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    NeNe Leakes Returns to Real Housewives 6 Years After Explosive Exit

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    Watch: RHOA’s Porsha Williams Addresses Rumors She’s Engaged to Patrice “Sway” McKinney

    When Bravo said “icons only,” NeNe Leakes heeded the call.

    The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum made her triumphant return to Bravo during the premiere of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th special, six years after she unceremoniously and abruptly exited RHOA during 2020’s virtual season 12 reunion.

    The Aug. 9 episode kicked off with Nene’s former castmate Porsha Williams welcoming her into her home to help pack for the iconic cross-country vacation. 

    “The last time we saw NeNe was season 12,” Porsha recounted in a confessional. “That was the reunion during the pandemic and she did the close of the laptop.”

    While the former frenemies had plenty of life updates to catch up on, the first topic of business on NeNe’s list was Porsha’s romance with Patrice “Sway” McKinney.

    “You swimming in the lady pond!” Nene teased Porsha. “Porsha, you gotta tell me about this.”

    Porsha—mom to 7-year-old daughter Pilar with ex Dennis McKinley—then recounted her and Sway’s meet-cute.

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    “It was just casual texting and all of a sudden there’s this event that came up,” the 45-year-old shared. “I was like, ‘Hey you wanna go?”

    “Girl, ever since then we are…” Porsha added before NeNe finished her sentence with, “Full-blown!”

    Paras Griffin/Getty Images

    While surprised, NeNe noted, “As long as you’re happy, that’s the only thing that matters.”

    As their reunion continued, Porsha detailed the group’s travel itinerary to iconic Housewives locations, including Orange County, Beverly Hills, Miami, New York City and more.

    “How dare we celebrate 20 years as Housewives and leave out the NeNe Leakes?” The Traitors alum posited in a confessional. “So, the queen herself will be making an appearance when we enter Atlanta.”

    Michael SeRine/Bravo

    And while NeNe’s return was certainly special for Porsha, it’s equally monumental for fans given she walked away from the franchise on not-so-friendly terms.

    As Porsha told the Glee actress, “For you to come back after all this time for the 20th anniversary is huge,” to which NeNe agreed, “It’s huge.”

    See more of NeNe’s iconic return when The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th premieres Aug 9 on Bravo. In the meantime, keep reading to see how high NeNe lands on E!’s official ranking of every Housewife ever.

    Adam Olszweski/Bravo

    175-178. The Real Housewives of D.C.Bravo’s ill-fated attempt at highlighting our nation’s capital brought together four women so forgettable you’d be forgiven for erasing them from your memory—though their names are Mary Amons, Lynda Erkiletian, Cat Ommanney and Stacie Scott Turner—and one so desperate for fame that she gate-crashed a party at the White House. More on her later.

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    174. Kimberly Bryant, The Real Housewives of Orange County

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    173. Tammy Knickerbocker, The Real Housewives of Orange CountyVaguely familiar, but…

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    172. DeShawn Snow, The Real Housewives of AtlantaOnce upon a time, DeShawn starred on the same TV show as NeNe Leakes. Surprising, we know.

    Yavir Ramawtar/Bravo

    171. Elizabeth Lyn Vargas, The Real Housewives of Orange CountyThis one-season Housewife brought nothing to the Orange County table.

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    170. Jennie Nguyen, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake CityUtah’s newest season two Housewife went out with a bang (and not in a good way). In January 2022, Jennie was fired after “offensive” and racially insensitive old Facebook posts resurfaced online. Jennie later apologized but the damage was done.

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    169. Quinn Fry, The Real Housewives of Orange CountyHer defining trait was “cougar.”

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    168. Jen Armstrong, The Real Housewives of Orange CountyThe Orange County doctor was never a source of drama during season 16 and her brief marriage troubles with eternally shirtless husband Ryne (or Ryan?) were less than riveting. However, we will never forget Dr. Jen getting absolutely wasted on wine during the Dubrows’ insanely awkward—yet wildly entertaining—dinner party.
    167: Annemarie Wiley, The Real Housewives of Beverly HillsThe nurse anesthetist’s flop first season can be summed up in one cringe-worthy word we hope we never hear again: Esophagus-gate. 

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    166. Katie Rost, The Real Housewives of PotomacKatie loved to talk about her charity work, but…didn’t do much else on screen. She was one and done, only to come back and not contribute much as a friend. Leaving the cast trip early? A Housewives no-no.

    Tommy Garcia/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

    165. Charrisse Jackson Jordan, The Real Housewives of PotomacHer marriage problems were on full display the two seasons she was a full-time Housewife…that and her champagne room are the two memorable things about Charrisse.

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    164. Shamari DeVoe, The Real Housewives of AtlantaA one-and-done Housewife, Shamari was at least fun?

    Tommy Garcia/Bravo

    163. Peggy Sulahian, The Real Housewives of Orange CountyWhile it was nice to see some diversity in the lily-white O.C., Peggy ultimately proved to be a frustrating presence in season 12. The fights she chose to pick were bizarre, and often involving someone using a word she simply didn’t understand, and her decision to simply hide out in her room for an entire day during the trip to Iceland proved that she wasn’t really cut out for this Real Housewives life.

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    162. Nneka Ihim, The Real Housewives of PotomacInstead of bonding with fellow Nigerian costar Wendy Osefo during season eight, Nneka’s first season storyline centered entirely around her allegedly accusing Wendy’s mom of being a witch (yes, seriously). We wish we could have seen the two bond over their shared culture rather than fighting with no resolve.

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    161. Noella Bergener, The Real Housewives of Orange CountyNoella spun through season 16 like a tornado of frantic energy. While her personal struggles were somewhat compelling (her husband James up and left the country and asked for a divorce right before filming started), it was her constant drama with queen bee Heather Dubrow that helped her not land completely at the bottom of the list. Maybe with more time and another season, we’ll warm up to Mrs. Bergener.

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    160. Siggy Flicker, The Real Housewives of New JerseyFrom peacekeeper in her first season to unrelenting complaints about a thrown cake and unfounded claims of anti-Semitism in her second (and last) season, we’re not sure we’ve ever seen a quicker Real Housewives fall from grace than this one.

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    159. Amber Marchese, RHONJEverything Amber and her husband Jim did seemed to reek of desperation. Plus, he was involved in more of the drama than she was. Not a good look.

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    158. Karent Sierra, The Real Housewives of MiamiAll we remember about Karent is that she was a dentist and none of her co-stars seemed to like her at all. Next!

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    157. Cristy Rice,The Real Housewives of MiamiThis was a real person with a show on Bravo. We promise.

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    156. Jules Wainstein, The Real Housewives of New York CityAs one of RHONY‘s more recent one-and-dones, Jules’ tenure was too brief to rank any higher. However, she sure did deliver her fair share of drama. 

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    155: Amanda Francis, The Real Housewives of Beverly HillsHate is a strong word, but it’s hard to remember anyone who was as swiftly disliked by Bravo fans as RHOBH‘s season 15 newbie Amanda Francis.The author, financial advisor and self-professed “Money Queen” rubbed not only her castmates the wrong way, audiences were also put off by Amanda’s obsession with material things and questionable career advise.But it was her refusal to engage in any sort of confrontation with her castmates that truly signaled she wasn’t made out to be a Housewife. It’s a hard job, and not everybody is meant to do it…which is why she exited after just one season.

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    153-154. Teresa Aprea and Nicole Napolitano, RHONJSo unnecessary they couldn’t even get individual taglines.

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    152. Nina Ali, The Real Housewives of DubaiMuch like co-star Sara Al Madani, Nina exemplified a multidimensional, successful Arab woman who is blending modern life with centuries-old cultural traditions. She avoided most of the season one drama and was sometimes overshadowed by her co-stars’ bigger, louder personalities.
    151. Taleen Marie, The Real Housewives of DubaiTaleen was a nice addition to RHODubai‘s sophomore season, but we only have one season to judge her on.

    Phylicia J.L. Munn/Bravo

    150: Angel Massie, The Real Housewives of PotomacTo say Angel failed spectacularly at being a Housewife would be an understatement. With one miss after another, the WAG and wife of retired NFL star Bobby Massie fumbled her way through season 10 as her more seasoned and shadier costars relished in her unsuccessful attempts to fit into the friend group.Despite her shortcomings, it is pretty epic that her Colorado glamping excursion ended with the cast lost in the wilderness and eating fast food from a roadside gas station.Definitely a first for the Housewives.

    Tommy Garcia/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

    149. Eva Marcille, RHOAThe America’s Next Top Model veteran picked up a peach for seasons 11 and 12, but never really made an impression in the world of RHOA, aside from being pregnant for what felt like her entire tenure. Points for that epic read of Marlo Hampton while in Tokyo, though.
    148. Katie Ginella, The Real Housewives of Orange CountyPer usual, we typically need to see more than one season to place a first-time Housewife higher on our list. But Katie came in swinging during RHOC‘s 18th season, immediately going up against veteran Housewife Heather Dubrow. It takes a brave woman to call B.S. on Ms. Fancypants.

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    147. Stephanie Shojaee, The Real Housewives of MiamiWe’ll be honest: Stephanie is not our cup of tea. While her vast wealth had the makings of a great Housewife, the fact that she continuously used her private jet as leverage to hold power over her new costars during season seven left an icky raste in our mouth.Maybe Steph can redeem herself if she returns for season eight.

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    146. Sara Al Madani, The Real Housewives of DubaiSara’s positive, enlightened outlook on life was certainly pleasant, but didn’t provide for much drama (besides that one time she offered co-star Caroline Brooks some not-so-well received parenting advice). However, the tech entrepreneur shattered stereotypes of what it means to be a modern Muslim woman in the Middle East and for that we applaud her. 

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    144-145. Rachel Fuda & Danielle Cabral, The Real Housewives of New JerseyRHONJ‘s season 13 newbies certainly fit the mold of your typical Garden State Housewife and quickly found themselves in a season-long fight over literally nothing that Andy Cohen deemed pointless at the reunion. The former friends unfortunately didn’t bring much more substance during season 14.

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    View More Photos From The Official Ranking of The Real Housewives

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