I Ranked The "Real Housewives" Series From Most Blah To Most Unbelievable
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About a year ago, I embarked on a mission to rekindle my love for Bravo by rewatching all the Housewives franchises, which I've watched with varying frequency throughout the years.
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It started with Jersey, which is the first one I remember ever watching. And once I got through that, I kept going.
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Since then, I've watched all of Jersey, Beverly Hills, Potomac, the O.C., SLC, and am amidst my Atlanta rewatch.
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My recent plunge into all these make me feel especially qualified to judge (as Housewives do) which franchises really bring it and which franchises are just meh.
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Here's my ranking, from most boring to most mindblowing.
12.A League of Its Own: The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip
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Who doesn't love this premise, a combination of controversial housewives, a myriad of messiness?! Bringing some of these personalities together makes for wonderful TV, but what's perhaps more wonderful is that as many of those moments are funny friendships as are dramatic encounters.
11.The Real Housewives of Dallas
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With five seasons on the air, RHOD never had that spark of a moment that cemented other franchises. Season 6 was in limbo for a while before the show was canceled, partially due to racially insensitive comments by cast members.
10.The Real Housewives of Miami
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The first iteration of Miami lasted just three seasons, but it may have not had a fair shot since it wasn't originally designed to be a Housewives show. Bravo made the changes needed, but the series was left in limbo after the 2013-2014 season with Bravo finally confirming it was over in 2016.
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Few things in the Bravoverse truly die, however, and RHOM recently got a second chance on Peacock, with some of the original cast returning to pick up where they left off...and people are into it, with another season in the works. There may be life in her yet.
9.The Real Housewives of D.C.
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There was certainly some fan interest in what the housewives of the nation's capital would be like, but one scandal robbed fans of the series' potential. Michaele Salahi and husband Tareq crashed the White House state dinner without an invitation and were investigated as a result, forcing Bravo to cancel the series despite promising ratings.
8.The Real Housewives of Dubai
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Its first season just wrapped up, but The Real Housewives of Dubai is already promising thanks to some familiar faces and new, strong personalities.
7.The Real Housewives of Orange County
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I didn't expect to like RHOC, and admittedly, the first few seasons dragged for me (and I couldn't stand how often they name-dropped Coto de Caza). But eventually, Vicki and Tamra and their pursuit of all things whooping it up started to win me over.
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And the cast got pretty good! Gretchen was interesting, Heather felt super familiar as an East Coast-er myself, but after awhile, they started to hit a lull, too.
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The world wasn't ready for Shannon Beador, arguably one of television's most accidentally hilarious people. There's something very precious about her, even when she's being pesty.
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As far as drama goes, the ladies of RHOC talk to each other CRAZYYYY, but a lot of their drama sticks within their social circle and isn't quite as headline-making as other franchises.
6.The Real Housewives of New York City
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RHONY gets respect as one of the early series in the franchise and one that's had a lot of great moments, but it also had some moments that dragged.
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Really, RHONY has had SUCH a cast of characters. You've got Ramona Singer, Countess Luann, Bethenny Frankel, Jill Zaren, Carole Radziwill, and Dorinda Medley, just to name a FEW. Say what you will about the show's dynamic, but the cast has always done what they can.
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5.The Real Housewives of Atlanta
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RHOA brings some of Bravo's biggest personalities of all the Housewives series, despite being the first of the series to forge ahead without an original cast member after NeNe Leakes exited after Season 7, though she'd later return for two more seasons.
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If for nothing else, you have to love Atlanta for bringing you bangers like "The Ring Didn't Mean a Thing," "Don't Be Tardy for the Party," and "Gone With the Wind Fabulous."
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While RHOA brings some major drama, it's very contained to the cast and their social sphere. Personal drama has made headlines, but it hasn't really spilled over into the outside world the way other series in the franchise have.
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For what it lacks in larger life drama, it makes up for in meme-rable moments. Some of the internet's favorites happen in this franchise, and for that unique and wonderful expressiveness, we are grateful.
4.The Real Housewives of Potomac
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I'll admit RHOP started slow for me. All the manners nonsense felt super particular and made a weird jumping-off point. But these ladies quickly proved they had more to them than minding their Ps and Qs.
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These women are each fascinating in their own ways, and once in a while, some of them like to fight. And while fighting shouldn't be the high point of any Housewives series, there's something about seeing someone so composed completely lose it that's really refreshing and relatable.
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A lot of the drama is friendship and relationship drama, with the Potomac husbands arguably some of the most involved in the mix of all the series. It's hard to explain why it's so good, but it's really given quite a bit in just six seasons.
3.The Real Housewives of New Jersey
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Now, I may be biased because this was my first ever Housewives series, AND I've encountered many a Jersey girl in my lifetime, but how do you not love the sheer ridiculous family drama that is RHONJ.
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The continuous Gorga-Giudice messiness would make Shakespeare himself jealous. They combine good fashion that's not too over-the-top with good old moral clashes, and they give us everything.
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Granted, the friend drama has definitely lacked in a number of seasons because family drama has been so much of the show's action.
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But also, let's be honest, if you've watched the Gorga and Giudice kids grow up over the years, you know they're responsible for some of the show's best moments.
2.The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
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RHOSLC has proven itself especially eventful in its short time on air. They've given us meme-worthy moments and endlessly wonderful fashion.
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And of course, the show has given us Jen Shah, a housewife who truly feels like a culmination of some of our favorites over the year. Her criminal history has spilled into the show's action and given us some of Bravo's most jaw-dropping TV in a while.
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Salt Lake City has proven more scandalous than viewers may have expected, between crises of faith, legal drama, cast-mate firings and walkouts...all in just two seasons (with Season 3 soon to come)!
1.The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
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At the risk of sounding like Saturday Night Live's Stefon, RHOBH has everything! You get family drama, legal drama, relationship drama, friendship drama, and every product of them intersecting.
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The cast had been pretty solid through various comings and goings, with Kyle Richards proving herself the OG of BH for 12 seasons and counting. You started with some other familiar faces including Kim Richards (responsible for some of the most explosive confrontations in Housewives history) and Camille Grammer.
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So, you started off with seeing Kelsey Grammer's marriage fall apart and an epic family feud which still bleeds into storylines 12 seasons later, all with a side of reality icon Lisa Vanderpump.
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The Brandi Glanville-Yolanda Hadid-Lisa Rinna intersection brought some epic moments both good and bad. And lest we forget some other powerhouses, the following seasons introduced Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, and theeee Denise Richards.
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RHOBH currently has its most diverse cast ever, figures who are making headlines on and off the show, and while not always for great reasons, it makes for TV people want to watch.
Agree with my assessment? Ready for a reunion throwdown? Let's hear it in the comments.
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