RHONY: Back Off of Bethenny
Bethenny Frankel Returns To Hostile Housewives on This Season’s Real Housewives of New York
When Bethenny Frankel made the decision to return to the series that followed her rise from struggling single lady to a household name and mogul, it was unclear where she’d fit in with the group of women. Since her time on the Real Housewives of New York, the cast of Big Apple ladies has changed, with only a few of the original women intact. The series now includes several newcomers and a few whom Frankel originally filmed with, but were often times her rivals in the early seasons. Add a painfully public divorce and custody battle that has Bethenny fighting to save both her family and fortune, and the Skinnygirl Founder has a lot on her plate.
In the season premiere, it seemed the women were warm to her return — even Heather Thomson, who many felt was B’s replacement as the business lady with her own clever brand [Yummie Tummie] to launch. As we get deeper into the season though, its seemingly more clear that a few of the women are feeling threatened by the most successful Housewife’s return. Bethenny is known for her brash and aggressive personality, so that should come to no one’s surprise. It does though, and in the last few episodes it seems Frankel can’t catch a break with these women. Especially Thompson and another newcomer Kristen Taekman.
The tension brewing boiled over in last week’s episode when, after clashing with Thompson earlier in the episode, Bethenny arrived at a party that crashed hard when three of the other ladies attacked her one-by-one, until Bethenny was forced to flee. Sure, Frankel may be tightly wound –from her legal woes and personal dramas– but what’s these women’s deal? “I am like a squirrel and too quick and too fast makes me skittish and run,” Bethenny said in her Bravo TV blog last week, “I am high strung and uptight. I know. Add that to some personal stresses that are indescribable that I cannot discuss, and you have a situation.”
What I believe is happening here, besides insane jealousy, is that these women are grasping to the millionaire businesswoman’s success and the path that she paved for Housewife brands. Perhaps hoping Bethenny’s brand of magic will rub off on them. In the season so far, we’ve seen Bethenny offer assistance to a delusional Sonja Morgan, who believes she’s launching somewhere between 10-100 brands in the next month, but when she fails to offer the business advice to Taekman –whom she has no connection to– she attacks, leaving my favorite New York housewife in tears… again.
The good news for fans of the funny Skinnygirl though, Frankel teases, “I believe I cry next week and then we are all free from my salty tears.” Whew!
And in case there’s more selfish drama brewing from the other women before the season’s end, I offer this plea: “Back Off Of Bethenny!” I want my funny, sarcastic and quippy housewife back. Though she doesn’t need my help, who could remember this iconic moment…
Tune in to an all new ‘Real Housewives of New York’ on Bravo tomorrow night and follow me on Twitter for my weekly Housewives rants — including my epic Twitter battle with Real Housewives of Melbourne’s Gina Liano. Yikes! 😉
