The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills featuring six of 90210's finest Botoxed beauties has achieved the highest ratings ever for the series, here's why.

The question that begs to be asked is why these ladies? Why are their unmoving foreheads and pouty lips drawing us in? Haven't we all seen this before? NO. This time it's different.

1. The Economy

We all know the prosperous bubble of the early 2000's has popped with a resounding boom. The economy sucks, has sucked, and will suck for a while longer and to be frank, I think we're all a little sick of hearing about it. Which is why these Housewives are so refreshing to watch: the state of America's finances has seemingly had no effect on them. While we watch the Orange County and Atlanta Housewives get foreclosed on and the Salahis worry about declaring bankruptcy (again!), our Beverly Hills babes don't have a care in the world. Their money is stable (that we know of) and they show no signs of curbing any of their spending habits. To escape into their world is to revisit the more extravagant times before the latest Great Depression and hope that we will have those times again. We don't want to watch people losing their homes and worrying about money, because those scary realities have become all too commonplace in today's world. The whole point of the Real Housewives franchise is that it's supposed to be our weeknight escape from normal life into the world of the wealthy and fabulous.

2. 90210 Staying Power

America has been obsessed with the glamour and glitz surrounding this fabled zip code since the early 90's (hello? Donna, Dylan, Brenda anyone?). The quintessential land of the rich, famous, and fabulous, it's no wonder people are tuning in to see a "non-scripted" show about the everyday residents of Beverly Hills that's NOT centered around plastic surgery (although it's definitely an undercurrent of the show). No, this is not the O.C. This is BEVERLY HILLS. Where the Hillbillies settled after striking it rich with oil! See? We have been obsessed with the BH for a long time.

3. Hilton Withdrawl

Another throwback to the early 2000's- it's about when the Hilton sisters entered our lives and invariably changed pop culture forever by creating the "famous for nothing" celebrity. Now since the younger Hilton sisters have decided to lay low (a coke bust will do that to ya), we're left looking, searching, yearning for a substitute. Ding, ding, ding. Everyone please welcome the Richards sisters! No, their last name isn't Hilton, but they are Kathy Hilton's sistas and Paris and Nicky's zany aunts! We found that out in Kim Richards' painful-to-watch intro interview where she cackled maniacally and claimed her status as an "idol" long before Paris. No, it's fine that you don't remember these two from acting in anything. Rest assured, they were HUGE child stars and "quite famous."

America Love Crazy British People

The most popular lady on the RHOBH has to be Lisa Vanderpump-Todd, whose name alone screams fun. With her Rod Stewart-lookalike hubby and gay Permanent Houseguest, (thank you Bravo subtitles) Cedric, Lisa brings a big dose of outlandish humor and general European quirkiness. Yes, America's obsession with the English never seems to cease. How else do we explain Russell Brand's rise to stardom? So what if we had to wrestle this country from their grasp less than 300 years ago and their food and isn't that tasty? They say things like "bloody" and "bollocks" and oh, aren't they charming? How can you resist? Whether Lisa's taking her American driver's test or trying to awkwardly set Kim up with her husband's equally Rod Stewart-esque friend, she makes us smile and laugh and exudes a charm different and more endearing than her California girl co-stars.

Camille Grammer

Oh Camille, Camille, Camille. Every group of friends has the really skinny, neurotic one, right? On RHONJ, it's Danielle. On DC, Michaele. NYC, Kelly Bensimone… the list goes on. My point being that the basic formula that every RH series boils down to is this: The gals are all pals at first, start to get annoyed with one, eventually rally against her, and then duke it out in a profanity-filled, highly-rated, three part reunion special. This season is showing no deviation from this progression. Crazy Camille quickly became everyone's worst enemy during the trip to Las Vegas, missing her hubby and filling the void by suggestively dancing on
everyone else's husbands.

She's most cringe-worthy, however, when talking about Frasier. Wait sorry, her husband, Kelsey. Since news of their divorce and his infidelity resulting in the impregnation of a 26-year old stewardess came out well before the premiere of the show, listening to Camille talk about her happy marriage and family becomes a like watching a trainwreck. It's sad because we already know the outcome, but we can't look away. Seeing her try on dresses for Kelsey's big night at the Tonys was sweet sorrow. But what would the RHOHB be like without the crumbling of a celebrity marriage? Less watched, that's what.

As the drama continues this season, let's hope these ladies continue to entertain through whatever means necessary. And for the sake of our viewership, I'm sure they will.

Liz Margolis is a transplanted Philadelphian currently living and working in D.C. Her accent usually gives her away. She enjoys reality TV, Sporcle, Philly sports, and always being right. Follow her on Twitter here.