When the stars whip out their passports, you know you’re in for a treat (and some quality travel inspo).
Althoughlast Sunday ’s episode ofThe Real Housewives of New York City(season 14 , episode 10 ) take place amid the tranquil amnionic fluid of Anguilla , the atmosphere was anything but chill . That is to say , it contained all the makings of a authoritative reality TV vacation episode : Jessel and Sai had a tense conversation on the deck of a racing yacht ; at dinner , the sunshine - kissed girl bonded over embarrassing stories ; and , just as the episode was about to terminate , Ubah and Erin absorb in a full - on call match .
The Anguilla episodes , presently broadcast on Bravo , are serve exactly as they should be , successfully tether viewers to a cast that they were , up until this point , only just getting to screw . Because in the realness telecasting world , when the mavin go on vacation , you inevitably see sides of them you never saw before ( takeJenna Lyon refusing to fly carriage , for instance ) . Not to be confused with challenger or geological dating shows sic totally in elaborate rental Doroteo Arango on idyllic islands , the holiday episodes we ’re talking about are a stark gaolbreak from the format ’s everyday routine . The plaster cast , imbue with budding conflicts seeded in old episodes , are ship off to a remote location while those of us at home lounge on the couch , just expect for the pulverisation keg to detonate .
Of course , vacation episodes are n’t exclusive to Bravo ’s glitzy housewife . The onscreen figure is so effectual precisely because it ’s so ubiquitous , showing up time and time again throughout the genre ’s history . On MTV’sLaguna Beach , what happened in Caboback in 2004 definitely never stay inCabo . The 2011Bora Boraepisodes featured inseason six ofKeeping Up With the Kardashiansgave birth to one of the internet ’s greatest meme thanks to Kourtney ’s off - handed remark , “ Kim , there ’s people that are become flat . ” And the muggy summer airwave was thick with excitement when the cast ofMTV’sJersey Shorelanded inFlorenceto film their fourth season — though thing cursorily went haywire after Snooki rear - ended a police car and Mike “ The Situation ” slammed his straits into a concrete wall .
The ‘Real Housewives of New York City’ bring the drama to Anguilla.|Photo courtesy of NBC Universal
“ However the stamp is going into the stumble , they are give-up the ghost to come out of it differently — their alinement will change , people who were feud will have made up , multitude who were good going in will now be frenemies ” enjoin Kacey Calahane , an associate professor of chronicle atChaffey Collegeand one of the mind behindHistorians on woman of the house , a multimedia project that plough critical conversations aboutThe Housewivesfranchise into podcasts , donnish symposium , and , before long , a written anthology . “ There ’s so much that happens in the arc of these misstep — fueled by alcohol , not enough eternal sleep , and a lot of clock time together , it ’s a fast - change landscape painting . ”
InRHONYlore , season three’s“Sun , Sand , and Psychosis”—aptly nicknamed “ Scary Island ” by fans — cemented the vacation instalment ’s undisputed iconicity . Devoted viewers will never forget when , on a 2010 girls ’ trip to St. John , a very pregnant Bethenny Frankel cry “ GO TO SLEEP ” at an emotionally distressed Kelly Killoren Bensimon ( Bensimonlater revealedshe was overturned after come up out one of the castmates had a traumatic wellness take ) . As proven by its off - the - chart ratings , the episode was so compelling that the enfranchisement not only began incorporating a vacation into each subsequent season , but also went on to create entire travelling - oriented spin - offs , likeThe Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip(2021)andLuann and Sonja : Welcome to Crappie Lake(2023 ) .
These moments can also bring forth some of the most memorable one - liners — like whenRHONYseason seven lead Luanne de Lesseps uttered , “ Do n’t be all , like , uncool , ” after getting caught up to some previous - Nox antics . Sometimes vacation episodes offer us some comic rest period , a silly glimpse into the definitive Pisces the Fishes - out - of - water experience . That was the case forRHONY’svery urbane , season six cast , tasked to pass some timber time in the wilds ofMontana . The rural backcloth might have provided a tamer mise en scene than Ramona Singer ’s island lam , yet it still gave way to plenty of hijinks as the miss try their hands at fly sheet - fishing , skeet shooting , and repelling down a mountain .
Location, location, location
“ [ Vacation destinations ] take them out of their ease geographical zone , ” says Lisa Shannon , RHONYseason 14 executive manufacturer . “ They ’re telling tale that they might not have otherwise assure . They ’re able-bodied to break up off into different groups and build connexion , which was crucial to us . ”
To find out a trip setting , producers exercise with the cast extremity to discover places they might like to visit , whether it ’s a bucket list situation , a prospect to examine something raw , or a place they ’re already link to . They sometimes share the obligation of shoring up the details with the cast , inject the forthcoming vacation with additional drama by making the planning a part of the plot line . This year’sRHONYsojourn to Anguilla , organized by star Sai De Silva , is a choice example . “ In this case , with Sai , she was so on Erin about her host accomplishment , ” excuse Shannon . “ [ Sai ] really need to host something to show how she could do it , and then we help with the monetary value of the trip-up . ”
Other factors come down to filmy logistics . This year , the crew happened to be shooting in January , so with its temperate climate and turquoise waters , the dreamy British Overseas Territory appeared to be a no - brainer . “ I guess with New York in finical , we incline to go to theCaribbean , Miami , orMexico , ” Shannon says . “ It ’s a really gracious juxtaposition to jump from the coldness to this very beautiful , lush outflow . ”
Bora Bora provides the setting for one of the most iconic episodes of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians.’|Courtesy of Tahiti Tourisme North America
When it come to showcasing the essence of a vacation location , producers punctuate the importance of getting locals need . In Anguilla , it ’s all about rummy — a fact that ’s solidify when the women visitElvis Beach Barin next calendar week ’s sequence and sample the eponymous owner ’s famous rum punch recipe . “ We judge to depart the natural process so they ’re not just go from repast to repast , but let them do things that are really fun and indicative of wherever location we may be , ” Shannon adds . genuine Housewives holiday episode have even memorialized sure onscreen hangout , lest we forget the now - shutteredFat Turtle , the bar in St. John that trigger Ramona Singer ’s earmark catch phrase , “ Tuuuurtle prison term . ”
placement is evenly important during the staycation — a bailiwick in whichRHONYparticularly excels . Depending on where the cast retirement , whether it ’s the Hamptons , Massachusetts , or even just the next neighborhood over , the choose environment like a shot indicates to viewers precisely what they should wait . “ Dorinda ’s Berkshires rest home , Blue Stone Manor , fundamentally functions as its own theatrical role on the show , much likethe SUR bowling alley inVanderpump Rules , ” Calahane says , reference another Bravo reality hit . These shoots also forge to wobble the index dynamic , bringing into swordplay obstacles the dramatis personae would n’t commonly encounter otherwise . “ The hostess always has a sight to carry off , with all the different personalities stay put in the home , ” Shannon sum up .
Distancing themselves from the drama
It would be unfair to characterize all holiday episodes as mere montage of messy sottish walkaway . “ There are also a heap of inner challenges within these trips that get catch on camera , tensions that are n’t necessarily about the trip itself , but what they ’re leaving behind , ” Calahane continues , pointing to give away footage showing the introspective Jenna Lyons navigating heavy sleepovers , Bethenny Frankel letting go of her mommy guilt , and Aviva Drescher facing her travelling anxiousness .
Reality goggle box vacations can be used to pull on the heartstrings , often diving into family tree to enrich the characters ’ backstories and strengthen their relationships with one another . In 2010,The genuine Housewives of New Jersey’sseason two playerstraveled to Italyto gossip relatives and track down family connections . Season 11 ’s Meghan King bring her fellowOrange County wives to Irelandin a quest to hunt her own stemma . And perhaps one ofRHONY’smost poignant moments unfurled onscreen when Dorinda accompanied Carole on aseason seven journeying to Londonto regain her later husband ’s ash .
“ As a historian , I call back about how much those women were divvy up , and how this was such a healing experience for them , ” say Calahane . “ Dorinda and Carole were talking about these life experiences that they could n’t share with the other fair sex in the group because they ’re not widow . They are n’t necessarily very close before this trip , but they descend back with a very inscrutable connection . ”
The cast of ‘The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip’ board a yacht in Thailand, where things will inevitably go south.|Peacock/Contributor/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Calahane notes that sometimes vacations can reach the room access to meaningful , historical conversations , both onscreen and off . Season 10 ofKeeping Up With the Kardashians , for instance , follow the family line on a trip to Armenia . And in shrewd contrast to the received frivolous banter , the camera touchingly captures Kim and Khloe at theArmenian Genocide Memorialin Yerevan to honour the 100 - year day of remembrance of the political catastrophe .
The Real Housewives of Potomac’sseason four follow a similar script when thewomen gossip the plantationwhere cast fellow member Gizelle Bryant ’s ancestors were once enslaved . “ It was kind of a idea - blowing TV moment , specially when you intend about how this aired in 2019 , whenSouthern Charmwas big , ” Calahane says , refer to the democratic Bravo realness serial that feature its mold engage in commercial plantation tourism in several now - deleted scenes . “ And so what take place , then , when this becomes a foil to other presentations of the South that we see ? ”
Whether they ’re creating pop culture landmarks or commenting on heavy societal issues , reality television vacations are without a doubt spread out travel inspiration among viewers . “ The Amsterdam trip from[Real Housewives of ] Beverly Hillscomes to take care as a seat where the women do so much — they’re bike riding , they ’re on boat , they ’re live on to the cafes to have edibles and green goddess weed , ” Calahane says . “ I know I ’ve planned full vacations around where realism goggle box people have vacationed . ”
Elvis Beach Bar in Anguilla is sure to become a RHONY landmark.|Photo courtesy of NBC Universal
So go ahead and make some computer storage out there — just try not tothrow your wine glass at anyone .
RHONY stars Dorinda Medley and Sonja Morgan hash it out at a Hamptons dinner party.|Bravo/Contributor/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ take a tour through their homeland.|Bravo/Contributor/NBCUniversal/Getty Images
Kim Kardashian visits the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.|KAREN MINASYAN/Contributor/AFP/Getty Images
