Top 10 Sore Loser Outbursts on Reality TV

#10: The Beast

“The Chase” (2009-) You’d think that being a professional quizzer would make you a bit more used to failure, since it’s your job on the line. Not so for the Chasers, apparently, as the Beast gave in to rage in this memorable 2016 outburst. After letting the contestants earn a prize pot of sixty grand, Mark Labbett lived up to his name. He congratulated the team but then, while he was walking off, punched the set. Was he hamming it up for the cameras? Possibly, since they potentially would have made him film it again if it had been something they didn’t want broadcast. But we don’t doubt that he WAS frustrated with how badly he did. It’s not the only time he’s done it, though.

#9: The Worst Couple

“Blind Date” (1985-2003) Technically, “Blind Date” IS a game show, and these two were some of the biggest losers we’ve ever seen on it. While you could make a case that the people whose dates just didn’t turn up got a worse end of the stick, we’d much rather go on an all-expenses-paid holiday ALONE than with somebody who can’t stand the sight of us. Adam and Debs won a beach trip to get to know each other, but what they got to know, they didn’t like. They returned the studio absolutely seething, and Adam continued being obnoxious in his talking heads. The audience, and Cilla, were firmly on Debs’ side after seeing the way he behaved.

#8: Gemma Collins

“Dancing on Ice” (2006-14; 2018-) Fair play to Gemma, she wasn’t voted off first, getting all the way to the fifth round until leaving. This incident came in week 3, though, after Gemma’s homage to Marilyn Monroe in a performance that was heavy on the glamour and light on the ice skating. Jason Gardiner called her out for this, saying that she’d been working hard on her skating and still went with a routine that was, undoubtedly, easier. She scored low yet again, but nowhere near as low as some others, and did well in the public vote, but after being lambasted by Gardiner, she went after him. She accused him of selling stories about her to the tabloids and let him have it.

#7: Seamus Cullen

“Any Dream Will Do” (2007) Do you remember “Any Dream Will Do”, one of a handful of Andrew Lloyd Webber reality shows to find a new star to be in West End musicals in the Noughties? This one was to find the next Joseph in a 2007 revival of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, and Seamus Cullen thought he was a shoo-in for the role. But he was eliminated from the competition very early, and didn’t take it lying down. They got to sing a grand, goodbye number over the credits and Seamus was livid. We’ve never seen someone sing so angrily, and at the end he announced that he was going to get his own show anyway - not that that show ever materialised.

#6: Selina Waterman-Smith

“The Apprentice” (2005-) She was memorable as one of the most maligned “Apprentice” contestants ever, constantly butting heads with the others. She was fired about halfway through, but has never stopped badmouthing the show, refusing to appear on “You’re Fired!” to discuss her exit. She was fired for her bad attitude, but has claimed that the show is selectively edited - as all reality shows are - and that the showrunners decide who they want to win right at the beginning, goading the others into making fools of themselves. Since leaving the show, though, she’s had a terrible time of it, almost going to prison in Dubai and saying that she’s lost everything.

#5: Behemoth Loses

“Robot Wars” (1998-2004; 2016-18) In the 2016 “Robot Wars” revival, Team Behemoth were back again to flex their engineering prowess - only, it didn’t quite work out the way they wanted. After a deadlocked battle between Behemoth and Cherub, the judges decided that Cherub was ultimately the stronger machine and that Behemoth lost. Cue Ant storming off the set, outraged that he’d been beaten by a group of children. Being a bad loser when you lose to adults is bad enough, but what kind of an example does this set to those hard-working kids? It was deeply immature, but at least the rest of his team took it on the chin.

#4: Heather Horsfall

“Come Dine with Me” (2005-) It’s time for “Come Dine with Me”, a show that breeds sore losers like no other. Heather was fuming when it was revealed that she came dead last, turning all of her ire on fellow contestant Zaira, even though Zaira didn’t win either. She was so upset at the reveal that she’d come at the bottom that she raged, broke down in tears, and stormed off. After a break, the crew clearly persuaded her to return and finish filming the programme, handing out the money. But there’s much more to winning “Come Dine with Me” than making the best food and tactically giving the others low scores: they’ve got to like you, too.

#3: Zara Holland

“Love Island” (2015-) Perhaps the sorest loser of all is a sore winner, as Zara Holland demonstrated in this bombastic taping of “Loose Women”. Following a scandal where she slept with another contestant on “Love Island” - something they were all doing in the early series - she had her Miss Great Britain beauty pageant title revoked. She appeared on ITV to discuss it with the panel and the runner-up, Deone Robertson, who’d been named the new Miss GB following the drama. Zara was adamant that she wasn’t going to return her crown and that poor Deone, who was a picture of diplomacy throughout this, didn’t deserve it.

#2: Katie

“The Weakest Link” (2000-12) Sometimes you’re not the weakest link because you get the questions wrong, you’re the weakest link because nobody likes you. That was seemingly what happened to Katie, twice, during her stints on the show trying to win that cash. In this legendary outburst, she went on a tirade to camera about how much she hated another contestant in a wheelchair, and how she deserved to win because she wasn’t going to spend the money on a nice holiday. She later came back with a vengeance on a special, bad losers edition, only to find herself voted off again, calling them names as she walked off set. She really WAS the strongest link, though.

#1: Peter Marsh

“Come Dine with Me” (2005-) Be honest, you knew it would be Peter as soon as you saw the title of this video. Without a doubt, he remains the UK’s most legendary sore loser, losing his temper at Jane following her successful plot to win the cash. But while Jane was needling him all week, it wasn’t JUST Jane who bore the brunt of his temper. He attacked fellow contestants Adam and Charlotte, too, who also beat him, saying that one made a plate of vomit and the other served “rancid, chewy pork”. He threw them all into the street to celebrate with their cash and champers. They were all relieved to be out of there in the end. Let us know in the comments which bad loser you think was the most immature.