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The Real Housewives of New York are back for Season 9 on Wednesday, April 5 at 9 PM EST. But if you're like me and can not wait until then for your RHONY fix of cat fights, drama-filled trips and inappropriate hookups, check out secrets about the show you never knew--->
[Photo: NBCUniversal]
The show was almost called "Manhattan Moms"
Originally, Ramona Singer, Alex McCord, Luann de Lesseps and Jill Zarin were cast on a show called Manhattan Moms, which was set to be about the insane application process for elite New York City private schools.
But after the success of Real Housewives of Orange County, the producers decided to go forward with a New York spin-off and add Bethenny Frankel, who was not a mom at the time, into the cast without telling the other four.
Makes sense that the first season of RHONY focused so much on Jill helping Alex navigate the private school scene!
Andy Cohen initiates the comebacks
Of course, Andy Cohen is responsible for bringing back fan favorite housewives to the series. He revealed on his Ask Andy series, "Typically, I’m at the forefront of trying to woo back formers to the show. If it’s a terrible idea, people will say to me, 'It’s a terrible idea.'"
On Bethenny Frankel's return to RHONY, he told Us Weekly, "When I first started talking to her about it, it seemed kind of unbelievable. But the more we talked about it, it seemed totally right."
Note to housewives past, present and future: always stay on Andy Cohen's good side!
[Photo: NBCUniversal]
The housewives didn't make a ton of money off the show at first
The New York Post reported that the New York housewives only made $7,000 for the entire first season. However, that's not the case these days. "Now, typical first-season pay for the series is $40,000 to $60,000. By their second year, cast members are raking in closer to $200,000," the article states.
[Photo: NBCUniversal]
Housewives can't sue other housewives
When you sign your Real Housewives contract, you agree not to sue any other cast members for what happens during filming. So that explains why Carole Radziwill never took legal action against Aviva Drescher after Drescher spent Season 6 of RHONY telling everyone that Radziwill, an award-winning author, had a ghost writer for her best-selling book What Remains.
[Photos: Splash News]
Aviva thinks she was fired because of Carole and Andy's friendship
After Season 5, Aviva was told by producers to step up the drama and was even given a reduced contract for being too nice at the reunion. That's why she made up the story about Carole's ghost writer.
While Aviva believes she was fired from the series after Season 6 because of Carole's close friendship with Andy Cohen (the two were friends prior to her joining RHONY), it came down to her refusal to join the rest of the ladies on their trip to Montana. If she wasn't going to play the game, she was out!
[Photo: Splash News]
Luann de Lesseps and Martha Stewart feuded
Someone get Ryan Murphy on this for the next season of Feud!
Apparently, the Qatari ambassador to the U.S. said he wanted to be on Luann's show (aka, RHONY) and Martha Stewart told him it was "very B-list." BURN, MARTHA!
Luann followed up by asking Martha: "Should I tell him about your shady past?" Point Luann!!
[Photos: Splash News]
Carole shares a dog with a RHOC sibling
Carole co-parents her dog, Baby, with RJ King, brother of RHOC star Meghan King Edmonds. Small (housewives) world!
[Photo: Instagram]
Carole dated George Clooney
In couples we did not see happening: Carole dated George Clooney and British actor Ralph Fiennes (aka Voldemort), who inspired some stories in her 2014 book The Widow’s Guide To Sex and Dating. Get it, girl!
[Photos: Splash News]
