Bethenny believes the future of the Real Housewives lies in the past. Find out why she deems some more valuable than others and who falls where. It’s a conversation that’s more cutthroat than any moment you’ve ever seen.
So Real Housewives Legacy that was supposed to be a New York cast with you know, Alma Mater graduates of the Real Housewives of New York And it was announced on the same day that they announced a new cast, and I said that it was a weird announcement, which then Andy asked me about, and then I doubled down on watching Raven's Lives, saying it was a weird announcement. It just sounded weird. It was like, oh, hey, we're gonna do a brand new, fresh, refresher of Housewives. So it just felt like I'm the same day to announce the same thing. And even though each concept seems good, if I have to be honest, I would say that the Legacy sounds even better than a new show. I just feel like it's hard to make this thing new again. Although I recently watched Salt Lake City for the first time in my life and that was definitely entertaining. I understand why that is on television. Okay, so, but the reason for and not alleged the fact, because I know the reason for the Housewives Legacy show not happening is because Jill Zarin was frustrated that she wasn't going to get paid as the rest of the other women. She was there in the beginning, and they've been on for years, and I don't you know, I guess it is arbitrary. Like I left. I was on for three years, then left for three years, so I wasn't on the whole run, and I came back to a lot of money. And then that kind of set my precedent personally. And what happens is people who started everyone started out the first season as favored nations, which means everybody gets paid the same, and then you're welcome. I negotiated for Jill and I on and I know people say, oh, she says everything's about her. It happened. It's a fact. I negotiated for Jill, and I was in her closet in the Hampton's on the phone negotiating for what I think was season two or maybe even season three, and I think it was both. And then everybody's sort of money divided. And then there were always these situations where Ramona and Sonia and Luanne would aligne and they would say, the three of us have to get paid the same, and none of us are budging, and it's a good strategy because that's what Friends did. The cast stuck together and they wanted to get paid favored nations. I think it was a million an episode at the time, and they got it because if they're all gonna walk, you know. But so that was great and that was fair. The only problem was Bravo wouldn't go for it and started filming and really will take this to the day of to after filming, and back then Bravo would film without a contract. Now they really won't film without a contract unless they really really trust someone like let's pretend like a Kyle or someone who's definitely going to come back. But Bravo won't film without a contract because I was filming without a contract my first season and I separately was talking to other people at Bravo about another possible show. And when those people connect the dots, they were like, wait a minute, we have Bethany over here shooting this show. How is she meeting with us about something else? And then they would were rushed to get the contract signed. So they are not as they're not lax at all anymore about contracts signed except for in rare cases. So what would happen is the show would start the date June ninety nine would come, and then the girls would get nervous because Bravo started filming with other people who were wilming, willing to film, So then one apple would fall off the tree of that trio that decided to negotiate together have the same lawyer. One would get nervous, and then the other two were weaker, and you know, and then the other problem is from a business perspective, the women end up folding. They end up folding at the end when Bravos like, five, we're filming and we're going without you, the trains leaving without you're not on the show. And then and Luanne, I specifically remember a season where Luanne told Bravo she wanted to get paid one dollar more than I got paid, and they called her bluff and they started film and she then, you know, came correct and came in. And then you lose your leverage with these people who know you're negotiating style, they know that you are willing to do it for less. So no matter what you say, everybody has a plane until they get punched in the face. Everybody, you know, whether it's Erica Jane who had a great who had a season that really did rely on her because of her drama. She's probably coming back the next season, like I want this because I deserve it because of what happened, And you know, you gotta know you're worth and if you're gonna get it, you can't call they'll call your bluff and you can't pick every battle. So there were many times that I would just sit and say, hold, I'm a jelly bean in the jelly bean jar, which is a metaphor that I created for this process early on. And there are times when I have all the leverage because I don't care and I'm the least interested party. And it's usually been that, you know, like I'm willing to walk, and I've walked twice, so I so you can't say you're gonna walk unless you're really really willing to walk. Okay, So that's a long story. But now they've been negotiating and Jill's erin feels that she should be paid the same as everybody else. So on one hand, Jill is an iconic housewife and she was there in the beginning, which I don't know if that's really worth anything, because there's was a girl named Joe that was on the Real Housewives of Orange County that was there in the beginning and she has no value over there. So Jill was there in the beginning, and she felt that they should all be paid the same. It's a new show, et cetera, which I do understand some of the people. Jorinda was let go, Ramona was let go, Jill was let go, so I guess they all were like Tinsley was, you know. So the question is should Jill have got should they all get paid the same, or should Jill die on the sword, which it seems like she did. And that also seems like they could get that back together. Because if Jill feels like it's it's it's no show. If she doesn't take what she left at, I don't think she'll go for that. I think she wants to market what she's doing, et cetera. So she might have overplayed her hand. And the thing about Bravo is they don't care either. They'll always let you come back. You know. Jill years ago recorded Andy in the Bravo clubhouse on his own show, and it's just you know, to make sure he didn't edit her, and he was really pissed. But then he still invites her back on the show and in the Bravo clubhouse. So I propose this will solve the financial problems. I have a proposition for Bravo to solve the financial challenges of the Housewives legacy. And my proposal is real Housewives of New York Legacy blonds have more fun. Now. My pitch to Bravo is, you had a problem with Jill wanting more money, and it broke down the house of cards. So I have chosen blondes that will all take whatever money is really out there they want back in coach, and they will do it in a way that will be economical for you, Bravo, because I know Bravo paying Luan's raid and Sonya's raid and Ramona's rate and all those rates going up for over a decade through that system is going to be high. So I've chosen blonde housewives that I think will be affordable and make for an entertaining cast. So Bravo gets to not spend too much money. These women get back on the field and it's an entertaining season. It's even better than the season with Luanne and Jill and everybody. In my opinion, here's my pitch for Real Housewives legacy affordable cast blonds have more fun. Addition, okay, Drenda, Drenda's entertaining. She was a good housewive. She can be unfiltered and unedited. She will say something or make a mistake. She is, like I said, entertaining. She has a good entertaining house. And she was let go slash paused and will want back and wants back on the field. She's the one who told me years ago if she ever got let go, she'd just walk away. She wouldn't want it, she would start a new life. But I think she realizes she really does want it, and she loved it, and it gave her a different identity, and she was a good housewife. So Drinda's the first one. These are like iconic legacy. Ramona's number two. Ramona got schooled. She was, you know, very sort of out of date, out of touch. She pushed it. Ramona aged like rotten milk on the Housewives. But there are women who have her views. And I don't know if Bravo's supposed to sanitize every person to go with being politically correct, because they're supposed to reflect women in New York. So they do have a responsibility, but maybe she'll have a maya culpa. They've put on They've put back on worse people than Ramona. So Ramona's next because she will bring the drama and not kill the party, and she wants back in, so you can get her at a reduced rate. So Duranda and Ramona both have been let go and you can get them at a reduced rate than what they left at and they'll still do it. You gotta push, but they'll do it. Sonja also is humble and wants and needs the gig. She always admits she likes to work, she wants to be working, and she wants and needs the gig. She likes the action, she likes the relevance, and she too would definitely agree to the same rate as Drinda and Ramona if it was decent and not insulting. Maybe the rate is like lower than Ramona's rate and Sonya's. Maybe it's somewhere where like Drinda left or lower than right. We're Duranda left. But something about that makes me think Sonia will come back because those two are in. She'll like the blondes have more fun theme and once you've realized that the machine is shut down, you get a little humbled and you realize that no matter what the number is, it's not that he's a come by. Plus the platform, plus the entertainment, plus the relevance plus the purpose gets me a certain age, and you know we lack purpose. We want purpose. So that's my pitch, met Sonja. The next fun blonde is Tinsley. She wasn't at a very high rate when she left, and it's nice income, it's nice relevance, it's a nice little jolt. She's sweet, she's fun, she likes to wear her fun clothes. She's a good balance for the rest of these women in She gets like dog deals and good posts and so this is probably good for that. And she likes to do a light hustle, so I think she would be ready to come back. And then Alex McCord another good balancer, Sage Words of Wisdom has been gone a long time, left at not a very high rate. Was also Lecca. Everybody here was let go, So you're going to get them at a decent rate. They're all blonde, they're all fun, and they're all good housewives. That's my pitch. Real Housewives Legacy in New York edition that will also be affordable and entertaining for Bravo to be able to make this happen. What do you think