10 Best Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Episodes For New Fans To Watch

Every season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills can definitely be considered a standalone story. There’s often one major plot point that lasts for several episodes, along with tension between at least two cast members, and a few episodes that stand out. When a new viewer watches the show, there are certain episodes that will help paint a picture of the most significant fights, the most well-known housewives, and the moments that have become quotable or been turned into memes.

From two episodes that focused on dramatic dinner parties to some of the most memorable fights, there are many RHOBH episodes that people can watch in order to get caught up on this beloved show.

10 “The Dinner Party From Hell” (S1, E9)

Season 1’s famous dinner party RHOBH episode is the first one that potential viewers have to catch up with.

As the cast sat at Camille Grammer’s dinner table, Camille shamed Faye Resnick for posing in Playboy, and psychic Allison Dubois lashed into Kyle Richards, saying she would have a horrible marriage. This is one of those wild episodes from the reality franchise that doesn’t make sense, even if fans watch it countless times.

9 “Unforgivable” (S1, E13)

If someone began watching the current season of RHOBH, they would see Kyle Richards goofing off with her sister Kathy Hilton, who just joined the cast. In one episode, Kathy told Kyle that Kim got a new phone number, and Kyle wasn’t in the know about that.

In order to catch up on the tension between the Richards sisters, the season 1 finale is required viewing. Kyle and Kim got into an incredibly intense fight while riding in a limo. Kyle brought up Kim’s drinking and while she insulted her too much, Kyle was just trying to get through to Kim and help.

8 “Tempest In A Tea Party” (S2, E11)

One of the saddest parts of RHOBH history is the abusive marriage that Taylor Armstrong was in. In this season 2 episode, Camille began talking about it, and the other housewives were shocked and incredibly upset to learn what was going on. In 2011, Taylor filed for divorce. While Taylor hasn’t been on the show in many years, she was an original cast member who had a powerful story to tell.

While this isn’t an easy episode to watch, it does show the pain that Taylor was in and helps create awareness of domestic violence.

7 “Amster-damn!” (S5, E16)

Throwing a wine glass on a fancy restaurant table is always going to stand out, and that’s exactly what Lisa Rinna did in this season 5 episode.

This was not only one of Lisa’s most surprising RHOBH decisions but it proved that Lisa and Kim Richards could never, ever fix things between them and become the best of friends. Lisa was mad because Kim said that she knew a big Harry Hamlin secret. New fans should know that Lisa told Kim to never bring up her husband and that Lisa and Harry have a very close, happy marriage.

6 “Ciao, Tuscany!” (S6, E2)

Fans learned more about Yolanda Hadid’s Lyme Disease in this episode, making this a powerful part of the show for a few different reasons.

Yolanda is a favorite former cast member, as she was kind-hearted and a great part of the group. This is also a key episode because later on, Lisa Rinna would talk about “Munchausen” and whether Yolanda really did have Lyme Disease, which confused the group and hurt Yolanda’s feelings a lot. This is one of the most memorable storylines from the whole reality series.

5 “Pantygate” (S7, E4)

When Dorit Kemsley joined in season 7, she didn’t know Erika Girardi very well, which resulted in a big fight that stunned their co-stars.

In this season 7 episode, Dorit and PK thought that Erika didn’t wear underwear on purpose, as PK accidentally saw a body part of Erika’s that he wasn’t trying to. Erika said she didn’t flash PK and Dorit said that she did. Dorit tried to smooth things over by giving Erika a gift of underwear. Known as Pantygate, this is a storyline that all RHOBH fans recall. It shows new viewers that both Dorit and Erika are very strong.

4 “Big Buddha Brawl” (S7, E15)

While each season of the reality show can definitely be watched on its own, this episode had a big fight between Dorit and Lisa Rinna that was referenced in season 11. Lisa asked Dorit if people were doing drugs at her house during a dinner party. In a season 11 episode, the same party guest who was sitting next to Lisa showed up at Crystal Kung-Minkoff’s Chinese New Year gathering, making everyone remember that tense moment.

In one of Erika Girardi’s most significant RHOBH episodes, the reality star talked about her family for one of the very first times. Erika said she is constantly concerned about Tommy, her son who is a police officer, worrying if he will get killed in the line of duty.

3 “Lucy Lucy Apple Juicy” (S9, E1)

Season 9 spelled the end of Lisa Vanderpump’s time on RHOBH and this episode explains why. Fans would have said that LVP would never leave and that they would get to watch her living in her fabulous mansion forever, hanging out with her charming husband Ken and sweet pets.

Instead, Lisa was upset that Dorit adopted a pet from Vanderpump Dogs and then, when the dog bit Dorit’s children, found somewhere else for the dog to live. The dog ended up at a shelter, which was not the result that anyone wanted. Potential fans should know that this became the Puppygate scandal and Lisa’s co-stars wondered if she told the media about it.

2 “There’s No Place Like Rome” (S10, E13)

RHOBH fans supported Denise Richards when she let Lisa Rinna know that she didn’t think she was being a good friend. In this season 10 episode, the two sat down and chatted, and Lisa heard what Denise was saying.

This is an important episode because it gives background on the main season 10 storyline about the Denise/Brandi Glanville rumor. It also makes season 11 feel even juicier and more dramatic, as fans are confused about why Lisa didn’t ask Erika Giradi many questions about her legal trouble and divorce.

1 “The Dinner Party From Hell Part Two” (S11, E15)

After watching the season 1 dinner party, new fans can check out the season 11 episode. Kathy Hilton invited everyone over for a super fancy dinner. But instead of enjoying the food and cocktails, everyone was super tense and the evening soon became incredibly awkward.

The main issue? Sutton had asked her co-stars to meet up and talk about how they could possibly be implicated in Erika’s lawsuit. Erika didn’t like hearing that everyone met behind her back and she kept saying that Sutton called her a liar. It doesn’t seem like Erika and Sutton can make up as they’re both upset about their strained relationship. After watching this intense episode, new fans will want to catch up on the whole season as there is a lot more to the story.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1738 Articles Published)

Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

More From Aya Tsintziras