Reality shows are a guilty pleasure that provides us with respite from the monotony of everyday life. The widely loved US reality show The Real Housewives makes everyday life more glamorous, over-the-top, and, well, dramatic. The show documents the everyday glamorous (and eccentric) lives of rich housewives living in different regions of America.
Each franchise of the show takes us through the life of affluent missuses belonging to a certain US city. Many iconic TV personalities have graced the show with their presence, from Kyle Richards to NeNe Leakes. The show is a mixed bag of feisty personalities, crazy storylines, and funny antics of these bold women. Here’s a little peek into some of the most shocking moments of The Real Housewives.
12. "I Am Very Rich, B*tch!"
This moment from The Real Housewives of Atlanta stands out among all the drama that went down in Atlanta. The scene featured a heated showdown between divas NeNe Leakes and Sheree Whitfield.
Although plans were made to salvage their hot-and-cold ‘friendship’ on lunch, that’s not what went down. The passive-aggressiveness that was oozing out of their ‘friendly’ discourse kept the audience on their toes. Fans didn’t really get to see a full-blown catfight but the constant shade being thrown around was amusing enough.
But the most awe-worthy moment was when Leakes sassily reminded Whitfield ‘I’m very rich, bitch!’. So much for their post-lunch resolution of ‘not stepping out of character’. But fans loved the outburst and it caught fire, and soon we had thousands of merchandise material featuring the dialogue.
11. A Ticking Time Bomb
Seeing the ‘peaceful’ post-yoga avatar of Teresa Giudice nowadays might almost make you forget her good ol’ feisty days. In the earlier episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa was nothing less than a time bomb waiting to blow. Tables turned (quite literally) at a fancy dinner between all the wives of RHONJ.
Danielle Staub, one of Teresa’s fiercest rivals through the show, set the latter off with a snide remark. Things got so heated that Giudice ended up flipping a dinner table. Now we know what’s never to do- piss off Teresa in a public restaurant.
10. "Goodbye, Kyle!"
OG Real Housewives fans have seen many friendships turn sour throughout different franchises of the show. But the most iconic was the one between Kyle Richards and Lisa Vanderpump. It came to an end after an explosive confrontation (a nicer word for war) between the two women over Lisa’s ‘gossipy’ nature.
The housewives believed Lisa was the one who tried to defame Dorit by feeding information to media columns after the latter turned down a puppy from ‘Vanderpump Dogs’. Kyle decided to represent the wives and call out Lisa at Villa Rose, who in return became deeply insulted.
Lisa ends up breaking the ties with Kyle after the entire fiasco. Now during their heated arguments, Lisa’s husband Ken takes her side and shouts “Goodbye Kyle!”. It turned into an iconic meme used on social media for years to come.
9. Malibu Meltdown
Wonder where that insanely popular meme of a woman yelling at a cat originates from? You’ve come to the right place- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Season two of RHOBH opens with an explosive confrontation between Camille Grammer and Taylor Armstrong at Malibu Beach. Things get out-of-control as other wives intervene in the situation.
We see a drunk Taylor going through a meltdown which resulted in utter chaos. She becomes disorderly and keeps screaming at everyone who comes in her way. The shot was taken when a teary-eyed Taylor was pointing fingers at everyone as Kyle was trying to calm her down. Coupled with another popular photo of a confused cat, it became the recipe for an iconic meme.
8. Game Night Gone Really Wild
RHOBH seems to be one of the most scandalous franchises of the entire series. Fans have seen a lot of back-biting, shade, drama, and meltdowns throughout the season. One that stood out was the ‘Game Night Gone Wild’ episode of RHOBH season 2.
Famed housewife Taylor Armstrong’s friend Dana hosts a fun game night for the ladies, which turned out to be anything but. We see Richards sisters doing what they did best throughout the season- provoking trouble by bullying the new addition to the show- Brandi.
Drama hit the roof when they even hide Brandi’s crutches taking away the support for her broken foot. Insults are thrown around met with shady comebacks. Somewhere in between, we hear Brandi’s “At least I’m not doing crystal meth in the bathroom” which was quite a shocking accusation, to which Kim responded with “You’re a slut pig”. Someone should give her an award for the weirdest insult ever.
7. Porsha's Arrest for Peaceful Protesting
This one is neither dramatic nor does it feature the usual banter between the wives. But it does make for one of the most memorable moments in the history of Real Housewives of Atlanta. As the death of George Floyd triggered widespread protests in the US, several Bravo stars joined hands against racial inequality.
In season 13 of RHOA, we see Porsha Williams being arrested during a BLM protest in Kentucky. It was highly publicized and many fans admired her for using her voice against police brutality and injustice. Many influential people including the show host Andy Cohen voiced their support and Cohen said he had never been as proud of a Real Housewife.
6. Drunken Rampage of the Husbands
Do you think all the chaos in the RHA house is stirred by the ladies? You’re in for a surprise. The season finale of The Real Housewives of Potomac went out with a bang. We see Ashley’s husband Michael Darby in a heated fight with Candiace Dillard’s husband Chris.
As Candiace was venting to Karen Huger about her earlier altercation with Monique Samuels, Michael told Chris to ‘control his wife’. This stirred up quite a drama and both men kept shouting at each other even after they were physically separated. Michael even went as far as lashing out at the production team of RHOP, leaving Ashley quite embarrassed.
5. "The Lies! The Lies!"
The Real Housewives of Atlanta has some of the most spine-tickling seasons, but the season 9 reunion takes away the cake. We see a surprising end to season-long friendship between Phaedra Parks and Porsha Williams. It was caused by the shocking revelation that Phaedra spread lies about Kandi’s ‘sex dungeons’.
Phaedra reportedly claimed that Kandi and her husband intended to drug and rape Porsha in their sex dungeons. Interestingly, it was a rumor that was repeated more than once by Porsha herself. But Phaedra took the brunt for spreading these lies and was condemned by all the wives.
4. Bit of Leg Pulling
Season 5 of Real Housewives of New York City brought us some crazy drama and ‘leg pulling’. RHONY star Aviva Drescher decided to leave the show after the ladies put a major ‘question mark’ on her asthma condition. However, a lot of drama unfolded before her walk-out.
In episode 16, the ladies attended a party hosted by Sonja at Le Cirque. But things got heated as the housewives started arguing over the truthfulness of Aviva’s asthma claims. But what took everyone by surprise was when a frustrated Aviva took off her prosthetic leg and slammed it on the dinner table. The moment gave birth to a meme we'll still see in years to come.
3. Tired of Being Strong
The Real Housewives of Potomac season 3 was an emotional rollercoaster ride with many bittersweet moments. But what tops the list is the emotional meltdown of the diva Karen Huger on stage.
During the three-part season, Karen Huger shared her grief of losing both of her parents just months apart from each other. She remarked “I’m tired of being strong”, a phrase that caught up with the fandom.
One could see the emotional turmoil all over her face as the lady excused herself from the stage. But what was more surprising and heartwarming was seeing Gizelle Bryant, her season-long frenemy, making her way backstage to console Karen. Although the rest of the season things didn’t go down well between the two, that one shocking moment of embrace meant a lot to the OG fans.
2. The ‘Hair-Raising’ Fight
Fights and arguments are pretty common parts of the lives of Bravo’s Real Housewives. However, there were times when things got physical and led to some of the most shocking (and embarrassing) moments of the show.
One such altercation happened between Sheree Whitfield and Kim Zolciak outside a restaurant during the second season of RHA Atlanta. But right when Kim tries to walk away from the scene, Sheree took a handful of Kim’s hair and pulled off her wig!!! Now that’s the level of ‘crazy’ you only see in Real Housewives.
1. Caught in the Crossfire
Do you think all the drama that happens on the set of RHA stays between the ladies? Well, now and then, there are some ‘casualties’. It reminds us of RHONJ season 2 when Danielle triggered the not-so-zen Teresa by talking about her family.
The ladies got into a catfight and some hilarious insults were exchanged. Just when it turned physical, the show moderator Andy Cohen tried to break them up. But it didn’t play well as a pissed-off Teresa pushed him and threw him back into his seat!
Conclusion
The Real Housewives is undoubtedly one of the spiciest reality show based on the lives of women. What makes it sell is the rip-roaring exchange between the stars which keeps the audience hooked for what’s next.
After almost a decade, the fandom of the show is not going anywhere anytime soon and the franchise is expanding to other countries too. We all love celebrity scandals and the Real Housewives serve them to us on a plate.
