The Top 10 Biggest Douchebags of 2009 | SPIKE

Sadly the douchebag is still alive and well in America. They creep among us in a glaringly obvious way with their poor sense of style, over-inflated sense of self-worth, and all-round bad behavior. The problem with the douchebag is they’re not self-aware. They're so caught up in themselves they don’t realize they’re 100 percent douche..unless of course, we name them and shame them.

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10. Christian Bale

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After the success of The Dark Knight last year it seemed Christian Bale could do no wrong. That all changed early this year when an audio recording was leaked of Bale screaming and shouting at Director of Photography Shane Hurlbut on the set of Terminator Salvation. The angry tirade had a psychotic Bale hurling a mountain of abuse at Hurlbut, swearing at him, and threatening him. Once released, the recording went viral and Bale quickly became the butt of endless jokes and parodies.

Bale publicly apologized, saying the outburst was “inexcusable” and that he’d “acted like a punk.” However the damage was done. His effort at public redemption failed and no one who went to see Terminator Salvation saw it without thinking of Bale’s crazed outburst.

9. The ShamWow Guy

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The infomercial pitchman made prime time this year when he was arrested and charged with felony aggravated battery for allegedly beating up a prostitute. The ShamWow guy, who’s real name is Vince Shlomi, was arrested in South Beach, Florida after a fracas with Sasha Harris, a 26-year-old $1,000-a-night hooker. Shlomi claimed it was Harris who began the fight when she “bit his tongue and would not let go.” But wait, there’s more!

Not content with a little rough play, the ShamWow guy punched the living bejesus out of  his hooker acquaintance with his own form of "slap and chop." The prostitute gave as good as she got, though, leaving the TV pitchman bloodied and bruised. Luckily for Shlomi the charges were later dropped.

8. Michael Lohan

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Michael Lohan is fast becoming the poster boy for deadbeat dads. This year Mr. Lohan proved how much of leech he is by leaking audio conversations he recorded with his famous daughter Lindsay and with Lindsay’s mother (his ex-wife). He explained that his actions were intended to help his troubled daughter see the light and get help, but we all know the real reason -- cash.

The ex-con is a bottom-feeder who uses his daughter’s celebrity to grab attention and make a quick buck. He even latched onto loser reality TV star Jon Gosselin, offering him advice on divorce and parenting. Who in their right mind would take any advice from Michael Lohan? Have you seen how his daughter turned out? I suppose if you had a father like Michael, then you’d be severely screwed up too.

7. Tila Tequila

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What did Tila Tequila actually do this year? You mean apart for being a douchebagette? Well then the answer is "not much." The former reality television star did all she could to keep herself in the public spotlight. Publicity is this woman’s crack and her addiction is chronic. When she wasn’t posting booty-shaking videos on her website, she was showing off her fake breasts on pretty much any red carpet that would have her.

Tila really hit it big in the publicity department in September after an incident with NFL player Shawne Merriman. She alleges she was assaulted by the linebacker, while he says she was drunk and disorderly. Whatever the case, all charges were dropped. She is currently suing Merriman, presumably hoping for a big payday.

Tila also showed her catty side this year in a feud with singer Rihanna. Tila recently took to her blog and wrote that she had it on good authority that the rumor Rihanna was beaten by Chris Brown because she had herpes was 100 percent true. Who does this? Oh, someone craving attention, that's who.

6. Richard Heene a.k.a. Balloon Boy's Dad

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You may not instantly know the name Richard Heene, but you are probably aware of his work. Heene is the man behind the Balloon Boy hoax, an event that literally stopped the nation in its tracks. The incident went down on October 15th, 2009, when Richard falsely claimed his 6-year-old son Falcon had floated away in a homemade weather balloon. Authorities stepped in, the cable news networks turned up, and the nation was glued to their television sets as the rescue operation played out live.

When the balloon landed the boy was nowhere to found and was instead “discovered” hiding in the roof of the family home. Richard, a one-time actor/comedian and full-time attention seeker, milked the incident for all it was worth. He appeared on numerous news programs and shopped around a reality television show involving his family.

However the story was too good to be true. During an interview with Wolf Blitzer, little Falcon said to his father, “You guys said that, um, we did this for the show.” At first Richard tried to lie his way out of the gaffe, throwing his kid under the bus and saying he was tired. The police investigated and soon after Richard fessed up to the whole sorry mess. Pathetic.