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The Real Housewives franchise is incredibly popular and just seems to keep garnering more and more attention each season. It began as a spinoff of the hit series Desperate Housewives, and has now become a huge empire for Bravo. It all began with The Real Housewives of Orange County back in 2006, and now embraces Atlanta, Miami, Washington, New York City, Beverly Hills, Dallas, and New Jersey, just to name a few.
There's something about watching the inner workings of the lifestyles of the rich and famous that makes fans addicted and eternally tuned in. Of course, anyone that has ever seen any of The Real Housewives series is all-too-aware of the number one draw that seems to keep fans locked in and always wanting more... the drama! These shows are loosely considered to be reality TV as Life Hacker reports, there's just no telling how the ladies will act, or react in certain situations, and fans are mesmerized by the lavish lifestyles they put on full display. The Real Housewives series has generated a whole lot of money for Bravo, and for the stars themselves, who are now reaping the benefits of their newfound fame.
The Real Housewives Is Really Lucrative For The Network
The Real Housewives is said to feature some of the wealthiest women in each area that's featured, and their luxurious habits and spending sprees are beyond the scope of the average person's wildest dreams. Fans are consistently tuning in to see the fancy outfits these ladies are wearing, and are curious to see how they spend their days.
Getting a sneak peek into the mansions that they reside in, and being let in to their lives to the extent that they're able to witness shopping sprees, elaborate dining and supercars is every fans biggest envy.
It's no secret however, that with each fan that tunes in, viewership grows for the network, and its not just the ladies that make even more money. Bravo continues to earn huge dollars for every series that they launch... and there are several that continue to thrive.
The Ladies Branch Off Into Independent Wealth
The premise of the series is to take wealthy women who primarily rely on their husbands for money and demonstrate the bizarre, privileged lives that they lead. For the most part, these women rely on the wealth they married into in order to maintain their lavish lifestyles. However, the tables really do turn after they appear on the show. They are launched to entirely new levels of fame, are able to tap in to a brand new, fresh audience, and for many of the Real Housewives, they've learned just how to maximize on this new income stream.
Several of these leading ladies have gone on to launch their own business ventures, piggy backing on the attention they receive from their fame on the show. Lisa Rinna, from The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills launched her very own cosmetics line, Kyle Richards developed her own retail store, and LeeAnne Locken from The Real Housewives Of Dallas has come up with L'Infinity Dress, just to name a few. Perhaps the most notorious newfound wealth from the show comes in the example of Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives Of New York City sold her Skinnygirl cocktail line for $100 million.... and still retains the ability to market other products under the same brand name.
That's a far cry from relying on their rich husband's money, and it's all thanks to their exposure on the show.
Money-Focused At All Costs
The major focus of all The Real Housewives shows that fall under this franchise, is of course, money. Rich husbands, wealthy women and the lives they lead, are all driving up the dramatic elements that make fans want to watch more and more of the ongoing drama that unfolds.
Yet, if these women were so wealthy in the first place, fans question why they aren't topping the Forbes list, and even more particularly - why would they need to appear on the show and be paid to be featured, if they were already worth so much?
The answer is simple. The fame. The competition The drama... and the attention and insecurity. This franchise puts so much emphasis on the almighty dollar that nothing seems out of reach, or out of bounds. Plastic surgery is plentiful, vacations are luxurious, and the fashion is an endless stream of designer everything.
With so much focus on money, fans may be shocked to learn that some of these famous ladies that are featured on the show are doing so for the simple fact that they need a job and are ready to fake it until they make it. Many of them started off living comfortably but have then gone on to see their expenses exceed their income, as they compete with the lives of the others on the show.
A classic example lies within Kim Richards, a socialite and aunt of the very famous Paris Hilton. She appeared on several seasons on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, made a good fortune as an actress, and was married to wealthy men not once, but twice, with two divorce settlements in the bat. Yet somehow, she manages to over spend and is constantly complaining about being broke. Trying to keep up with others in the franchise has been one of the key elements of her demise, as she struggles to put on airs and spend the same way they do, on things she most definitely cannot afford.
Whether they have it, have lost it, or have married in to it, the lades of The Real Housewives franchise have made money, earned the network money, and found ways to monopolize on their fame, for better, or for worse, for richer, and sometimes even, for poorer.
Sources: Life Hacker,The List, Time
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