'RHONY' Star Got Dirty in Divorce Court

Only thing missing between 'Real Housewives of New York' star Jules Wainstein and estranged hubby Michael was some actual slimy mud during a vicious back-and-forth slinging in court.

The estranged couple appeared in court Wednesday in NYC for a spousal and child support hearing that quickly went south ... with their lawyers going at each other's throats with allegations of money troubles, drug use and being unfit parents.

Michael painted Jules as someone living way beyond her means ... whose spending quadrupled when she joined 'RHONY.' Michael pointed to a $40k AmEx bill in 2015 and $2k spent on Uber the first 15 days of October.

He also brought up Jules' history of drug use documented on TV ... to which the judge snapped back by saying, "I don't decide my cases based on what's on TV."

Jules admitted to making $60k during her 1 year stint on 'RHONY' while she was married. She blamed Michael for a pile of unpaid bills and not having filed proper tax returns in nearly a decade.

She said Michael doesn't deserve more time with their kids. She claims every other weekend is more than enough, since all he does is pawn the kids off on their nanny.

The judge made no decisions, saying they need to resolve their money issues first. Same goes for custody ... though the judge added there could well be a trial.