It’s as if one franchise slowly rose up after hearing that other (more blonde and tan) franchises were getting more press. So here we are, back with the Real Housewives of New York, fresh with some new gossip…Zarin style.

After the firing heard ’round the Bravo world, Radaronline.com is reporting that the Queen of Mean Princess of Park Avenue Jill Zarin has been asked to rejoin the cast. The season seems to be taking an exceedingly long time to wrap, leading some to believe that there’s just no excitement with the new ladies. It would make sense that Bravo wanted to bring back the franchise’s resident pot stirrer.

Jill, who claims she was contacted by a show insider, explains that the offer was too little too late. She maintains she was happy to get the boot along with cast mates Alex McCord, Cindy Barshop, and Kelly Bensimon.

Jill insists, “I thought about quitting the show during season 4, because my husband wanted his wife back. I had such anxiety and pressure to act a certain way and I was paranoid for a reason, because people were planning and plotting against me.” Planning and plotting? Sounds like a James Patterson novel, not a trip to Morocco to break up the monotony of Upper East Side luncheons and weekends in Quogue the Hamptons!

“I’m too old and have grown up too much to do Real Housewives anymore, I want to set an example to my kids and my grandkids,” she continues. Not to mention that she doesn’t need RHONY to be in the spotlight…she has a new show for that.

Jill will be returning to the small screen on the Cooking Channel, starring in Iron Chef America’s Top 5 Moments in Kitchen Stadium History. I remember her being quite the Paula Deen of the Housewives…um…And, if you miss her on Iron Chef, you can still catch her on the Home Shopping Networking, hawking her Skweez Couture shapewear line on February 10th.

However, Gossipcop.com is saying that the offer never happened! The site claims to have been told by a true Bravo insider that Mrs. Zarin was never contacted to return to the show. Other media outlets are also reporting Bravo is adamantly denying Jill’s claims. Hmmm…something sounds fishy. Is the source insinuating that Jill Zarin would actually make up a story to get press and remain relevant? I don’t buy it…much like I won’t be buying anything called Skweez. If only there was someone who could shed some light on this confusion. But wait…

THERE IS!

After all the hullabaloo, Jill felt the need to take to her personal blog to respond to such preposterous claims. Personal blogs are way classier than twitter, you know. Get the memo, Atlanta! After seeing Radaronline.com’s story, Jill was quick to address the gossip (or is it?) on–where else?–jillzarin.com. Part of that statement, typos and all, is below.

“I have to admit that most of it is….TRUE! Shocking..I know. but…most of the questions I answered a long time ago from and older interview. I was asked but someone I can’t mention..if I would be interested in coming back for a cameo. That is all I will say right now . I won’t say when or by whom..actually , ironically it was more than one person. It is true that Bobby asked me not to come back. Actually that was reported in the NY POST on Page 6 in July 2011. We were overheard at a restaurant talking and he begged me not to go back on the show but to please quit. I NEVER told any one this but…I actually emailed some of the ladies and producers a goodbye letter, wishing them all well and why I wanted to leave while we were still on top. Maybe I will publish the email one day. But then I didn’t quit. I will save that story for another day…”

Somewhere Simon van Kempen is wearing a dashiki and calling Andy Cohen on speed dial wondering why he and his Brooklyn bride were not asked to make cameos. Y’all know I’m right!

Not one to be left out when the “brunettes” are making news, Kelly Bensimon is also making headlines for committing the ultimate in celebrity cardinal sins…dating one of Madonna’s exes. And not just any ex, she’s reportedly seeing the father of Madonna’s tween daughter Lourdes, Carlos Leon. #dontcrossmadgesheisfrightening! The huffingtonpost.com has the deets.

The potential new couple was spotted walking together–gasp!–in the East Village this past weekend. Kelly’s “friends” predict that we will be seeing even more of the twosome in the future.

One such pal reveals, “They started out working on a project together but have since gotten very close. Kelly always says that if you are not married or engaged, you are single. So, technically she is still single, but we all know that they are together.”

While Kelly herself declined to comment on the nature of the relationship, she did admit, “We met seven months ago. I’m casting him for the show I Can Make You Hot. Have you met him? He’s an amazing dancer and athlete and jelly bean connoisseur.”

I’m sure Madonna isn’t batting an eyelash at this news. She’s probably used to it seeing as another of her former flames was linked to former RHONY’s Bethenny Frankel. When the Material Girl split from baseballer Alex Rodriguez in 2009, he reportedly found comfort in the arms of a Skinny Girl. No word yet as to whether Madonna ever dated Ross/Jacques.

Photos of Carlos are below!

[Photos Credit: WENN]

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JILL ZARIN’S INTERVIEW? DO YOU BELIEVE SHE WAS CONTACTED BY BRAVO OR IS SHE JUST TRYING TO GET MORE ATTENTION? IS KELLY DATING CARLOS LEON?

If you recall, earlier reports leaked that the gals had taken a trip to London in addition to a trip to South Beach which gifted us these photos. Now that it’s winter, the cast headed down to St. Barts.

New cast members Heather Thomson and Carole Radziwill decided to show off their smoking hot figures while veterans Sonja Morgan, Luann de Lesseps and Ramona Singer sat around getting drunk and being judgey (so, like any normal day on the RHONY set). I’m sure personal trainers are so proud of them in this moment. Check out the photos of them below!

Meanwhile, the NY Post wrote a scathing report about newbie Carole. According to The Post, Carole, who is related to the Kennedys by marriage, is failing to bring any class to the show. The report states that while filming in St. Barts, Carole was was spotted partying with her costars – Ramona, Sonja, LuAnn and others — at Le Ti, a cabaret-themed night.

A source revealed, “Le Ti has a dress-up shop with items to suit every fetish. By the end of the night, all the housewives were in tiny red pirate outfits with Jack Sparrow hats, and exposed midriffs gyrating on the dance floor.”

The source continues of Caroline, who has won three Emmys for her writing: “It’s sad to see Carole, a journalist, former ABC news producer and whose husband [Prince Anthony Radziwill] was the cousin of John F. Kennedy Jr., stooping to this level. She must really need the money.”

Back in New York, former failed housewife Cindy Barshop of the Vajazzling Barshops decided to introduce yet another product to the market that no one needed: fur merkins for your lady bits, available at her Completely Bare spa in New York. In case you get cold from all those Brazilian waxes. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, you can add a little something different to your nether regions for two Benjamins.

The ‘Foxy Bikini’ is available at $225 and the ‘Carnivale’ for $195. According to the Completely Bare website, both of these services can also be added on to your laser hair removal or waxing appointment. It seems to me you can skip the wax altogether and achieve the same effect. Am I right, ladies?

Cindy is getting some serious backlash from animal rights group PETA on the merkins which are made from real fur and calls the merkins “outright sleazy, and downright cruel.” Cindy responded by saying it is her right to stage a lame publicity stunt for her businesses, “wear fur down there” and hopes PETA will “respect that.”

Also below are photos of Cindy’s fur merkins!

[Photos Credit: MediaPunch/INFphoto.com]

TELL US: WOULD YOU WEAR A FUR MERKIN? DO YOU THINK CINDY IS JUST TRYING TO GET PUBLICITY FOR HER SPAS? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LADIES BIKINI WEARING PAST THE AGE OF 40?

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR ALL THE PHOTOS!

New RHONY Housewives Carole Radziwill and Heather Thomson chilax on a yatch!

Vets LuAnn de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan and newbie Heather Thomson arrive to St. Barts

Two of Cindy Barshop’s Fur Merkins designs!

According to reports, the single mother of two has listed her Hamptons home for sale. The listing price? Just a mere $12 million!

Kelly’s two-story East Hampton mansion is 5,800 square feet with five bedrooms. The home also has a sun-filled formal living room with fireplace and French doors, a luxurious master suite with fireplace and private terrace leading to a bonus office or guest space as well as a sleek stainless steel kitchen, which opens up to a spacious family room with fireplace and dining area.

There’s even more as the home boasts a pool and pond on 1.2 acres. Back in 2010, the home was listed as a summer rental for $300,000! The property taxes alone? Over $4,000 a month.

The property is located on Further Lane in East Hampton which is considered one of the most exclusive streets in the area and home to a number of celebrities. More photos of Kelly’s home below!

Some are also speculating on whether or not Kelly is having financial problems due to the home listing, but who knows. She could also be trying to capitalize off her RHONY fame by selling the home now. Kelly’s ex-husband is famed photographer Gilles Bensimon and the property was reportedly part of her divorce settlement.

[Photos Credit: WENN, Furtherlanesouth.com]

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON KELLY’S HOME? YAY? NAY?

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO SEE THE REST OF THE HOME PHOTOS!

Kelly Bensimon’s Hamptons Home

Beautiful view!

Hot on the heals of news that the indomitable Jill Zarin is in talks with Fox to get a new show based around her moving to Beverly Hills, here come the rumblings of other fellow firees seeking the spotlight again.

First up is Silex! Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen circulated an email amongst their friends pitching a new reality show. The crafty NY Post was able to obtain a copy of said email, which basically calls Bravo out for creating “faux reality shows.” You don’t say! Alluding to their experiences on RHONY and referring to their former job as a “trainwreck!” You mean the friendship between Bethenny and Alex wasn’t real!?

“While we were sad to lose the dollars . . . we weren’t sad to be off that particular show,” Alex and Simon’s email reads. “Now that we are free-and-clear of our Bravo contracts, we have been meeting with . . . just about every cable network as well as a couple of the main networks,” in the hopes to interest someone — anybody, really — in a reality show about 30-something parents in Brooklyn. “We would never expose ourselves to another faux reality show,” the email reassured prospective castmates, alluding to the behind the scenes magicians at Bravo!

Despite their unsavory experiences in front of the camera broadcasting their basement office and munster shoes for all the world to see, Silex still craves the spotlight and is hoping to start a new show based upon their fabulous Brooklynite lives of raising kids, hawking towels, Twittering and dishing about being the daughter of an oil barron (remember Alex like grew up super rich in Kansas, ya’all!). Except this time Brooklyn isn’t going to be the laughingstock of said show; this new show is going to prove to Americans that Brooklyn, and it’s inhabitants, are really, really cool. Hey, I like Brooklyn!

The show, which is tentatively titled “Based in Brooklyn,” seeks to shine a light into the culture Silex dubs “Brownstone Brooklyn” a.k.a. yuppies converting the borough into a trendy place to live.

When the Post asked Alex if she would consider selling her new show to Bravo, you know that network that produces faux reality shows, she suddenly got flustered. “I don’t know, I hadn’t, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t, it’s not just me either if we did this it would be Simon and me together,” Alex confessed.

Next up, Kelly Bensimon was apparently overheard talking about her new reality venture while she judged the Miss New York USA pageant this past week. The New York Daily News eavesdropped on the cray-cray one asking a famous blogger if he would be interested in a guest appearance on her new show.

What new show, you ask? Supposedly Kelly, who is a self-proclaimed expert on hotness, is working on a TV project to coincide with her upcoming book, “I Can Make You Hot!: The Supermodel Diet,” which hits shelves in April. Well, in my mind the first element of hotness is being sane, so I don’t think I could take any of Kelly’s advice seriously!

[Photo Credit: WENN.com]

WOULD YOU WATCH ALEX’S OR KELLY’S NEW SHOWS? ARE YOU SURPRISED THEY ARE RE-SEEKING THE SPOTLIGHT?

Ready or not, we are just weeks from the Bethenny Ever After season 3 premiere!

Bravo  has just released the full season 3 trailer which can be summed up in three words — tears, tears and more tears. In what appears to be a very emotional season (also the longest one yet), Bethenny Frankel is living life in the fast lane and struggles to juggle her many roles which includes wife, mother and mogul.

The trailer also includes scenes from Bethenny’s ‘lost at sea’ saga as well as dramatic fights with hubby Jason Hoppy. You can watch the new BEA trailer below!

Bethenny Ever After returns to Bravo on Feb. 20.

Moving on to Bethenny’s nemesis Real Housewives Of New York alum Jill Zarin: She recently spoke to Celebrity Baby Scoop (disclosure: I used to freelance for them) about Bethenny and the least anticipated jewelry line of our time, her new collection, GLITTERINGS. Curiously, it is not inspired by the cult classic Mariah Carey film Glitter, but by the thousands of dollars of jewelry her husband Bobby Zarin has purchased for her, specifically the massive ring he just bought her from the Elizabeth Taylor estate:

“For the first collection, I drew inspiration from Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry. My husband is so incredibly supportive in everything I do and when Elizabeth was selling her jewelry, I bought all the catalogues and went and saw it. My husband wanted to buy me a piece to inspire me,” says Jill.

Naturally, the conversation turned to whether or not she missed being on RHONY, the show that brought her wonderful, shrieking presence into our lives and hearts. Jill’s feelings about this seem to change with every interview, occasionally being angry and claiming the show will fail without her, and other times, she seems to look back on it bittersweetly.

This time around, she says she’ll miss the “team” she had with… Kelly Bensimon (huh?): “It’s just the timing and the place, and without Kelly [Bensimon]… we were just such a great team. We had a lot of fun together. I always look forward and I never look back. It was sort of like in high school, they force you to you graduate even if you don’t want to leave. I was forced to graduate, and it turned out to be a blessing.”

When asked if there was a feud with her true former teammate Bethenny, Jill responded in the negative, saying: “There’s no feud. Absolutely no feud. None whatsoever,” and even answering “Absolutely” to a question on moving forward with Bethenny. Do you think anyone has told Bethenny she’s moving forward on a friendship with Jill?

On the skinnygirl side, the media blitz leading to the February premiere of the third (and allegedly final) season of her reality show, Bethenny Ever After has begun! This time around, Bethenny is giving weight-loss tips for all you New Year’s Resolutions holders out there. If your idea of working out is walking to the grocery store, here’s a good tip for you from a recent appearance on Good Morning America:

“I belong to a gym and a yoga class and never go. Do your workout when you have time where you are. I do yoga in my room when Brynn goes down for a nap. Sometimes it’s 30 minutes, sometimes it’s 40 or 50 minutes. I’d rather get 30 minutes in than not go to a class. Do it consistently. Commit to it in your house. People think because I’m in good shape that I must go to the gym all the time. But I don’t have the time. I make it work at home.”

No, Bethenny, we feel you are in good shape because you are a millionaire with access to personal trainers and chefs and because being thin is kinda in your job description. Nothing wrong with that, but doing a yoga video 30 minutes a day isn’t going to make you look like Bethenny. It will just make you a bit happier and healthier.

If you are interested, Jill will be showing off her wares on HSN on Valentine’s Day.

[Photos Credit: SPLASH, WENN]

TELL US: ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE PREMIERE OF BETHENNY EVER AFTER? DO YOU THINK JILL IS HAWKING TOO MANY PRODUCTS? WILL YOU CONSIDER BUYING HER JEWELRY?

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO SEE THE BETHENNY EVER AFTER TRAILER!

There’s no doubt Andy played a huge role in Bravo’s transformation from obscure basic cable network to one of the nation’s main suppliers of rich people drama and D-listers. While he’ll be putting in much more time on-camera these days that doesn’t mean he’ll be abandoning his role as Executive Producer, telling the Hollywood Reporter that he’ll “remain in charge of all development and talent” (his use of the word talent makes me think of Andy as a Barbizon modeling agent!) and will remain an executive producer of Top Chef and all iterations of Real Housewives.

While he admits that this will remove “twenty something” odd shows from his workload, he is still very involved in a few projects featuring stars Bravo basically created including Jeff Lewis and Bethenny Frankel: “Jeff Lewis has an incredible new show coming on, Interior Therapy, we’re in post on that show, I can’t imagine stopping watching rough cuts of that show. I’m very invested in it and I want it to be right. I just got two new episodes of Bethenny Frankel’s new show today, I’m seven in already, and I probably want to finish that season out. So, there’s a lot of work that I feel I will probably continue doing.”

Given the success of the shows Andy has had his hand in, we doubt his bosses at Bravo would want him to stop producing shows, either. His influence can definitely be felt in other shows, especially with his crown jewels — Real Housewives and Top Chef; he admits to THR that there are “at least 25 Housewives rip off shows right now.”

Speaking of the Housewives, in a separate interview with Wetpaint, Andy lets Jill Zarin finally score a point in the ongoing media war that is her existence by giving her credit for finding Bethenny and Ramona Singer on Real Housewives of New York, saying “Jill helped us cast Bethenny and Ramona. She absolutely did.”

Andy, however, makes it clear that he doesn’t believe Jill deserves a commission for that. If you recall, Jill revealed last week that she wanted a finder’s fee for discovering Bethenny. “I don’t get a commission for it,” said Andy. “She’s done very well from the show, so that’s her commission. But she did [help cast them]. She absolutely can take credit for finding Bethenny and Ramona.”

He also stands by his decision to let Jill go, along with her co-stars Alex McCord and Kelly Bensimon, claiming, as Jill has probably said to her daughter hundreds of times, that its for the show’s own good: “And I just think, whether the ratings are down this season or up, for the long-term health of the New York Housewives, we did the right thing.”

TELL US: ARE YOU ENJOYING THE DAILY EDITIONS OF WATCH WHAT HAPPENS? WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE HOUSEWIVES RIP-OFF SHOWS? DO YOU THINK JILL ZARIN DESERVES COMMISSION FOR FINDING BETHENNY AND RAMONA? IS ANDY COHEN YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR?

Oh the horror. According to a new report, fired Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin is in serious talks for her own reality show!

Even more horrific, if all works out for Jill, the show will be on FOX a.k.a. a major network. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news yesterday with sources telling the site FOX is in talks with Jill about her own show to be tentatively titled The Beverly Jillbillies.

Jill’s show will be based on her move to Los Angeles to build her own fashion empire. The show’s producers and FOX declined to comment on the news, while Jill has recently admitted she is currently house-hunting in Los Angeles. Let’s not count those eggs before they hatch now Jill!

Since being fired by Bravo last September, Jill has continued to leak out stories stories have continued to magically appear on blogs about Jill getting a spinoff. I’m, however, having major doubts that Jill will get a show at least not on FOX as most major non-cable networks tend to shy away from personal reality shows instead focusing on more competition based reality shows such as American Idol, Survivor, etc.

Moving on to some not so scary news as another report is stating Ramona Singer wants in on the Celebrity Apprentice action! Okay maybe this is just as scary as the previous story.

Following Nene Leakes’ appearance on the show last season and NJ Housewife Teresa Giudice’s appearance on the upcoming season, Ramona apparently feels she should be next.

A source reveals to amNewYork that Ramona is “trying to convince” Donald Trump to cast her in the next season of his NBC show. Ramona, never one to shy away from an awkward public moment, even brought up the idea to The Donald while she attended a recent function with him in Florida days ago.

“Ramona says that if ["Real Housewives of New Jersey" star] Teresa Giudice can compete, then Ramona most certainly can,” the source said.

Well, she does have that whole crazy, unpredictable and combative housewife flare down so perhaps she is a perfect fit for the show afterall!

[Photos Credit: WENN]

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON JILL POSSIBLY GETTING A SHOW ON FOX? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE RAMONA ON CELEBRITY APPRENTICE?

Despite the fact she was let go from Real Housewives of New York City, our little redhead Jill Zarin refuses to go away!

For reasons that are hard to comprehend, she is still being featured in the press and giving interviews holding on to her very last threads of relevance by slamming her former co-workers at every opportunity.

Radar features a piece with several choice quotes from Jill, where she insists that the show is nothing without her: “Now that I’m not there, who is going to hold court this season? None of the new women knew each other before they were cast. I know if I were there, I could make people feel comfortable.”

If by making people feel comfortable, you mean loudly picking fights at every opportunity, then sure, Jill, you could have made rumored new cast members Carole Radziwill,Heather Thomson and Aviva Drescher feel right at home in the Real Housewives family!

Since she apparently ran out of things to say about her feud with former BFF Bethenny Frankel, Jill set her sights on slamming former frenemy Ramona Singer.

“No one cares about Ramona Singer anymore,” Jill rants about her former costar. “I’ve heard the new cast members are not happy with her. Ramona planted that ridiculous story about me borrowing clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue and returning them worn. But I’m having a huge party there in February, so Ramona is the one who looks like the idiot.”

While we are sure *someone* cares about Ramona, there is probably some truth to the statement that Ramona is fighting with the other ladies. Ramona, as we all remember, has had a fight with all of her cast mates at one point or another.

Not one to take anything sitting down (or without a glass of wine), Ramona tells Wetpaint Entertainment that, “Jill is delusional. And needs a reality check — no pun intended.”

Delusional or not, Jill is doing just fine for herself these days, proudly showing off a $19,000 ring once worn by Elizabeth Taylor to the TMZ cameras last week that husband Bawby Zarin gifted her for their 11th wedding anniversary. While Jill may say she’s happy going back to being just another New York wife, we think she misses the cameras much more often than she will ever admit to.

A picture of Jill’s $19K ring is below! The NY Daily News is now reporting that Jill’s pricey purchase has inspired her to start her own jewelry line, which will debut in time for Valentine’s Day. How convenient.

[Photos Credit: WENN]

TELL US: DO YOU THINK JILL WAS THE GLUE THAT HELD RHONY TOGETHER? OR IS SHE, AS RAMONA SAID, DELUSIONAL? ARE YOU EXCITED TO WATCH A RHONY THAT IS JILL ZARIN FREE?

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO SEE JILL’S $19,000 RING!

The never obnoxious Jill Zarin showing off her $19,000 ring (on the right) purchased for her by hubby Bobby as an anniversary present! [Credit: Turgeon/Rocke/Splash News]

In the latest, Jill did a sit-down with The Hollywood Reporter and gave an explosive testimonial about what it’s really like to be a part of Reality TV and offered up some pretty shocking behind the scenes details about Bravo and the show. Now that she’s not under contract she has nothing to lose and good — because I love a juicy story!

When asked why she was let go from the cast Jill explains she still has no idea and swears that Bravo was stringing her and fellow fired Housewives along before finally issuing the pink slip.

“First off, I like to say I was fired because I’m not embarrassed about it. I didn’t do anything wrong, so I really don’t know why they fired us and kept the other girls.”

“We were told that they wanted to begin season five filming over Labor Day, so the other ladies and I were preparing story lines, basically putting our lives on hold until shooting. In June, it wasn’t even a question if they were inviting me back. By August, conversations started to change. They were hesitant to commit and delayed the announcement. Then I got a call the Wednesday after Labor Day that Bravo decided to bring back LuAnn [de Lesseps], Sonja [Morgan] and Ramona [Singer], but the rest would not be decided until the end of the week.”

“I’m smart enough to know that they were putting out contracts to new girls, and whether they signed would determine our fate. So, at 5 p.m. on a Saturday night I get a phone call from my producer, and she told me that Bravo had made the decision to let the four of us go.”

“I was upset because I was told to put my life on hold,” Jill explains. “But I didn’t argue, I wasn’t going to try to sell anyone. I said, ” ‘OK. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.’ ”

“Andy Cohen called shortly after, which I’m sure was a difficult thing to do. He gave me the respect I deserved considering I committed four years of my life to the show. He said they wanted the series to go in a different direction and that last season ended very dark — which I find ironic because they could have controlled that. I filmed many happy scenes that the network canned.”

Very interesting as fans of RHONY and others in the Housewives franchise have been begging for the shows to return to their original intent of happy and fun-loving docu-dramas about wealthy women and their lives. Is Bravo really deciding not to air that kind of footage in lieu of footage with high drama content?

Jill continues by explaining that Bravo’s decision to let her go had absolutely nothing to do with reports that she requested a higher salary to continue filming. “First of all, we were finally making a decent amount of money last season. That was never a concern,” Jill states, saying it is “absolutely untrue” that salary disputes occurred.

“They’re getting a lot of money now, so that’s another thing I’m disappointed about. I didn’t get to make the money I feel I deserved. I didn’t just help make the show popular; I cast it,” Jill shockingly reveals.

Jill goes onto claim that she was responsible for bringing in Bethenny Frankel (her then close friend), which is common knowledge and possibly alleges that Bravo should have paid her a finders fee of sorts. “I brought in Bethenny, and I don’t get a percentage of anything she spins off. The first, second and third season salary pretty much added up to the fourth season. I worked really hard.”

This leads me to wonder if other Housewives receive percentages of earnings as rewards for adding to the casts. I doubt this very much, but it is a possibility. Bravo has readily admitted that Kyle Richards was the first woman cast to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and she introduced the other women to producers and assembled the majority of women that were eventually hired — even her season one nemesis Camille Grammer.

When asked if the show is scripted Jill describes that, of course, editing plays a huge part in what viewers see. “It’s a TV show, not a documentary. It’s not scripted, but it is edited. It doesn’t mean we didn’t live it, it just means they focus on a particular storyline.”

Also, Jill point blank accuses Bravo of manipulating scenes and circumstances to build plot lines! “With New Jersey, they were brilliant to film season four before season three aired. They had to. Bravo had no delusions that they set up Teresa [Giudice] by hiring her sister-in-law and cousin without letting her know. It’s understandable Teresa would be upset. The show couldn’t film now: Teresa and Caroline [Manzo] won’t even be in the same room, and Jacqueline [Laurita] quit. As a cast, they’re kaput.”

As for what she is up to now that she is done with Housewives, Jill is not leaving television in the dust as she is working to secure other deals in the medium. “My husband and I were recently in L.A. for meetings about a potential television opportunity. And now I finally have the freedom to do that.”

Jill insists that the NBC-owned Bravo kept their Housewives under close watch and did not allow them to branch out into other networks — even to promote products which the network takes a percentage of. “That’s the one thing Bravo would never give us: the ability to appear elsewhere. Before, I could never appear on another network. We couldn’t even do Good Morning America, we had to do Today, even if it was to promote our brands. They were very controlling,” Jill reveals.

This could be the real reason none of the Housewives are ever cast on the ABC show Dancing With The Stars and instead are recruited for fellow NBC show Celebrity Apprentice!

“In hindsight, it would have been smarter for them to do a development deal with me. I would have been stupid enough to let them build my ego and give me a deal for no money that would lock me to the network.”

Even though Jill has scathing things to say about the network that paid her bills for four years she is still happy she did the show. “The show made women in their 40s and 50s relevant again. Hollywood is all about young girls, and this was an opportunity that didn’t require us to be young and beautiful. It’s real women.” Well, somewhat…

“But I won’t miss the lying and the fighting,” Jill discloses. “And I won’t miss the stress over clothes. I had to have 80 outfits for the season, and I would totally stress over that.”

Wow pretty good stuff! I have to say being part of the Housewives franchise sounds incredibly stressful and complicated and I’d rather be a viewer than a participant!

Moving on, current RHONY cast member Pinot Singer spent her holidays on the island of St. Martin with her husband Mario and daughter Avery. Photos of the family vacation are below! They look happy and relaxed and I’m jealous! I wonder if she toted along any Ramona Singer Pinot Grigio?

[Photo Credit: PNP/ WENN.com]

THOUGHTS ON JILL’S EXPLOSIVE INFORMATION ABOUT BRAVO AND RHONY? ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT BRAVO IS SO CONTROLLING OF IT’S HOUSEWIVES?

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO SEE PHOTOS OF RAMONA ON VACATION!

Ramona Singer and daughter Avery

Ramona and hubby Mario

It’s no surprise that Sonja was thrilled at the opportunity to ogle some hottie firefighters. “I have worked over the years with Katherine Kostreva who produces the charitable calendar featuring the nation’s sexiest firemen,” Sonja informed OK Magazine. “I once attended an event of hers with local FDNY firefighters to benefit the ASPCA, a charity near and dear to my heart. I support animals, artists, the LGBT and children. I also admire what these men do to keep our families safe and let’s be honest… they are HOT!” Indeed, that’s the important thing!

And since Sonja is ALLLL about sex, she shared what’s sexy to her. “Intelligence, confidence, power, humility, sense of humor and an ability to take care of his home.”

As for how Housewives is going with the new additions, Sonja is excited for the new season which is currently filming. “Every season is so different because our lives are rapidly changing at all times,” she explained. “This season will be the best season ever. TRUST ME!”

Sonja also shared that she spent her holiday vacationing in Palm Beach, Fl. Lucky lady!

Speaking of holidays, Jill Zarin apparently survived a power outage by the light of her Menora! While she was vacationing in Aruba a Christmas day blackout at the Aruba Surf Club Marriott caused her to grab the candelabra she packed for Hanukkah celebrations and light up!

“My Hanukkah menorah saved me.” Jill told the NY Post, “I have the craziest stories. It’s unfortunate that the cameras don’t follow me anymore.” Right — didn’t she just say in a recent interview that being on reality show turned her into a “monster“?

Jill said she put the emergency lighting in her grandchildrens’ room so they wouldn’t be in the dark. Sadly for Jill the power outage prevented her from hearing her name announced as a guest judge on Top Chef! “I couldn’t even watch myself on ‘Top Chef,’ ” Jill lamented.

Wait — Why exactly is she judging Top Chef? Does this mean La Zarin will be judging this season’s finale? Say it ain’t so!

[Photo Credits: WENN.com]

DO YOU THINK THIS WILL BE THE BEST SEASON YET OF RHONY? WHAT ON EARTH IS JILL DOING JUDGING TOP CHEF?