The Most Essential Seasons of Real Housewives of Atlanta

NeNe Leakes
(Photo by: Annette Brown/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

The Real Housewives of Atlanta was the third installment in Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise. The series is currently airing its 15th season and consists of Shereé Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Drew Sidora, Marlo Hampton, and Sanya Richards-Ross, with Monyetta Shaw-Carter and Courtney Rhodes acting as friends of the housewives. This Real Housewives installment is arguably one of the best, since the women of Atlanta know just how to bring the drama. 

Prior to Atlanta, fans had Real Housewives of Orange County, which focused on rich white women who yelled a lot. From day one, RHOA has given diversity and credibility due to the ability to broadcast a different life experience. The women’s stories are interesting and mixed with a little bit of extra soul that some of the other shows just didn’t have. These are the essential seasons of RHOA that no fans should miss.

Season 6

Throw Back Queen/YouTube

Season 6 had some heavy hitters, with Porsha Williams dealing with her divorce. The other main storyline showed Kandi having to deal with her mother, Mama Joyce, refusing to accept her new husband, Todd Tucker. There was also NeNe Leakes’ pajama party from hell, which led to an all-out fight between Porsha and Kenya. 

The reunion was no better, with the former beauty queen bringing props to wind up her arch-nemesis. Porsha had lunged for Kenya in a blink of an eye, dragging her to the floor and having to be pulled back. The drama was real and some of the best to ever occur in the franchise. 

Season 9

Bravo/YouTube

The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 9 showed the return of Frick and Frack, aka Porsha and Phaedra Parks. The season consisted of a fun glamping trip, which had Marlo Hampton accusing Kandi of being a lesbian (not the last time.) Phaedra also told Porsha that Kandi tried to drug her and have sex with her at one point. It became the big fight of the season. Cynthia Bailey revealed she would be getting a divorce from Peter Thomas. While this particular season was a bit slow, it had some major timeline moments that are important for any fan to know, making it one of the most essential seasons of RHOA. 

Again, the season reunion was a much-watch, as it was finally revealed that Phaedra had been behind the dark web of lies made up about Kandi, her former best friend. The reason for her betrayal turned out to be because she felt the worldwide celebrity ignored her earlier in the year. 

Season 4

Throw Back Queen/YouTube

This season took the women of the ATL all the way to South Africa for Kandi’s big birthday bash. Fun fact: This is where Kandi first met Todd. Season 4 introduced the fashion icon that is Marlo, who made it her job to clash with Sheree. The two women had a heated discussion that consisted of no words, just gibberish, and is often reenacted to this day. 

The rest of the season consisted of Kandi trying to break into country music, Kim Zolciak slowly removing herself from the series, and Phaedra learning to become a mortician. However, the season really showed just how much Kandi prided herself on her career and solidified she would always be one of the main housewives. 

Season 1

Reality Life/YouTube

Season 1 of the Real Housewives of Atlanta introduced viewers to the first predominantly Black Real Housewives cast. This action deserves respect, since Bravo concentrated on white cast members until then. Like many first seasons of a franchise, the fashion was dated, and the video quality wasn’t great, but God, we loved it. NeNe came across as the break-out personality, and as the seasons wore on, her ego grew bigger. 

Sheree was the bone collector, as she often read everyone in the group with shade. The chemistry just worked, which helped to make the franchise a huge success. Even though the women had moments, they also had some deeply moving stories that viewers could just get behind. To this day, the Real Housewives of Atlanta is still one of the most watched of the franchises, with fans hoping it doesn’t get a reboot like some other beloved series. 

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