The Real Housewives Of Atlanta: Ranking Each Past Housewife By Entertainment Value
Very few reality TV shows have managed to sustain the element of drama as efficiently as the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Every RHOA cast member can school aspiring reality TV stars on how to keep the fans hooked even after 13 seasons because there’s not one dull moment in the history of the show. From explosive reunions to wig-pulling, to the fanciest weddings and some of the most iconic one-liners RHOA has had it all.
RHOA really has had a pathbreaking journey and each of the show’s cast members have had a significant transformation, however, not all of them are part of the show anymore. Be it the tenacious and bold NeNe Leakes who left the show post-season 12, or her frenemy Kim Zolciak who’s never too far away from drama. But who’s the most entertaining ex RHOA cast member?
10 Kim
Kim Fields, who was introduced in Season 8, does have the most amazing style but she may be too grounded to actually get noticed on the show, especially when her fellow housewives know exactly how to bring the drama. A good example would be the reunion fight Kim had with Kenya where the latter delivered her famous ‘I don’t miss shade,’ line.
Kim was simply appreciating Kenya for her work when Kenya recalled a past awkwardness involving Kim’s husband and things got messy and Kim really didn’t have a good comeback. In the same reunion, Kim didn’t really know what to say on many occasions and passed around the questions meant for her. In any other ensemble reality show, this would perhaps be polite but in RHOA, the ladies never miss a chance to express their opinions so Kim really came across as a bit of a misfit, vis-a-vis the group dynamic and didn’t really do anything to connect to the fans of the show.
9 Eva
Eva is perhaps the most misunderstood cast member, but most of the time she kept her cool and stayed grounded. Eva's best trait was that she loved being in the thick of it but didn't handle things so well when they were about her or when a situation escalated. There were many times on the show when she needed an ally to come to her rescue and she couldn't handle the energy on her own.
The fact that Eva was the most laidback person on the show reflected on her demeanor, but this was also the reason why she wasn't as efficient as others in shutting people down. Like when asked to explain her sexuality in the season 11 reunion, she really should have refused to oblige since she wasn't keen on talking about it.
8 Claudia
Claudia was a straight shooter and had one of the most interesting arcs on the show since she was a radio personality and the show explored aspects of her professional life too. Claudia was mostly driven by logic and only gave in to unnecessary drama very rarely but she also made the housewives a little insecure as was quite evident.
Though fans loved watching Claudia, she wasn’t keen on getting too involved in any awkwardness and was pretty good at de-escalating situations, which is great. But it took away many opportunities for fans to actually see a face-off between Claudia and the other Housewives which could have been explosive given that they are all quite intrigued by Claudia. Plus, Claudia wasn’t great with shade or comebacks, and even during the big fight between Claudia and NeNe, Claudia was not able to hold her ground.
7 Lisa Wu
It’s possible that Lisa took herself a bit too seriously to actually flourish on the show or even have a good time; she’s a former actor and TV personality and wanted people around her to treat her like a diva, and at times it clashed with her fans’ expectations. She enjoyed interesting dynamics with each of her friends, except Kim, and her life made for really good TV.
But the fact that she actually didn’t really like drama did harm her prospects on the show. She was also an original member and since most of her friends loved her, she usually managed to coast through each season with fabulous looks and some really great confessions on the show, but her one-on-one appearances could be quite drab.
6 Demetria
Demetria was the queen of confrontations which is what made her such a great cast member; she really knew how to take control of a heady situation since she was not afraid to be fully transparent. Like when she called out Phaedra during the explosive dinner scene in season 7 to explain why she had spread some vicious rumors about her.
Demetria's no-nonsense demeanor also made her one of the most approachable people on the show because she was not someone who drew conclusions without getting to the bottom of the whole story and was be a great listener. But at the same time, fans loved watching her shut things down when she feels someone wronged her.
5 Shamari
Shamari grew more and more assertive and empowered with each season, and though she was catty, she did know how to keep things light and effervescent. It did take her some time to find her ground with the other women since she was one of the youngest people on the show.
But Shamari has also started some of the most dramatic arguments on the show since she does not shy away from stating the truths out loud which makes her a really interesting cast member. Like when she challenged Cynthia's credibility as a fashionista and a stylist but she quickly became self-sufficient and didn’t need her friends to finish her arguments for her.
4 Sheree
Sheree has often been the ‘counselor’ for the cast, and so at times, the go-to person when something has reached an impasse. But Sheree is also great at taking a call when most people won’t. She usually doesn’t bring the shade on someone unless she feels really threatened. Like when she tugged Kim’s wig or when Sheree went ballistic on her party planner for not communicating with her which gave way to her famous line, “who’s gonna check me?”
She has often been termed as an aggressor and at times fans have commented on how she has anger issues. And while that is true, Sheree never starts a fight she can’t win so it’s really entertaining watching her prove why she was dragging someone in the first place.
3 Phaedra
No one owns a shade like Phaedra. “Your claim to fame is this show. But honey, I’m pre-housewife,” she once told NeNe. Phaedra does things her way though, she doesn’t raise her voice or hit below the belt unprovoked, however, she really never lets the drama get over her head.
Phaedra’s arguments are almost always backed up by reason, since she’s one of the most logical people on the show, so fans can safely root for her. She also has some of the best-improvised comebacks on the show which is what RHOA is really about and fans have often marveled at her comic timing.
2 Kim
Everyone remembers the shouty text Kim sent to NeNe in season 1 when she called her evil with a million exclamation marks. But weirdly enough, Kim’s personality is icier and a lot more understated than how she’s usually perceived. But Kim has had some of the funniest moments of the show, especially when she dragged someone behind their back.
Like when she mocked Phaedra for her Nutcracker-style gender reveal waltz or called NeNe an intern for working in the entertainment news business. Kim and NeNe also have one of the most iconic reality TV frenemities and there were times when it didn’t matter what Kim did, as long as she was on the screen, and NeNe was there too, fans were happy.
1 NeNe
RHOA really isn’t RHOA without NeNe Leakes. Some of the most outrageous and high-powered drama that has occurred on the show, was courtesy of NeNe. She’s undoubtedly the most entertaining and unpredictable person on the show who has kept viewers on tenterhooks about her next move. In many ways, she set a few trends for RHOA which other cast members simply tried to follow through, like how NeNe liked to express all her grievances on reunions or how she demanded total transparency from people she considered friends.
It certainly helped that NeNe was so assertive over what she wanted and how she wanted it, so she could own any argument she started and could actually own up to her own actions. And she’s the only housewife who can actually say, “I Don’t Keep Up With The Joneses - I Am The Joneses.”