17 Of The Messiest, Most Drama-Filled Moments In "Real Housewives" History That I Will Never Stop Thinking About

    Let's get right into it...

    Fabiana Buontempo
    by Fabiana Buontempo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    I will gladly admit that I LOVE reality TV. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am a Real Housewives stan (as I'm sure many of you are, too).

    a person talking to the camera saying, "Yaaasss."
    Bravo

    Anyone who loves the successful Bravo franchise has their favorites — for me, it's Jersey and Beverly Hills. Regardless of which show you root for, it's fair to say that allll the casts and storylines are drama-filled, messy, and quite iconic.

    a person saying, "you're a Jersey girl, toughen up."
    Bravo

    I decided to do my ~ research ~ — which was a nice walk down Housewives memory lane — and rank my favorite Real Housewives moments from messy to messiest.

    Note: I know for sure I left out some very memorable moments from the franchise, so if you have any favorites that weren't included, feel free to share them with me in the comments below!

    17. When Monique Samuels whipped out her color-coded binder full of receipts against Gizelle Bryant. (Real Housewives of Potomac, season 5)

    a side by side of women at the real housewives of potomac reunion
    Bravo

    When I think of Real Housewives reunions, one specific moment will continue to live rent-free in my mind until the end of time. During the RHOP Season 5 reunion, part 1, Monique Samuels literally whipped out a BINDER full of receipts to prove just how shady and rude Gizelle Bryant had supposedly been to Monique when the cameras weren't rolling. This is the level of pettiness we live to see on Real Housewives. 

    16. The jaw-dropping moment when Candiace Dillard Bassett pulled out a butter knife on Ashley Darby during what was supposed to be a nice dinner party. (Real Housewives of Potomac, Season 4)

    a woman pointing into the distance
    Bravo

    There is no denying that the fights on Housewives are always catty but something I did not see coming was the infamous butter knife scene between Candiace and Ashley in Season 4 of the RHOP. 

    At a dinner party, Ashley and Candiace had a heated conversation about what Candiace has been saying to the other women. The two begin arguing and Candiace pulls out a BUTTER KNIFE and puts it in Ashley's face before literally tossing it at her.

    a woman in an argument holding a butter knife
    Bravo

    Like, I truly cannot make up this drama. The best part is the name of the episode — "Sex, Lies and Butter Knives.” Enough said.

    15. When Bethenny Frankel came to Luann de Lesseps with bad news about her then-fiance and birthed the iconic line: “It’s about Tom” (Real Housewives of New York, Season 8)

    luan from RHONY saying, "Please don't let it be about Tom."
    Bravo

    The "It's about Tom" drama is definitely one of the more iconic moments from the RHONY. The storyline of Season 8 mainly consisted of talk about Luann's soon-to-be-husband — at the time — Tom D'Agostino cheating on her. 

    One very drama-filled moment that I personally think was one of the best of the season was when Bethenny told Luann about Tom kissing women (yes, plural) at the Regency Hotel. She said she got a text message from a friend who claims she has evidence. 


    The scene started with Bethenny telling Luann to meet her in her room while saying she needs a drink.

    bethenny frankel from RHONY saying, "It's about Tom."
    Bravo

    Bethenny broke the news to Luann by saying — what has now become a famous line in RHONY history — "It's about Tom." What made this moment even more dramatic was that the group was in Palm Beach, Florida celebrating Lu's upcoming wedding. Talk about irony!

    14. When Dorinda Medley coined her own catchphrase. (Real Housewives of New York, Season 9)

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    Bravo

    The thing about Dorinda is that when she gets going and is fighting with someone, you either want to flee the scene because you don't know what will come out of her mouth OR you want to sit and watch in amazement. 

    The iconic Dorinda "CLIP" moment happened when the group was out to eat at an Italian restaurant in the Bronx.

    While at the table, Sonja Morgan accused Dorinda of being involved with her liquor brand Tipsy Girl. Dorinda denied it but Sonja proceeded to show texts from Dorinda's boyfriend, John Mahdessian, expressing an interest.

    a scene from RHONY
    Bravo

    While Sonja continued to accuse Dorinda, she threw some low blows by saying, "'You f***ed your way to the middle and you keep f***ing your way to the middle. You're bankrupt, I have your papers and you're a fraud."

    Dorinda followed that up with what would become her most famous line of all time: "Clip! Clip!" she yelled along with a hand motion to quiet her.

    13. The time when Lisa Rinna threw wine on Kim Richards before smashing the wine glass on the table. (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Season 5)

    a woman from RHOBH looking at another woman at the table
    Bravo

    Whenever the RHOBH women go on a trip, shit is bound to go down. Like that time the ladies went to Amsterdam and what was supposed to be a civilized dinner turned into a wine-throwing and glass-smashing filled night. 

    It went like this: Lisa Rinna was talking about her thoughts on people dying from alcohol and drug misuse. 

    As Lisa tried apologizing to Kim Richards about getting into her business, Kim snapped back and accused Lisa of badmouthing her. She then said to Lisa, "I'm concerned about you, and your situation at home. You wanna bring out my stuff, let's talk about your home life. Let's talk about the husband," she said referring to Lisa's husband, Harry Hamlin. "Let's not talk about what you don't want out."

    Lisa Rinna slamming a glass onto a table
    Bravo

    Suddenly Lisa stood up and threw her remaining wine at Kim before angrily smashing it on the table's edge, screaming "You never go near my husband! Don't you f***ing understand that? You never go after my f***ing husband!"

    No words for this! I'm still in shock at this entire scene. 

    12. When everyone found out that Brooks Ayers was faking cancer all along. (Real Housewives of Orange County, Season 10)

    a man and a woman sitting next to each other talking
    Bravo

    How could anyone forget about Vicki Gunvalson's ex-boyfriend — Brooks Ayers — faking having cancer in Season 10 of the show? In case you're not familiar or need a refresher, Brooks claimed for an ENTIRE season that he was suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 

    Clearly, Brooks put a lot of thought into this scheme because he had everything from fake hospital bills to having Vicki drop him off to get chemo.

    a man looking into the distance
    Bravo

    “He was there all morning, so how do you think anything other than he’s getting chemo? You go to City of Hope because you have cancer, not because you have nothing else to do during the day,” she told Extra.

    Meghan King Edmonds ended up being the one who exposed Brooks for lying about it all. Only on Housewives does this happen!

    11. When Shereé Whitfield gave the ultimate diss to her party planner Anthony Shorter. (Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 2)

    a man named Anthony, "party planner" looking across the table
    Bravo

    Another unforgettable Housewives moment happened in Season 2 of RHOA. Shereé was having a meeting with Anthony and the meeting got heated.

    Shereé expressed how dissatisfied she was with Anthony's lack of progress in organizing her divorce party. The two got into a massive argument and neither backed down.

    a woman saying, "Who gon' check me boo?"
    Bravo

    Low blows were thrown around from all including Shereé insulting Anthony's credentials for which he said she didn't value his time. Then Shereé uttered the ultimate diss that made Housewives history, “Who gon' check me, boo?”

    10. The time Danielle Staub grabbed Margaret Josephs’ weave after she poured water on Danielle's head. (Real Housewives of New Jersey, Season 10)

    a woman pouring a water bottle on someone else's head
    Bravo

    Although in the Housewives world, hair-pulling during a fight is not anything new, there was something so messy and memorable about the fight between Danielle and Margaret during Season 10 of RHONJ.

    Margaret and Danielle never really cared for one another and were always known to make snide comments to each other. Well, that animosity built up to the point where the two got into a massive fight while on a group shopping trip. 

    The two started going at it while in a boutique with the rest of the ladies, one thing led to another, and Margaret dumped her water on Danielle which caused her to grab Margaret by the ponytail and pull her down.

    two women fighting
    Bravo

    Sheesh, those extensions were strong because that ponytail did 👏 not 👏 budge!

    9. The time when Leah McSweeney threw Ramona Singer's tiki torches. (Real Housewives of New York, Season 12)

    three women swimming in the pool
    Bravo

    Although Leah joined the RHONY cast for a brief period of time, she really added some spice to the show, IMHO. One of the messiest moments of all time was when Leah got wasted for the first time on the show. 

    During a girl's night that Ramona was hosting at her Southampton home, not only did Leah strip down to go skinny dipping with Tinsley Mortimer and Sonja, but the real juicy (or chaotic?) part was when Leah started throwing around tiki torches in Ramona's backyard.

    a woman throwing tiki torches in a backyard
    Bravo

    Yes, she was LITERALLY throwing around tiki torches and it made for amazing television. The night didn't stop there. Leah then showed Dorinda her vagina tattoo and then threw a vibrator in a chicken casserole. Enough said. 

    8. When Monique Samuels yelled at Candiace Dillard Bassett at a hoedown. (Real Housewives of Potomac, Season 4)

    three women talking outside
    Bravo

    A common theme here is Candiace getting into tifts with the women of RHOP. In a Season 4 episode of the show, Monique — who was pregnant with her third child — got into an argument with Candiace at a hoedown (of all places). 

    During the argument, Monique was not backing down as she yelled at Candiace — while being held back by another woman — “I will drag you, pregnant and all!” Yes, that line will go down in Housewives history.

    three women talking outside
    Bravo

    7. The time when NeNe Leakes asked Kim Zolciak-Biermann where her scooter was. (Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 10)

    andy cohen sitting between nene leakes and kim Zolciak-Biermann
    Bravo

    During the Season 10 reunion of RHOA, NeNe and Kim got into an argument (nothing new) about all of the health ailments Kim claimed to have. NeNe ranted and raved about the list of diseases Kim said she had. As Kim defended herself, NeNe quickly shut her down by saying the line that made me stop in my tracks: "Where is your scooter? Where is it? Where is it b****? Where is it?"

    6. The time when NeNe Leakes grabbed the cameraperson and practically ripped their shirt off. (Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 11)

    a woman grabbing the cameraman
    Bravo

    Another very messy moment that happened on RHOA involved NeNe and none other than a cameraperson. Yes, you read that right. In a Season 11 episode, Porsha and Kandi went into NeNe’s closet without her permission.

    When NeNe saw one of the camerapeople follow Porsha and Kandi into the closet, she grabbed the cameraperson by their shirt and yanked them out of her way. Sheesh, I'm sure the crew did not see that coming!

    an up-close shot of a woman pulling off a cameraperson's shirt
    Bravo

    5. When Brandi Glanville slapped Lisa Vanderpump and Lisa got pissed. (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Season 5)

    two women talking on a boat
    Bravo

    There's nothing like a playful moment turning into a cringe-worthy one. In an episode from Season 5 of RHOBH, while the women were on a trip to Holland, Brandi and Lisa were joking around with one another after dinner while on a boat. 

    During this private moment between the two, Brandi took things a little too far by slapping Lisa in the face. "No, no that was wrong. Stop it right now," was Lisa's response to Brandi's slap.

    a tweet that says, "Did Brandi just slap Lisa Vanderpump? Who tf slaps LVP? I'm appalled."
    @cup_of_caroline / Via Twitter

    4. The time when Porsha Williams attacked Kenya Moore and had to be escorted off the reunion set. (Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 6)

    three women sitting on a coach talking
    Bravo

    Sometimes some of the messiest drama takes place during a Real Housewives reunion. Kenya seemed to be instigating Porsha through her use of props during the reunion — a scepter and a megaphone — which eventually led to Porsha ripping the scepter out of Kenya's hands.

    That was just the start of it because eventually, the two stood up to have a screaming match. As Kenya repeatedly said, "Get fired," Porsha suddenly reached out to attack Kenya and pull her by her hair to the floor. Andy and the crew had to step in and break up the fight.

    women standing up fighting
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    To this day, I watch that clip back and my jaw always drops to the floor. 

    3. When Lisa Vanderpump and Kyle Richards had their final blowout over "Puppygate." (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Season 9)

    a woman yelling
    Bravo

    "Puppygate" dominated the storyline of Season 9 of the RHOBH. Long story short, Dorit Kemsley read an article that she felt Lisa planted to make her look bad. The rest of the group felt the same way. 

    When Kyle confronted Lisa — the two were besties at the time — about this drama at her home, a huge fight erupted. After a lot of back and forth, Lisa's husband Ken got involved. He shouted a few (harsh) things and kicked Kyle out. “Goodbye, Kyle!” he shouted.

    a man and a woman talking in their house
    Bravo

    2. The moment when Adriana de Moura punched Joanna Krupa in the face. (Real Housewives of Miami, Season 2)

    women fighting
    Bravo

    In a Season 2 episode of the RHOM, Lisa Hochstein hosted a charity lingerie party. However, there wasn't much talk about charity as the focus of the night was on an article in which Karent Sierra dished about her fellow housewives. 

    Adriana wasn't happy about the article and Joanna tried making a point by telling her that just because it's in print, that doesn't mean it's true. After Joanna left the argument and walked away, Joanna chased after her and grabbed her, which caused Adrianna to whip her body around and punch Joanna.

    women fighting
    Bravo

    "Everything happened so fast, that the only thing I do remember was thinking, 'Oh my God, I see the devil. For the first time in my life, I see the devil.' And what did the devil do? Turned around and punched me," Joanna said to the cameras on the episode.

    1. When Teresa Giudice flipped the table like the icon she is. (Real Housewives of New Jersey, Season 1)

    teresa yelling and getting ready to flip the table
    Bravo

    The messiest, most drama-filled Real Housewives moment goes to ... drumroll, please... Teresa iconic table flip that was heard around the world. During the season 1 finale of the RHONJ, Teresa and the villain of the show, Danielle Staub got into quite the argument during dinner about rumors that were circulating at the time.

    The argument went on and when Danielle said, "Pay attention puh-lease," Teresa saw red. Suddenly the words that forever shook up reality TV — "You were f****** engaged 19 times. She then shoved her hands beneath the table and flipped it, screaming, “Prostitution whore!” at Danielle.

    a table of people sitting around a table
    Bravo

    Share with me your favorite Real Housewives moments in the comments below — and stream Real Housewives on Peacock!