The 15 Most Iconic Real Housewives Moments of 2024

When you start the year with one of the biggest pop-culture crossover moments in Bravo history — “Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!” — it’s hard to know where to go from there. Indeed, the seismic shift of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City finale was a tough act to follow for all Real Housewives series, leading to some periods of aimlessness.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta didn’t air a single episode, but did get caught up in controversy. The Real Housewives of New Jersey canceled its reunion, leaving the series in limbo. The Real Housewives of Dubai’s long-delayed second season landed with a thud before the show was put on an indefinite pause. And The Real Housewives of New York City’s second reboot season has fans clamoring for the return of the O.G. cast, particularly after a disastrous pregnancy prank that some have called the nadir of Housewives as a whole.

OK, so it wasn’t all diamonds and rosé for Bravo in 2024 (really, who among us?), but these lows across multiple cities don’t tell the whole story.

In fact, there have been plenty of reasons to keep watching Housewives over the past year: standout cast members, top-tier episodes, quotable comebacks, and the kind of over-the-top confrontations that have come to define the franchise. With that in mind—and to remind us of how good these shows can still be—I’ve put together a list of the 15 most iconic Real Housewives moments of 2024.

The unmasking of Reality Von Tease (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)

In the Bermuda-set Season 4 finale of RHOSLC, Heather Gay alleged that her one-season co-star Monica Garcia was behind the troll account Reality Von Tease, which had been tormenting the Salt Lake City Housewives for years—and nothing was ever the same.

Few Housewives moments have lived up to the hype of this final confrontation, which had been teased in the season premiere. Heather’s invocation of “Receipts! Proof! Timeline! Screenshots!” became a meme unto itself, showing up everywhere from Jeopardy! categories to White House social media accounts. The takedown of Monica (or is it Reality Von Tease?) was so focus-pulling that Heather’s other reveal—the allegation that Jen Shah had given her a black eye the season prior—went largely unremarked on.

The gondola ride from hell (Real Housewives of Miami)

With a cast as dynamic as the women of RHOM, it’s not surprising to see sparks fly on vacation. But nothing could have prepared us for the gondola ride from hell in Mexico City.

It all started when Lisa Hochstein tried to feed local dogs while making some very privileged comments implying their owners didn’t take proper care of them. Kiki Barth, who had had enough of the women’s ignorance at that point, decided to confront her co-star, leading to a tossed juice box that Lisa characterized as assault. The scene soon descended into chaos, with Guerdy Abraira biting Larsa Pippen and the most ill-timed mariachi band in history arriving to lighten the mood.

Danielle and Jennifer get physical (Real Housewives of New Jersey)

Generally speaking—at least in our modern Housewives era—fights between these women don’t escalate into violence outside of the occasional glass thrown at a wall. That’s what made the physical altercation between RHONJ co-stars Danielle Cabral and Jennifer Aydin so shocking.

The moments leading up to it at the Tulum-themed party are more quotable (Danielle’s “you’re diiiiirty” instantly entered my lexicon), but it was Jen pushing Danielle and Danielle smashing a plastic cup in Jen’s face that left viewers reeling. Who even remembers what the fight was about? (A vague accusation that Danielle was trying to sabotage her hairdresser, apparently.) The result was an apparent filming pause and both cast members’ futures on the show in jeopardy.

“Merce is in the purse!” (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills)

Housewives don’t exactly pack light when it comes to international vacations, but Sutton Stracke took that to another level when she decided to spread the ashes of a dear friend, famed choreographer Merce Cunningham, on a trip to Spain.

While most of the women were at least outwardly supportive, an overserved Erika Jayne was a little less tactful. “Can I say something? I know you love Merce,” she told Sutton at a group dinner. “But Merce was in a Ziploc bag.” However uncouth that was, nothing topped her slurred declaration, “Merce is in the purse!” It became enough of a meme that you can now find that five-word phrase emblazoned on a wide array of Etsy products—here’s hoping Merce himself would appreciate the shoutout.

Shannon and Alexis have a “perfect” confrontation (Real Housewives of Orange County)

Poor Shannon Beador. Filming her first event after her DUI arrest was never going to be easy, but the RHOC Season 18 premiere also put her face-to-face with the newly returned Alexis Bellino, a woman whose ex-husband sued Shannon for $1 million and who is now engaged to (then dating) Shannon’s very recent ex John Janssen.

The real surprise of this confrontation was Shannon’s relative calm, even after Alexis hit her with a painfully rehearsed, “There’s the door, Shannon Beador.” It was the first indication that the season was not going to play out as expected, and that Alexis might have been outmatched from the jump. But the real takeaway? Shannon breaking the fourth wall by looking directly at the camera and offering her (sarcastic) assessment of the situation: “Perfect.”

Erin’s abortion story (Real Housewives of New York City)

Let’s be honest: There hasn’t been much to talk about when it comes to Season 15 of RHONY, at least in terms of iconic moments. (There’s certainly plenty to complain about, but that’s a different list.) But one of the few scenes to break through was Erin Lichy talking to co-star Jenna Lyons about the abortion she had when she was 18, followed by her filmed interview with Glamour.

It was notable both because Erin wanted to speak out in the context of the national rollback of abortion rights, and because abortion is not something Real Housewives have ever talked about on this platform before. While it would have been nice for Erin to at least acknowledge her past support of Donald Trump, it was still refreshing to see any discussion of reproductive autonomy on Real Housewives, which has almost always leaned apolitical if not conservative.

Guerdy shaves her head (RHOM)

Guerdy’s recovery following her breast cancer diagnosis made for Season 6’s most compelling storyline. (It also gave us Larsa’s new role as the worst possible person to share personal medical news with.) No single scene was more moving than Guerdy’s decision to shave her head with an assist from husband Russell Abraira, a top contender for most supportive Housewives husband of all time. Few cast members on any of these shows have displayed the level of vulnerability that Guerdy did here—and few Housewives scenes have made me more emotional.

“I’m a slob?” (RHONJ)

After the simmering war between Margaret Josephs and Jackie Goldschneider heated up, Margaret decided to bring Dolores Catania into the mix by telling Dolo that Jackie was complaining about not being tagged in a photo from the charity baseball game. (Yes, really.)

Dolores and Jackie talked it out, and the situation could have ended there—if Marge hadn’t decided to prove her worth as a Housewife by sending Dolores a screenshot of Jackie calling Dolo a “slob.” The moment is pure poetry: Joe Benigno catching Dolo’s eye to get her to look at her phone, Dolores telling Jackie she just needed to check on her dogs, and her confrontation of Jackie with evidence in hand: “I’m a slob?” It was a reminder that RHONJ could still be iconic, even in a very fraught era.

The breakfast table free-for-all (Real Housewives of Potomac)

After a nearly unwatchable Season 8—no iconic moments to shout out from those episodes—RHOP has returned with a semi-rebooted cast and a much more compelling Season 9. The new dynamics have brought TV magic back to the series, most notably in a lengthy breakfast table fight in Lake Norman between… well, most everyone.

Mia Thornton decided to come to Jacqueline Blake’s aid, leading to a face-off with Karen Huger. Then Mia set her sights on Keiarna Stewart, bringing up a “drug dealer boyfriend.” As soon as things seemed to quiet down, Ashley Darby asked Keiarna about her scar, inspiring a tearful storm-off. And suddenly Karen and Jacqueline were back at it again, with Ashley and Wendy Osefo screaming “shut up!”—maybe jokingly?—at each other. It had been so long since we’d experienced a scene like this, the kind of incessant, tough-to-follow back-and-forth that makes Real Housewives such a joy to watch. Ladies, thank you for your service.

Jen eviscerates Tamra (RHOC)

Jennifer Pedranti may have been introduced to RHOC as a friend of Tamra Judge’s, but that frankly doesn’t mean much. The two have butted heads repeatedly over the last two seasons, mostly over Jenn’s now-fiancé Ryan Boyajian. But on this season’s cast trip to London, Jenn learned that Tamra had allegedly done a background check on Ryan years prior, leading to their most expletive-laden confrontation yet.

It was a thrill watching Jenn, easily the most kindhearted Orange County Housewife, tear Tamra a new one, ending with the brutal closer, “I’m a better f---ing person than you will ever be.” Tamra may have been sarcastically clapping at Jenn for using her voice, but those of us at home were sincerely applauding.

Dorit’s revenge cigarette (RHOBH)

It’s not like Dorit Kemsley is the first Housewife to smoke a cigarette, but doing so on camera is basically unheard of. Dorit lighting up in her car on the way to see Kathy Hilton somehow became the most talked-about moment from the Season 14 premiere. It wasn’t just the cigarette, of course, but also the way it felt like a metaphor for Dorit’s “burn it all down” era.

Now separated from husband Paul “PK” Kemsley, she’s speaking openly about the strife in their marriage and his alcoholism—not to mention confronting long-time ally Kyle Richards about their one-sided friendship. A Dorit who doesn’t care about smoking on camera is a Dorit who has nothing to lose, and her behavior so far this season is bearing that out.

An operatic reunion finish (RHOM)

The Miami ‘Wives are larger than life, which is why there was no better way to conclude last season’s epic three-part reunion than with something truly theatrical. As Andy Cohen announced the surprise return of Julia Lemigova’s opera duet partner Jonathan, the lights dimmed. Suddenly, Julia had a mic in her hand, and while her lip-syncing was not remotely convincing, it was certainly an improvement over her live vocals. The best moment? A tie between the dance breakdown and Larsa’s excited “I love this song!” about… “Ave Maria.”

“You’re a TV star!” (RHOC)

It’s not fun to watch a Real Housewives gang-up—most of the time, seeing all the women join forces to take down one of their own just feels unpleasant. But after a season of Alexis going to war with Shannon on John Janssen’s behalf, there was some real satisfaction in her desperate, flailing reunion performance.

By the end, even her most stalwart allies seemed over it. While Emily Simpson may have had some of the best lines (“every trash can needs a lid, and John Janssen found his”), it was Shannon who fittingly delivered the kill shot. As Alexis tried to defend her “15-year” reality TV career, Shannon fired back with a mocking, “You’re a TV star.” Of all the things she could have said, it was somehow the most cutting.

Marge’s floral arrangement (RHONJ)

Toward the end of Season 14, Teresa Giudice promised to expose Margaret once and for all, gathering all the other ladies for a summit at her home with lawyer James Leonard. Unfortunately for Tre, the real takeaway from the scene was not her supposed intel on Marge, but rather the enormous floral arrangement that Marge had delivered to the Giudice-Ruelas residence.

The card said it all: “Dear Teresa & James, Sorry for the loss of your dignity. Love, love, love, Marge.” The war between these sworn enemies may still be raging, but Margaret got the last laugh here.

Meredith’s Bat Mitzvah (RHOSLC)

It seemed only fitting to start and end a list of the most iconic Real Housewives moments of 2024 with RHOSLC. Although fans worried that a Monica Garcia-free Season 5 would be a step down from the heights of last season, the ladies have managed to dispel those fears.

Meredith’s recent Bat Mitzvah was such a perfect showcase for Housewives at the top of their game that it’s basically impossible to pull out just one moment. So I’ll list them all: Mary trying to find an entrance by peering in the window behind the bimah, Angie calling out Britani’s “high-body-count hair,” Meredith kicking out Angie for slut-shaming, Lisa’s “You do need Kerastase Thermatique,” Angie throwing a napkin in the air, and Lisa’s final “well, cheers to Puerto Vallarta!” Sometimes an iconic moment is actually several of them in a row—and for that, we can be extra grateful.