This Real Housewives Star Just Spilled The Tea On Who Pays For What During The Show’s Extravagant Girls Trips
From going out to eat to getting glam done, here's how those Housewives travel bills get split.
The vacations throughout The Real Housewives franchise are the stuff of legend, from RHONY's Scary Island to RHOBH's Aspen meltdowns to all of the luxurious holidays taken on the Ultimate Girls Trip spinoff series in far-flung locales like Thailand, Morocco and St. Barths. But exactly who foots the bill for all of those palatial villas, pricey excursions and picturesque drama?
Former The Real Housewives of Dallas star Stephanie Hollman — the Texas-based series aired five seasons between April 2016 and May 2021 but wasn't picked up for a sixth — took to TikTok to answer fan questions, and in the process she shed some light on exactly how those televised trips work on the Housewives shows.
Hollman posted a video to her TikTok answering the question "What does Bravo pay for and what do you pay for?" And you can see her explanation below:
@stephhollman ♬ original sound - Stephanie Hollman
Hollman disclosed that for the "big trips" the Housewives castmates traditionally take each season, Bravo itself is opening its wallet, taking care of the flights and hotels while the reality stars are away:
However, there have been cases where castmates have had to throw in some of their own dollars during travel, Hollman revealed. However, given how lofty those Real Housewives salaries can be, we don't think these well-to-do women really run into any trouble there. She continued to talk about the trips, saying:
The RHOD star also gave some behind-the-scenes insight into the realities of filming the franchise's frequent restaurant scenes — which, yes, can quickly devolve into a table-flipping, glass-throwing mess, as they did in 2009.
While most onscreen food is taken care of by the network, Hollman explained the women have to fund their own fabulous parties and that they're expected to host "one big thing" per year:
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And, of course, makeup, hair, wardrobe along with travel are of the utmost importance to the infamously lavish ladies. (RHOBH star Erika Jayne, one of the most successful Housewives stars to date, once sparked backlash for her flippant use of private jets.) Along with breaking down how travel works, Hollman gave a handy rundown of how "glam" works while filming:
No matter who is putting their credit card down to cover those expensive—and explosive—getaways, we can't get enough of watching them. You can vicariously travel with the Housewives yourself by streaming both regular editions of the show as well as the Ultimate Girls Trip spinoff with a Peacock subscription, and make sure you stay tuned to the 2024 TV schedule so you don't miss their next trip.
Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, entertainment and lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. Regularly covers Bravo shows, Oscar contenders, the latest streaming news and anything happening with Harry Styles.