Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County is what started the reality franchise, and for 14 seasons, fans have seen a range of storylines, from a cancer lie to divorces to friendships falling apart.
There are other shows that fans of RHOC can watch, but there's something special about this series. The sunny location and lavish lifestyles of the cast members would be enough to get people to tune in, but thankfully, the cast members bring a lot of entertaining and dramatic storylines to each episode. But while some former housewives were always fun to watch, others fell flat during their time in Orange County.
Quinn Fry
Quinn Fry is the least memorable former cast member on RHOC, and she's ranked very low for entertainment value.
Appearing during the third season, she was raising her two children and also dating. There wasn't anything about her storyline that was different from the other cast members, as many had gotten divorced.
Kimberly Bryant
After one season on RHOC, it's fair to say that Kimberly Bryant's time wasn't that memorable. She doesn't have any infamous quotes like some of the other cast members in the franchise.
Kimberly is ranked fairly low in terms of entertainment value as her main focus was on her love of plastic surgery. This wasn't that thrilling and didn't allow her to stand out from the crowd, especially since many of the housewives have gotten procedures done over the years.
Tammy Knickerbocker
The early years of RHOC weren't quite as juicy as the seasons that would follow. The best and most dramatic vacations took place from season 8 on, and it could be argued that the most memorable cast members joined a bit later, too.
Tammy was also a brief cast member on RHOC and shared a son with Duff, her ex-partner, who knew some of the others on the show. Tammy just wasn't very entertaining to watch.
Lynne Curtin
During her time on RHOC in the fourth season, Lynne wanted her daughter to work, and in season 5, she had a facelift.
But the most memorable thing about Lynne is that also in season 5, her family was evicted from their home. This was definitely big news and something that fans weren't expecting to see on the show. Lynne didn't last more than two seasons, but she was more entertaining to watch than the previous cast members because of this storyline.
Lizzie Rovsek
Fans recently got the chance to see Lizzie again as she and Emily Simpson were working on a swimsuit line together.
Lizzie was always super sweet and loved her husband and spending time with her friends. But she wasn't very entertaining because she didn't have any major storylines or juicy quotes. To be a housewife who fans remember, someone has to do more than just quarrel with some of the others in the group.
Peggy Sulahian
Peggy wasn't on RHOC for very long, and during her few seasons, she confused her co-stars and viewers alike about whether or not she had cancer.
Peggy explained in one episode that she got a double mastectomy because a doctor had found cells that suggested cancer. According to People, Shannon Beador said she didn't understand because Peggy had said that nothing was wrong: "I’m very confused. I honestly don’t remember Peggy saying she had cancer. And now I’m hearing that they did find cancer. So I’m a little in the dark.” This was a buzzworthy storyline for a while, and it did keep fans interested.
Jo De La Rosa
Jo was on the early seasons of RHOC and she wanted to be a singer instead of the housewife that her husband Slade expected.
This desire to break away from the typical and traditional Orange County norm did make her a compelling reality star, and while she left the show early on, it would have been interesting to continue to watch Jo over the years. She was independent and passionate, which are solid qualities for this type of show.
Lauri Peterson
A sweet mom who just wanted the best for her children, Lauri was a single mother who lived in a townhouse, and that made her stand out from the rest of the cast of RHOC.
Lauri's son Josh was often getting into trouble, which broke her heart. One of her other memorable storylines was falling in love with George, whom she married. Lauri might not have had an over-the-top lifestyle or hilarious quotes, but she did say that Vicki slept with multiple partners, which prompted one of Vicki's most famous quotes as she denied it.
Alexis Bellino
Alexis is known for her funny quotes, like when she said that Gretchen should "eat some of her own makeup so she could become pretty on the inside again" or talked about Botox.
It was always entertaining to watch Alexis as her marriage to her now ex-husband Jim was very traditional, and she wanted to live her own life while still being a great mom to her children. Alexis was a girly girl who just wanted to be friends with everyone, but of course, on RHOC, that didn't always work out so easily.
Lydia McLaughlin
Lydia was only on RHOC for a few seasons, and she was definitely entertaining. Her mom is a fun hippie who is a total character, and watching the two spend time together was always a lot of fun.
Lydia also tried her best to be kind to the other women, and she often felt that they didn't like her or were being mean to her for no reason. While this is too bad and would be terrible to experience, it's true that it makes for good television, and that's why Lydia is ranked fairly high.
Jeana Keough
Fans remember Jeana because Tamra threw wine in her face at a party, and because Jeana had tension with the cast members during her time on the show, she was pretty entertaining.
Jeana was never nervous to share her opinion or stand firmly behind what she believed was true, which always makes for an entertaining and dramatic season of RHOC.
Meghan King Edmonds
Meghan and Vicki fought because Meghan said Brooks didn't have cancer. This ended up being true, and fans learned that Brooks had only pretended to be sick.
Fans also enjoyed watching Megan's marriage to her ex-husband Jim, and her journey to becoming a mother was compelling. Meghan didn't mind if people didn't like her; she just wanted to get her point across, and that made her a great cast member on the show.
Heather Dubrow
Heather is ranked fairly high as a former RHOC cast member with great entertainment value.
Fans loved watching her with her sweet family, from her adorable children to her cheeky husband Terry, and she lived an elegant and fancy lifestyle. Heather was a good friend who was always ready to celebrate with champagne, and she was also super blunt, which made her scenes juicy.
Gretchen Rossi
Whether fighting with Tamra or proposing to Slade, Gretchen was a major part of RHOC for a long time. It was impossible to think of the show without her since she was involved in so many dramatic arguments.
Gretchen is one of the most fun former cast members to watch, and her relationship with Slade provided a lot of entertainment value since he didn't get along with Vicki. Gretchen spent a lot of time defending him, and fans often picked sides during these scenes.
Tamra Judge
Tamra is famous for yelling "Jesus jugs" at Alexis and for many other arguments.
Tamra had a great arc on RHOC, as when fans first saw her, she was in a miserable marriage to Simon. She decided to get a divorce and everything changed for the better. She met her now-husband Eddie, became a grandmother as her son Ryan had a baby, and started the gym CUT Fitness. Along the way, she had a tough relationship with her good friend Vicki, and she fought with some of the other cast members. Fans could count on Tamra's honesty and sense of humor to make any scene fun.
Vicki Gunvalson
From her boyfriend Brooks to screaming about a van, Vicki was always an entertaining cast member on The Real Housewives of Orange County.
As the "OG of the O.C." for 14 seasons, Vicki shared her life with viewers. The show followed Vicki's divorce from Don, her daughter Briana's motherhood and health journeys, her dating life, and her insurance business. Vicki rarely went an episode without a memorable and funny quote, and she is definitely missed.