Real Housewives

Luann de Lesseps' striking looks have us saying, "money CAN buy you class!"

Here's a 41-year-old version of the countess back in 2006 hanging out backstage at New York Fashion Week (left). This was two years before Luann snatched her 'apple' and became a leading cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City."

And, 15 years later ... the now 56-year-old ex-countess is still making a splash, she recently posted a shot as she prepares for her next cabaret tour which kicks off next month (right).

To think her iconic mug shot went viral just five years ago ... she has come a long way! "Feelin Jovani?" ... absolutely!

But, the real question here is ...

"Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Elizabeth Lyn Vargas is giving up desert life ... for now, anyway -- TMZ's learned she's selling her home in the Palm Springs area for just under $10 million.

We're told Elizabeth listed the 6 bed, 7.5 bath home on Wednesday, and she's hoping to get at least $9.95 million, to be exact, for the 9,2000-sq ft. pad in the gated La Quinta neighborhood.

The house is much different from when she snagged it in February 2021 for just $3.3 million. We're told Elizabeth renovated the entire place over the last year, giving it modern finishes ... decking it out with new flooring, new fixtures and new paint.

The spread comes with some pretty neat features outside -- like an extended patio, a BBQ center and a private lake. The next owner can also enjoy a spa and a custom pool with waterfalls -- oh, and we can't forget the lighted tennis court!

The former 'RHOC' star still has another home in Newport Beach. You'll recall, that was the home where her ex-boyfriend barricaded himself inside, after she called the cops on him.

Despite having ongoing issues with her ex, it seems like she's staying focused on all the right things.

We’re told she's looking to scoop up another property in the desert -- this time in the Madison Club, where she might see some pretty familiar faces. Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli all have homes in that community.

"Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Sheree Whitfield has been filming for the show's upcoming season, and longtime beau Tyrone Gilliams will be joining her on camera for the first time ... after being on non-speaking terms for months.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the two recently filmed multiple scenes together, including the season finale, in which Sheree hosts a fashion show.

Having Tyrone on is a big deal for the reality series ... as you'll recall, the couple had serious bad blood after Sheree allegedly tried to spring a camera crew on him back in November ... he was on home confinement at the time and wasn't able to leave the house for any reason -- filming included.

Tyrone had his attorneys fire off a cease and desist to NBC, Bravo and production company Truly Original ... asking to scrub every trace of him from 'RHOA' footage, social media posts, and advertising that used his name.

Recently, Tyrone and his attorneys were able to hash out a deal with Truly, which led to him filming mid-February. Now that he's off home confinement, he was able to shoot with Sheree and the other 'RHOA' cast members in ATL.

Elizabeth Vargas' enraged ex told her she'd be the first, among many, to die as heavily-armed police waited outside and readied the SWAT team for her recovery.

TMZ got this video from inside the former-'RHOC' star's home Tuesday as her ex, Ryan Geraghty, barks at her ... "I'm taking you out, and then everybody else. They can shoot me if they want. I don't give a f**k anymore, I've got nothing to lose."

It's an especially chilling statement because, we're told, armored vehicles and SWAT officers had gathered outside Liz's home Newport Beach home at this point.

Clearly irked that Elizabeth had gotten the police involved, Geraghty says, "Bring the big boys, how f**king dare you."

TMZ broke the story, cops got Vargas out safely, and Geraghty was eventually arrested after an hours-long standoff. Vargas had originally called the cops to report Geraghty for extortion, but things took a turn for the worse when he showed up armed, and made his way inside her house.

We've also obtained footage from after the arrest, showing a police drone making its way through the home to make sure things were clear before SWAT does a final check.

Elizabeth was outside NOBU in Malibu just 24 hours after the ordeal, and told a photog she was happy to be alive ... and was considering buying a gun.

Elizabeth Vargas is happy to be alive, but considering ways to keep herself safe in the future after a scary incident that saw a former fling inside her home armed with a gun.

Vargas hit NOBU in Malibu Wednesday night, a mere 24 hours after cops rescued her from her Newport Beach home. She shares some intimate details of the scary incident, saying all she could think was "Please help me" when the man, Ryan Geraghty, entered her home.

Vargas -- accompanied by her manager David Weintraub and billionaire John Paul DeJoria -- says she's not a gun owner, but the whole ordeal has definitely made her consider becoming one. She says she also plans to run background checks on any possible future suitors, as unbeknownst to her, Geraghty was a felon.

TMZ broke the story, SWAT team officers descended on Vargas' home Tuesday after the former 'RHOC' star called to report she was being extorted and believed Geraghty was coming to her home.

The two had briefly dated, and Geraghty had allegedly pressured Elizabeth to help him financially.

What a difference a day makes -- Elizabeth Lyn Vargas is looking totally cheerful 24 hours after a terrifying experience where she feared she might be killed by an ex.

Check out these pics of the 'RHOC' star Wednesday outside her Newport Beach home ... where just yesterday her ex-boyfriend was armed and threatening her life. As you can see, she's all smiles now as she hangs out with a friend and her dog.

Looks like ELV was chatting up a guy -- possibly a neighbor -- just before or after walking her husky pooch. Whatever they were discussing, he got her to LOL ... no small feat considering the ordeal she just survived.

Like we told you, Liz had to get the cops involved after claiming the guy, who she'd briefly dated, started acting erratically -- constantly following her around, and allegedly asking for money. Things came to a head Tuesday, and she felt compelled to report it to cops as attempted extortion.

The situation escalated when the guy showed up armed at her home -- allegedly roughing her up before letting her go ... but barricading himself in the home in a standoff with police.

Cops say 33-year-old Ryan Geraghty was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, felon in possession of a firearm and extortion for the incident.

Elizabeth Lyn Vargas is traumatized, but lucky to be alive after the terrifying situation at her Newport Beach home in which she was allegedly held at gunpoint.

A source close to the former "RHOC" star tells us Vargas had briefly dated a man in the area who quickly became obsessed with her. We're told he'd show up to her home, and places where she frequented ... and recently asked for money.

Our sources say Vargas occasionally helped the man out financially, but his financial demands had recently gotten more aggressive.

We're told Vargas decided she needed to call the police Tuesday to report him for extortion, and to tell officers she believed the man was coming to her house at some point that day.

Cops responded to Vargas' home, and we're told they spoke to her and decided to watch the property from a distance. However, the ex was still able to get inside -- our sources say he was armed, roughed Elizabeth up and would not let her leave.

Finally, Liz was let go -- she exited wearing a white robe -- but the man remained inside the home ... only to surrender to police a short time later.

Elizabeth Vargas' home is seeing lots of police activity ... we're told her ex-boyfriend barricaded himself inside after she called cops, and now one person is in custody.

Sources close to the 'RHOC' star tell TMZ ... she’s been having ongoing issues with an ex-boyfriend and called cops Tuesday to report him for possible extortion. We’re told the guy showed up at Liz’s home when police were there and barricaded himself inside.

Our law enforcement sources tell us one person is in custody ... but we're told they’re sweeping the place just to be sure no one else is inside the home.

As you see, there were at least 7 police officers outside Liz's place on the strand in Newport Beach ... and there's a guy in handcuffs at the side of a police car.

It sounds like a pretty scary situation for Liz ... but we're told she was not held hostage and was not harmed during the standoff.

Lisa Vanderpump's hubby, Ken Todd, says the 'RHOBH' star will likely never ride a horse again ... after her last ride ended with a badly broken leg.

We caught up with Ken on Tuesday, just as Lisa was having surgery to repair the shattered bones. Ken confirms she broke her leg in 3 places, and will have a bunch of new hardware by the time you're reading this.

He says he's not completely sure how long it will take Lisa to fully recover, but he's guessing about 8-10 weeks.

One thing at least he's sure of ... LV's riding days are over. Ken says the horse she was riding Sunday was a gentle and amazing animal, and despite the ol' saying, it doesn't sound like he wants his wife to risk it by getting back on the horse. Of course, we'll have to see what Lisa thinks once she's recovered.

As we've previously reported, the 'Real House Wives' star was riding in L.A. when her steed apparently got scared, reared up and bucked her off.

Ken saw it happen, and was in complete shock -- he says Lisa immediately knew something was broken.

NeNe Leakes has sold her Georgia mansion for $2.6 million, and whoever snagged the home paid almost half NeNe's initial asking price ... TMZ has learned.

The 5-bedroom, 7-bath pad sold last Tuesday, and the next resident will enjoy some pretty cool features, including a resort-style pool ... with a waterfall, y'all. Waterfalls!!!

The 10,000-sq.-ft. Mediterranean-style home is tucked away in a gated country club community. So, it's got privacy ... but it's also surrounded by some really nice views.

We broke the story back in October ... when NeNe listed the home for $4 million, which was nearly double the $2.1mil she paid for it back in 2015.

We're told the home's had lots of updates since then, as the former 'Real Housewives' star put a lot of money into making improvements.

As you might know, NeNe originally put her house on the market weeks after her late husband, Gregg, died of colon cancer.

Lisa Venderpump got thrown for a loop on the horse she was riding ... and she ended up in the hospital with broken bones.

'The Real Housewives' star was riding her horse Sunday at The Paddock in the Los Feliz part of L.A., when the equine apparently got spooked, reared up and bucked her off. An eyewitness tells us she flew over the horse's head and landed squarely on her back.

Lisa was in a lot of pain, and for good reason ... we're told she broke her leg in 2 places, just above the ankle. She also has bruising on her back.

She was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Hubby Ken Todd followed behind and he's with her at the hospital now. We're told she'll undergo surgery. Our Vanderpump sources say once she's all healed, she'll be fine.

The horse is no stranger to Lisa ... they've been together for 6 years. Some friend!!!

'RHOBH's Erika Jayne might have to surrender $750k worth o' bling -- a bankruptcy trustee is coming for her diamond earrings, claiming Erika's estranged hubby bought 'em with stolen client money.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ ... Tom Girardi bought the ultra-pricey and icy earrings back in 2007 from M&M Jewelers, using money that was in a client trust account at his old law firm Girardi & Keese.

We can't confirm these diamonds Erika was rocking back in 2019 are the ones in question, but they seem to fit the bill.

As for how they ended up in her ears ... the trustee in Girardi & Keese's bankruptcy case alleges Tom hid the transaction by describing the purpose of the check on G&K's Trust Account as a "cost" item paid to "M&M."

So, the trustee is now demanding Erika turn over the earrings to the bankruptcy estate.

As a matter of bankruptcy law, the trustee claims those high-priced diamonds are technically assets of the law firm's bankruptcy estate ... and the trustee can and should sell them to pay back creditors.

The judge hasn't ruled yet, but Erika might wanna box up those babies, just in case.

Jennie Nguyen has just gotten the boot from Bravo. The Real Housewives star will no longer be a cast member on the show ... something folks have demanded, after some of her allegedly racist posts started making rounds on social media.

In an Instagram post, the network acknowledged it failed to take action once some of Jennie's offensive posts came to light ... but from here on out, execs say she will NOT be filming on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City".

As you know, the (now former) real housewife came under fire once her Facebook posts from 2020 began to resurface on social media. During the Black Lives Matter protests, Jennie re-shared and posted tons of photos and memes that some folks saw as a direct attack on Black Americans.

The post (above) is just one example. She also reposted and shared posts that mentioned phrases like "BLM Thugs" and "Violent Gangs" ... in other words, mocking the BLM movement.

Kyle Richards and her hubby Mauricio Umansky have sold their Bel-Air mansion and are now $6.1 million richer ... TMZ has learned.

The 7 bedroom, 9 bath estate is all about luxury ... it's 6,229 square ft. and comes with a theater, office, pool and spa, multi-purpose sports court and much more.

Kyle and Mauricio bought the home in 2011, for $3 mil ... over the years, they have made lots of renovations. The house has been a backdrop over the years on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

The asking price was $6,495 mil, so they got somewhat close to asking. It's actually been on and off the market since 2017.

Kyle's 'RHOBH' co-star Sutton Stracke rented it from Kyle and Mauricio last year when they couldn't find a buyer. The home almost caught fire because of a fireplace mishap.

Kelly Dodd and her hubby Rick Leventhal have just snagged a pad in the Palm Springs area for about $715k, and they plan to give it a major makeover ... TMZ has learned.

Kelly and Rick are undecided if they're going to keep the 3 bed, 3 bath estate for themselves or put it back on market, but either way, they'll be renovating the property ... picking out all the materials themselves.

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" alum and the former Fox News Channel correspondent tell TMZ ... they bought the home back in November 2020, after making an all-cash offer.

We're told the renovations include redoing all the landscaping, building a Castina on the property, and gutting all the bathrooms and the kitchen ... they'll also blow up the pool, adding a spa. And, this is kinda awesome ... they're adding a pickleball court in the backyard.

Home owning isn't a new gig for the couple. Kelly and Rick still own a home in Newport Beach, and they rent out a home they own in the Hamptons.

They started dating back in August of 2019 and got engaged three months later. They tied the knot pandemic style in October 2020. Kelly's known for her time with the franchise ... which lasted 5 seasons.

She's off the show now, but perhaps HGTV and flipping houses could be in her near future?! 👀

It looks like things are getting real between RHOC's Braunwyn Windham-Burke and her new bae, Victoria Brito -- we've learned they'll be together for the holidays with Braunwyn's huge brood!

This is stage 2 of what's clearly a very serious relationship. Sources with direct knowledge tell us Victoria already met Braunwyn's estranged husband, Sean, back in November. We're told they hit it off, chatting about tech and NFTs.

Now things are escalating ... our sources say Victoria is planning to meet Braunwyn and Sean's 7 kids in Orange County for the New Year holiday.

As you might know, the 'Real Housewives' alum came out as lesbian last December, but oddly ... she and Sean have opted to stay married, reportedly for the sake of the kids.

We say odd, because they clearly know Mom has a new love interest -- or at least, they're about to know that.

Just this month, we broke the story ... Braunwyn began dating Victoria after meeting on a dating app back in September.