Comparative Housewives

[cooksdelight]

Your place to discuss who's the biggest witch, who's the nicest, who is just plain ol' nasty!

This encompasses all of the housewives from all of the cities that air. Have fun!

[ridethemaverick]

You rock Cooksdelight!

[ridethemaverick]

So my first foray into the world of howives was the OC, the OGs. I still watch it.

I also watch NY and Atl. I watched the one season of DC. Never watched BH, NJ, or Miami but I've heard all about Brandi, the Giudices and a few other of the big name stories.

I'd have to say Atl is my fave with OC a very, very close second.

Vicki and Nene are the OGs of their shows and I think I'd stop watching if they ever left.

NY is on its last leg with me but if they brought back Jill and Bethenny (whom I can't stand), I might get a second wind.

[Higgins]

They did bring Bethenny (sp)?back for the season now taping

[walnutqueen]

I've watched 'em all, and am in serious need of an intervention.  But I draw the line at WWHL with Satan Andy.  A girl's gotta have her standards.

 

The original season of the OC was like heroin (all downhill thereafter), and I've been chasing the dragon ever since.

[cooksdelight]

I watched the first season of OC, then Gretchen's guy died and I couldn't watch her wallow with Slade. Vicky drove me to drink, and I felt so sorry for Donn.

I actually liked DC because I've been to a lot of the places they went to, except the White House. But I was inspired to try, at least.

ATL is my favorite, have watched it from day one. I live not far from Atlanta so I have also been to a lot of the restaurants they go to. I've also gone out of my way to try some of the ones they were in just to see if it was "all that."

I used to love BH, but Brandi came along and ruined it for me.

Favorite HW: Nene before she got the big head, along with Kim as her sidekick. They made me laugh endlessly until fame went to their heads.

Least favorite: Brandi, no contest. She is the anti-Christ of HWives.

Favorite honorary HW: Dwight. Nobody on this earth gives a party like Dwight. I can still see men swinging from the ceiling.

[Granimal]

I believe I have seen various portions of most of the franchises at one time or another. I don't think I'm in the majority with my faves/least faves, but for what it's worth:

 

Carlton (BH) & Jim Marchese (NJ) are probably my least favorite HWs of all time. And yes I'm counting Jim as a HW because lets face it, he got more attention last season than his wife did. I'm also not a fan of most of the Miami cast, Tamra (OC), or Lizzie (OC-hopefully a one-off).

 

On the positive side, I do like Lisa Vanderpump and Vicki (didn't watch the early seasons). I like most of the Beverly Hills cast with a few (obvious) exceptions, and pretty much the entire NY cast.

 

My Real Houswives Dirty Secret? I like Joanna Kruppa inspite of my better judgment. I'm drawn to her striking good looks and her acccent. I vaguely remember her doing something distasteful while drunk, but my brain has blocked out the details. If they insist on having a trashy blonde model-type I wish they would throw her into the Beverly Hills mix and cut Brandi. Two birds with one stone!

 

I enjoy the Heather/Carole (NY) friendship, as well as the Phaedra/Kandi (ATL) friendship- nice to see two grown women get along on a series that tends to promote immaturity and catfights.

 

Overall OC is my favorite. Vicki is interesting no matter what she's doing and I love to snark on Heather. Least favorite would be, well, Miami because of my above stated dislike for most of the cast.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Granimal

[KFC]

Earlier this year, The Wire had a pretty comprehensive breakdown/ranking of the HWs across all the various franchises. Of course, there's been a lot of new HWs since then and while you may or may not agree with their rankings, I enjoyed seeing their analysis and how they categorized the different women.

 

http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/03/definitive-ranking-every-real-housewife/358890/

 

One of the things I've always found fascinating on the HWs shows is the unspoken-but-increasingly-obvious blend of real and fake, especially in terms of certain "character" archetypes you see repeated across the different cities: there's a HW who thinks she's the queen bee/den mother/ringleader (Vicki Gunvalson, Caroline Manzo, Jill Zarin), a loudmouth troublemaker who proclaims she's just "keeping it real" (Tamra Barney, Brandi Glanville), a beautiful-but-austere pearl-clutcher (Luann DeLesseps, Yolanda Foster), utter lunacy (Kenya Moore, Kelly Bensimon, Danielle Staub). Etc etc. YMMV, but it's fun to draw parallels. Then, of course, the sheer number of griftery low-lifes...

 

The season-to-season edit is also an interesting parallel. Especially now that these series are all well-established, a lot of the new HWs will get a generally neutral-to-positive observer/Greek chorus edit their first season, but then all bets are off in their second season.

[cooksdelight]

They listed DeShawn from ATL as being forgettable, and asking what did she do. She threw a charity event and nobody came. That's the quickest way to find yourself going through the exit door. They probably should have kept her for another season or two, since her husband cheated on her and they divorced, which is always good fodder for these shows.

Kandi fell from grace with everyone this week, she had the unfortunate scene with her husband and now-deceased mother-in-law, and has since been getting blasted by now-former fans all over the place.

[RedKoolAide]

I started watching the Housewives when Bravo had a season 1 marathon of the New Jersey show. I saw Teresa's hairline and I was hooked. I loved the food porn on that franchise and I'm a vegetarian but I was impressed that people on tv actually ate food. I think most of them are vile now, but those earlier seasons entertained the hell out of me.

Then I started watching RHOA and I loved it! It's still my favorite to this day. RHONY and RHOC are a close second and third. Vicki, Tamra, and Ramona are so ridiculous.

I tried watching the Miami cast but it looked like a Hype Williams video and I couldn't watch it.

I would love a Bravo-style Surreal Life with Nene, Vicki, Ramona, Bethenny, Phaedra, Teresa(post-prison), and Tamra. I'd watch that on a permanent loop.

[cooksdelight]

 

I saw Teresa's hairline and I was hooked.

 

I've never seen hair like that. And it's all hers, from what I can tell. I have met Melissa, she is the niece of a man a good friend of mine married. She came to their wedding years ago, before she was even a blip on the radar.

[charmed1]

OC and BH are my faves. OC because it was the first and that first season was the most authentic of any of the franchises. And of course, Vicki Gunvalson. BH because of all its tacky opulence and the authentic wealth amongst some of the cast.

On another note, I see a lot of similarities between Brianna (OC) and Kandi (ATL). I think they both feel solely obligated and responsible for their mothers' happiness.

[ridethemaverick]

Which wives would you all say have done the best for themselves? Which ones have done the worst, particularly relative to their popularity?

Bethenny of course. Nene has done fairly well. I don't watch Jersey but I know one of them had a cookbook that did well. Luann has her QVC stuff. Kandi parlayed her time on the show into more success.

The OC wives have done the worst IMO. They were the originals and have been on air for 11 years and none of them has anything to show for it. Tamra opened a local gym, Vicki had that awful bacon vodka and some pet hair jewelry, etc.

[charmed1]

Considering she's going to prison, I'd probably say Teresa Guidice is doing the worst. Lynn Curtin would be a distant second in my opinion. Those lame cuffs went nowhere.

I'd put Lisa Vanderpump at the top as she was able to expand her existing business ventures in more ways than one. (Another restaurant and a successful spinoff)

[RedKoolAide]

I'd say Bethenny, Nene, Lisa, Teresa, Kandi, and maybe Heather have done the best. Heather has probably gained more customers by being on RHONY. I saw her on HSN selling Yummie Tummie.

Teresa is a crook but before her brand was tarnished she was making good money.

I forgot to add in my previous post how much I loved BH when it first aired. Brandi is the albatross that ruined the show for me. I still watch, but I have to fast forward her scenes. She's so terrible.

[Granimal]

I agree with many of the above bests and worsts.

 

I would add Sonya to my list of who's doing the worst. I would be shocked if Sonya turned it around and ever did...anything. Sonya of earlier seasons was generally liked. Now she's a mockery of herself. It's disturbing to watch considering she has a daughter to take care of. Sonya is one of the few who I could imagine doing worse if she were to get the boot.

 

Bethenny did the best job of parlaying her screentime into something more. Unfortunatley, I don't think there is much of a chance for "another" Bethenny (career-wise) on these shows. Nene is probably the most well-known out of all the HWs. I would also add Lisa Vanderpump as one who did well from the influence of the show. (Vanderpump Rules is popular for a Bravo show).

 

 

Taylor belongs on one of these lists, though I'm sure she wouldn't agree with me.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Granimal

[cooksdelight]

There is a story on Radar that the Guidice house was raided, with the feds finding a stash of cash in the wine cellar. It stemmed from Teresa not setting up a payment plan for the $214,000 owed, which doesn't include the millions. They took anything of value, even Christmas presents (which I find a little sketchy) and that Teresa had no idea they were coming.

[cooksdelight]

I don't know the extent of their crimes as well as I am familiar with Apollo Nida's criminal activity. That's a man that definitely deserves jail time, and a lot of it.

[ridethemaverick]

There are so many grifters and/or criminals on these shows. The DC frauds (Salahis?), the Giduices, Apollo, the Curtains, Slade Smiley, Jim Bellino...I think NY is the only show with no...oh wait, Sonja. Damn.

NY has the best husbands though, IMO. OC and ATL are the worst.

[BogoGog24]

Season 4 of BH was the first one I watched. So BH is probably my favorite but I also love OC and NYC. I do watch ATL and NJ but don't consider them top favorites of mine. I don't watch the other franchises. I also watch some of the spinoffs, such as VPR and Kandi's Wedding special. 

 

I am probably the only person who feels this way but Joyce from BH is my favorite Housewife. I realize many found her boring, but I loved how she handled herself with class and grace, even when Brandi was acting like trash towards her. Not to mention she is gorgeous to boot. I'm sad she was a one-off.

 

Least favorite… there are so many…. but I'd probably pick Brandi or Tamra. Some of the ladies have their petty nonsense, but the ones that just spew their venom everywhere are a whole different level of nasty.

 

I also love love love Lisa V's dog Jiggy. He's so cute and I love that he has little clothes. I like him better than most of the HoWives lol

 

Hm what about favorite Housewives moments? Like Teresa G's legendary table flip? I never saw the season in which it aired, but I did see the clip online, had no clue what the context was or what they were talking about, but seeing Teresa flip the table as she maniacally screams "ENGAGED NINETEEN FUCKING TIMES!!!!!" will forever be cemented in my brain as a moment of sheer greatness. Let's not forget all the hilarious zingers each one of them has tossed out every now and again.

 

I don't think I have a favorite Househusband but I do like Mauricio and Todd. 

[BogoGog24]

Also don't know if anyone else knows about this but there is a parody series on Hulu called The Real Hotwives of Orlando. I highly recommend it. It is a spot on representation of what the real show is like. 

[AKA...CJ86]

While I watched OC, NY, NJ & ATL prior, but the first season of BH was the one that got me hooked.

 

Favorite wives include:

-Joyce (she should have been back, minus Brandi and Carlton...she meshed well with the other wives),

-Karent (I don't think she deserved the "hate" from the others , hey she was a dentist...typically we'll get the wives married or marrying into/to a husband of a particular field, she was working it),

-Danielle (say what you will about her and I agree she had issues, but the others were so deplorable to her, don't poke the crazy and pearl clutch when the crazy fights back...at least IMO, she was sympathetic in Season One, but all the ladies were unlikable in Season 2 until the reunion, where Danielle was a sympathetic figure again, at least to me),

-Kim (BH, I see a few relatives in Kim, I know her journey, I know her trials and tribulations, the Kim we see is "real"...for the most part, warts and all.  I said this back on TWOP but Kim is one of a few, at least IMO, to have an evolving arc through season to season through her addiction, sobriety and new beginnings, as sad and dark as it's been, I've enjoyed a peek into Kim's journey),

-Cindy (NY, waiting for stones to be hurled, I really can't explain this one, I'm also still looking for footage of Sonja removing her from pictures...personality wise she was Carlton minus the witchery...) 

-Carlton (waiting for more stones to be hurled, like with Joyce I like her presence, but she was just so damn unlikeable personality wise...I go back and forth with her).  

-Aviva (eta: Hey, I thought she was peach until St. Barths and I felt she was somewhat "piled on" in her last season).

-Camille (eta: for "the morally corrupt Faye Resnick" in Season One and calling out Brandi throughout Season 3).

-Adrienne (eta: loved Ad since Season One, wished she handled Season Three Differently...not engaging and going MIA for periods of time left her open to Brandi's interpretation of events)

- Sheree (for "who gon check me boo" and the wig tug...)

-Kenya (for "gone with the wind fabulous" alone...)

 

Sidenote, part of the reason I think Joyce and Carlton bombed...they were included in a season where the previous season heavily spilled over into their season.  Given the dynamics from Season 3 into 4, I feel, no matter what they did, they'd always be the outsiders looking in.  Their dramas didn't particularly involve the other wives...except those they "feuded" with, and they really didn't offer much to the other dramas of the season...

 

Most hated wife/wives:  There's only one...Teresa G.  And that's saying a lot, because I can find Taylor entertaining...Teresa's the only HW I find no entertainment value in...I could go on and on...but I won't vent here...LOL.  Wait...Nene finds herself here too.

 

 ETA:  Teresa will always be the table flipping, country club chasing, Andy Cohen shoving She-Hulk from Season's One-Two, not the sedated and carefully crafted mask (surprised she was mostly able to pull it off) who only loves her daughters...she's been portraying the last few seasons.

Edited December 19, 2014 by CyberJawa1986

[quetzal]

I tried watching the Miami cast but it looked like a Hype Williams video and I couldn't watch it.

 

Ha! So true. I think they stepped up the production on season 2 and definitely season 3 but when your casting choices are poor none of that matters. Season 2's cast struck a nice balance cast though I hated Karent getting raked over the coals. Miami were just building a fanbase after that explosive reunion then pissed it away with the dueling weddings (one was just a vow renewal, tbh).

 

There was a lot that could've been done with DC.

 

OC's the cast that I've tried to quit (thanks to Tamra) but I watch every season.

 

Atlanta was the first one that hooked me on the Housewives but New York's first three seasons were my fave.

 

I've taken a liking to the international versions. Vancouver's first season was a slow build to some batshit craziness with one of the best villainesses ever (until she went off the deep end Season 2) and Melbourne was pretty good too despite the pileups on one person. I didn't watch the non-English speaking versions but England will have their own coming next month. The Real Housewives of Cheshire.

[RedKoolAide]

I loved Melbourne! Those women were so ridiculous. Although Gina was chronically late, I'd take her and Chyka over the rest of them.

[Lillybee]

One of the craziest episodes was the Scary Island one from NYC. That was intense.

 

I used to love Mario until the cheating issue happened last summer.

[dolphincorn]

 

One of the things I've always found fascinating on the HWs shows is the unspoken-but-increasingly-obvious blend of real and fake, especially in terms of certain "character" archetypes you see repeated across the different cities: there's a HW who thinks she's the queen bee/den mother/ringleader (Vicki Gunvalson, Caroline Manzo, Jill Zarin), a loudmouth troublemaker who proclaims she's just "keeping it real" (Tamra Barney, Brandi Glanville), a beautiful-but-austere pearl-clutcher (Luann DeLesseps, Yolanda Foster), utter lunacy (Kenya Moore, Kelly Bensimon, Danielle Staub). Etc etc. YMMV, but it's fun to draw parallels. Then, of course, the sheer number of griftery low-lifes...

 

This post delights me because my two favorites are categorized as pearl-clutchers. I adore Luann and Yolanda because I believe that if you're going to have a superiority complex, you'd better be able to back it up. I like Lisa Vanderpump, too. They are a triumvirate of snobs!

 

I've been able to make a living as an astrology writer at times. In real life I have a huge aversion to Aries natives, so it was no surprise when I discovered that Vicki is an Aries. I can't even look at her! Everything about her drives me nuts.

 

I'm a Capricorn and I just about peed my pants when I found out that Sheree shares my sign. I should start a Housewives astrology thread because I could talk about it all day long.

[MissMel]

They listed DeShawn from ATL as being forgettable, and asking what did she do. She threw a charity event and nobody came. That's the quickest way to find yourself going through the exit door. They probably should have kept her for another season or two, since her husband cheated on her and they divorced, which is always good fodder for these shows.

No, no, no! Everyone showed at DeShawn's event. She handed out flyers instead of selling tickets. It was a packed house and she ended up in tears. I think it ended up costing them around $20,000. I was amazed her husband was like "well, that flopped. I tried to tell you. Oh well". Watching her cut a check to the church for $15,000, the hiring house staff, the downsizing from a few cars to just one, letting Lisa come over to cook chicken and having to ask her personal chef how the food processor worked so they could cut up onions? The things I could with that kind of free cash to toss around. Must be nice... That was the show I thought I was getting into, across all cities.

My favorite house husband is Chyka's. And a couple of them from DC. I can't remember any of their names though. Good thing for the men but, apparently, that isn't what brings in ratings for the show so they got ditched. Oh! And BH Joyce and her husband.

[What In The]

To me, Kim from (or who used to be) Atlanta will always be the trashiest pf them all. I dunno why, but she makes me hurl.

[DeeplyShallow]

To me, Kim from (or who used to be) Atlanta will always be the trashiest pf them all. I dunno why, but she makes me hurl.

Probably because she gives off the impression that she smells like stale cigarettes and booze (at least that's how I imagine it).

But, for me, the prize of Trashiest Howife goes to Ms. Tampon, Brandi Glanville. OC Tamra for runner-up.

[copacabana]

Ramona!  Detest her.

[ExplainItAgain]

I have watched most of them from the beginning. The only one I never watched was Miami.

 

However, just this year I decided to give up on OC and NJ. My problem with both of these is that there is no one remotely likable on the show. The Teresa/Melissa dynamic ruined NJ and the whole Tamra/Gretchen/Slade dynamic ruined OC. Even though the last season of both of these didn't focus on these issues, the gleam was off for me.

 

I love NY and I'm excited Bethenney is back. I hope her presence plays the same this time around. I enjoy BH much more now that Kim has her shit (somewhat) together. Again, the family dynamic between her and Kyle really made the show hard to watch. Brandi nearly ruins BH for me - I really hope they replace her soon.

 

Overall, I think I enjoy Atlanta the most, despite the fact that it has my least favorite HW - NeNe. Can't stand her. I loved her back in the day but she just grates my every last nerve now. I don't really like Kenya, but I think she brings a good crazy element to the show.

 

Which of the current series gets the lowest ratings? I wonder how long these can go on...

[cooksdelight]

To me, Kim from (or who used to be) Atlanta will always be the trashiest pf them all. I dunno why, but she makes me hurl.

She's on the same level with Brandi, for me, as far as trashy goes. But at least Kim managed to find a husband who adopted her daughters and gave her four more kids.

The thing that kills me with Kim is her spending money like it's never going to end. Buying $250,000 worth of lottery tickets? And she spends a lot in casinos. That's a huge problem that I'm not sure Kroy recognizes. Add to that, she has alienated her family, and his. The kids will grow up never knowing their grandparents, which is the worst sin of all.

Kroy's NFL career isn't going to last much longer. He's not making big plays, he's porked out, and there are younger, faster guys waiting on the team to take his place. Add in a new coach on the horizon and he'd better be hiding money where Kim can't get to it.

[quetzal]

Which of the current series gets the lowest ratings? I wonder how long these can go on...

 

If you remove Miami from the equation that honor goes to New York. I knew they would take a hit in viewership after the massive purging from Season 4 to 5, but Season 6 did worse than 5 even with the same cast (despite LuAnn's "friend" status, she was there most of the time) and a new housewife.

 

I don't have the disdain for Bethenny that a lot of people currently do yet I'm not expecting her return to bring the ratings back to NYC's heyday.

[copacabana]

I think this is appropriate to post here but am not 100 percent certain.  Lee Daniel's show "Empire" premieres tomorrow night at 9 pm on Fox.  I am living to see it because I adore Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.  Anyhow, I read a quote of Daniel's In EW that made me smile.  He confessed to being addicted to the HWs shows and wanted to give the ladies (not the term he used!) a run for their money. 

 

I gather he'll be giving RH of Beverly Hills that run.  I know what I'm watching tomorrow night and what's going to have to wait. 

 

I'm also always heartened when I see folks confess to this particular addiction.  I suffer from it too and want to start weaning myself off the stuff. 

[quetzal]

Anyhow, I read a quote of Daniel's In EW that made me smile.  He confessed to being addicted to the HWs shows and wanted to give the ladies (not the term he used!) a run for their money. 

 

I gather he'll be giving RH of Beverly Hills that run.  I know what I'm watching tomorrow night and what's going to have to wait. 

 

BH airs on Tuesday and Empire premieres Wednesday so you may not have to choose. If you're a Mob Wives fan, you might.

 

Is there anyone who watched Real Housewives of Vancouver? I liked it but I guess it's for the best that it ended since it got too toxic. They make the second cast after DC where everyone is now separated or divorced.

[phoenix780]

Also don't know if anyone else knows about this but there is a parody series on Hulu called The Real Hotwives of Orlando. I highly recommend it. It is a spot on representation of what the real show is like. 

It was almost too on-point.  This was an easy target!

 

I'm a full-on addict at this point, I don't know why because I avoided them at first.  Now...I follow them all, though I dropped out of Jersey last year and watched old episodes on Hulu instead.

 

This thread is fun to read, but I still want there to be an actual mash-up show on Bravo, like when MTV took the aging "Real World" and "Road Rules" and generated an awesome competition show.  Pull select Housewives, current and past, and let them go at it.

 

Is Brandi the trashiest?  Or would she be beaten by Kim (Atl)?  What if you tossed in Joanna from Miami (like I need to specify that for y'all) too?

 

It's just so hard to say unless you get to see them all together. 

 

Which of the current series gets the lowest ratings? I wonder how long these can go on...

 

I think they're almost over, but they've had a good long run.  It's funny, I think they all suffered by getting too insular- all the drama starts to be driven by what happens on the show- and not finding great replacements to inject something new.  I think NY was the first to fall, once the original cast became aware of their own popularity and tried to control their images it wasn't as fun.

 

BH may be an exception, though.  They had some episodes without forced get-togethers, and people even went on trips by themselves again (for the most part).  It made me think that if Bravo would spend a bit of cash on production in other locations and film the women separately again, they might add a bit more life, imho, because the whole show felt more natural and enjoyable that way.  I think it might even be better at revitalizing a franchise than bringing back old stars at what are probably high salaries.  

 

Danielle (say what you will about her and I agree she had issues, but the others were so deplorable to her, don't poke the crazy and pearl clutch when the crazy fights back...at least IMO, she was sympathetic in Season One, but all the ladies were unlikable in Season 2 until the reunion, where Danielle was a sympathetic figure again, at least to me),

 

Watching those seasons again...I have to say, I don't think Danielle was that bad.  Or maybe it was just knowing how bad everyone else becomes, and how those who were "thick as thieves" all stopped speaking to each other.  Danielle was crazy, and possibly did something off-camera, but I can see why she'd be someone's favorite.

Edited January 13, 2015 by phoenix780

[KFC]

I know a lot of people tuned out during the Cindy Barshop season, but in fairness, I think NY suffered from the delays in airing the seasons more than anything else. It's going to be interesting to see how the show fares with Bethenny Frankel's return.

 

And Shannon Beador on OC is one of the few exceptions/examples of a good casting replacement. She's been a real find: Enough crazy/neuroses for reality TV, but she's not overly conscious about what image she projects on camera, so her scenes come across a lot more organic than most. The drama from her presence seems real rather than scripted. She just lets it all hang out, consequences be damned.

[HorseyFace]

Favorites in order of how much I enjoy watching them, not how much I like them as people.

 

1. Milania

2. Teresa Giudice (great TV, hilarious, maddening, fascinating)

3. Bethenny Frankel (Greek chorus, a cynic, was always in on the joke)

4. Dina Manzo (love her voice, could listen to her read the phone book all day)

5. Phaedra Parks (until recently; great one-liners, ridiculous subplots)

6. Kenya Moore (quickly gaining on Phaedra; great TV, playing a role very well)

7. Lisa Vanderpump (a goddess)

8. Kyle Richards (like her personality and style, seems like a real, flawed, lovable person)

9. Claudia Jordan (comparatively smart; quickly rising due to her willingness to engage Nene with a much-needed dose of reality)

10. Greg Bennett (another Greek chorus, hilarious, real)

11. Melissa Gorga (entertaining in her delusion, appreciate her hustle if I'm being honest)

12. Mauricio Umansky (good looking, reasonably sane)

13. Rosie Wakile (same reason as everyone else; she's human and entertaining)

14. Ginerrrr (purely for her dedication to being a female drag queen from 1991)

 

Least favorites

1. Ashleeeeee Holmes (aka "Hat;" insufferable)

2. Mama Joyce (nasty, emotionally abusive, ungrateful, vulgar, needs to be put on a leash, stat)

3. Nene Leakes (an ignorant, nasty, delusional megalomaniac whose 15 minutes should've been up an hour ago)

4. Danielle Staub (especially season 2, when she brought on those goons)

5. Jim Marchese (goes without saying)

6. Caroline Manzo (insufferable, delusional, The Worst)

7. Lauren Manzo (Caroline 2: The Revenge)

8. Michaeleehaheaé Salahi (too delusional to watch, scary)

9. Brandi Glanville (tacky, trashy, ugly, mean, immature, insane, totally un-self-aware)

10. Jacqueline Laurita (god, the crying; she also cynically tried to manipulate Teresa and has the maturity of a four-year-old)

11. Carlton Gebbia (so gross)

12. Kim D (too tacky to look at)

13. Rich Wakile (vulgar, crude, sexist, immature, tacky)

14. Jill Zarin (shrill, selfish, silly)

15. David Foster (a real asshole, selfish, myopic)

16. Roger Bobbbbb (STFU about Roger Bobbbbbb already)

17. Those horrible Jersey Twins

 

I don't watch OC or Miami, sorry. Could never get into them (thank you, Jesus!).

Edited January 14, 2015 by HorseyFace

[AKA...CJ86]

Can we get a DC marathon once in a while?  I remember a couple years back, every other day was housewives marathon and they could run through an entire city/series/the entire franchise...(up to that point)...and they'd also include DC.  Looking back...I thought they did a marathon for Season 3 of Miami a few months back...why bother it was awful?  

 

I really liked the DC franchise and really thought they could do more with it...I enjoyed Miami but would have traded for DC in a heartbeat.  I liked the entire cast, including Michaele (sp?)...delusional yes, but entertaining none the less, she was largely harmless, most of the drama was through/shared with Tareq (IIRC, did he throw wine at Lynda at a promotional event or something?).  I still feel, and agree with the point and I don't remember if it was TWOP or another site I visited, but I agreed with the feeling Cat was being set-up as the villain prior to the Party Crashing Incident...and of course, the rest is now history. 

 

ETA:

I usually hate pile-ups on these shows, but the way the Salahi's handled things on the show and outside the show...they deserved everything they got at the reunion.  I personally love the DC reunion, not as Dramatic as Season 2 of NJ...no Andy tossing...but the ladies and Andy really tried to cut through the delusions and schemes of the Salahi's, and it was a masterful attempt...

Edited January 15, 2015 by CyberJawa1986

[Chrissytd]

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/eddie-redmayne-admits-to-jennifer-lawrence-hes-a-real-housewives-fan-2015131#ixzz3OlMymJHh

[FozzyBear]

Can we get a DC marathon once in a while? I remember a couple years back, every other day was housewives marathon and they could run through an entire city/series/the entire franchise...(up to that point)...and they'd also include DC. Looking back...I thought they did a marathon for Season 3 of Miami a few months back...why bother it was awful?

I really liked the DC franchise and really thought they could do more with it...I enjoyed Miami but would have traded for DC in a heartbeat. I liked the entire cast, including Michaele (sp?)...delusional yes, but entertaining none the less, she was largely harmless, most of the drama was through/shared with Tareq (IIRC, did he throw wine at Lynda at a promotional event or something?). I still feel, and agree with the point and I don't remember if it was TWOP or another site I visited, but I agreed with the feeling Cat was being set-up as the villain prior to the Party Crashing Incident...and of course, the rest is now history.

ETA:

I usually hate pile-ups on these shows, but the way the Salahi's handled things on the show and outside the show...they deserved everything they got at the reunion. I personally love the DC reunion, not as Dramatic as Season 2 of NJ...no Andy tossing...but the ladies and Andy really tried to cut through the delusions and schemes of the Salahi's, and it was a masterful attempt...

I loved DC too! I wish they would have brought it back even if they felt like they couldn't include Mikela Salahi for legal reasons(for the record I would have loved watching them deal with the fall out).

As for Cat, I'm not quite as sympathetic as a lot of people. I think she felt set up and lied to by production, but I think it was a case of these shows being hard to map out perfectly beforehand and Cat lacking self-awareness. I'm sure the meetings she took in pre-production involved a different "character" but then she showed up as a rude, delusional hot mess who's true love marriage that she uprooted her whole life for was obviously already over and who wasn't nearly as urbane and sophisticated as she thought. Hey I get it, I'm sure I'd be horrified by myself if I signed up for one of these shows, but that's why I don't.

[What In The]

It was almost too on-point.  This was an easy target!

 

I'm a full-on addict at this point, I don't know why because I avoided them at first.  Now...I follow them all, though I dropped out of Jersey last year and watched old episodes on Hulu instead.

 

This thread is fun to read, but I still want there to be an actual mash-up show on Bravo, like when MTV took the aging "Real World" and "Road Rules" and generated an awesome competition show.  Pull select Housewives, current and past, and let them go at it.

 

Is Brandi the trashiest?  Or would she be beaten by Kim (Atl)?  What if you tossed in Joanna from Miami (like I need to specify that for y'all) too?

 

It's just so hard to say unless you get to see them all together. 

 

I think they're almost over, but they've had a good long run.  It's funny, I think they all suffered by getting too insular- all the drama starts to be driven by what happens on the show- and not finding great replacements to inject something new.  I think NY was the first to fall, once the original cast became aware of their own popularity and tried to control their images it wasn't as fun.

 

BH may be an exception, though.  They had some episodes without forced get-togethers, and people even went on trips by themselves again (for the most part).  It made me think that if Bravo would spend a bit of cash on production in other locations and film the women separately again, they might add a bit more life, imho, because the whole show felt more natural and enjoyable that way.  I think it might even be better at revitalizing a franchise than bringing back old stars at what are probably high salaries.  

 

Watching those seasons again...I have to say, I don't think Danielle was that bad.  Or maybe it was just knowing how bad everyone else becomes, and how those who were "thick as thieves" all stopped speaking to each other.  Danielle was crazy, and possibly did something off-camera, but I can see why she'd be someone's favorite.

As trashy as Brandi is, Kim from the Atl is the grand poo bah of trash! I think that she is one of those with no conscience at all. She supposedly (and I did find on old article from 1997 on it) slept with a married cop who later left the force, had no issue with being Big Poppas kept woman, and now just slugs wine, pops out babies, and says fuck.

[quetzal]

I really liked the DC franchise and really thought they could do more with it...I enjoyed Miami but would have traded for DC in a heartbeat.  I liked the entire cast, including Michaele (sp?)...delusional yes, but entertaining none the less, she was largely harmless, most of the drama was through/shared with Tareq (IIRC, did he throw wine at Lynda at a promotional event or something?).

 

 

Glad I'm not alone. One of my favorite episodes was when they went to the Salahi vineyard and stomped the alleged store bought grapes. Cat was being her sour self (she grew on me later), Michaele's assistant (really?) said she was being bitchy and took the wind out of Cat's sails and she decided to leave. On the way back in the limo, someone (forgot who. Mary?) spilled the tea about the Salahis sneaking into the Congressional Black Caucus dinner through a side door. 

 

And yes, Tareq threw a glass of wine at Lynda. The ladies first discussed it on The View when they were doing the promo tour. Whoopi came from backstage and tapped Michaele to remind her to keep on topic and Michaele launched some crazy accusation about Whoopi threatening her or something crazy like that. Once again, I'm glad I'm not alone in being entertained by Michaele. I suppose I should feel guilty, but screw it -- I don't.

Edited January 16, 2015 by quetzal

[AKA...CJ86]

As for Cat, I'm not quite as sympathetic as a lot of people. I think she felt set up and lied to by production, but I think it was a case of these shows being hard to map out perfectly beforehand and Cat lacking self-awareness. I'm sure the meetings she took in pre-production involved a different "character" but then she showed up as a rude, delusional hot mess who's true love marriage that she uprooted her whole life for was obviously already over and who wasn't nearly as urbane and sophisticated as she thought. Hey I get it, I'm sure I'd be horrified by myself if I signed up for one of these shows, but that's why I don't.

 

Maybe set-up was the wrong word?  Maybe exploited.  Either way, I agree with your perspective and Cat unknowingly auditioned herself for the role of villain.  

 

Glad I'm not alone. One of my favorite episodes was when they went to the Salahi vineyard and stomped the alleged store bought grapes. Cat was being her sour self (she grew on me later), Michaele's assistant (really?) said she was being bitchy and took the wind out of Cat's sails and she decided to leave. On the way back in the limo, someone (forgot who. Mary?) spilled the tea about the Salahis sneaking into the Congressional Black Caucus dinner through a side door. 

 

And yes, Tareq threw a glass of wine at Lynda. The ladies first discussed it on The View when they were doing the promo tour. Whoopi came from backstage and tapped Michaele to remind her to keep on topic and Michaele launched some crazy accusation about Whoopi threatening her or something crazy like that. Once again, I'm glad I'm not alone in being entertained by Michaele. I suppose I should feel guilty, but screw it -- I don't.

...Yes!  The grape stomping...but I'll also add a couple more of my favorite Salahi moments:  the cheerleading debacle with Michaele showing her uncoordinated and clueless self at the cheerleader's reunion(?), and Michaele proudly proclaiming Salahi was a verb.

[Lola16]

One of the Pippen daughters was arrested for public urination (hotel lobby).  Larissa was one of the more entitled HoWives ever in my opinion.  Anyone know if MIA is coming back?

[quetzal]

I've given up any hope on Miami returning.

 

The Pippen daughter who was arrested is not Larsa's. I didn't know Scottie had other children. I wish Larsa stayed on RHOM because she was so snarkworthy and serious in her delusions of being the prettiest fairest of them all. Shades of early Alexis Bellino.

 

It was nice to see Lea with Sonja on WWHL last night. Clearly there's still no love lost between Lea and Adriana/Marysol. Lea was never perfect but when looking at Seasons 2 and 3 as a whole it was clear to me that Marysol had an agenda when it came to Lea, claiming her gala was disorganized, etc to the point Ana (who is not exactly the paragon of righteousness in light of her arrest) blasted her opportunistic ways. Adriana simply hopped on board and tried to place all the blame at Lea's feet while her house of cards was being blown away. I wish it was Joanna who exposed Adriana's marriage at the Season 2 reunion when A was trying to slut shame her but while Joanna can be foul she's not that quick.

 

On that topic, I'm with Lea and side with Joanna when it comes to her feud with Brandi.

 

I know this isn't a Miami thread (not even sure if it's worth it to start one?) so hope my long post is okay.

[HunterHunted]

I keep thinking that we're about due for an all-stars season. I figure that they can either go on vacation or compete for the charities of their choice. It would have one housewife from each franchise, but a random franchise would have two. The franchise with two could only have enemies, for example Nene and Kenya from Atlanta. Or Dina and Amber,if she survives the cancer, from NJ.

[AKA...CJ86]

It was nice to see Lea with Sonja on WWHL last night. Clearly there's still no love lost between Lea and Adriana/Marysol. Lea was never perfect but when looking at Seasons 2 and 3 as a whole it was clear to me that Marysol had an agenda when it came to Lea, claiming her gala was disorganized, etc to the point Ana (who is not exactly the paragon of righteousness in light of her arrest) blasted her opportunistic ways. Adriana simply hopped on board and tried to place all the blame at Lea's feet while her house of cards was being blown away. I wish it was Joanna who exposed Adriana's marriage at the Season 2 reunion when A was trying to slut shame her but while Joanna can be foul she's not that quick.

 

IIRC, What always bugged me about the Lea/Marysol Gala Drama of Season 2 and onwards was in Season 2 in a TH, Adriana actually corroborated Lea's take on events that issues were on Marysol's end.  

 

Come Reunion, Andy doesn't have her clarify, Lea/Marysol or the other HW's don't bring it up, instead we get Marysol waxing poetic about her reputation and business.  That BS issue could have been settled if somebody asked about it...

Edited May 22, 2015 by CyberJawa1986

[FaithsMum]

I have just binge watched DC and frankly it was as glorious as I remembered!

I really wish they'd have brought it back; I love the politics aspect which is so different to the others Housewives franchises. Who you knew in politics was currency - not how big your house is and the size of your boobs. And I really enjoyed the non traditional social climbing of the HW compared to its counterparts.

Michaele and Tareq are my all time favourite HW couple. Don't get me wrong, I think they're loathsome, vile, pretentious people but Jesus, their delusions are fun to watch. With Sonja, for example, her split from reality makes me uncomfortable now but M&T had me cackling.

It baffles me how Bravo kept trying to make Miami happen but gave up so quickly on DC. I get that M&T were an issue with their garecrashing but surely they could have re-cast. It's not like they've never given shows a huge overhaul before. Overall, the cast was far more likeable and interesting than those bimbo's in Miami.

[quetzal]

IIRC, What always bugged me about the Lea/Marysol Gala Drama of Season 2 and onwards was in Season 2 in a TH, Adriana actually corroborated Lea's take on events that issues were on Marysol's end.  

 

That's how I remember it, too.

 

I'd love an All Star Housewives season. Maybe pluck out six/seven random women from different cities and have them vacation at a nice locale for ten days. Maybe swap out a couple if they can't stay the whole time due to "scheduling conflicts." I'm getting some Real World/Road Rules Challenge ideas but I'm not sure if I want the housewives to be more competitive than they already are though I did like the competition between the East and West Coast wives that happened on some special (Upfronts?) a few years ago.

 

Some preliminary choices that are bound to give us some interesting antics/commentary:

Sonja (NY)

Kenya (ATL)

Lea (MIA)

Cat (DC)

Luann (NY)

Vicki (OC)

Phaedra (ATL)

Lisa R. (BH)

 

Just realized I didn't have anyone from Jersey. Hmm.

Edited May 23, 2015 by quetzal