The Real Housewives franchise is an enigma, wrapped in court cases and drama. The value of watching people live luxurious lifestyles, that sometimes gets them in trouble, has become its own celebrated genre of entertainment.
And entertainment is the name of the game. There are polarizing Real Housewives, but they’ve earned their keep whether fans are personally thrilled with them or not. They share their lives, flaws and all. They also seemingly don’t care about the court of public opinion as long as the checks keep rolling in.
But what about the cast members who are there but don’t really do much. They will drive a storyline of someone else, but their own content is pretty much dusty and barren. At times, when certain people receive new contracts, the fandom is shocked because a potted plant has more personality. Let’s look at a few Real Housewives who have been on their show for a minute, but the clock is ticking on the remaining time we will devote to waiting for some action.
Real Housewives Of Dubai / The Whole Cast
Look, I’m not trying to start anything here but I was personally underwhelmed by Real Housewives of Dubai. The views were stupendous. The real estate was magnificent. The luxury was obvious. But my lord that show dragged. It was surprising with superior characters like former Ladies of London star Caroline Stanbury and the incredibly flawless Chanel Ayan. The show already lost Nina Ali who won’t return next season, but did she add anything relevant enough to miss?
The cast didn’t seem to like each other or flow. Lesa Milan even said she “can’t stand” her co-stars which could have contributed to the relatively bland episodes. Even Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Phaedra Parks couldn’t inspire any razzle-dazzle in the ladies. Don’t get me wrong, it was good enough to win a Season 2, but there was quite a delay before it was confirmed. Some fans couldn’t get enough of the debut franchise and others thought it was a complete dud. We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that all parties will be satisfied going into their second time at bat.
Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills / Crystal Kung Minkoff
Crystal Minkoff joined Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in Season 11. Most of us like to call this… The Dark Times. Poor Crystal walked straight into a mess and had a lot of adjustments ahead of her. And this particular cast of women certainly didn’t make it easy. While Crystal hasn’t been on the show for long, her time so far hasn’t exactly been spectacular.
It’s not good when the first thing that pops into your head regarding Crystal’s time on the show is her ugly leather pants. It’s fine if she isn’t a drama succubus, but give us something other than accusing Sutton Stracke of saying something she may or may not have said. Some even felt the boring storyline helped throw dirt on an already perished Season 12. It was, in essence, a complete waste of the viewers’ valuable time.
Any type of reaction when Erika Jayne drunkenly lowkey mocked eating disorders would have been nice. That said, RHOBH has some history when it comes to Real Housewives with only one dimension. Crystal technically checks most of the boxes and it almost seems like her richness mildly irritates Kyle Richards. She could very well be an asset to the show if she could pump up the volume. We’ll wait, but not for long.
Real Housewives Of Orange County / Emily Simpson And Gina Kirschenheiter
Real Housewives of Orange County has been on the struggle bus for years. As the show heads into its 17th season, some folks are wondering how Emily Simpson and Gina Kirschenheiter still have an orange. I’m trying to recall anything either of them have added to the show and I simply cannot. We know Emily’s husband passed the bar exam after approximately 833 attempts. We know Gina had a casita and now lives with her new boyfriend and all of his kids. Other than some yelling at the behest of vodka sodas, these two aren’t doing much.
You’d think by now maybe they could band together. Perhaps one part Gina and one part Emily would make one whole person with depth and interesting qualities. These ladies might want to activate any available Wonder Twins powers because the fandom is growing impatient. Especially since co-stars and viewers have actively been calling for both of their dismissals for years. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with them, but it’s a mystery as to how Em and Gina continue showing up on RHOC after giving very little.
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Real Housewives Of Potomac / Robyn Dixon
Yes, you knew this one was coming. Real Housewives of Potomac star Robyn Dixon has a problem. That problem’s name is Juan Dixon. Unfortunately, Juan can’t keep his Dix in his pants and remain faithful to Robyn. The other problem is Robyn basically refuses to address it on the show. Oh she’ll casually reference it if the subject comes up, but ‘ol Robyn would prefer you to pay her to get the real story. Robyn tried to create something from nothing by selling hats, but when you have people like Karen Huger and Ashley Darby on your cast, no one is really going to care about Bedazzled headwear.
And that sucks for Robyn because the only thing she does on RHOP is glom onto Gizelle Bryant and her questionable choices. The two are playfully known as the Green-Eyed Bandits, but they might be one bandit down if Robyn doesn’t switch it up. Fans of the show have grown weary of Robyn’s reluctance to move past an obviously tragic relationship and evolve into someone with more range and character. To Robyn fans, we ask, when will a lot of nothing be enough? Since Season 1 we have patiently watched and waited for Robyn to at least be honest about her relationship and now we’re up to Season 7. There’s only so long her friendship with Gizelle can save her.
Real Housewives Of New Jersey / Melissa Gorga
Melissa Gorga is basically the Cher of Real Housewives of New Jersey. No offense to Cher. She has lasted a long time and it doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere in the near future. But, since the show mainly revolves around Teresa Giudice and her personal issues, Melissa serves a purpose. We are on Season 13 and Melissa joined in Season 3. For 10 seasons straight, with the exception of Tre being in jail, fans have watched Melissa and Teresa fight. It has become redundant and Teresa is just as guilty as Melissa. That said, Teresa gives her heart and soul to this show. I’m not even a big Tre fan but I refuse to be a hypocrite about an actual legend.
And still, the problem with Melissa exists. She tries hard, you guys. Melissa tried to give us a missing sister. Then we went through Melissa’s boss bitch phase. How could we forget Melissa’s new baby that never came to fruition? I’m not sure we have seen another Real Housewife try so hard to grab a storyline and epically fail on a regular basis. It all comes back around to fighting with her sister-in-law. Melissa needs Teresa on the show, but does Teresa need Melissa? She doesn’t really need Joe Gorga around now that Luis Ruelas is there to eventually ruin her life. So is Melissa’s “purpose” finally over? Or does RHONJ need to keep Tre’s brother and wife on the sidelines to lift Teresa up when she’s feeling down? Is it time for Melissa to finally pack her toys and go?
TELL US- WHICH REAL HOUSEWIFE DO YOU THINK NEEDS A BETTER STORYLINE? WHO WOULD YOU ADD TO THIS LIST? WHO OF THE ABOVE REAL HOUSEWIVES NEEDS TO FINALLY BE REPLACED?
[Photo Credit: Emma McIntyre/WireImage]