Dare we say that The Real Housewives of Dubai delivered the best reality TV series premiere of all time?
It's not that much of a stretch, considering the episode—which aired on June 1—delivered both a luxurious look into the lives of several women making the fabulous Middle Eastern desert destination their playground and not one, not two, but multiple entertaining bouts of drama.
Needless to say, if the RHODubai premiere was any indication of how the Bravo series' inaugural season is going to go, we're in for quite the ride.
So, buckle up and look back at all of the iconic moments from the Real Housewives' newest installation, featuring Chanel Ayan, Caroline Stanbury, Lesa Milan, Sara Al Madani, Caroline Brooks, and Nina Ali.
That Intro
No, not the one with the taglines (although that was equally impressive). We were instead mesmerized by the timelapse of Dubai's evolution, narrated by the ladies themselves. "Now that I look at my life and I'm like, would I ever live anywhere else?" Sara says while riding an ATV through a sand dune. "Hell no."
Nina's Breakdown of the Friend Group
It's not easy getting to know an entirely new group of Housewives, let alone learning their dynamic and who's feuding with who. Thankfully, Nina Ali did the hard work for us. "Lesa is best friends with Ayan but the three of us do very well together," Nina said. "Stanbury and I are very close but it's a different story between her and the other two. Sara is new to the group but that woman can fit in anywhere. And then there's Brooks."
"My closest friend?" Brooks added, "It depends on the day of the week."
Ayan Recapping Her History With Caroline Stanbury
If there was any further confusion about Ayan's non-existent friendship with Stanbury, Ayan cleared things right up herself. "I've met Caroline Stanbury on a couple of occasions. I just think our energy did not match," Ayan said in a confessional. "She was very friendly to Lesa and Nina and Brooks, did not try to talk to me or get to know me, which is weird because we have very good friends in common. Plus, I'm f--king amazing."
Lesa's Ice Delivery
Swimming pools don't offer much relief when the temperature reaches 120 degrees. Thankfully, Lesa was able to make a quick phone call to get several giant ice cubes delivered—for $1,200.
Caroline Introducing Her "Toy Boy"
ICYMI, Stanbury is no longer going stag. After splitting from her husband in Dec. 2021, she's now engaged to former Real Madrid soccer player Sergio Carallo, a.k.a. her "toy boy" as she put it on RHODubai since he's nearly 20 years her junior.
Ayan's Multilingual Declaration
We could easily dedicate an entire list of iconic moments to Ayan alone, but one of her most memorable was, without question, when she said "I'm a bad ass bitch" in four different languages. Honorable mentions: Her getting mad at Lesa for calling Brooks "honey," the story she told about allowing her son to skip school, her "tit for toot" comment, and the camel photoshoot.
Stanbury's Hen Party
From Sergio's involvement to Stanbury's hilarious tendency to bounce up and down when she's drunk, the couple's boat party was plenty entertaining to watch. We'd go into detail, but as Nina put it, "What happens in the ocean, stays in the ocean."
The Housewives Dinner From Hell, Part 500
A disastrous dinner is a Real Housewives rite of passage, and the RHODubai ladies managed to deliver one during their first-ever episode. Ayan kicked things off, insisting that the group stop talking about Stanbury's party since she wasn't invited. "I just want to talk about something that's more interesting, that I can have a conversation about," she told her co-stars. "That's my opinion. If I wasn't there, I don't give a s--t. Don't wanna know."
Nina attempted to "cleanse the energy" with some sage, but Stanbury wasn't having it. "Nothing's gonna cleanse this energy," she said, "I can't bear this woman."
"You can't bear me and you don't even know anything about me?" Ayan shot back, only for Stanbury to immediately respond, "I don't want to know you."
Of course, the drama didn't end there. Ayan and Brooks were soon at each others' throats, debating whether Brooks lied about something Stanbury apparently never said. The argument culminated with Ayan accusing Brooks of being "jealous" of her, some screams and a few glares that could kill.
Get more Real Housewives of Dubai by tuning in to E!'s While You Were Streaming, the official post-show of pop culture, on Thursday, June 2. You won't want to miss what the cast has to say about the rest of the season!
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)