EXCLUSIVE: Housewives at War! 'RHOBH' Stars Livid Denise Richards Returned to Film For Upcoming Season as Her Bitter Divorce From Aaron Phypers Is Stealing the Spotlight

Embattled Denise Richards is back shooting Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where insiders said she's finding little sympathy from most of her castmates, who hate her guts and are miffed that she's stealing the spotlight with her dirty divorce from Aaron Phypers, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Richards, 54, was front and center when she was spotted shooting scenes for the Bravo reality series with costars Sutton Stracke and Erika Jayne at L.A.'s Madre eatery on August 2.

"People like Sutton and Erika are going along with it on the surface – they came out in support of Denise in her divorce – but behind the scenes they're griping, too," said an insider.

"They all find it annoying that Denise is throwing herself around and bringing in all the drama again while trying to be queen bee."

But show bigwigs are jumping with joy at being able to use the shocking dirt Richards and Phypers, 52, are bombarding each other with to boost the show's audience and ratings.

While she claims Phyper's a violent beater, he says she's a cheater, boozer and Vicodin junkie and got a black eye when she fell on the stairs drunk.

"The stories were so lurid that bosses just had to get her back on," said the source. "The show calls for these big heavy storylines – it needs to be edgy. RHOBH may be the most watched of the Housewives shows, but the fact remains the ratings are still down and the whole franchise is sliding off a cliff.

"Producers are desperate to save it, and Denise's drama with Aaron proved too irresistible to pass up."

As RadarOnline.com has reported, Richards is accusing Phypers of physical abuse during their six-year marriage, charging she was afraid to report it because he allegedly threatened to kill her and himself if she went to the cops.

Charlie Sheen's ex-wife also accuses dirty-dog Phypers of leaking nude photos of her to the media.