| The Real Housewives of New York City | |
|---|---|
| Format | Reality television |
| Starring |
Current Housewives Ramona Singer LuAnn de Lesseps Sonja Morgan (mid season 3 - ) Former Housewives Bethenny Frankel (season 1 to 3) Jill Zarin (season 1 to 4) Alex McCord (season 1 to 4) Kelly Bensimon (season 2 to 4) Cindy Barshop (season 4) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 60 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jennifer O'Connell Nick Emmerson Christian Barcellos Andy Cohen Matt Anderson |
| Producer(s) | Keira Brings Paul F. Rosenthal Jim Fraenkel Michael Gail |
| Location(s) | New York City, United States |
| Running time | Approx. 44 minutes (excluding commercials) |
| Production company(s) | Ricochet Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Bravo |
| Original run | March 4, 2008 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Real Housewives of Orange County |
| Followed by | The Real Housewives of Atlanta Bethenny Getting Married? |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Real Housewives of New York City is an American reality television program on the Bravo cable TV network, a spin-off of the Bravo series The Real Housewives of Orange County. New York is the second city featured in The Real Housewives of... franchise. While in production for Season 1, the show was tentatively titled Manhattan Moms.
Season 1 premiered on March 4, 2008 and starred Bethenny Frankel, LuAnn de Lesseps, Alex McCord, Ramona Singer and Jill Zarin. Despite the series title, the women featured were not all housewives. Frankel was unmarried and had her own business; McCord, Singer, and Zarin all had jobs outside the home; and Singer owned her own business. Kelly Killoren Bensimon was added to the cast for Season 2, which premiered on February 17, 2009.
Bethenny Frankel's spinoff, Bethenny Getting Married?, premiered on June 10, 2010 and features appearances by housewives Ramona Singer and Alex McCord. On August 31, 2010, Frankel made an official announcement that she would not be returning to the Real Housewives of New York City series for its fourth season.
In September 2010, Season 4 began filming with Cindy Barshop as the series' newest "housewife". Filming finished, however, only two weeks before February 15, 2011 - the season's slated premiere date. Not wanting to miss anything, Bravo pushed the Season 4 premiere back until April 7, 2011 and instead premiered The Real Housewives of Miami on February 15, 2011.
In September 2011 Bravo announced that Jill Zarin, Alex McCord, and Kelly Bensimon would not be returning for season 5 which is expected to air in summer 2012 with new cast members taking their places.
Contents |
(Season 1 - present)
"I love making my own money... I find that an aphrodisiac." (Season 1 - Season 3)
"If people can't handle the truth, it's really not my problem." (Season 4 - present)
Ramona Singer (born November 18, 1956 in Rhinebeck, NY, about 100 miles north of NYC)[1] lives in Manhattan with her husband Mario and their teenage daughter, Avery. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Singer began her career as a buyer for Macy's and then moved into the wholesale clothing business with French Connection and Calvin Klein. She is the owner of RMS Fashions, a company that purchases excess goods from clothing manufacturers and resells them to discount stores. (In the apparel industry, Ramona is known as a jobber - a middleman to whom manufacturers sell their surplus fabric.)
She developed her own line of jewelry, which is sold through the Home Shopping Network (HSN), and she markets the line herself. She also developed and launched a skin care line, TruRenewal, in 2009.
(Season 1 - present)
"I never feel guilty about being privileged." (Season 1 - Season 3)
"I thought I had it good before, but I'm just getting started." (Season 4 - present)
LuAnn de Lesseps, née Nadeau (born May 17, 1965 in Berlin, Connecticut), was born to a concrete manufacturer (the firm is still owned by two of her brothers), but she quickly left her working class life behind. She modeled with Wilhelmina Models[2] and is an LPN. She is of Algonquin and French descent.[3] and was the fourth wife of Count Alexandre de Lesseps, a descendant of Ferdinand de Lesseps of the Suez Canal family. They have two children. De Lesseps and her husband were divorced in 2010. In a former life she was a cocktail waitress. Alexandre and LuAnn de Lesseps do not belong to the regular French aristocracy. Alexandre's forbears are not even mentioned in the 1911 "Annuaire de la Noblesse de France" [4] . Husband Alexandre and LuAnn belong to what one calls "la noblesse d'apparence" ou "la fausse noblesse" [5]. Today the port of a regular French aristocratic title is regulated by the French Ministère de la Justice, which holds a "Répertoire" of all recognized French noble families [6]. LuAnn and Alexandre De Lesseps are not mentioned in this list and therefore cannot bear a noble title. De Lesseps is listed as the author of a book published in 2009 titled Class With The Countess. In April 2010, de Lesseps released a music single titled "Money Can't Buy You Class".[7] She released her second single, "Chic, C'est La Vie" in June 2011.[8]
(mid Season 3 - present)
"I have a taste for luxury and luxury has a taste for me." (Season 3 - present)
Sonja Morgan (born November 25, 1963 in Albany, NY, as Sonja Tremont)[9] is the ex-wife of John Morgan. John, 33 years her senior, is one of five children of Henry S. Morgan (a great-grandson of J. Pierpont Morgan) and Catherine Adams (a great-great-granddaughter of John Adams, the second President of the United States).[10]
According to the New York Post,[11] Morgan agreed to finance a motion picture in 2006 but backed out at the last minute because she had just been served with divorce papers. As a result, a federal jury in California awarded the production company $7.06 million in damages in September 2009.
According to the New York Daily News,[12] Morgan is currently working on a screenplay that she describes as "a Candace Bushnell society novel."
(Season 1 - Season 3)
"New York City is my playground." (Season 1 - Season 3)
Bethenny Frankel (born November 4, 1970; Port Washington, Long Island, NY, where she grew up), daughter of Bernadette Parisella and the late thoroughbred race horse trainer and horse racing hall-of-famer Robert Frankel, is a natural foods chef. She graduated from Pine Crest School (a high school in Boca Raton, Florida) and attended New York University (but did not graduate) and The Natural Gourmet Institute in New York. She created BethennyBakes, a company that offered a line of wheat, egg and dairy-free baked goods that was carried in hundreds of retail outlets. BethennyBakes ceased production in 2010 when Frankel launched the Skinnygirl brand, the flagship product of which is the Skinnygirl Margarita, a premixed drink lower in calories than a traditional margarita.[13] On March 28, 2010, Frankel married Jason Hoppy at the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City. On May 8, 2010, Bethenny gave birth to a baby girl, Bryn, who weighed approximately 4 lbs, 13 ounces at birth.
She was a regular contributor to NBC's coverage of the 2009 Kentucky Derby and 2009 Preakness Stakes, and Bravo's coverage of the 2009 Kentucky Oaks. Before she appeared in The Real Housewives of New York City, Frankel starred in the 1994 movie Hollywood Hills 90028 and acted in the 1995 movie Wish Me Luck. In 2005, Frankel was a contestant and the first runner-up on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.
In 2009, Frankel posed nude for animal rights group PETA's anti-fur campaign; her photo was featured on a billboard in Times Square.[14]
Frankel is the author of Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting (2009).[15] She has since authored The Skinnygirl Dish, The Skinnygirl Rules, and released an exercise DVD, Body by Bethenny. Frankel’s fourth book, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life, was published on Touchstone March 22, 2011, [16] and entered the New York Times Best Seller List in the Hardcover Advice & Misc. List category on April 10, 2011. [17]
In June 2010 Frankel starred in a successful spin-off reality show, Bethenny Getting Married? on Bravo, and in February 2011 by a follow-up show Bethenny Ever After... .[18].
In August 2010, Frankel announced that for personal reasons she would not be returning to the The Real Housewives of New York City show.[19]
(Season 1 - 4)
"I run with a fabulous circle of people." (Season 1 - Season 3)
"Good or bad, I know who I am and I own it!" (Season 4)
Jill Zarin, (Born 30 November 1963; Woodmere, New York), is married to Bobby Zarin,[20] owner of Zarin Fabric Warehouse and Home Furnishings, a home furnishing and fabric store on the Lower East Side which has been featured on the show. Jill does marketing for the store and also holds a real estate license. She has a daughter Allyson from a previous marriage. The Zarins currently live on the Upper East Side of New York. Their summer home in the Hamptons, featured on the show, was sold in 2009.
Zarin attended Simmons College and began her career as Assistant Buyer at Filene's and went on to become the National Sales Manager/Vice President of Great American Knitting Mills Jockey division. Recent marketing endeavors include the “Skweez Couture by Jill Zarin” body shapewear line launched in 2011 and her “Jill Zarin Home” bedding line.
In 2010, Zarin published the advice book Secrets of a Jewish Mother, which was written with her sister Lisa Wexler and mother Gloria Kamen. A paperback edition was released in 2011, with an added chapter on bullying.
In 2010, Zarin appeared on an episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Bravo announced in September 2011 that Zarin would not be returning for season 5.[21][22]
(Season 1 - 4)
"To a certain group of people in New York, status is everything." (Season 1 - Season 3)
"I've always had opinions, but now people know it." (Season 4)
Alex McCord, (born October 1, 1973; Washington, D.C.)[23] has lived in New York City since 1996. She was raised in Kansas, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and attended Northwestern University but never graduated.[24] McCord was a graphic designer for over nine years[25] and was a voice actress, Birdy of Birdy the Mighty being her most prominent role.
McCord is married to Simon Van Kempen, who worked in the hotel industry in New York New York City [26] throughout the first three seasons, but has since left to start his own social media business within the hotel sector. [27] As of 2010, she and van Kempen reside in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.[28] They have two boys together, Francois and Johan, who were named for Simon's late father, Francois Johan Walter van Kempen.[29]
In March 2009, she was laid off from her job in visual merchandising[30] for Limited Brands/Victoria’s Secret.
In September 2011 Bravo announced that McCord would not be returning for Season 5. [21][22]
(Season 2 - 4)
"I've created a great life and I love living it." (Season 2 - Season 3)
"I'm living the American Dream one mistake at a time." (Season 4)
Kelly Killoren Bensimon (born May 1, 1968; Rockford, IL)[31] is a former model, equestrian, jewelry designer, and magazine editor. She is the author of three books published by Assouline: In the Spirit of the Hamptons, American Style, and The Bikini Book (2005). She also has a jewelry line, which she has been selling for the last six years.
In September 2011 Bravo announced that Bensimon would not be returning for Season 5.[21][22]
(Season 4)
"I have everything I ever wanted and it's all on my own terms." (Season 4)
Cindy Barshop is the owner of Completely Bare[32], a chain of spa in New York City, Long Island, and Scarsdale [33] specializing in laser hair removal, bikini waxing, brazilian waxing, and teeth whitening. They are the innovators of the Vajewel and Vatoo. [34] She previously worked in telecommunications for IBM. She opened her first spa in New York City in 1998. A single mother, Barshop has twin girls, Jessie and Zoe, whom she chose to have on her own. She is from Long Island, NY.
Bravo announced in September 2011 that Barshop would not be returning for Season 5. She was let go along with 4 other cast members in order to revamp the show. [22][35]
| Housewives | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LuAnn de Lesseps | |||||
| Ramona Singer | |||||
| Jill Zarin | |||||
| Alex McCord | |||||
| Bethenny Frankel | |||||
| Kelly Bensimon | |||||
| Sonja Morgan | |||||
| Cindy Barshop |
In April 2010, Target stores released the first season on DVD.[36]
| Season | Episodes | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | April 13, 2010 | |
| 2 | 15 | Fall 2010 | |
| 3 | 18 | April 13, 2011 | |
| 4 | 16 | December 6, 2011 | |
|
|||||