RHONY: The B Is Back
The B is back!
Bethenny Frankel makes her return to Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) this season, promising to bring the dramz. Her life –post divorce and failed talk show– will be documented as the Founder of the wildly successful Skinnygirl brand picks up the pieces of her crumbled, and broken, person life. For fans of the show, you’ll remember Frankel as the RHONY’s relatable comic relief delivering her quick-witted one-liners while struggling to build her brand and find love. Following her departure from the series, the Skinnygirl went on to sell her liquor brand for a rumored $100 million, launched a talk show with producer Ellen DeGeneres and released a number of New York Times bestselling books. So, the question that stares us in the face as she returns to the struggling series: will Bethenny still bring the B we used to know?
From the season’s first episode, which aired last week, the answer seems to be no. Most of Frankel-centered scenes are filled with commentary about being the “wealthiest, homeless person” while checking into the Presidential Suite of a 5-star hotel and comparing herself to Bill Gates and Oprah. During one scene, the millionaire businesswoman is seen crying in the back seat of a car as she looks for an office space, sharing the “struggle” of having a house in the Hamptons, but not one in the city to call home. Really girl? My heart is swollen, feeling your pain (please read into the sarcasm here).
Don’t get me wrong, I am probably more excited than most to have my favorite reality star back on the franchise that launched her worldwide success. I’m just hoping that we focus less on her “hard knock life” and focus more on the strong personality that had no problem calling Countess LuAnn “a snake”, coined the term “ramotional” and pleaded Kelly Bensimon “go to sleep!” on Scary Island.
Bottom line: producers shelled out a lot of money to get the channel’s matriarch back, but they better work some editing magic to keep Bethenny’s alive.
Watch the ‘Real Housewives of New York‘ (RHONY) every Tuesday night on Bravo to see more of Bethenny’s return, joining fellow Housewives Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, LuAnn de Lesseps, Carole Radziwill, Kristen Taekman, Heather Thomson, and newbie Dorinda Medley. Share your thoughts on the new season in the comment section below or with me at @CMVetrano on Twitter using the hashtag #ListenItsVetrano.
