Vicki Gunvalson has given us many things over the years, but one of her greatest gifts to reality television is her complete inability to remain upright.
1. The Jamaica Waterfall Wipeout — Vicki heads up Dunn’s River Falls with the confidence of someone who has absolutely no business being on a slippery waterfall. She slips, falls, scrambles back up, and keeps going. It is less of a climb and more of an extended battle between Vicki and gravity.
2. The Surfboard Fall — Vicki falls directly onto the surfboard, immediately turning a recreational activity into another entry in the Vicki Gunvalson Physical Comedy Hall of Fame.
3. The Key West Fall — After a night out with the Tres Amigas, Vicki slips on the way back to the hotel and winds up on the ground, where she discovers that getting back up is considerably harder than getting down.
4. The Mexico Airport Fall — Vicki goes in for a hug with Shannon after their tequila shots and somehow manages to bring the entire situation crashing down around them, including the shot glasses. If you are going to fall, you might as well take the airport bar with you.
5. The Party Fall — Vicki is at her own event, steps off the platform, and goes down. There is something uniquely Vicki about being surrounded by people at a celebration in your honor and still finding a way to become the evening’s physical-comedy centerpiece.
Jill gets word that things have gone completely off the rails in St. John, so she decides to surprise everyone. She shows up uninvited while the women are already dealing with Kelly’s meltdown, seemingly expecting a fabulous reunion. Instead, Alex looks like she has just seen a ghost. Jill’s complete lack of awareness that this might not be the ideal time for a surprise visit is peak Jill.
The Bethenny Friendship Breakup
Jill and Bethenny go from best friends to mortal enemies, and Jill turns the entire situation into a season-long grievance. The infamous phone call where Jill tells Bethenny “we’re done” is the culmination of Jill’s determination to make sure everyone understands exactly why she is angry.
Jill Zarin on Ice
Jill decides to put on a figure-skating performance at her skating party, despite apparently needing considerably more practice. She gets onto the ice in a sparkly outfit, attempts to show off her skating abilities and takes a spectacular tumble. Then she insists that falling is just part of skating. The confidence is unmatched.
The Ramona Runway Commentary
Ramona walks in a fashion show and Jill proceeds to absolutely destroy her in the confessional, comparing her appearance to an alien invasion and mocking her walk. Jill isn’t merely being shady. She seems genuinely delighted with herself for coming up with the insult.
Getting Furious at Ramona for Trying to Help
Ramona attempts to intervene in the Jill-Bethenny situation, and Jill reacts as though Ramona has committed some enormous betrayal. Jill doesn’t just want to have her own feud. She wants everyone around her to understand the feud, take her side and behave accordingly.
Some Housewives vacations are relaxing. Others are group therapy sessions that should have been paid for by Bravo.
1. Scary Island — RHONY
Kelly Bensimon running around the island, Bethenny losing her patience, and the entire trip descending into one of the most infamous Housewives episodes ever.
Dinner by the canal, Kyle fleeing the table, and Brandi and Kim turning a tense night into absolute chaos. Amsterdam remains one of Beverly Hills’ most spectacular disasters.
There is something about putting Housewives around a dinner table that makes everything go completely off the rails. Here are some of the wildest meals from Beverly Hills, New York, New Jersey, Orange County, and Salt Lake City.
1. RHOBH — The Dinner Party From Hell
Season 1
Camille Grammer hosts what should be an elegant dinner in Malibu and invites psychic medium Allison DuBois. Kyle Richards brings Faye Resnick. Then Allison starts making predictions about Kyle’s marriage, Camille and Faye go after each other, and the entire evening becomes one of the most iconic dinners in reality television history.
Danielle Staub’s presence at Teresa Giudice’s dinner party is already enough to make everyone uncomfortable. Then Danielle tells Teresa to “pay attention,” Teresa loses her mind, screams “Prostitution whore!” and flips the entire table. It remains one of the most recognizable Housewives moments ever.
Dinner in Amsterdam takes a spectacular turn when Kim Richards and Lisa Rinna get into it. Kim brings up Harry Hamlin, Rinna demands they talk about the husband, and things escalate until Rinna throws a wine glass and lunges across the table. This is the dinner where “Let’s talk about the husband” became Housewives history.
The women are supposed to be enjoying dinner in St. John. Instead, Kelly Bensimon is behaving increasingly bizarrely, Bethenny Frankel is completely fed up, and the evening spirals into one of the strangest group dinners the franchise has ever produced. Eventually Bethenny is screaming at Kelly to go to sleep. Dinner has officially ceased to matter.
Tamra Barney hosts an elaborate seven-course dinner with a tequila tasting, supposedly to help determine whether Gretchen Rossi is really the person Tamra thinks she is. Tamra and Vicki Gunvalson keep the tequila flowing, Gretchen gets increasingly drunk, and the whole thing turns ugly. This is one of the most disturbing examples of Housewives using dinner as a setup for drama.
Tamra organizes a dinner at The Quiet Woman to help Shannon Beador and Lydia McLaughlin make peace. Then Kelly Dodd crashes the dinner. Shannon and Kelly end up fighting about Shannon’s weight, and Shannon eventually throws her plate across the table. The restaurant may be called The Quiet Woman, but this dinner is anything but quiet.
The women descend on Dorinda Medley’s Berkshires home for what should be a cozy weekend. Instead, dinner turns into a succession of arguments, drunken behavior, and hurt feelings, with Dorinda eventually reaching the point where everyone learns exactly what happens when you make it nice and then ruin it.
Mary Cosby hosts an absurdly elaborate Met Gala-themed luncheon, complete with decorations and a very Mary-specific interpretation of high society. Then the women start fighting and the luncheon becomes another example of Salt Lake City’s particular talent for turning an event that should be completely ridiculous into something even more ridiculous.
9. RHOBH — Dinner Party From Hell Part Two
Season 11
Kathy Hilton hosts a dinner party that quickly becomes another Dinner Party From Hell. Erika Jayne’s legal problems are discussed, Sutton Stracke is put on the spot, and the women spend the evening circling around increasingly uncomfortable questions. It doesn’t quite reach the insanity of the original, but it earned the title for a reason.
10. RHONY — The Newport Ravioli Dinner
Season 12
Tinsley Mortimer hosts dinner on the women’s last night in Newport, Rhode Island. Ramona Singer gets distracted by a man at the bar, the dinner starts going completely off the rails, and Leah McSweeney eventually throws a ravioli at Ramona. Yes, a ravioli. Bravo even promoted the moment as one of the wildest dinner parties in RHONY history.
Jurassic Snark: A Place to Excavate The Real Housewives 