There were reality TV stars before The Real Housewives, but when the franchise kicked off on Bravo back on March 21, 2006, with its inaugural Orange County edition, it created a new genre of reality star: wealthy, wine-tossing women enjoying lavish lifestyles and stirring up soapy drama in major cities across America and beyond — the show has since branched out of the US and into countries from Australia to the United Arab Emirates.
In the nearly two decades since, those not-so-average housewives have not only become stars in their own right but have permeated pop culture as a whole with successful side businesses (Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cut Fitness), quotable catchphrases ("Clip!") and taglines ("I don't keep up with the Joneses; I am the Joneses"), and as much publicized melodrama occurring behind the scenes as on the screens.
But out of the 150-plus personalities that make up the franchise, who is the best of the best? We've delved into the dynasty and pulled out the top 10 brightest stars in The Real Housewives galaxy.
The 10 best Real Housewives stars of all time, ranked
10. Porsha Williams
Okay, she may not know much about the Underground Railroad, but Porsha Williams does know a little something about having one hell of a character arch. The Real Housewives of Atlanta star joined the series in season 5 as the trophy wife of her now ex-husband, football player Kordell Stewart, but by the time she left the series in 2021, she had evolved into an independent woman with her own radio show, activism work, a beloved daughter, a new relationship with Simon Guobadia and appearing on other reality shows, including Stars on Mars.
Thankfully, all of that evolution didn't mean she changed entirely — she was still serving up some of the best comebacks and shady commentary ("Google you? From when? You're not even in the search engine, you're so old!) the franchise had ever seen.
9. Kyle Richards
Kyle Richards was used to the spotlight well before 2010 when The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills first premiered — the reality star has been appearing in TV series (Little House on the Prairie, Fantasy Island) and movies (Halloween, The Watcher in the Woods) since she was 5 years old.
So it's no surprise she has a taste for the dramatic, seen in her fiery sibling squabbles with sister/castmate Kim Richards, her friendship-ending feud with Lisa Vanderpump and, nowadays, the rumor-filled and much-publicized deterioration of her marriage from husband Mauricio Umansky.
8. Sonja Morgan
If there was an award for Miss Congeniality amongst Real Housewives stars, it might just go to Sonja Morgan. The fan-favorite RHONY star, who appeared as a main cast member for 11 seasons, was voted "Best Comedienne" in the viewer-voted Real Housewives Awards for four consecutive years.
Given the sheer hilarity she regularly brought to the franchise, it's not hard to see why. This is a woman who has washed her own underwear in a bidet ("Panty soup!"), chugged margaritas straight out the pitcher, threw an over-the-top memorial service for her deceased dog and broke a tooth whilst ripping a guy's shirt off. The best part is, she doesn't feel an ounce of shame about any of it: "I live for the walk of shame. Actually, I call it more of a victory lap!"
7. Luann de Lesseps
There have been many versions of Luann de Lesseps in the 15 years she was part of the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City, each one more captivating than the last.
There was Countess Luann, all bestowed-title haughtiness ("Even Louis Vuitton makes mistakes"); party-girl Luann, taken to falling into bushes and falling for boy toys ("Be cool. Don't be all, like, uncool"); reformed party-girl Luann (the reality star has been in recovery for alcoholism following a December 2017 arrest for battery, trespassing and disorderly intoxication) and, most recently, cabaret-star Luann, who is currently on a glittery live tour across the states.
Speaking of her musical bona fides, De Lesseps by far has gifted the world the best Housewives songs, from "Money Can't Buy You Class" to "Chic C'est la Vie."
6. Vicki Gunvalson
It all began with Vicki Gunvalson. The California gal whooped it up as an original cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County for 14 seasons before departing the franchise in 2020. Throughout it all, the Bravo legend has been a reliable well of both comedy and drama, whether raging against a "little family van," downing tequila shots with a "lick it, suck it, slam it" rally cry, showing up uninvited to her kid's college party or shouting about her sex life from atop a snowy mountain. ("I have never been with multiple partners in my life!")
Though the fun-loving "Whoop It Up" queen is always down for a good time, she's also never shied away from sharing her hardships, from the death of her mother to her divorce from Donn.
5. Ramona Singer
Built on equal parts problematic opinions and Pinot Grigio, Ramona Singer is the O.G. of NYC, the only cast member of The Real Housewives of New York who remained with the series for its full 13-year run before the shoe was given a reboot in 2023. She provided plenty of entertainment throughout her RHONY career, be it her infamously wide-eyed catwalk, her sheer love of "Turtle Time," her Karen-esque tantrums to waitstaff or accidentally pooping on the floor during a cast trip to Cartagena.
But don't worry, her wild antics will be onscreen again soon enough. Singer is set to join her former RHONY co-stars Luann de Lesseps, Kelly Bensimon, Kristen Taekman, Dorinda Medley and Sonja Morgan in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy.
4. Lisa Vanderpump
No single Housewives' name is as synonymous with reality television as Lisa Vanderpump. Along with being one of the original cast members of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — from 2010 to 2019 — the posh British business woman is also behind the smash-hit spinoff Vanderpump Rules, which centers on the drama-filled staff of one of the star's many successful eateries, SUR. (She presides over an international restaurant empire of 30-plus venues.)
And with her dry English wit ("I'm passionate about dogs, just not crazy about bitches"), opulent lifestyle and master manipulations, it's no surprise why people want more Lisa Vanderpump on their TV screen. (Good news: she's set to feature in a new Hulu series, Vanderpump Villa.)
3. Bethenny Frankel
Yes, Frankel's Real Housewives legacy has become entangled with her recent grievances against Bravo — the reality star criticized the network during the SAG-AFTRA strike, claiming she never received "a single residual" from her time on the show — but once upon a time, there was seemingly no bigger Housewife.
Armed with a deadly quick wit, a deluge of one-liners ("Trying to get her laid is like Saving Private Ryan, we're all gonna die trying") and a truly inspiring success story (Frankel went from a struggling "natural foods chef" in her debut season to selling her Skinnygirl Cocktails brand for a cool $100 million), the RHONY firebrand served as the show's sharp-tongued Greek chorus, saying everything viewers at home were already thinking. That relatability garnered Frankel several Bravo spin-offs, including Bethenny Ever After and Bethenny & Fredrik, as well as her own Fox daytime talk show, Bethenny.
2. NeNe Leakes
You likely can't spend a day on the internet without hitting a reaction GIF from NeNe Leakes, O.G. cast member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Known for her legendary sound bites ("Close your legs to married men!"), no-nonsense attitude and ever-expressive face, NeNe was a meme-inspiring marvel during her tenure on the spinoff (she was a main cast member for RHOA's first seven seasons, as well as seasons 10 through 12).
Along with being one of the most notorious personalities to come out of The Real Housewives universe, NeNe is also one of the most successful, parlaying her reality show notoriety into a real-deal entertainment career, appearing on Glee and The New Normal, competing in The Celebrity Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars, and even hitting the Broadway stage in Cinderella and Chicago.
1. Teresa Giudice
There's before the table toss and after the table toss. Teresa Guidice's full-bodied mid-restaurant flip in the The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 1 finale back in 2009 — punctuated with bombastic barbs aimed at co-star Danielle Staub ("prostitution whore!") — changed the game not only where The Real Housewives was concerned but reality television as a whole.
"That moment gave anybody else coming after us license to go all out," RHONJ alum Caroline Manzo said of the historic moment to People. "It became the benchmark. 'What could my table flip be?'"
While the table flip alone would secure Giudice's standing in the top three, her tough-as-nails resilience (the TV star famously spent 11 months in prison for her part in a fraud scheme), unintentional hilariousness ("I'm an outdoorsy person, I like laying out in the sun") and perpetual gameness to get in the middle of any and every argument makes the O.G. New Jersey star the ultimate Housewife.
