Fam, we’ve got some banter for all of us today. Here, I’d like to introduce you to The Real Countries of Eurovision, where some of our favorite (and current) competing nations across Europe and beyond get compared to the current iterations of one of reality TV’s most iconic, lavish, explosive, and controversial gems ever created: The Real Housewives franchise.
This comparison will include those franchises produced by Bravo, the U.S.-based basic cable network. Let’s crack a few bad jokes, throw some shade, be a little messy, and have some fun, shall we, Eurovision Fam? This article is purely for entertainment purposes; please do not take these lines that seriously.
We will divide this article into three distinct segments, each based on the different eras of Housewives in the United States: the originals (Orange County, New York City, Atlanta, and New Jersey), the veterans (D.C., Beverly Hills, Miami, Dallas & Potomac), and the new era (Salt Lake City, Dubai & Girls Trip).
The Originals
The original era of The Real Housewives comprises the first several iterations that premiered in the States, which are Orange County (2006), New York City (2008), Atlanta (2008), and New Jersey (2009). All of these installments are still developing seasons as of 2025. In Eurovision terms, the countries we’ve chosen are like these Housewives shows: reliable and always ready to deliver, whether good or bad, but something happens with them!
Orange County meets the United Kingdom
The OG show comes from the wealthiest areas of Southern California’s Orange County. The OC ladies know how to be guttersnipes, messy, and always ready to amp up the shenanigans. Something that we’ve always seen in Eurovision with the United Kingdom.
The UK always comes in ready to either squeeze their way to the top (2022) or give us the best packaged televote last-place finishers (2024 and 2025) we’ve always asked for. The BBC has proven itself to be a reliable and trustworthy partner for the contest, having been the preferred backup host country over the years, and executing such a role as recently as 2023 (the last time a backup country was required).
New York City (First run) meets Ukraine
The original run of The Real Housewives of New York City, which aired between 2008 and 2021, comprises 13 seasons, and some of the most iconic women to grace the franchise, such as Bethenny Frankel, LuAnn “The Countess” DeLesseps, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Carole Radzwill, and Dorinda Medley. These eccentric, wealthy, middle-aged women were always ready to get wasted, turn up the antics, and provide dissociating television for us to enjoy.
This era of reality TV resembles Ukraine’s path of over 20 years at the Eurovision Song Contest. A journey filled with culture, bops, energy, good vocals, and formidable staging shows. This Slavic nation never misses their job of delivering excellence. Ukraine knows how to always make us feel great about having them here, just like our favorite group of NYC socialite has-beens.
New York City (Reboot era) meets Luxembourg
For many fans of The Real Housewives, the current reboot of RHONY is a mix of influencer-coded co-stars, bland drama, and unappealing shenanigans, much like what we’ve seen from Luxembourg in its rebooted Eurovision experience.
Let’s keep it real and face the music, Fam, we (as a fandom) have craved the Luxembourgish Renaissance at the contest for years, but these first 2 attempts have been somewhat underwhelming, to say the least. “Fighter” was whatever that was in Malmö, and “La poupée monte le son” was exactly what they needed to bring when they returned. Keep the French-language bops peeps, and we’ll be here to consume them.
Atlanta meets the Netherlands
Atlanta, Georgia, is the mecca of Black Hollywood, and also the place of the most quotable, meme-able, iconic interaction of this franchise. The peach holders of the American South never disappoint on the shade, the drama, the humor, and the shenanigans, and we can say the same of the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Dutch never skip a beat or a bag to give us quality at the contest (especially since 2013). From giving us the best of their current mainstream or bubbly upcoming sensations, this Western European nation is cooking up the formula to strike their next ESC victory. The most-streamed Eurovision song ever hails from this country, that being our 2019 winner “Arcade”. We love a country that always flexes its budget, hunny!
New Jersey meets Italy
RHONJ (the official abbreviation for this installment) is the most Italy-coded reality show ever made in the U.S., and it premiered months before Jersey Shore did. From Teresa Giudice and her table flip to seeing the same woman come back from jailtime all zen, the ladies of New Jersey have given us family drama, tax frauds, and shameful scandals for the last 16 years on TV across 14 successful seasons.
This is one of the most-watched versions of the show in the U.S., all the while Italy delivers some of the most successful songs in their local markets for any Eurovision act. The boot-shaped country, since returning to the contest in 2011, has never missed when it comes to delivering quality and bangers.
The Veterans
The Real Housewives franchise’s second era comprises the batch of iterations that premiered between the early and mid-2010s, which include D.C. (2010), Beverly Hills (2010), Miami (2011), Dallas (2016), and Potomac (2016). Some of these shows have been gutted and no longer air, others have been paused and later revived, and others remain active and thriving as of 2025.
Many of these shows have been pure chaos, some of them have been lackluster during their run, and some of them have been gems in brute that have exploded into mainstream culture.
D.C. meets Ireland
In 2010, the franchise made its first attempt at showcasing how the wealthy and well-connected live in the capital of the United States. RHODC was canceled after 1 season, all thanks to a scandal involving one of the cast members, which led the network to the courts (subpoenas and all, hunny). The show was cute and even said incident was covered, but the formula just wasn’t there.
The same can be said of Ireland, Eurovision’s yesteryear darling. The sauce isn’t as tasty as grandma used to make it, and the results haven’t been landing (sans notable exceptions in 2011, 2018, and 2024). Just like D.C. (in real life), Ireland is a safe-haven for the girls, the gays, and they/thems, but even after delivering the contest’s gayest break-up song ever (in this house, we DO NOT welcome Ryan O’Shaughnessy disrespect), they’re just not clicking with the vibes.
Beverly Hills meets Sweden
Since October 2010, we’ve followed the lives and tribulations of a group of wealthy and successful women who live in the epicenter of fame and fortune: Beverly Hills. From divorces, shocking deaths, surrogate scandals, trips to the lady pond, and racial discussions, the ladies of RHOBH have shown off and showed out every aspect of their lives. After 14 seasons, the Los Angeles area show is the highest-rated iteration of the franchise in the U.S, and we can say this about Sweden in Eurovision.
We still care about what the Swedes will send to ESC. We still follow their national selection, no matter how mediocre the line-up may be. We still give them loads of attention (and ratings). No matter what happens with them, we always want to know more. They’ve got us hooked on phonics to their mist, and their 8th ESC win will happen sooner rather than later.
Miami meets Spain
Come feel the rush, I’ll make you blush, try me and taste Miami! If any country of Eurovision’s Big 5 can resemble the chaotic intensity of The Real Housewives of Miami, that country is… Spain. Since 2011 (including a gap of 8 years), the most Latino-coded cast of Housewives came to life, and they never miss on giving us a full, real-life telenovela of 16 episodes.
RHOM always has drama, intensity, music, and shenanigans. Spain at Eurovision always has drama, intensity, music, and shenanigans. Their national selection, whichever method they use (Benidorm Fest so far being the best they’ve ever had), never misses on scandals, corruption, and allegations of fraud. They are also the land of the most passionate and hooligan-like fans Eurovision has, and for such service, we thank you!
Adriana, sing “Feel the Rush”, once again, hunny!! *starts dancing like a real housewife*
Dallas meets Denmark
In early 2016, the franchise attempted to make its way into the territory of oil money, catty women, and cowboy boots: Texas. Dallas, not only known for inspiring the iconic soap opera of the 1980s, is also recognized for its elite communities, country clubs, and thriving industries. The Texan ladies delivered great amounts of Southern etiquette, problematic behavior, and sloppiness. This franchise was cancelled in 2021 for being too damn problematic (D’Andra Simmons and Dr. Tiffany Moon are always going to be the best of this franchise, though).
Denmark at Eurovision has had its few hits, as they’ve won 3 times, but damn, Fam, they are so sloppy when it comes to music! Scandinavia’s weakest link will always be them (this is all tea, no shade). They have one major problem: they can’t outdo their etiquette and break the mold. RHOD was problematic enough for today’s standards, but it is the least memorable iteration of Real Housewives ever done, while Denmark has had a change of heart when it comes to Eurovision and is too afraid of winning this thing ever again.
Potomac meets Greece
Spring 2016 introduced us to the second black-majority cast (in the U.S., obviously) of the franchise, Potomac! From etiquette wars, to character assassinations to drunken accidents, to fist fights between cast members, the ladies of wealthy suburban Maryland have been known to give us good TV for nearly a decade now.
And here we have Greece, the darling of the 2000s, which, after a brief flop era, they’ve been back in the scene. Since 2021, they have slowly emerged from the ashes and have become somewhat competitive at Eurovision again. Just like the Potomac housewives, this country knows how to give us a good time, even when the season is just a pure flop.
The New Era
The Real Housewives franchise’s third era comprises the batch of iterations that have debuted since 2020, and includes the installments set in Salt Lake City (2020), Dubai (2022), and spin-off Ultimate Girls Trip (2021).
All of them have shown a bit of female grandeur, absolute delusion, entertaining chaos, and memes… very useful memes!
Salt Lake City meets Finland
RHOSLC premiered in November 2020, during the height of the pandemic, and has become the new cult classic Housewives show. The snowy shenanigans from the rich ladies of the Rockies are just gold TV. From one of reality TV’s most shocking arrests (just Google the name Jen Shah, and you’ll think of me later), to delving into the ruhmerrrrssss and the nahhhstinessss of talking about the huzzzzbandssss, Salt Lake City has been that girl. Period.
Just like the queens of the snow mountains of Utah, the beautiful people of Finland have become the fandom’s ultimate Eurovision obsession. The only thing the Finns are guilty of is being Finn-mazing! Although they’re not giving us highly controversial fraud scandals, they have the receipts, proof, timeline, screenshots, and f***ing everything to prove that they are Eurovision’s next Nordic supreme (Sorry, Sweden!).
Dubai meets Australia
In 2022, we got to meet a group of wealthy foreign (+ a local Emirati) women living the life in Dubai, UAE. After a rocky debut season, the ladies of the desert gave us a solid second showing before getting canned in 2024. Anyway, the show was new, exotic, and provided amazing insights into how rich foreigners have fun and show off in the shiniest city of the Middle East.
And here we have Australia, the Europeans’ lost cousin, who had been broadcasting Eurovision for over 30 years, after serious lobbying got the chance to compete in 2025. They’ve given us a showcase of their best talent (truly, props to them). From the gimmicky acts to the perfectly-synched pop acts, the Aussies have been able to deliver grandeur at the ESC stage.
Ultimate Girls Trip meets Cyprus
The last iteration we’ll cover is the also cancelled Ultimate Girls Trip, which debuted in 2021. RHUGT features an amalgamation of (either current or past) Housewives who get together for a week-long girls’ trip. From extravagant soirees in Southeast Asia (Season 3) to scary evenings at Bluestone Manor (Season 2), the ultimate Housewives get-together has never ceased to give us lighthearted entertainment.
Its closest Eurovision cousin is Cyprus. The Mediterranean nation never misses an opportunity to showcase a blend of Greek culture or recruit a diaspora kid from afar to represent them. Besides, who wouldn’t like to have some fun under the Cypriot sun?
We Hope You Had Fun!
This funny, tongue-in-cheek article wraps up here. We hope you enjoyed the absurd comparisons we’ve made over these lines. Which Real Housewives x Eurovision comparisons do you find cool? Which ones shocked you? Let us know in the comments.
What creative post. 😉 I’ll have to read it in more detail when I have time.