7, 2016 16
16 September 20, 2016 December 13, 2016 11
17 February 14, 2017 May 2, 2017 8

Notes
  1. Age at time of filming

References
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