The Bravo network has had a lot of success with reality TV, especially the Real Housewives of Orange County, which begat the Real Housewives of New York City, which begat the Real Housewives of Atlanta ... and in 2009, the Real Housewives of New Jersey. It's been quite a year for the women, and believe me, they all made news.

There were hit songs, wigs being pulled, economic strife, dueling fashion shows, potential husbands dying suddenly ... and that was just on one installment. Let's take a look back, show by show, shall we, starting with the newest bunch of merry wives, the Jersey girls. Their specialty was table flipping.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Of all the RHs, this was the shortest run, but it was probably the funniest and wildest. The richie-rich girls may be just across the river from the NYC wives, but oh-what-a-difference. Teresa even got lost just driving across the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan. On the clueless scale of 0-10, that's a 10. But what made the Real Housewives of New Jersey such a compelling show to watch was the dynamics of the women.

Danielle pushed everybody's buttons with her need to join the clique, which wasn't going to happen because the Manso women were suspicious of her. Then when they found out about her scandal-ridden past, which was all detailed in "the book," the shit hit the fan.

That's when the table flipping occurred. It was such an amazing moment that Bravo kept revisiting it over and over and over again. So Teresa got upset about Danielle dissing her -- she basically called Teresa stupid -- that she lifted up the table and shook it a few times. It was just the most ridiculous moment ever. Here's a flashback:



The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Georgia girls were back for a second season in 2009, including a new addition, Kandi Burruss, a professional singer who was engaged. Those are two important facts because Kandi getting Kim to sing "Tardy for the Party" was a major development for the talentless Kim, whose previous accomplishment was getting Big Poppa to buy her an Escalade. Kandi's other big development happened off-camera. Her fiance, A.J., died in an altercation outside a strip club.

A.J.'s death was a tragic coda to a season of vapid emptiness. The ladies seemed to be searching for things to do -- mirror/mirror photo shoots, dueling fashion shows, wig fights! Sheree's fight with a party planner was legendary. Ironically, the nothingness on screen masked the fact that all these ladies were in the hole financially. Oops. That would not have made very good TV, apparently.

The Real Housewives of New York
Bethenny feuded with Kelly. Jill tried to psych out Ramona on the tennis court using Simon as a shill. The van Kampens decorated their Brooklyn townhouse like a French brothel. And the Countess's marriage came to an end. What's the proper etiquette when your old man leaves you for a younger woman, Countess? She was so busy teaching teens about how to eat lunch, she didn't realize the Count was fooling around. It won't be the same old gang in 2010, now that Bethenny's left for her own show -- and having a baby.

The Real Housewives of Orange County
Oy vey, the economy. By the time the fifth season unfolded, the recession had gotten so bad they couldn't keep the foreclosures and mounting debts off-screen. Only workaholic Vicki had managed to keep her fortune intact. And in a change from the previous season, she stopped emasculating her husband and tried being nice to him.

The big news in the O.C. was Jeana Keough had had enough of the Coto ladies. After four episodes, she exited the series. That meant more time for Lynne's facelift, even though she can't afford to pay for it. There was also more time for Gretchen and Slade, who had moved onto her after Jo and (for a short time) Lauri.

Syndicated Housewives and more cities
Perhaps the most newsworthy thing about the Real Housewives isn't the on screen shenanigans at all. NBCU has sold the series into syndication. That means by next fall, September 2010, you'll be seeing the Real Housewives Monday-Friday on your local stations. The series has already been sold in more than 60 percent of the country, including major markets like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Miami, San Diego and New Orleans. The Real Housewives, you see, will go on and on and on.