Big things were happening in 2008. Iron Man was released in theaters. Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. And finally, the Real Housewives of New York premiered on Bravo. Who knew a group of Upper East Side women (mainly) would capture our hearts? Viewers instantly became invested in the life of a countess, textile queen, and the Singer Stinger. Since that fateful day, followers have watched multiple fights and tantrums. But perhaps the best gift has been the constant range of humorous moments the women always seem to deliver.
Ramona Singer embraces the catwalk
Believe it or not, it has been 15 years since Ramona Singer gave us the iconic modeling moment. At the time of the fashion show her close friend, Jill Zarin, sat front row center as she tried her best to stifle her case of church giggles. Ramona walked out onto the stage with a mission. The mother of one’s eyes bulged open as she tried her best to strut her stuff. At the time, Jill told cameras “It looked like an alien invaded her body. She walked like a robot with her neck sticking out like a giraffe and her eyes bulging. I mean, it was hysterical.”
Kelly Bensimon kept her composure as she allowed Ramona to take her five minutes in the spotlight. Ramona wasn’t the only cast member walking in the show. Alex McCord was also invited up, but she didn’t make nearly as good an impression. Ramona’s short black dress and “crazy eyes” burn into the cameras and viewers’ souls will forever live in infamy.
Hurricane Leah McSweeney
I never thought I’d find myself feeling bad for a tiki torch in Ramona’s backyard. But Season 12 had me praying for the torch’s survival after Leah McSweeney blew into town. Even though she was at least a decade younger than her co-stars she quickly became a fan favorite because of her potty mouth and outlandish behavior. You could say Leah modernized the series and forced many of the women like Ramona to talk about the dreaded topic of sex.
During her premiere season, viewers watched as she skinny-dipped in Ramona’s pool, threw the above-mentioned tiki torch, and rolled around on the grasses of Newport. While on a girl’s trip to Rhode Island, Leah decided to invite her sister for moral support. During their dinner out, Leah grew tired of Ramona flirting with the men at the bar. So Leah decided to have a food fight by throwing some very expensive ravioli at the blonde. She noted, “I just threw ravioli at her, and I don’t care. Sometimes, you just have to throw ravioli.”
The RHONY Cartagena boat mishap
I don’t want to admit that I found joy in watching the lady’s boat trip from hell. But something about the Season 10 high seas adventure was just a catastrophe I couldn’t turn away from. While in Cartagena, Colombia, the women decided to take a jaunt at sea. But sadly, no amount of adult diapers could hold these women together. The ladies were partying on the island and were slow to leave when informed by the Coast Guard that there was an impending storm. “Apparently, the sea kicks up at this bewitching hour of 3 p.m.,” quipped Luann de Lesseps.
According to Tinsley Mortimer, the sea turbulence happened “all the time.” But Sonja Morgan and Ramona were not convinced as they kept yelling, “Slow down!” to the captain. To add insult to injury, Sonja was so troubled that she started to cry and pee herself. I’ll admit it was a rough ride, but the scene delivered some pretty funny one-liners and insults.
Jessel Taank needs to brush up on New York neighborhoods
One of the most talked about moments from Season 14 was when Jessel Taank called the NYC neighborhood of Tribeca “up and coming.” At that moment, Erin Lichy and viewers shared a gasp of horror. Erin, who is a born and bred New Yorker, was aghast at the comment especially since Tribeca is one of the most expensive and sought-after places to live in the Big Apple. The scene was so funny to East Coasters that Jessel was even given her own meme. As Jessel now knows, Tribeca is home to celebs like Jennifer Lawrence and Beyoncé.
Sai De Silva’s cheese-gate
We all learned an important lesson on the Real Housewives of New York reboot. And that was not to mess with Sai De Silva and her cheese. Who knew the moldy dairy product would be such a storyline? No matter how silly, the issue was of high importance to the ladies. It all started when Brynn Whitfield spread the rumor that Erin had said that Sai had insulted the realtor’s charcuterie board. Sai denied the rumors, claiming she ate the damn cheese. Erin finally took it upon herself to be The Great Mouse Detective and figured out it had all been one big miscommunication. But Sai quickly learned the cheese stands alone
The Real Housewives of New York is available to stream on Peacock.
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