What Kind of Real Housewives Live in Rhode Island?
“Where’s my lobster roll?!”
Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
What are stereotypes about being from Rhode Island? The coastline, Del’s Lemonade, and Taylor Swift? Not very Bravo-y. But still, the network shared that The Real Housewives of Rhode Island would be one of its four new shows coming out in the next year. Instead of relying on clichés like big hair and fake tans (RHONJ) or blonde hair and less fake tans (RHOC and RHOBH and RHOM), the series will have to be about the next-best thing: generational trauma. According to the press release, the series will focus on “a tight-knit circle of Rhode Islanders who have deep community roots and families that go back generations. With aspirational lives, thriving businesses and tangled family dynamics, these decade-long friendships prove that in a state this small, there’s no escaping your past … or each other.” We love this Gilded Age sequel! It’s interesting that Bravo continues to insist that midwestern cities can’t handle the Housewives heat — are there no insane rich people in Chicago?
In addition to RHORI, the new shows Bravo confirmed include The Valley: Persian Style, heralding the return of Shahs of Sunset alumni like Reza, MJ, and CG; Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition, which will see Housewives cast members trade lives with regular housewives to “see if the grass is truly greener”; and Ladies of London, a U.K.-based Real Housewives–esque reality show, which will return for its first season since 2016. The original series ran for three seasons from 2014 to 2016, but will return with an all-new cast. Given that Ladies of London needs a new cast, we suggest Bravo ask Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell, both recent expats to the British Isles. O’Donnell already confirmed to Andy Cohen that she has beef with DeGeneres, and gossiping about cast members to Andy Cohen is half the job.
