The Most Memorable RHONY Vacations: From Scary Island to the Berkshires
"I decorated! I cooked! I made it nice!" Dorinda Medley declared as we remember the most unforgettable girls trips for the ladies of RHONY.
From Luann de Lesseps almost falling off a camel to Dorinda Medley making it nice in the Berkshires, the ladies of The Real Housewives of New York City never disappoint when it comes to vacations. A return to the same house St. Barts, the scene of the infamous “pirate” sighting, only seems appropriate for The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy. And the RHONY trip that paved the way for epic girls trips? Scary Island.
“We’d never taken the Housewives on the road before,” producer Matt Anderson recalled during a panel discussion at BravoCon in 2022, Us Magazine reported. “I didn’t know what it would be like to take care of them 24/7, and it was hard.”
Here’s a refresher on the most memorable RHONY vacations before Luann, Sonja Morgan, Ramona Singer, Dorinda Medley, Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Kristen Taekman return for RHONY Legacy.
St. John (Scary Island), RHONY Season 3
The Season 3 girls trip episodes became known as “Scary Island” after Kelly declared, "I'm here by myself. I'm alone on 'Scary Island.'" The vacation is possibly the most well-known and remembered trip of RHONY. Kelly was the first housewife to break the fourth wall on the trip, saying producer Matt Anderson’s name over and over, and prompting a housewife to shout the memorable words, “Go to sleep!”
St. Barts, RHONY Season 5
The after-dark happenings in St. Barts will be remembered forever by RHONY fans. The ‘Wives met a pirate named Tomas, who looked like Johnny Depp. But it was Luann’s encounter with the pirate that raised the most eyebrows. As they say, it's not the crime, but the cover-up, and The Countess made a suspicious phone call in French to her friend the next day suggesting that Tomas had come back to the house with her — but that no one could know he’d visited (she had a boyfriend, Jacques Azoulay, at the time) of the rendezvous.
It was one of the first hot mic moments in Real Housewives, that happened to be caught by the RHONY sound guy, who spoke French.
"So we ran a camera up and got it, and it was like Christmas and happy birthday all in one," RHONY executive producer Lisa Shannon said. "For everyone but Lu, unfortunately."
Will the pirate return to St. Barts in RHONY: Legacy? According to Luann, stay tuned.
The Berkshires, RHONY Season 8
Dorinda uttered one of her most famous lines during Season 8, when the housewives visited her home, Bluestone Manor, in the Berkshires.
“I decorated! I cooked! I made it nice!” she yelled at Luann, Ramona, and Carole Radziwell while in her kitchen.
Andy called it her most iconic moment during the July 16, 2020 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
“The thing that makes the speech so iconic…it is a speech that anyone can relate to,” he said. “This woman broke her back to have her friends come over. She cooked. She cleaned. She made it nice. And these bitches are disrespecting her at every step of the way…so she broke…many people have breakdowns on Thanksgiving night. It just is emblematic of doing something and not being respected for it.”
The Hamptons, RHONY Season 12
A girls night at Ramona’s home in the Hamptons turned wild during Season 12, when Tinsley Mortimer and Sonja decided to all go skinny dipping in the pool. The chaos ended with tiki torches thrown into the water, and a vibrator in the middle of a plate of chicken piccata.
RELATED: Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan Tease RHUGT Season 5: "Scary Island Part 2"
Mexico, RHONY Season 9
Luann was the star of another memorable moment on a girls trip, this time in Mexico during Season 9. The Countess lost her balance and took a tumble into the bushes outside of the vacation home. Tinsley called it one of her favorite moments on the show.
“I loved when Luann fell in the bushes, but when Ramona just was like, ‘You should’ve gone this way,’ that, to me, has become my favorite line. I always say that,” Tinsley said.
Morocco, RHONY Season 4
Luann was literally in for the ride of her life when the ‘Wives headed into the famous Moroccan Souk desert in Season 4. Luann had to hold on tight when her camel went wild and tried to buck her off.
She still hadn’t forgotten her brush with death by Season 12, remarking, “Oh my god, these are very large camels, I’m having flashbacks,” as the housewives rode camels again in Mexico. But she managed to swallow her fear and get back on that camel.
Montana, RHONY Season 6
The Big Apple ladies traveled to the Wild, Wild West during Season 6, but their adventure in Montana was famously called boring.
“There were more bears in the Missoula Airport than there were people,” Carole declared, while Sonja was upset by the lack of dating opportunities.
“I had a squirrel trying to get in my room last night,” she said on the trip. “I almost made out with him.”
Luann wasn’t thrilled with the activities planned either. “I’m thinking hanging off the side of a cliff is much better than being around Sonja with guns,” she joked.
Kristen remained happy with the trip she planned, despite the other ladies’ comments. “This trip has been filled with once in a lifetime moments,” she declared. “Seeing the Countess in a portapotty? Priceless.”
Watch the first three episodes of RHONY Legacy on Thursday, Dec. 14 on Peacock, with new episodes available on Thursdays after the premiere.
