My top 32 favourite Real Housewives of ALL TIME: room for MORE?

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

Ramona may well be my favourite housewife of ALL TIME. A TRUE MONSTER but consistently so - the way she has never been anything but herself from the very get go.

Remember when she was gracious enough to give BORING STICK INSECT KRISTIN a little PLOT POINT by SLASHING HER LIP OPEN

HEW ARE YEW TO GET ME WHET?

I'd struggle to call Ramona a favourite, as similar to Nene, she's SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON I just can't really say I LIKE HER that much

Unlike Nene, Kim and Vicki however - you can't really say Housewives MADE Ramona a monster - she already was one BEFORE THE SHOW

THAT SAID, Ramona does have a BIZARRE CHARM that later Vicki and Nene seemed to be missing. Bethenny said she can never really be mad at Ramona no matter WHAT SHE DOES, and I kind of totally see it. She really knows how to turn the charm on when the waters get choppy

 

[jivafox]

Ramona is probably the only housewife I just can never see have a downfall or a takedown season - and god knows they’ve tried She ALWAYS manages to wheedle her way out of anything, no matter how low she plunges. I genuinely thought her comments about Leah’s bipolar last season was going to do the trick, but NOPE, completely WIPE CLEAN AS ALWAYS.

 

[KindaCool]

Ramona has always seemed extremely stupid to me. Just very incapable of being intellectual.

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

Ramona is probably the only housewife I just can never see have a downfall or a takedown season - and god knows they’ve tried She ALWAYS manages to wheedle her way out of anything, no matter how low she plunges. I genuinely thought her comments about Leah’s bipolar last season was going to do the trick, but NOPE, completely WIPE CLEAN AS ALWAYS.

AGREED! Season 12 would have been the perfect time for the SINGER STINGER to totally misfire, but it weirdly just DIDN'T. Even at the reunion when the gals were going in on her about Covid, she STILL managed to weasel out of it "I DRINK WATER!"

Season 12 was such a weird one for Ramona. She flip-flopped between being CHECKED OUT and animated, depending on whether the scenario would benefit her - and the producers CLEARLY had a word in her ear to BRING IT around the cast trip time when she SUDDENLY DECIDED to confront Dorinda's drinking via the medium of GROUP TEXT, or whatever happened

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

Ramona has always seemed extremely stupid to me. Just very incapable of being intellectual.

!

 

[Lucille]

My favourite Ramona bullshit is when she leaves a party or dinner after 45 mins to go on a ‘date’ in order to make herself seem popular and desirable and it’s always a BLATANT LIE.

 

[Lucille]

I seem to remember she made her fortune bulk buying unsold designer stock and selling it on to discount stores, I think True Faith was Mario’s family business?

 

[Lucille]

And how can you forget this singular moment of VULNERABILITY?

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

And how can you forget this singular moment of VULNERABILITY?

OMG

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

In fairness GIPHY WAS DOWN when writing Ramona UP, which is usually a reliable easy way of quickly JOGGING THE MEMORY

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

I seem to remember she made her fortune bulk buying unsold designer stock and selling it on to discount stores, I think True Faith was Mario’s family business?

Whatever Truth Faith was, that t-shirt she wore for about FIVE SEASONS STRAIGHT was HIDEOUS!

 

[Phoenix]

I mean I hate Ramona but also she’s been essential to the show. She just needs someone to stomp her down, a Jill or a Bathenny or a Heather. Without someone literally getting in her face and telling her she’s awful she becomes unbearable. That’s why season 4 and early 5 are so bad and the latest season.

Some of my favorite moments that haven’t been mentioned yet

What an icon

 

[Frozen]

I honestly don't think NY would have lasted this long without Ramona on the show. She's a horrible, horrible person but you can't help but watch whenever she's on screen cos you know she'll do something batshit crazy. It'll be interesting to see how she gets through the next season with a WOC in the cast given her 'All Lives Matter' BS on insta during the summer.

 

[Devil]

Scarlet for ya, so I am.

I don't think it did air outside of Ireland. I watched it via a grubby internet stream. Maybe Channel 5 had planned to air it (why else would they cast Danielle in CBB!), but didn't in the end.

@wurst I'd recommend the full series, if you can find it. It's short, and actually wasn't *that* bad. Just no real drama aside from when Danielle turned at the end.

I found the four episodes on YouTube a year or two back. It wasn’t quite called The Real Housewives from memory but something similar? It was pretty lacking in drama but a nice Sunday afternoon watch.

 

[Frozen]

Dublin Wives

 

[Lucille]

WHAT DRUGS DO WE THINK SHE’S ON?

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

WHAT DRUGS DO WE THINK SHE’S ON?

Phoenix mentioning on here Ramona’s anal incontinence is obviously down to her using laxatives made SO MUCH SENSE once it was mentioned

 

[Music]

This exchange in the S9 reunion

Ramona: ‘When you grow up abused...’ (her reasoning to try justify being horrific to Bethenny’s assistant)
Bethenny: ‘OH MY GOD, YOU’RE SIXTY YEARS OLD! You should be living in a commune by yourself in a padded room’

 

[jivafox]

RANONA RYDER

 

[Frozen]

KADOOZ to us all

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

OMG how did I forget THIS astonishing Ramona moment from season 2

and the time Mario sung a song called 'EFFORTLESS' about being married to Ramona, then they promptly GOT DIVORCED



an EFFORT LESS marriage

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

I honestly don't think NY would have lasted this long without Ramona on the show. She's a horrible, horrible person but you can't help but watch whenever she's on screen cos you know she'll do something batshit crazy. It'll be interesting to see how she gets through the next season with a WOC in the cast given her 'All Lives Matter' BS on insta during the summer.

If Bethenny ever DOES return to the show, Ramona needs to be on it still. The dark power those two have when forced together just makes the BEST TV.
There's a reason that the Bethenny seasons are generally seen as the best New York ones, and the SIMMERING dynamic of hatred and jealously (mainly on Ramona's side) between them both really feeds into this IMO.

 

[Phoenix]

Also let’s not forget how much Jill and Ramona hated each other




You want me to bring you up to the social register?
I didn’t know you were on it...

 

[Lucille]

JILL’S APARTMENT WAS HIDEOUS.

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

Also let’s not forget how much Jill and Ramona hated each other




You want me to bring you up to the social register?
I didn’t know you were on it...

OMG I loved this fight, how did I FORGET the CHARITY DRAMA! This was when it felt like the women were actually in New York high society too.

This storyline of course resulted in ANOTHER Ramona/Bethenny blow up

 

[Phoenix]

Also this delightful exchange in Morocco which ends with Ramona on the bed fake crying and Jill screaming “I’m gonna have a heart attack, call Bobby”

 

[Phoenix]

JILL’S APARTMENT WAS HIDEOUS.

I mean it was decorated by Brad, what did you expect

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

JILL’S APARTMENT WAS HIDEOUS.

OMG the REVEAL! It was so UGLY! Why would you put all your faith and money in Jill's DRUNKEN GROPEY GAY FRIEND

I'm sure Bobby was quietly SEETHING

 

[Phoenix]

OMG I loved this fight, how did I FORGET the CHARITY DRAMA! This was when it felt like the women were actually in New York high society too.

This storyline of course resulted in ANOTHER Ramona/Bethenny blow up

I do love season 2 a lot, I rewatch the reunion at least once every few months.

 

[Phoenix]

Remember when we spent an entire season arguing about a tennis match and Mario calling Luanne Count-less. Those were the days.

 

[Lucille]

It’s weird seeing early seasons where Ramona looks like a REAL PERSON.

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

I do love season 2 a lot, I rewatch the reunion at least once every few months.

I LOVE season 2, although I think season 3 is a better ENTRY POINT as it's a bit quicker.

The season 2 reunion is AMAZING!
The utter disdain all the women have for Kelly Bensimon in general, her dodgy sounding court case and her fake friendships - particularly with Lu. SO UNDERRATED

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

Also this delightful exchange in Morocco which ends with Ramona on the bed fake crying and Jill screaming “I’m gonna have a heart attack, call Bobby”

I can leave a lot of season 4, but the Morocco trip is one of the ALL TIME BEST

All the women were on TOP FORM (aside from Cindy lol) and played their role perfectly, not to mention the asides like Jill's COKED UP FRIENDS they randomly "bump into" at a market and Luann getting massacred by a camel

 

[Phoenix]

I’m in a YouTube hole with Ramona now

 

[Lucille]

Also let’s not forget how much Jill and Ramona hated each other




You want me to bring you up to the social register?
I didn’t know you were on it...

I love Ramona reading Jill here for living on 1st Avenue.

 

[Phoenix]

Remember when she tried the snatched ponytail with her tits out look? And everyone was so bemused

 

[Lucille]

I don’t but

 

[KindaCool]

Those tits look GOOD though. Money well spent.

 

[Diddy]

I’m a bit late and I just started the Kim & Nene video but I had to

Is your wig squeezing yo head you heifer?

 

[Will]

I agree with what @Frozen said above, about NY potentially not lasting this long without Ramona on the show. It certainly wouldn't be the fan favourite without her, at least. As so much of the action revolves around the fall-out from her bullish mis-steps. Without Ramona, it's fair to say that none of the core cast of Sonja, Luann, Bethenny or Dorinda would have lasted so long. She unwittingly feeds them storylines. She can't help herself.

To me, there are four stages of Ramona throughout this show's run.

In the beginning I hated her. A loud, whiny, obnoxious irritant who used to see right through the bullshit of my faves - Jill and Luann - and wasn't afraid to set them straight on camera. And she was always, always right about them.

Then from season 4 onwards, I began to really warm to her - thanks mainly to her pair-up with Sonja. For the next few seasons she was a lot of fun to watch, really riled up all the new Housewives who'd joined the cast, and didn't seem to care one bit. The cast trips in particualr being a highlight.

Then there was the birth of a new kind of monster - from season 7, when Bethenny returned. The power struggle, the desparation for Bethenny to acknowledge her as an equal in business/clout (which is never gonna happen, and which kills Ramona still). Ramona was single again, she was attempting to climb society, and she was also trying to (and succeeding in) reverse the aging process. The glow-up brought out the best of her looks, and the absolute worst in her personality. New highs and new lows. I loved her around this time too.

And then there's the last couple of seasons. She's checked out, she doesn't really view these women as friends anymore, and she's just turning up for the cheque. Whereas before, RHONY showed her life, now it just feels like we're seeing her show up for a job, and counting down the seconds until she can return to her actual life with her actual friends. All 60 of them.