The Wilds: Every Main Character, Ranked By Likability

Amazon Prime’s The Wilds flew somewhat under the radar in 2020 but it was one of the more intriguing series of the year. Audiences watched with bated breath as a group of teenage girls struggled to survive while stranded on an island. Of course, viewers learned there was a lot more going on than just that. It has fans eagerly awaiting season two.

As was the case with another stranded island show, Lost, the secrets are a selling point but the focus is on the characters. Each of the ladies on this series is heavily flawed, which makes them relatable, and in some cases, that, in turn, makes them likable.

10 Leah Riike

Since she’s the focal point of the first episode, you might think Leah (Sarah Pidgeon) is more liable but she’s not. Any sympathy felt about her past heartbreak goes away when it’s revealed that she lied to the guy about being underage and has since stalked him. On the island, Leah doesn’t make things better for herself.

She is constantly rushing to judge other characters in vicious ways without knowing the whole story and she often messes things up, even nearly costing Toni and Martha their lives at one point. Leah also doesn’t grow much, still shown to be pining for Jeffrey when they were near rescue. Her only positive is that she figures out that something is off about the island.

9 Gretchen Kline

When Gretchen Kline (Rachel Griffiths) is first seen, she’s simply the woman pulling the strings of the Dawn of Eve program. She immediately seems evil since she plotted to put these poor girls through such a harrowing ordeal. That feeling doesn’t change much when more is learned about her.

On paper, Gretchen coming up with a project to prove that society would be better off if done without a patriarchy is great. It’s a good concept that promotes female empowerment. However, this is too extreme of an experiment and it’s hard to like someone who is willing to hurt and kill innocent people to prove a point.

8 Daniel Faber & Dean Young

Although these are two separate characters, they’re being grouped together because they kind of get the same amount of screen time. Daniel Faber (David Sullivan) is a psychologist, while Dean Young (Troy Winbush) is some type of agent. Both work for Gretchen.

They are the guys who interview the girls after their “rescue.” Both push back on Gretchen’s ideas at times, showing they feel the situation is wrong. Dean does it a bit more so, especially when he offers up help in the finale, so he’d get a slight edge.

7 Rachel Reid

Considering her backstory where she has her dream taken away from her and suffers from bulimia, Rachel Reid (Reign Edwards) is sympathetic. You can instantly understand why she needed to go to the retreat and even if she’s mean, her love for her twin is clear.

It makes her more likable than the previous entries. However, her stubborn nature gets in the way. Too often does Rachel lash out at others and try to force them to overexert themselves. Her way of life didn’t work, yet she still expected everyone to follow in her footsteps.

6 Toni Shalifoe

In the very first episode, you’re given reason to question Toni Shalifoe (Erana James). She explains that she stopped playing basketball after getting in trouble for throwing her pee at an opponent. It sets the tone for exactly the kind of person that Toni is.

She’s a hothead who always goes way too far when she gets upset. Unlike some other characters though, Toni grows and learns a better way. She forms a bond with Shelby, stands up when her sexuality is dissed, and ultimately becomes a much better person by the end of the season.

5 Martha Blackburn

Martha Blackburn (Jenna Clause) feels like the nicest person on the island by a pretty wide margin. She is kind throughout the series and comes across as the only one with heaps of optimism. That kindness does become a weakness, especially when she doesn’t want to kill a goat that the group desperately needs for food.

She eventually does kill the animal in a pretty harrowing scene. The main thing that holds Martha back from being more likable is the fact that she doesn’t seem to get enough to do. She’s something of an afterthought compared to many of the girls on the island.

4 Fatin Jadmani

A trend of the show is that some of these girls aren’t what they seem on the surface. When Fatin Jadmani (Sophia Ali) is first seen, she comes across as the stereotypical rich person who cares more about their looks and being pampered than anything of importance.

That does happen quite often on the island but like Toni, Fatin is someone who seems to grow. She comes through for the group several times, especially when she finds the waterfall. Getting to see what happened in her home life also made her more sympathetic.

3 Nora Reid

For most of the show, the audience knew that someone was the “inside man” for Gretchen on the island. One of the girls was feeding her information and the least likely seemed to be Nora Reid (Helena Howard). She was quiet, socially awkward, and overshadowed by her twin sister Rachel.

So, finding out that it was Nora was a shocker and makes her difficult to like. Of course, that revelation comes right at the end of the season. Everything before that saw Nora actually being likable. She had great ideas, helped several of the girls, and came across as unproblematic.

2 Shelby Goodkind

Honestly, the only negative that could be said about Shelby Goodkind (Mia Healey) has to do with her upbringing. She was raised to be so conservative that it caused her to significantly hurt her best friend, leading to her committing suicide. On the island, it also led to her upsetting Toni.

That being said, Shelby is otherwise a good person. She is always trying to help others around her, she comes to Leah’s aide when they’re off the island, and her romance with Toni is something audiences adored. It’s understandable that she struggles with being closeted. Shelby is pretty smart, uses her hunting skills to the benefit of everyone, and contributes a lot to the group.

1 Dot Campbell

It didn’t seem like it would be the case but Dot Campbell (Shannon Berry) ended up as the group’s leader. She had a history of wilderness survival skills and put them to use. She organized and rationed their items, set up their work schedules, and was respected by everyone.

When she chose to step down as leader, everything went to hell and she had to go back to her position. Dot also has a sympathetic backstory involving her sick dad and it shows that she is among the most caring people on the show. Her toughness and leadership skills are to be admired.

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