APRIL 01, 2025

It’s almost Christmastime, and that means lots of carols, lots of gifts, and hopefully lots of sweet treats. To cash in on that holiday appeal, Melissa Gorga just launched a line of sprinkle cookies. It’s been 13 years since her sister-in-law, Teresa Giudice, said that she threw Melissa’s sprinkle cookies in the trash; she couldn’t have gotten this ready before Black Friday? I’m a little bit more forgiving of Kyle Cooke’s just-launched Flowerboy line of THC-spiked beverages. Getting stoned isn’t as seasonal, but it’s only been a year since his demotion to flower boy at Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke’s wedding that never happened. Regardless, you know reviews for both will be coming from the Institute shortly. 

And since it’s almost Christmas, that also means this is the last Housewives Institute Bulletin of 2024. We’re taking this moment to reflect on the newbies we welcomed this year and to look ahead to what we hope happens on our favorite shows in 2025. We’ll see all dues-paying members of the Institute in January. Love and light!

ADVERTISER CONTENT

Brandi Glanville is going through it, Vicki Gunvalson can’t work tech, and Monica Garcia isn’t paying her bills. 

GET WELL SOON: Brandi Glanville gave an explosive interview to Entertainment Tonight that has been making the rounds. She claims she has not worked for two years because of an undiagnosable condition; she spent $70,000 and had every imaginable test to figure out what it was. She says the closest she’s gotten to an answer is that there’s an unknown parasite living in her face that sometimes moves around when she disturbs it. If you think that is gross, wait until you see her press on it and it makes a crackle that interviewer Brice Sander can hear. Ew, David! She says her mystery illness started six months after she filmed the season of Ultimate Girls Trip in Morocco that still hasn’t aired because her co-star Caroline Manzo accused Brandi of sexual harassment in a lawsuit. Brandi sure has a lot going on, but hopefully she can at least get her health sorted out. 

VICKI GETS VIALL: If there’s one thing a Housewife loves, it’s a hot-mic moment, and Victoria Denise Gunvalson Jr. had an amazing one after she appeared on former Bachelor Nick Viall’s Über-popular reality TV podcast The Viall Files. After Nick interviewed the OG of the OC, she didn’t hang up the Zoom call, and you can hear her tell her companion, “That was a favor to her dad. He’s got 7 million views.” We’re not sure whose dad she’s talking about, but she goes on to say she has no idea who Nick is and mispronounces his name while we all watch Nick squirm with delightful cringe. It’s amazing that Vicki has been off the show for seasons and she still gives us great moments. The highlights are here and unmissable. 

BITS AND BOBS: DJ James Kennedy was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence after police interrupted a fight between him and Ally Lewber after they attended Kathy Hilton’s Christmas party. Kristen Doute’s one-word response: finally … Monica Garcia just got hit with a $9K lawsuit for not paying for the lease on her Cadillac. Oops … Bethenny Frankel did a blind taste test of Harry Hamlin’s new Harry’s Famous Pasta Sauce on her startlingly popular TikTok. The verdict? She hates it. She’d better watch out for that Lisa Rinna wrath …  Jennifer Aydin better watch out for it too, since she said at a recent event she’d take Rinna and Denise Richards on her Ultimate Girls Trip because “they’re both messy — one in their behavior and one in their wardrobe,” while refusing to say which is which … But it seems like Kelly Bensimon has Rinna’s back as she continues her one-sided feud with Bethenny. This time, she claims B’s new BF Tom Villante met her on Raya and tried to date her too … She’s not a Housewife, but now-fired Vanderpump Rules mainstay Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney said on her podcast she decided she was done with the show before she was fired … Braunwyn Windham-Burke got married. Does that mean she can stop parading her litany of girlfriends in front of paparazzi? … And the Kim Zolciak/Kroy Biermann divorce is getting waaaaaayyyy too dark. 

Who rose to the top of 2024’s excellent crop of rookie Housewives?

[Taps microphone] Hello, everyone. Can you please take your seats? The ceremony is about to begin. Please, stop yapping at the bar about Kerastase Thermique; we need to begin the ceremony for the second annual Housewives Institute Rookie of the Year Honors, which recognizes the best Real Housewives to make their debut on Bravo this past year. We’re looking for inclination toward and aptitude for Housewife drama, overall impact on her franchise, and who has staying power long after this year has wrapped. Since both RHOM and RHOA took this calendar year off and RHONY only added one new cast member instead of seven, it’s a smaller crop than last year, but all of them show real potential in their application of the reality TV arts and sciences. 

Now that you’re all settled in your chairs with complimentary cocktails provided by Vida Tequila, here are the honorees, ranked from “Are we sure she wasn’t a friend-of?” to instant icon.

7. Taleen Khanoyan (RHODubai): An excellent, funny addition to a cast that really tried to turn it around in their second season. Taleen wasn’t too worried about staying faithful to her friend, Caroline Brooks, so she made quite an impact on the always-squabbling ladies. She could have had the makings of a good Housewife, but she was put on pause along with the rest of the show, so she lands last by default. Sorry, Taleen. Maybe move to London? I hear they’re looking for ladies. 

6. Keiarna Stewart (RHOP): She has one of the best taglines ever (“I own a business, I mind my business, and I stand on business”), and she’s great in her personal scenes, but when she’s with the group, she’s not really popping. Though she feuded a bit with Mia Thornton, she’s been giving “friend-of” energy for most of the season. I’d still give her a second shot, though.  

5. Bozoma Saint John (RHOBH): “Boz,” as she’s known, has just passed the five-episode cutoff of the Eileen Davidson Accords, so we can officially judge her, and I will say that I see a lot of potential. So far, the biggest drama of the season is between Kyle and Dorit, and Boz, as the newest member of the cast, doesn’t have the history to fully understand the drama or really pick a side yet. However, she’s been serving looks, acting as the voice of reason, and not making the biggest mistake of many newbies: jumping into the drama before taking the time to really get to know her co-stars. She’d be higher if it weren’t for the overall quality of the other rookies, and she might have been behind daffy addition Jennifer Tilly as well, but luckily for Boz, “friends-of” aren’t eligible for these honors. 

4. Stacey Rusch (RHOP): This rebuilding year gave us several new entrants to the DMV, and Stacey is by far the best. Pretty, poised, and a little bit uptight, she fits perfectly into the Potomac mold set by its twin towers, Gizelle Bryant and Karen “Don’t Bring Up the DUI” Huger. She’s also saddled with a boyfriend who is a 50-year-old (maybe) virgin who doesn’t seem to like her very much. Yeah, Stacey has what it takes to be around for a while, and I can’t wait to see it. 

3. Racquel Chevremont (RHONY): The group drama this season has been mostly pranks and fights no one understands, but where it shines is in the personal stories, and boy, does Racquel have one. She got engaged to the delightful and gorgeous Mel, she’s talked openly about her modeling career and the dissolution of two partnerships, and she’s dealing with a mother who rejects her for being gay. In the few instances when there has been group drama, she hasn’t shied away from it, but in the inevitable RHONY reshuffle, she should be safe. 

2. Katie Ginella (RHOC): One must be a real pro to take on Heather Dubrow and survive, and that’s just what Katie did. Though she came in a little too strong and some of her stories are fishier than a tuna melt, she allied herself with Jenn Pedranti, stood her ground no matter who was fighting with her, and brought a great personal story about finding her birth mother and her daughter taking her stepfather’s last name. This year was RHOC’s return to form, and Katie was certainly a big part of that. 

And now it’s time for our top honor. This year’s Rookie of the Year Trophy goes to …

1. Bronwyn Newport (RHOSLC): She’s got everything a great Housewife needs: money, fashion, reads, and a rich asshole of a husband whom she’ll be divorced from in two seasons. Right now, RHOSLC is the best franchise in Andy Cohen’s pantheon, and Bronwyn managed to fit right in and get her share of the spotlight while going up against some of the best players in the game. Also, her frank discussion with her daughter about whether or not she should meet her grandparents was one of the realest, most fascinating, and freshest story lines we’ve gotten in years. Her late-season antics indicate she might not be the saint many fans thought she was from the jump, but her second-season reckoning (and the other ladies trying to take down the new fan favorite) will be just as fascinating as her precipitous rise. 

Here’s what’s on the Institute’s Bravo Wish List to keep us watching in 2025. (As if we would actually stop!)

It was a stellar 2024 in the Bravo-verse. We started with “Receipts. Proof. Timeline. Screenshots,” we ended with RHOP and RHOC returning to form, and in the middle, we got the great new boys of Summer House, a fantastic debut season of The Valley, Aesha Scott getting promoted to Below Deck Med, and a mediocre season of Vanderpump Rules. Well, we can’t win them all. Here are some things I’m hoping for slash predicting for the coming year so that we can have an even better, and messier, 2025. 

New New New New New New York: I like what Bravo is doing with RHONY, trying to make it more diverse, more upscale, and more aspirational. The reboot is killing it with the personal stories, but the group dynamics are all off. I think it’s time to let a few of the ladies go, including my beloved Jenna Lyons, who seems to be giving the rest of the cast permission to reveal the bare minimum. I certainly don’t want the OGs back, but a couple of ladies with nothing to lose who are willing to start a few fires would really be something. 

Legacy Media: Speaking of OGs, I’m not usually one to believe rumors from Bravo and Cocktails, but there was a recent one I fully endorse. According to the rarely right gossip site, there’s an RHOA: Legacy project in the works with NeNe Leakes, Lisa Wu-Hartwell, Kim Zolciak-Biermann, Kandi Burruss, Eva Marcille, and Marlo Hampton. Um, I would watch the shit out of that. And while we’re on the topic, I would like a ton more legacy projects. Give us a proper RHONY: Legacy set in Palm Beach or the Hamptons, bring back UGT, bring back Crappie Lake, bring us new, wonderful things with our old, sidelined favorites! 

Queens of the Castle: There’s a famous curse for Bravolebs who go on Dancing With the Stars, but The Traitors has been very kind to our girls. Kate Chastain was the first-season fan favorite, and season two relaunched Phaedra Parks’s career (speaking of Dancing With the Stars losses). I think it’s time for one of Andy’s Angels to bring home the cash prize. My hopes are on Dolores Catania. 

New Rules: We know that the entire cast of Vanderpump Rules has been sacked and they’re looking for all new SUR-vers. I have a modest proposal for LVP and company: Hire a gaggle of gays. There’s never been a successful gay docusoap, and there would be nothing more explosive than a group of gay men working together and sleeping with each other. I mean, it’s WeHo, after all; let’s give the gays everything they want. (That’s an Erika Jayne line, but still.) 

Out With the Bathwater: RHOSLC is absolutely killing it, but I would make one slight alteration: Fire Meredith Marks. She is always willfully misinterpreting people so that she can play the victim, she’s finding fake things to get mad about, she won’t let anyone talk about her son (a grown man who decided for himself to go on reality television), and she’s on the wrong side of every argument. I hate to repeat her back to herself, but “You! Can! Leave!” The rest of the cast can stay exactly the same. Yes, even Britani. 

No One Say Her Name Three Times: Teddi Mellencamp went from a loathed Housewife to somehow being integral in the story lines of two different shows. Now she’s living with Kyle Richards as she gets divorced, and I’ve heard rumors she’s looking for a house in the OC so she can get on RHOC with her podcast co-hosts Tamra Judge and Emily Simpson. Let me make this clear: While I am happy for Teddi to attend parties and generally be a scourge to the Bravo community, I do not want her back on my television full-time. 

How Does the Garden State Grow?: They have to tell us what’s going to happen with RHONJ in the next year, right? In my ideal world, they’d either recast the whole thing or keep Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda, future Traitors winner Dolores Catania, and Jen Fessler as “friend-of” and get a new crop of girls. Sadly, I have a feeling we’ll be looking at a recast around Teresa and her lump of hamburger meat husband. 

No Themes at Sea!: I love a good theme on Housewives because it means outfits we can judge, but where I hate them is on Below Deck. These people are renting a yacht for like two days; do they really need a White Party or a Casino Night or, Catholic Jesus forbid, an all-crew talent show? No! Just make a cute table and don’t bother us with this bullshit. 

Leaving Las Vegas: BravoCon has become so central to the stories on several shows — Dorit and Kyle’s bust-up on RHOBH, Shep’s life changes on Southern Charm — that I feel like the semi-annual event is going to just get bigger, crazier, and more essential to the fandom. Yes, that means it will probably be more expensive and tickets will be harder to come by, and Vegas would be my last choice, especially since the disruption of the annual Formula One race makes getting around a nightmare. Can’t we move it to somewhere with a Housewives franchise? I’d take Salt Lake City over Vegas. But if you’re gonna be stuck in a 60-minute line for a taxi, might as well be standing next to rabid Bravo fans. There’s plenty to talk about.

Welcome to the Clubhouse: I’ve been running the Housewives Institute for a decade now, and I still haven’t been on Watch What Happens Live. Not even as a bartender. Andy, I’m ready for my close-up. 

A selection of the best Vulture’s Bravo recaps Industrial Complex had to offer this week.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht: Chase says it sounds like everyone’s been on good behavior because he hasn’t “heard any awful stories yet,” which prompts Daisy to tell him that Danni and Gary kissed … in front of Danni and Gary. Daisy also says Danni almost had a thing with Keith, pissing Danni off. Danni tells Chase neither meant anything. In an interview she says, “This is why I’m not friends with most girls.” Ugh. Her pick-me mentality is the worst. Daisy didn’t even mention the guy she brought back to the boat literally two nights ago. And it may be cheesy, but you should be so proud to be like most girls. [Season 5 Episode 10]

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: Once the reveal of her returning Angie’s bat mitzvah gift finally happened later at dinner, we get Angie and Meredith at the top of their brain-dead game. I truly don’t know where Meredith heard that Angie wanted her gift back, and their back-and-forth of saying: “Is that what I said?” and “Is that not what you said?” and “Is that what I said, Meredith?” It reminds me of that scene from Zoolander where Zoolander’s model roommates are all fighting. [Season 5, Episode 13] 

The Real Housewives of New York City: As the women arrive at their villa, we meet the super hot bartender and their liaison from the property, who are talking about how they have no idea what this show is or why these women are filming. Oh, honeys, you are about to be awoken by the worst nightmare of your lives. You are about to be set upon and flirted with by a group of entitled harpies, and you are not prepared. But this was the best staff reaction we’ve seen on cable since the kitchen staff at SUR reacted to Kristen Doute’s firing. [Season 15 Episode 11]

The Real Housewives of Potomac:  Wendy has spent four episodes in a row celebrating her 40th birthday, and yet is shaking in her boots to let her mom know that she is opting to take a break from academia (that ultimately lasted less than a year, as she is right back at Wesleyan now). Is it a bit embarrassing to be approaching middle age and still terrified of how your mother will react to bucking her expectations? Absolutely. Do I deeply identify with the feeling? Absolutely, my mom still has no real concept of how I pay my rent since I left the corporate world, and she doesn’t hesitate to let me know that she considers me unemployed, as internet words don’t matter to her.  [Season 9, Episode 10]

Southern Charm: When Craig tells everyone at Miss Pat’s Easter lunch about the conversation, Madison says, “Can we all say a prayer for JT, because I am going to fuck him up.” If there is one person in all of Bravodom you do not want to activate, it is Madison Fucking LeCroy. I would go after the scrappiest fighters we have — Kenya Moore, Lindsay Hubbard, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney — before I said anything but “Yes, ma’am” and “No, ma’am,” to Madison. [Season 10 Episode 2]