NEWSReality Pays! You Wont Believe What Your Most Loved—And Hated—Real Housewives Earn!
May 2 2013, Published 8:15 a.m. ET
When it comes to Real Housewives it pays to be BAD!!
OKMagazine.com has investigated the salaries of all your favorite ladies and basically—the more drama, the more moolah!
The Real Housewives franchise has been running since March 2006, there are currently six different shows
Taking that into consideration, it's not surprising that the highest paid Housewife is Atlanta's Queen B—NeNe Leakes.
The 45-year-old, who stars in The New Normal and Glee when not wreaking havoc on the Real Housewives, signed a sweet $1 million plus bonuses deal for season six of the hit show, putting all the other ladies way in the shade.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta has been running since October 2008 and has aired five seasons
Case in point, next highest earning Atlanta Housewife is Kandi Burrus, at $450,000, followed by Cynthia Bailey and Phaedra Parks at $300,000.
Season five of the show has completed airing and producers are now gearing up for season six!
NeNe Leakes is the highest paid housewife of all, raking in a cool $1 million plus bonuses a season!
Second on the high earners list is the New Jersey baddie that everyone just loves to hate—Teresa Giudice!
RHONJ pulls in the highest viewing numbers of all the franchises, with an average of 3 million viewers regularly tuning in for all the table flipping, family feuding fun, and as the fiery Italian is responsible for the vast majority of the on-screen—and off-screen—drama it's appropriate she should be compensated accordingly.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey first aired May 2009 and has filmed five seasons in total
And, she is!
The 40-year-old rakes in a cool $650,000 plus bonuses a season.
Teresa's cast mates are way down the pay day totem pole from the Drama Goddess, with Caroline Manzo making $400,000, Melissa Gorga $350,000 and Jacqueline Laurita $275,000.
Everyone's favorite baddie, Teresa Giudice is the second highest earning Housewife, pulling in $650,000 plus bonuses
Next up, the New York City ladies.
Top of the pile are Ramona Singer and Countess LuAnn DeLesseps, who have both been on the show since season one and each earn a healthy $500,000 per season plus bonuses.
The Real Housewives of New York City has been running since March 2008 and is curently filming season six
Sonja Morgan pulls in $220,000, Aviva Drescher $200,000 and Heather Thompson rounds out the bottom at $175,000.
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The show is currently gearing up to start filming on season six.
Ramona Singer and Countess LuAnn DeLesseps both earn $500,000 per season
Traveling west, another show original, Vicki Gunvalson, tops the Orange County earners, matching her Big Apple counterparts with a payday of $500,000 per season.
Snapping at the Housewives veteran's heels are Gretchen Rossi and Tamra Barney who command $375,000 and $325,000 respectively, followed by Alexis Bellino at a comparatively paltry $175,000.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is the original show of the franchise and first aired March 2006, it is currently airing season eight
Orange County was the first show in the hugely popular Bravo Housewives stable and still pulls in the viewers in their droves.
Season seven scored a healthy 2.8 million average pershow, the highest ratings in the show's history.
Vicki Gunvalson, who has been on the show since it started, commands $500,000 per season
The Beverly Hills ladies are thankfully, for the most part, independently wealthy, as their salaries are definitely lower on the scale.
Restauranteur Lisa Vanderpump, tops the list— earning $275,000 for season 3, upping the ante to $350,000 for season 4 which is currently in production.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills first aired in October 2010, it is now filming season four
Kyle Richards will be raking in $225,000 for the upcoming season and Brandi Glanville, who started off as a part time cast member on just $18,000, enjoys a nice bump up to $175,000.
As OKMagazine.com previously reported, both Adrienne Maloof and Camille Grammer have quit the show and will not be returning next season.
Lisa Vanderpump is the show's highest earner with a salary per season of $350,000
Finally, Miami is lowest in the ratings, and the salaries!
Adriana De Moura, Marysol Patton and Joanna Krupa are the top earners, each commanding a payday in the $55-75,000 range per season.
The Real Housewives of Miami first aired February 2011, it is currently filming season three
Do you think the Real Housewives are being over paid, or do they earn every penny? Sound off below and tweet us @OKMagazine
