Nicki Swift Asks: What's The Best Real Housewife Business?
"The Real Housewives" franchise is big business for Bravo, and one need look no further than BravoCon to see that the Housewives dominate the media network. Of the messiest moments of BravoCon 2022, the majority can be traced to someone from that series. Most notably, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast members Jennifer Aydin and Joe Gorga had an explosive interaction all because of Gorga's longstanding feud with his sister, Teresa Giudice.
But while the Housewives are often the messiest group, they are also among the richest in the Bravo family, thanks in large part to the massive exposure gained from their reality shows. And for those with an entrepreneurial spirit, this exposure can be a great tool when launching personal businesses and side hustles. They aren't always a hit — for example, Giudice had a business venture in flavored wine called Fabellini, that failed largely because of her time away in prison. Yet, many others have succeeded. In light of this, Nicki Swift asked fans in an exclusive survey which Real Housewife business was the best. We included Kenya Moore Haircare, Karen Huger's La' Dame fragrance line, Lisa Vanderpump's restaurants, Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl brand, and Leah McSweeney's Married To The Mob clothing brand.
Lisa Vanderpump is fans' favorite entrepreneur
In an exclusive survey with 587 votes, Nicki Swift asked fans about the best Real Housewife business. The options were Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl brand, which has sold cocktails, salad dressings, lunch meat, and more, per Cosmopolitan. Lisa Vanderpump's restaurants also made the list. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star and hubby Ken Todd have opened more than 30 different restaurants and bars over the years, with coveted spots in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, and more per Refinery29. Also on the list was Karen Huger's fragrance line, La' Dame, which features rollerball fragrances, candles, and merchandise. Leah McSweeney's Married To The Mob clothing line also made the survey, as did Kenya Moore's haircare line, that's all about growing healthy, natural hair.
So what did voters think? The winner was Vanderpump's restaurants, raking in 171 of the 587 total votes, coming in top at 29.13%. Second was Frankel's Skinnygirl brand, hitting 23.17%, and third was McSweeney's clothing line, scoring 19.59%. A close fourth was Huger's La' Dame fragrance, with 17.55% of the total. Kenya Moore Haircare rounded out the poll, earning 62 votes.
It's no wonder Vanderpump won. Her enterprise spawned the spin-off "Vanderpump Rules," following the lives of her restaurant staff. She and Todd also opened their second Las Vegas restaurant, per Variety, called Vanderpump à Paris. "We went all out, everything is bespoke and made in our factory," she said of the new spot. "It makes you feel that you're immersed in Paris." That's how you win!