Kelly Bensimon often shares her opinion on The Real Housewives of New York. She was part of the show between Season 2 and Season 4. It flourished another nine seasons before Bravo producers decided to revamp the core cast. Nowadays, RHONY is struggling with low ratings.
Not only RHONY though, Kelly went so far as to suggest that the entire franchise is tanking. Well, RHONY’s ratings speak for themselves. Then there’s the neighbor state show, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which has been put on hiatus. The future of Real Housewives of Potomac is also in question as Karen Huger is currently serving a jail sentence. So, does Kelly have a point?
Former RHONY star Kelly Bensimon wants a Real Housewives return
Kelly exclusively spoke to Ok! Magazine while attending The Amateur premiere. She declared, “Real Housewives is in serious crisis. I would love to [return]. We had so much fun.”
She’s previously pitched herself to return to RHONY. On February 24, the former Bravolebrity revealed that she sent executive producer Andy Cohen a list of her ideal cast.
“Everybody says I should be back on Housewives,” Kelly said. “And I’m happy to do it with — not to be mean, but, like, not this cast. I sent a whole list to Andy. I was like: Here’s the mothership.”
Though, she expressed nostalgia for the show in its heyday, Kelly does not think bringing back the previous cast is the answer. The friends included “have these narratives, these divorces… but they’re all very New York.”
Classic RHONY was all about Ramona Singer’s turtle time, and making the staff of whichever resort the girls were staying at uncomfortable. Luann de Lesseps sang cabaret and pursued men with accents. Andy made it clear that going back to the core group is not an option.
Regardless of who gets cast, Kelly ultimately thinks that the real star of the show is the city itself. She explained, “My biggest criticism — and it’s been the same thing throughout since I was on — is that the ultimate character on the show is New York and we’re not seeing New York.”
By comparison, the former reality TV star points to the success of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In RHOBH, fans see “all the glamour and the glitz and the gorgeousness.”
Catch The Real Housewives of New York streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KELLY’S COMMENTS? DO YOU THINK SHE SHOULD RETURN TO RHONY?