Real Housewives One Season Wonders

Kimberly was a Housewife on the very first season of RHOC. Though she bounced to Chicago when the show wrapped, she’ll go down in Housewives history as an OG. That said, her legacy isn't that memorable – we remember her most for getting implants at her husband’s request, which at the time was telling of what it was like to be a woman in the OC. Eleven seasons later, that storyline now seems almost quaint.

Quinn joined RHOC during season three, just like Tamra. Unlike Tamra, she didn’t dig her high heels in and claim her place on the show. At the time, Quinn got slapped with the “cougar” label for casually dating a 26-year-old. That’s what half the cast of RHONY did in season seven and eight, maybe Quinn was just in the wrong zip code?

With her bleach blond hair and fake breasts, Peggy was very OC Housewife 1.0. She stirred the pot on RHOC when she spilled that she once dated Alexis’ husband Jim. Jim denied the whole thing, which wasn’t believable at all. We were totally team Peggy. She probably had another season in her when she quit the show.

There was something captivating about Lydia. She was a total quirk. And do you remember her weed-smoking mother? Lydia relied on her instincts, not her loyalties to Alexis, which was admirable. She meshed well with the cast and it was sad to see her go. We liked her so much that we named her one of our Housewives who need to make a comeback.

When Lizzie threw herself a birthday party on RHOC, just one of her castmates showed up (and TBH, Vicki hated her). That’s how her time was on the show: she tried hard, but ended up as an afterthought.

Cindy was a snooze. She wanted us to think of her as an edgy, downtown alternative to the Upper East Side ladies, but for a woman who ran a vajazzling business, she was remarkably dull. Of all the New York Housewives, she’s the most forgettable.

Jules was an odd duck. And it wasn’t just her weird relationship with food (who could forget her baking her cutlery and a handful of pills into a calzone?) – she had a strange and terrible relationship her husband Michael, too. Once the show aired, Jules busted Michael cheating and we were excited to see what Single Jules would look like, but she decided not to return to RHONY.

DeShawn was low-key and there’s no place for low-key on a cast that includes Nene Leakes. She faded into the background of RHOA on season two before being let go. DeShawn’s the Cindy Barshop of Atlanta.

Kim didn’t take well to reality TV. After a career spent on scripted programs, it just seemed like the format didn’t sit well with her. She was guarded right up into the finale, when she let loose and spoke her mind. Where was that Kim on the actual show?

If any One-Season Wonder deserved a second season, it was Claudia. She took on Nene!! And, like, she kind of won that fight. Claudia was bold and direct and we loved seeing her. Next time the Atlanta cast gets a shake up, we hope she gets back on deck.

Oh, Amber. Things devolved quickly from the clean cut image Amber first tried to portray. Soon enough she was in Jersey-style physical catfights, then when Teresa went to prison the show shut down and she and Jim winded up on Marriage Boot Camp, screaming at each other about how they’d cheated – Amber with a woman and Jim with a prostitute. TV was an epic, fast fall for Amber.

The twins! If it was possible to tell Teresa and Nicole apart, maybe they would have been invited back. Or maybe if one wasn’t named Teresa. Two Teresas was one too many for RHONJ.

Joyce was stunning, but her personality was grating. She never knew when to let a fight go. And her greasy producer husband who liked to tell everyone how big his dick was... Well, let’s just say we’re glad he’s no longer on our TVs.

Carlton got a rough deal on RHOBH. Even Housewives head honcho Andy Cohen admitted the show focused too much on her Wiccan religion. It was hard not too, with Kyle and Joyce yammering on about Carlton casting spells on them. She was a fierce, smart addition to the cast and she was gone too soon.

Has there ever been a Housewife as beige as Kathryn Edwards? Without her connection to OJ Simpson and The Morally Corrupt Faye Resnick, she had nothing to offer the show. And after Faye refused to engage with her, her time as a Housewife was quickly up. We loved her husband Donnie, though. If there’s some way to bring Donnie back, but not Kathryn, we’d like that, please.