Who's ready for the Ultimate Girls Trip to jail? Between screaming matches and charity dinners and more screaming matches, many of the women of Bravo'sThe Real Housewiveshave also had time to do a stint in prison. There are enough women who have been arrested and served time that they could make up an entire cast of The Real Housewives. Besides the sheer quantity of criminal housewives, many of them are the women who brought the drama to their series. We are ready for a spin-off of The Real Housewives with all the women from the franchise who have done jail time.
Beginning nearly twenty years ago, The Real Housewives of Orange Countystarted the franchise with a bang and started a whole new culture within reality television. Documenting the messy private and professional lives of the affluent women in Orange County, the show was just the beginning. Now, there are 11 American editions, 21 international editions, and 27 spin-offs, including Vanderpump Rules. With all these spin-offs, what harm could one more really do?
Real Housewives, Real Stars, and Real Prison Time
Now, there is a difference between jail time and real prison time. Many housewives in the franchise have gone to jail, but only a few have been sentenced to hard time. Starting with Teresa Giudice, a woman who helped make The Real Housewives of New Jerseyiconic and served nearly a year for fraud. Giudice promised drama, and she always delivered, even shoving reunion host Andy Cohen during a freakout on Watch What Happens Live. The reunion with her children showed exactly how much she had changed because of her time in jail.
Jen Shahwas arrested in 2021 during one of the best episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Her guilty plea to her role in an alleged telemarketing scheme to scam people out of their retirement got her six years in prison, but it has been reduced again. Jen Shah will be out by November 2026, just in time to debut in a criminal version of The Real Housewives. The newest addition to this exclusive criminal housewives club is Karen Hugerfrom The Real Housewives of Potomac. Huger has just been sentenced to one year in prison for a DUI and DWI, meaning she'll be out before Jen Shah.
There Have Been Smaller Real Housewives Arrests
Shah and Giudice are the only two who have already served real prison time, but many other housewives have spent time in jail. Compared to the rest of the women, The Real Housewives of Atlantastar Porsha Williams'arrest in 2020 for protesting Breonna Taylor's death is the most admirable. She ultimately had her felony charges dropped. However, after getting into a fight with fellow housewife Kenya Moore, Williams turned herself in for a battery charge and was released on bail years prior. Kim Richards from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsavoided jail time but did wind up with a fine, community service, and time in rehab. Tinsley Mortimer, a name I will never get over, spent time in jail for trespassing and decided that if she could handle jail for three hours, she could handle being on The Real Housewives of New York City. Mortimer is always the victim of other housewives' ire, so putting Mortimer next to the likes of Teresa Giudice and Jen Shah is a recipe for disaster.
Nothing More Dramatic Than Housewives And Jail Time
There is enough drama and bad behavior between these housewives to last a lifetime, hopefully, though not a life sentence. Since housewives are cast because of their intense personalities, it makes sense that they are more prone to risky behaviors. It's why we love them. Since they have nothing more to lose, nothing is stopping these housewives from diving into the biggest dramas on Bravo. Housewives are successful because they are authentic and offer a point of view that not everyone has. With prison in their history, there is nothing to hide. Plus, prison and jail grant many of these housewives an outlook on life that none of the other housewives franchises have. Shah's arrest had lasting consequences, as the other TheReal Housewives of Salt Lake City women constantly theorized about what had happened.
Not only would fans get new experiences from the housewives, but there would also be new dynamics. We already know how these housewives interact in their own series in their own towns spread across America. A new cast means all new relationships, and they cannot rely on their social status because being arrested altered that. Since each of these women still has friends in their series, the friends might be real housewives. Everyone loves a crossover. In fact, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Triphas already brought housewives together from different series, including Giudice in the first season and Williams in the third. Let's be honest: seeing Teresa Giudice interacting with Jen Shah and making fun of Tinsley Mortimer might be a dream come true.
The Real Housewives with the cast members who did jail time will offer a unique perspective without sacrificing the drama that we've come to expect. Bravo has a hidden gem that they just need to uncover between the housewives who went to jail for a short time and those who went to prison. It's time to start planning Bravo, but don't worry, you have time. The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip is available on Peacock.
