The Real Housewives franchise has given fans countless memes, GIFs, and quotable moments. Each season has a wealth of scenes that no one can ever forget. After watching 13 seasons of The Real Housewives Of New York City, fans can pick out the most dramatic and shocking moments, whether two friends were breaking up or a cast member was yelling for seemingly no reason.
While RHONY fans love every single episode, these scenes are particularly tense and deserve to be viewed more than once. Some explain the dynamics between cast members, some feature a huge fight, and others are totally confusing.
Kelly Goes On A Rant At The "Scary Island" Dinner
In season 3, the cast went on a trip. What was supposed to be fun in the sun turned into the most iconic and famous episode of the series. When Kelly went on a rant that no one could understand, Bethenny kept telling her "go to sleep" and Kelly kept acting like Bethenny was scaring her.
RHONY's "Scary Island"' episode has several memorable moments. All these years later, fans still enjoy rewatching the dinner scene and trying to figure out if it makes any sense. It seems like it will never be easy to puzzle together the pieces of that evening.
Alex And Simon Go On A Shopping Trip
In season 2, Alex and Simon went shopping and spent $8,000. They happily walked into a store in the Hamptons and Alex said, "Shopping for us really is a leisure activity. ... We very rarely shop without each other."
This is a scene that fans love because of the way the couple spent thousands of dollars so casually and without even thinking twice. It's definitely not something that many viewers could do themselves, but this scene is a great example of why fans love the Real Housewives: It's fun to see people living large.
Ramona Walks The Catwalk
In season 3, Ramona walked in a fashion show, and Jill was stunned by the look in her eyes. Jill said, "When Ramona walked out, she 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."
Fans still talk about this moment all of these years later, as no one could believe Ramona's intense eyes. It was pure RHONY: dramatic, funny, entertaining, and a scene just begging to be watched more than once.
Bethenny Calls Jill To Discuss Their Broken Friendship
Another unforgettable RHONY scene is when Bethenny called Jill and said she couldn't believe that Jill was talking about their previous argument everywhere. Jill said, "I wish you the best and I always have and I always will." She explained that she was busy taking care of her family, mentioning Bobby's recent operation. It seemed like the moment had come and gone for Bethenny and Jill to really apologize and listen to each other, and their friendship was over for good.
While it's always sad when a friendship goes south, this scene was a moment when Real Housewives of New York City fans supported Bethenny because she was vulnerable, honest, and sweet. Fans know that Bethenny cared deeply about Jill. Sometimes, though, it's best to walk away.
Dorinda Throws A Lingerie Party
In this scene from season 8, Dorinda threw a lingerie party that quickly dissolved into arguments, which fans guessed might happen. Bethenny called Dorinda out on her relationship and said, "You feel the need to be selling John to us." She added that John had pitched her business ideas once they were alone together.
The scene got even better and more entertaining when Jules told the camera, "Dorinda's the host. You don't challenge the host." It seemed like a confusing thing to say since fans know that the cast is going to fight at almost every party they have. Viewers were always curious about Dorinda and John's romance, as they didn't live together or get married, and this was a juicy conversation.
Bethenny Says "Life Is Not A Cabaret!"
In one of the most impactful scenes in RHONY history, a stressed-out and overwhelmed Bethenny shouted at Luann that "life is not a cabaret!"
No matter how many times fans watch this iconic scene, they will see something new and different in it each time. Plenty of fans found Bethenny's complaint that Luann talked about herself and her new interest too much to be totally relatable. Bethenny was also hurt because she helped Luann through her sobriety and felt she wasn't appreciated for it. While fans love this scene because "life is not a cabaret" became one of Bethenny's most famous quotes on The Real Housewives Of New York City, it's also important as a portrait of a friendship at a crossroads.
Dorinda Says Clip, Clip, Clip
When Dorinda kept saying "clip, clip, clip" at a restaurant lunch in season 9, her co-stars were totally shocked and confused. Fans felt the exact same way.
Did "clip, clip, clip" mean Dorinda wanted the others to stop talking? Was she trying to make a joke? Nobody was sure what was going on, and this remains one of the best scenes from RHONY. It was instantly meme- and GIF-worthy and deserves to be watched multiple times so fans can try to find some hidden meaning in it that may or may not exist.
Kelly And Bethenny Meet Up
Fans knew that when Kelly and Bethenny met for drinks, it would be tense, especially since Kelly told the camera beforehand that "Bethenny needed a time-out." This scene started out intense as Bethenny said Kelly was half an hour late and Kelly didn't care. Kelly then told Bethenny that they weren't friends and said, "I will not indulge you in this. We're not the same."
Kelly's harsh words will never be forgotten, and fans can watch this scene over and over again, shocked at how cold and harsh Kelly sounds. Viewers saw this scene from Bethenny's perspective: why did Kelly want to meet up if she was going to be so mean?
Luann Records "Money Can't Buy You Class"
No one could forget the season 3 moment when Luann recorded her first single, "Money Can't Buy You Class" and explained that she had been singing since she was a child. Viewers were definitely surprised when Luann began to sing, as she hadn't really talked about this before.
The song went down in Real Housewives history as Luann kept repeating the same phrase over and over again. It seemed like there had to be more to the song, but that was really it. When fans heard Luann sing the other part of the chorus, "elegance is learned," they knew that this was a big moment that should be watched again and again. The song lyrics made perfect sense to fans, as Luann cares a lot about sophisticated living and even wrote a book on etiquette and manners.
Leah Yells About Ramona
While fans have mixed feelings about RHONY newcomer Leah, she proved that she would always be honest about what she's thinking and feeling in this season 12 scene. When talking to Luann, she said she was "disgusted" by Ramona and found her fake. She also added, "I can honestly barely look at her without wanting to throw up."
This scene was memorable because Leah's comments about her co-star were so harsh and it didn't seem like the situation warranted them. Even though the Real Housewives franchise does have its fair share of arguments and harsh words, this was particularly brutal — and viewers couldn't look away.