The BEST episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County

Every episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County!

Bravo brings you into the lives of five women and their families who live in one of the wealthiest communities in the country. They take the viewer "inside the gates" to show their lives aren't always perfect.

Last Updated: 3/16/2024Network: BravoStatus: Continuing
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Whine Pairings
star
8.89
54 votes

#1 - Whine Pairings

Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/1/2011

Peggy and Micah throwing their annual dinner party and hire celebrity chefs, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Miliken of Border Grill, to cater the event. Tamra’s new boyfriend, Eddie, meets the ladies for the first time. During the party, Alexis causes a scene and flees the table, leaving Peggy livid and Donn is shocked by Vicki’s comment to the group about wishing they had started their own family together. Mary Sue Miliken of Border Grill is a contestant on Top Chef Masters 3.

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Is This All There Is?
star
8.29
21 votes

#2 - Is This All There Is?

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/4/2010

Season 5 finale. The housewives prepare to attend the season finale party. Vicki, still hurt by the San Francisco trip, vows to stay clear of drama. Gretchen and Slade color-coordinate outfits, looking (according to Vicki) as the plastic toppers of a wedding cake. Lynn's daughters arrive at the party obviously under the influence, and Lynn excuses herself for knowing stating that the limo was big and she didn't know what her daughter's were up to. Tamra and Simon have a heated argument in the limo on the way to the party, with Tamra stating that she wants a divorce. The show ends with a recap of each housewife as is the tradition, and the last summary is that Tamra and Simon are divorcing.

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Bowling for Champs
star
8.29
21 votes

#3 - Bowling for Champs

Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/10/2012

Eddie stands by Tamra through her surgery; Jim wants Alexis to be a stay-at-home mom again; Heather invites the girls to a bowling party.

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Cold Shoulders
star
8.27
26 votes

#4 - Cold Shoulders

Season 8 - Episode 18 - Aired 8/5/2013

Gretchen and Heather argue; when her husband faces the ladies, Alexis is brought to tears; Briana's husband verbally attacks a party guest; Tamra and Gretchen accuse each other of lies; Vicki and Lydia ambush Slade.

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Fashion Victim
star
8.17
23 votes

#5 - Fashion Victim

Season 6 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/22/2011

Peggy orchestrates a surprise trip to Las Vegas with her husband. Also there to spin giddy in Sin City: Tamra and Eddie. Meanwhile, Gretchen corners Slade about the debt-related problems of their relationship. And a fashion show is held, but a medical emergency causes a no-show and mounting drama.

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Are You In or Out?
star
8.14
21 votes

#6 - Are You In or Out?

Season 7 - Episode 20 - Aired 6/26/2012

Drama continues at Heather's party; Sarah acts strangely; Tamra and Gretchen commemorate their new friendship with a gift; Jim confronts Terry about calling Alexis phony; Vicki and Tamra fight.

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Happily Never After
star
8.13
24 votes

#7 - Happily Never After

Season 7 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/15/2012

Slade's engagement ring shopping plans; Alexis throws a birthday party for her twins; Tamra gets a tattoo removed; Vicki and Briana fight.

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Who's Laughing Now
star
8.09
23 votes

#8 - Who's Laughing Now

Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/28/2012

Tamra tries to convince Vicki that her friendship with Gretchen won't overshadow their bond, while on the other side of town, Alexis and Heather meet for a doomed lunch to try and work out their differences. Vicki and her daughter Briana have a heart-to-heart about Vicki's new boyfriend, and Briana informs her mother of an upcoming surgery she must undergo. Meanwhile, Slade is trying out a new career -- comedy -- and against Gretchen's wishes, his routine at the Improv is laden with Housewife-insulting jokes. How will Gretchen react when Slade ridicules her friends in public?

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Under the Knife
star
8.08
24 votes

#9 - Under the Knife

Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/19/2012

A nervous Alexis undergoes sinus surgery, where her plastic surgeon additionally removes a bump from her nose. Meanwhile, Vicki is distraught as Briana's thyroid surgery went worse than expected. Tamra visits her doctor and decides to have her breast implants removed. Then, Heather plans a glamorous trip to L.A. to get some advice on opening a restaurant, but who needs freeways when you can take a helicopter? Gretchen watches a rehearsal of the Pussycat Dolls in preparation for her Las Vegas debut, but will she realize that she's in over her head?

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Girl Fight
star
8.00
25 votes

#10 - Girl Fight

Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/5/2011

In the Season 6 finale, Vicki leaves the hospital and continues to deal with her personal problems. Despite all this, she still hosts her annual fall party. Drama lets loose at the bash, especially when ex-cast member Jeana Keough reenters the picture.

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The Party's Over
star
8.00
23 votes

#11 - The Party's Over

Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/13/2012

The Bunco Party takes an uncomfortable turn when Slade and some of the O.C. men, invited by Tamra, join the party. Confronted immediately about the insulting things he said about Vicki in his comedy routine, Slade aggressively defends himself. And though Vicki tries to make a graceful exit, she soon finds herself drawn back inside to have the last word. Jumping to Slade's defense, Gretchen and Vicki get into a vicious screaming match, where Gretchen accuses Vicki of being a hypocrite. And just when everyone thinks the drama is over, Alexis gets defensive when Tamra and Heather call her out on her upcoming nose job. Later, once the party drama has passed, Alexis goes in for her surgery, and Vicki's daughter Briana heads to the hospital to have her thyroid removed, fearing the worst -- cancer.

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Will He or Wont He
star
8.00
22 votes

#12 - Will He or Wont He

Season 7 - Episode 18 - Aired 6/12/2012

Alexis reports on-location for the news; Gretchen discovers Slade's plan to propose leading to a confrontation; Eddie surprises Tamra with a surprise romantic getaway.

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Secrets Revealed
star
8.00
21 votes

#13 - Secrets Revealed

Season 9 - Episode 21 - Aired 9/8/2014

Previously unseen footage from Season 9 is presented. Included: a playful painting party; a duck dinner in Bali; a therapy session; and reunion dramas.

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Monkey Business
star
7.95
21 votes

#14 - Monkey Business

Season 7 - Episode 17 - Aired 6/5/2012

Heather and Tamra call Alexis phony; a white water rafting trip shakes Vicki to her core, resulting in an emotional breakdown.

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Let's Bow Our Heads and Pray
star
7.95
19 votes

#15 - Let's Bow Our Heads and Pray

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/18/2010

The ladies are finishing their lunch in San Francisco. What started out as a fight between Alexis Bellino and Vicki Gunvalson ends up with everyone taking the opportunity to tell Vicki just what they think of her. Back in Orange County, Lynne’s daughter, Raquel, tells her friends about the family’s eviction. Tamra Barney and Vicki try to figure out where their friendship stands. Alexis and her husband, Jim, invite their pastor and his wife to breakfast. They talk about the role of modern day Christians and how Alexis feels judged for her beauty and looks. Gretchen and her boyfriend, Slade Smiley, are off to Palm Springs for a weekend getaway with her parents. It’s Tamra’s 42nd birthday and her husband, Simon, takes her out for a romantic dinner.

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The Honeymoon is Over
star
7.94
18 votes

#16 - The Honeymoon is Over

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/21/2012

Tamra's budding friendship with Gretchen affects Vicki; Alexis and Heather try to make amends over lunch; Vicki and her daughter have a deep conversation about Vicki's new boyfriend; and Slade tries to launch a new career as a comic.

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Here Comes The Bride
star
7.94
16 votes

#17 - Here Comes The Bride

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/22/2008

Season 3's finale brought new beginnings and some endings to the OC, the biggest of which being the celebration of Lauri and George's wedding. Lauri continued to work things out with her son, Josh, with the help of a mediator, and Josh made it to his mom's special day. Viewers finally met "Roxie," Quinn's alter ego, but it wasn't enough to save Quinn's relationship with Billy, which ended. And finally, Jo returned to make an appearance at one of Jeana's many outdoor get-togethers, updating the ladies on the status of her musical career.

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Reunion (Part 3)
star
7.93
27 votes

#18 - Reunion (Part 3)

Season 8 - Episode 21 - Aired 8/26/2013

Briana and Vicki's boyfriend confront each other, leaving Vicki in tears.

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Reunion Special (Part 1)
star
7.92
12 votes

#19 - Reunion Special (Part 1)

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/10/2010

In Part 1 of a two-part reunion installment, the Orange County wives reassemble to comment on all the hissing, dissing and dishing of Season 5. Andy Cohen hosts.

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Dirty Dancing in Mexico
star
7.91
54 votes

#20 - Dirty Dancing in Mexico

Season 8 - Episode 11 - Aired 6/10/2013

While still in Puerto Vallarta, Vicki, Lydia and Tamra continue their night away partying — while Heather and Gretchen continue to sit back in the limo. Gretchen tells Vicki how much she was annoyed by her antics but Tamra shocks the ladies when she tells the specifics of her past to Gretchen. Back at the resort, Mexican strippers arrive to spice up the night but Lydia is a bit nervous about the whole situation. Alexis, home in Orange County, asks Jim for an item that he is unwilling to purchase.

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What's New Pussy Cat
star
7.85
20 votes

#21 - What's New Pussy Cat

Season 7 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/24/2012

Heather goes to Hollywood for an audition; Alexis hires a coach; the ladies go to Las Vegas to watch Gretchen perform.

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Let Bygones Be Bygones
star
7.83
18 votes

#22 - Let Bygones Be Bygones

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/14/2010

Lynne Curtin meets Gretchen Rossi to discuss the conversation she had with Lynne’s teen daughter Alexa, about her alleged drinking and depression. Vicki invites Tamra to an "all girls" slumber party at her house. Vicki is excited to host a girls-only slumber party to make up for the fact that the men crashed the recent girls trip to Ft. Lauderdale. Later, Vicki surprises her friends by bringing in a psychic who reads their auras and they are caught off guard by some of his insightful readings.

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He Said What
star
7.82
28 votes

#23 - He Said What

Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/6/2012

Heather tells Tamra that she and Vicki were the butt of Slade's jokes in his insulting comedy routine, and Tamra doesn't think it's funny at all. When Tamra tells Vicki about Slade's comedy routine, she feels insulted, but is distracted by her daughter Briana's upcoming thyroid surgery, which could reveal if she has cancer. Alexis works herself into a frenzy over her upcoming nose surgery because she's convinced that her doctor must remove her nose entirely from her face to take off the bump. At Tamra's '80s-themed Bunco Party, a friend brings up Slade's jokes and a simmering controversy explodes into full-on conflict. While Gretchen jumps to Slade's defense, Tamra tries to diffuse the situation by revealing a surprise -- much to Vicki's horror.

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Southern Hospitality
star
7.82
28 votes

#24 - Southern Hospitality

Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/14/2012

At Vicki's tension-filled dinner party, Peggy and Alexis reach a boiling point, and Peggy decides to close the chapter on her friendship with Alexis and the other women. Gretchen poses for a nude photo shoot for a charitable cause, while OC's newest housewife, Heather, has it all and isn't afraid to let everyone know it. Meanwhile, Vicki and Tamra go on an overnight trip to Catalina with their boyfriends that nearly ends before it begins when Tamra overreacts and puts Brooks in an embarrassing situation.

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You Can Dish It But You Can't Take It
star
7.80
25 votes

#25 - You Can Dish It But You Can't Take It

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/11/2010

Lynne Curtin’s daughters, Raquel and Alexa, are home alone when a stranger knocks on the door and hands Raquel an eviction notice. Vicki Gunvalson hears terrifying health news about her daughter, Brianna. Alexis Bellino and Gretchen Rossi meet for dinner and discuss Lynne’s housewarming party the night before. The ladies head to San Francisco for a girls weekend away. At dinner that night, everyone is annoyed by Alexis’ non-stop phone calls and texting with Jim at the table. The ladies begin the next day with a round of shopping followed by a beautiful water front lunch. Vicki takes a business call at the lunch table and this rubs Alexis the wrong way and she confronts Vicki about her comments over the previous night’s calls to Jim.

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