It didn’t come as much of a shock when Bravo announced last month that four castmembers of the Real Housewives of New York would not be returning for the show’s next season. It was one of the worst kept secrets in the history of reality television. “Housewives” Jill Zarin, Cindy Barshop, Alex McCord (and husband Simon), and Kelly Bensimon will no longer be gracing our television sets in the upcoming season of RHONY but I honestly believe that Bravo has made a grave casting mistake here; none of these women should have been fired at all.
Crazy Sells – Kelly’s constant spouting of crazy made for great television. Although I don’t know if she actually did suffer a nervous breakdown during that classic fight with Bethenny Frankel a couple seasons back, I admit to abusing the rewind button on my DVR for those few minutes of unbelievable television. Alex was just beginning to discover “her voice” and my was she using it. I was looking forward to the next Alex/Sonja showdown but alas it seems I am to be denied. Everyone Needs a Yenta – I honestly can’t conceive of a “Housewives” universe without the unflappable Jill Zarin. I truly think she brought a flavor to the show that none of the other women were capable of. Honestly it will be somewhat dull without that unmistakable New York drawl summing up (and adding to) any drama-filled situation. There’s No One Left to Balance the Crazy – Cindy Barshop lasted only one season and in that season I grew to like her. Some of my fellow RHONY fans will say she was too boring and thus did not fit into the show’s dynamic, but I disagree. Just as you need a balance between work and play, you need a balance between crazy and normal. Cindy was that balance. Now there’s no one left to stop the crazy. Yet the “Classy” Countess Gets to Stay – Why is that? She still goes around calling herself “The Countess” despite the fact that her only claim to that title divorced her quite a while back. She tries to portray herself as the go-to expert on class and etiquette, yet she exhibits the most disgusting attitude towards her cast mates out of any of the other women. She is a contradiction of the most annoying and frankly disgusting kind. Honestly I was hoping she would have been one of the four to leave. Sadly, Bravo didn’t agree. As Does Ramona Crazy Eyes – Oh Ramona. Ramona’s behavior toward the other women this past season was, in a word, horrific. Insisting that Cindy have a glass of Pinot Grigio ready and waiting for her at Cindy’s own birthday party no less was ridiculous and the resulting drama from that along with Sonja declaring a “hierarchy” among the group proved to me once and for all that Ramona was just as delusional as her eyes would indicate.
It should also go without saying that I’ll miss Simon and his, er, fashion sense.
Those are my reasons but I’m sure some will agree while others completely disagree with everything I’ve said. Even with my annoyance at how things have played out on “The Real Housewives,” I’ll still be watching the show this season. As a New Yorker, I feel it is my duty to watch.