In the world of the Real Housewives, drama is the name of the game.
But it's also a balancing act.
Stir the pot too much, and it spills over.
These cast members did just that, and fell out of favor with fans.
These are the Real Housewives who need to realize they aren't famous anymore.
Teresa Giudice As one of the breakout stars of Real Housewives
of New Jersey, Teresa Giudice's reputation went up in smoke in 2013 when she and her
husband, Joe Giudice, got hit with a barrage of criminal charges for allegedly hiding their
fortune in a bankruptcy filing.
According to People, the couple faced 39 charges in their indictment, which included conspiracy
to commit fraud, making false statements on loan applications, bank fraud, and bankruptcy
fraud.
Though Teresa was subsequently sentenced to 15 months in prison for her role in the crimes,
she only served about a year of her sentence and was released in 2015 for good behavior.
Which is a little surprising… (incomprehensible yelling)
According to Us Weekly, Teresa is finally set to make her return to the screen in 2018
for the ninth season of the show, but after such a lengthy hiatus, her reported return
hasn't generated much buzz.
Kim Zolciak At one point, there was never a dull moment
with this Housewife, from her kitschy fake wigs to her perfectly timed clapbacks.
But when she decided to leave the show, she did so to little fanfare, including from her
own co-stars.
Kandi Burruss told TMZ that Kim Zolciak's presence was hardly felt anyway, and NeNe
Leakes brutally dissed the reality star on Instagram, writing, "Bye wax figure."
Since stepping away from the show, Zolciak has already started to fade into the background.
Yeah, she's still got her spin-off series Don't Be Tardy, but sources told Celebrity
Insider in June 2018 that filming has been "disastrous" in the wake of her fallout from
Real Housewives.
Go figure.
Porsha Williams In the wake of Porsha Williams' tumultuous
marriage to and acrimonious split from former NFL quarterback Kordell Stewart, Williams
infamously fueled rumors about Stewart being gay and accused him of being abusive.
But when that storyline dried up, so did the buzz surrounding Williams.
In the next few seasons, Williams' storylines revolved around her rumored romances, but
she still has yet to attract the same levels of attention as she did during the divorce
drama.
Phaedra Parks You know her as the charming Southern Belle
of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, or maybe the woman who arguably spread the most vicious
lie in reality TV history: that Kandi Burruss and her husband, Todd Tucker, had plans to
drug their co-star Porsha Williams and then accost her.
According to Us Weekly, Parks initially told Williams that she'd heard the plans from Burruss
herself, but after a confrontation at the show's Season 9 reunion, Parks walked back
the comment and insisted that she'd heard it from a still-unnamed source, which made
it clear that she'd likely made the whole thing up to begin with.
The revelation led to an explosive spat between the group, leaving Burruss, Williams, and
other cast members in tears.
Though Parks ultimately apologized for spreading the lie, it prompted Bravo to cut her from
the show.
Kim Richards The downfall of Kim Richards of Real Housewives
of Beverly Hills can be attributed to more than a few arrests and her increasingly erratic
behavior.
"You know, whatever."
In April 2015, Richards was arrested for "public intoxication, trespassing, resisting an officer
and battery on a police officer", and the alleged criminal activity only mounted from
there.
She experienced another run-in with the law just months later, in August 2015, when she
was arrested for shoplifting after allegedly stealing $600 worth of merchandise from a
Target near her California home.
But wait, there's more: Richards also got wrapped up in a nasty legal battle with her
former stylist, who claimed she had been viciously attacked by the reality star's dog.
"Kim said, 'No no, no don't call the paramedics I'll get fired from my job, you mustn't tell
anybody about this.
Oh I think it's terrible."
While Richards managed to avoid jail time for each case, her alleged criminal exploits
likely did irreparable damage to her career.
Lisa Rinna We were all rooting for Lisa Rinna, but her
continuous fights with fellow Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Kim Richards weren't
much appreciated by fans.
The fighting all came to a head when Richards decided to return a gift Rinna had given her
earlier in the season amid their ongoing feud.
Rinna didn't take the move too well, and threw massive shade at her co-star.
"I think you're a sick woman.
To do something like that is sick."
Other cast members quickly came to Richards' defense, pointing out that she was one of
the original stars of the show, long before Rinna joined the cast.
It was clearly the reality check she needed, because Rinna was speechless.
Shereé Whitfield Real Housewife of Atlanta Shereé Whitfield
ceaselessly feuded with drama queen NeNe Leakes and was as entertaining as they come.
Perhaps it was all of her iconic moments that made Whitfield feel as though she was entitled
to an equally hefty paycheck as her co-stars for the show's eleventh season.
Executives, however, apparently didn't feel the same way, prompting Whitfield to say goodbye
to the show in 2018.
Whitfield confirmed her departure from the series in July 2018 on Instagram, telling
a fan who asked if she was returning to the show:
"Currently living my best life.
Was not interested in entertaining the low ball offer that was sent.
Know ur worth."
She did, however, hint that other TV options were on the table, adding:
"You may be seeing me soon!"
But the question is: is anyone interested without the rest of the Real Housewives cast?
Probably not.