• Every Housewives franchise has them.

    The woman who makes you sigh the second she walks into a room. The woman who turns a simple conversation into a three-episode storyline. The woman who somehow manages to be exhausting while doing absolutely nothing.

    So, in the spirit of public service, here are the most annoying Housewives from every franchise.

    RHOC — Gretchen Rossi

    Gretchen spent her time in Orange County insisting she was misunderstood while simultaneously becoming involved in approximately every piece of drama within a 25-mile radius.

    The constant innocence act was exhausting. And then there was Slade.

    RHONY — Aviva Drescher

    Aviva gave us a prosthetic leg, a white-trash tirade, and approximately 900 reminders that she was a real New York socialite.

    She was determined to prove she was the most sophisticated woman in the room, which made watching her increasingly entertaining and increasingly annoying.

    RHOBH — Teddi Mellencamp

    Teddi’s superpower was making everything sound like a serious moral issue.

    Someone could sneeze at dinner and Teddi would somehow be asking them to take accountability for their behavior.

    She also had a remarkable ability to insert herself into conflicts and then act confused about how she got there.

    RHOA — Kim Fields

    Kim Fields wasn’t really built for the Housewives lifestyle.

    While everyone else was screaming, fighting and throwing shade, Kim seemed to be wondering why she had agreed to any of this.

    The problem wasn’t that she was particularly terrible. The problem was that she brought the energy of someone who had accidentally wandered onto the wrong reality show.

    RHONJ — Amber Marchese

    Amber Marchese arrived in New Jersey with a twin sister, a lot of confidence and absolutely no intention of having a quiet season.

    She immediately inserted herself into the drama and somehow made every situation feel even more chaotic.

    And then she was gone.

    Honestly, it was almost impressive.

    RHOP — Candiace Dillard Bassett

    Candiace could turn a disagreement into an Olympic event.

    The arguments. The crying. The hand gestures. The escalating insults.

    Nobody could accuse her of being boring, but sometimes watching Candiace argue felt like being trapped in a car with someone who refuses to let you change the radio station.

    RHOSLC — Angie Katsanevas

    Angie has never encountered a situation that couldn’t be made approximately 400 percent more dramatic.

    She brings the outfits, the confessionals, the Greek references and an impressive commitment to making absolutely sure everyone knows exactly how she feels.

    Sometimes you just want everyone to sit down.

    Angie would like to know why you’re attacking her.

    RHOM — Lisa Hochstein

    Lisa has an extraordinary talent for making herself the center of whatever room she’s in.

    Whether it’s marriage drama, friendship drama, divorce drama or dinner drama, somehow Lisa is involved.

    And somehow there is always another chapter.

    RHOD — Cary Deuber

    Cary’s combination of sarcasm, commentary and willingness to poke at everyone else could be exhausting.

    She was frequently hovering around the drama like a very attractive mosquito.

    You knew she was going to say something.

    You just didn’t know how annoying it was going to be.

    RHODC — Cat Ommanney

    Cat seemed to spend much of her time wondering why everyone else was behaving like idiots.

    Unfortunately, this is a dangerous attitude to have on a Housewives show because eventually everyone starts behaving like an idiot specifically around you.

    RHUGT — Cynthia Bailey

    Cynthia’s instinct to mediate every conflict was admirable.

    It was also occasionally maddening.

    Someone could be screaming across a dinner table and Cynthia would appear with the energy of a substitute teacher trying to restore order.

    “Guys. Guys. Guys.”

    No, Cynthia.

    Let them fight.

    The Overall Winner

    If we’re giving out the Jurassic Snark Lifetime Achievement Award for Annoying Housewives Behavior?

    It’s hard to beat Aviva Drescher.

    Because very few Housewives have ever managed to combine condescension, theatrics, self-righteousness and a detachable body part into one unforgettable season.

    That’s annoying.

    That’s Housewives.

    That’s art.

  • Heather Dubrow has given us many things over the years: Champagne emergencies, 22,000-square-foot houses, elaborate cakes, four kinds of ice and an apparently endless supply of opinions about how everyone else should behave.

    She is Fancy Pants.

    And while I appreciate a woman who knows what she likes, Heather has occasionally taken “fancy” to places where the rest of us are forced to ask, “Are we really doing this?”

    Here are Heather Dubrow’s 10 most pretentious moments.

    10. The Wine Temperature Lecture

    Heather is in Hawaii with Vicki and Tamra, and naturally the conversation turns to wine.

    Most people would drink the wine.

    Heather explains the proper temperature for it.

    Because of course she does.

    Tamra and Vicki just want to drink the damn wine, while Heather is apparently hosting a graduate seminar in oenology. This is Fancy Pants in her natural habitat: turning a perfectly pleasant glass of wine into a lesson.

    9. The $400 Shirts

    When Heather and Terry are preparing for their Tahiti trip, they go shopping for clothes, and Terry finds shirts that cost around $400.

    Heather is not horrified.

    This is just vacation shopping.

    She also approaches packing like she is preparing the wardrobe department for a Broadway production, with outfits planned and everything meticulously organized.

    Some of us throw seven shirts into a suitcase and hope for the best.

    Heather has a system.

    8. The Hexagonal Ice

    This one is legendary.

    While discussing the Chateau, Heather gets very serious about the different kinds of ice they will have in the house. She wants different shapes and sizes for different drinks.

    Yes.

    Ice.

    She later acknowledged that it was ridiculous but explained that since there were going to be several ice makers, why not have different kinds? Terry apparently loves ice and believes it is important for a good cocktail.

    Heather Dubrow has made ice a design feature.

    7. The Leech Therapy

    Heather tries leech therapy.

    And because this is Heather, she doesn’t simply put some leeches on herself and call it a day. She explains the treatment while Vicki watches in horror as blood starts seeping through Heather’s clothing.

    This one is less “rich woman” and more “I have reached a level of wellness you cannot comprehend.”

    Bravo has included the leech therapy among Heather’s most memorable moments.

    6. The Champagne Button

    Heather’s closet has a button that rings in the kitchen so someone can bring her Champagne.

    She has described it as being for a Champagne emergency.

    A Champagne emergency.

    I would like to experience one of these.

    Actually, I would like to experience several.

    5. The Chateau

    Heather and Terry’s enormous Chateau is one of the purest expressions of Heather Dubrow’s worldview.

    The house is enormous, elaborate and packed with details that most people would never think to request.

    But the thing that really gets me is that Heather wasn’t just building a house.

    She was building an ecosystem in which every possible luxury had its own designated place.

    Including the ice.

    Especially the ice.

    4. The $36,000 Dinner Party

    Heather once threw a dinner party that reportedly cost around $36,000.

    There were flowers, custom décor, ice sculptures, Nobu catering, alcohol and party favors.

    The best part?

    The evening basically fell apart before everyone even got to eat.

    This is the Heather Dubrow experience in one event: spend an extraordinary amount of money creating a beautiful evening and then watch the Housewives destroy it.

    Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

    3. Bowgate

    Heather hosts a party celebrating her decision to legally take Terry’s last name.

    There is an elegant cake.

    The cake has a bow.

    Sarah Winchester eats part of the bow.

    Heather loses her mind.

    “You defiled my cake” is born.

    This is perhaps the single greatest example of Heather taking something completely ridiculous and treating it like a matter of international diplomacy. Bravo has revisited Bowgate repeatedly, and Heather herself has since called it one of her most iconic moments.

    And honestly, if you are going to eat the bow off Heather Dubrow’s cake, you better be prepared for consequences.

    2. The Colette Cake That Wasn’t Even Real

    Heather launches Colette, her sparkling wine, and becomes extremely concerned about transporting the elaborate cake for the event.

    She worries about damaging it.

    She worries about how it will travel.

    She worries about the cake.

    And then we discover the cake is made of Styrofoam.

    It isn’t even edible.

    Heather spent all that time worrying about transporting a fake cake.

    This is Fancy Pants operating at peak efficiency.

    1. The “Fancy Pants” Announcement

    Heather didn’t just become Fancy Pants.

    She knew she was Fancy Pants.

    From the moment she arrived on RHOC, Heather made it very clear that she had standards. She had manners. She had opinions about wine temperatures. She had opinions about ice. She had elaborate parties. She had designer clothes. She had a giant house. She had Champagne.

    And eventually, the nickname stuck.

    “Fancy Pants” is not just a nickname for Heather Dubrow.

    It is a lifestyle.

    A lifestyle that apparently requires several kinds of ice and a button for emergency Champagne.

    And honestly?

    I am jealous of the Champagne button.

  • We’re in Bali, where Tamra, Heather, and Vicki meet in the library, and Tamra is noticeably chilly toward Heather. She’s still mad because Heather said Tamra made fun of Lizzie’s dress. Yawn.

    Tamra is also mad at Lizzie because, during a game of Fuck, Mary, Kill, Lizzie said Eddie wanted to fuck her. Yawn again. First of all, who plays Fuck, Mary, Kill with their couple friends? That does not sound like a healthy recreational activity. There are plenty of board games. Play Scrabble.

    Meanwhile, Shannon, Lizzie, and Danielle come downstairs, and everyone heads out to see monkeys, which actually sounds awesome. I want to see monkeys. They’re also visiting a temple, although some of the women are dressed in outfits that are, shall we say, not exactly screaming “respectful temple attire.”

    The temple is lovely, but the women don’t seem to take it very seriously, except Shannon, who claims to feel total zen. That won’t last long. They start shopping and I wonder what happened to the monkeys? I was promised there would be monkeys. Oh, yay! There are finally monkeys. They are running all over and climbing on the women and it’s awesome. My husband would never do this, but I am so down.

    Back at the resort, the women split up for some pre-dinner activities. Some are riding bikes, while the others head to the spa or pool.

    At the spa, Shannon and Vicki are in holistic heaven, enjoying what appears to be the most peaceful afternoon of the entire trip. Meanwhile, Heather and Tamra ride bikes around the resort and generally harass the locals who are trying to work. It’s obnoxious. These people are just trying to do their jobs, ladies.

    At the pool, Danielle and Lizzie discuss all the shit Tamra has been talking. Shannon is doing much the same thing, telling Vicki just how poorly Tamra has been speaking about everyone. Apparently, Tamra has told Lizzie and Danielle that Shannon is crazy.

    Shannon then warns Vicki that she should watch out, because Tamra is talking about her, too. So much for Shannon’s total zen. The four of them gather to discuss Tamra’s shit talking. 

    Lizzie tells Shannon that Tamra said Shannon is full of shit and needs an exorcism. Lizzie and Danielle admit that Tamra gave them a tainted view of Shannon, and they apologize for prejudging her. Shannon seems genuinely relieved to hear this, while Tamra’s reputation as the Bali trip’s resident shit-stirrer continues to grow.

    Vicki then tells the women that Tamra has been going around telling everyone that Lizzie said Eddie wanted to fuck her. Vicki also brings up Tamra’s past lack of support for Brooks, and the women tell her that Tamra is still bashing him.

    That’s enough to push Vicki over the edge. She starts crying and says she feels betrayed. At this point, Tamra has apparently managed to piss off nearly everyone without even being in the room. Impressive.

    Later, back at the resort, the women watch a traditional Balinese dance and once again act like a group of buffoons who have never stepped foot outside of Orange County. 

    Then it’s time for dinner.

    Shannon and Heather make nice with each other, which is notable because Heather is, so far, the only person at the table who isn’t mad at Tamra. Everyone else has apparently had enough.

    Tamra notices that Vicki is unusually quiet. She asks Vicki to come to the bathroom with her, presumably to find out what the hell is going on, but Vicki doesn’t budge.

    Vicki is sitting there all teary, and Tamra starts looking increasingly uncomfortable. She knows something is coming. The shit-talking has apparently caught up with her.

    Oh, wait. The nice between Heather and Shannon is over.

    Heather tells Shannon that Terry is pissed about David telling Heather to “spread her legs” on the mechanical bull. Shannon says she’ll have David apologize, which seems like a reasonable solution to what is, once again, an incredibly stupid Housewives problem.

    Meanwhile, Vicki still looks like she’s about to cry. And Tamra is sitting there watching all of this unfold, seemingly realizing that whatever is going on with Vicki is probably not going to end well for her.

    Tamra heads to the bathroom, and Heather takes the opportunity to ask Vicki what’s wrong. Vicki finally admits that she knows Tamra has been bashing Brooks again. Heather just shakes her head, because at this point there’s not much else to do.

    When Tamra returns to the table, the atmosphere is even more tense. Shannon asks her why she’s been saying negative things about her. Tamra insists everything was taken out of context and announces that she has no appetite.

    Tamra then blames Danielle and Lizzie for telling Shannon what she said, effectively shooting the messengers instead of addressing what she actually said.

    Lizzie brings up the Fuck/Marry/Kill situation, and Tamra immediately calls her a liar. That sets everyone off. Suddenly everyone is shouting over everyone else, accusations are flying, and dinner has completely gone to hell.

    This is what I came for.

    Lizzie finally tells Tamra she’s full of crap and calls her the most insecure woman she has ever met in her life. She tells Tamra to get it together.

    Tamra responds by grabbing her shoes and running out of the restaurant, screaming, “You will never see my face again!”

    Vicki cries.

    Lizzie sips her champagne.

    Realizing that Heather is the only person at the table who isn’t currently against Tamra, the other women start filling her in on all the things Tamra has apparently been saying about her, too.

    Tamra has told them that she only had Heather as a bridesmaid for the show, that they aren’t actually that close, and that Heather is anorexic.

    Heather wants more champagne. 

    Heather is upset and hurt, but she feels like she needs to talk to Tamra directly. She goes to Tamra’s room and asks her about everything the women have been saying.

    Heather also tells Tamra how upset Brooks is. Tamra denies that any of it is true and says Lizzie is trash.

    Heather goes back to the lobby and tells the women that Tamra isn’t coming back down. At this point, they’re all ready to go home.

    And just like that, holistic heaven turned into a Housewives’ Dinner from Hell.

  • Teresa Giudice has been on The Real Housewives of New Jersey since the beginning, which means she has had a very long time to provide us with material. And she has.

    There have been table flips, family brawls, questionable accusations, questionable grammar, and enough screaming to make you wonder whether anyone on this show has ever considered using an indoor voice.

    Here are five of Teresa’s most outrageous RHONJ moments.

    5. Ingredientses

    Teresa has never allowed the English language to stand between her and a good recipe.

    Over the years, she has given us a number of Teresa-isms, but “ingredientses” remains one of my favorites. Why use the boring singular word “ingredient” when you can simply add an S and make it sound like there are more of them?

    Honestly, it makes perfect sense.

    Teresa also gave us “come-in,” “dorters,” and numerous other linguistic contributions that have become part of the Housewives lexicon.

    At this point, I don’t want Teresa to learn how to pronounce things correctly.

    I want the ingredientses.

    4. The Christening

    Nothing says “welcome to the family” quite like a giant brawl at a baby’s christening.

    When Teresa’s brother Joe and sister-in-law Melissa celebrated the christening of their son in Season 3, the celebration quickly turned into one of the most chaotic family fights RHONJ had seen up to that point.

    Teresa and Joe started going at each other, and before long there were husbands fighting, people screaming, and enough Jersey rage flying around the reception hall to make you wonder if anyone remembered why they were there.

    It was supposed to be a christening.

    Instead, it was basically a Jersey family reunion with assault potential.

    And this was just the beginning of the Teresa/Melissa/Joe family war.

    3. Teresa Shoves Andy Cohen

    Teresa has never been particularly interested in letting a television host tell her when she has had enough.

    At the Season 2 reunion, Danielle Staub came up, Teresa lost her shit, and Andy Cohen found himself in the unfortunate position of being the person standing between Teresa and whatever she wanted to do next.

    Teresa got up and Andy tried to restrain her.

    Teresa shoved him.

    Yes. Andy Cohen.

    The man who has spent years sitting in the middle of Housewives screaming matches somehow ended up getting physically pushed backward by Teresa Giudice.

    You have to admire the commitment.

    2. The Country Club Chase

    Teresa’s feud with Danielle Staub did not end with the table flip.

    Oh no.

    In Season 2, Teresa chased Danielle through a country club during another spectacularly unhinged confrontation.

    Danielle ran.

    Teresa followed.

    There were tears. There was screaming. There was a broken heel.

    And Danielle eventually hid in the bushes.

    This is the kind of scene that could only happen on RHONJ. You could put a screenplay writer in a room for six months and they still probably wouldn’t come up with “woman runs through country club while Teresa Giudice chases her in a rage.”

    And yet here we are.

    1. The Table Flip

    Obviously.

    There is no other number one.

    Season 1. Fancy restaurant. Danielle Staub. A book. An argument. Teresa Giudice.

    And then, suddenly, the table is no longer where it was.

    Teresa exploded at Danielle, screaming “prostitution whore” and demanding to know about her past before shoving her hands underneath the dinner table and flipping the entire damn thing.

    It was maybe thirty seconds of television.

    It became Housewives history.

    The amazing thing is that Teresa had spent much of the first season looking like a relatively harmless, cheerful Jersey mom. Then she flipped a fully loaded dinner table and screamed at Danielle like she had just discovered a personal betrayal of biblical proportions.

    And just like that, Teresa Giudice became Teresa Giudice.

    The table flip wasn’t merely Teresa’s most outrageous moment.

    It was the moment she announced to the Housewives universe that she had arrived.

    And sixteen years later, we’re still talking about it.

    That’s a pretty good legacy for one piece of restaurant furniture.