The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” is one of Bravo TV’s longest-running reality shows. Since its debut in October 2010, fans have gotten an inside look at the lifestyles of the wealthy women in the 90210 zip code.
The original “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” featured Kyle Richards, her sister Kim Richards, and pals Taylor Armstrong, Camille Grammer, Adrienne Maloof, and OG queen bee Lisa Vanderpump. Kyle Richards is the only original cast member still holding a diamond, and she has seen it all—including some of the biggest fights of the series.
During the most recent 14th season of the Bravo hit, a blowout argument Richards had with Dorit Kemsley was so intense that co-star Sutton Stracke told Us Weekly she was afraid the police would have to be called. Even Bravo host Andy Cohen was flabbergasted. Speaking on his Sirius XM show “Andy Cohen Live,” Cohen admitted it was “kind of surprising to see” how far the fight went. And that says a lot for a Housewives show!
With that in mind, buckle up for a rundown of 11 of the most explosive moments in “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” history.
11. Brandi Glanville’s Game Night Fight With the Richards Sisters
During the second season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” a game night gathering went off the rails. The episode, titled “Game Night Gone Wild,” featured the Richards sisters going at it with then-castmate Brandi Glanville, who was on crutches after breaking her leg.
After the sisters called her out for letting her young son urinate on the lawn at Adrienne Maloof’s pool party, Glanville noted that Kim Richards spent a lot of time in the powder room. “At least I don’t do crystal meth in the bathroom all night long!” she screamed. Kim fired back to call her nemesis a “slut pig.” The celebrity siblings capped things off by hiding Glanville’s crutches from her.
10. Kim Richards & Lisa Rinna’s Amsterdam Fight
Lisa Rinna’s first season as a Housewife had her at odds with Kim Richards, but their issues came to a head during a cast trip to the Netherlands.
In the season 5 episode “Amsterdamn,” Richards pretended to be holding on to a secret about Rinna’s husband Harry Hamlin. “Let’s talk about the husband. Let’s not talk about what you don’t want out,” Richards taunted. Rinna warned her co-star to never talk about her man, then hurled a wine glass at her. Richards’ sister Kyle was the first one to run out of the restaurant in a panic.
In a post on her Bravo blog, Rinna explained that she is “fiercely protective” of her marriage. “I’m just glad that I didn’t strangle her on the spot,” she wrote of Richards.
9. The Munchausen Mess
Rinna’s season 6 conflict with Yolanda Hadid got really personal. Behind the scenes, she questioned the ailing former model’s Lyme disease diagnosis by suggesting she had Munchausen syndrome, a disorder that causes someone to falsely claim they have an illness, (per Cleveland Clinic). When Hadid found out what Rinna was saying about her, she blew up. “That was the biggest [expletive] blow I’ve ever had in my life … sorry is not enough,” she said in the episode “Hearing Problems.”
8. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!
In a famous season 10 scene, then-newcomer Denise Richards went head-to-head with Kyle Richards during a girls’ night out in Hollywood. After Denise accused Kyle of trying to make her look like a liar, she shut the OG down with, “I am not doing this!”
Kyle continued to push, so Denise broke the fourth wall by shouting out the name of the network in an attempt to get the cameras to stop rolling. “I am not doing this, you guys. Stop!” she said. “Bravo, Bravo, [expletive] Bravo! I’m out. I am not [expletive] doing this.”
7. Lisa Rinna Calls Out Denise Richards
Much of season 10 revolved around Brandi Glanville’s claim that she had an affair with a newly married Denise Richards. In a tense exchange during the season 10 finale, Lisa Rinna confronted Richards to question if had gotten a cease and desist order to squash the rumor.
“You wanted the footage taken out,” Rinna said. After a stunned Richards asked—twice— “Who told you that?” Rinna famously replied, “Ooh. You’re so angry.”
6. Erika Girardi Freaks Out at Eileen Davidson
In season 7, cast member Eileen Davidson made a dire mistake while trying to convince Erika Girardi to forgive Dorit Kemsley amid a feud, but Girardi wouldn’t budge. In a scene shot during a cast trip to Hong Kong, Davidson said of Kemsley, “It’s not like committed some horrible heinous crime. … She didn’t kill your child!”
Girardi, whose son Tommy Zizzo is a police officer, went off. “Don’t ever bring up killing my child again because my child could get killed!” she fired back. “Your kid doesn’t put on a uniform every day and night and put his life out on the line for people he doesn’t know. Don’t ever talk about my [expletive] kid again! Shut the [expletive] up. You don’t know what I deal with every night. “
“My son is under fire every night — especially in this climate,” the “Pretty Mess” singer added. “And I’m not going to tolerate that [expletive] from any of you. My kid can very easily be killed and that is the truth that none of you face here.”
5. Camille Grammer’s Hellish Dinner Party
In season 1, Camille Grammer’s dinner party featured an unwanted guest—at least to some. Psychic Allison DuBois showed up with an e-cigarette and a message for Kyle Richards: that her husband would “never emotionally fulfill” her. The iconic 2010 scene from the episode “The Dinner Party From Hell” had Richards on the defense.
“He will never emotionally fulfill you. Ever. Know that,” DuBois warned. She told Richards that once her kids were grown, she’d have nothing in common with her husband. “A division will occur,” she predicted. An offended Richards scoffed at the reading.
In July 2023, Richards and her husband Mauricio Umansky announced their separation after 27 years of marriage.
4. Goodbye, Kyle!
Lisa Vanderpump’s 9th and final season on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” was marred by a friendship-ending feud with her once-close friend, Kyle Richards. The two went at it when Richards accused the restaurant owner of leaking stories about the Puppygate scandal to a tabloid.
During an argument in her kitchen, Vanderpump flipped out over the accusations. When Richards suggested that maybe Vanderpump cared more about her image than her friendships, the restaurant owner stormed out of the room. Vanderpump’s husband Ken Todd promptly showed Richards the door. “You cannot be her friend when you say something like that!” Todd shouted at Richards. “You’re a [expletive] liar and you’re not my friend or her friend. So you get out! Twelve years of friendship, done! Goodbye, Kyle!”
3. Taylor Armstrong’s Fight With Camille Grammer’s Friend
Way back in season 2, Taylor Armstrong got into a shouting match with a friend of Camille Grammer who accused her of not being a good friend and hurting her. “I have never hurt her! She has hurt me so much! You have no idea what she’s done to me!” Armstrong shouted as she flailed her arms while Kyle Richards pulled her back.
Years later, a still from that unforgettable scene turned into a viral meme called “Woman Yelling at a Cat.” A photo of a screaming Armstrong was set alongside a photo of a white cat and a plate of broccoli for the nonsensical meme created by Twitter user @MISSINGEGIRL in 2019, per The Daily Dot.
2. Kim & Kyle Richards’ Limo Blowout
The first season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” ended on a shocking note when Kyle Richards got into a blowout argument with her sister Kim. It started as the siblings argued about their past. Kim, a beloved child star from the 1970s, claimed she took care of her whole family financially. She then accused Kyle of not helping her and “stealing” her house.
“Are you out of your [expletive] mind?” Kyle shouted back. ”You are so sick! My husband has helped you every month and stood by you and taken care of you like you’re a second [expletive] wife!” After Kim called her a liar, Kyle climbed across the limo and got in her face. “You’re a liar and sick and an alcoholic!” she screamed.“ You’re an alcoholic! That’s right I’ve said it and now everybody knows!” Nearly 15 years after filming the scene, Kim Richards continues to struggle with addiction issues.
1. Kathy Hilton Calls Lisa Rinna ‘The Biggest Bully in Hollywood’
In season 12, Kathy Hilton had an off-camera showdown with Lisa Rinna but it wasn’t captured by Bravo’s cameras. Rinna accused Hilton of threatening to destroy NBC, Bravo, and her sister Kyle Richards, during an off-camera tirade. In a confessional, Rinna described Hilton as “the devil.”
During the season 12 reunion, Hilton claimed brought up their private conversation on camera to create a storyline for herself. “You wanted it on camera because your contract was coming up and you needed some drama,” Hilton said. “You fought and you drove Lisa Vanderpump off the show, what you did to my sister. You’ve had problems with everybody, with Camille Grammer. I mean the list can go on and on. And then saying that you’ve been bullied. You are the biggest bully in Hollywood, and everyone knows it.”
Rinna ultimately quit “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” after eight seasons right after the reunion wrapped. She broke the news to Bravo via email, per E! News, hours after the reunion taping.
