The Real Housewives of Orange County is monumental in itself for being the first city in the Real Housewives franchise. With Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge leading the pack as some of the longest-running Housewives, some of the most iconic moments happened on their dime.
However, Tamra and Vicki aren't the only ones who deserve credit. The 20+ past and present Housewives have created monumental content that Housewives fans continue to talk about today. From Brooks' cancer scheme to Shannon's wild divorce on camera, the moments in the RHOC universe deserve a museum for its entertainment.
'Boogie Fights' (11;5)
This monumental moment had both fighting and costumes. At a well-intentioned '70s party, an argument quickly broke out between most of the guests. Shannon's new friend called Kelly out on a massive secret: she had a boyfriend while still married to Michael, which caused a huge argument between Kelly and Shannon. Meanwhile, David overhears Vicki talking about Shannon, which turned into a war of words. David calls Vicki out for lying about her boyfriend Brooks' cancer, and Vicki insults David by calling him a cheater. Meanwhile, everyone watches in awe while in full costume.
'Is This All There Is?' (5;15)
While Tamra has had her fair share of arguments with the women, she's also had a ton of fights with her ex-husband Simon. Fans met Simon during Tamra's first season as he was her husband. But as time went on, the two were clearly on their way out and despised each other.
It all came to a head in 'Is This All There Is?' when Tamra and Simon were arguing in the back of a limo on their way to a party. Sick of it all, Tamra screams "I want a divorce!" to Simon in the car. The two ride in silence but shockingly put on brave faces for the party. Tamra couldn't help but bawl in the bushes while Vicki tried figuring out what was happening. It was a monumental episode for Tamra.
'Fire Signs' (10;16-17)
A majority of season 10 focused on Brooks' supposed cancer diagnosis. Vicki was beside herself at her boyfriend's diagnosis and begged for support from the women. But support is not what she got at Shannon's Aries party.
Some of the women were disturbed by Meghan's allegations of Brooks not having cancer, while others wanted to know more about the research she had done. Brooks and Vicki caught wind of what Meghan had been saying and confronted her about it. Considering Meghan was right all along, it's something that Vicki (and Brooks) will never live down.
'Broken Records' (10;17)
A continuation from above, fans supported Meghan in doing the work that everyone else was afraid to do regarding Brooks' cancer diagnosis.
After hearing about Brooks' PET and CT scans, Meghan called the facility Brooks was visiting and asked specifically if they ran PET, CT scans, or treated those with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, all of which the facility denied. Meghan stirred the pot in this episode, but she ended up being 100% correct in her assumptions. This moment alone made it monumental in Real Housewives history.
'Meet The Wives' (1;1)
'Meet the Wives' was the start of it all — The Real Housewives of Orange County pilot. It's impossible to talk about monumental episodes and not talk about the episode that hooked viewers.
The episode is very different from the episodes that air today, but it still followed a group of incredibly wealthy women as they went about their lives in Orange County. Jo was the youngest in the group and she introduced herself to the women at a bbq. It's then that she introduced her then-boyfriend, Slade, who later went on to date former Housewives, Lauri Peterson and Gretchen Rossi. This introduction was and is monumental.
'Finale Part I: Let Them Eat Cake' (7;19)
In season 7, Heather was finally ready to legally make her last name her husband's, Dubrow. Fans supported Heather as she made this decision, and she wanted to throw a party to celebrate the name change. One of the biggest aspects of the party was this massive cake with Heather's new initials on it. She was so proud of this cake and couldn't wait to cut it in front of her guests.
Heather's plan was ruined, however, when Alexis Bellino's friend, Sarah, stepped in and took a bite of the cake before it was cut. Heather was so appalled by this stranger's actions that a huge argument broke out. Heather and Terry kicked her and Alexis out of the party and considered it ruined because of the snacked-on cake. The moment was so shocking that fans will never forget it.
'Girl Fight' (6;13)
Tamra and Simon were not a great relationship in the series and she's proved that she's far better off with her current husband, Eddie Judge. Nevertheless, former Housewife and friend, Jeana Keough, gave a few negative interviews regarding Tamra and her former marriage to Simon, which Tamra detested.
Tamra approached Jeana at a party over her interviews, but when Jeana didn't back down, Tamra waved a cease and desist in her face. Jeana laughed the paper off and warned Tamra to get out of her face. Instead, Tamra threw the letter and a glass of red wine at Jeana and stormed away. What transpired was more wine tosses and pushes from Tamra and Jeana supporters. The night was scandalous but monumental nevertheless.
'Cold Shoulders' (8;18)
'Cold Shoulders' was monumental for a few reasons. For starters, Vicki's family (including her daughter and son-in-law, Ryan), who are no longer shown on the series, caused a whirlwind of drama at Vicki's Winter Wonderland-themed party.
While Tamra makes up with Jim Bellino outside, Ryan is inside scolding Lydia's mother. Ryan saw Lydia's mom lying on Vicki's new couch with her shoes on. Ryan berated the woman for being rude in a home that wasn't hers and it soon got to the other Housewives. At the heart of it, Ryan was going through a lot with his latest deployment and loathed the fact that Vicki was with Brooks. Meanwhile, the controversies continue when Vicki confronts Slade and Gretchen over their public remarks on her appearance.
'You Can Dish It But You Can't Take It' (5;12)
One of the most shocking and underrated moments in the entire series was when Lynne Curtin found out on camera that not only was her family broke, but they were being evicted from their home. Their daughter was served with papers of eviction while on camera.
When Lynne confronted her husband about what was happening, he admitted they had nothing to their name and he didn't know how to tell her the truth. No matter how much she and their daughters spent, he didn't have the heart to tell them they had no money to back it up. The moment was incredibly dark and a first in Real Housewives history.
'Naked Wasted' (4;8)
Tamra and Vicki were not fond of the new Housewife, Gretchen Rossi, in her first season and thought the best way to haze her was to get her "naked wasted." At a dinner party, Tamara continued feeding Gretchen shots of tequila to the point where Gretchen was one of the only drunk people at the table. What made this scary instead of funny was how Tamra was encouraging her son Ryan to flirt with Gretchen — even though Gretchen was engaged at that moment. Gretchen and Ryan eventually slipped away without cameras, and Gretchen left shortly after. It was a wild dinner party that did not show Tamra in the best light.