There’s a reason why The Real Housewives of New York ranks as one of the favorites amongst the franchise.
The show has continued to be popular since its very first episode in March 2008.
And now, 12 years later, viewers are still very much interested in the on and offscreen lives of these rich and outspoken New York City women.
RHONY always gives us watercooler moments that make our jaws drop or have us rolling on the floor with laughter.
Whether you are laughing at them or with them, you can’t say these women don’t make good reality TV.
So it wasn’t easy picking just five of the craziest moments from the long list, but here goes!
1. Kelly Bensimon goes berserk on Scary Island
Kelly Bensimon didn’t have a long run on RHONY, but she still managed to give us one the most confusing, yet memorable moments in the show’s history.
Who could possibly forget “Scary Island” and Kelly’s absolutely bizarre behavior during the cast trip to the Virgin Islands?
During what can only be described as a dinner from hell, Kelly told the women that she threw up several times before coming on the trip. Why? Well, she was afraid Bethenny would try to kill her in her sleep with a butter knife.
But she wasn’t done yet. After rambling on about Alex McCord looking like a vampire, the former model then said the women were acting like witches and channeling Hades.
Sonja Morgan tried to make sense of the nonsense, but to no avail, and as we watched the housewife unravel and go off the deep end, it became clear that something deeper was going on.
Thankfully, the mom-of-two left the trip early and hopefully got some professional help for her issues. The entire situation in the Virgin Islands was so bizarre that it was soon dubbed “Scary Island.”
2. Aviva Drescher throws her prosthetic leg
It’s a little shocking that Aviva Drescher didn’t last longer than she did on the Real Housewives of New York because she sure knew how to bring the drama.
Whether it was her crippling fear of traveling without her husband or her sexually hyped-up father who always had a raunchy story to tell, Aviva was an OG in the making. Sadly, she didn’t quite make it!
What she did, however, was give us a moment in Season 6 that can never be replicated because well, what are the chances of Bravo finding another New York housewife with a prosthetic leg?
And that’s what you’ll need in order to recreate this memorable moment.
During a dinner party hosted by Sonja Morgan, the women had a bone to pick with Aviva, who they accused of not being honest with them.
The accusation spurred Aviva to unstrap her prosthetic leg and slam it on the table, saying, “The only thing that is artificial or fake about me is this!”
Then, she threw her leg on the floor as party guests stared and gasped in disbelief!
Despite the crazy moment, the two-season housewife was reportedly fired by Bravo soon after, but what a way to go out!
3. Bethenny’s “Life is not a cabaret” meltdown in Miami
Bethenny left RHONY with a bang in Season 11!
She gave us the now-infamous line, “Life is not a cabaret,” while screaming at Luann de Lesseps and going into full panic mode.
Who could blame her, though? The former countess was galloping on her high horse after a successful run with her new cabaret show.
During the Miami trip, Luann was too self-involved to realize that her castmates were frustrated with her antics. And as tensions continued to build up, things came to a head during a night out.
At the cast’s dinner out on the town, Bethenny exploded at a shocked Luann, who was still in her own little cabaret world.
Bethenny was already dealing with the death of her ex-fiance Dennis, and the confrontation caused a panic attack that left the cast in shock.
It seems the Skinny Girl head honcho also had some pent-up anger against Luann for not checking up on her after Dennis died. She let it all out during the shocking tirade.
“Every day, it’s about you!” screamed Bethenny, ” Every f***ing day, it’s about you.”
Luann clutched her pearls, as the women tried to calm Bethenny down, telling her, “You’re going to have a heart attack.”
This was Bethenny’s last season on the RHONY series, but it’s hard to forget this epic Miami meltdown.
4. Luann de Lesseps and the married pirate
This moment was shocking because back in the early days of RHONY, Luann was in full countess mode.
Manners and etiquette were always at the forefront of her mind, and she constantly scolded her castmates whenever they made a faux pas.
So no one expected Luann, of all people, to have a rendezvous with a pirate during a drunken night in Turks and Caicos.
The women were enjoying their cast trip in the Caribbean, but things turned sour after a drunken night of partying.
When they woke up the next morning and found Luann’s pirate friend lying naked in bed, they were livid.
It turns out the pirate was also a married man, plus Luann was dating her boyfriend, Jacques, at the time.
However, when the ladies confronted the countess, she just wanted everyone to “be cool.”
This was when Luann delivered the classic line that we still remember today: “Be cool, don’t be all like uncool.”
The cringe-worthy line has stood the test of time, and we still use it in conversations.
As for the pirate, Luann swears that they didn’t sleep together, but absolutely no one believes her story.
5. Ramona’s epic runway walk
Say what you want about Ramona Singer, but let’s not pretend that she’s not reality TV gold.
During Season 3 of RHONY, castmates Alex McCord and Kelly Bensimon were both asked to walk in their friend’s runway show.
Not one to be left out, Ramona Singer asked if she could be included in the show as well.
On the big night, family and friends were sitting front row waiting to see the three ladies strut their stuff, and let’s just say Ramona gave them much more than they had bargained for.
As she started to walk down the runway, Ramona Singer appeared to be utterly possessed as if an alien had invaded her entire body.
She puffed out her chest, mechanically swung her hips and arms from side to side, and bulged her eyes out so much they appeared to be popping out of their sockets.
If tears didn’t come to your eyes from laughing when you first watched this epic scene, you deserve an award.
It was a hysterical moment now commemorated in a GIF!
— ♥♣ ????? ??? ♛ (@Alicatj2011) September 22, 2020
The New York Housewives have given us so many memorable moments over the years that it was hard settling on the five craziest ones.
But, if you’re a die-hard RHONY fan, you’ll certainly appreciate the hilarious moments that made it onto our list.
We hope you go back and re-watch some of these classic scenes that have cemented New York as one of the best cities in the Housewives franchise.