Top 10 Most Shocking Real Housewives Moments

When the Potomac housewives gathered at a rustic winery in this season 5 episode, tensions were already boiling over between Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard. A short argument soon found Samuels having had enough of Dillard’s antagonizing remarks. She responded by grabbing her co-star by the hair, and refused to let go even after producers rushed the scene. This moment was so outrageous, it made headlines months before it even aired due to charges that were filed — and ultimately dropped — as a result. It’s safe to say we were all as shocked as Ashley Darby, who clearly picked the wrong time for a bathroom break.

There’s been a lot of questionable behavior on reality television, but faking cancer for a storyline is bottom-of-the-barrel. That’s exactly what the cast of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” accused Brooks Ayers of doing. Ayers, the now ex-boyfriend of OC OG Vicki Gunvalson, was questioned about his diagnosis throughout season 10 due to details of his story not adding up. Gunvalson adamantly stood by him during the season. But she later came clean at the reunion and admitted to having her own doubts, and even confessed to lying for him. Ayers maintained that his diagnosis was the real deal and that the whole thing was a big misunderstanding.

After Kim Zolciak-Biermann was accused of talking behind castmates NeNe Leakes and Shereé Whitfield’s backs, the trio met up for lunch to hash things out. But Zolciak couldn’t handle the heat. When confronted with conflicting stories, she began to leave the restaurant, but Shereé and NeNe followed her outside and the argument continued on the sidewalk. Things threatened to get physical when Whitfield gave Kim’s wig a quick tug. As Shereé explained, she had no intention of ripping the hairpiece off. Regardless, that wig shift became a shocking yet memorable moment, to say the least.

In this classic season 6 finale, “OC” housewife Tamra Judge got into an altercation with former regular Jeana Keough. And it was a riot from start to finish. Fed up with Jeana’s statements in the press about her past relationship, Tamra confronted her at Vicki Gunvalson’s annual fall party with an order from her lawyer. Keough followed up with a threat to throw Judge into the pool. The latter’s carefully measured response involved an entire glass of red wine in her rival’s eye. More chaos and shouting ensued from there. The moment was so memorable that Bravo later released an oral history of the party, featuring interviews from all involved.

Things were rocky between “The Real Housewives of New York City’s” Bethenny Frankel and Kelly Killoren Bensimon for a long time. The tension ultimately came to a head during a trip to the Virgin Islands in season 3. Kelly’s erratic behavior, nitpicking, and paranoia over Bethenny’s supposed intentions to harm her left her fellow housewives worried for her emotional state. These conflicts boiled over during a late-night dinner, which found Kelly fighting off attacks from all sides, with only her jelly beans to comfort her. The argument continued until the group decided that their castmate was too fragile to take in their advice. We were all pretty shaken by that point.

It’s the fight that flipped a thousand tables. Okay, it was just one, but it felt like a lot more. In this season 1 episode of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” the outspoken Teresa Giudice didn’t like Danielle Staub’s tone. But her table-flipping tirade in response might have been a little… much. Still, isn’t that exactly why we love her? The drama continued as the shocked cast watched Teresa being hauled out of the room, screaming all the way. This now-infamous moment turned Giudice into the patron saint of “Real Housewives” drama. And it may have single-handedly put the New Jersey edition of the show on the map.

“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” has had its fair share of controversial reunion showdowns, like Phaedra Parks’ (FAY-druh) defamatory remarks about Kandi Burruss. But perhaps nothing tops the moment when things got physical between Kenya Moore and Porsha Williams at the season 6 reunion. Williams tried her best to keep her cool at first, but once Moore brought out the megaphone, it was over. And the conversation just got increasingly heated from there, until everything exploded. Porsha dragged Kenya across the stage by her hair until Andy Cohen and the crew intervened. Emotions ran high after the incident, and it’s safe to say that nobody was left feeling indifferent.

Camille Grammer invited her castmates over for dinner in this shocking episode. And she made sure to have as many allies at the table as she could. This included her friend, famed psychic Allison DuBois. While DuBois may be a medium, the impact her presence had was anything but mild. And her claims about Kyle Richards’ marriage shifted the tone of the evening. It all eventually resulted in a full-blown shouting match. What set this fight apart from all others was the truly bonkers behavior exhibited by DuBois, whose cryptic statements, withering glances, and bizarre insults were as creepy as they were explosive. Lisa Vanderpump summed the situation up better than we ever could.

Between her various ailments, phobias, and general inability to gel with the others, Aviva Drescher certainly left an impression on “The Real Housewives of New York City” But all that pales in comparison to the impression she left on Le Cirque restaurant. In the middle of an argument over the truth about her asthma, she insisted the only fake thing about her was her prosthetic leg. She slammed the limb on the table, sending her castmates scrambling across the room. She then threw it to the floor, just to make extra sure they got her message. If it wasn’t a first for reality TV, it was certainly a first for “The Real Housewives.”

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Shereé vs. Marlo, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” (2008-) (shure-RAY)
A Screaming Match Between the Duo Devolved Into a Screeching Match

The Brandi & Denise Saga, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (2010-)
Brandi Glanville Claimed That She & Denise Richards Had an Affair

Bad Vibes Bunny, “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (2010-)
Kim Richards Returned a Gift for Her Grandson Because It Didn’t Have the Right “Energy”

Cohen Down, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” (2009-)
Teresa Giudice Threw Andy Cohen Down During a Heated Argument with Danielle Staub

Jen Shah’s Legal Troubles, “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” (2020-)
The “Salt Lake City” Housewife Was Arrested Off-Camera During Filming

It’s safe to say that nobody will ever forget the epic Amsterdam dinner from the fifth season of the franchise’s Beverly Hills edition. Kim Richards’ sobriety had often been a running theme throughout the show. But when Lisa Rinna tried to clarify her concerns, she ended up adding fuel to the fire. And there was no shortage of drama afterward. Kim notably called Eileen Davidson a beast and suggested that Lisa eat some bread to relax. We’d also be remiss not to mention Rinna reaching for Kim’s throat from across the table and subsequently throwing her drink. It’s no wonder the chaotic scene has gone down in history as one of the franchise’s defining moments.