Instagram follower counts can feel like a mystery, but there’s an unseen formula behind it.
Fame is just part of the equation.
There’s also hotness, demographics of fans, how long you’ve been famous, recent drama, your connections, your family, your pets, engagement, and more.
So which Real Housewives are dominating the game?
Plenty of them.
Below, you can see who is doing especially well — and who is absolutely wiping the floor with the other Housewives.
Meghan King Edmonds

1 million followers. She may have only appeared in a few seasons of the show with very little drama during that time, but her personal life has exploded with drama since her departure. She’s also one of the hottest Real Housewives of all time, which never hurts on Instagram.
Vicki Gunvalson

1.1 million followers. Vicki is the OG of the OC, and helped get the entire franchise off of the ground. If it weren’t for the general demogrpahics of her fans and how polarizing she is, she’d probably have a lot more followers.
Denise Richards

1.1 million followers. Denise is not the only legit movie star to ever appear in the franchise. She also happens to be pretty relatable … except for her personal history … and her finances.
Shannon Beador

1.3 million followers. Shannon has been keeping it real from the start, which certainly contributed to her Instagram appeal.
Heather Dubrow

1.5 million followers for this former Real Housewife. Not a day goes by that a fan doesn’t openly wonder when Heather will return to RHOC.
Tamra Judge

1.7 million followers for this (now former) Real Housewife of Orange County. With 12 seasons under her belt, Tamra can boast nearly as much time on screen as Vicki. She also has what we will respectfully call a GMILF vibe that has not hurt her follower count in the slightest.
Joanna Krupa

1.7 million followers for this gorgeous Real Housewife. Miami didn’t have the kind of lengthy run of a lot of shows in the franchise, but Joanna’s overpowering hotness was more powerful than the show’s cancelation.
Larsa Pippen

1.9 million followers. Why does this former Real Housewife of Miami boast so many followers? It likely has something to do with her very close ties to the Kardashians.
Teresa Giudice

1.9 million followers for the most well known Real Housewife in New Jersey. Followers get to see her family drama updates and her beautiful daughters growing up.
Erika Jayne

1.9 million followers for one of the most widely memed Real Housewives in the history of the franchise.
Kenya Moore

2 million followers for one of the most polarizing Real Housewives out there. Some followers are there for Kenya, some are there for her baby, and some are there just to spite NeNe Leakes.
Melissa Gorga

2.1 million for this Real Housewife. Melissa’s fame and relevance are only part of her charm — she is also drop-dead gorgeous, which is always helpful on Instagram.
Bethenny Frankel

2.2 million followers for the (once again former) Real Housewife of New York City. Bethenny is a philanthropist and a dog-lover, and plenty of her followers keep up with her for real-time coverage of relief efforts following a disaster.
Lisa Rinna

2.3 million followers for this actress. She knows that there’s no age limit on thirst traps, and her photos speak for themselves. Oof.
Lisa Vanderpump

2.4 million for a Real Housewife who is polarizing among her erstwhile castmates and fans alike. Whether people want her back on RHOBH or to stay at SUR, millions cannot stop following her every move.
Phaedra Parks

2.6 million followers for Phaedra. She’s no longer a Real Housewife, but she’s doing very well for herself on Instagram.
Cynthia Bailey

2.8 million followers for Cynthia, whose relatively chill demeanor makes her easy for fans to like and follow.
Kyle Richards

2.8 million followers for the queen of RHOBH. Kyle is one of the only OGs remaining in the franchise and she’s the only one left on RHOBH.
Yolanda Hadid

3.1 million followrs for Yolanda. She’s not even on RHOBH anymore, but she has two things going for her — lots of animal photos and lots of photos of her supermodel children.
Kim Zolciak

3.1 million followers for Kim, which is no surprise since she has her own spin-off. Add to that her beautiful family icluding a DILF of a husband and two mini-me daughters, and of course people can’t tear their eyes away.
NeNe Leakes

3.5 million followers for the Housewife people love to love and love to hate. NeNe is a high earner for a reason, because even her haters have to watch to see what she’s up to.
Eva Marcille

3.8 million followers may seem surprising for Eva, since she’s not exactly the heaviest hitter in the franchise. Followers may just love updates on her cute kids, though.
Porsha Williams

5.4 million followers is no mystery when it comes to Porsha Wlliams. RHOA does pretty well on Instagram anyway, but Porsha is also seriously hot and not afraid to show it.
Kandi Burruss

7.5 million followers for Kandi, the absolute champion of Instagram Housewives. Kandi works hard, and people just LIKE her. She’s easy to like and admire. And she has enough followers to populate a large city.