20 Rare Images Of 'The Real Housewives' Cast Way Before Fame

The Real Housewives franchise has exploded in popularity. It was created by executive producer Andy Cohen at Bravo who has gotten famous from the franchise in his own right. It all started with The Real Housewives Of Orange County in 2006 and it only spawned from there. New York City and Atlanta quickly followed the OC and premiered in 2008. 2009 saw New Jersey join the city and gave the world Teresa Giudice. In the following years, Bravo added Miami, Washington D.C., Beverly Hills, Potomac, and Dallas. Not to mention the international versions the show has inspired outside of the United States like Real Housewives Of Cheshire and Real Housewives Of Melbourne. 

So it's safe to say it is a very popular show, and the individual wives have spawned their own fandoms complete with catchphrases and merchandise. The show obviously is about the wealthy and the wives are all about looking polished and amazing, so it's interesting to take a trip down memory lane to see what they looked like before they were Real Housewives. 

Some of them may surprise you and some may not at all, but here is proof these women definitely existed before they graced our TV screens which can be hard to imagine. Some of the wives have had much longer relationships than fans of the show realize. So take a walk down memory lane and see what your favorite wives looked like in a past life.

20 Countess Luann Before She Was A Countess

We have watched Countess Luann on our TV's for a decade now, and while she is not with the Count whom we saw her married too in the beginning of the series, she has remained a Countess. Throughout the ten years that the Countess has been on our screens as a cast member of Real Housewives Of New York City we have seen her go through a lot. And since she is one of the older ladies on the franchises, when we were first introduced to Luann she was already a woman well into her middle age. So it can be hard to imagine what she looked like when she was a younger gal.

From the show, we know that she was a regular girl from Connecticut that got into modeling which sent her to Europe, where she met her future husband, Count Alexandre de Lesseps. She entered a very glamorous lifestyle at a very young age, and she definitely carries herself in a very regal manner so this picture is a great throwback to the young girl she was before all the glamour, riches, and royalty. Can you imagine Real Housewives Of New York City without our forever Countess? We can't either.

19 Young Erika Jayne And Her Son-The Only Glimpse You Will Probably Ever See Of Him

Erika Jayne is one of the newer members to join the cast of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She joined the likes of Kyle Richards and Lisa Vanderpump, so she was thrown into the game with some pretty big names and established Bravo royalty. But the self-proclaimed ice princess has managed to hold her own with all the other ladies, an impressive feat for any newbie going a Housewives cast. Erika let us into her work life, which consists of her being pop performer Erika Jayne and being followed around by her glam squad.

Her life for all intents and purposes is extremely glamorous. We got a very small glimpse into her marriage with famed lawyer Tom Girardi, we have mostly really only seen Erika in a professional context compared to the other ladies from whom we get to see a lot of their personal, home life. Erika mentioned on the show that she has an adult son who is a police officer in L.A. and he does live with Tom and Erika. Because of the nature of his job, she is very protective of his identity. Everyone remembers when Eileen brought up her son when the ladies were in Hong Kong and Erika finally snapped and showed human emotion. Well, here is probably one of the only pictures you will ever see of Erika's son.

18 If You Don't Recognize This Cutie It's RHOA Housewife Porsha Williams

Porsha Williams has had an interesting trajectory on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Which for the record, according to Buzzfeed brings in the most ratings out of all the franchises. In Porsha's first season she was a young woman that seemed happily married to NFL player, Kordell Williams. She was determined to have a family with him and be the typical Southern housewife. Well if people thought that her first season was an indication of how the rest of her time on Housewives would go, they were dead wrong. The second season we saw Portia she was divorced and determined to live it up as a single lady.

We went from watching her ask her husband for permission to do things on the show to living her best, full life. And then Portia went down a very shady lane and had a couple of outbursts on the show and the reunion which showed a worrisome side to her. Then Portia made the mistake of trying to come for Kandi, as part of a takedown plan she had with Phaedra Parks. Well as we saw play out on the show that moves got Phaedra fired from the show entirely, and Portia has been left eating crow and trying to get back in the ladies good books, especially Kandi's. This picture comes from a much more innocent time in Portia's life.

17 A Teenaged Bethenny Frankel And Kyle Richards-The Two Have Been Friends For Decades

That's right! This is an old picture of a young Bethenny Frankel and Kyle Richards. The ladies have known each other for decades! Who could predict the two would grow up to be on the same franchise. Kyle reps the west coast by being on Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills and Bethenny reps the east coast on Real Housewives of New York City. According to BravoTV Kyle and Bethenny have been close friends for two and a half decades. They met in L.A. many moons ago when Bethenny was dating one of Kyle's ex-boyfriends.

While that kind of situation does not usually foster longterm friendships, for Kyle and Bethenny it worked out! The guy in question is history but these two are just as close as ever. BravoTV also reports that after meeting Kyle Richards, Bethenny became a nanny for none other than Kyle's famous nieces Paris and Nikki Hilton. Bethenny is obviously in a much different position these days as a massive mogul and Kyle have definitely leveled on up as well, but one thing has not changed and that is the bond between these two! What are the chances that two friends who basically grew up together would grow up to find the same reality TV success?

16 Nene Leakes In Her Hometown Of Athens, Georgia

Nene Leakes is one of the biggest successes to come out of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and the Real Housewife franchise in general. According to People Nene has had her own spin-off series on Bravo titled I Dream Of Nene, she has been a contestant on the infamous Celebrity Apprentice. Who can forget when on an episode of Real Housewives Of Atlanta Nene got into a fight with Sheree and delivered the now iconic line, 'I am cashing Trump cheques.' She has also had acting roles on popular TV shows such as Glee and The New Normal. 

Nene did leave RHOA at one point because her career outside of the show was heating up so much, and there is only so much Nene to go around. She has since returned to the show to retake her crown, and of course fight with Kim Zolciak Bierrman.  A lot of these housewives that leave the show for what we assume they feel is greener pastures, such as Nene, Kim Zolciak, and Bethenny Frankel all end up finding the way back to the show. The above photo is of a very young Nene Leakes when she was growing up in Athens, Georgia. As we have seen on the show, Phaedra Parks is also from Athens, Georgia and there was some drama between the two about how much they actually knew each other when they were growing up.

15 Brandi Glanville When She Was Still Married To Eddie Cibrian

The world was introduced to Brandi Glanville before she joined the ranks of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills through the tabloids. This was, of course, thanks to the highly publicized affair her actor husband, Eddie Cibrian had with Country crooner turned sometimes actress Leanne Rimes. Eddie did leave Brandi for her Leanne, but it all played out very publicly. According to Us Weekly obviously, the three had a very contentious relationship that has often played out in the media, with the feud essentially lasting a whole decade. By the time that Brandi joined RHOBH the public was already familiar with her, but not because of her past modeling career but mostly because she was known for being the "left behind" wife.

And Brandi also brought it up all the time while she was on the show. Brandi was a very polarizing figure on RHOBH as audiences watched her say things to the other wives that no one really had before, Brandi always went there. These days she has a podcast, and it seems that she has made up with Leanne and her ex-husband. Us Weekly reports that after exchanging jabs at each other both publicly and privately over the last decade, peace has finally been made. Brandi posted a picture of her and Leann looking all cozy during her sons birthday party.

14 Camille And Kelsey Grammar In Some Very 90's Looking Outfits

Camille Grammar is viewed as the redemption Queen of almost the entire Real Housewives franchise. She appeared on the first season of RHOBH when she was still married to Kelsey Grammar, or maybe you know him better as Frasier. Camille in her first season definitely put on a great show, viewers watched as she acted like a devoted wife and somewhat devoted Mother - in her own words she did have four nannies for two kids that season. All in all, the first season did not do anything good for Camille's public image because of her snotty attitude towards the other women.

Then, it came out she was getting divorced from Kelsey and he was already with another woman. Camille took a step back from the show, and when she returned as a friend of viewers were introduced to a totally new woman. And all fandom which was overwhelming very anti-Camille totally switched sides. But it was hard not too, the Camille that came back to RHOBH after her divorce was a totally different woman from the one that the audience was introduced too. Camille told us on the show that Kelsey refuses to communicate with her whatsoever, even though they share two young children. The way that Kelsey has treated her after their marriage has also garnered her a lot of sympathies.

13 Young Lisa Rinna Looking Exactly Like Her Model Daughter Amelia

Soap opera actress Lisa Rinna joined RHOBH in season 5 and it was hard not to fall in love with the big lipped wise-cracking beauty. And if we weren't laughing along with her it doesn't matter, because Lisa Rinna cracks herself up the most so she's at least always laughing! While she definitely became a fan favorite quickly after joining the show, particularly because audiences loved her friendship with fellow soap actress and Real Housewife Eileen Davidson. On a show where friendships seem to topple over at the smallest sign of issues, it was refreshing to see two women who seemed to genuinely love and care about each other. And they always had each other back, another rarity on the Real Housewife shows.

Lisa has definitely had a hot and cold relationship with the fandom though, going from favorite to questionable because of some of her actions on her second season of the show, particularly the ones directed towards ultimate fan favorite Lisa Vanderpump. Since Lisa has had such a long time career in the entertainment industry, there is no shortage of pictures of her from her younger days. In this one, she is a spitting image of her younger daughter, Amelia Grey.

12 Kim Zolciak Before It All-Including Big Poppa

Kim Zolciak has had one of the biggest life transformations over the course of Real Housewives of Atlanta. When we first saw her on the show, she was 'single' Mother to two young girls and best friends with Nene Leakes. We put 'single' in brackets because Kim herself was not clear on the nature of her relationship at the time, she would never mention his name and only refer to him as Big Poppa. The little we did know about their relationship from the show, he was buying her a lot of stuff but did not seem to have any kind of role in her daughters' lives. Well, she has definitely traded up since then. On the show, she met her now husband ex-footballer Kroy Bierrman.

The two quickly got married and went on to have 4 kids together and their own Bravo spin-off, Don't Be Tardy For The Party. The title is, of course, the same as one of Kim's hit singles, when she tried to foray into the music industry but that was a short-lived adventure for her. She left RHOA for a couple of seasons and was solely focused on her spin-off show. Last year she rejoined RHOA for the latest season and it did not go well for her. If you watched the RHOA reunion, particularly the third part then you already know why she did not have a great time. We feel it is safe to say she probably won't be back next season.

11 The Richards Sisters With Their Mother Big Kathy

If you are not familiar with Big Kathy, she is Mother to Kathy Hilton, Kyle and Kim Richards, and Grandmother to Paris Hilton. According to a book on their life growing up titled House of Hilton, Big Kathy was a very determined stage mother who was set on making her children into stars or having them marry rich. Kathy Hilton obviously married into the Hiltons, and Kim Richards had a very successful acting career when she was a child. Kyle also acted, but a lot less than older sister Kim.

We have seen both Kyle and Kim speak very fondly of their Mother on Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills while also admitting that she was a tough mom that expected a lot from them, like making a bunch of money when they were children. Kathy herself was something of a woman around town, she was married 4 times and was a regular staple at the infamous Beverly Hills Hotel bar. The Richard sisters definitely had an interesting time growing up, as most child actors do. Their lifestyle is so different to that of the majority of children. Fans have watched Kim Richards battle a lot of demons when she was still on RHOBH, which unfortunately do seem to plague a lot of child actors.

10 Kandi Burruss Looking The Cutest!

Kandi Burruss is a powerhouse on Real Housewives Of Atlanta. She is to Atlanta what Bethenny Frankel is to Real Housewives Of New York.  They are both very successful moguls that unlike a lot of the women on the show, do not have to actually be on the show for money and recognition. They have enough of it without Real Housewives. Unlike Bethenny, Kandi has a much more chill personality and she is normally the voice of reason and the Greek chorus on RHOA. We have watched a lot happen for Kandi on the show. One season the ladies went to Africa and Kandi spoke to a fortune teller that she would be meeting the man for her soon, and next thing you know Kandi is dating a member of the RHOA production crew, Todd Tucker.

Throughout the seasons we watched the two fall in love and eventually get married, and welcome a baby boy together called Ace Tucker. Kandi and Todd both have daughters from previous relationships and we watched them bring their families happily together. They had a couple bumps in the road on their path to living happily ever after, but Kandi definitely finally got her fairytale and she definitely deserved it.

9 Sonja Morgan Before She Partied With Madonna And Jon Jon Kennedy

Sonja Morgan is a firecracker on the Real Housewives Of New York City. Once married into the American dynasty the J.P. Morgan family, she is now a single woman living in her townhouse in New York City. Throughout the seasons we have watched Sonja start a number of dubious business ventures that never seem to pan out. Who could forget the Sonja Morgan toaster oven? The fans waited and waited for the chance to buy it after watching the launch party on RHONY and it just never came to be. We also watched her talk about on the show about starting a liquor line and even making some kind of plans that were never really clear, with a Nigerian football team.

She is also known for all the crazy stories she has when she was the socialite wife of one of the wealthiest men in America. If you would believe Sonja, she has definitely partied with Madonna and Jon Jon Kennedy. A lot of the ladies target Sonja for obsessed with her past life, but most of the time Sonja hears no criticism and continues doing whatever it is that she wants. The above photo is a young Sonja before she fell into the much older arms of John Morgan, with whom she shares a daughter.

8 The OG Of The OC, Housewife Vicki Gunvalson

Vicki Gunvalson is going into the Real Housewife hypothetical Hall of Fame only because she has been on the show form the first season, of the first franchise. No one else has been a Housewife for as long as Vicki has been seeing as the OC was the first one to premiere. So she has been getting a cheque from Bravo for over ten years while she whoops it up all over the place. Vicki is a special character in the Real Housewife universe. From the show, we know that she is a totally self-made business woman who owns her own insurance company. And while her professional life is nothing short of impressive, her personal life has left us wanting more from Vicki.

Viewers have watched Vicki attack new wives on the show season after season, and if they were a lot than her they got the brunt of it. Vicki also gifted viewers with the first ever fake cancer storyline. On a past season of Real Housewives of Orange County Vicki and then-boyfriend Brooks were accused of faking his cancer story for sympathy. The truth came out and it was revealed that Brooks did not actually have cancer, and Vicki admitted to having a part in it because she wanted sympathy. The viewers and Vicki's family are thrilled that she is no longer with Brooks.

7 Cynthia Bailey Looking Exactly The Same 20 Years Ago As She Does At 50

Cynthia Bailey is the resident model of Real Housewives Of Atlanta. In the latest season of RHOA, we watched Cynthia celebrate being single and turning 50, and girlfriend does not look a day over 25. Cynthia is definitely one of the calmest and even-keeled housewife out of all the franchises, we have rarely seen Cynthia get mad and get into the type of altercations that the other housewives are known for. And even though her storylines on the show have a lot less drama than other wives, her sweet nature makes her easily a fan favorite.

Since Cynthia joined the cast of RHOA we watched her marry Peter Thomas and get divorced, so at this point, it is hard not to root for her in her single life. Especially because in the last season of RHOA viewers watched Cynthia get involved with a guy that just did not seem to be good enough for her, something that Kandi Burruss was quick to point out when she met him during the season. When you are beautiful, successful, and famous like Cynthia is you have to be careful about who is coming out of the woodwork to date you, but we feel like after what she went through with Peter Thomas it will not be too hard for her to find someone better than him.

6 Proof That Lisa Vanderpump Was Once A Child

Lisa Vanderpump is one of the most successful Real Housewives, no easy feast considering a lot of them are very successful in their own rights. Her role on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills not only launched her own very successful spinoff on Bravo, Vanderpump Rules but also gave her a huge fandom. What is not to love about Lisa Vanderpump? She is a tough, tell it like it is woman, who lives a lifestyle many of us can't even imagine.

Viewers love to watch her stunning home, Villa Rosa on the show. She has a menagerie of animals that are basically the supporting cast of characters on RHOBH. Her menagerie includes mini horses, swans, turtles, and like 27 dogs. Viewers got to watch her go pick up her mini horse on an episode of RHOBH with fellow cast member Lisa Rinna. LVP is one of the older cast members, and viewers were introduced to her as an already well-established woman with grown children. And she very rarely talks about her childhood in England. The only thing she has really talked about on the show in reference to her childhood is her Grandmother, Nanny K. This is proof that LVP was a child once upon a time just like you and me.

5 The Dutch Martha Stewart Of Beverly Hills Yolanda Foster!

Do you see a young Gigi Hadid in that photo? If you do, it's because that is her Mother Yolanda Foster - now Hadid again. Yolanda showed up on our screens joining the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast as this almost ethereal Dutch being that lived this perfect life in the Hollywood Hills with her 'King' aka massive music producer David Foster. She is also the Mother of two of the most famous models in the world right now, Gigi and Bella Hadid.

On the show, we watched Yolanda struggle with her Lyme disease diagnosis which these days sees seems to conquered. And for fans of the show, it was a huge shock when it was announced that she would be divorcing David Foster. On the show Yolanda made it clear how important fostering her relationship is and treating her husband like a King. Well that did not work out, and the two got divorced and Yolanda went back to the same last name that her children have - Hadid. The last name, of course, belongs to her children's Father and her ex-husband uber successful developer Mohammad Hadid who we have seen on the show a couple times - but mostly in the capacity of being Lisa Vanderpump's good friend.

4 Teresa Giudice's Frenemy For Life-Jacqueline Laurita

Jacqueline Laurita is one of the housewives that has been on the show, left the show, come back and then left again. Who knows how much of a choice she actually had in her leaving the show, but it's safe to assume since her issues lie with the Queen of Real Housewives Of New Jersey Teresa Giudice she probably did not get much of a choice about whether she would stay on the show or not. The relationship between the two has been a huge plot point on Real Housewives of New Jersey. When the show began, the two women could not be any closer. They were both pregnant and had babies around the same time, Teresa had a little girl and Jacqueline had a little boy.

They were so close that they joked the two little ones would grow up to get married. Throughout the ensuing seasons, we saw the deterioration of their very deep friendship which is one of the saddest things we have had to watch on Real Housewives. They went from calling each other Lucy & Ethel to almost full on physical fights. Jacqueline left the show but did return for one season and fans thought this would be the two of them finally coming back together again, and it seemed like that would actually happen at one point. But it was not meant to be, and the two are not friends anymore and Jacqueline is no longer on the show again. For now.

3 Carole Radziwill In A Past Life As A Reporter For ABC News

For a lot of the women on Real Housewives, the show totally changed their lives and opened up opportunities to them that they would never have had. A lot of them were actual housewives, and with this show, they got an actual career and the ability to go out and create more things for themselves and their families. Not Carole Radziwill though, who for all intents and purposes has lived a very full life before her tenure on the Real Housewives of New York City. When she joined the show a couple seasons ago, she told the audience about her past life which included her being an ABC journalist, and a marriage to not only European royalty but to American as well.

Her late husband, unfortunately, passed away in 1999 and he was not only a Swiss Prince according to BravoTV, but he was also a cousin of none other than John F. Kennedy Jr. When you contrast the fact that Carole has really not mentioned being an actual Princess (by marriage, but still) on the show with Luann proudly touting her Countess title even years after divorcing it can be kind of obvious why the two of them have such an antagonistic relationship. They are clearly very different and have very different priorities and hold different things important to them.

2 Sharp-Tongued Tamra Judge Looking Like A Scholarly Angel

Tamra Judge is Real Housewife royalty. The main reason being is she has been on the show longer than a lot of the other franchises have even been around. As we mentioned, the very first city that Real Housewives was based on it was Orange County. When the third season premiered in 2007, Tamra joined the cast and she has been on ever since. And we have definitely seen a lot of things play out for Tamra in the decade that she has been on TV. When she was first on the show she was married to Simon Barney, and we watched their marriage implode and eventually lead to divorce.

Tamra found love again and even had a wedding special on Bravo when she got married to Eddie Judge with whom she is married to till this day. Tamra has had a lot of drama in her life since her divorce, from custody issues with her ex-husband to her daughter Sidney totally freezing her out we have watched Tamra deal with a lot of hard things. Not to mention all the issues that we have seen her oldest son Ryan struggle with on the show. She has fully opened up her life to viewers and die-hard fans. With some of her behavior on the show, it can be hard to imagine a young innocent Tamra but the above photo is proof she existed.

1 Erika Jayne And Kyle Richards Met Way Before RHOB!

On Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, we have seen Erika struggle forming close relationships with the other women on the show. Of course being new on a show like the Real Housewives is a bit like a lamb walking into the lion's den, but Erika has managed to stand her ground. One cast member with whom she has gotten very close to over the course of the show is Kyle Richards, which can be surprising for fans because the two women are different in so many ways.

Kyle is a very devoted Mother and wife, and Erika has a different lifestyle that lends itself to her jet-setting life. Well the two of them probably hit it off so well because they already knew each other, which the show pretty much glossed over. Erika and Kyle did not meet for the first time on the show. According to BravoTV, the two met way back in 2010. The above photo was taken in 2010 at an event thrown by infamous celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton. It is safe to say that looking at this photo and comparing it to present day and Erika and the Erika we have watched on the last two seasons of RHOBH, her style has definitely evolved and changed since then.

References: Buzzfeed, BravoTV, People, BravoTV, BravoTV, Us Weekly, House of Hilton, buzzfeed.com