The year was 2010. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was in its first season and the women were getting along famously until the dreaded New York trip. There, they were at each other's throats, especially Camille vs. Kyle and Taylor vs. Kim. Some way or another, the fighting became contagious and everyone got involved.
Fast forward to episode nine, 'The Dinner Party From Hell,' Camille invites everyone over for a dinner party. She's hoping the ladies can control themselves but her plan goes horribly wrong when she invites her friend Allison DuBois to dinner. After a few too many cocktails, Camille's fancy party went up in flames. Here are 10 reasons why it's one of the best episodes thus far.
Updated on June 8th, 2021, by Lynn Gibbs: The first season of RHOBH set the tone for the rest of the series. The ladies were already at each other's throats as early as episode three when Kyle and Camille began to bump heads. Everyone knew a dinner party with the entire group was a bad idea, but Camille wanted to clear the air. To make the party more "fun," Camille invited her two friends to join the ladies — one of which was a famous psychic who was out to get those who wronged Camille. As soon as the ladies sat down and had their strong cocktails, some of the most memorable drama happened in one iconic episode.
The Exemplary Quotes That Are Still Repeated Today
One of the best parts about The Real Housewives is the one-liners that get turned into memes, GIFs, and home items. Taglines are a great example of how important some of the things these ladies say. In 'The Dinner Party From Hell,' there were a plethora of lines said that are still said today. Aside from when Allison told Kyle that Mauricio would "never emotionally fulfill" her, Lisa describing the dinner as "I mean it was a few clowns short of a circus" was spot-on. And who can forget Taylor screaming "Enough!" after the dinner became too heated.
One Name: Allison DuBois
In this first season episode, Camille is seen calling all the women and inviting them over to her home for a dinner party. She tells them all that her two friends, Allison and D.D., would also be in attendance. As it turns out, Allison is a medium and very famous in her field. She can "mind tap" and see the future for anyone in the room. However, Camille warned her gals that Allison wasn't on the clock — she was there as a guest. But as fans know, that didn't last long...
Did Camille Get Everyone Wasted On Purpose?
Camille states early on that she didn't want Allison to drink too much because she can be a firecracker when that happens. The women were also all cooling down from their hectic trip to New York, which is why Camille wanted her dinner party in a relaxed setting.
However, for someone who didn't want their ballsy friend to over-drink, she sure did amp up the cocktails. All the women were saying how strong the drinks were. Even Adrienne saw Allison down three martinis at dinner without eating anything. Was that a sly setup by Camille?
The Tension Between Camille & Kyle
The tension between Camille and Kyle was palpable throughout the episode. The two women had not been getting along all season, so it was a shock that Camille invited Kyle over in the first place.
They sat at opposite ends of the table and were cordial until Camille threw a verbal dagger at Kyle's friend Faye. After that, the wound between Kyle and Camille was back open.
Kyle Brought Faye Resnick As Her Date
Faye Resnick has been popping up as a friend among the Housewives for years. It's surprising that she hasn't been given the official Housewife title yet. Regardless, Faye is most known for her involvement in the O.J. Simpson trial, which Camille conveniently brought up at the dinner table.
Camille claimed she didn't know who Faye was but she brought up the fact that she posed for Playboy and she saw her "spread." In an interview, Camille called her "the morally corrupt Fay Resnick," which proves that Camille knew who she was before she sat down at the dinner table. After Camille's digs at Faye, tension at the table rose.
D.D. Is Overprotective Of Camille
D.D. pops up quite a bit in the first season as Camille's buddy, and it's obvious she's seen as a personal bodyguard for Camille. Throughout the episode, D.D. isn't as outspoken as Allison but she's opinionated. With Camille sitting at the head of the table and Allison and D.D. on both sides of her, the three were against everyone else.
The Silence At The Table When Allison Speaks...
The production and editing crew deserve an award for this episode. Any time Allison spoke, the dinner table was silent. You could almost hear crickets chirping in the background. Everything Allison said was so awkwardly brazen and outlandish that it was impossible not to drop everything and listen to what would fly out of her mouth next. Not to mention she's a medium, so all the women were hoping she would come out and say something they didn't know.
The Iconic Electronic Cigarette
Once Allison had too many drinks, shots were fired at Faye, and when Kyle and Camille started going head-to-head, things got messy quick. Allison pipes up to protect Camille and starts insulting all the women at the table, especially Kyle.
Then, in the middle of arguing with Kyle, Allison whips out this electronic cigarette and smokes it in the smuggest way imaginable. Her smoking style caught the attention of everyone at the table. In their interviews, all the women had lots to say about the way she smoked, and it instantly became a meme.
When Lisa & Faye Pushed Allison For A Reading
Both Camille and Allison said early on that she was off the clock, meaning she wasn't going to do any readings at the dinner table. It was a girls' night and she wanted to let loose and have fun. However, as dinner went on, Faye and Lisa pressed Allison to show off her talents. Lisa quickly asked Allison if her grandmother was in the dining room, but Allison declined to help. It wasn't until Kyle chipped in that Allison started reading her and said some pretty unsavory things...
"He Will Never Emotionally Fulfill You"
Without asking for a reading, Allison tells Kyle that she'll be married twice (her marriage to Mauricio is her second marriage) and her marriage to Mauricio isn't what it's projected to be. She's more comfortable around men than women, and her husband will never "emotionally fulfill" her. Kyle quickly denies being a guys-girl instead of a girls-girl and defends her marriage. But it didn't matter what Kyle said, Allison had her mind made up.
Now Taylor And Kim Are Involved?!
It appears that fighting is contagious because as soon as Kyle starts arguing with Allison and Camille, Faye goes head to head with Camille, and Taylor and Kim reignite their argument from the episode before. Their tiff had nothing to do with the dinner party and seemed random. When all the women eventually leave the dinner party, Kim is left behind and rides home alone because Kyle was mad at her for starting a fight with Taylor for no reason.
In short, this episode had everything that makes the series addictive: outbursts, name-calling, rumors, and now psychics.