The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills made a dramatic entrance to Bravo on its very first season, striking a perfect balance between reality and fantasy with genuine connections and lavish, over-the-top lifestyles. However, one particular relationship stood out among the group. Kim and Kyle Richards showed the reality TV world what could happen if an already fragile sisterhood was thrust in front of the cameras.
RHOBH season 1 came along in 2010. While it's a common reality TV practice to manufacture or heighten drama and tension through the magic of editing, the energy between Kim and Kyle would have been impossible to create out of thin air. Initially, as a viewer, it was hard to establish the cause of the tension, making it all the more enthralling to witness. Every so often, when the two would communicate, it would be clear that there was more to the story, more than what the cameras were catching and more than what they were both willing to reveal. This strange dynamic between two relatives opened a can of worms and much to discuss between the fans. Plus, for those wanting a gritty reality fix, it was great to be able to rely on some clearly deep-seated family issues amidst any shallow, first-season drama.
Since the first season has aired, there have been plenty of blow-ups between the two RHOBH castmates. However, these can't be addressed without circling back to season 1's intense limousine confrontation, a moment that is constantly referenced as one of the foundations of RHOBH history. It was the amalgamation of perhaps decades of pent-up aggression and resentment between Kim and Kyle, which unfolded for the world to see. Kim insisted she'd always had Kyle's back, while Kyle vehemently denied it, was juicy enough. Nonetheless, the allegations regarding Kim's house, and Kyle's shock revelation about Kim's alcoholism, created a moment in reality television so rare in its frankness that it was as if the producers had struck gold.
This would go on to be the catalyst for many future fractures between the sisters. Kim and Kyle battled it out among castmates season after season, whether it involved them or someone else, such as Brandi Glanville's friendship with Kim in RHOBH season 3. It's one thing to witness surface-level arguments among friends, but something as multi-layered and complex as two siblings with a tumultuous history was hard to look away from.
Such a raw, real moment between family is rarely captured the way Kim and Kyle's RHOBH season 1 feud was. It laid the groundwork for Kim and Kyle to make amends after years of a sibling rivalry, which made for compelling television for viewers to return to the show as it aired. RHOBH has continued to see success after the departure of Kim, but there's no denying her time on the show was paramount to its long-term success.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.