Trying to gauge popularity as well as settle an argument. On another board, a fan of the Real Housewives franchise is skeptical that someone who lives in one of the franchise cities wouldn’t be familiar with the show and the “stars”. My opinion is that the franchise isn’t that popular and that unless you’re a celebrity watcher, the franchise isn’t on your radar at all.
I’m not sure if there is a Housewife for my city but I’m almost sure there is one for a neighboring state-- NJ. Nope, I could not name a single housewife although both my husband and my daughter have watched a show or two but will guiltily change the channel if caught.
Oh, my city is New York.
I forgot. If you voted “Other”, I’d be interested in what the Other is.
I don’t live in a Housewives City (yet), but I know that there’s one from the Jersey show named Theresa. This is from watching other Bravo shows featuring Housewives ads, The Soup (which frequently mocks the Housewives), and the covers of various supermarket tabloids. Oh, and I also know that there’s one named NeNe, since she’s currently appearing on Glee.
I’m not even entirely familiar with what the franchise is. I get that it has something to do with housewives, not actresses playing housewives. I’ve never been clear if there’s some kind of hook that would make somebody want to watch a housewife or if there are people who actually find it interesting.
I don’t know what the hook could be.. maybe America votes and each week and one of the real housewives has to get a job/divorce? Or is it possible people actually just want to watch housewives?
Also, is it a spin-off of Desperate Housewives, which I’m also somewhat unfamiliar? I at least know that show is scripted and interesting things happen on it.
Other: I’ve heard of the franchise, and could name several cities/regions (New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Washington DC) and one or two housewives (Theresa Guidice, NeNe Leakes, Camille Grammer) – but have never seen a single second of any of the shows.
Aren’t the Kardashians “Housewives”? Or are they on a different show?
If not them, then no.
Voted the fourth choice. The phrase “Real Housewives of …” seems familiar; I’m vaguely aware that it’s a (non-game?) reality show. But I could name neither a city nor any of the featured individuals. I also rather doubt that Greensboro, NC has provided a location for it. 
Never heard of the franchise, and I opened the thread expecting—honest to God—that you were asking whether we personally knew any women whom we would classify as “housewives.”
I live in Atlanta. Don’t watch the show. But I know who most of them are through osmosis.
The other cities…? No clue.
I picked the fourth option; it fit best even though I could probably guess a few of the cities (but none of the housewives). It really isn’t on my radar. Mind you, The Jersey Shore isn’t either and I’ve picked up the nicknames of two of its… what’s the word? Characters? No. Personalities? No…
I picked option 4.
I couldn’t begin to name any of the housewives, but I think I recall correctly, they were in Orange County? That’s it for me.
My sisters watch them all and they talk about it enough that if you put a gun to my head I could probably come up with the name of a city but that’s it…and mainly because I’m going to assume that one of them is based in New York.
Also, someone mentioned Desperate Housewives. I know it’s not actually a spinoff of that show in the normal sense, but I always kind of wondered if it came about because of that show. At least the name anyways and “Look at that fictional show…here’s what REAL housewives are like” [hands cashier gobs of money]
ETA, from the Real Housewives Wiki
“The title is a play on the television series Desperate Housewives, which provided the base concept for the series”
Well there ya go…it is basically a real version of the show.
With the contempt shown on this board to the shows and to anybody that watches them, why would anyone actually admit to it? I predict that the number one answer to the poll would be “Why, I have no idea what you are talking about!” I sure wouldn’t admit to it, if I did watch them. Which I don’t.
Empty spaces.
Roddy
p.s. I picked the fourth option, even though I’m pretty sure I could name a couple of cities/locations, mostly from seeing the ads for the show.
Ummm . . . there’s “Duck-Lipped Blonde who drove her husband to suicide . . .” and there’s “Low-Forehead Chick who pushed over a table and yelled 'prostitution whore!’”
That’s all I got.
Other. I live in DC and know who Michaele Salahi is, due to her crashing a white house party. I’ve never watched a show and wouldn’t know who she was if it wasn’t for her real life antics.
But is this still true? What I’ve seen is posters admitting they watch but calling it a “guilty pleasure”, and nobody calls them out on it – at least not individually.
Fuzzy Dunlop, the franchise is a bit like the old Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, except that most of the women aren’t all that rich, nor were they famous before they appeared on the show*. Cameras follow them around as they throw parties, shop, lunch, bicker, etc.
*When the Beverly Hills version premiered, I started a thread asking if anyone knew who Kim Richards was. She behaved on the show like she was A list, and I’d never heard of her. I was surprised at how many people remembered her from the Witch Mountain movies. But an equal number didn’t.
I’m pretty sure there’s one in DC and some lady who crashed a White House party is on it, maybe? I don’t watch the show and couldn’t name the stars at all, but I may recognize a face or two in a lineup, just from seeing tabloids in the checkout line.
I chose “I’ve heard of the franchise but couldn’t name a city or a housewife”, but I’m pretty sure I could name some of the settings: New York, Orange County, and I think Miami. I don’t know any of the names of the housewives and don’t think I’d recognize any of them, though.
Reading through the thread I see a couple of references to one of the couples from the Washington, DC version of the show crashing a party at the White House, and I do remember that being in the news but I wasn’t thinking of it when I answered the poll. I would not have remembered the name of the housewife in question. I probably would recognize a photo of her from that incident – she’s a skinny middle aged blonde woman and she was wearing a red sari.