I really think I’m going to enjoy the newest additions to Real Housewives of New York…especially Carole Radziwill. The widow and journalist (not to mention princess and bestselling author) with close ties to the timeless Kennedy clan will be joining Countess LuAnn and Pinot Singer on the upcoming season. She was recently interviewed by the New York Post where she described herself as the “unlikely housewife.” I like her already.
Calling the show a “job offer”, Carole explains, “Critical acclaim is great, and it gets you the corner table, but commercial success pays the bills.” With the women of New York rumored to be making $500,000 this season, I’d say that’s not too terrible of a payday.
While many ladies try to finagle their way into the franchise by befriending wives or crashing cocktail parties (an estimated 500 women tried out for Beverly Hills), Carole had no desire to pursue reality television. Of her friend and Bravo King Andy Cohen, she says,“I could probably count on one hand the number of conversations I’ve ever had about the ‘Housewives’ show with him.”
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Carole continues, “But last summer, we had dinner with some mutual friends. And he kind of asked me if I would consider it. My impulse was to say, ‘Are you crazy? Hell no!’ ”
She goes on to reveal that she initially looked at the show as a challenge. “There’s risk in everything; this is just another risk I’m willing to take and not know how it turns out,” she tells the magazine. “And that’s OK.”
Of her fellow caste mates, Carole admits, “I thought Ramona might be someone who would just drive me crazy.”
Um, yeah. I could see that. After all, Ramona is well-known for bringing the drama and crazy eyes (turtle time, anyone?), and Carole seems hell bent on avoiding drama at all costs. In fact, her tagline for the show is: “I may be a princess, but I am definitely not a drama queen.”
Carole recognizes it is all part of the franchise. “I know, I know!” she exclaims. “Listen, it wasn’t my first choice. The original one that I wanted was ‘I’m a writer. I like to keep my drama on the page.’ But I understand the appeal, and I understand the show.”
She seems to know how to work the system to her advantage. Carole states, “If a reality fan watches the show and is interested in me, and wants to read one of my books because I had a disagreement with one of the ladies, I’m cool with that.”
Speaking of Ramona, she recently came under fire for snubbing fellow reality stars at an event at Parx Casino in Pennsylvania. Philly.com reported that while at the event, appropriately called “Reality Divas,” Ramona refused to speak to or have pictures taken with Mob Wives’ Drita D’Avanzo and Jerseylicious’ Tracy DiMarco.
However, an attendee of the event tells wetpaint.com that Ramona never snubbed anyone. “They all seemed to get along great to me,” the source tells the site.
Likewise, a representative of the casino says, “The event was terrific. The ‘divas’ were really funny and very good to their fans. We are looking forward to our next celebrity event during the Epic Summer at Parx Casino.” And there you have it! I can’t imagine Ramona being dumb enough to cross Drita anyway.
The new season of RHONY premieres on Monday at 9ET on Bravo.
ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW SEASON? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW CAST MEMBERS? ARE YOU READY FOR TURTLE TIME?
