Crystal Kung Minkoff joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last year, and fans have found her to be the most unlikable housewife on the show. She received her diamond for RHOBH season 11, which aired in 2021. Initially, fans and fellow housewives were excited for Crystal to join, with Kyle Richards even stating in an interview that she expected Crystal would “be really good for the show.” Kyle may not have meant that Crystal would be good for drama, but that’s exactly what fans got from her.
In the first few episodes of her debut season, Crystal found herself at odds with Sutton Stracke. During a girl’s trip to Lake Tahoe, Crystal and Sutton’s feud began after Kyle shared an enlightening conversation about racial bias she had with Garcelle Beauvais. Sutton became uncomfortable during the discussion, stating that she “doesn’t see color” and thinks of everyone as equal. Crystal, as an Asian-American woman, took issue with Sutton’s idea of color-blindness and tried to explain how it’s an outdated way of thinking. While fans supported her message, it seemed like Crystal wasn’t off to a good start with Sutton.
The following day, they argued again after a misunderstanding when Crystal kicked Sutton on their ride home from dinner. After Crystal went to bed, in an attempt to make amends, Sutton returned Crystal her coat that had been left downstairs. In doing so, Sutton accidentally walked in on Crystal undressed in her room. This started another feud when Crystal told everyone that Sutton made her feel “violated.” Understandably, Sutton was taken aback by this. Sutton asked again and again for Crystal to use a different word; her view was that by Crystal saying she "violated" her, it meant that she directly went out of her way to disrespect and harm her, which wasn’t the case. Nonetheless, Crystal refused to retract her statement though.
Once back in Beverly Hills, Lisa Rinna invited the housewives to dinner at her home. Sutton brought up again how uncomfortable she was around Crystal from their arguments at Lake Tahoe. Garcelle tried to steer the disagreement to a close and asked what exactly Sutton needed from Crystal so they could all move on. Sutton asked Crystal for an apology and to admit that “violate” was too harsh of a word for the situation, but Crystal stubbornly stood her ground. She continued defending her use of the word, even going so far as to repeat the definition. Though it upset Sutton greatly, Crystal wouldn’t budge at all and seemed content to let Sutton be hurt by her words.
Things eventually settled between the two ladies, but many viewers still find Crystal unlikable after making Sutton out to be a creep in Lake Tahoe. Fans of RHOBH thought that Crystal’s treatment of Sutton was harsh, going so far as to label Crystal a mean girl. Whether she’s loved or hated, Crystal is sure to bring more drama when she returns for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 12.