Amanda Bertoncini definitely isn't the smartest princess on Long Island. The Princesses: Long Island star introduced us to the Drink Hanky this week.
The Drink Hanky is ridiculously stupid. Amanda is delusional if she thinks the fabric drink pouch is going to make her a millionaire. (Get a job!) The actual product aside, this week's episode of Princesses: Long Island showed Amanda incorporating a FDNY memorial and 9/11 statue from the Jonathan Ielpi Memorial Park into her Drink Hanky photo shoot, offending many viewers.
The sister of Jonathan Ielpi, the fallen 9/11 firefighter depicted in the statue, is speaking out about Amanda's disrespectful shoot. Melissa Ielpi-Brengel shared, "It opens up the wounds, and it makes you just want to cry all over again."
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Melissa continued, ”Pretending I’m drinking with this man who was killed, it may not be against the law to do it, but it is the most disrespectful and disgusting that I think you can do."
Amanda posted a rather self-serving apology to the Ielpi family on Facebook earlier today. “I would especially like to extend my sincerest apologies to the family of Jonathan Ielpi. I never meant to hurt or offend anyone when I was doing my photo shoot for The Drink Hanky. I hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me and understand that it was a spontaneous photo shoot without being aware that the statue was of sentimental value.”
Mentioning the product she's trying to market in her apology? Tacky! Melissa agreed, saying, "That’s not an apology, it’s just another way to get her product out there."
Feeding off her claim to not know the meaning behind the statue, Melissa demanded of Amanda, “How do not know it has something to do with fire department? You grew up in Great Neck. You’re a 30-year-old woman, living off your parents, who also grew up in Great Neck. How do you not know?”
Melissa – and many others – have questioned why none of the Princesses: Long Island camera operators, editors, or producers brought attention to the disrespectful nature of Amanda's photo shoot. And why did Bravo air it?!?
In response to the backlash, a spokesperson from Bravo said, "We are extremely sorry for any distress we caused the family of Jonathan Ielpi. Bravo has removed the footage from any future airings."
“Unfortunately there will be people who tune into the show just to see what happens next," concluded Melissa. "But at least this shows that we, as 9/11 families, and for all people that were killed, we’re not going to allow people to disrespect it, to forget about it, make jokes about it, because it’s not a joke. And it never will be.”
Coincidentally – or perhaps not – Princesses: Long Island's ratings dropped so much this week that Reality Tea can't even get its numbers.
TELL US – SHOULD PRINCESSES LONG ISLAND BE CANCELED? WERE YOU OFFENDED BY AMANDA'S PHOTO SHOOT?
Photo credit: Bravo
