Join us in looking at the top 10 Keeping Up With The Kardashians episodes of all time, from Kim’s KUWTK wedding to Bruce becoming Caitlyn.
From Keeping Up With The Kardashians fairy tale weddings and the arrival of adorable new Kardashian babies to the biggest cheating scandal of all time and Bruce Jenner transitioning into Caitlyn, we’re taking a look back at the biggest KUWTK moments in the history of our favorite reality TV show.
Remember when Keeping Up With the Kardashians witnessed Kim Kardashian going through the ornate and over-the-top work involved in staging the biggest wedding in reality TV history?
What about that moment when Kendall and then Kylie Jenner turned sweet 16 with epic parties? Or when the world watched as Keeping Up With The Kardashians made history with the two-part “About Bruce” episode that introduced us to Caitlyn Jenner?
And how can any fan of the Kardashian and Jenner clan forget all the drama involved in one Keeping Up With the Kardashians star facing labor pains at the same time as the realization that her baby daddy had cheated on her in a scandal that went viral (breathe, Khloe, breathe!).
Get ready to take a look through KUWTK’s rich history with our ranking of the top 10 best Keeping Up With The Kardashians episodes of all time! Will your favorite episode make the cut? Read on to find out before sharing your favorite episodes in the comments thread below.
No. 10: Kim Kardashian stages fairy tale wedding on KUWTK
Third try’s the charm.
After two failed marriages, Kim Kardashian found her prince and a fairy tale wedding that thrilled Keeping Up With The Kardashians viewers.
The 20th episode of Season 9 was titled “Kim’s Journey to the Altar.”
Kim and Kanye West treated their family and friends to a voyage to Italy and Paris, with all the events topped by their gorgeous wedding day.
Memorable quotes include Caitlyn Jenner (then referred to as Bruce) giving into Kim by saying, “Do you know how much drama I’ve been through over the last month about my hair, ponytail, no ponytail, I mean the list is going on and on and on. Let’s be honest it is Kim’s day, ya know, let her pick.”
Awww.
The May 2014 wedding took place at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, reported PopSugar.
Kardashian stunned in a Givenchy Haute Couture gown, with Khloe, Kourtney, Kylie and Kendall playing different roles while Kim and Kanye recited their vows.
Highlights included a reception at the Chateau de Wideville, a pre-wedding dinner at the Palace of Versailles for celebrity pals such as Serena Williams and NeNe Leakes, and West captured beaming broadly for a change throughout most of the episode.
No. 9: Kylie Jenner stops lies about lips
Fans who watched Kylie Jenner grow up on Keeping Up With The Kardashians also watched her lips go from ordinary to over-sized over the course of the show’s early seasons.
After months of insisting that she had done nothing more than apply lip gloss to her suddenly perfect pout, Kylie finally got honest with viewers.
It all went down on KUWTK, with Kylie at 17 finally coming clean in regretting that she had lied to her fans during the ninth episode of Season 10, fittingly titled “Lip Service.”
And in giving up those lies, Jenner went on to make a fortune and became known as the lip kit queen.
The episode showed Kylie admitting that she had “temporary lip fillers” on the episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Jenner described her decision to get the lip fillers as reacting to an insecurity about what she thought were overly thin lips, reported Us Weekly at the time.
And in true big sister style, Kim Kardashian guided her in phrasing her confession to the cameras to help make the reveal go smoothly.
No. 8: Kourtney calls Kim Kardashian an evil human being
In one of the most epic battles between Kardashians sisters, Kim Kardashian doomed Kourtney to the category of boring, as in the “least interesting” in the Keeping Up With The Kardashians clan (ouch!).
It didn’t take Kourtney much time to come up with an appropriate retort, slamming Kim as an “evil human being.”
Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe have had their differences before, but that battle between Kim and Kourtney, captured by the cameras, ranked as the most dramatic ever on the show.
Taking place during the Season 15 premiere, “Photo Shoot Dispute,” the feud began when Kourtney insisted on a specific time to shoot the family Christmas card, noted ET.
Kim then let go with that “least exciting to look at” slam, causing Kourtney to fall apart during a phone call to Khloe.
“I’m not here to be mistreated by my f**king b**ch family,” cried Kourtney. “Kim saying that I’m the least interesting to look at — who even speaks like that?”
Umm, seriously, babe: You’re the oldest of the Kardashian sisters and you have to ask who even speaks like that? Where have you been for the past, hmm, 15 seasons of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, also known as Keeping Up With The Family Who Insults Each Other?
No. 7: Khloe Kardashian mourns dead dad, gets DUI arrest, Kim laughs
One of the most surreal episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians ever took place in season one.
The Kardashians mourned their dead dad, leading to Khloe getting arrested for a DUI and Kim laughing hysterically (this could easily fit into an episode of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman).
The episode, “Remembering Dad,” took place on the fourth anniversary of Rob Kardashian’s death from cancer.
And as Vulture pointed out, rather than focus on the patriarch of the family’s accomplishments, the show provided “haunting archival family footage which has been processed to look like B-roll from an episode of Ghost Hunters.”
Khloe seems to be the most affected, so she drinks too much alcohol, gets arrested for a DUI, and ends up in jail.
And here’s where the Kardashians offer a sort of life lesson that we hope Kendall and Kylie at least get: If you’re in trouble and don’t want anyone else to know, do not call Kourtney.
Khloe pleads with Kourtney (in the one phone call allowed her from jail) not to inform Kris Jenner or Kim.
After getting off the phone, Kourtney calls Kim, who then informs Kris.
“It’s not funny,” Kim tells her mom as she laughs hysterically, “but Khloe’s in jail.”
Kris does her mom duty by retrieving her daughter.
Good times.
No. 6: Kendall Jenner celebrates sweet 16, but turns sour
During season six, producers planned it out so that Episode 16, “Kendall’s Sweet 16,” featured Kendall Jenner’s sweet 16 party (clever, dude bros!).
But Kendall, in a refreshing contrast with the over-the-top tendencies of her sisters, embarrassed by the hoopla even before the birthday candles got blown out and the last scoop of ice cream had melted on the plates.
The episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that turned the spotlight on Kendall showed Jenner attempting to dissuade her mother Kris Jenner from an extravagant Four Seasons Hotel party combined with a visit to the Bahamas for 75 pals, reported the Huff Post.
"I’m really grateful for the privileges I have, but with so many families struggling, I just want to do something simple with my friends and family. It’s kind of embarrassing you want me to have this huge party. You’re trying to make it bigger and bigger and it’s embarrassing me. You’re just giving me this, you’re just handing me this and I don’t want it."
As a compromise, Kendall asks her guests to donate a toy instead of giving her a gift…and then gets (and keeps) a $90,000 Range Rover for her birthday.
The actual party includes:
- A rooftop celebration at a Hollywood hotel
- $1,000 gift bags
- A rapper doing his thing
- A plane visit to Las Vegas so Kendall can get a tattoo…except she changes her mind.
- Tears after she flunks her drivers test and the announcement she won’t go to school.
(Uh, kids, don’t try any of this at home when you turn 16, unless you’re a Kardashian or Jenner relative.)
No. 5: Kylie Jenner goes wild for sweet 16 with KUWTK party
In contrast to Kendall, Kylie Jenner was happy to participate in an over-the-top celebration of her sweet 16.
Producers skipped the opportunity to go for the 16th episode that season of KUWTK, instead using the 20th episode of Season 8, “Kylie’s Sweet 16,” to focus on Kylie’s birthday.
It may have been because they crammed so many other good times into that episode, including Rob Kardashian showing up to talk with Khloe about life, liberty, and the pursuit of love. Oh, and the episode also featured (we are not joking) Kris Jenner baby-sitting a pig.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West skipped Kylie’s sweet 16, but found the perfect way to compensate, with Drake showing up for a surprise appearance. An insider told E News that the couple arranged for Drake to perform as a total surprise for the birthday girl.
Big Sean also performed, and 200 guests partied the night away, ranging from Hailee Steinfeld to Willow Smith.
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Rather than give Kylie gifts, the party-goers donated an unwrapped toy for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The gift bags were extravagant, with goodies including headphones, iPod speakers, Kardashian Beauty makeup and jewelry from Kylie and Kendall’s PacSun and Metal Haven jewelry line.
Jenner wore a black leather Thierry Mugler skirt and black Nicholas tank top as she experienced the time of her life in a party that was “everything she hoped it would be,” one guest told the publication.
No. 4: About Bruce…and Caitlyn
Bruce Jenner was known as an Olympic star, the loyal father to Kylie and Kendall Jenner and step-father to Rob, Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian and husband of Kris Jenner. Viewers of Keeping Up With The Kardashians knew Bruce Jenner as the man who sometimes seemed bewildered by his wife’s antics, struggling to keep up with his daughter’s exploits.
Then the rumors began, followed by a two-part special, Keeping Up With the Kardashians: About Bruce that sought to show how Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn Jenner.
As Kris tried to understand, Caitlyn explained her decision to transition into her authentic self.
And it wasn’t just Kris who experienced mixed emotions in learning that Bruce Jenner was now Caitlyn Jenner. With an autobiography and a TV show, I Am Cait, the Olympic star sought to support the LGBTQ community while introducing her new identity to her family.
Today, Caitlyn has become part of the family again, as evidenced by her Father’s Day greeting that pointedly honored all the Kardashian and Jenner baby daddies…with the exception of cheating Tristan Thompson!
Caitlyn included Kourtney’s baby daddy Scott Disick, her sons Burt and Brandon, Kim Kardashian’s husband Kanye West, her stepson Rob Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner’s baby daddy Travis.
Well-played, Caitlyn, well-played. Caitlyn also got a lovely shout-out on Instagram from her daughter Kendall Jenner, who shared a throwback pic of Bruce Jenner with Kendall as a baby.
No. 3: Courage to change: Khloe’s wakeup call about Lamar
One of the most in-depth episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians took place in Season 9 during Episode 7.
Titled “The Courage to Change,” the KUWTK episode showed Khloe reacted to a video of Lamar.
As Kardashian struggles to accept the problems in her relationship with Odom, Scott Disick struggles with the death of his mother. Kourtney seeks healing at a spa in Arizona, while Rob Kardashian has his own struggles with his health.
In other words: So. Much. Drama.
And that KUWTK episode, eerily, served only as a preview of the future. Lamar later had a brush with death after an overdose at a brothel. Khloe then put their divorce on hold and rushed to his side, pulling him through the near-death experience.
Meanwhile, Scott sunk to a new low, with Kourtney finally throwing him out of the house (almost literally). Disick and Kardashian have since mended their relationship and come to terms with a co-parenting arrangement.
And just like Scott and Lamar, Rob has had ups and downs since that episode, with Kardashian struggling with his weight and emotions.
No. 2: Everybody pees…but who will hold Kim Kardashian’s pee cup?
You pee, I pee, everybody pees. Even on KUWTK.
Parents who potty train know how much it helps to emphasize that everybody pees (and poops).
But when it comes to Kim Kardashian, talking about pee goes to a whole new level.
When Kim needed to take her pee to her doctor’s office in Season 11’s eighth episode, “The Big Launch,” KUWTK cameras caught her persuading her best friend Jonathan Cheban to take her pee cup for her.
Kardashian used her “pregnancy issues” as the reason for asking Jonathan to take her cup of urine to the doctor, noted Us Weekly.
Trying not to spill the pee, viewers watched Kim laugh hysterically as she promised Cheban that no one would ever knew he had taken her pee to the doctor (apparently having cameramen filming doesn’t count).
As Kardashian upped her persuasive game by explaining that she had to focus on launching her website, Jonathan (also known as Food God on Instagram for his fondness for all types of, well, food) finally gave in.
“I’ll just pee in it and I’ll conceal it and see if you even feel the warmth of the pee!” promised Kim.
We’re ranking this episode so high because it showed Kim as the absolute master of persuading anyone to do anything (a skill that will come in handy when/if she becomes a lawyer). It also showed what it really takes to become a friend of a celebrity.
Take-away message for young people re-watching this episode: Thinking that you might aspire to become a FOC (Friend Of Celebrity) rather than get a college degree means being willing to carry around a warm cup of pee. Do you really want to go there?
No. 1: Khloe Kardashian gives birth one day after Tristan cheating scandal goes viral
Khloe Kardashian longed for a baby for years, wishfully holding her sisters’ babies and showing what a great mom she’d be.
Finally Khloe seemed to have found the perfect man and fulfilled her pregnancy dreams…only to discover that Tristan had cheated on her 24 hours before she went into labor.
Season 15’s “True Story” wins our best episodes ever, showing as it did so many aspects of the Kardashian family:
- Family first: The sisters showed their support for Khloe, with Kim Kardashian looking more than ready to hire a hit man to take out Tristan after she learned that he had cheated on her sister.
- Khloe Kardashian keeps it real: Out of all the family members, Khloe is known for her honesty. She showed her full range of emotions to the cameras, from her joy at welcoming her baby into the world to her struggles to allow Tristan in the room after cheating on her.
- Baby joy: This is a family that truly celebrates births, and the united joy in that room when Khloe’s first child arrived was heart-warming.
Tell us what you think of our Keeping Up With the Kardashians rankings. Which episode was your favorite? Do you think Kim Kardashian, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall Jenner, Kylie or perhaps Kris Jenner brought the most drama consistently to KUWTK? Share your views below.