When it comes to Real Housewives it pays to be BAD! OKMagazine.com has investigated the salaries of all your favorite ladies and basically—the more drama, the more moolah! Taking that into consideration, it's not surprising that the highest paid Housewife is Atlanta's Queen B — NeNe.
The 45-year-old, who stars in The New Normal and Glee when not wreaking havoc on the Real Housewives, signed a sweet $1 million plus bonuses deal for season six of the hit show, putting all the other ladies way in the shade.
Case in point, next highest earning Atlanta Housewife is Kandi Burrus, at $450,000, followed by Cynthia Bailey and Phaedra Parks at $300,000.
Season five of the show has completed airing and producers are now gearing up for season six!
Second on the high earners list is the New Jersey baddie that everyone just loves to hate—Teresa Giudice!
RHONJ pulls in the highest viewing numbers of all the franchises, with an average of 3 million viewers regularly tuning in for all the table flipping, family feuding fun, and as the fiery Italian is responsible for the vast majority of the on-screen—and off-screen—drama it's appropriate she should be compensated accordingly.
And, she is!
The 40-year-old rakes in a cool $650,000 plus bonuses a season.
Teresa's cast mates are way down the pay day totem pole from the Drama Goddess, with Caroline Manzo making $400,000, Melissa Gorga $350,000 and Jacqueline Laurita $275,000.
Next up, the New York City ladies.
Top of the pile are Ramona Singer and Countess LuAnn DeLesseps, who have both been on the show since season one and each earn a healthy $500,000 per season plus bonuses.
Sonja Morgan pulls in $220,000, Aviva Drescher $200,000 and Heather Thompson rounds out the bottom at $175,000.
The show is currently gearing up to start filming on season six.
Traveling west, another show original, Vicki Gunvalson, tops the Orange County earners, matching her Big Apple counterparts with a payday of $500,000 per season.
Snapping at the Housewives veteran's heels are Gretchen Rossi and Tamra Barney who command $375,000 and $325,000 respectively, followed by Alexis Bellino at a comparatively paltry $175,000.
Orange County was the first show in the hugely popular Bravo Housewives stable and still pulls in the viewers in their droves.
Season seven scored a healthy 2.8 million average pershow, the highest ratings in the show's history.
The Beverly Hills ladies are thankfully, for the most part, independently wealthy, as their salaries are definitely lower on the scale.
Restauranteur Lisa Vanderpump, tops the list— earning $275,000 for season 3, upping the ante to $350,000 for season 4 which is currently in production.
Kyle Richards will be raking in $225,000 for the upcoming season and Brandi Glanville, who started off as a part time cast member on just $18,000, enjoys a nice bump up to $175,000.
Both Adrienne Maloof and Camille Grammer have quit the show and will not be returning next season.
Finally, Miami is lowest in the ratings, and the salaries!
Adriana De Moura, Marysol Patton and Joanna Krupa are the top earners, each commanding a payday in the $55-75,000 range per season.
The Real Housewives of Miami first aired February 2011, it is currently filming season three.
OK!