Everybody loves a bad girl. You know the type I’m talking about: she’s always trying to steal the main guy, bitch-slapping every girl she comes across and shooting out one-liners like nobody’s business. She’s definitely not the nicest girl in the room, but she’s probably the most interesting. There’s just something about these girls that makes us want to hate them, but instead we end up wishing we were best friends
To celebrate those ladies we all love to hate, here are the top five bad girls on TV – and one from a book too!
Rachel Gatina, One Tree Hill
From the start, we all knew Rachel (Danneel Harris Ackles) was trouble. She and Brooke (Sophia Bush) hit it off a little too well, becoming Tree Hill High’s resident mean girls. From there, Rachel insulted and slept her way through town, including trying to seduce Nathan (James Lafferty) away from true love Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz). And that was only after she slept with his uncle, and then later his dying father. Once it became clear she was only after Dan Scott (Paul Johansson) for his money, she ended up penniless and alone. But somehow we know Rachel landed on her feet.
Best Line: “I understand why you’re so angry, Haley. I used to be a fat chick with a little head too.”
Chloe, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23
This shortly lived ABC show was tragically underappreciated and not just because it starred James Van Der Beek playing a hilariously narcissistic version of himself. Krysten Ritter also shined as Chloe, the sociopathic roommate that June (Dreama Walker) made the mistake of moving in with. June is uptight and Midwestern, while Chloe is crazy. Like, has-sex-on-June’s-birthday-cake-with-June’s-boyfriend crazy. But she’s also strangely loveable (she was just trying to protect June from a crappy boyfriend!) and always fun to watch.
Best Line: “I’ve taken over a bunch of companies before—Volvo, Dole, Febreze. You just gotta walk in like you own the place, fire the first person to ask you a question, fire the second person to ask you a question, and then gaze out the window and draw a peen on the board. It’s the traditional intimidation–confusion–submission technique.”
Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones
You know once incest rears its ugly head, we’re dealing with a bad girl. From the start, Cersei (Lena Headey) is power hungry and conniving, betraying pretty much anyone she can in order to keep her family on the throne. She sleeps with brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), raises a son like Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and tries her other brother for murder. She might actually be the ultimate bad girl.
Best Line: “When you play the game of thrones you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”
Yvonne “Vee” Parker, Orange is the New Black
Most bad girls have at least one or two redeeming qualities (even Cersei genuinely loves her kids) but it’s tough to say that about Lorraine Toussaint’s Vee. From the first moment she stepped foot in the prison she started vying for power: playing the inmates off of each other, killing at whim and generally destroying lives. When she (Spoiler Alert!) gets hit by a van at the end of season 2, everyone cheered.
Best Line: “Because at the end of the day you are a rose garden, and that bitch is a weed.”
Tammy 2, Parks & Recreation
Is there anything better than watching Tammy 2 and Ron mutually self-destruct? It’s even more delicious since Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are married in real life. Tammy 2 is a whirlwind of sexual energy and sociopathic behavior and her brand of crazy brings out the crazy side in a normally unflappable Ron. The fact that she’s a librarian makes it all the better.
Best Line: “Wow. If I’d had a park like that when I was growing up, I probably wouldn’t have gone through such a prolonged mall-slut phase.”
Best Book Bad Girl:
Darcy, Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin (June 2004, St. Martin’s Press)
Darcy is the quintessential popular mean girl, forcing best friend Rachel to live in her shadow for all of their lives. She lies about her accomplishments, steals all the boys and just generally takes a whack at her best friend’s self-esteem. It’s no wonder that we’re actively rooting for Rachel, even though she happens to be having an affair with Darcy’s fiancé Dex. The whole thing is a tangled web, but somehow Darcy comes out looking like the loser. It’s not until the sequel (Something Blue), where she starts to show signs of redemption. In the meantime, she’s that best friend you sort of always secretly hate.
