The 10 Darkest Bravo Episodes, Ranked (2024)

Reality television has always been seen as a guilty pleasure for viewers to be invested in someone else's everyday life drama. This television genre usually brings laughter and fun to viewers because the people who choose to be on these shows may sometimes act out of the ordinary and be delusional in their world. Bravo has a wide range of reality TV shows and has continued to be popular with them.

Even though reality TV can be all fun and games, sometimes it brings viewers back into "reality" when they are watching. They realize that these are people's real lives, and sometimes what they see can turn dark, making everyone forget about the cameras. In the Bravo universe, there have been many instances in which Housewives and Non-Housewives shows have taken a turn and made viewers think about what they were watching. From diamonds to the Hamptonians, these are the ten darkest moments in Bravo.

10 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' (Season 1)

Kim Richards and Kyle Richards Fighting in the Limousine

Throughout Season 1 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, viewers noticed how the relationship between sisters Kyle Richards and Kim Richards was deteriorating as the season went on. Kyle and Kim's relationship had gone through many ups and downs, but they always came back together and were sisters who loved each other. During the first season, Kim was going through many personal issues dealing with her alcohol intake, as she did not act like herself whenever she drank, and Kyle would notice it. Still, she never said anything about it throughout the season.

It wasn't until the Season 1 finale that an intoxicated Kim and Kyle got into an argument in their limousine in which Kyle outed Kim's struggles with alcohol, which was something that was never confirmed but alluded to throughout the whole season. Kim responded to Kyle in the now famous line, "You stole my g** d**n house," which was a response to Kyle being the one who kept one of their mom's houses in Palm Springs. This moment was tough to watch as viewers because these were not two people who had just met each other on the show; for the two sisters could not get along, and their time on the show heightened many emotions for them.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

TV-14

Reality TV

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 14, 2010

Creator

Scott Dunlop, Alex Baskin, Kathleen French

Cast

Kyle Richards , Adrienne Maloof , Camille Grammer , Lisa Vanderpump

Main Genre

Reality-TV

Seasons

14

9 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' (Season 5)

Amsterdam Dinner From Hell

Cast trips have always brought out the best and the worst of The Real Housewives franchises. Seen as one of the most remembered cast trips in Real Housewives, the Amsterdam dinner from hell impacted both the viewers and the cast. This trip happened after Kim Richards had admitted she had an alcohol problem and went to rehab, so she was going through a transition period to figure out how to live her life now that she had been in treatment. Throughout this season, Lisa Rinna was one of the newbies, and she did not understand the history of Kim's treatment.

Still, she wanted to be a helping hand for anything she needed because she had dealt with addiction in her life with one of her husband's family members. Kim did not appreciate Rinna inserting herself into her issues and decided to confront her during their first dinners in Amsterdam. What was supposed to be a calm conversation heightened when Kim started questioning Lisa about her husband, Harry Hamlin, and Lisa did not take this lightly. Kim said, "Let's not talk about the husband." Rinna saw red at that moment and launched herself towards Kim, almost causing a physical argument.

8 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' (Season 3)

Brandi Glanville Outing Adrienne Maloof's Surrogate

Adrienne Maloof was one of the original Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the person who introduced Brandi Glanville into the group. In the beginning, Adrienne and Brandii were very friendly and close. Still, once Brandi became closer to Lisa Vanderpump, the alliances began to shift. During Season 3 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Adrienne was seemingly missing throughout most of the season, especially when Brandi revealed one of Adrienne's secrets.

While at one of Mauricio Umansky's parties, Brandi decided to air out the fact that Adrienne and Dr. Paul Nassif had used a surrogate for the birth of their children. This was something that neither of them had agreed to disclose on camera, and from that moment on, she was not present throughout the whole season. It was noticeable that she was gone because her presence was strong among the ladies, and viewers questioned why she wasn't there. She removed herself from the show because this was a private matter for her, and it truly showed how they had drawn a line between their personal lives and what they wanted to show on camera.

7 'Southern Charm'

Kathryn Dennis Using the Monkey Emoji

Kathryn Dennis could have been considered one of the main faces of Southern Charm as she was open about her up-and-down relationship with Thomas Ravenel. When Kathryn joined the show, she was a 21-year-old who did not know the change her life would take by being involved with Ravenel. Kathryn was always seen as someone who could be easily activated and would be an instigator within the group, but after going to rehab, she became more controlled until Season 8 of the show.

Coming into Season 8, there was a big difference in Kathryn, and she was showing signs of the old Kathryn that would not hold back, which came to light when she could not hold back some comments towards a radio host and decided to use the monkey emoji against her to degrade her. The radio host revealed the screenshots showed Kathryn in a different light, which made her lose many opportunities she had gained because she was not taking accountability for the vocabulary she was using.

Southern Charm

TV-14

Reality-TV

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

March 3, 2014

Creator

Bryan Kestner, Whitney Smith

Cast

Craig Conover , Shep Rose , Kathryn Dennis , Austen Kroll

Main Genre

Reality-TV

Seasons

9

6 'The Real Housewives of Orange County'

Tamra Judge Wanting Gretchen Rossi to Get "Naked Wasted"

The ladies of The Real Housewives of Orange County always have a good time. The cast has gone on many trips to Mexico, and viewers have enjoyed seeing them all go through their fun antics. Sometimes, though, the shenanigans that the cast does throughout their time on the show can take a turn, and sometimes, the good times are not much fun. Such was the case in Season 4 when Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson wanted to find a way to embarrass their cast member Gretchen Rossi during a party.

Throughout the party, everyone was having a lot of fun, but Tamra and Vicki wanted to have an extra inch of fun, so they tried to make it their goal to get Gretchen "naked and wasted." Viewers did not enjoy this moment since Gretchen already had a lot to drink, and planning to embarrass someone in their right mind did not give the ladies of the OC a good look. Even though this was done years ago, Gretchen recently posted how this was still "crazy to watch" back and that Tamra truly never apologized for this.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

TV-14

Reality TV

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

March 21, 2006

Creator

Scott Dunlop

Cast

Tamra Judge , Vicki Gunvalson , Shannon Storms Beador , Heather Dubrow

Main Genre

Reality TV

Seasons

18

5 'Summer House'

Carl Radke Finds Out About His Brother's Death

With a show like Summer House, viewers come to this show to live through the lives of different 30-year-olds having fun during their weekends in the Hamptons. The show has had many instances in which they have shown what they are going through in their personal lives by showcasing their relationships. Still, Season 5 of the show was very different since it was the COVID season, and one of the main cast members had a difficult time. Carl Radke has been a staple cast member of Sumemr House since its first season, and he has been very open about his life as he went through a period where he was dealing with addiction.

During the fifth season, he comes into the house with a different aura, since he has decided to live a sober lifestyle. This was a big accomplishment for him as he had to deal with addiction in the past. Season 5 seemed like a big change for Carl in a positive direction, but during one of the episodes, he received a jarring call from his mother that changed his life. On the morning of Lindsay Hubbard's birthday, Radke received a call informing him that his brother had passed away. This was a big change from the normal fun content viewers were used to from the show, showing a more vulnerable Carl. This moment was tough to watch, as viewers and Carl were finding out the news in real-time, and it shifted the vibes of the summer in a big way.

Summer House

TV-14

Reality-TV

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

January 9, 2017

Cast

Kyle Cooke , Lindsay Hubbard , Carl Radke , Amanda Batula

Main Genre

Reality-TV

Seasons

8

4 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'

Porsha Williams Accuses Kandi Burrus of Wanting to Drug Her

The Real Housewives of Atlanta has had many shocking moments throughout the years. Still, perhaps one of the most surprising moments in any season was when Porsha Williams accused Kandi Burruss of wanting drugs so they could have a sexual relationship. Making allegations like these is not taken lightly, and for Porsha to air something like that on television would damage her reputation and Kandi Burrus's. What became more shocking to viewers after seeing Porsha say those claims was when it was revealed that Phaedra Parks was the one who had told Porsha this information when it was a lie.

Porsha pleaded with Kandi to forgive her at the reunion for repeating the rumors by saying, "I swear to God, Kandi — I would never say something like that to you if it wasn't told to me in truth in confidence." Parks was repeating something she had heard, and because Porsha believed her friend, she confronted Kandi. Because Phaedra was the one who started a rumor that was career-ending, Bravo decided not to have her come back to the show.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta

TV-14

Reality

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

October 7, 2008

Cast

NeNe Leakes , DeShawn Snow , Sheree Whitfield , Lisa Wu , Kim Zolciak , Kandi Burruss , Cynthia Bailey , Phaedra Parks , Kenya Moore , Porsha Williams , Claudia Jordan , Kim Fields , Shamari DeVoe , Eva Marcille

Main Genre

Reality

Seasons

15

Creator(s)

Scott Dunlop

Writers

Scott Dunlop

Streaming Service(s)

Bravo , E! , Peaco*ck

Franchise(s)

The Real Housewives

3 'The Real Housewives of Potomac'

Gizelle Bryant Accusing Chris Bassett of Making Her Uncomfortable

The relationship between the wives and the househusbands in The Real Housewives franchise has always been difficult because they all experience being in front of the cameras 24/7. Still, the wives are more pressured since the shows are about them. Still, they have all built friendships because they are all going through the same experience. On The Real Housewives of Potomac, Gizelle Bryant used to have a very close friendship with Candiace Dillard-Bassett and her husband, Chris Bassett. The friendship grew throughout every season, but after Season 6, Gizelle's thoughts about the Bassetts changed completely.

After the Season 6 reunion and into Season 7, Gizelle claimed that Chris Bassett had made her uncomfortable during one of their conversations. This was a hot topic throughout Season 7 and the seasons afterward, as it created a divide between all the ladies that could never be fixed. Coming out on TV and accusing someone of making them uncomfortable is a big thing that can damage people's reputations. Still, it didn't help that Candiace constantly used her "Twitter Fingers" to attack Gizelle about the accusations. This created a moment to shine a light on situations that women go through every day, but the Potomac ladies made this moment uncomfortable for viewers to watch.

The Real Housewives of Potomac

TV-14

Reality TV

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

January 17, 2016

Cast

Gizelle Bryant , Karen Huger , Robyn Dixon , Ashley Darby

Main Genre

Reality TV

Seasons

8

Creator(s)

Scott Dunlop , Tom Ciaccio

2 'The Real Housewives of Potomac'

Candiace Dillard Bassett and Monique Samuels Get Into a Physical Fight

In the Real Housewives world, it has always been known that all the ladies argue with each other. They all have very strong personalities and are prone to get into big arguments occasionally. What makes things take a turn, though, is whenever the arguments become so heightened that there is a potential for things to get physical, and such is the case in The Real Housewives of Potomac. Throughout the show and their introductions, Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard-Bassett used to be very close with each other at the beginning of their journeys on the show, but things took a big turn going into Season 5.

Monique and Candiace's friendship hit an awkward moment when Monique started to grow a friendship with Candiace's "enemy," Ashley Darby. Candiace did not appreciate this from Monique, but they could move forward until an event in Season 5 at a winery. The ladies enjoyed a good time until Monique and Candiace started arguing, and things started getting heated. Still, they turned when Monique decided to grab Candiace's hair across the table, and they began to fight. This moment was incredibly shocking as these two women sued to consider each other great friends, and now they were getting into a physical fight. After this, Monique was not seen as much throughout the rest of the season and was let go after.

1 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey'

Joe Gorga and Joe Giudice Get Into a Physical Fight

As one of the longest feuds in Real Housewives history, Teresa Giudice and her brother Joe Gorga have never seen eye to eye. Since Joe's wife Melissa Gorga joined the cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, there had always been a feud between the two families. Even though sometimes they were able to fix their issues because of problems they were having with their parents, and they needed to come back together, Giudice and Gorga were never at peace with each other. One of the most shocking moments in reality tv was seeing how Joe Gorga was speaking to Teresa on Season 5 and calling her "scum." It was surprising to see her own flesh and blood talk so badly about her, and it became a trigger for Teresa's then-husband, Joe Giudice.

Joe Giudice did not appreciate Joe Gorga's comment about his wife, so he stepped into the restaurant to ask him to apologize. Instead, Gorga launched himself at Giudice, and the two started to fight. What could have been handled more calmly took a big turn once they began to fight. From then on, the relationship between the two families was never the same.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

TV-14

Reality

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

May 12, 2009

Cast

Teresa Giudice , Jacqueline Laurita , Caroline Manzo , Dina Cantin , Danielle Staub , Melissa Gorga , Kathy Wakile , Teresa Aprea , Amber Marchese , Nicole Napolitano , Dolores Catania , Siggy Flicker , Margaret Josephs , Jennifer Aydin

Main Genre

Reality

Seasons

13

Franchise

The Real Housewives

Creator(s)

Scott Dunlop

Production Company

Sirens Media

Number of Episodes

222

KEEP READING: 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey's 10 Best Season Finales, Ranked