Bethenny Frankel Was Almost Never A Housewife, Plus What Other Housewives Did Andy Cohen Pass Over?
Today, Bethenny Frankel is a household name, and her famous Skinnygirl products are everywhere. But, where would Bethenny be today if she had never been on the Real Housewives of New York?
Thankfully, we will never have to know. But in a recent episode of Bravo’s The Dish, the Bravo uber-producer and keeper of the Housewives admitted that he passed on the margarita mogul at first.
“I was initially wrong about you,” he told Frankel. “Because I, initially, when I saw the first casting of New York, was reticent about you because you had been on The Apprentice. And I thought that that was weird at the time. Isn’t that funny?”
It is even more ironic now, since it has been reported that Cohen played a major role in getting Frankel to come back to RHONY after a few seasons away. It has also been rumored that Bethenny Frankel is making $250,000 per episode for the current season, which sweetens the pot even more.
Besides Bethenny, Andy admitted to almost not casting a couple of other Housewives as well, according to Us Weekly.
“I didn’t get Kim Zolciak in the initial casting of Atlanta,” he said, adding that she reminded him of a country singer. “I did not get… We have this white woman. I just didn’t get it.”
Zolciak became one of the breakout stars on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Fans could not get enough of her up-and-down relationship with NeNe Leakes and her affair with the very married Big Poppa. Kim eventually left Big Poppa and even rolled her RHOA fame into her own spinoff starring her family — husband and NFL star Kroy Bierman, and their six kids.
Lastly, Lisa Rinna was actually passed over when Cohen was casting for the first season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
“You know Lisa Rinna was on the first casting tape for Beverly Hills,” he noted. “In the first season of Beverly Hills, I thought ‘I don’t see it. It’s weird. It’s not what this show is.’ But then last year I wanted her on.”
Lisa was actually a breakout star when she finally joined the cast of Season 5. She had some epic moments with Kim Richards over Richards’ sobriety, most notably, a glass-shattering altercation in Amsterdam. Of course, Lisa’s concerns have since been proven valid, with Kim’s arrest for public intoxication.
Catch Bethenny Frankel on the current season of the Real Housewives of New York, Tuesday nights on Bravo.
[Image via All About the Tea]
