In case you haven't been watching, Bravo's new series, The Real Housewives of New York City is fast becoming one of my new Spring favorites. It features a wide variety of nouveau riche excess, but unlike its sibling, The Real Housewives of Orange County, everything plays out against the backdrop of old money. These aren't just a bunch of bleached blond women running around the isolated world of Coto de Caza. No, these women revel in tacky, déclassé behavior right under the noses of their WASPy neighbors, and what's even sadder is that they think they actually fit in. Truthfully though, there's only one member of the cast who's a blue blood through and through. The rest are merely pale, but comical imitations.
After the jump, a guide to the housewives and where they rank on the socialite ladder.
Countess LuAnn DeLesseps
Countess LuAnn DeLesseps is probably the closest thing this cast has to a true blue blood. Yes, she was a pageant girl at one point, but she was a pageant girl from Connecticut. Huge difference. And unlike Jill or Ramona's husbands (who earned their money through entrepreneurial endeavors), LuAnn's spouse — THE COUNT — comes from old, Panama Canal money. And unlike Alex's francophile husband, LuAnn's is actually French. I mean, he's a count for crying out loud. Admittedly, I questioned LuAnn's WASPy cred at first, but that was mainly because I'd never heard of a countess named "LuAnn." However, she's proven me wrong time and time again. She maintains a quiet but discernible disdain for people like Ramona, who she subtly and wonderfully mocked at a Hamptons equestrian event, but oddly enough, she seems to have a soft spot for Jill, another nouveau riche housewife in the city. To be honest, I don't really get the whole LuAnn/Jill thing, but since so far LuAnn has proven to have the best taste (and personality) of the group, I trust that if LuAnn likes Jill, maybe I should like her too.
Jill Zarin
Jill will never be a part of Manhattan's true inner-circle, but unlike the other nouveau riche disasters (ie. Ramona and Alex), she seems to have a head on her shoulders that others above her on the social ladder (ie. LuAnn) will appreciate. The biggest problem for Jill is her taste level. Wear leopard print once, and you might as well cancel your subscription to the Met. Even worse for her is a New Yawk accent that just won't stop. Plus, she's just a tad too outspoken and showy. She'll ruffle feathers if she needs to, but that ain't gonna win her any brownie points at the club anytime soon...
Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny's sort of the anomaly of the show. As she says, she's very "anti" everything: excess, Hamptons, the Upper-East Side. Heck, I don't think she even wants to be there, and being that she's single, I'm not sure she even qualifies. Bethenny most certainly doesn't come from old money, but she has yet to display any garish signs of being nouveau riche. Then again, she has yet to show any signs of being "riche" at all. Oddly enough, she seems like she does have style and a sense of taste, but I can't imagine that her buzzsaw voice would go over well at the country clubs of Greenwich. She still needs plenty of refining, but despite that, we can't overlook that she was the runner up on Martha Stewart's Apprentice, and that alone gives her a leg up on fellow aspiring socialite, Ramona.
Alex McCord
Alex is a tricky one. And by "tricky," I mean gangly, awkward, and severe. She and her thong-wearing husband, Simon, certainly try the hardest to be part of Manhattan's upper echelon of society, but something just doesn't quite fit. Instead of aristocrats, they come off more like... Eurotrash. Or at the very least, pretentious. Their kids are named Johan and Francois, they summer in St. Bart's, and they revel in a world of champagne flutes and haughty commentary. However, their aggressive attempts to prove they're high society merely betray an antithetical showiness that threatens to unravel it all. They lack the cool confidence of Countess LuAnn, who knows her high station in life. Plus, Alex's penchant for sartorial patterns that emanate out of her vaginal region doesn't do her any favors in the "classy" department.
Ramona Singer
Poor Ramona. She thinks she's arrived, but alas, as her interactions with Countess LuAnn DeLesseps have proven, she has a far, far, far way to go before she joins Manhattan's elite. Of course, we need not wait for Countess LuAnn to show up to figure this out. Ramona's hyper, outspoken demeanor mixed with her frequently gauche comments reveal a woman who is waaay out of her league. She seems to lack an all important self-awareness about herself and her surroundings, a cardinal sin in WASPville. Her daughter, on the other hand, is already well on her way to eclipsing her mom and all her mom's friends in becoming the next member of LuAnne's true social circle. Good for her.
What do you think about the housewives? And how do they compare to the Orange County ladies?
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B-Side, you hit the nail on the head with this one. I am delighted by the haughty airs these women put on, and the fact that they consider themselves high society. Jill's husband's suits and glasses make me so happy. Plus the fact that Jill considers the fact that she is at a party with Denise Rich to be evidence of her standing in society really cracked me up. Somewhere, a Vanderbilt or an Astor is quietly chuckling.
Wow, Jill has a blog. And she experiences miracles! Watch out or she's going to put you out of business, B-Side.
http://web.mac.com/jillzarin/jill_zarin/Welcome.html
Alex and Simon are one word AWFUL!!! Ramona is a close second to Alex. UGH! Romona should really listen to her daughter more often. Her eyes look like they are going to fly out of her head at any moment too. Yikes.
I was enjoying the LuAnn snub of Romona. Also loved when LuAnn and Jill beat Romona and Missy at tennis. That was the best.
So far LuAnn is my favorite followed by Jill and Bethenny. I can't take Alex and Romana.
I thought it was funny that LuAnn had to eat dinner with "The Count" and she would never speak to "The Count" the way Romona did to her husband.
I just want to ditto knnmom sentiments.
Yes, I agree with knnmom too.
And great point about "The Count." My friends and I always laugh about that too.
I love that I've found this blog, and that it reviews this show! Looking forward to everyone's take on this crew of rich bitches--they pale in comparison to the CA ladies, who at least didn't take themselves SO seriously.
Maybe it's too early to tell but I can't imagine liking any of these ladies--they're so hateful & catty! (Which makes for great TV, of course!) I watched all 3 seasons of CA housewives & I actually liked some of them--they seemed vapid, airy, but harmless for the most part. Certainly not worthy of disdain, as this harried crew seems to be.
I'm from NYC and if I had as much money as they do, I would hire a speech coach, stat! They make us sound gawd-awe-full. Ugh.
I love how Alex & hubby are each other's 'stylists'! Quit buying crap overpriced clothes in European St Barts & shell out for a real haircut already!
The previews for the season looked good too--there is one of LuAnn instructing Bethany on how to correctly pronounce her last name (b/c that's what made her, dontcha know??) to her driver!
Alex's husband is gay, right?
Ramona looks JUST LIKE Kathie Lee Gifford.
Alex and Simon....my god I could watch 1 hour of those two by themselves. They are out of control!!!
All in all.....I love this show. Definatley more bitchier than the OC Housewives.....but the OC originals still have my heart. They know how to have fun.
Vicky:
"WOOOOOOOO WE GOIN TA MEXICOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
I didn't think I was going to like Jill at all, but she is definitely my favorite! She's honest and very funny. LuAnn is my second favorite and I hope they show a lot more of Jill and LuAnn together.
I don't care at all for Bethenny or Alex. Does Alex really think these people will be friends with her after they find out she lives in Brooklyn?! Surely the Real Housewives of Orange County would never have a housewife from Mission Viejo on the show. And why is Bethenny on this show? She is NOT a housewife. I find her to have the most annoying accent and I hope her boyfriend dumps her!
Ramona is the worst- I abhor her! I really sympathize with Avery. I would be mortified if my mom was that obnoxious and dressed like a 20 year old slut.
I miss my California housewives already, but I know Jill & LuAnn will make this an interesting season. B-Side, please recap each episode!
I, too, enjoy the Countess! Jill is great, too! Watching Ramona makes me feel really sad. Thanks, B-side, you make recaps wonderful!
Never before has a casual tennis game been so exciting.
Has anyone seen the clips when Alex & Simon are at home? Their apartment isn't even that nice. I think they just like to put on the mantra that they "have" money....cmon she's a Graphic Artist for Victoria's Secret and he's a General Manager of some 2 rate NY hotel....time for some real NYC class.
Bethenny needs to get some new friends. I went to school with her friend, Lauren Brower, and she is a WITCH of a human being. Went way out of her way for years to make everyone around her miserable. My mouth dropped when I saw her on the show, but only because she's pathetic enough to put herself out there like that. She's still tagging behind the pretty girls in life, likely making the producers miserable this time around.
BMUNCH OF NEW MONEY,VULGAR,NO BRIDDING,SHOWOFF THAT'S ALWAYS CASE IF U HAVE NOTHING UR LOUD THOSE U HAVE 100X FOLDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
EXCEPT LU-ANN CLASS PRETTY WHO CAN BLEND NY SCENE,THAT STUPID BLOND RAMONA JUDGES MODELS HAVE BRAIN KINDLY WATCH THAT MAKING MODELS BRAVO HOW DID KIDS UNDERGOE BEFORE ELIMINATION, THAT BRITANY OR BRITNEY PATHETIC WANNA BE MARTHA WHO IS NT HOUSE WIFE TO BEGIN WITH. PATHETIC COUPLE,PECULIAR THAT LIVES SUBURBS OF MANHATTAN WHICH BROOKLYN.
Ahh, give Ramona a break. She's got a great kid, a great hubby. Yea, she's out of her league, but arent they all? She's clearly doing something right. She tries too hard but with her real friends, she's much more relaxed.
The COUNTESS clearly hates spending time with her kids and they know it, poor things.She's a trophy wife - number four to be exact. The deal about introducing her to the help as you would a child was quite revealing. And why is the Count always AWOL? Does he have a real job or is he, too, trying to avoid the mundane chore of raising a family?
Alex and Simon? I could write pages about these poor self-deluded wannabes. No taste and where does their money actually come from? They have midlevel careers and a house in Brooklyn. I'm almost starting to feel sorry for them - they got dissed at the opera and made some excuse about being late and networking later at dinner. How tiresome it must be for them - and its grueling to watch.
Bethenny - eh. She's in it for her career. At least she's honest about that.
Jill's attempts to force a relationship with her hubs and her daughter are sad. Her sister seems genuine, though.