Recently in Real Housewives of New York City Category

It's official: The Real Housewives of New York City has to be one of the best reality shows of the year. Even last night's glorious, welcomed, and hodgepodge clip show with no narrative structure proved more fascinating and enthralling than most anything else for the past two months (or at least since Housewives wrapped up its first season). Then again, I think I wouldn't be alone in saying that I could watch unedited dailies of these women and still be thoroughly amused.

There were so many wonderfully awkward moments in last night's show: the continued awfulness of Ramona, who remains shamelessly gauche in her lack of self-awareness; the tacky yet oddly lovable material desires of Jill Zarin, who still knows how to lay the smackdown on her rivals; the confused outlook of Countess LuAnn's son, who regrettably thinks the Statue of Liberty stands for friendship, not, you know, liberty; the further adventures of François McCord, whose reign of terror extended to an unassuming art class with an exasperated teacher; and of course the ever tragic state of Bethenny's biological clock, whose loud ticking can only be drowned out by a hefty glass of white wine.

Yes, it was all amazing and jaw-dropping, but sadly, Bravo hasn't posted any pics from the episode. Dammit. Well, what better time to go back and post the long overdue reunion photocap? Pics after the jump...

Is it me, or does Prince Caspian look like his proper title might actually be Countess? And maybe instead of Caspian, his name might be, oh, I don't know, LUANN? I can't help but feel that when this high-cheekboned, cleft-chinned hero isn't slaying dragons and other mythical foes, he's spending his free time playing tennis with Jill and praying he doesn't do anything to upset THE COUNT. At the very least, we know he's certainly not having dinner with his son Noel (as if he would ever DEIGN to participate in Taco Night).

I wish I had a better picture of LuAnn to compare with, but for those who are familiar with her face, don't tell me you don't see her all over Prince Caspian (a.k.a. Ben Barnes). Am I plumb loco?

What a glorious day.  Earlier this afternoon, I stepped out of my friend's apartment, walked around the corner, and bam!  I came face to face with a landmark fresh out of The Real Housewives of New York City.  I'm talking about Zarin Fabrics and Home Furnishings, the fabric empire run by Bobby Zarin — a.k.a. the bearded husband of fan favorite Jill Zarin.  As I was late to meet people for lunch, I didn't get a chance to poke my head inside, but I did whip out my camera phone and take two pics, one of which is above.  The entire experience made me unreasonably excited, and when I did eventually arrive at lunch, the first thing I told my friends was not "Hello" or "How are you?" but instead "I JUST SAW BOBBY ZARIN'S STORE!"  Yes, it was a great way to kick off the lunching hour.  And to think, we get a catty Housewives reunion tonight too.  Perfect.

If you're like me, you're already missing The Real Housewives of New York City the way Amy Winehouse misses crack (allegedly). This week's season finale was yet another fine installment in this tremendous guilty pleasure, which again leads me to wonder why Bravo only produced a paltry six episodes. They were probably afraid the show wouldn't catch on. Well, fear not, people. The show most certainly did catch on, and I just read somewhere that it's been renewed for a second season (along with another spin-off, The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Eh). We may have to wait a few months before the next batch of haughty adventures, but in the meantime we have what looks to be a juicy reunion show on Tuesday. Until then, enjoy this photocap of the season finale...

"Here's to the most awkward dinner party of all time!"

Anyone who missed tonight's episode of The Real Housewives of New York City should run, not walk, to their DVR and watch it. I guarantee it will be one of the best hours of 2008. This is what we watch reality television for: unpredictable, awkward, crazy, and jaw-dropping moments. Whether it was Alex and Simon's pretension at the opera or LuAnn's haughty behavior in the limo or Jill's meltdown over seating arrangements or Bethenny's reaction to bad floors, it was 100% brilliant. But of course, as amazing and funny as most of the episode was, it all paled next to the show's centerpiece: a dinner party so completely bizarre and awful that we could only thank the reality gods for providing it to us. Yes, it was girls' night with the housewives, but when Simon crashed the party, Ramona went completely nuts. That alone would have been enough, but oh no. The following treatise on class and etiquette, as seen through the eyes of Ramona, was an instant classic. I'm telling you, this was such a good episode that I'm literally giddy right now. Absolute perfection.

Oh yeah. Here's a photocap...

This week, The Real Housewives of New York City went from a guilty pleasure to a gross-out bonanza thanks to the intrepid work of one dog's tongue and one woman's nostril. Yes, the closeup of Jill's dog licking her nose clean was an instant classic — one of the most searing images to ever emerge from reality TV, let alone television as a whole. Not even There's Something About Mary dared show the sort of dog-on-nasal-cavity action that Bravo aired tonight, but here's the most shocking part: it wasn't even the grossest part of the entire episode. No, that special honor goes to Simon and Alex, who managed to instantly turn my stomach with their egregious open-mouthed kissing. AND THEY DID IT ON A YACHT. I swear, a few hundred fish probably went belly up at that precise moment (and I wouldn't have been surprised if Lady Liberty briefly gouged her eyes out with her torch). Hmmm... I'm sensing a theme: tongues + housewives = disgusting. And yet, amazing.

Anyway, as per some people's request, I've decided to give a stab at photocapping the latest episode, much as I do to Big Brother. Pictures from Bravo after the jump...

Regrettably, I haven't had time to chime in lately on The Real Housewives of New York City, but here's what's important to know: it's fairly awesome. These women are masters of passive-aggressiveness, and never is that more apparent than in this clip, which never made it to air on Bravo. Here, we find Jill and Countess LuAnn dropping by a party in the Hamptons just prior to their big tennis match with Ramona. There are plenty of amusing moments in this scene, but none more so than when LuAnn dismisses Ramona with the one perfectly condescending word: "harmless." Classic stuff.

Countess LuAnn and Jill Zarin are quickly becoming one of my favorite duos on TV.

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.