long version of Bethenny’s commercial

I thought the short version was so cute. I was so glad to see a longer version!

updates on NYC HWs

Jill and her fam did a shoot for NO H8 campaign:

Jill Zarin & fam NO H8

The unrecognizable person is Jill’s stepson.

Bethenny speaks:

Of the “Real Housewives of New York City,” Bethenny Frankel has come out on top with a new husband, new baby and her own spinoff reality show. But are her castmates jealous? “I don’t know, I have so little connection with them,” Frankel told Page Six. “I know Ramona [Singer] is happy for me, I know Alex [McCord] is happy for me, I know Sonja [Morgan] is happy for me.” But what about Kelly Bensimon, Jill Zarin and LuAnn de Lesseps? “Everyone has had such good fortune from the show that everyone should be happy with what they have, honestly,” Frankel said at the opening of the East Harlem Target store.

Apparently she also pissed off some GLAAD supporters:

Bethenny Frankel annoyed gay activists when she showed up an hour late for the GLAAD event she was supposed to host at 230 Fifth on Wednesday night. The “Real Housewives of New York City” star walked the red carpet and then left without going up to the rooftop for the gala because she had to rush to the set of “Larry King Live,” witnesses reported.

Gossip Alert: Ramona didn’t talk OMG!!!!!!

On Thursday, The Real Housewives of New York star Ramona Singer joined New Jersey housewife Danielle Staub and Atlanta housewife NeNe Leakes to tape an upcoming episode of The Maury Povich Show in which they give real-life housewives makeovers.

Staub, 48, didn’t act out; Singer, 53, apparently did.

Backstage, Singer was “standoffish, antisocial and on her Blackberry the whole time,” a crew source tells Us Magazine. “She seemed jealous that people were making more of a fuss about Danielle and asking for a picture with her.”

The insider says that when the three housewives eventually posed for photos together, “Ramona suddenly sat down and said, ‘I’m not taking any more pictures.’”

After taping the in-studio segment, they headed to NYC’s John Barrett Salon for the makeovers. “Ramona told the producers, ‘I’m hungry! I’m going to lunch and then Bergdorf Goodman,’” the source tells Us. “So she and NeNe went to lunch, leaving Danielle alone at the salon. The crew had to shoot around NeNe and Ramona until they showed up nearly an hour late.”

When she returned, Singer demanded “the best hair and makeup person at John Barrett,” snipes the source. “It was ridiculous — she was already made up from the studio!”

Adds the insider, “She was a total handful! She threw a tantrum about everything!”

Bethenny: Blogs & People

Bethenny and Bryn are on the cover of People.

Bethenny Frankel’s Painful Past

As a first-time mom, Bethenny Frankel is happily focused on pampering her new baby, 8-week-old Bryn. But the reality TV star says her own childhood was far less loving.

“I never had a true childhood,” Frankel, 39 – the only child of legendary horse trainer Bobby Frankel and his first wife, Bernadette – tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “There was a lot of destruction: alcohol abuse, eating disorders and violent fights.”

The Real Housewives star – whose new Bravo reality series, Bethenny Getting Married? chronicles her whirlwind romance with businessman Jason Hoppy and the birth of Bryn – says she has long been estranged from her mom, whom she describes as “extremely volatile. She was never a mother to me.”

Now, Frankel says she is grateful for the chance to create a stable home with Hoppy and their daughter: “I live for this baby.”

I know a lot of “followers” of Bethenny are going to say, “enough already about the childhood”! However, she is reaching NEW people. Read any new musician or actor’s interviews and in the beginning it is basically the same article over and over. (Yes, I’ve just come from a message board. I’m so sick of studying so I’m going to update this blog instead. And stay away from those boards…)

I haven’t been reading the blogs. I’m going to only post excerpts from B’s blog as I read them. Starting with episode 2.

Bethenny talks dress shopping, hosting the in-laws, and the possibility of baby number two.

Not only is Carol surrounded by men, she lost a son. I asked her to go wedding dress shopping because I’m sure she missed having the opportunity to have a daughter and go through all of those girly things. It was so nice to include her and see her so happy. It was also really fun. She was such a great sport.

Jason really wants more children which currently gives me anxiety. However, if we decide to go that route, we’re not getting any younger. Isn’t it always something? It’s tricky because I’m not going to let a timeline or ticking clock make me do something I’m not ready to do. Cheers to all of you mothers: it is the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. You always ask me about how to start and run a business. All of you who have children and are successful at it could do anything to set your mind to.

Bethenny talks Costco shopping sprees, raging hormones and Jason’s proposal.

The night Jason proposed, I was on my phone leaving a skinnygirl margarita bottle signing and photo shoot and I walked into my apartment. When I saw all of the candles in the dark room, I hung up and got excited and overwhelmed. Cookie was wearing a rhinestone bow and Jason was in a suit. He got on his knee, cried, and said he found me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. There were rose petals scattered everywhere, a bouquet and non-alcoholic champagne because I was preggers. Then we went to Jean Georges for dinner. Right before we left I cleaned up the red rose petals and had to start spraying Resolve because they were staining my carpet. I’m a lunatic. I know. Note to self: White rose petals when proposing. LOL.

AC was really fun. It was more about Jason, which made me happy. I wanted him to have his bachelor party and enjoy his time with friends. I had fun, but was preoccupied by my book and all of the details in planning the wedding.

Bethenny talks about her new book, and describes the emotional day she married Jason Hoppy.

My new book, Place of Yes, will come out in early 2011. It gives the ten rules to getting what you want. It shows people how to break the chain and turn the past and negatives into positives. It is how I have been successful in many areas of my life.

Cookie unfortunately doesn’t care what anyone thinks about anything. Cookie’s job is security guard detail for Jason and me and now she has another family member to protect. She feels like Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. All Cookie wants right now is more love from me and she is fanatically obsessed with Jason.

When the door opened and I saw Jason on the altar, my heart stood still. I really was in the moment, so excited, so grateful to enter into a life with this incredible man and a baby in my belly. It was all that mattered and still is.

The Costco ep is my favorite. It looks the honeymoon episode is next.

Bethenny pics!

I haven’t updated the blogs because I’ve been so busy. But here are some random pics of Bethenny. I may have posted some of these before.

Oh, how cute is she on Bethenny Getting Married? On last night’s episode, I can’t believe she yelled at Jason for watching one of the best sporting events ever (better than the Super Bowl) -March Madness-, yet she said nothing to Cookie! And Cookie was sitting right next to Jason watching the games.

Final blogs of RHoNYC – interesting

The last blogs..well there is a lost footage episode so who knows? Some people posted multiple blogs so sit back. I’ve got it semi-covered.

I wanted to say a few words about part II and III of the reunion. I still haven’t seen all part III…Kelly said that Bravo forced her to go on the trip. Hmm, probably not. But did they strongly suggest it? YES. If you listen to the LuAnn and Kelly conversation about choices you can tell that Kelly did indeed feel pressured and LuAnn was telling her she could have gone and laid low or not gone at all. At least that was my interpretation. Of course Bravo wanted all the women on the trip. That’s why they paid for it!

As far as Kelly goes, I think it is helpful (if they care to get her) to understand that she doesn’t communicate well and never engage with her in a group setting. I don’t think the Kelly thing is all that serious. As far as I know, she’s great when with her kids and that is all that matters, not what happens on some reality staged trip. And I wouldn’t call what happened on the trip bullying because she was (understandably) on the defense but she was being the aggressor a lot of the time. However, I think it is great that she is doing anti-bullying PSAs.

Onto the blogs:

Alex talks Bethenny’s new show, Jill’s change of heart, and Kelly’s bullying claims

Do I think Jill was happy for Bethenny when she got her own show? Yes, actually I do. I also think she was jealous as h-e-double hockey sticks, because she wanted it to be a show for the two of them, like Laverne and Shirley. Yes, she really did tell us to boycott Bethenny. Yes, even recently Jill also called places like the Wendy Williams show to complain about Bethenny getting airtime and not her. She made that call this spring – a couple of months after the season was filmed. That leads me to believe that all this remorse and change of tune is based on the viewers’ reaction, not a real change of heart about the loss of a friendship.

Onto the (alleged) bullying. I was very disappointed that Kelly chose to diminish a real problem that exists in our schools, and more recently on the internet, in order to deflect criticism of her own behavior. We all wanted to have fun with her in St. John with the best of intentions, but from the very moment we landed at the airport she kept saying contradictory things and getting randomly aggressive. It’s as though she has a threshold of what she considers inappropriate conversation that is different from anyone else in the cast, and once she is uncomfortable she will do anything, rational or not, to stop the conversation.

Alex explains why she’s tired of playing nice with co-star and “mean girl” Jill Zarin.

Next, Jill says I hate her, and that she can’t film with me in the future. She’s attempting to play chess with me and with Bravo here, which is typical – she’s done it with Bethenny and with Kelly in the past. There have been a few people recently who have asked me why Jill gets me so upset, and tonight we saw an example. Because Jill was angry with me, when the subject of nude photos and hypocrisy came up, she started shouting that I had “spread eagle pictures in the hallway of my husband’s hotel.” Number one, that is not true and she knows it. Number two, she chose her words specifically to cause trouble for Simon, because perhaps someone out there would wonder whether it was true and ask his business associates about it.

This is an example of the way Jill plays. Jill is a mean girl, not a stupid girl, and she knows exactly what she is doing. Every time she goes on the attack against me or anyone else, she says something that she hopes will damage her target’s life or career. It’s really, truly dirty.

Jill: after the storm

There are still things I wish I could have said and things that were cut out. For example…Alex had NO PROBLEM asking Bobby and I to give her $2000 worth of fabric for FREE for her fashion show. Why did Bravo cut that out?? Because it would make me look good? Because it would show that I was trying to be her friend and the audience would see through her plan? Alex’s plan was to make noise to stay on the show. Jen Gilbert was cast to be a potential replacement. I didn’t do it. Bravo did.

I really thought B and I were friends. I think I was the last to know that we never were. A real friend, not matter what, would have let it go and made up. B never wanted to make up. It was all for a TV SHOW and that’s what I was saying last night. I wanted to talk off camera at Ramona’s house. She wouldn’t. It made me crazy in that moment so no, I was not ready. She said on Andy Cohen’s show that I never asked her because she didn’t know that it was filmed and they were ready to show the footage last night. When she found out, she admitted it. Then changed the subject.

Not sure about that last paragraph. B did admit that Jill may have asked her to talk off camera. I don’t know or care…eh. I do believe Alex knew she had to make a presence this season or she may be replaced. I don’t understand it though. I really enjoyed Alex & Simon during season 2.

Kelly says a final farewell to fans and is ready to finally move on.

We fought, we moved on. This season was cathartic. We fought, we talked, we moved on. We are all unpredictable and that’s what makes us fun to watch. Season 4 is going to excite you even more. Happy summer.

After a wild and crazy reuinon, Ramona reacts to Jill’s apologies, Kelly’s “wackiness,” and more.

I found it very sad that Kelly does not realize her problems and tried to spin it as though we bullied her, four against one. Bullying is a very serious issue that is happening to young children and young adults and she is making a mockery of it by her claims. I always knew something was off with her, but now all of America can see how really out there she is in “Kellyland.” I do only wish her the best and one on one she is quite lovely. When she is in a group situation something snaps.

Sonja talks reunion drama and the evolution of her castmates this season.

I am very self-conscience about seeing myself on television but I do feel people relate to me so it’s worth it. If I can share something that is helpful, enlightening, make someone laugh, and maybe even make someone laugh at themselves, then I am happy. At least at this point! I have really mixed feelings about the show, but I have picked my poison and took it, and now I will see where it takes me. I say that with gratitude.

Whatever defenses Kelly had up during the reunion, I like and agree with what she said at the end. She said she grew. Besides, I also liked her switching the words to describe us from aggressive to assertive. So maybe I was right in the beginning. Real Housewives of NYC is the best of the franchise because we EVOLVE!

I will post blogs from BMG? later

Jill tells the truth

She had to! I never doubted it but if you can’t wait to see it tonight, watch the clip from US mag’s site.

The claws come — again — on part two of The Real Housewives of New York reunion (airing tonight on Bravo).

After Jill Zarin denied she was jealous of Bethenny Frankel for getting her own reality show, Ramona Singer calls out Zarin, 46, claiming that she asked her not to film any scenes with Frankel, 39, so Frankel couldn’t “ride on our coattails.”

“Are you KIDDING me?!” Zarin snaps. “You are such a liar!”

Kelly Bensimon then chimes in, saying that Frankel asked the other castmates not to film with her last season.

“Yeah,” Frankel admits, “I didn’t want to film with you.”

In the end, Zarin apologies for her behavior, telling Frankel: “It was wrong.”

Nothing shocking there. I forgot part two comes on tonight.

Bethenny blah blah Kelly

Bethenny Frankel never got an apology from Kelly Bensimon who called her a “ho-bag” during a freakout in a recent episode of Real Housewives of New York, and she’s not expecting one, either.

“Kelly doesn’t recognize her behavior, so in her eyes, there would be nothing to apologize for,” the supersvelte new mom to baby Bryn tells me. “Kelly doesn’t need Bravo. She has her own reality show going on in her own mind.”

As for former BFF Jill Zarin, who she’s been feuding with all season, Bethenny says that chapter of her life is closed…

“Jill isn’t in my life,” she explains. “I really wish her the best of everything. I have released any angst or feelings about that situation. Marriage and motherhood put everything into perspective.”

And it seems there’s no room for a reconciliation later down the line, either. “I’m in a new place and I like it here,” Bethenny says of her newlywedded baby bliss. “I don’t want anything or anyone in it to change.”

One person she’s thrilled to have in her life is husband Jason Hoppy. “Marrying him was the best decision I ever made,” she swears.

The new parents even got to enjoy their first night out last night, when they had dinner (and probably Skinnygirl margaritas) at Stanton Social. “It was really great and really necessary,” Bethenny says of their date night.

Tonight is the season finale of Housewives, and it could be Bethenny’s last appearance on the series.

“Right now, coming back wouldn’t be the best choice for me,” she says. “Bryn is so good and pure, and all that garbage feels so vile right now. I may want to walk out the door right now. I wouldn’t put money on it yet, thought.”

The show won’t be the same without her. But why should she come back? She will hopefully have better opportunites more best sellers etc.

real blogs of NYC reunion/bethenny

Only two housewives have blogged about the reunion so I decided to post BGM (Bethenny Getting Married) and the reunion blogs together.

Reunion of NYC part I
Kelly speaks to the insecurities of her costars.

You don’t look better when you try to make other people look worse, you just look insecure.

Compete with yourself, and cooperate with others.

(full entry)
Alex talks ‘Housewives’ teams, Jill’s insincere apologies, and more.

From the beginning of the season, LuAnn and Jill had a ‘team” that they tried to recruit others to join – Jill on the phone Labor Day weekend and LuAnn asked me on camera at Ungaro in September which “team” I was on. Ramona, Bethenny and I didn’t form a team with Sonja joining later. We didn’t make jackets; it’s not like we’re in the Pink Ladies. We just understood each other.

Bethenny Getting Married
Bethenny thanks fans for their support of her new “reality sitcom” and talks walking the runway at five months pregnant.

Thank you so much to my fans who have taken this journey with me. You are the reason why Bravo gave me a show and why I am so successful. I put my heart and soul into this show and left nothing on the field. I am trusting you with my personal life.

Bethenny Getting Married? is a complete departure from Housewives. It is emotional and dramatic, yet very cute and funny. I think of it as a reality sitcom. I’m so proud of it, and I can’t get over all of the incredible reviews. This really is so exciting.

Julie shares behind-the-scenes deets on what it’s like to work for Bethenny!

A lot of people ask me what working for Bethenny is like. It is most likely exactly what you would imagine it to be. She is a tough boss, with a lot of quirks, but very kind and encouraging. She wants me to succeed and is very thankful for everything I do – even if things sometimes move too fast to stop and smell the roses.

When Bethenny decided to hire another assistant, I was of course thrilled to have the help. Although sometimes I can be a control freak and want to do everything by myself, I knew with all that was going on that it would be nice to have someone to lean on. Although I did not directly interview Max (I was listening from the office) – he gave a great interview and won Bethenny and Cookie over.

Max talks about his first day on the job as Bethenny’s new assistant.

Fist pounds are a staple in the bro community, and this is something Bethenny will have to get used to. I think Jason realized the upside of having me around – he would get a piece of his manhood back, something I’m sure he’d been missing as a result of being around Julie, Bethenny, Cookie, and Skinnygirl Margaritas all the time.

heh.

reunion & B getting married

Jill & ramona

Part 2 of the reunion airs on Monday. I thought part 1 reunion was pretty tame. The one thing we (?) learned was what Jill did to Bethenny off camera. Telling the others not to film with her! At least that is what I think the main “off camera” incident is. There is probably more. That is pretty unforgivable. Who can blame B for not wanting to mend their friendship after she tried to ruin her “career”. I put career in quotes because she’s an author and chef and didn’t even need to film season three. She doesn’t need RHoNYC anymore. I hope she stays on Bravo though.

And Jill. I do feel bad for her. Who wants to be called out like that in front of millions? The whole season was humiliating for her. She can’t backtrack and apologize for all that. I think quick fame would change everyone a little. Plus she was the star of season one and she helped with casting. So she probably felt like RHoNYC was her show. Her idea. Her baby.

I don’t see how J and B can be friends anymore given all that happened and B mentioned that Jason doesn’t care for her. That’s tough….

1 point for Kelly for sitting there for the first part of the reunion even though she must have been bored out of her mind. All that talking about “stuff”. I loved her dress.

I didn’t see all Bethenny Getting Married? (why the question mark?) because I was watching the NBA finals of course. But Team B when it comes to Bethenny and Jason. WHY DO PEOPLE INVITE OTHERS TO STAY AT THEIR HOUSE? Have these people heard of hotels? I couldn’t put up with that. This is a huge insult to Bethenny (sorry) but I see so much of myself in her when it comes to almost everything. And I couldn’t live with someone as outgoing as Jason. He is probably the greatest guy. His only fault may be his not understanding why B doesn’t want a bunch of strangers in her house.

I will continue to update this blog about all the housewives. I’m in summer school so I won’t be able to post regularly but I’ll try to do updates at least once a week.

real blogs of nyc ep 14

So will Jill come back after exiting the finale early? I’m leaning towards “no”.

LuAnn reflects on her relationship with Jaques, the release of her hit single, and her favorite moments this season.

Jacques is a good man and he’s got my back. We share many of the same interests. He makes me very happy and I’m lucky to have him in my life. Also, Jacques is French and very sophisticated, which I love and he is a successful businessman, which I respect.

I was a little disappointed when Alex, Bethenny and Ramona didn’t come out to support me at my CD release party. The girls knew how important this night was to me. They missed all the fun, their loss.

To check out LuAnn’s video, click on Bravo’s link.

Sonja gives her take on Bethenny and Jill’s relationship and recalls her fave moment from the season.

Ramona’s renewal of vows was first class from beginning to end. I have cherished the Pierre for many years and can’t think of a better place to have a celebration. She looked gorgeous and Mario and Avery were proud of her, as was I. I like the way Bethenny handled my pointing out the feathers on her dress when she represents PETA. Drama per usual, but it was an accident and she rolled with it. She is cool in my book.

Jill thought we were seated on teams at the renewal? I know Jill calls her fans the Jill team, so I am on THAT team, but as far as housewives being on teams? That is just silly. I am hoping to develop all our friendships as time goes on.

Ramona describes her emotional vow renewal ceremony.

When Avery and I looked through the trifold mirror in our suite, she took my breath away. The moment was surreal and tears welled in my eyes. I saw a younger version of myself and it was as if I was seeing her for the first time as the woman she had become. I am so proud of her and the person she has become through the love Mario and I have given her. Walking down the staircase to meet Mario and Avery, I was glowing like a first-time bride. I felt more beautiful that day than the day I got married 18 years ago. I basked in the love I felt coming from all of our friends in the room. When I walked up to Mario I saw such intense love in his eyes it was caressing my entire body. I started to tremble. We each prepared our own personal vows and I was hoping I would not forget them.

Kelly shares her final thoughts on a tumultuous season and cautions fans to avoid conflict.

As the season closes, so does a lot of the animosity. Acquaintances can become friends. Ramona’s wedding was a nice close to a season filled with anger, bitterness, and a lot of misunderstanding. Learn from us, don’t engage when someone you know pushes your buttons or jabs you. Walk away, and be with those who like you for you. J’aime que m’aime. I love those who love me. Life is short, and relish and enjoy every moment for it will never come again. Happy Summer.

no blogs from Alex, Jill & Bethenny

Bethenny on her weight loss, Bryn & Kelly

I’m not sure why people are making a big deal out of Bethenny’s weight loss. She was thin to begin with. And doesn’t everybody lose weight after giving birth? She only gained 30 something pounds…

BF in NYC after baby

Meet Bethenny Frankel’s New Baby Bryn!

Even though her daughter is only 2½ weeks old, Bethenny Frankel can already see one similarity between her newborn and herself.

“She has my E.T. toes,” says Frankel, pointing to Bryn Casey Hoppy‘s little pink feet. “They are so long!”

Frankel, the star of Real Housewives of New York City, always tells it like it is — even when discussing her baby’s early delivery on Saturday, May 8.

Waking Jason Hoppy up around 6 a.m. some five weeks before their first child was due to tell him her water broke, Frankel immediately called the doctor and told her husband to pack their bags.

In his excitement, Hoppy instead started ringing up a few friends.

“Her water broke — we’re having a baby!” he announced. Frankel countered: “We don’t have a baby. We have a puddle.” Looking back, she laughs, “I told him to get a pen and paper and get organized!”

The couple rushed to the hospital. “All I wanted was a bagel and the doctor [told me] I couldn’t eat,” she recalls. “And for two days, I couldn’t.”

After some 30 hours of labor, doctors recommended a c-section to deliver baby Bryn. “She came out like a little doll,” Frankel, 39, says of seeing her daughter for the first time. “It was amazing.”

The couple chose their daughter’s name to honor Hoppy’s brother Bryan, who was killed in a car accident 19 years ago.

“They used to call him Bryn as a nickname,” she explains. “When Jason told me, I thought that would be a great name.”

Having kept mum until Hoppy’s parents arrived at the hospital to meet their new grandchild, revealing Bryn’s name in person was a special moment for the family.

“Jason’s mom was hysterical, crying,” Frankel recalls. “They couldn’t believe we kept it secret.”

At a tiny 4 lbs., 11 oz., Bryn stayed in the NICU for four days until she was strong enough to come home to the family’s apartment in downtown Manhattan.

“We were in this dark little room with our baby. It was almost like Survivor — where we were fending for ourselves,” notes Frankel. “We couldn’t stop staring at her.”

Now settled in at home, Frankel is up every three hours to nurse Bryn — who’s been “such a good baby” — and divides the rest of the parenting duties with Hoppy.

“Jason is the burper and diaper changer,” the natural foods chef laughs. “He loves it when she goes to the bathroom because he has a project!”

All joking aside, “We’re so thankful and lucky to have a healthy baby,” says Frankel, who adds that she’s looking forward to strolling around the Big Apple with Bryn. “This is the new me now.”

– Liz McNeil

Bethenny Frankel: How Did Kelly Bensimon Get on Show? By TheImproper, June 1st, 2010

New York Housewife Bethenny Frankel has weighed in on Kelly Bensimon’s insane behavior on last week’s episode of the Bravo Show and it isn’t pretty. She says Bensimon’s meltdown was far worse than portrayed on the show.

“It was way worse than that,” Frankel, 39, told TVGuide. “What you saw was very, very tame [compared to what actually happened].”

Earlier housewife Alex McCord said the same thing.

“It was much more [crazy] in real life,” McCord told Usmagazine.”Much more crazy!”

McCord also claims that the editing actually made Bensimon look “better.”

Bensimon, 42, really went off the deep end. She called McCord a “vampire,” and accused new mommie Bethenny Frankel of trying to stab her to death in a dream.

The housewives were on a junket to St. John in the Virgin Islands with Kelly became extremely aggressive and hostile toward her cast mates.

Producers were forced to ship her back to New York, after several of the ladies experienced concern for their safety.

“Kelly was taken home the next day,” Frankel recounts. “She was asked to leave and was escorted home. It was one of the scariest things I have ever seen in real life…it was wild.”

During the show, Kelly repeatedly attacked and insulted Bethenny, whose dad had died shortly before the trip.

Frankel had also gotten engaged days before the Caribbean getaway after discovering she was pregnant.

The petty arguments culminated in a shocking blowout during which Bensimon accused Bethenny of trying to kill her.

Kelly also repeatedly talked over Frankel, Alex McCord, Sonja Morgan and Ramona Singer and at one point ordered all of them to “Zip it.”

Frankel says show producers were not aware of Kelly’s unstable personality before casting her. “I don’t know where they find these people,” she says. “The show had no idea Kelly was like this.”

Bethenny says part of the problem is that cast members on soap-opera type shows like the Real Housewives franchise aren’t screened very thoroughly compared with contestants on reality competitions like Top Chef and Martha Stewart’s The Apprentice, which Frankel competed on.

They “do more serious psychological testing,” she said.

Kelly’s future on the show is uncertain, although she has tried to defuse her behavior, insisting in interviews that she is not crazy.

The Real Housewives of New York airs Thursdays on Bravo.