If you say you’ve never seen an episode of Bravo’s smash Real Housewives series, you’re lying. Since the reality series premiered over a decade ago, it’s transformed from a guilty pleasure for moms to a pop culture phenomenon – with seven individual series featuring women from Orange County, Beverly Hills, Atlanta, New Jersey, New York, Dallas and Potomac. In 2019, millions still tune in to get a glimpse of the life of an affluent housewife – from table flips to thousand-dollar spa treatments.
What has led to the success of the Real Housewives franchise? Undoubtedly it’s the designer purses and yacht parties, plus the rise of social media and viral memes – like the one of a certain blonde housewife yelling and pointing at a white cat – but it’s also the spirited women that lead the show. Between all their blowout fights and family drama, they’re all queens who have turned their everyday lives into a spectacle that viewers can’t look away from. Who is the reigning queen of the Real Housewives franchise? Read on for our top 5!