1. The Dark Side of Bravo’s Real Housewives Franchise
Their lives may be filled with shiny rings and stretch limousines, but the truth
behind Bravo’s hugely successful Real Housewives franchise is often much darker.
Created as a “reality version” of the popular ABC drama series “Desperate
Housewives,” the show has been described by Bravo President Lauren Zalaznick
as “an authentic look at their compelling day-to-day drama.”
The glamorously dramatic franchise has been expanded to include seven
installments, with the Housewives each making anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000
per episode. These wealthy women have been known to drop $50,000 on a child’s
birthday party or to install imported Italian marble in a new home, then turn around
and declare bankruptcy. While the ladies may seem to have the world at their feet,
most of them are really just using the decadent veil of luxury to hide struggles with
finances, domestic abuse, heartbreak and tragedy.
Orange County: Debuted March 2006
Lynne Curtin
The ladies in the first installment of the franchise have taken some beatings during
the past five years. Curtain’s carefree personality led her to being the first
housewife duped by a husband about family financial troubles. Cameras rolled as
her two teen daughters were served with an eviction notice all the way until her
husband, Frank, confessed at a local park that they were broke.
Tamra Barney
The formerly meek Barney got aggressive last season as she traded in her hubby,
Simon, for hunky Latino lawyer Eddie Judge. Amidst the mudslinging, Barney lost
her 4,300-square-foot home, which was originally purchased for $1.12 million. She
supports herself and her three young children working as a real estate agent in
Orange County.
Alexis Bellino
This devout Christian housewife has spent most of her tenure bowing down to
husband, Jim. But, in the latest season, Bellino finally confessed that all was not
champagne and caviar at home. Control issues, along with the short sale of the
family home for $2 million lower than its original value, unearthed a few skeletons

2. in Bellino’s closet, including her nasty first divorce and her battle with anorexia.
Peggy Tanous
Married to a younger man and raising two young daughters, Tanous spent much of
her debut on Season 6 trying to revive her modeling and hostessing career.
Portrayed as a holistic party girl, Tanous is barely managing to hang on to her $1.3
million home, which currently holds an estimated value of $875,000.
New York: Debuted March 2008
Sonja Morgan
The free living and loving Morgan experienced a considerable depreciation in
assets when she received a paltry $3 million and retained the couple’s $6 million
home in her divorce settlement. Bad investments were blamed for the flamboyant
housewife’s financial issues and a November 2010 bankruptcy revealed the star is
more than $20 million in debt.
Atlanta: Debuted October 2008
NeNe Leakes
One of the most well-known Housewives, Leaks was Atlanta’s Queen Bee until
she split from husband, Gregg, in 2008. As most separations do, this one got ugly,
with financial accusations being slung throughout the media. Rising above reports
that she was evicted from her rental home, the series chronicled her attempts to
take control of her financial future, which included landing a local TV gig as an
entertainment reporter.
Cynthia Bailey
One of the newest additions to the cast, viewers spent the third season of the
Atlanta franchise getting to know Bailey, a small-town Alabama girl turned super
model and actress, as she prepared for her fairy tale wedding. The big day was
nearly derailed as Bailey fretted over the couple’s financial troubles, and new
husband Joe announced the closure of his restaurant in January 2011.
New Jersey: Debuted May 2009

3. Teresa Giudice
Perhaps the most vocal of all the Housewives in the entire franchise, Giudice walks
a tight line between sass and class. When viewers were introduced to the New
Jersey cast, they met a feisty mother of three who was busy building a $4 million
home. The couple made their financial woes public in 2009 when they filed for
bankruptcy on their $11 million debt, and husband, Joe, was arrested in March
2011 for using a false identity.
Danielle Staub
Portrayed as an antagonistic villain from the beginning, Staub’s reputation took a
beating when her fellow housewives unearthed a crushing tell-all book written by
her ex-husband. Labeled as a pathological liar, Staub has actually been upfront
about her financial troubles. Yet, she continues to live a lavish lifestyle by
maintaining her 10,500-square foot home, wearing designer clothing and regularly
dropping by her local cosmetologist for Botox and lip injections.
Beverly Hills: Debuted October 2010
Kim Richards
The Beverly Hills Housewives do seem to be draped in dough, except child actress
Richards, who has a wardrobe that is a little less flashy, a home that is a bit smaller
and a life purpose that seems a bit aimless. When the first season wrapped,
Richards checked into a rehab center for alcoholism. Post-season stories also
revealed that Richards suffered from depression from her fiancé’s murder in 1991.
Washington, D.C.: Debuted August 2010
Michaele Salahi
This short-lived installment was centered on the national security crisis created by
Salahi and her husband, Tareq, when they somehow managed to crash the 2009
White House State Dinner. The show not only chronicled the couple’s appearance
before the Committee on Homeland Security, but also their financial and familial
troubles stemming from their wine business. In 2009, the Salahis filed for
bankruptcy on their enterprises, which includes America’s Polo Cup.