The Big Picture

Jax Taylor didn’t feel comfortable rooming with Omarosa and Anifsa on House of Villains due to being a married man. Jax admits to being intimidated in the competitive reality TV environment and underestimates some of his opponents. Jax believes that some of the House of Villains ladies wouldn’t do well on Vanderpump Rules and thinks their attitudes wouldn’t be tolerated.

Jax Taylor started out as an original cast member of Vanderpump Rules, which follows the servers and bartenders of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants. So he’s more familiar with drunk arguments on camera than forming alliances. However, he competed to win the $200,000 prize and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain” on House of Villains. Collider talked to Jax about his fellow cast members and why some of them wouldn’t make it on the Bravo reality TV show.

Jax Taylor Didn’t Feel Comfortable Rooming With Omarosa and Anifsa
Image via Casey Durkin/E! Entertainment

The celebrity cast picked their rooms in the premiere episode. Jax was the second to last person to enter the home and that left him with a room with Omarosa Manigault Newman and Anfisa Arkhipchenko. Omarosa won The Supervillain of the Week and targeted Jax because he was a competition threat, but also because she didn’t want to be in the same room with a man.

RELATED: Omarosa Teaches Shake a Lesson in Reality TV Alliances on ‘House of Villians’

“To be honest, I totally understand,” Jax said. “Like I said I’m a married guy. I didn’t feel comfortable having two female roommates.” He slept downstairs and only came upstairs to use the bathroom. The former bartender is also well aware that he’s a physical threat.

“I’m a pretty big boy,” he said. “I’m a physical guy. I’m athletic. I’m very competitive. I did not know the cast members that I was gonna be on the show with, but I do know who I am. And I don’t think too many people can beat me in a lot of things. But boy was I wrong.”

His team told him to watch Survivor, Big Brother, and The Challenge to understand the world of competitive reality TV and he refused. That meant he didn’t know who Jonny Fairyplay or Johnny Bananas was until after filming. Fairplay sabotaged him in the redemption challenge. “I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I was going against some legends in sabotage-ry,'” he said before later adding “Little did I know I picked the worst person I could possibly pick because he was going to sabotage me no matter what.”

Some viewers including Jax’s wife, Brittany Cartwright Cauchi, were surprised to see him take the backseat at the beginning of the competition. “You know I’m a very alpha male,” he said. “I speak my mind. I like to be the loudest person. That’s who I am, and I went into this show and doing the polar opposite. I was literally not talking to anybody. I was quiet. Even my wife was watching the show, and she’s like, ‘Who are you? You’re not even talking. You’re not even saying anything.’ It’s because I had so many personalities to deal with on this show and everybody is the number one guy on their show.”

He admits to being really intimidated in that environment. Omarosa put him on the hit list with Shake Chatterjee and Corrine Olympios. Shake won safety and the cast voted to banish Jax. He might not be cut out for the social aspect of competitive TV, but he doesn’t think some of the ladies on House of Villains would do well on Vanderpump Rules either.

Jax Says the House of Villains Ladies Wouldn’t Last on Vanderpump Rules
Image via Casey Durkin/E! Entertainment

The cast is stacked with iconic women. Omarosa, Anifsa, Corrine, Tanisha Thomas, and Tiffany “New York” Pollard are competing for the money. But could the Vanderpump Rules alum see any of them hanging out with his former cast members? “I think a couple of them could maybe possibly,” he answered. “It’s two different worlds.” However, he could see things not going well after interacting with some of them. He used the example of Tiffany calling him out at the banishment ceremony. “This one right here, I see your heart, and it’s ruthless,” she said pointing at Jax. “It’s black, it’s ugly, and I know why you’re in this house because you’re a demon. And you’re demon-possessed.” The cast looked shocked and Jax cried.

“The ones that came in on House of Villains really strong with their attitudes would not last long,” he claimed. “No, there’s people on Vanderpump who don’t put up with that. And I felt like some of the time it was an act. I felt like a couple of the girls it was like they’re putting on an act. I kind of didn’t figure that out until after I left the show. Because I took it to heart like New York calling me a demon and all that. Then I thought about it, and I’m like, ‘You know what? She is who she is because of what she does.’ She’s a villain, and she puts on a show because when the cameras weren’t on she was nice as can be.”

Jax said Tiffany apologized to him at the premiere party. He said the alliance aspect of the game was also “too fake” for him. In the house, he said he hid and just listened to the women’s conversations. “I’m not gonna lie. If I’ve gotten anything from this show, it was like a masterclass in reality TV,” he said. “It really was. I learned so much going forward whatever show I get to do in the future. Like wow, this is what you have to do.”

Jax Calls Shake Chatterjee the ‘Most Disturbing Human’
Image via E! Entertainment

Shake was on the hit list and tried to throw Jax under the bus saying he didn’t need the money and was a bully. That led to them getting into a heated argument in the hot tub. Shake previously told Collider he doesn’t think he was a villain, but Jax disagreed and called him “the most disturbing human, how he lasted on that show is beyond me.” The reality star accused the veterinarian of thinking he’s “God’s gift to women” and said that’s a “far cry, my friend.”

Shake was on season 2 of Love Is Blind and ended the season being unapologetic for his negative comments about his ex-fiancée. He also feuded with co-host Nick Lachey after the reunion. The House of Villains cast was allowed to use their phones at midnight and that’s when he did his research and watched clips of Shake on the Netflix show. He said Shake did the same and used the information about his cars and businesses against him. Jax claims Shake asked for his advice on how to build his brand and denies bragging about his money out of nowhere. Jax was banished in episode 3, but that might not be the end of his time on the new series. Jax ended the interview by teasing a “comeback” on House of Villains. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’m not. Who said I’m leaving the House of Villains?”

House of Villains airs Thursdays at 10pm ET/PT on E! and catch up on the E! app.