Dark Side of Reality TV Episode 8 - The Real Housewives
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00:00They're the most famous housewives on the planet.
00:13Would anybody like a shrimp?
00:14Real housewives live in fabulous mansions, they drive fabulous cars, the whole nine.
00:20They were women that lunched and women that played tennis and women that gossip.
00:24She said you asked her.
00:28The Bravo franchise is a global phenomenon, with a spin-off on almost every continent.
00:33In my mind, the show was a reality soap opera.
00:38Controlled largely by one man.
00:40Hey everybody, it's Andy Cohen.
00:42There's a new way they watch because of you.
00:45People have really strong opinions about our show.
00:48I had no idea it was going to get so big.
00:50Good morning!
00:51And Eunice in there, very impressive.
00:53People just really buy into us.
00:55Are you friends again now, or what's happening?
00:58It's a show that comes fully loaded with conflict.
01:04And drama so unhinged, it's barely believable.
01:07You're making this up, right?
01:08They're not playing, it's for real.
01:11This wouldn't happen in real life.
01:14It's a train wreck, it's a cat fight.
01:16You're supposed to be my friend!
01:17Am I really that psycho?
01:18Stay out of my f***ing life!
01:20This is definitely one of my biggest regrets.
01:22Give me this!
01:23Don't do that!
01:24All my crazy little girls.
01:27But in recent years, the Housewives have become mired in controversy.
01:31Former Real Housewife of New York, Bethany Frankel, says reality stars should go on strike.
01:36The lawsuit alleges Andy, quote, engages in cocaine use with housewives that he employs.
01:41She claims that she was pressured by producers to drink.
01:45The more we fall, the better they do.
01:47Ah!
01:48She's not going to get thrown out of Rhode Island!
01:51You're a gladiator with tits.
01:52Twenty years after it first aired, how did a show about housewives create some of the
01:57most outrageous moments in television history?
02:01This was my life that you are destroying.
02:05I will never forgive Bravo for that.
02:16It all started here, magical Cota de Casa in sunny Orange County, California.
02:22There was just nothing else like it.
02:24That place where you can have shopping, and horses, and tennis, and golf.
02:28It was just a magical place to live and raise your family.
02:32I'm Gina Keough, and I was the very first Real Housewives of Orange County.
02:37Hi, ladies!
02:38Come in, come in.
02:41I got my real estate license ten years ago, I believe.
02:44My first home was a million six.
02:46It's beautiful grounds.
02:47It's one of the original houses in Coto.
02:49Is it really?
02:50My life was pretty much dealing with my husband, doing my real estate, and driving the kids
02:55around.
02:56Let's head out in case we hit traffic.
02:59Living next to Gina is the man who dreamed up the housewives and started it all.
03:04I had this idea that emanated at a dinner party where I was kind of with people in Coto
03:10de Casa, and I wanted to do something that could be interesting.
03:14Some type of a documentary or docu-something on these people.
03:21Scott Dunlop was a producer and an actor, and just a really cool guy, and he would always
03:26come over to my house and go, oh my god, this revolving door you have, it's like a curb
03:32your enthusiasm.
03:33There's always the most interesting people.
03:35Enjoy the day, gang!
03:37Reality television was taking off, and in Coto, it's a bedroom community where all the
03:42men traditionally leave, and the women are left on the ranch to kind of run wild.
03:49Do I get a martini after this?
03:54Dunlop's ideas for a documentary-style show following the daily lives of a group of upper
03:58class women, their families, and incredibly wealthy lifestyle.
04:05Just keep them on, those are yours.
04:06And he took that and pitched it to Bravo, and they said, you know, we love that concept,
04:10go get four other families.
04:14When Scott approached me, I was like, you're nuts.
04:16I'm not pretty enough, I'm not skinny enough.
04:18I'm not cooking dinner, nobody's going to freaking be here.
04:21This is crazy.
04:22I'm like, I'm not acting, this is my real life, and they're like, this is exactly what
04:26we want.
04:27We want to go behind the gates, behind your doors, and really see how you all live back
04:32here.
04:33And then the love bus.
04:34We're leaving in three minutes.
04:35Okay, I'll bring my laptop in the car.
04:38My name is Vicki Gunvalson, and I was one of the first cast members of The Real Housewives
04:42of Orange County.
04:44I was living and still live in Dakota, Dakota.
04:46I was married to Don Gunvalson, two children.
04:50Brianna was 17, Michael was 18, and I am an insurance agent.
04:56Vicki is the OG of the OC, hardworking insurance executive.
05:00Hi, Captain Vicki Gunvalson, just wanted to follow up with you.
05:03I'd like to take a jump off the diving board here and have some fun this summer.
05:08Okay, we'll try it.
05:09Michael, when you get to be a dad, you're going to have to do better at packing.
05:13Besides Gina and Vicki, Scott Dunlap cast Kimberly Bryant, Joe De La Rosa, and Lori
05:19Waring, five women, all larger than life.
05:23If his friends think I'm a MILF, then great.
05:25Taste some of my emotions.
05:28I think a good Real Housewife is someone who isn't afraid to be themselves, somebody
05:35who is living a big life, and not afraid to sort of speak their mind.
05:40I want it to look good.
05:41I don't care if it's comfortable.
05:42Okay, yeah, yeah.
05:43Kind of like shoes, you know?
05:46And in the beginning, that's what producers focus on, Real Housewives living real lives.
05:52Nothing is staged, and they make up the show as they go.
05:57Season one was very organic.
05:59It was just like, okay, you're coming over today.
06:01What do you want to film?
06:02I'm going to go pick up Brianna, and I'm taking her to get her hair done.
06:04Okay, we're filming that.
06:05I'm like, okay, that's weird.
06:07Okay, let's do it.
06:08Now, there's no drinking tonight.
06:09I know.
06:10I know.
06:11Okay?
06:12No drinking.
06:13They never do.
06:14And no sex.
06:15Oh, my God.
06:16There was nothing pre-thought.
06:17There was nothing pre-scripted.
06:20There was no ulterior motive.
06:22It was just, film my life.
06:24The show debuts in 2006, and despite featuring many mundane, everyday moments, draws enough
06:31of an audience to get renewed.
06:34But for season two, it gets a major revamp, under the direction of the man at the top,
06:39Andy Cohen, who has spotted its true potential.
06:42In my mind, the show was a soap opera, a reality soap opera.
06:48What?
06:49I don't need to eat it.
06:50I'm so mad at everybody that I'm going to eat my sandwich.
06:53Andy Cohen was an executive at Bravo, and he really is the mastermind behind The Real
06:58Housewives.
06:59This is a study in affluent human interplay.
07:03He recognized that there was something special there.
07:06Get out.
07:07I do stop.
07:08Get out.
07:09Get out.
07:10You drive like ...
07:11This is a show about mothers and children, about husbands and wives.
07:14You can't get mad at me about that.
07:16I'm not mad at you about it.
07:17I'm mad at the situation.
07:18That's funny.
07:19And this is a show mainly about friendship.
07:23It's a soap, but it's real, gifting viewers iconic moments, like this.
07:29It's time to go on a cruise.
07:31So season two, I decided to plan a trip to Rome, and the stretch limo was supposed to
07:38show up at the house at 7 a.m.
07:41Suitcases are packed.
07:42Don's bringing all the luggage down, and he comes in, and he's like, did you order a family
07:46van?
07:47I'm like, no, and I about lost my shit.
07:50I am not happy.
07:51This is not funny.
07:52We are going on a cruise.
07:53This is not funny.
07:54You have a little family van.
07:55When do you ever bring a family van to pick up six people?
07:56Okay?
07:57This is ridiculous.
07:58You guys are everywhere.
07:59Why are you sending a family van?
08:00My kids were so embarrassed, and Don's like, you know that's going to stick, right?
08:01I'm like, what's going to stick?
08:02He goes, you losing your shit on this family van.
08:03I'm like, it's not, they're not going to air that.
08:04It's stupid, and sure enough, it's one of the biggest scenes ever in the history of
08:05Bravo.
08:06It's time to go on a cruise.
08:07I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:08I'm like, no, and I about lost my shit.
08:09It's time to go on a cruise.
08:10I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:11I'm like, no, and I about lost my shit.
08:12I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:13I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:14I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:15I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:16I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:17I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:18I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:19I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:20I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:21I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:22I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:23I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:24I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:25I'm like, did you order a family van?
08:26Whether you love these characters or loathe them, the series has become must-see TV for
08:30millions of viewers.
08:32It gets double the viewers of season one.
08:35That's 1.2 million people in awe of The Housewives' wealth and unfiltered drama.
08:40It's like a snowball getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
08:44And I definitely felt like, oh shit, this might be something.
08:48Love your show.
08:49Woohoo!
08:50Yeah, there you go.
08:52I just remember a friend calling me and saying, you have to check out this show about these
08:57rich, out-of-touch white women who live in this part of California that we've never heard
09:01of before.
09:02And I tuned in and was hooked instantaneously.
09:04OK.
09:05I can't watch.
09:06Here we go.
09:07You're doing great.
09:09With Orange County conquered, the network quickly looks to expand its empire.
09:14Beginning in 2008, Bravo starts franchises in New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, Washington,
09:21D.C., Beverly Hills, and Miami in quick succession, turning whole new groups of housewives into
09:27overnight celebrities.
09:28I was literally on the show one night, and the next day, I was in the McDonald's drive-thru.
09:36And the lady at the drive-thru window was like, oh my god, you're Cynthia Bailey.
09:41I just watched you last night on Housewives.
09:43And to be recognized immediately, the instant celebrity is just crazy.
09:48I was literally on the show one day, and the next day, I was famous.
09:51Oh, genius.
09:52That was it.
09:53You know, this is so different for me to come and see you at work, honey.
09:57Oh.
09:58Because I usually see you at the bar, girl.
10:01My name is Cynthia Bailey, and I was on 11 seasons of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
10:07I am originally from a small town in Alabama.
10:11I ended up moving to New York City right out of high school to pursue my modeling career.
10:16And from there, the rest is history.
10:19I want to marry you.
10:20I'm taking.
10:21There's a lot of perks that come with fame.
10:24I check into a hotel, and they upgrade me to the suite because I'm Cynthia Bailey.
10:28Like, oh, Miss Bailey, we saw that it was you.
10:30You had this really basic room, but we just gave you the penthouse suite.
10:33Yeah, that's nice.
10:35You become important in your own mind.
10:37My manager told me, fame is like a drug.
10:40You know it's bad for you, but you want more of it.
10:42And I thought, huh.
10:44Do I want more of it?
10:45I've never done drugs.
10:46But yeah, I want more of it.
10:47I want more fame.
10:48We're the originals.
10:50There's nothing like the O.C.
10:52The women embrace their sudden superstardom, and there's no more holding back on camera.
10:58You want to have this conversation now, I'll have it now.
11:00Bring it on.
11:01You can't just do the same old drive around and look at Gina's real estate clients.
11:04I know your client will love it.
11:06It's a beautiful house.
11:07They realized that the conflict and drama was what everybody wanted to see.
11:12And the more drama, the more ratings.
11:14You're insulting my husband.
11:15Your husband was rude to my husband.
11:17So that's what they did.
11:19Everything good?
11:20How are you, buddy?
11:21I'm all right.
11:22What are you drinking there?
11:23It's a street vodka.
11:24That's what I thought it was.
11:25So the final party for season five of The Real Housewives of Orange County, tensions
11:35have been really high between Tamra and Gina.
11:40Everybody's drinking.
11:41They've been drinking for two hours.
11:43And I go, what's wrong with Tamra?
11:45Look at her over there.
11:46She's really acting like she's upset about something.
11:49So she comes over and she has this wild look in her eye, and I'm like, this is not going
11:54to go well.
11:55I'm disgusted at the human being that you've turned into.
11:58Why's that?
11:59Really?
12:00Why's that?
12:01So as a producer, you kind of know something's going to happen, but you're not sure what.
12:06So you just make sure that the cameras are around.
12:09Okay, first of all, it's none of your f***ing business.
12:12Do you understand me?
12:13Stay out of my life.
12:14Everybody else has a small glass of wine.
12:17She's got a goblet.
12:18This is a letter from my attorney.
12:19It's a letter of insistency.
12:20Don't give it to my attorney.
12:21No.
12:22Here's your f***ing letter, bitch.
12:23Don't touch me.
12:24I'll throw your skin.
12:25Go ahead.
12:26Show me.
12:27Prove it.
12:28Don't touch my daughter.
12:29Bitch.
12:30Okay, all right.
12:31Oh my God.
12:32That's when Tamra threw the wine and then chaos.
12:33Don't f***ing touch me.
12:34Don't do that.
12:35Oh my God.
12:36Oh my God.
12:37Oh my God.
12:38Oh my God.
12:39Oh my God.
12:40Oh my God.
12:41Honestly, I think I blacked out.
12:42Get out of here.
12:43Nobody wants you.
12:44Nobody likes you.
12:45It was ugly.
12:47She just threw drinks in my face and all over my clothes.
12:50I've never seen anything like, I've never seen a dog act like that.
12:53When she threw that wine at me, people were calling saying, you guys have trended number
12:58one for three days.
13:00That's all anybody's talking about.
13:03And then of course we set the standard for everybody else.
13:07You f***ing stupid bitch.
13:14You're a f***ing jerk.
13:15I don't want.
13:16You're a f***ing jerk.
13:25Just four years after first hitting the air, the drama of The Real Housewives has become
13:31so infamous.
13:32There's always really major scary arguments that go on.
13:35Now I gotta watch it.
13:37It has its own news cycle.
13:39It was the worst fight on television,
13:40like anybody's ever seen on television.
13:43And for additional post-game analysis,
13:45fans can tune in to Watch What Happens Live,
13:48executive producer Andy Komen's very own late-night talk show,
13:52where he's gleefully fanning the flames.
13:54Did he say the defense after the line about the STD?
13:57I really can't even talk about this right now
13:58because I'm so upset.
13:59It's hard to imagine Bravo without Andy.
14:03He has the same winking tone as the show's.
14:06He really enjoys the gossip and the drama of them.
14:11I love big tits, but hold on, hold on, hold on.
14:15No, listen to me.
14:16Oh!
14:17Oh!
14:21With Andy Komen, we have this figure
14:23who is really sort of blurring the line
14:25between executive and friend and host.
14:29And if you don't want to be on the show,
14:30you don't have to be on the show.
14:32I think that any time you have somebody
14:34who is occupying multiple roles, some of which
14:38are in very real positions of power over somebody else,
14:41I think you have a recipe for disaster.
14:44We love our housewives.
14:46I love, they're all our children.
14:48I love them.
14:49All my crazy little girls.
14:51When I started The Housewives, you know,
14:53I really, really thought Andy was just amazing.
14:56And he was like the big boss.
14:59He was like the Charlie of the Charlie's Angels.
15:01I felt like he was my friend.
15:04I'm Aviva Drescher, and I was one of the real housewives
15:06of New York.
15:08So a friend of mine who was in PR
15:10said I would really like you to try out for The Housewives.
15:13And I said, no fucking way.
15:16Those women are batshit.
15:19You're a phony, and you're a fake.
15:20Turn it in.
15:21And you lie, and I don't like that.
15:22See, now I get a smile again.
15:23Oh my god, I can't take that smile.
15:25At the time, my philanthropy work
15:27involved raising money for causes
15:30that helped amputees buy prosthetics,
15:33because I had an accident when I was six years old,
15:37and I lost part of my leg.
15:39So I went from no way to yes, because I
15:44felt like if I got on television wearing a bikini
15:47and going for a jog, that would just
15:49help so many more people than the people
15:52I was helping one on one.
15:54In 2012, as Aviva is set to join the show,
15:58the Real Housewives of New York are in their fifth season,
16:01boasting up to a million and a half viewers each week.
16:05Her reach to help amputees would be huge,
16:08but she's about to get her first taste of just how much power
16:11Cohen and co.
16:12have over the cast.
16:18When I was first handed the contract,
16:20the financials are a joke.
16:22You don't start off doing the Real Housewives for money.
16:25It's insultingly low.
16:27But the contract itself was horrific.
16:32It was basically just saying, like,
16:35if we catch you making a number two on the toilet
16:38and we choose to air it, too bad.
16:40And if we want to air it for the next 20 years
16:43and give you no money for it, too bad.
16:45We own you.
16:47You get nothing.
16:48And we can do whatever we want.
16:50I definitely feel like this is a deal with the devil.
16:53It's a raw deal, but one every housewife
16:56must decide to take if they want in.
17:00So the first season, we got no pay.
17:03Nothing, zero.
17:04Season two, I believe I got paid $5,000 for the whole season.
17:07I had not much money.
17:08I didn't even have an attorney look over my contract.
17:11It was like, yeah, I'll sign it.
17:12I had no idea what I was doing.
17:15At the end of the day, it was a joint decision
17:17for me and my husband.
17:18And I said, you know what?
17:19Let's just do it.
17:20I'm going to just not make a number two in front of the camera.
17:24I'm going to be authentic.
17:25And I'm going to be myself on camera.
17:27And that's that.
17:28Oh, you know, Luanne, I'm so mad at you.
17:30What do you mean?
17:31But maintaining control of their own narrative
17:33is much harder than it sounds.
17:35Liar.
17:36Liar.
17:37As producers have access to all aspects of the women's lives
17:41and nothing appears off limits.
17:43What you mean, Luanne?
17:45Just nothing.
17:47So, all right, this was like one of the worst filming
17:54experiences of my life.
17:56My castmate at the time, Phaedra Parks,
17:58she and her husband Apollo were going
18:00through like all kind of craziness in their marriage.
18:03Apollo was good friends with my husband, Peter.
18:05Apollo told Peter that Phaedra was cheating on him
18:09with a guy named Mr. Chocolate.
18:11You can't make this stuff up.
18:12And then, of course, the producers were like, well,
18:14you have to tell the girls.
18:15So I'm like, oh, my god.
18:17I mean, I could just put it on the table.
18:18But if we're not really going to put it on the table,
18:21then it is what it is.
18:24I'm like so stressed out about it.
18:27I don't like it.
18:28Let me just go ahead and put everything on the table.
18:31I'm literally praying for like a power outage.
18:34Anything to happen so I don't have to say this.
18:36I'm getting like text on my phone
18:38and people in the corner with the teleprompter
18:41like drop the bomb, drop the bomb, drop the bomb.
18:43Bring up Mr. Chocolate.
18:45So finally, I'm like, so, um.
18:49Peter told me that he found out that you were dating some guy.
18:55She was like, she was so pissed.
18:58And who was Mr. Chocolate?
19:00The man that you've been sleeping with.
19:05I don't like bringing bad news to people.
19:07You don't want to know the truth.
19:08The truth is you go around telling everybody
19:10about you, you biggest whore here.
19:13I don't like bringing hurtful things to people.
19:16But unfortunately, on a reality show, we have to talk about it.
19:19And that's just how it works.
19:25Identical scenes are playing out across the Housewives
19:27multiverse.
19:29They were behaving like savage beasts.
19:32Leading critics to ask the inevitable question.
19:35First of all, is that for real or are they just playing?
19:39They're not playing.
19:40It's for real.
19:41We cast highly dramatic women.
19:44They feel the way they feel.
19:46They just happen to feel things maybe stronger
19:48than your neighbor next door.
19:52I can promise you, the cast on its own
19:55would never have an argument.
19:58I can assure you.
19:59We are grown women with children.
20:01And it's not our first time at the rodeo of life.
20:04Even the ones who you think are the worst
20:06are 1,000 times nicer than what you think they are.
20:09We don't want to hurt someone's feelings.
20:11But we have to hurt someone's feelings
20:13in the name of making a great show with great ratings.
20:16Nobody likes you.
20:17Nobody wants to be around you.
20:19Don't tell me anything, mother-----.
20:22The truth is, we always want drama on these shows.
20:25It's fun to watch.
20:26The audience loves it.
20:34But I think the level of drama now
20:37has sort of really exploded.
20:41It ain't going to f----- happen, bitch, because you don't exist.
20:43And then shut the f---- up, bitch.
20:45There's a real sort of pressure on these cast members
20:51to bring it, quite frankly.
20:52Who the f----- you?
20:53My husband, f-----.
20:54Oh, really?
20:55The husband that you wish you had.
20:57You done slept with everybody.
20:58You're a whore.
21:00I feel like we are like gladiators with tits.
21:05We are in an arena with millions of people watching.
21:09That's what it feels like, being involved
21:11in the drama on Real Housewives.
21:13It feels like you're a gladiator with tits.
21:15The goal is to make us look bat shit crazy.
21:21And if you didn't produce drama, you were going to get fired.
21:24By 2014, the show has become a money-making machine,
21:28with every franchise consistently placing
21:31in Bravo's Most-Watched Top 10.
21:34And the Housewives able to deliver the drama
21:37are richly rewarded.
21:38When I came back the next season,
21:40I had a very significant bump financially.
21:43I want to say I went from $40,000 to probably $200,000.
21:47I was in the top 10, and I was in the top 10.
21:50I was in the top 10.
21:51I was in the top 10.
21:52I was in the top 10.
21:53And then I went to probably $200,000.
21:54I've earned this necklace.
21:56I've worked hard for this necklace.
21:58And then every year after that, it was like another bump.
22:00By the time I got to my 11th season,
22:02I was doing very, very well.
22:05My final full-time season, it was significant.
22:08Seven figures.
22:09I never really thought I would ever make the number
22:13that I was making.
22:15But reaching this level of success isn't easy,
22:17as trying to please both Bravo
22:19and its drama-addicted audience can prove crazy-making.
22:24I think that's very, very difficult to produce drama
22:28and to please everybody and to keep yourself likable
22:33by the majority of the audience.
22:35I feel like I definitely lost myself in the process.
22:38I was just trying to make a great show with great ratings.
22:40And at some point, you just lean into it.
22:43You're just like, okay, we're making a show
22:44and that's what you're doing.
22:45So if you can't beat them, you join them.
22:47I heard, I heard that you were mean.
22:50I heard you did mean things.
22:51You're missing.
22:51And I gave you the benefit of the doubt
22:53and I'm disappointed.
22:54You're both white trash, quite frankly.
22:57I went from likable to unlikable
23:01when I called the girls white trash in St. Bart's.
23:06You might want to apologize for saying that.
23:09For saying white trash?
23:13When it was aired,
23:14I think that's when the audience turned on me.
23:17They didn't like me at all, understandably.
23:19At that point, I just decided that I was going to
23:24lean into the villain that I had become.
23:26You pretend to be so real.
23:27There's nothing real about you, Ramona.
23:29And it was more important to please production
23:31than it was to be myself.
23:33It's all about fun.
23:35I can't wait to see this.
23:38Sacrificing their own dignity for the cameras is one thing,
23:42but not everyone involved in filming asked for this.
23:46So tell me what's going on.
23:48I'm here to seek legal counsel
23:52for filing for a divorce.
23:56So when you're on a reality show,
23:58it's like living your life twice.
24:00If you're having marital problems in your real life,
24:03you have to deal with that in real life
24:04and then you air it on the show.
24:07I remember when Peter and I started having marital issues.
24:11It was just really tough
24:12because we were really going through it personally.
24:15And then you go on social media and they're saying,
24:17oh my God, he's such a narcissist.
24:19How could she be with him?
24:21After a while, it starts to mess with you.
24:24Are they seeing something that I'm not seeing?
24:32And that was really tough.
24:34People have asked me if I regret doing the show.
24:37And when I look at my relationships.
24:39When's the last time we did this?
24:41I don't even know.
24:42In a while.
24:43I'd say yes.
24:44I guess we can call it a date night.
24:45We haven't been on a date in a long time.
24:47With Don, 100% the show had an impact on our relationship.
24:51Being on TV, 100% had a role in our divorce
24:54because it puts a lot of pressure on a marriage.
24:59I think we would have survived if I wasn't on the show.
25:01So that I regret.
25:03What are you doing?
25:06How did I get here again?
25:10I feel like I failed in my marriage.
25:13It's hard.
25:15There's a lot of pressure in being open enough
25:17to share what's happening in your life.
25:19So many housewives have gotten divorced on the show.
25:24A lot of people like to blame the show for these divorces.
25:28But the show's not gonna make something out of nothing.
25:32These are real people's lives
25:34and they have issues in their marriages.
25:36And it ends up exploding
25:38because the truth always comes out.
25:42The camera never lies.
25:45Between the stress at home and the pressure on set,
25:48the women are pushed to breaking point.
25:51And while it may look like yet more housewife chaos,
25:55what's happening underneath is much more troubling.
25:58So I don't have a lot of regrets on the show.
26:02However, this is definitely one of my biggest regrets.
26:06I was already going through some stuff
26:07with my husband at the time.
26:09I was not in the best head space.
26:11I'm good.
26:12Like for the rest of the day, y'all forget about me.
26:13I remember not eating before that scene.
26:16And there was like a bar on the boat.
26:18And of course I wanted a margarita
26:20as soon as I got on the boat.
26:23And I'm like, all right, I got my cocktail, let's shoot.
26:26And I remember actually Portia and I drinking together.
26:30At some point during the scene, Portia called me a bitch.
26:33And I was like, don't call me a bitch.
26:36I'm not going to get on your niche.
26:37I'm just playing with you.
26:38What?
26:39No, you don't know that.
26:40Oh, so you playing?
26:41No, no, no, no.
26:41I don't know if it was the alcohol.
26:43It's dismissive and it's disrespectful and your ass
26:46know that it is.
26:47Hold on, hold on, hold on.
26:48I don't know if it was not eating that day.
26:50You are fainting.
26:51I'm telling.
26:52Your long ass chin is long.
26:53I just kind of snapped.
26:54You're a bitch.
26:55You're not a bitch to me, bitch.
26:57Okay.
26:57What?
26:58Are they fighting?
26:59What the?
27:00I don't fight women.
27:01I've never been in a fight in my life.
27:02Come on.
27:03Come on.
27:04Like that's even still hard to talk about right now.
27:08I don't even know.
27:09I just felt so upset with myself.
27:11Do not.
27:12One of the things that I promised myself was
27:16I will never, ever, ever lose myself in a moment
27:19where I show up in a way that I'm not,
27:21that I don't feel good about.
27:24Hi puppies.
27:25For the most part, I was really happy
27:28with how I was portrayed,
27:29but there were seasons where they didn't have it
27:31correct at all and I got really upset
27:33and I thought, you know, you're not showcasing me who I am.
27:38So when I started putting my boundaries up and saying,
27:39uh-uh, I'm not filming that.
27:40Uh-uh, I'm not saying that.
27:42They would go to the other cast members,
27:43ask Vicky about that.
27:44Ask Vicky about that.
27:45It's a-
27:46Why are you dating Brock?
27:47I'm just kidding.
27:48Why are you dating Brock?
27:49They just found puppets that they could manipulate
27:53and they do encourage liquid courage.
27:56I mean, they do.
27:58If the housewife's engine is built on drama,
28:01then it's fuel is booze.
28:03Shut the fuck up.
28:04Alcohol fuels emotion.
28:06So it's taking you to the deep end.
28:07You don't have anything.
28:10I was never one of those producers that,
28:12you know, filled them with alcohol.
28:14But I think alcohol plays a role on the show
28:17because it's truth serum.
28:19And I think a lot of times it loosens people up
28:23to the point of probably saying things that they regret.
28:27Alcohol is a big part of Bravo's culture.
28:31Have you ever gotten so drunk during filming
28:33you couldn't remember what you said on camera?
28:37And some of the most iconic moments
28:39are based around alcohol.
28:41Luann Dillisup's falling in the bush.
28:45Vicky Gunvalson at on delays.
28:49It feels fun as a viewer to see that stuff.
28:52Ew, in the gutter.
28:54My name is Anna Peel.
28:55I'm a journalist and a Bravo fan.
28:57And I wrote an investigative piece on Bravo
29:00and the workplace culture there for Vanity Fair.
29:02What am I supposed to do?
29:04I'm like the fat lady.
29:07But they're like the one that says, oh, I'm this fat.
29:08And I'm the one that says, I'm this fat.
29:10Get in here, it's still so good.
29:13It came to my attention that there were people
29:16who had been out of control, blackout drunk
29:20at their workplace with alcohol
29:22that had been supplied by Bravo.
29:25They weren't cut off.
29:26They weren't encouraged to stop drinking.
29:29And their substance abuse was becoming a plot point
29:32on series at producer's direction.
29:36Phoebe Drescher, who starred on two seasons
29:38of Real Housewives of New York City,
29:39claims that she was pressured by producers to drink a lot.
29:43I was in this big fight with Ramona.
29:46And production asked me to go meet her at a restaurant,
29:50do a shot.
29:51You wanna do a shot of tequila?
29:54Let's move forward.
29:55Make up with her and move on.
29:58I said to the showrunner at the time,
30:00I have strep throat, I'm taking antibiotics,
30:02I really don't wanna do a shot.
30:04I said, can you just fill the shot up with water
30:06when you bring it to my table?
30:07And he said, no.
30:10He said, no, we cannot.
30:11Is this your first shot you've ever done?
30:13I think it is.
30:15In that scenario, I was forced to drink.
30:18And that story is as true as true can be.
30:21Both Bravo and Andy Cohen
30:23have consistently denied these allegations.
30:26They had Kahuna, Andy Kahuna.
30:29Cohen said Aviva's claims are dumb
30:33and said this is just a lot of Aviva complaining.
30:35So there you have it.
30:36I think people tend to say, you know,
30:39you sign up for this, so whatever happens to you,
30:42you signed up for it.
30:44You wanted to be a real housewife and you got it.
30:45These women sign a very thick contract.
30:50They know what they're signing up for.
30:52They're grown ass women.
30:55So if they wanna drink, then they're gonna drink.
30:58And it's not our job to tell them when to stop.
31:00That's all on them.
31:02A little bit heavier pour than you did.
31:05Can people really consent to being filmed
31:08when they're drunk is one question.
31:10And the concept of somebody being drunk
31:13and the camera zooming in on that person
31:15instead of helping them is just really lacking all decency.
31:22And it really reminds me of the stadium with the gladiators.
31:27When the animal bites into the person's leg,
31:30does anybody give a shit about that person?
31:33Vanity Fair isn't the only one
31:34looking to expose Bravo's practices.
31:37In early 2024, ABC's Nightline airs an interview
31:41detailing a lawsuit that will rock
31:43the housewife's multiverse to its core.
31:46Former real housewife of New York,
31:48Leah McSweeney is pulling back the curtain,
31:51disclosing what she says really went on
31:53behind the scenes of the Bravo reality TV shows
31:55she worked on.
32:03Turmoil in the reality TV universe.
32:06Former star of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City,
32:09Leah McSweeney is suing Andy Cohen, Bravo, and others
32:13over what she calls a hostile work environment.
32:16Leah McSweeney was a cast member on seasons 12 and 13
32:20of the Real Housewives of New York City.
32:21Leah McSweeney alleges production engaged
32:24in psychological warfare and retaliated against her
32:27because of her disabilities,
32:29including alcohol use disorder.
32:31Some of the most jaw-dropping claims
32:33in McSweeney's suit are directed at Cohen.
32:36She describes Andy Cohen allegedly doing cocaine
32:41with Bravo cast members, and then those cast members
32:44getting preferential treatment.
32:46McSweeney alleges that drug and alcohol abuse
32:48runs rampant behind the scenes,
32:50and claims that production pushed her to drink,
32:53even though they knew she was a recovering alcoholic.
32:56Leah's drinking was certainly glamorized
32:58on season 12 of Rony.
33:01This is my weekend to do whatever I want.
33:04I don't even actually know what day it is.
33:05Am I gonna get thrown out of Rhode Island?
33:08I don't remember what I did.
33:09I don't know what I said.
33:10What you're describing, though,
33:12is the definition of blackout drunk.
33:14Oh, I was totally blackout drunk.
33:16She even goes a step further,
33:18alleging she was gaslit into drinking by producers,
33:21who told her she wasn't as much fun to watch when sober.
33:25Her lawsuit claims the episode was the highest rated
33:27from season 12, adding to the pressure, she says,
33:30she felt to keep drinking.
33:32Leah says a producer told her that viewers didn't like her
33:36as much as they had when she'd been drinking.
33:39She would often get texts or verbal commands saying,
33:43like, this is boring.
33:45So there was this pressure to have it be fun
33:49and for things to be happening, for people to be loose.
33:53Here comes Leah.
33:54Let's get Leah drunk.
33:55You guys, let's get Leah drunk.
33:57Spiraling out of control, Leah leaves the show
34:01and goes back to work in 2021.
34:04McSweeney says that the hostile work environment
34:06on season 13 ultimately made her check
34:08into a psychiatric care facility.
34:11Bravo is contesting all of Leah's claims.
34:14They've also cleared Andy Cohen of alleged drug use.
34:17And while Cohen hasn't commented publicly,
34:20the housewife's reaction to Leah's claims is divided.
34:24What I will say about Andy Cohen is,
34:26he's nothing but professional with me.
34:28I've never seen Andy do cocaine,
34:31nor has he ever offered me any cocaine.
34:33I've never seen him do any drugs.
34:36If Leah McSweeney is saying that she was trying
34:40to stay sober on set and that production was coming to her
34:44and saying, we really miss the old Hurricane Leah,
34:48and they were constantly having the alcohol flowing,
34:53I would believe it.
34:54I don't think that the producers gave two shits
34:57about the cast, their health, their wellbeing,
35:02their personal lives.
35:02I don't like it!
35:03In fact, it was the opposite.
35:06The more we faltered, the ratings just skyrocket.
35:10They have no scruples.
35:13Orange County's OG knows this all too well.
35:17If you just go and find your name, that's where you...
35:19We were playing bunko at Shannon's,
35:22and my brother, my sister, my daughter, my son,
35:25everybody was trying to call me
35:26and the phone was not working, so they called production.
35:30Brianna had been calling, calling, calling, calling,
35:32calling, calling, calling, and they kept telling her,
35:34well, she's filming right now, blah, blah, blah.
35:36She's like, I need to talk to my mom right now.
35:40And they're like, okay, we're gonna have her call you
35:41from Shannon's wrapping paper room.
35:45They had set up the room with lights and cameramen
35:48and I'm like, what's going on?
35:50Oh my God, damn it!
35:55What's going on?
35:56My mom just died!
35:59Are you kidding me?
35:59She just died, she just died!
36:02None of you fuckers!
36:04I was really upset that production knew for an hour
36:07and they didn't tell me.
36:08They were out of line
36:09and I think they should have taken me aside
36:12and said, your mom has passed.
36:14Talk to your daughter off camera.
36:16Oh my God!
36:17What's wrong, what happened?
36:19My mom just died!
36:20What?
36:22If I was a producer, that's what I would have done.
36:24Let me scream and cry on my own and be mad.
36:28It was very, very traumatic.
36:30I even got my mom back.
36:32I want my mom here.
36:34I want my mom.
36:35I'm gonna go call her.
36:35I want my mom.
36:38I will never forgive Bravo for that.
36:42It's because of experiences like this
36:45that some housewives are now calling
36:47for a complete overhaul of the industry,
36:49a reality reckoning.
36:51Former Real Housewife of New York, Bethany Frankel,
36:53says reality stars should unionize and go on strike.
36:58She's fired up and leading the fight
37:00to bring change to the way reality shows stars are treated.
37:04Reality television is the wild, wild west.
37:14There is a new fight taking shape
37:16in the entertainment world.
37:18Bethany Frankel is calling for reality TV stars
37:20to unionize and fight against alleged exploitation
37:24by networks and the studios.
37:26In 2023, former New York housewife, Bethany Frankel,
37:30started a campaign for better treatment
37:32of those working in reality TV.
37:35This group of talent is the most overworked,
37:39overexploited, and least compensated.
37:42There's no group that has a greater risk.
37:45I don't want to piss anybody off,
37:47but I do believe she's got a very valid point
37:49about unionizing.
37:50Why can other people that are on TV get health benefits?
37:54They get a pension and they get residuals
37:56every time that show airs.
37:58Why are we different?
38:00Because we don't have a script.
38:02Please help me welcome from the Real Housewives
38:04of Orange County.
38:05I believe that there's value in what we do
38:08and I believe that the advertisers and the network
38:11and everybody are making a ton of money.
38:14I think it should be passed down to us.
38:15It's an industry that just because people sign up for it
38:19doesn't mean that they should be abused
38:20and exploited for years.
38:22Do I think that reality TV needs to be unionized?
38:26Here we go.
38:27Arms out.
38:28Good.
38:29Oh, that's great.
38:30Absolutely.
38:32They can play my scenes over and over
38:34for the rest of their lives
38:36and I do not get a dime for it.
38:38And it's not just the cast who are demanding change.
38:42I can't tell you how many times I see flashbacks
38:46of scenes that I shot, that I produced
38:48and no one makes a penny off of that except for Bravo.
38:53Protections for cast and crew is 100% necessary.
38:58There need to be proper contracts in place that are fair
39:02and there need to be provisions created
39:05whereby human beings are protected and respected
39:11and their dignity is kept intact.
39:14Reality TV has yet to have its reckoning.
39:17Meanwhile, the Housewives show no sign of slowing down
39:20as more franchises keep popping up around the world.
39:24There are now Housewives in Nigeria, Kenya,
39:27South Africa, Poland, Germany, Dubai
39:30and a dozen other countries.
39:32The Real Housewives has been around
39:34for as long as it has been and is so popular
39:37really because there's something that is really lovely
39:41about having watched somebody on television for 10 years
39:45and sort of feel like you have been right there with them
39:48through marriage and divorce and kids and kids leaving home.
39:53And I think that as long as viewers tend to feel
39:56that type of connection,
39:58the Housewives will be a successful television show.
40:02I think people really want to be Real Housewives.
40:04Even people who described the atmosphere as abusive
40:09love being cast members of Bravo.
40:12Even while acknowledging that it was extremely damaging
40:15to them, they love it.
40:18The Real Housewives have transformed the TV landscape
40:21on a global scale, creating a cult-like legacy.
40:24We're Bravoholics.
40:25Thanks to these iconic characters
40:28and their legendary antics.
40:30And I think all of us at the table
40:31think that there are much bigger issues
40:33that you're not facing.
40:35I felt a very big calling to entertain people.
40:38I just didn't realize at what expense.
40:41I felt like the audience didn't get to see me as who I am.
40:45And my friends and people who meet me always say
40:49I'm nothing like what they think I was on the show.
40:51Let me tell you something, Heather.
40:53I'm the only thing.
40:54Keep it together, Aviva.
40:55The only thing that is artificial or fake about me.
41:00I knew she was.
41:01One, two, three.
41:05I remember we stopped and some of the girls were laughing.
41:10I was laughing.
41:11It was just really a funny scene.
41:13Just a leg flying around the room.
41:15I mean, it's great.
41:16What a nice dog.
41:18When I was done with the drama nonsense,
41:19the party goers applauded.
41:21And if that doesn't also speak to the fact
41:24that this is theater, I don't know what does.
41:27But that was my last season.
41:29This is Watch What Happens Live.
41:30Amanda Cohen, as of tonight, well,
41:32I wouldn't say you're a former Orange County housewife.
41:35Gina, you are one of the first ladies of Bravo
41:38and always will be.
41:39How about that?
41:40If Bravo wanted me to go back on The Housewives now,
41:43I would probably do it.
41:45I'm very proud to have been part
41:47of the real housewives of Orange County.
41:49I love the fact that you can look back
41:52on any channel, any night, turn it on,
41:54and take a look back at your kids when they were little.
41:57It was just really nice to have video
42:01of those six years of the kids' lives.
42:03You have a little family van.
42:05When do you ever bring a family van to pick up six people?
42:08I never really liked being on camera.
42:10I can't believe I'm saying this.
42:1119 years later, I still don't like it.
42:13We got it loaded in here.
42:14Let's go.
42:15Come on.
42:16It's a documentary of my life,
42:17and my life has been really, really good
42:19and really, really bad.
42:20Still filming now, but I'm very cautious
42:23on what I will showcase.
42:24I want happiness and peace and love and kindness
42:29and it might be boring to some of you,
42:31but to me, it's everything I've ever wanted.
42:34And I realized that as you get older,
42:36you don't want conflict.
42:37You push it away, carve it out of your life.
42:40You're such a bitch.
42:41You're gonna fuck with me, bitch.
42:43Hey.
42:44What?
42:44Are they fighting?
42:45What the fuck just happened?
42:46Oh my gosh.
42:48I still can't believe it happened.
42:50Honestly, I have to just try to like laugh
42:53and make light of it.
42:55So long ago.
42:56Wow.
42:57I'm gonna catch that bitch.
42:59She was about to fucking kill me.
43:01How do I look back on my time as a housewife?
43:05I feel incredibly proud of myself.
43:10I feel like I didn't really compromise myself.
43:14And I really gave my truth.
43:19And I was transparent and I was authentic.
43:22So I look back with good memories.
43:27All the women were just all beyond lovely,
43:32hardworking, doing their best
43:35in a very difficult reality arena.
43:39It's a hustle like no other.
43:42And I have nothing but respect and admiration
43:46for all of them.
43:47And I don't regret doing it.
43:49But I think if I hadn't done it,
43:51I may have regretted not doing it.