Real Housewives of New York alum Bethenny Frankel has been busy with her latest venture. She basically wants to help unionize reality television and put a much-needed safety net around those who participate.
This is an amazing idea. It’s also necessary. Never mind it comes from a woman who made her money, in part, thanks to unscripted shows. Bethenny has sent out her bat signal and quite a few people responded. Now she’s naming names of those who may or may not be joining her reality tv reckoning.
Follow the leader?
It’s the summer of the Bravo shakedown and Bethenny is the one in charge, apparently. Even though she’s incredibly wealthy and one of the more fortunate previous contract players of Bravo, she wants to sink the ship. Consequently, she’s throwing the lifebuoys out and people are catching.
According to an interview Beth did with Entertainment Tonight, you’ll recognize pretty much all of these names. She said, “I got a message from Hannah Berner, Katlyn Bristow, Chrissy Tegan, JWoww, people from Love Is Blind, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Below Deck, Vanderpump Rules, Summer House, Paige DeSorbo.”
Chrissy Tegan, why? Anyway, the above names track. Despite Paige DeSorbo, is it fair to assume no one who contacted Bethenny is currently on a reality television program? Also, how is Bethenny going to continue her personal revenge takedown of Andy Cohen if people from other networks are getting involved?
She added, “These are people that are messaging me back. They’re listening. They’re interested.” @byewighellodrama shared that Bethenny tagged some folks including Tom Sandoval and his nemesis Stassi Schroeder.
While this has turned into a whole thing and is long overdue, one has to wonder if Bethenny will reach out to everyone who has had a problem in the reality realm. Someone like, oh, I don’t know, Milokssy Resto who appeared on the now defunct The Big Shot With Bethenny. She won the show, but is she still working for Skinnygirl?
What about The Big Shot?
In the ET interview, Bethenny said, “Andy Cohen is very involved in negotiations, and he produces the shows and he knows everything about goes what goes on inside entertainment.” Furthermore, “He’s quite knowledgeable of what the television industry represents and what it means. And he’s knowledgeable as a producer and as an observer and as a monetizer of this dynamic.” She also served as EP on The Big Shot.
Additionally, “His show is designed for gotcha moments. In exchange for them [getting] promotion for whatever they’re doing. It’s a quid pro quo. What Andy doesn’t know with institutional knowledge is what it feels like to be a degraded member of reality television and a person that experiences gotcha moments and is always the last one to know and is effectively treated like a well-paid famous handmaid.”
Now the “handmaids” want their comeuppance. Stay tuned.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED BETHENNY IS GETTING A REACTION FROM REALITY STARS? DO YOU THINK THIS WILL CHANGE REALITY TELEVISION AS WE KNOW IT?
