Summary

• The Real Housewives of D.C. had a promising start, but was canceled after one season due to a high-profile scandal at the White House.
• The show followed successful women in the D.C. area with connections to politics, offering a unique twist on the Real Housewives franchise.
• The original cast members of RHODC have moved on to new chapters in their lives, finding success in their careers and personal relationships.

The Real Housewives franchise began with The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006. Since then, a whopping 11 different series have been created, with viewers tuning in to watch the lives of housewives from New York, New Jersey, Miami, Beverly Hills, Atlanta, and even Dubai. Each one of these installments has been successful with a lot of that having to do with the OGs who have stuck around. In fact, RHOC has a total of 17 seasons and no plans to end.

However, viewers may have forgotten all about the one installment that was canceled for one season. In 2010, The Real Housewives of D.C. premiered, and had a promising future as it followed successful women in the Washington D.C. area. But, why was it canceled after one season when it was received with such positive reviews?

The Real Reason Why The Real Housewives Of D.C. Was Canceled After One Season

In 2009, it was announced that The Real Housewives franchise had added a new city: Washington D.C. Prior to the announcement, the franchise was already making waves with its four installments, The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of New York, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

According to a Bravo press release for the latest Real Housewives addition, the series would focus on the extremely successful women of the D.C. area and their connection to the political world, something viewers have not yet seen with the franchise's other installments.

"A place for power and politics, Bravo scouted the D.C. area to identify the city's alluring and discriminating residents, the women who have had their pulse on the most important cultural events, political galas, gallery openings and fundraisers in Washington society."

The press release continued, "The season will bring viewers inside the lives and homes of movers and shakers in the community, all connected in different ways to the political arena."

In August 2010, Bravo premiered the first episode of RHODC and viewers met the 5 influential women of the D.C. area. The cast consisted of Mary Amons, Lynda Erkiletian, Cat Ommanney, Stacie Turner, and Michaele Salahi. Like all the housewives of previous series, these women all had wealth and connections.

The season concluded with a dramatic finale in October 2010. Viewers watched as cast member Michaele and her then-husband, Tareq Salahi, attended the White House state dinner, hosted by then-president Barak Obama. The only issue was, the Salahi's were never invited to the prestigious event and, basically, crashed the dinner.

Crashing a dinner hosted by the President of the United States is no laughing matter. In fact, the incident was a serious security breach, (the Salahi's even shook hands with President Obama) and it resulted in a review of the White House's Secret Service procedures, according to The Washington Post.

In addition, the outlet reported that the Salahi's were given the go-ahead, despite not being on the invite list because an officer was "persuaded by the couple's manner and insistence as well as the pressure of keeping lines moving on a rainy evening."

The Salahi's stated that they were invited, but this proved to be untrue. In fact, Us Weekly reported that the controversy "caused a Secret Service criminal investigation, congressional hearings and an Obama administration internal review."

It also caused RHODC to not be renewed for Season 2. As Us Weekly mentioned, Bravo host Andy Cohen was hoping that the series would get a second season, but because it was such a serious incident, the network cut all ties with the ladies of D.C.

"When the FBI is asking you for raw tapes of your show, [a] good thing to maybe not move forward?"

Speaking about the show's cancelation again on his Sirius XM radio show, Andy said, "When the FBI subpoenas your raw tapes, ain't no way. This was such a big internal [shanda] at NBCUniversal that there was no way this show was coming back."

However, Bravo returned to the Washington, D.C. area with 2015's The Real Housewives of Potomac, which focused on a group of completely different women. The installment continues to air today.

Where Are The Women Of RHODC Today?

After The Real Housewives of D.C. was canceled, none of the original women on the show returned to the Bravo network. However, Peacock did add the Real Housewives installment to their platform in April, which meant viewers could take a fresh new look at the scandalous season.

According to an Us Weekly article about what happened to the ladies of RHODC, the women continue to be successful in their careers, but have made changes in their personal lives.

In 2012, Mary and her husband Rich Amons, who share 5 children, divorced after 26 years of marriage. She does not appear to have remarried, and has been focusing on her career as an interior designer with Mary Amons Design. In April, Mary celebrated RHODC coming to Peacock on Instagram.

Lynda came onto the series as a divorced mother of four, but according to Us Weekly, she is currently in a relationship with a man named Fulton Liss. Lynda runs the modeling firm, The Artist Agency, and works as the executive director for the James and Paula Coburn Foundation.

After the show aired, Cat moved back to the U.K. with her two daughters. With her former boyfriend, Rick, she gave birth to a third daughter. She now resides in Spain, where she is a designer. She also continues to speak about her short-lived alleged hookup with Prince Harry.

Every version of The Real Housewives ranked from worst to best, according to Collider:

• The Real Housewives of D.C.
• The Real Housewives of Dallas
• The Real Housewives of Dubai
• The Real Housewives of New York City (2023 Reboot)
• The Real Housewives of Potomac
• The Real Housewives of Miami
• The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
• The Real Housewives of New Jersey
• The Real Housewives of Atlanta
• The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
• The Real Housewives of Orange County
• The Real Housewives of New York City (Original)

When Stacie appeared on RHODC, she was working as a prominent real estate agent, and continued to work in the Maryland area. In 2012, she and her husband, Jason Turner, split, with the couple sharing two children.

As for Michaele, she and her husband, Tareq, split in 2011, following their White House scandal. As Us Weekly reported, she began a relationship with Journey guitarist Neal Schon, and the pair have a joint Instagram account where fans can follow Michaele following the rock band on tour.

For more Real Housewives coverage, visit our Reality TV Hub.

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