How RHONY’s Jessel Taank Went from Underdog to Fan Favorite

Nora Donnellan

October 14, 2023 at 1:00 AM·4 min read

Jessel Taank Real Housewives of New York RHONY — Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images

As Season 14 of Real Housewives of New York comes to a close, fans are making their final judgments about their favorite and least favorite new cast members. One housewife whose name has been all over the map is Jessel Taank. The London native initially started as the show’s villain after a few communication mishaps landed her in hot water with the women.

However, a lot can change in a season and that is certainly the case with Jessel. The fashion publicist has become an unexpected fan favorite. Viewers have been rushing to her defense as the women continue to bash her marriage and question her upbringing. In a surprising twist of events, Jessel may become the new Queen B. Here is how she went from villain to hero.

She Seemed Unbothered By the Criticism

One thing we love about Jessel is she doesn’t put too much weight into what people think of her (well, okay, excluding Sai De Silva‘s opinion of her). But in general, the RHONY star took fan criticism in stride and kept a sense of humor about the whole thing. In an August interview with Variety, Jessel spoke about her personality being misconstrued on TV.

“There was a big cultural disconnect,” she told the outlet. “I’m still very sarcastic and dry. Things I find funny and dry, people don’t, and I’m like ‘Wait a minute!’ That scene in the first episode where I’m cleaning the table and telling Pavit and my mom, ‘This place is a mess,’ people were commenting she needs a divorce. Look at the way she talks to her husband and her mom. It’s the delivery and tone and how you sound.”

The Bravo star elaborated on her “villain edit” in an interview with Yahoo Canada the following month, telling the outlet she understands why her behavior might be coming across as “villainous.”

“I think when you first see me or meet me, in real life, and in general, I’m a very outspoken, very opinionated person,” she said. “I’m a woman that’s running a household, running my own businesses, running my husband’s wardrobe, my kids, there is definitely a controlling factor in my personality that may come across as being bossy and a little bit villainous, I guess.”

Jessel’s playful attitude about the criticism won over a lot of fans. We love how she was just like, Yeah, I can be bossy, so what?

She’s So Funny

Even if you’re not a Jessel fan, it’s hard to ignore she is entertaining on the show. Her natural talent to piss off the other women without trying is reality TV gold. From calling Tribeca an “up-and-coming” area to her cackling hags joke fail, the mother-of-two can’t seem to do anything right in her castmates’ eyes, which makes the show fun to watch. She is often at the center of conflict. Which, like, okay, she’s the main character. Everyone can’t stop talking about her!

She’s the Underdog

Fans really started to view Jessel differently after she became a punching bag for the other women. Fans didn’t love watching the girls gossip about Jessel’s sex life with her husband behind her back, especially after she was open about how her IVF journey may have impacted her sex drive.

The scene where Sai and Erin Lichy joked about Jessel’s husband Pavit Randhawa going to Vietnam to cheat on Jessel was just not cool. Fans felt like the other women were bullying Jessel and they were not having it. They also didn’t like when Brynn Whitfield called Jessel “forgettable” on the show. They were like, “Hey, that was our joke!”

Viewers love an underdog and Jessel certainly fits the bill. Even celebrities are jumping on the Jessel train. Saturday Night Live star Bown Yang recently voiced his support for the London native during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live. When asked about his favorite new RHONY cast member, Bowen replied, “Three words. Princess Jessel Taank.” Period! That’s our girl.

TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON JESSEL TAANK? IS THERE ANOTHER RHONY NEWCOMER YOU THINK DESERVES THE FAN FAVORITE AWARD?