'Love Is Blind' Star Describes Intense Omarosa Meeting
This week, 10 of TV's most infamous villains will be returning to the airwaves to fight for $250,000. Among the cast of E!'s newest sensation House of Villains will be the inventor of Survivor's dead grandma hoax Johnny Fairplay, Vanderpump Rules' chronic cheater Jax Taylor and of course Donald Trump's ex-boardroom/White House buddy Omarosa Manigault Newman. Joining these Mount Rushmore-level figures is Love Is Blind Season 2's Shake Chatterjee, who made waves on the show for caring about the appearances of the other contestants and then hitting on Vanessa Lachey at the show's reunion (in front of her husband).
Ahead of House of Villains' premiere on Oct. 12, 2023, we sat down with Shake to discuss why he wanted to return to reality TV, what it was like meeting his fellow "villains" and if that's a moniker he feels is fair to give him.
When you were filming Love Is Blind, did you think you were going to be the villain?
No. When we're filming and I have the camera guys laughing and the lighting guys laughing, I'm just like, "We're all just having a fun time." I'm taking some extra liberties and, you know, just having fun with it. Because to me, being on a show is supposed to be a fun experience, right? But when those things get taken out of context and chopped up, it's very easy to make somebody look a certain type of way. My big disappointment with that is I was friends with everybody on my cast until the show came out. They saw how I looked, then they didn't want anything to do with me, and attacked me at the reunion. And that's when I was like, "Hi, this is bullsh-t. You guys know what really happened. You're trying to protect your own image at the expense of my image.
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So when did you realize you were getting portrayed in a different way than you thought you were going to?
Well, the first few episodes came out. I had a big watch party. We all honestly thought it was hilarious, because everybody knows me, and they know my humor and who I am in real life. And I'm like, "Some of these things are not ideal, but it was just so funny to see. And then as it went on, I'm like, "Uh-oh." There's moments where I was okay with how I looked, but the wedding, and how that was edited together, it was so inaccurate, but so specific to attack me.
The wedding was the last thing I saw before filming the reunion. We got to pre-screen it the night before the reunion was filmed, because it wasn't actually out yet. But once I saw that, I was seeing red. At that point, I'm like, "Oh, you motherf--kers like you got to do me like that. All right, well, I have a couple things to say about your show."
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So what were your initial thoughts when you were asked to be on House of Villains?
Well, the idea of the show sounded hilarious, and maybe more fit to my personality. Not as villain per se, but we're not dealing with people's broken hearts. It sounded very kind of tongue in cheek, poking fun [at] itself, which is kind of how I am.
I wasn't really ready to go back on reality TV after how Love Is Blind went. And it was actually my girlfriend at the time who convinced me. She was like, "You should go on here and show people the real you, because I see how wonderful you are, but everyone else has this opinion of you."
So was that the main reason you decided to do House of Villains more than the money?
I wanted to show people who I was. Plus, it sounded like this crazy adventure of a lifetime. That's one of the reasons I went on the last show. I was looking for love, but I'm always looking for unique opportunities, and this was one of those opportunities.
How familiar are you with reality TV? Did you know of the other cast members going into House of Villains?
So I'm not a big reality TV guy. I barely barely watch it at all. I think in some ways it set me at a disadvantage. Because now that I've seen some of their work, and I wish I knew what they were capable of. But I went in there with a clean slate.
Were you intimidated by anybody when you met them initially?
Well, Omarosa was the last person to arrive and the rest of the cast had predicted that it's probably gonna be her. And when she did arrive in the house, it was like, "Oh my God, she's here. Oh my God." And then everyone just disappears into their rooms like it was like a cartoon or something. But I hadn't met her. I knew to be cautious, but I wasn't like terrified of her. So I kind of made my way down and introduced myself, but I was intimidated, you know.
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Did you guys know how the game worked before you got there? Did you have a strategy?
No, we didn't know anything. We didn't know who was gonna be in the house. We didn't know what the hell we were gonna be doing. Having a strategy in this scenario honestly wouldn't do you any good because of the twists and turns; nothing could prepare you.
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So is being known as a villain something you're comfortable with?
I think House of Villains showed me that there is a villain inside of me after all, and he's alive and well. The situations you're put in on the show, the stress and the just the chaos, it brings out a certain side of you. But I'm not that mad at it, honestly. I think there's a lot to be said about villains, about being sharp and put together and going against the grain when you have an the unpopular opinion and holding your ground. I think those are all admirable qualities of villains, and I don't think being a villain is the worst thing in the world.
Having now been on two reality TV shows, would you want to compete on another show?
Well, some of my cast-mates are kind of in reality TV full-time, but I'm in a unique spot because I'm still practicing as a veterinarian. I'm in real-estate now. So I'm doing a lot of things that make it hard to go on another show. But that being said, if the right show came across my lap, I would consider it.
Has being on reality TV impacted your regular life and practice at all?
I don't like to mix the two too much, but I do have clients come in and recognize me. It's almost always a positive experience though.
If you win, how are you planning on using the money?
I'd put a down payment on another house. That's the best way to build generational wealth. Buy real-estate.
Watch the House of Villains premiere on E! at 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 12, 2023.
