Successful Real Housewives Who Are Great Businesswomen

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The Real Housewives franchise has come a long way in 17 years. Over the last two decades, Bravo has transitioned away from the “housewife” trope by adding more powerful, strong businesswomen into the mix. To honor the ladies who have transformed the franchise, here are five successful Real Housewives stars who are great businesswomen.

Bethenny Frankel (Real Housewives of New York)

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Bethenny Frankel may be one of the most recognizable names to come out of the Real Housewives franchise. Since her first appearance on the show in 2008, Bethenny has created an empire. She is a New York Times bestselling author, a philanthropist, and the founder the lifestyle brand Skinnygirl. According to Forbes, Bethenny sold Skinnygirl liquor to Beam Global in 2011 for $100 million. It’s safe to say Bethenny has come a long way since Season 1 of Real Housewives of New York.

Jenna Lyons (Real Housewives of New York)

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Real Housewives fans were shocked when Bravo announced that fashion maven Jenna Lyons would be joining the cast of RHONY for Season 14. It seemed surprising that such a big name in fashion would be open to sharing her life on reality television. The 55-year-old had dipped her toe into the reality TV space prior to RHONY. However, she always stuck to competition shows, where the distance between her personal life and professional persona could remain intact.

Unlike other Real Housewives stars, Jenna was a household name before she appeared on the network. She was the creative director of the women’s retailer J. Crew from 2010 and 2017, making her an extremely influential figure in the fashion world.

Lisa Vanderpump (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills)

(Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)

All it takes is one look at Lisa Vanderpump‘s massive Los Angeles mansion “Villa Rosa” to surmise that the London native has done quite well for herself. Lisa and her husband Ken Todd are the king and queen of the restaurant world, opening several restaurants in L.A. and one in Vegas. The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star also has a nonprofit, Vanderpump Dogs, that helps dogs find loving homes.

Ubah Hassan (Real Housewives of New York)

(Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)

The new cast of RHONY is made up of some pretty extraordinary women, one of whom is 40-year-old Ubah Hassan. Aside from being a successful model, she is also a businesswoman. Ubah created a popular hot sauce brand called Ubah Hot that has taken the food world by storm.

According to the brand’s website, Ubah Hot “adds flavor and brings a sensational taste of Africa to your palate.” The hot sauce has become so beloved that it even caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey. Oprah included Ubah Hot on her “Favorite Things” list in 2021. If she has Oprah’s approval, you know she’s the real deal.

Meredith Marks (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)

(Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)

Threatening to expose her co-stars’ secrets isn’t the only thing on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Meredith Marks’ to-do list. The 51-year-old is also owns and operates a luxury brand that sells jewelry, handbags, apparel, and more. Meredith spoke about her love for business in a December 2022 interview with Forbes, telling the outlet, “I’m a sick entrepreneur. I can’t control myself. I just like to create, I like to build, I like to grow things.”

“I have a very business-oriented background,” she continued. “I want to Law School and Business School at Northwestern, so I do understand that side of it. A lot of people don’t function in both worlds. So, I am able to crossover that. Even if I’m not the one running everything on the backside, I understand exactly what’s going on and no one is taking advantage of me.” Yes, girl!

Meredith expanded the products her brand offers in August 2023 with the launch of Meredith Marks Caviar. She celebrated the launch with an Instagram post, writing, “Happy National Caviar Day! Get ready to indulge in the finer things in life with our new and exquisite Meredith Marks Caviar Collection.”

TELL US – WHICH SUCCESSFUL REAL HOUSEWIVES STARS DO YOU FIND THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL?

The post Successful Real Housewives Who Are Great Businesswomen appeared first on Reality Tea.

from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2023/12/24/successful-real-housewives-who-are-great-businesswomen/

Why ‘Puppygate’ Was the Most Ridiculous RHOBH Storyline

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There have been many over-the-top storylines on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills but “puppygate” may take the cake. The fact that an entire RHOBH season centered around a dog named Lucy Lucy Apple Juice still has us scratching our heads. Here are all the reasons puppygate was the most ridiculous RHOBH storyline.

It Felt Staged

(YouTube/Bravo)

Puppygate was the only memorable storyline from Season 9, which speaks to what a flop of a season it was. The drama began after Dorit Kemsley gave away a dog she adopted from Lisa Vanderpump‘s dog rescue center, Vanderpump Dogs. Dorit said that Lucy Lucy Apple Juice was having behavioral issues, so she decided her family wasn’t the best fit to care for the dog. The RHOBH star thought she was placing the pup in a loving home, but instead, the chihuahua mix ended up at a kill shelter.

Lisa and Vanderpump Dogs were alerted about Lucy’s whereabouts, which then led to the infamous “puppygate.” The heat was initially on Dorit. Her cast members questioned her about how much she knew about Lucy’s new owner. The focus then shifted to Lisa after stories about the drama were leaked to the press. The ladies suspected Lisa was the source behind the stories, which only created more drama among the group.

If we look back at some other storylines on RHOBH, it’s hard to believe dog drama once consumed an entire season. I mean, we’ve seen storylines about abusive marriages, fraud, and deep rooted family issues. The problem with puppygate was that it just felt…fake and apparently, some of the cast members felt that way too.

At BravoCon in 2023, Kyle Richards admitted puppygate felt a little fake too.

“I can only think of one, and that was the dog story with Lucy whatever it was,” she said, answering a fan who inquired about the most staged Real Housewives storyline. “Our show isn’t staged or set up, but I think that was brought to the table with the intention for there to be another [spinoff].” Kyle was of course referring to Lisa’s spinoff “Vanderpump Dogs” that premiered on Peacock in 2021.

It Created Unnecessary Drama

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I know what you’re thinking, isn’t unnecessary drama the whole point of Real Housewives? Sure, but the drama surrounding puppygate had long lasting consequences that just seem totally ridiculous. Lisa Vanderpump ended up leaving the show over all the drama and didn’t even show up to the reunion. Not to mention the scandal ruined Lisa and Kyle’s friendship. The fact that a puppy adoption gone wrong caused this much tension in the group seems insane.

According to People, Lucy Lucy Apple Juice is now called LuLu. Her new owner, Zandria Theis, spoke to the outlet in 2019 about adopting the famous Bravo dog. “[She’s] the sweetest dog ever, we are really happy we got to add her to the family.” she told the publication. “Our lives revolve around her now.”

LuLu has clearly recovered from the situation, so why can’t Lisa Vanderpump? Lisa has still not reconciled with Teddi Mellencamp, Kyle Richards, and Lisa Rinna, which feels totally insane. Seriously, OVER A DOG?

In June 2022, Teddi revealed on her podcast, Two Ts in a Pod, that she had recently “cleared the air” with Lisa but the two still haven’t completely repaired their friendship.

“We did have a nice conversation. We were respectful to one another,” Teddi told her co-host, Tamra Judge. “I haven’t talked to [Lisa] in years. The last time that we had any conversation was not good. Ultimately, we just went through it,” she continued. “It was mainly, like, all the things we probably would have said to each other at the reunion, had we had the reunion.”

Teddi described her current relationship with the restauranteur as “healed-ish.” We’re hoping Lisa would be open to a similar conversation with Kyle in the future. We miss seeing the two spar on the show, and we’re dying to get LVP back on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

To think dog drama is what ultimately ended LVP’s reign on RHOBH is just too depressing and needs to be corrected immediately.

TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK THE MOST RIDICULOUS REAL HOUSEWIVES STORYLINE IS?

The post Why ‘Puppygate’ Was the Most Ridiculous RHOBH Storyline appeared first on Reality Tea.

from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2023/12/24/why-puppygate-was-the-most-ridiculous-rhobh-storyline/