Brandi Glanville‘s new “business partner” Leeza Gibbons was a guest on her podcast, Brandi Glanville Unfiltered. The Celebrity Apprentice castmates dished on the show, their friendship, and how Brandi’s portrayal in the media – no thanks to Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills – is different than who she is in real life. Leeza played Brandi’s therapist for much of the show, and Brandi eventually confessed her behavior at the RHOBH reunion was horrible.
Leeza agreed to be “semi-filtered” instead of “unfiltered,” which was a semi-shame because Brandi was on her best behavior and kept her trash-talking to a minimum, in lieu of fawning all over Leeza.
Brandi blows a ton of smoke up the Celebrity Apprentice winner‘s butt, and the favor is returned by Leeza. Unfortunately. “You are the biggest surprise in my life,” gushes NuLisa, “Because you encourage me to drop the parts of me that are a little uptight. The parts of me that protect; the parts of me that need protecting.” Brandi repays the compliment by calling Leeza “clenched,” then laughs uproariously. She later teases Leeza about posing for Playboy. “Let’s get you naked!” she jokes.
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR THE REST!
Leeza… please immediately get a seasons 3-5 of RHOBH and start watching – take notes – then turn your brain on. You are deep in the vortex of Branditization. She is reeling you in with the ‘Waaah – no one understands me…’ victim act. Next she’ll tell everyone you gave her herpes with a potholder because you were bankrupt and squatting at her rental while she was on vacation – oh and you stole her dog, the one that poops on the throw pillows, because you accused her of dog-abuse, also you forced her to confront painful memories from her past when you took to a restaurant where LeAnn Rimes one time ate a shrimp. *(Hyperbole from me – no truth to this tale).
I digress… and back to the podcast! Brandi complains that on TV women are judged for their looks, but over the radio one can be themselves. “You create an intimate relationship with your audience,” clarifies Leeza, using her phone-sex operator voice. Interesting nitpick from Brandi considering during RHOBH’s ‘compliment game’ she only focused on her co-stars’ appearance. Although to be fair, Brandi declared their looks are the best things about them. Ouch!
The two got to talking Celebrity Apprentice. Brandi reiterates how incredibly difficult the process was. “It was a crazy experience – they’re competitors and trying to take each other down, but they’re on your team… I don’t think I’d ever do it again,” she reflected. Leeza will be returning as a consultant next season, but she’s taking a break from reality TV otherwise.
Brandi and Leeza discussed how their friendship formed – it’s cause Leeza doesn’t watch RHOBH (really, she doesn’t). “We were blonde gangsters – it was us against the world,” Brandi crows. Leeza says they bonded over motherhood.
Leeza admits she’s taken flak and criticism for her friendship with Brandi. “People didn’t get why we we connected, and they still don’t get it. I always say, ‘I don’t get what you think I’m supposed to feel about Brandi, but what I get about Brandi is what she showed me. And she showed me a woman who has great heart, great compassion, great work-ethic, great loyalty. That’s what she showed me. And she has been a great friend and that’s what I see.'” Sure ’bout that Leeza?
Brandi quickly blamed RHOBH for her misrepresentation. “People tune into Housewives and the shows are all about conflict. They see a very small sliver of me – one dinner party shown over three weeks – and I’m having wine. It turns into you’re drunk every week on the show! But it’s one dinner party; they space out the episodes! People just see the Housewives side of me. So, I was really happy to do Apprentice and show a different side of me.”
“I wasn’t surprised, because I didn’t know what to expect from you,” reflects Leeza. “People talked about how conscientious you were, how smart you were, how creative you were, how enterprising you were… [on Apprentice] The show is really hard, but you were all about the work!” Brandi credits her work-ethic to her parents. “Nothing’s free in this world,” she explains. “Some of these ‘celebrities’ were so used to having people say ‘yes’ …. and it’s just not that: you are getting your hands dirty. It looks a lot easier than it was.”
Leeza muses that people are very “invested” in how they appear on the show because producers don’t encourage behaviors. “You are who are you are… because there’s nobody suggesting a storyline, or telling you to do it again; say this, act this way…” Brandi clarified, “It’s not like ‘reality television.'”
Brandi believes she said the F-word more on Apprentice than on Housewives(!!) and when she returned from CA, told her doctor, “Give me Xanax! I was a wreck – it was horrible!”
Leeza and Brandi teased Geraldo Rivera prolifically but agreed he’s lovely albeit, ridiculous. Leeza believes Brandi and Geraldo are very similar, “He says what’s on his mind, just like you do.”
Naturally Brandi tried to goad Leeza into discussing entitled CA castmates with bad attitudes, but Leeza, regrettably, took the high road. “I won’t name-names [for once],” says Brandi, “but I think some people forgot we’re not Angelina and Brad, and even if you are, you don’t get to act this way! I was shocked,” Brandi continued, “like ‘woooow – these people take themselves very seriously!‘”
Leeza wasn’t surprised, and admits, “I think that actually served the show.” Brandi quipped, “You’re very lucky – you stayed out of the fray, and dodged a lot of the bullets.” Meaning Leeza stayed out of the line of twirl (or mustaches).
“People come with expectations of exactly who you are. I’ve always been a conduit of information, as a reporter, not a creator of it,” explained Leeza. “So it was pretty easy for me to play the role of ‘me.’ Everybody got the chance to play who they are.” Meaning they all got the opportunity to show themselves.
“I guess we know who everyone is!” chimed in Brandi. “I said the whole time we were shooting, ‘The camera’s not gonna lie.’ You’re gonna see exactly what these people are doing.”
Leeza confesses to worrying about being fired because she didn’t bring drama. “All I’m doing is working – and that’s not that exciting! I kept thinking, ‘I’m too boring – they’re gonna fire me because that’s not good TV.'”
Brandi questions Leeza about her four marriages and Leeza describes making a lot of mistakes, including marrying her first husband too young. “I’m good at business, not at love,” Leeza admitted. “I don’t know why it was so difficult for me to get it right, but I didn’t choose well.”
Leeza now sees divorce as a learning experience. Third times a charm! “I think marriages end – they don’t fail – they end and they all take us to who we are becoming,” she professes. Brandi shockingly co-signs, agreeing no marriage is a failure, even ones involving Eddie Cibrian. And everything she’s ever said publicly about Eddie belies that claim. Sorry, B – drunken actions speak way, way louder than this one itty-bitty sentence of words.
Leeza gave Brandi some advice (Brandi hasn’t yet decided to resent Leeza’s mothering) about letting go. “It’s whatever frame you put on the things that happened before.”
Brandi gushes about what tight-knit partners Leeza and her husband Stephen are, then asks if they have “crazy sex” and Leeza admits, “YES! Yes, we do.” TMI. Eep.
Brandi, who is apparently back with on-again/off-again sometimes cheating boyfriend JR (what happened to the hot teacher!?), said to ask him about her “sensitive kitty.” I’ll pass… but all of y’all be my guest! (Just don’t report back). Leeza shares that her son is 6″7 and Brandi wonders if “everything else is that big too?” before realizing what a disgusting comment that was and backtracking. She just can’t help herself, can she?
Brandi encourages Leeza to show a different side of herself with a super-sexy photo shoot styled by Brandi, which will feature lingerie. Yes, Leeza, stop with the being professional nonsense! Brandi obsesses over Leeza’s incredible body throughout the entire segment.
Finally they get to talking Housewives, this is after Leeza discusses taking the high road and learning from mistakes. HA. “Life is a dance of holding on and letting go. When to do which is the lesson,” counsels Leeza.
“I want to be like you,” begins Brandi. “I want to make the right decisions. I tend to lead with defensiveness.” Leeza redirects by saying Brandi is “very in the present” and people strive for that. “It’s hard for people to be where they are – especially women my age – who are yearning to be someone they used to be.” (RHOBH Menopause Mamas?).
“Sometimes I make the right choices, sometimes I make the wrong choices…,” agrees Brandi, which segues into the RHOBH reunion.
“I have post-traumatic reunion syndrome,” complains Brandi. “I don’t think I was on my best behavior.” Brandi snarks that Lisa Rinna “put on a character” like the actress she is.
“The hardest part is you want to fight the fight. I went in there saying, ‘I’m gonna be quiet the whole time – I’m not giving them anything…’ And then I lost my temper,” relents Brandi. “And it was craziness. Having said that, I have to own what I did and said. Just don’t watch it.”
Leeza confesses she doesn’t watch the show, and then asks, which is interesting: “IF I watched that show, what would I think of you?” Brandi answered candidly, “That I’m a drunk, foul-mouthed gal… I don’t know. It’s such a small perspective. It’s 43 minutes with 7 people. I can’t talk bad about the show,” she sighs. “It’s a lot right now. All these tabloids are calling… you’re fired; you quit. It’s like no – nothing like that. I was the first one off the set because I was exhausted, I was like, ‘Microphone off – I’m leaving!'”
As for those rumors that she’s was fired or quit, Brandi insists they’re just that – rumors started by one source which spread like wildfire. “The only interview I did about that, after my Apprentice firing, I said I didn’t know. I haven’t made that decision yet. All I know is, I don’t know if it’s healthy for me to do it [RHOBH] anymore,” Brandi clarifies. “I don’t know if I’m coming back. It it is what it is, as long as people are talking I guess…”
As for what’s next, Leeza dishes they are working on a secret something together, “You and I have some fun ventures down the road,” exclaims Brandi, “but we’ll talk about that when we can. We have so much to look forward to TOGETHER – I’m gonna stalk her!”
Leeza ended with “We are fearlessly fabulous and we are blessed.” Brandi sighed, “I guess…” and Leeza gave her props for being herself. I guess, is right…
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED AT THE REUNION – WILL BRANDI RETURN (OR EVER LEARN?)? WILL BRANDI TURN ON LEEZA TOO?
[Photo Credits: Joel Ginsburg/WENN.com & Instagram]
