Bethenny Frankel

As the breakout star of Bravo's hit reality series, "The Real Housewives of New York City" (2008- ), which followed a group of brash, extroverted socialites who made Manhattan their playground, Bethenny Frankel's life was an open book, literally. When she joined the cast, Frankel was initially a single woman with a successful business as a health food chef. More impressive than her culinary skills, however, was Frankel's ability to lacerate anyone verbally if pushed. By the same token, her sharp wit and self-deprecating humor won over reality TV fans. In earlier seasons, storylines revolved around Frankel's love life and her extravagant outings with the other housewives. But by the 2010 season, it was her acrimonious feud with ex-best friend, Jill Zarin, which became the show's central story, causing division amongst the other housewives and a lot of verbal sparring. In the midst of all the tension, Frankel wrote best-selling diet books, created a guilt-free cocktail, and starred in her own spin-off series called "Bethenny Ever After" (Bravo, 2010-12), followed by the talk show "Bethenny" (Syndicated, 2012-14) - all successful ventures that changed Frankel's image from a simple "real housewife" to a smart and savvy entrepreneur and one of the few Bravo stars viewers wanted to root for.