10 ‘Real Housewives’ Who Were One and Done — Which 1 Deserves a Second Chance?
The Real Housewives franchise has been part of Bravo for more than a decade. It has featured dozens of different cast members from Beverly Hills to New York City, and everywhere else in between.
But not every lady who receives her diamond, apple, orange, peach, etc… is a success on the show. Some have only lasted just one season before calling it quits. Here are 10 Real Housewives who were one and done. Which one deserves a second chance?
10. Kimberly Bryant — ‘RHOC’ season 1
Kimberly Bryant was part of the very first cast of the very first Housewives incarnation — Real Housewives of Orange County — all the way back in 2006. She is the original one-season wonder. But due to battling skin cancer multiple times, Kimberly left the OC to get out of the California sun. She now lives in the midwest, and her kids are grown and out of the house.
“The show has morphed into this huge phenomenon that’s much more dramatic, with a lot of backbiting and nastiness,” she said, per The Daily Dish. “When I was on it, we sort of made it up as we went along. It was part documentary and part soap opera, but it was all tongue-in-cheek. I was very naive when I went into it. But I have to admit, I had a blast.”
9. Cindy Barshop — ‘Real Housewives of New York’ season 4
Cindy Barshop joined the RHONY cast for season 4 — the first without Bethenny Frankel. She was sort of a “replacement” for the SkinnyGirl mogul, and that wasn’t an easy job. She only lasted one season, which ended up being a brutal one for most of the cast.
In addition to Barshop leaving after season 4, Alex McCord, Kelly Bensimon, and Jill Zarin all got caught up in a major cast overhaul.
“Following the reunion, it was clear that the women genuinely didn’t like each other anymore,” Barshop told ABC News.
8. DeShawn Snow — ‘RHOA’ season 1
DeShawn Snow told Essence magazine in 2009 that leaving the Real Housewives of Atlanta after just one season wasn’t her decision. She admitted she didn’t see it coming, and she was hurt when Bravo cut her from the cast.
“[One of the producers] called and said that I was ‘too human for a circus show’ and that because the show did so well, they are about to pump up the drama and they didn’t think that I would fit in,” Snow explained.
She later said that it was a good thing she left RHOA when she did: “When I left the show, my life just totally changed… I don’t know if I would have wanted to go through all that on camera. So, it all worked out for me. I have no regrets.”
7. Carlton Gebbia — ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ season 4
Gebbia was a self-proclaimed Wiccan who appeared in season 4 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She loved feuding with fan-favorite Kyle Richards, and says she put a “curse on her” during her single season on the show.
“I honestly went in with no preconceived notions about anyone on the show,” she told The Daily Dish. “I definitely–probably from the get-go and right up until the end–would get gut instincts about Kyle and definitely my intuition about her was right on. So I actually didn’t think I would get along with Kim [Richards], but I ended up not a fan of Kyle.”
Gebbia was definitely one of the more unique Housewives to appear in the franchise, but she just didn’t vibe with the rest of the RHOBH cast. She said during a 2014 interview that getting fired from the show was a “blessing in disguise.”
6. Jules Wainstein — ‘RHONY’ season 8
Fans may recall that Jules Wainstein’s only season of Real Housewives of New York was the epic season where Luann de Lesseps met Tom D’Agostino. Needless to say, Weinstein had a tough time standing out in a cast full of big personalities.
To make matters worse, she split up with her husband while the season was airing. Her rep told E! News at the time that because of her divorce, she was putting her family first and not returning to the Bravo series.
5. Claudia Jordan — ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 7
Claudia Jordan’s only season of Real Housewives of Atlanta featured her on-going feud with NeNe Leakes. Bravo never revealed why they gave her the boot after just one season, but many speculated it had to do with her neverending beef with the RHOA OG.
To this day, Jordan’s altercation with Leakes during their cast trip to Puerto Rico is considered one of the most epic in franchise history. Jordan came out on top, and that most likely sealed her fate on the show.
Leakes told Extra TV after season 7 that she probably wouldn’t be back unless a certain someone — a non-married cast member who didn’t have kids, i.e. Jordan — was fired.
”I don’t know if I’ll return or not, I don’t know. I will return, however, if some of the other girls leave the show because the show is called The Real Housewives Of Atlanta. There are a lot of women on the show this season that are single, they’re not moms, they’re not married, they’re not dating,” Leakes said.
4. Katie Rost — ‘RHOP’ season 1
Real Housewives of Potomac got off to a bit of a rough start compared to the other series in the franchise, which led to a few cast changes after the first season. One of the season 1 casualties was Katie Rost, who Bravo decided against asking back for season 2.
According to BuddyTV, the single mother of three was fired for a few possible reasons. Including her on-again/off-again fiance Andrew Martin refusing to participate, and her ex-husband not allowing her three children to film.
“Sad to announce I will not be on #RHOP this season:-( Can’t make my life exciting enough. #DeliveredTomorrow,” she tweeted, then deleted.
3. Lizzie Rovsek — ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ season 9
Lizzie Rovsek just didn’t fit in with the ladies of Orange County, and she didn’t bring much drama either. The whole cast — except for Vicki Gunvalson — actually ditched Lizzie’s birthday party. If they weren’t going to show up, why should fans watch the event at all?
Except for yelling at Tamra Judge during the cast trip to Bali, Lizzie ended up being a pretty unforgettable RHOC cast member. It’s not clear if Bravo fired her or if she quit. But either way, she just wasn’t a good fit for the world of reality TV.
2. Kathryn Edwards — ‘RHOBH’ season 6
Kathryn Edwards was a former model and the wife of retired NFL star Donnie Edwards who immediately tried to team up with Lisa Vanderpump for her one season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. But her goal of becoming besties with the SUR owner didn’t happen because of a rookie mistake, making it clear she couldn’t be trusted.
Erika Jayne tried to warn Kathryn about the RHOBH OG, and told her to be careful. The moment their conversation ended, Kathryn went straight to LVP and told her what she had said.
The other women didn’t like this behavior, and viewers just couldn’t connect with her. Bravo opted not to renew her contract after just one season, and Kathryn ended up issuing an apology to her castmates for her behavior.
1. Kim Fields — ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 8
Kim Fields grew up as a child actor in Hollywood and was the star of two hit TV shows — Facts of Life and Living Single. But she wasn’t prepared for her brief stint on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Fields was just too sweet and demure for RHOA season 8, and it became clear rather quickly that she wasn’t a good fit. Kenya Moore was a straight-up mean girl to Fields, making the actor miserable during her time on RHOA.
The former beauty queen got up in Fields’ face during the cast trip to Jamaica, calling her boring, pulling her chair, and telling her she needed to leave. Moore later apologized for her behavior, saying she was “mortified” and it was a “big mistake.”
“It was uncalled for. It was absolutely unacceptable, and I apologize for that behavior,” Moore said.
Moore’s worst offense against Fields came when she insinuated that her husband Christopher Morgan was gay.
“I’m done,” Fields said on the Ricky Smiley Radio Show, per Bustle. “I think about too, at the beginning of the season, what did my mama say? ‘Get in and get out.’ Listen to your mama.”
Fans can usually catch some version of the Real Housewives most nights on Bravo.
