Seniors may remember a day during the spring of their first year at Kenyon in which Jill Zarin—then star of Bravo’s reality television hit The Real Housewives of New York City—could be spotted touring campus on a college visit with her daughter. It was officially announced on September 18, 2011 that Jill would not be asked back for the show’s fifth season. Fellow cast members Alex McCord, Kelly Killoren Bensimon and Cindy Barshop were also dropped, leaving Countess Luann De Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, and Ramona Singer as the only returning stars.
But did Bravo make the right decision?
I, personally, am of the opinion that the entire former cast needed to go. Season four was a drawn-out wreck, in which the housewives fought ceaselessly over fascinating topics such as proper wedding attire, alcohol availability (heaven forbid Ramona not get her pinot grigio), and clothing hangers. Yes, clothing hangers. Clearly, something needed to be done.
My biggest issue with the partial recast is the decision to keep the Countess. She has little entertainment value aside from the fact that she is catty and rude but pretends to be completely unaware. Ramona, too, has fallen into playing a caricature of herself, demanding pinot the second she enters a room. And let’s not forget Ramona’s incredibly awkward crying seizure after her fight with Jill in Morocco. I laughed every time I saw it (and let’s just say I watched it more than a few times—including previews).
Honestly, if I were keeping any of the NYC housewives, Jill, Kelly and Sonja would be in my roster. Sonja contributed the most genuine plotline to the last season, as her bankruptcy became public during filming. Jill is, undoubtedly, a controversial choice. After her epic falling out with fan-favorite Bethenny Frankel, Jill’s true colors began to come through on film: her token opinionated remarks increasingly came off—as Jill herself would put it—as “not nice.” But, like it or not, Jill’s verbal barbs and hypocrisy make for good television. Kelly seems a bit schizophrenic on camera, but last season her craziness paid off, and she consistently delivered the most quotable lines—even the Countess’ “Herman Munster shoes” dig was originally made by Kelly off-camera. And, let’s not forget, Kelly made both the St. John and the Morocco vacations into reality TV gold, going full meltdown in the Caribbean and having a small-scale freak-out over a henna tattoo.
I’m sad to say that the departures of Alex and Cindy are timely. Cindy contributed little to season four, and I consistently asked myself why she was even on the show. And that phone call during Sonja’s brunch? Unquestionably inappropriate, I don’t care how busy you are. Alex, on the other hand, came so far throughout her four seasons on the show. She went from an awkward, frizzy-haired pretentious Brooklyn mother to…an awkward, straight-haired pretentious Brooklyn mother. But she really did grow in likeability, as she was finally able to stand up to “mean girl” Jill in what was one of the best moments of the third season. Season three, really, was Alex’s best, since her husband Simon was seldom seen. As many on and off the show have said, Simon is creepy, and his presence in season four—a presence which I found to be unnecessary and contrived solely for the sake of getting himself some air-time—dragged Alex down as she blindly stood by her man.
The next season of The Real Housewives of NYC will undoubtedly be a departure for the series. Will Sonja retain her likeability as a new pecking order is established? Will Ramona ever shut up about pinot grigio? How will Luann fare without her brunette sidekicks?
At least their friendship will be preserved forever in song and dance.
XOXO,
BRAVOGIRL