Obscure Facts About The Real Housewives Franchise

The Real Housewives franchise has solidified its place as one of the greatest reality franchises of all time. Since its inception in 2006, the franchise has expanded to include over ten cities and has inspired subsequent spinoffs such as Vanderpump Rules and Bethenny Ever After. With all its success, it’s hard to ignore the impact the franchise has had on pop culture over the last 17 years. 

Real Housewives savants may think they know everything there is to know about the popular Bravo franchise, but after almost two decades on air, there is sure to be a few facts fans missed. Curious? We have you covered. Here are four obscure facts you might not know about the Real Housewives franchise.

The Franchise Almost Had a Different Name

It’s hard to imagine the Real Housewives franchise being called anything else given how iconic the brand has become but in the 2021 tell-all book, “Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It,” author Dave Quinn revealed that first installment of the franchise had a different working title. 

An October 2021 piece in the New York Post that captured the highlights of the tell-all book reported that The Real Housewives of Orange Country, which premiered in 2006, was originally titled Behind the Gates but network executives had an issue with the name because it sounded too serious. 

According to the publication, television producer Lauren Zalaznick was the brain behind the name The Real Housewives of Orange County, which gave the network room to expand to other cities. In the 2021 tell-all, “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen told Dave Quinn he was opposed to the name initially because he feared it sounded “awkward” and did not believe the concept would expand beyond Orange County. “How wrong we were,” he told the author. 

ABC Filed a Lawsuit Against the Show

Before there was Real Housewives, there was Desperate Housewives – the 2003 ABC drama that followed the lives of characters Susan Mayer (Terri Hatcher), Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross), Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), and Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), as they navigated life after the death of their friend Mary Alice Young.

Longoria spoke about the similarities between the Real Housewives franchise and the drama series during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live in August 2019. Longoria and host Andy Cohen revealed that ABC brought forth a lawsuit against the show because of one key similarity. In the Real Housewives of Orange County introduction, the women hold oranges which closely resembles the end of the Desperate Housewives theme in which the women hold apples. 

“There would be no [“Real Housewives”] franchise without the “Desperate Housewives,” Longoria said during the 2019 appearance. Longoria did admit she is a fan of the franchise after Cohen inquired about her initial impression of the show. “I do remember becoming addicted to “Real Housewives.” I was like, ‘That stuff [is] good,'” she told Andy.

The Housewives Can’t Sue Each Other

Considering how often wine glasses get thrown and secrets get spilled on the franchise, it may seem surprising that Real Housewives lawsuits don’t often make headlines. Turns out, the housewives are not legally allowed to sue each other for situations that take place during filming.

Former Real Housewives of New York star Carole Radziwill revealed to Buzzfeed in August 2014 that it is in the housewives’ contract that they cannot sue their co-stars. In her interview, The Bravo star addressed why she didn’t sue Aviva Drescher after she claimed her publishing house passed on Carole’s 2005 memoir What Remains on Season 6 of Real Housewives of New York. In addition, Aviva suggested Carole used a ghostwriter to help write her book, which Carole has denied. 

“There were people who were saying, ‘Why don’t you sue?’ It’s not an easy answer,” Carole told Buzzfeed in 2014. “There were several reasons. One is we sign contracts, so we can’t sue each other. So you’d have to break the Bravo contract.”

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville also confirmed that the cast cannot sue each other in a June 2020 appearance on the podcast The Rumor Mill. “You have contracts that say you can’t sue each other,” Brandi said on the June 26 episode. 

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Almost Didn’t Happen

It’s hard to imagine the Real Housewives franchise without Kyle Richards and Lisa Vanderpump but according to Glamour, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills almost didn’t happen. The outlet reported that Andy Cohen was initially against the idea of having two California-based shows. Thankfully, the show wasn’t squashed and viewers got to experience everything Beverly Hills housewives have to offer. 

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