Bravo's The Real Housewives is known for drama, drama, and more drama. No matter where the ladies reside, fans can bet on one sure thing: every season and every franchise installment is going to have fireworks. The housewives of New Jersey have been around for an astounding ten seasons, and they are not going anywhere. This is because they all have amazing story arcs and tons of dramatic elements that keep viewers hooked.
Whether Teresa is flipping a table or getting in trouble with the law, or Melissa Gorga is feuding with her sister in law or starting her own business, or Danielle Staub is making enemies left and right, the wives in the Garden State are Queens of dramatic storylines. Here are some of their best.
Dolores And Frank's Funny Relationship
Dolores Catania and Frank had been broken up for decades when they came onto the show. She had been dating and building a dream home with another man, but Frank and Dolores continued to be very involved in each other's lives.
Frank even designed the home that his ex and her new man were hoping to live in! Viewers have always wondered if there was something more than friendship between the former lovers. Their storyline proves that divorce doesn't always mean the worst outcome.
Melissa's Desire For More
Melissa loves her husband Joe, her three children, and her lavish life, but she found that she was missing something. That something ended up being her very own fashion business. Viewers have followed Melissa's dream come to fruition over the last few seasons.
She is loving being behind Envy, but it took her husband some time to also get behind the idea. Joe struggled with the idea of his stay at home wife having her own project, but Melissa has stuck to her guns and become quite the fashion/business mogul.
Jacqueline Laurita's Journey With Her Son
Jacqueline Laurita's son Nicholas is the light of her life and is the second child that the former housewife has with her current husband. Fans followed Laurita's pregnancy, the birth of her son, and his early development years. It became apparent that little Nick had some hardships as he began to grow, and mama Jacqueline and husband Chris wasted no time helping their little guy catch up.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Nick spoke those three magical words, "I love you." The family's love and devotion to their child is one of the most heartfelt storylines that the franchise has ever known.
Ponytail Pull
Hair pulling does happen on occasion in Housewife Land, but it was Danielle's tug on Margaret's locks that sent fans into orbit. Danielle and Margaret were once very close friends, but their relationship fizzled, as all of Danielle's relationships seem to do.
The bad blood between the two came to a head at a fashion event. Glasses got thrown, everyone was screaming, and Danielle yanked Maraget's hair so hard that her head snapped backward!
Ashley Gives Danielle The Business
In season two, Jacqueline Laurita's nearly grown daughter Ashlee took to grown woman business when she stepped to volatile Danielle Staub. There was texting, yelling, hair pulling, and Danielle went as far as to press charges on a young Ashlee.
It was nearly impossible to know who was in the wrong here, as all of the women were acting particularly badly. This incident really helped solidify Danielle as the ultimate reality show villain, and it highlighted Ashlee's immaturity.
Family Feuds
Teresa and Joe have been on the show since the very beginning, and Teresa's brother and sister in law came on board in their third season.
Since then, we have seen the families feud over and over again. Teresa has made her feelings for Melissa well known, and viewers have witnessed the husbands go at each other a time or two. Sometimes the feelings between the Gorgas and Guidices settle, but then they ramp right up again.
The Table Flip Heard Around The World
The housewives can get really heated, but the Jersey Girls take that to a whole other level. In early seasons, Teresa Guidice took issue with Danielle Staub and her very twisty past. She confronted Danielle at a group dinner, where she became so angry that she actually flipped the dinner table.
Food went flying, and tempers reached epic levels. The great table flip made for awesome reality television and kept viewers interested in Teresa and Danielle's relationship for years to come.
Danielle's Failed Marriage
Danielle Staub comes and goes. Some seasons she is MIA, and in others, she is front and center. Danielle's major storyline is she is one of the most hated characters that the franchise has ever known. She is also notorious for her many failed engagements and relationships.
She thought that she found her true love when she said I Do to Marty, but that marriage ended like all of the others. While her union wasn't meant for forever, at least her bridezilla moments are sealed in film-time for all of eternity.
Joe And Teresa Encounter Legal Issues
Joe and Teresa Guidice were the perfect couple to four beautiful daughters until their facade came crashing down around them. The pair got caught up with the law, which sent Teresa to prison, followed by Joe.
Fans of the show were floored that the famous reality couple got handed strict sentences, and life as Tre and Joe knew it came to a screeching halt. Years after their incarcerations, the two continue to feel the effects of their ill-fated decisions.
The Divorce No One Saw Coming
The only storyline more surprising than Joe and Teresa landing in jail was Joe and Teresa deciding to then end their long marriage. While they showed fans a united front as they faced a dismal future following their indictment, the damage to their relationship had been done.
After Joe was released from prison, then was forced to head across seas to live, the two made the painful decision to end their union.