Reunions are a time for the Real Housewives to come together, after a period of reflection once they have seen what their fellow cast mates have said about them throughout the season, in order to confront one another about each dig and disrespect. Judgments are passed, friendships are tested, and often the question on viewers’ lips is how on earth these women can move forward with each other after cameras stop rolling. Once the reunion ends, typically there is a break from filming and the friend-group, as tempers cool and alliances are re-assessed.
The premise of the Real Housewives series is friendship. On the surface, there is nothing to film unless the women in each city are getting together to gossip, showing up at one another’s events, and maintaining, at least on a surface level, the illusion of unity and cohesion. There can be moments of discord, shifting alliances and sneaky dealings on the side, but at the end of a season, the expectation is that resolution will be the priority so that the group can get back to the fun stuff next season.
But there are some reunions that just get too wild to find a path forward. While reunions are meant to be moments when the cast can come together to air out their grievances in order to find resolution, there are also reunions where the opposite occurs. Some reunion stunts are too shocking for resolution, and when the hurt is deep, the fractures can go on to affect the entire premise of the series. From family feuds to friendship fails, here are the wildest reunion moments in Real Housewives history.
10.‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’
Season 13
As Season 14 draws to a close without a reunion and a murky future for the franchise, it only makes sense to take a look back at the start of the end. The Season 13 reunion was where the decade-long family feud between Teresa Giudice, her brother Joe Gorga, and her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, finally reached the point of no return. Teresa’s wedding to controversial figure Luis Ruelas was a focal point of the season, and the negativity between Teresa and Melissa led to the Gorga’s refusal to attend Teresa’s nuptials. The reunion opened with Teresa praying for peace, while also saying that she was looking forward to “closing the chapter” in her relationship with Melissa.
Teresa then began to speak about her family, meaning her brother, and how he hurt her in the days leading up to her wedding. Joe was angry about Luis’ business dealings and how they had affected him, after he felt he had been cut out of a deal to create a pizza oven line with his sister. Joe has spent years taking lumps trying to get his sister to treat his wife with respect, and finally, in Season 13, the issue came to a head. It took mere moments after the reunion started for Melissa and Teresa to begin bickering about the details of who they felt played a role in fracturing the family, with neither party accepting responsibility. After a terse exchange, Teresa claimed she was happy that after the reunion finished, Melissa would be leaving the show. When Andy pushed to see what she meant by that comment, Teresa explained “I don’t know how we are going to co-exist, the two of us.”
When Andy asked if Melissa leaving the show meant that she would be out of Teresa’s life for good, Teresa responded with a definite yes. It was clear that coming into the reunion, Teresa was happy to finally have an excuse to stop pretending for the series that she and Melissa cared about one another. While Melissa has always pushed to be closer to Teresa, if only for her husband and children’s sake, Teresa has always maintained a critical distance, and has taken any opportunity to speak negatively about her sister-in-law. Melissa, in turn, seems determined to point out each lie and misrepresentation Teresa puts forward about her “love bubble” life with Luis, refusing to smile along and ignore red flags.
Teresa and Melissa’s inability to get along with one another, and refusal to film together any longer, ultimately led to the fractured Season 14, with the New Jersey Housewives either picking Team Teresa or Team Gorga. As Teresa observed at the Season 13 reunion, the women are incapable of co-existing on the same series, thus placing the production in a casting conundrum about how the franchise can move forward. It was wild to see Teresa admit that she would no longer speak to her brother and sister-in-law after the reunion, and it is clear the decision derailed the series in Season 14.
9.‘The Real Housewives of Miami’
Season 6
Any time a Housewife dramatically pulls out a microphone, viewers should prepare for a wild time. The Real Housewives of Miami is one of the most underrated series on Bravo. Since Peacock picked up the series for a revival after a break from filming once Season 3 wrapped, the friend-group has provided some of the most entertaining moments in franchise history. Season 6 did not disappoint, and neither did the dramatic reunion.
Julia Lemigova managed to take this reunion to the wild level by concluding with a surprise performance by a trained opera singer, who she joined from the reunion couch as she pulled out a microphone she had been hiding behind the cushions. The performance concluded with a techno-version of Ave Maria playing, as Julia got all the Miami ladies off the couches, to dance and embrace each other, despite unresolved tension in some of their friendships. It was truly a reunion first, and an indication of just how unique this series is compared with all the other Real Housewives series out there.
8.‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’
Season 4
It is a common occurrence that the husbands will join the Housewives on the reunion stage. But it is pretty rare to see them become the center of as much drama as Ashley Darby‘s husband, Michael Darby, managed to stir up in Season 4 of Real Housewives of Potomac. Ashley and Michael’s marriage had always been an easy target for the Potomac Housewives, because they, along with the viewers, got the sense that there was something the couple was hiding about the way their marriage worked.
Ashley had been open about her and Michael entertaining third parties in their bedroom, and while she would speak about it in romanticized terms, when the other Housewives had questions about the logistics, Ashley would get very vague. The status of their relationship became a constant target, even to the point that Ashley was grilled about her pre-nuptial agreement, and questioned about how it left her vulnerable should the marriage fall apart. There was also Michael’s history of inappropriately touching people, seemingly as a flirtation tactic, on the set of Real Housewives of Potomac.
On the reunion stage, Andy Cohen introduced the topic of Michael allegedly grabbing a cameraman on the set of Real Housewives of Potomac as the “butt grab heard around the world,” calling it an “unprecedented event” that happened “quite literally, behind the camera.” Michael was sued by the cameraman, although the suit was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. Robyn Dixon noted in a talking head: “Anyone with a brain knows that just because the charges are dropped doesn’t mean you didn’t do it.” When Gizelle Bryant and Robyn mentioned on the reunion stage that they had heard from producers on the series that Michael had grabbed them in a similar fashion while filming the first season, their comments were met with flat denials. Michael was filled with blusterous outrage that the women would accuse him of inappropriate behavior. He even went so far as to blame the cultural differences between Australia (his homeland) and the United States as to why they were interpreting his actions as predatory or sexual in nature.
It was Michael’s denial of any wrong doing that didn’t sit well with the ladies at the reunion, as many of them had either heard first-hand accounts or witnessed the same behavior in Michael at different periods of time. Michael was irritated that his narrative that he had only bumped into the cameraman accidentally was being picked apart on the reunion stage, likely worried about his reputation as an upstanding businessman and family man. He even had the audacity to tell the group they should feel ashamed of themselves for breathing life into the accusations against him. Karen Huger rightly turned the conversation towards the importance that victims of sexual assault should be provided the space to come forward and speak about what they experienced. Her point was all the more poignant when juxtaposed with Michael’s constant denial of wrongdoing, despite cast members’ insisting they had seen him grab people with their own eyes, or heard about it from someone with first-hand experience.
7.‘The Real Housewives of New York’
Season 10
Bethenny Frankel and Caroel Radziwill made an unstoppable duo on Real Housewives of New York while in each other’s good graces. However, in Season 10, things had seemingly soured between them to the point that the once best friends couldn’t stand the sound of each other’s voices. Viewers had noticed the growing tensions between the one-time-friends throughout Season 10, but aside from Carole noting that she was simply “not into” Bethenny anymore, she remained relatively tight-lipped for her reasons why. As it turned out, Carole was helping her grieving friend through the process of her husband’s death, which had left Bethenny feeling abandoned in the friendship, causing her to lash out during what was a fragile time for Carole.
The pair never seemed to get back on the same page again, and by the Season 10 reunion, each had dug in her heels about why the other was to blame for the relationship deteriorating. Which left these two intelligent and resourceful women bickering about the “red-scarf guy,” and whose text messages with him were authentic or not. At one point, it was wild to see Bethenny jump from her seat and shove her phone into her once friend’s face, shouting “Boo-yah b****!” The relationship never recovered, and the pair still take swipes at each other in interviews and podcast appearances whenever possible.
6.‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
Season 11
One of the most shocking things about the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 11 reunion was the fact that Erika Jayne Girardi showed up at all. Her husband, powerhouse attorney Tom Girardi, was facing a slew of legal battles over misappropriated funds from his law firm, those that had been marked for distribution to the widows and orphans in the aftermath of a horrific plane crash. Erika was also facing legal battles of her own, having to fight to prove she was not part of an embezzlement scheme while also being investigated by the Department of Justice. When Lisa Vanderpump was facing accusations from her cast mates of spreading stories in the media, she chose to exit the series rather than be grilled at the reunion by her supposed “friends.” Whereas Erika showed up and told Andy Cohen “I’m not a quitter” when asked why she ignored her attorney’s advice to quit the show, rather than having her words on the series parsed and twisted and used against her while she defended herself in court.
Erika was eventually dismissed from the case, and has been rebuilding her life while continuing to film the series. But the Season 11 reunion was all about Erika, and it was difficult for the ladies not to turn their own segments back towards what Erika was going through. The “Expensive to be Me” singer became “feisty” in her own defense as she repeatedly emphasized that she was focusing all her energy on fighting her own court case and surviving her current situation. Her emphasis on her own struggles did not sit right with the other ladies, who kept pushing Erika to show more empathy towards the victims of the plane crash whose funds were allegedly stolen by Tom.
5.‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
Season 6
The Real Housewives of Atlanta have had many wild moments over the years, but few come close to the Season 6 reunion. Kenya Moore showed up with a scepter, remarking that queens carry them. She then went on to wave the scepter in the face of anyone she was addressing, which got to be irritating for the women sharing the reunion couch with her. When Porsha Williams observed that Kenya’s claims to be dating an “African Prince” were false and that she had been accused of attempting to pay a man to appear on the series as her boyfriend, things turned ugly on stage for both of the former beauty queens.
Kenya gestured towards Porsha with the scepter one too many times, and a fed-up Porsha finally snatched it out of Kenya’s hand and dramatically tossed it away from the reunion couch. This prompted Kenya to pull out a bullhorn, which she then spoke into to remind Porsha that she was still speaking. As the insults began to escalate, with Porsha calling Kenya a “slut from the 90s” and Kenya responding in turn, calling Porsha a “dumb hoe” through her bullhorn. This last insult was enough for Porsha to lose control, popping up from the couch and getting into Kenya’s face as she rose to meet Porsha’s challenge. Andy immediately stepped between them, uttering the word “no” repeatedly as he tried to separate the two, but when Porsha pulled Kenya’s hair, the situation escalated beyond the host’s control.
Porsha retained her grip on Kenya’s hair and pulled her to the ground. Andy continued his efforts to separate the women. Kenya immediately began to call for Porsha to be fired from the show, and Porsha burst into anxious sobs as she began to shout about how much she had been through, clearly in a moment of fight-or-flight. The Atlanta Housewives have always faced additional pressure not to allow their fights to turn physical in any way, due to stereotypes about “angry Black women” that they are mindful of, while also being aware that the network would have to weigh in on their actions, with the potential consequence of being asked to leave the show. But Porsha is a fighter, and this would not be the only time that, in moments of extreme anger or hurt, she would get physical while on reality TV. One of the wildest moments in the chaotic scene was when producer Carlos King dramatically swept Porsha into his arms and carried her away from the stage.
4.‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
Season 7
Bunnygate is one of the wildest and most iconic moments in Real Housewives history. At the Season 7 Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion, actress Kim Richards joined her sister Kyle Richards on stage to discuss her appearances during the season. The Richards sisters joined forces to grill Lisa Rinna about comments she had made about Kim’s sobriety. Apparently, Rinna had told new cast member, Eden Sassoon, that Kim was “close to death” and “not 100% sober.” She also told her that Kim’s sister Kyle was an “enabler,” helping her to parade as a sober person while continuing her alcohol and drug use.
When Andy read out a fan’s question about what Kim had done with the stuffed bunny Rinna had given to her as a gift for her grandson, Kim dramatically reached behind the reunion couch and pulled out the bunny, still wrapped in its cellophane and tied with a bow. She told Andy and the ladies on stage that she did not feel it had been given with “the right energy,” and returned it to Rinna rather than present it to her grandson. All the women reacted with shock, as Kyle chewed nervously on her fingers, a habit she has when in uncomfortable situations.
Upon receiving the bunny, Rinna shed a single tear, as Kim chided “you don’t have to cry about it.” The tears continued as Kim justified her decision, and Kyle explained that her sister is very superstitious about bad energy. Kim and Rinna came to an awkward resolution to move forward, although the return of the bunny seemed like a set-back in their relationship. Rinna dramatically left the reunion stage, as Kim justified the return of the bunny by saying she still could not tell when Rinna was being sincere. Eileen Davidson followed Rinna into her dressing room and the pair discussed how the return of the bunny had been a calculated stunt designed to make Rinna look bad.
3.‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
Season 9
As host, Andy introduced the Season 9 Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion as “what might be the most controversial season yet.” Things were especially heated between Kandi Burruss and Phaedra Parks. Kandi felt that Phaedra had incited an employee of hers to sue her, whereas Phaedra was irritated with Kandi for speaking publicly about her impending divorce, which she had been keeping to herself. Phaedra had also spread gossip in the group about Kandi having sex with “friend of” the show, Shamea Morton, with Porsha Williams joining in on the gossip. Phaedra and Porsha’s messy antics this season earned them the nicknames “frick and frack.”
The messiness in Season 9 came to a head with the rumors that had been spread about Kandi and her husband, Todd Tucker. Porsha had been told that Kandi and Todd were interested in drugging her and taking them to their “sex dungeon.” Kandi took these allegations very seriously, as she does not drink or do drugs herself and emphatically refuted ever having any intentions to drug anyone, let alone her co-star. However, the shocking reveal at the reunion was that Phaedra was the one who told Porsha that Kandi had made these comments to her, and the only reason Porsha had believed the rumor was that her attorney friend assured her three separate times that Kandi had made these comments about drugging her to Phaedra directly.
Porsha was shocked to hear Phaedra claim that the rumor was something she heard and repeated, instead of that she had heard it directly from Kandi herself. Kandi felt justified in her belief that Phaedra had been using Porsha as a pawn to attack her all season, asking Porsha if she now understood why she felt Phaedra had been pulling her strings. Kandi then gestured dramatically as she shouted “The lies, the lies, the lies,” which has become one of the most gif-able moments to come out of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Phaedra denied having said that Kandi told her first hand that she wanted to drug Porsha, but the shame of spreading the rumor was the reason Phaedra was not asked back to the series after Season 9, as Kandi was not willing to film with someone who accused her of a heinous crime out of simple malice.
2.‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’
Season 9
Vicki Gunvalson‘s romantic exploits have never been lucky on Real Housewives of Orange County. But when she dated Brooks Ayers from 2012 to 2015, he would take her to an all-time low in the series. Over time, Vicki’s co-stars began to suspect that Brooks was not the man he made himself out to be, and they began to dig deeper into his past. Meghan King Edmonds put on her detective hat and began to contact Brooks’ ex-girlfriends, who had been accusing him of fraudulent behavior in his past and on the series.
Eventually, Vicki revealed that Brooks had been diagnosed with cancer, and for a time, the sympathy overshadowed the doubts her co-stars had about who Brooks really was. But Meghan, who had a close friend who was truly sick with the disease, couldn’t help but notice that Brooks’ descriptions of his treatment did not align with the medical recommendations that typically come with a cancer diagnosis. Things reached a peak when Brooks seemed to be claiming that a juice cleanse was helping him fight the disease. Meghan was outraged that someone would use the Real Housewives platform to spread dangerous misinformation about fighting a disease as pernicious as cancer.
At the Real Housewives of Orange County Season 9 reunion, Vicki was grilled by the other women about how she could sit there and still deny knowing whether Brooks had been faking his diagnosis. Vicki claimed that she had never seen “any definitive documentation that he does not have cancer.” But in the next breath she admitted that her gut was telling her that Brooks was lying and did not have the disease. She then described the ways that Brooks had manipulated her into believing him, and admitted that she covered up for him because she had been duped and taken advantage of. It was wild to see her finally admit that she no longer believed the man who she had adamantly defended all season long, sacrificing her relationship with her daughter and her friends as they fervently tried to make her acknowledge his red flags.
1.‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’
‘Season 4’
There may never be a moment more wild than the final episode of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4, when Heather Gay brought out the “receipts, proof, timeline, screenshots” and everything to prove that Monica Garcia was one of the people running @realityvontease, an Instagram account that had been trolling the Salt Lake City Housewives through the years. This wild ride of a reunion kicked off with a segment about Jen Shah, covering how she had pleaded guilty to the charges of wire fraud that sent her to federal prison, while Monica impatiently bopped her foot up and down. Monica was introduced to the group through Jen, as she was working as her assistant up to the period when the federal government began investigating her “employer” (who she claimed had not paid her for her work). It was wild to listen to Monica explain how she contacted the FBI to provide evidence in their case against her former employer
From her appearances on the series, it seems that Monica can have a hair-trigger temper, and though she did her best to remain composed at the Season 4 reunion, she finally got sick of the women speaking over her. Losing her temper, Monica shouted at co-star Angie Katsanevas to stop interjecting, calling her a “bench warming bi***.” Led by Monica’s most vehement critic, Lisa Barlow, the cast was committed to proving that Monica was desperate to be on the show, she was untrustworthy, and had only gotten close to Jen Shah in order to use her as a stepping-stone onto the series.
It was surprising to see the women become so deeply offended over the perceived “bullying” that had occurred as a result of Monica’s involvement with Reality Von (Tea)se. Also surprising was how forthcoming Monica was willing to be about the wild details of the affair she once had with her then-husband’s sister’s husband, and the tumultuous relationship she had with her mother. Monica’s apparent authenticity sharing these details is what won viewers to her side when it came down to whether she should continue filming the series or not. Her cast mates made a firm case that they would not film with her for Season 5, no matter how much of a cultural impact she had made with her outrageous behavior on the series and online.
Heather went to the extent of reaching out to Monica’s best friend and asking for any recordings she had of Monica speaking poorly about the women on the series, or her efforts to get on the show. In turn, Monica brought out a Regina George “Burn Book” of receipts detailing things her cast mates had said to encourage the Reality Von (Tea)se page, and print-outs of the posts she had been responsible for. The book was an admitted flop, as the women did not appreciate what they perceived as a stunt. Then, to conclude the reunion, Heather finally provided details behind the mysterious black eye she had received during filming in Season 3 as the result of Jen Shah getting physical with her, and apologized for lying to the production, the cast, and the audience when she said she could not remember what had happened. The saga of lies, betrayal, and deception on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, coupled with Monica’s enduring charisma and charm, made the Season 4 reunion the wildest in Housewives history.
