It’s usually Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen who puts the Housewives on the hot seat, but during Tuesday’s episode, it was The Real Housewives of New York City’s Bethenny Frankel asking the questions. Frankel and Cohen sat down for a half hour heart-to-heart, and Andy answered questions about the popular franchise that he had a hand in building. Here is some of the juiciest dish Cohen spilled.
1. There’s a “Housewives Curse”… Sorta
Andy addressed the question as to whether or not reality TV played a hand in the demise of so many of the cast members’ unions.
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“I think it has accelerated marriages that weren’t working,” Cohen said. “If they were in a relationship that wasn’t working, they somehow saw it replayed on TV.”
In a clip, Tamra Judge stated that if it weren’t for the support of Bravo, and presumably the income and financial opportunities that being a cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County provided, she wouldn’t have been able to leave her former husband, Simon Barney.
Cohen views the show as a tool to empower women stuck in unhappy relationships because they get validation from their fans to extricate themselves from a bad situation.
2. To Be a Good Real Housewife You Have to Have…
It’s not all about looks or money. When it comes to having staying power, a housewife needs to have an organic connection to her fellow cast members as a point of entry. Andy stated that he thought Joyce and Carlton from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills COULD have been great, but neither woman had a natural connection to any other member of the cast.
There is, of course, the likability factor. It’s okay to be someone the viewers love to hate. Fans make find some of the women to be a thorn in their side, but might not watch if they weren’t part of the cast (Brandi? NeNe? Kenya?).
“But there are people they hate to hate, which means it’s not fun,” Cohen stated. Although he didn’t mention any names.
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3. Andy Would Hook Up With…
Andy is no fool, if the WWHL host could have his way with any of the women, it would be Joanna Krupa. This Real Housewives of Miami babe is “very hot” according to Cohen. And when Frankel called Andy out for being superficial, he embraced his shallowness without apology.
But what about the husbands? Given his druthers, Andy would go for Real Housewives of Atlanta’s, Apollo Nida.
4. The Franchise with the Most Hardcore Fans Is…
The Real Housewives of New Jersey wins by a landslide for having the most invested fanbase. “When Jersey’s on, I’m almost like..oh, God, I kind of want this season to be over because I feel like they’re kind of going to burn down my house down a little bit,” Cohen said.
Teresa Giudice even has her own super fans known as the “Tree-huggers,” and Cohen told Frankel, they always think “I don’t like her, that I’m against her. She’s got an army.”
5. Andy’s Favorite Housewives Moment Is…
Out of all the memorable moments, Andy cited a moment from The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s season 1 reunion show as his favorite, and it isn’t NeNe’s infamous “close your legs to married men” comment. It was Kim’s teary monologue about her cancer scare, a lengthy, overly dramatic, and ultimately, inconsequential answer to the question of why she preferred wearing wigs to her real hair.
To Cohen, “It’s just an absurd moment, and it defines the entire operation to me.”
Listen to Cohen discuss his favorite Housewives moment here:
(Video courtesy of Bravo)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
