sequins, day drinking and the wild power of parasocial love

It was 8:30 a.m. on the first day of BravoCon 2025 when my flight touched down in Las Vegas, and I was already having FOMO. While the convention devoted to all things Bravo didn’t officially start until Friday, Nov. 14, a lot of my favorite Bravolebs and bloggers had already arrived the night before for an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Real Housewives.

The OG franchise in Orange County is one I have been watching from the start, which means I first witnessed Vicki Gunvalson “whoop it up” when I was 11 years old. While some might say that’s too young to be watching a group of women up to 30 years my senior navigate friendships, family, fallouts, unfaithful relationships and immense wealth, I knew that the fellow fans I’d be meeting over the weekend would understand.

By the time I had checked into my hotel, put on my first pre-planned outfit and did enough makeup to fit in with the likes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Lisa Barlow (who spends about $60,000 on glam a year) it was 10:45 a.m. Panels had begun, Bravo host and executive producer Andy Cohen was about to hit the blue carpet and I was speedwalking toward Caesars Forum, where all the magic was happening.

Once I turned the corner, the venue came into full sight and the adrenaline hit. “I found mecca,” I wrote on a photo that I sent to my friends on Snapchat. But I quickly realized that my Bravo fandom was nothing compared to other attendees. Over the next three days, as I moved between the blue carpet and the convention floor, it became clear that BravoCon isn’t just a celebration of television. It’s a masterclass in how parasocial relationships are formed, fed and fervently believed in.

Up close and personal

The convention floor is the main playground for attendees wearing sequins and shirts with slogans made famous by various Bravolebs (like Sutton Stracke’s “Name ‘em,” from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills). Many were sipping morning cocktails (people were drinking at all hours) and checking out the various activations and shops. Like them, I am a consumer of the network and a lover of the cultural moments and memes that have emerged from it. The only difference is that I have a press pass.

I bypass the chaos that stretches across multiple rooms, with four stages hosting simultaneous panels, various photo stations that pay homage to different franchises and a shopping section called the Bravo Bazaar, to get to the press room. That’s where the blue carpet is, where Bravolebs are taking interviews.

Cohen is my first chat of the weekend, followed by fan favorites Kyle Richards, Teddi Mellencamp, Melissa Gorga and Craig Conover, among many others. I stand inches from each one and share niceties before and after our brief interviews, which consist of conversations about their wellness tips (like Meredith Marks’s recommendation to eat her branded caviar for breakfast), parenting styles and their own celebrity fans, including Jon Hamm and Rihanna.

The Valley’s Brittany Cartwright nearly brings me to tears as she talks about reclaiming her independence after separating from husband Jax Taylor and parenting her son with autism. She’s also wearing slippers, having ditched a pair of uncomfortable shoes, in a moment that reminds me that, caviar and $60K glam aside, sometimes Bravolebs are just like us. Never mind that her publicist and makeup artist are hovering nearby.

Parasocial playing out

After hours spent in the media room across the first two days of BravoCon, I think I’ve seen it all — from Cohen hugging former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Mellencamp and Below Deck’s Captain Kerry Titheradge getting a makeup touchup, to a group of husbands featured in various Housewives franchises having casual chats while their wives work the carpet and even a sneaky kiss shared between Below Deck’s Fraser Olender and Las Culturistas co-host Matt Rogers before their relationship was confirmed.

Those intimate moments stand in stark contrast to the mayhem of the fan-dominated main floor. While I had access to Teresa Giudice and Dorinda Medley in the press room, fans Ashley, 30, and Zoe, 27, wear these Bravolebs’ images on their shirts. Another set of friends, Andrew and Shannon, take photos with a cutout of the ladies of Salt Lake City to feel like a part of the crew. Meanwhile, countless other attendees are gathered in long lines across the Bazaar to buy a piece of jewelry from Kathy Hilton’s collection with Anna Zuckerman, try a taste of Erin Lichy’s mezcal brand or snag some merch from Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula’s Loverboy. When someone like Southern Charm’s Madison LeCroy stops by one of the booths for fan photos, there’s an eruption of cheers and a growing swarm of people.

It’s not that they just want a picture with the stars; they want a chance at meaningful interaction with someone they’ve watched for many years. “We’ve seen them develop these businesses from watching all the shows. So actually seeing Madison’s pajamas in person, actually seeing Kyle and Amanda’s Loverboy products in person … is great,” Jordan, a 29-year-old fan who flew in from New Jersey, tells me. To her, just purchasing something from these lines feels like an opportunity to “support” those individuals, as she would a friend.

Each fan that I speak with has a favorite franchise or a favorite reality star that ignites a similar parasocial passion. They speak about the shows’ storylines as if they’re the life stories of someone they know personally. These Bravolebs have even become people they look to for inspiration or advice.

“I have two little boys at home and I’m expecting a third, so [my husband and I] are on the fence about trying for a girl for our fourth,” one fan, Christy, tells me. She’s just participated in a Q&A to ask The Valley’s Nia Sanchez, a mother of four, for guidance on the decision. “I really look up to Nia as a parent, and I was just curious what it’s like having four and if it’s worth making that leap.” It’s a prime example of how these shows have struck a balance between intimacy and entertainment, and how it plays out in this environment.

Cultivating off-screen connections

Reflecting on the three days I spent in Caesars Forum, it becomes clear that BravoCon isn’t just a place for fans to get glimpses of the people they feel they know, but it’s also where they strengthen the relationships they actually have.

Sure, Christy is a fan of Sanchez, but she really made the trip to Vegas from California to spend time with her friend. “It’s her birthday and I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she says. “She’s a huge Bravo fan. I’m really just in it with the crew.”

And while Andrew tells me that he’d “literally watch Andy Cohen paint a wall,” he also sees a bigger purpose in Bravo and BravoCon, which has become a foundation of his and Shannon’s long-distance friendship. “Our schedules are so crazy, but every BravoCon is our time to get together,” he says.

A trio of women in matching pink football jerseys that read “BravoCon 25” on the front and “Bravo Lovin Bitches” on the back also tells me that they’re bonded by their love of the network, and have made multiple girls’ trips out of the convention. I meet a mother-daughter duo making their first trip to BravoCon. They’re longtime fans who regularly watch their favorite shows together. “It’s great because we know that every Wednesday we’re going to watch Southern Charm together,” the daughter, Alexandra, tells me. “It’s a great experience to be able to watch it with my mom and talk about what’s going on. … It almost brings tears to my eyes.”

As someone with my own Bravo-loving mom and multiple group chats with friends who are fellow Bravo fans, I can relate. I came here thinking the highlight would be the interviews, speaking with my favorite Bravolebs, listening in on panels, even watching back-to-back tapings of Watch What Happens Live. But the best part ended up being what I didn’t expect when I rushed off that plane: getting to share the excitement with a community of people who love this world just as much as I do. And yes, having a moment with hottie Captain Jason to brag about to my mom — the same woman I started watching RHOC with in the first place.