That's a wrap on the 4th annual BravoCon

BravoCon 2025 brought together over 30,000 reality TV fans, nearly 200 Bravolebrities and hundreds of influencers that make a killing off of doing everything from housewife impersonations to podcasting about them. And despite vowing to never go to another one after the overpriced and understimulating BravoCon after New York in 2022, which I wrote about here, I couldn’t look away from everything that was happening in Las Vegas this past weekend. Here are 5 of the biggest BravoCon moments.

Teresa Giudice makes amends with her brother Joe and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga

Arguably the biggest story out of BravoCon 2025. This family has been at it for years. The beef was so bad it impacted the entire cast of Real Housewives of New Jersey and I think we all know that it was a huge part of the reason the show was put on pause. 

So the photos of Teresa, her husband, her brother and sister-in-law all together was equal parts mystifying and refreshing, because we really haven’t seen any of this unfolding, which we usually do thanks to filming. But despite the apparent reconciliation, naturally, people still have their doubts about whether the amends that have been made are genuine, prompting Melissa to address the naysayers at BravoCon.

“I know there’s a lot of doubt…but the relief on my husband’s face when he came home from that conversation with Teresa is all I needed to see. And let’s not forget that there’s 7 children between us,” she said on a panel. “If my husband looks at me with relief and says ‘it’s authentic, she’s being real, let’s put trust, let’s try this,’ I’m never going to look at him and say no. So, I’m going to try. We are not doing it in front of the cameras and it feels different. I have really good faith in this.”

Vicki Gunvalson returns to her post as cast OG on Real Housewives of Orange County

Cast members returning to shows is par for the course in the world of reality TV, but I really didn’t have it on my bingo card that Vicki Gunvalson would be returning after leaving the show more than five years ago. 

Despite an impressive and iconic 14-season run on the show that started it all, when she announced her departure in 2020, it made sense. It was time for new faces. But sadly, a lot of the new cast members we’ve seen over the years haven’t really done it. They haven’t had the secret sauce – and I think that’s why producers resorted to bringing people like Gretchen Rossi back. 

I totally assumed this was premeditated, but seeing how emotional Vicki was when Andy handed her an orange and asked if she’d join the cast for season 20 gives me second thoughts about whether it was planned or scripted at all.

This is a huge win for the people who dislike Tamra, because if there’s anyone who can hold her accountable, it’s Vicki. And it helps that they’re not in the best place right now. Sure, we’ve seen some movement from Jen and the other women have been a bit more vocal in speaking out against Tamra this season. But Vicki is not in the business of playing nice and I think that’s exactly the kind of wakeup call Tamra needs. But I’m not even remotely holding my breath that there’s anything in the world that might make her somewhat more of a decent human being. Welcome back, Vicki!

LVP spills the tea about the reimagining of Vanderpump Rules

On day two, Lisa Vanderpump lifted the veil on what would be unfolding in the newest season of the long-standing show, which is set to premiere December 2. The original cast has essentially been completely wiped out and replaced with new, young staff members, some of whom have only been at the restaurant for a year or two.

This is exactly what made the show such a hit the first time. The staff members who starred on the show were very green as it pertained to stardom. They had no filter, they didn’t have a care in the world for how they came across on TV – and that is great news for the audience. 

And while the cast may be new, Lisa reminded everyone that she is a veteran producer, saying this about the ‘wild bunch’ during a panel: 

“One of the most important things for me is that I like them all. I really do. For all their naughtiness and their hijinks. There are other aspects to their character that you will see, things that they have been through in life that change your opinion, more sensitive sides of them. They talk about relationships, relationships with their parents. All of those characters, you see a surface, but there’s a lot more depth. Some of the history and things have been very emotionally provoking.”

That’s someone who is looking to make good TV. But, she also reminded us that she is looking to make good money, too. “The business has to function. It has to function well,” she said. 

Kandi Burruss wins Wifetime Achievement Award

Real Housewives of Atlanta’s longest-standing cast member got her weekend off to an exciting start when she received the Wifetime Achievement Award on day one of the convention. After spending a minute or two thinking about who else might have possibly been a contender, it became clear to me that she really is deserving of the recognition.

In addition to being on the show for a whopping 14 seasons, she had several spinoffs. Kandi & the Gang, The Kandi Factory, Kandi Koated Nights, Xscape: Still Kickin It. Not to mention, her daughter is now starring in Next Gen: NYC. It’s all pretty iconic. And generational.

And speaking of Riley, she was there with her mom when she accepted the award. Talk about a full circle moment.

"It was a wonderful feeling to accept the award with my daughter standing right next to me. And all the fans were showing so much love. All of our Bravo family, everybody was showing love and I really appreciate it. It made me feel good," Kandi told PEOPLE about her win. 

I think what makes this so special is that we often see Black women in reality TV go unrecognized or unnoticed for their contributions – whether it be iconic one-liners, their sense of fashion or their sense of humour. And Kandi has all of these (though her looks in the early years of filming were questionable). And that’s in addition to her career outside of reality TV, which has seen her appear twice on Broadway, she acts, she sings, she’s won a Grammy, FFS! Damn right she deserved to win.

The Bravos 2025

Perhaps my favourite part of the entire weekend was all the Bravolebrities coming together for an award show like no other. The Bravos saw people crowned winners of awards for everything from Best Dressed…In a Costume (Ciara Miller dressed as Brantley) to the Greatest Shade Thrower (Phaedra Parks, duh). Some of the other awards included Bunny Honoree for Most Iconic Bravo Item of the Year and Best Fight Over Nothing. 

For me, I think an event like this represents the less sinister aspect of the Bravoverse. After a tumultuous few years of damning allegations against cast members, the network, and Andy Cohen himself, it’s nice to see everyone come together and delight in light-hearted fun and shade. I imagine things will probably get dark again but until then, BravoCon is a great, money-grabbing reminder about why we’re all so devoted to this crap in the first place. And it really is because it’s fantastic entertainment.