- 6 weeks ago
Get ready for the ultimate drama rundown as we rank every mainline “Real Housewives” franchise produced by Bravo! From the scandal-ridden D.C. and opulent but uneven Dubai to cult favorites like Miami and long-standing legends like Orange County and Atlanta, we break down what made each city’s Housewives shine or stumble. Which ensemble brought the fiercest fights and most unforgettable moments? Stay tuned for the full breakdown!
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00:00There has to be an opening for the railroad at some point, because somebody's driving the train.
00:05It's not electric like what we have now.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're ranking every mainline Real Housewives franchise.
00:13I don't particularly want to talk to you.
00:14That's good that she really suits me.
00:16Because I actually get offended even looking at you now.
00:19For this list, we're only including Bravo produced series.
00:23Number 12, The Real Housewives of D.C.
00:26The good news is, President Obama is hosting India at the White House for the state dinner.
00:31Did you wear a sari?
00:33I wore it.
00:33Yes, it is.
00:34Is it beautiful?
00:35And it wraps.
00:36They had to teach me.
00:37Marred by real-life scandal, the housewives of the nation's capital couldn't live up to the drama occurring off-screen.
00:43Cast member Mikhail Salahi and her husband Tarek became embroiled in a national scandal when they were accused of gate
00:49-crashing a White House state dinner.
00:51Inside the party, the Salahis were able to mix and mingle with the political elite.
00:56Snapping pictures that were later posted on the couple's Facebook page.
01:00A high-profile addition to their vast online collection of photographs with celebrities.
01:05Producer Andy Cohen expressed interest in bringing the show back sans the Salahis, but a second season never materialized.
01:12Other than the obvious, its biggest legacy was proving that The Real Housewives brand wasn't too big to fail.
01:18The Real Housewives of D.C. was the first of the cities to get the axe.
01:22It's been just devastating to what's happened to Mikhail and I and our friends, colleagues, our business partners.
01:31Our lives have been destroyed.
01:32Our lives have really been destroyed.
01:34Number 11.
01:35The Real Housewives of Dallas.
01:37I didn't have my typhoon shot updated.
01:40Typhoon?
01:41Typhoon, what is it?
01:43Typhoid.
01:43Typhoid.
01:47While the Dallas addition didn't skimp on fabulousness and money, controversial statements and behavior by its cast might have proved
01:54to be its undoing.
01:55Cast members like Leanne Locken and Brandi Redman brought the show a reputation for drama and inappropriate comments in equal
02:01measure.
02:01Just listen to me.
02:02I am.
02:03In situations you deflect and sometimes it's become about...
02:06You didn't reflect last night.
02:07Yeah, Leanne, I have been through s*** in my life.
02:09I agree.
02:10I have done it.
02:11Why do you think I relate to you?
02:13However, once Locken left in its fourth season, the show failed to regain any footing it had.
02:18Declining ratings, a bizarre tone, and continuous accusations of racism saw the show end after its fifth season.
02:25The show has yet to return, and fans don't seem to be clamoring for a reboot.
02:30I will tell you that I actually have dealt with racism, being an immigrant and learning English when I was
02:36six years old and my parents had to deal with it.
02:38But I don't for one minute think that Brandi had any hate in her heart towards Asians or anybody else.
02:44Number 10.
02:44The Real Housewives of Dubai
02:46Opulence and wealth were abundant in Dubai.
02:49The fashions and the settings were absolutely stunning.
02:52But every Real Housewives series lives and dies by the chemistry of its cast.
02:57You told me that, Ayan.
02:59I never said you were bragging.
03:05Chanel Ayan and Caroline Stanbury were both standouts, but even they couldn't dodge accusations from viewers and critics that the
03:12show's drama was coming across as forced.
03:14Me and Brooks always have this kind of relationship, like sisters do have.
03:19One minute we're like, we love each other.
03:21One minute she's doing something to piss me off.
03:23Who calls their friends at 7 a.m. and make them feel bad?
03:26Though the idea of Bravo producing international versions of the show was tantalizing, Dubai didn't make the case very well.
03:33It was an experiment and unfortunately, it didn't please everyone.
03:37The Real Housewives of Dubai has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2024.
03:42My God, you're zero class.
03:43Your brand's from head to toe, but zero class.
03:46Oh, shut up.
03:47Are you pathetic?
03:48Number 9.
03:49The Real Housewives of New York City Reboot
03:51After a disastrous 13th season, Bravo went back to the drawing board for its New York edition.
03:57They may have overcorrected.
03:59Just stop coming for me.
04:00It's really easy.
04:01I'm not coming for you.
04:02Okay.
04:03Sure feels like it.
04:07Okay.
04:08Moving on.
04:09Casting an entirely new group of women, the ensemble became younger, with a heavier focus on social media influencers than
04:16the old money crowd.
04:18Reviews were immediately mixed.
04:20There were always going to be comparisons, but one thing the original cast had was camaraderie.
04:25It's just me and you talking right now.
04:26She's talking to Uba.
04:27I'm sitting here with you.
04:28You have my phone.
04:30I'm sitting with you.
04:31You had me sitting there for 35 minutes and didn't even have the decency to call me.
04:36The main issue many fans have identified is that the reboot cast just doesn't seem to be that into each
04:42other.
04:42Their polished, highly curated personalities were a far cry from the messiness and realness of their predecessors.
04:48Coming into the season, it was going to be like, let's get people to like her more by making them
04:53like me less.
04:54And it was just nothing but the first five weeks of you, Erin.
04:59It was nothing but five weeks of me.
05:00I tried to have a conversation.
05:01You put me through hell.
05:02I put you through hell.
05:03Number 8.
05:04The Real Housewives of Miami
05:06Never say never when it comes to the housewives.
05:21The Miami series was put on hiatus for almost 10 years before it came roaring back to Peacock in 2021
05:28and Bravo in 2023.
05:30The show introduced us to Larsa Pippen, Lisa Hochstein, and Marisol Patton and their struggles in life and love.
05:37I'm just telling you that I've earned my s**t.
05:40Unlike you.
05:41You live with your husband.
05:42Unlike you.
05:43I've earned...
05:43Actually, you know what?
05:45I wasn't with my husband since I was 21 years old.
05:47Okay.
05:47I had to work very f**king hard.
05:49I get it.
05:50Miami is certainly distinctive.
05:52With its flashy fashions and chaotic vibes, it's often called the most underrated of all the Real Housewives cities.
05:59Despite being one of the cult hits in the franchise, the reboot never had great ratings.
06:03In 2026, it was announced that the show was once again going on hiatus.
06:09To hear these words, I felt so unloved.
06:11I didn't feel like I had anybody.
06:13I had Leah Black, actually.
06:14She was...
06:15Oh, God.
06:15No, she was.
06:16She was one of the people that was there for me.
06:18Number 7.
06:19The Real Housewives of Orange County
06:21She did something to me.
06:22I didn't do anything to her.
06:24So is our little conversation where you said you believed me that it would never say to us?
06:27Well, after she told me about what your stupid friend said, who says that?
06:30For my daughter to hear this ridiculous...
06:33The inaugural series married the exclusivity of a gated Orange County community with the drama and intrigue of a soap
06:39opera.
06:40Obviously, it deserves a few points for inventing the format.
06:43Without the outspoken Vicki Gunvalson and the drama-stirring Tamara Judge, The Real Housewives might not even exist.
06:49For you to sit there, for you to sit there and just say, like, just listen!
06:55Stop screaming for one the f*** time in your life and listen!
06:59The Real Housewives of Orange County has seen more than its fair share of lean times, too.
07:04Recent seasons have seen a decline in ratings and even a few calls for the flagship franchise's cancellation.
07:09But since its 2006 premiere, it has generated more than its fair share of memes and iconic fights.
07:16I said, I don't think that he's good for you.
07:18How do you know what's good for me?
07:20That's my opinion!
07:23Don't you get it?
07:25Why can't anybody have an opinion about you?
07:26Number 6.
07:27The Real Housewives of Potomac
07:29Set among a group of African-American women living in the DMV region outside of Washington, D.C.,
07:35The Real Housewives of Potomac once ranked among the best.
07:38What you gotta do is slither.
07:41Are we all gonna call y'all slither?
07:43I think we should.
07:44Yes!
07:45Go ahead!
07:47And slither!
07:48It diversified the brand and introduced a completely different social dynamic, energy, and overall vibe.
07:54Karen Huger's etiquette lessons, the antics of the green-eyed bandits, and bitter rivalries led to some truly stunning moments.
08:01But I find it interesting that you felt the need to sit in the center.
08:04There were five other women and none of them wanted to sit in the center.
08:07But you, I'm just saying, before the birthday honoree arrives, if we waited for you, we'd have never eaten.
08:13However, recent seasons have left us wanting.
08:15A constantly shifting caste dynamic, repetitive drama involving certain husbands, and legal scandals have us wishing for the old days.
08:23My mouth speaks on whenever it speaks on.
08:25How about it speaks for itself?
08:26How about your mouth speaks for itself?
08:28Whatever it speaks on, it speaks on.
08:29And so whatever you feel like you want to talk about.
08:31My eyes see.
08:32Okay, how about your eyes see for themselves?
08:35Number 5.
08:36The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
08:38Between the Manzos, the Gorgas, and the Judices, family drama has been the secret sauce that made fans tune in
08:44to The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
08:46I know I say congratulations at the church, but I want to say congratulations again.
08:51Thanks.
08:52Why are you saying it now?
08:53Why are you saying it now?
08:54Just walk away.
08:55Just walk away.
08:56Go.
08:56Take a walk.
08:57But New Jersey could be among the most polarizing.
09:01It's certainly not for the faint of heart.
09:03The fights are among the most vicious and physical in the entire Bravo-verse.
09:08I am paying attention.
09:10Obviously, there has to be something else.
09:13It's just not name-change and arrested.
09:15Over the years, though, the endless Judice-Gorga feud has begun to wear on some viewers.
09:20In 2024, the show went on pause, to borrow an Andy Cohen phrase, after a particularly exhausting 14th season.
09:28Here's hoping it comes back refreshed.
09:30This is unacceptable!
09:32She started!
09:33You f***ing poured the water!
09:34Why would you f***ing do that?
09:36Number 4.
09:36The Real Housewives of Atlanta
09:38The Atlanta breakout star Nene Leakes was tailor-made for TV.
09:42She generates one-liners, memes, and legendary quotes like a machine.
09:46I was shocked, honey.
09:47I was in tears almost.
09:49And it has a white refrigerator.
09:51I was like, oh, not a white refrigerator.
09:54Girl, please put your shoes on.
09:56Let's go find your home.
09:57There was a time when all of Atlanta felt like that.
09:59It didn't hurt that, like Leakes, Kandi Burrus, Kenya Moore, Phaedra Parks, and Kim Zolciak-Bearman took to reality TV
10:06like fish to water.
10:07It wasn't a train at all.
10:09If they use it, that is just a euphemism, baby.
10:13Just a figure of steam.
10:14I'm thinking it was like widespread.
10:16For a good decade, The Real Housewives of Atlanta was must-see unscripted TV.
10:21Unfortunately, Atlanta isn't the franchise's crown jewel anymore.
10:25Losing beloved cast members and increasingly nasty behavior have made it more of a chore to watch in recent years.
10:31Are you trying to say my mama is bad and a gun?
10:34If I wanted to say that, I would have wrote it.
10:36Why you implied that?
10:37I said what I said.
10:40Okay, well what you said was some bullsh**.
10:42But you don't like it.
10:43Number three, The Real Housewives of New York City classic.
10:47Before its lambasted 13th season, New York was a phenomenal series.
10:52Its chic East Coast setting and fast-paced wisecracks were like a complete 180 from the sensibility of Orange County.
10:58Something's happening here.
10:59We all think you need to get help.
11:00There's something wrong with you.
11:01Because I don't like you.
11:03That's not an illness.
11:04You, your dad passed away and you're like here?
11:07It's creepy.
11:08Bethany Frankel became a breakout star.
11:11Countess Luann dazzled us with her continental airs.
11:14Ramona Singer created drama without even having to break a sweat.
11:17Your hair down to here.
11:18You got crazy eyes.
11:19You got f***ing chicken in your purse.
11:21Drinking f***ing rosé behind the couch.
11:24Screaming that it's cold in here.
11:26You're a horror chef.
11:27Well, I am what I am.
11:28Well, enjoy that.
11:30The show picked up steam as it went along.
11:32Introducing new and exciting cast members like Sonya Morgan, Dorinda Medley, and two-season wonder Aviva Drescher.
11:39Insults, wine glasses, and prosthetic legs flew with ease.
11:43The only thing that is artificial or fake about me is this.
11:48I'm sick of it.
11:53In 2026, it was announced that several classic-era New York housewives would return for a separate series produced by
12:00E!
12:00We'll see if it lives up to The Real Housewives of New York legacy.
12:03Can we all try to be more considerate of each other's feelings when we talk about each other?
12:08Oh, yeah, there's the Hallmark moment again.
12:10No, but can we try?
12:11That's all.
12:11Can we try?
12:12Number 2.
12:13The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
12:15From actresses to restaurateurs to millionaires, Beverly Hills is all about glitz, glamour, and polish.
12:21That's why it is so delicious when they try to pull down the curtain between what they want us to
12:26see and what they actually are.
12:27I don't believe you knew where the money came from that Tom used to buy them for you.
12:3215 years ago?
12:33My issue was you not acknowledging the victims.
12:35That was my problem.
12:36They're not my victims.
12:37People f***ing die.
12:38Now stop cursing.
12:39This is a cast that doesn't let anyone get away with anything.
12:42It made a reality star of Lisa Vanderpump and showed us new sides to actresses Kim and Kyle Richards, Lisa
12:49Rinna, Garcelle Beauvais, and Denise Richards.
12:51You came into my home.
12:53And I apologized.
12:54And in three years.
12:55Actually, you didn't.
12:56I don't like you.
12:57I don't like you.
12:58Guess what?
12:58I don't particularly like you either.
13:00I'm good.
13:00I can't find one damn thing to like about you right now in the moment.
13:03To list everyone would be to leave out someone essential.
13:06Unlike other cities, Beverly Hills has managed to be more consistent even in its later seasons.
13:11It also has to be said, no other ensemble can throw a dinner party like these ladies can.
13:16She can't say what Camille thought.
13:18She doesn't know that.
13:19She's not Camille.
13:20I'm not talking to you, Allison.
13:22Oh, you are because you're looking at me.
13:23You're looking at me.
13:24So you are.
13:24Whenever you smoke your electronic cigarette and drink your martini, I'm talking to Camille.
13:35Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's audio, Songs from Iran, reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock,
13:44metal, and pop songs.
13:45Check out the full track and album below.
14:01Number one, the real housewives of Salt Lake City.
14:04The Salt Lake City edition found a way to reinvent the formula.
14:07What sets this cast apart is their willingness to be messy and authentic.
14:12Tell us what you did.
14:13Since you're a truth seeker, honesty.
14:16I didn't do s***.
14:17Monica!
14:18What did you do with the account?
14:20You need to own it right now.
14:21They're also different in their various intersections of religion and wealth.
14:25This particular cross-section is unlike anything we've seen in another franchise.
14:30Even more, this cast doesn't seem like they're just hanging out for TV.
14:34They know where the bodies are buried, so to speak.
14:36Angie told us that John, Sparlow, and Lisa have those tickets because Lisa sleeps with.
14:45That's how I heard it.
14:46And you were there.
14:48Fallout over Jen Shah's arrest and season four's Monica Garcia saga only pushed the show further into new territory.
14:54Premiering in 2020, Salt Lake City is still a young entry.
14:57And it has the same potential to experience a decline like its sister franchises have.
15:02But after six seasons, it is still hitting all the right notes.
15:06These rumors are ridiculous, dumb, unfounded, and lies.
15:09But the problem is it's Meredith's intention to damage Angie's friendships, relationships, reputations.
15:17Like, there's so much ripple effect.
15:20Where do you think the new Real Housewives of Rhode Island will land on this list?
15:24Tell us in the comments.
15:30We'll see you next time.
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