Bravo Shocks Fans with RHONY Cast Shake-Up
The network is "starting from scratch" for season 14.
If you’re longing to see what will come out of Ramona Singer’s mouth next, or if Countess LuAnn will croon another tune, well, you’ll just have to follow them on social media. Bravo has announced a major cast shake-up for Real Housewives of New York’s next season – and it literally entails starting from scratch.
The network made the surprising announcement at its BravoCon fan conference in New York City on Sunday. Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Ubah Hassan, Lizzy Savetsky, Sai De Silva and Erin Dana Lichy are the seven new women who will join the show for season 14.
Bravo has tried everything to revive the fledgling franchise, including bringing back fan favorite Bethenny Frankel. Apparently, now, they think firing the old cast and hiring an entirely new one, is the way to go. Season 13 reportedly bombed, and People reported that an internal investigation was launched after reports of racism on set.
While fans may already know Lyons from her previous reality show Stylish with Jenna Lyons, or digital influencer Savetzky, who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram, other cast members like Taank and Lichy were previously more behind-the-scenes.
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Bravo head honcho Andy Cohen has said he wants cast members to have organic relationships (it makes for better drama) so it’s likely that the newest Bravolebrities are already friends or at least run in the same social circles. The show has also been criticized for its lack of diversity, so it seems Bravo is trying to correct that as well.
“From fashion and real estate, to philanthropy and social influence, these women have made their mark in NYC and will now share their lives as they juggle careers, family life and jam-packed social calendars in the city that never sleeps,” stated a press release from Bravo.
The cast is set to begin filming this fall and the new season will air sometime next year. It also may not be the last you see of previous stars de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan. According to Deadline, Bravo has announced they will star in a spinoff show. A “throwback” show featuring former cast members is also reportedly in the works.
