Ghosts of Housewives Past: Jill Zarin, Alex, and the Rest

[FairyDusted]

6 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

I am not sure where to put this but I had a lightbulb go off this weekend as I was rewatching season 2.  Bethenny is talking about Kelly (people didn't really know Kelly yet) and the book Kelly wrote and snarking about her not being a journalist etc.  I think this is exactly where the chef/cook thing was born in Kelly's head!  Bethenny was doing the same thing in Season 2 that Kelly was doing to Bethenny during Scary Island.  Minimizing her accomplishments in a snarky way to bring them down a notch.  I like Bethenny and do not like Kelly but it made me realize Kelly's cook/chef comments made sense looking at the history of the show.  

Oh @Natalie68 I so want to heart your post above. You make good points !  Very well thought out and great use of critical thinking skills. But Kelly has NONE! I just can't let her be *up there* or thinking ahead of ANYBODY! Gummy bears Natalie! Fucking Gummy bears! 

Edited April 4, 2018 by FairyDusted
grammer

[bosawks]

I think it has always been patently obvious that Al Sharpton made Kelly do it.

[Natalie68]

11 hours ago, FairyDusted said:

Oh @Natalie68 I so want to heart your post above. You make good points !  Very well thought out and great use of critical thinking skills. But Kelly has NONE! I just can't let her be *up there* or thinking ahead of ANYBODY! Gummy bears Natalie! Fucking Gummy bears! 

HA!  Kelly is a mystery to me.  She seems just so off about a lot of things and has such strange reactions to situations that I was just struck with what I was hearing and thought hmmm, could THIS be where that chef/cook thing was born?  Now whether or not she came up with this in her own head is up for debate.  My money is on her daughter Sea, even though she may have been 12 at the time, pointing it out to her and saying next time you see B, try and bring this up.  I think the kids are the brains of the operation in the Bensimone (spelling wrong I know) household.  Who has their Johan face on? 

[Gam2]

I always thought Kelly was on the autism spectrum. 

[sasha206]

I would love to see RHONY recast to bring back Alex and Simon, Jill, and Kelly.  Beth could stay or go as far as I'm concerned.  Loved her when she was first on, can't stand her now with the exception of some rare funny moments.

[ghoulina]

I love B. Do NOT want to see Jill or Kelly again. I think it would be fun to have Silex back. 

[Ellee]

Why not start a second HW show in NY?  

It could be Jill, Kelly, Aviva, Cindy and have Lu join them.  Jill I’m sure would be happy to come up with an appropriate name and she, LuLu and Kelly can coordinate the storylines/scenes.  They have experience  :D

Heather could come back to NY.  

Edited April 5, 2018 by Ellee

[LilaFowler]

I wonder what it would take to get Heather to return? Bethenny leaving?

[Ellee]

42 minutes ago, LilaFowler said:

I wonder what it would take to get Heather to return? Bethenny leaving?

I sincerely doubt that Heather would ever come back.  With or without Bethenny.  I think she has a life. :D

I wasn’t a Heather fan initially ... even picked on her a bit ... but I came to really like her.  

[Happy Camper]

8 hours ago, Ellee said:

I sincerely doubt that Heather would ever come back.  With or without Bethenny.  I think she has a life. :D

I wasn’t a Heather fan initially ... even picked on her a bit ... but I came to really like her.  

It must be a wonderful, liberating feeling to put behind you a life of having cameras capturing so much of your private life on a regular basis, especially if you have to work those cameras around your spouse, kids, other family members (in laws!) and friends. 

I would imagine that many of the ex housewives breathe a big sigh of relief when that mic is finally unhooked for the last time. Whew...back to normal. Radaronline, TMZ finally off my property!!!

I can sort of relate to this as I am partially retiring from my job in a few weeks and each day all I can think of is "Whew", there's one more thing I won't ever have to deal with again. That mic coming off must feel 100 lbs lighter.

[LilaFowler]

For some people, it's probably like that. The rest didn't leave by choice and are scheming to get back on.

[SuprSuprElevated]

45 minutes ago, Happy Camper said:

It must be a wonderful, liberating feeling to put behind you a life of having cameras capturing so much of your private life on a regular basis, especially if you have to work those cameras around your spouse, kids, other family members (in laws!) and friends. 

I would imagine that many of the ex housewives breathe a big sigh of relief when that mic is finally unhooked for the last time. Whew...back to normal. Radaronline, TMZ finally off my property!!!

I can sort of relate to this as I am partially retiring from my job in a few weeks and each day all I can think of is "Whew", there's one more thing I won't ever have to deal with again. That mic coming off must feel 100 lbs lighter.

 

[BBHN]

Quote

I wonder what it would take to get Heather to return? Bethenny leaving?

Heather survived Aviva, I doubt Bethenny is an issue for her.

Quote

It must be a wonderful, liberating feeling to put behind you a life of having cameras capturing so much of your private life on a regular basis, especially if you have to work those cameras around your spouse, kids, other family members (in laws!) and friends. 

I would imagine that many of the ex housewives breathe a big sigh of relief when that mic is finally unhooked for the last time. Whew...back to normal. Radaronline, TMZ finally off my property!!!

If you're one of the few women who quits being a HW on her own terms, sure.

Given how most of these women were fired/let go, it's hard to say how they must have felt.

[Sun-Bun]

4 hours ago, BBHN said:

I would imagine that many of the ex housewives breathe a big sigh of relief when that mic is finally unhooked for the last time. Whew...back to normal. Radaronline, TMZ finally off my property!!!

It seems like it’s only a small handful of them who genuinely feel this way though((think back to NYC’s Heather, Kim Fields in Atlanta, etc)). I think for most of these women, the benefits far exceed the hassles of Housewife fame. Most of them enjoy all the endorsements, the travels, the ego-boost of being treated like sudden celebrities; it certainly takes a fame-whorish person to even sign up for this gig and most of these women are addicted from the moment they first hit the cameras. Hence the reason you see so many thirsty ones practically begging to come back after they get fired/demoted.

[Rap541]

I think the significant difference with Heather was that she was already successful and was actually into running her business. I mean, did she need the money?

[BBHN]

I wouldn't say Heather needed it, but hey, any extra marketing for her product wouldn't hurt her...

[Almost 3000]

On ‎4‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 3:11 PM, Natalie68 said:

I am not sure where to put this but I had a lightbulb go off this weekend as I was rewatching season 2.  Bethenny is talking about Kelly (people didn't really know Kelly yet) and the book Kelly wrote and snarking about her not being a journalist etc.  I think this is exactly where the chef/cook thing was born in Kelly's head!  Bethenny was doing the same thing in Season 2 that Kelly was doing to Bethenny during Scary Island.  Minimizing her accomplishments in a snarky way to bring them down a notch.  I like Bethenny and do not like Kelly but it made me realize Kelly's cook/chef comments made sense looking at the history of the show.  

I never thought B was a cook. She mentioned in an interview that she loved Costco for her catering events and intimated that one of the reasons was so much was pre-prepped.  We've really only seen her grill a protein with vegies or salad and there was kitchen help in the background and a mediocre omelet for her in-laws. She messed up a turkey for holiday dinner too that her guests figured out how to fix. Nothing has looked appealing nor particularly healthy considering that's her supposed expertise.

So both Kelly and B were right. Kelly isn't a writer and B isn't a chef but man did they both produce a product that fit its time and that had good marketing.

[SuprSuprElevated]

4 hours ago, Rap541 said:

I think the significant difference with Heather was that she was already successful and was actually into running her business. I mean, did she need the money?

I'm of the impression that she's pretty much been drummed out of that business.  That Yummie thing.

[WireWrap]

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I'm of the impression that she's pretty much been drummed out of that business.  That Yummie thing.

You're right, she is no longer with Yummie, she doesn't even mention the line on her web site. http://heatherthomson.com/about 

[zoeysmom]

5 hours ago, Rap541 said:

I think the significant difference with Heather was that she was already successful and was actually into running her business. I mean, did she need the money?

Heather did the show for exposure of the business.  For quite some time while she was on the show her business investor/partner had locked her out of drawing a salary from the company she helped create.  So ultimately she did need the money.  Heather had also endeavored to unsuccessfully sue Spanx.  At one time she was going to use the lawsuit as a story line until the court nixed it.  

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I'm of the impression that she's pretty much been drummed out of that business.  That Yummie thing.

 Yummie and Heather are still in business as of November 2017.

[WireWrap]

2 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

Heather did the show for exposure of the business.  For quite some time while she was on the show her business investor/partner had locked her out of drawing a salary from the company she helped create.  So ultimately she did need the money.  Heather had also endeavored to unsuccessfully sue Spanx.  At one time she was going to use the lawsuit as a story line until the court nixed it.  

 Yummie and Heather are still in business as of November 2017.

Heather no longer lists Yummie on her web site and the Yummie site calls her their "founder" but doesn't say any more about her than that.

[HunterHunted]

39 minutes ago, WireWrap said:

You're right, she is no longer with Yummie, she doesn't even mention the line on her web site. http://heatherthomson.com/about 

Yes, she lists it. This an exact quote from the about section of her website:

Quote

In 2008, Heather founded her innovative and fashion-forward collection, Yummie by Heather Thomson which changed the shapewear and lifestyle game for women.

[WireWrap]

13 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Yes, she lists it. This an exact quote from the about section of her website:

She doesn't have any of the Yummie items for sale on her site and she doesn't even have a link to the Yummie site on this site either. While I think it is still possible that she still owns a % of Yummie, I don't think she is an active designer/owner any more and she no longer represents Yummie on HSN either. 

ETA, I love Heather and was buying Yummie Tummy before she joined the cast. I noticed last year that Heather was no longer representing Yummie when it was on HSN and she was only referred to as the "founder" by the new woman spokesperson. 

Edited April 6, 2018 by WireWrap

[HunterHunted]

She probably still has an ownership interest in it, but, as you said, isn't involved in the management, operation, or design.

[SuprSuprElevated]

The brand is Yummie, whereas it formerly was Yummie by Heather Thompson.  I'm not sure if it is still sold at HSN, but I do know that Heather wasn't the brand rep the last few times I saw it aired.  When I last saw her, she was repping Tommy Copper on Evine.

I remember reading about a lawsuit that she was involved in with her (former?) business partner, but I can't say what the outcome was, or remember what the kerfuffle was about.

[diadochokinesis]

There was a lawsuit between Heather and her business partner.  He loaned her money for a 49% stake in the company.  He was supposed to run it until the debt was repaid but then refused to step down.  There are articles about the rebranding being done in October 2017 by WWD but I can't seem to find any updates on the lawsuit which makes me think she lost in court. 

[zoeysmom]

7 hours ago, WireWrap said:

Heather no longer lists Yummie on her web site and the Yummie site calls her their "founder" but doesn't say any more about her than that.

Here is a story about Heather from November 2017 https://theblast.com/heather-thomson-lawsuit-company-credit-card/

[zoeysmom]

21 minutes ago, diadochokinesis said:

There was a lawsuit between Heather and her business partner.  He loaned her money for a 49% stake in the company.  He was supposed to run it until the debt was repaid but then refused to step down.  There are articles about the rebranding being done in October 2017 by WWD but I can't seem to find any updates on the lawsuit which makes me think she lost in court. 

Look up Spanx and Yummie Tummie-there are a number of articles about the lawsuit.  Here is a start:  https://patinformatics.com/yummie-tummie-vs-spanx-round-two-yummie-tummie-files-design-patent-infringement-lawsuit/  There is a website that has the actual pleadings of many lawsuits about reality stars and there is language about Heather attempting to use the show to raise interest in her lawsuit against Spanx.

[diadochokinesis]

9 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

Look up Spanx and Yummie Tummie-there are a number of articles about the lawsuit.  Here is a start:  https://patinformatics.com/yummie-tummie-vs-spanx-round-two-yummie-tummie-files-design-patent-infringement-lawsuit/  There is a website that has the actual pleadings of many lawsuits about reality stars and there is language about Heather attempting to use the show to raise interest in her lawsuit against Spanx.

That's a different lawsuit.  There were the ones between Yummie and Spanx and also the ones about the credit card issue.  The one I was referencing was the one specifically about the backer refusing to step down from running the company after the debt was paid off. 

[zoeysmom]

20 hours ago, diadochokinesis said:

That's a different lawsuit.  There were the ones between Yummie and Spanx and also the ones about the credit card issue.  The one I was referencing was the one specifically about the backer refusing to step down from running the company after the debt was paid off. 

Maybe the reason we can't find anything about a lawsuit is it may have just been an application for a  temporary restraining order?  http://www.realmrhousewife.com/2016/07/07/yummie-by-heather-thomson-legal-trouble-exclusive/

[ryebread]

On 4/7/2018 at 12:46 AM, diadochokinesis said:

There are articles about the rebranding being done in October 2017 by WWD but I can't seem to find any updates on the lawsuit which makes me think she lost in court. 

This? Would suck. I was never a fan of Heather, but to work that hard on a business, and if what I read a couple years ago about her partner and that lawsuit is true, I'd feel bad for her if she lost. Even if the reason she lost is sound.

I also remember Heather saying that being on the Real Housewives hurt her brand.

[zoeysmom]

15 minutes ago, ryebread said:

This? Would suck. I was never a fan of Heather, but to work that hard on a business, and if what I read a couple years ago about her partner and that lawsuit is true, I'd feel bad for her if she lost. Even if the reason she lost is sound.

I also remember Heather saying that being on the Real Housewives hurt her brand.

I believe her financial partner felt that way about RHONYC not being a good fit for the company.  Good for Heather but not necessarily the brand.  There is a tawdry side to RHNYC, a lot of swearing and drinking.  They do not come off as a very supportive group of women.  One can pick the alliances and friendships apart and come up with examples but for the most part they do come off as catty and cut throat.

[ryebread]

And the thing is, I bought one of Heather's sports bras at TJ Maxx. But after I really realized I didn't like her, decided I couldn't support her brand. I likely wasn't the only one who felt that way. So I was one that her appearance on Real Housewives hurt her brand. On the other hand, there are people who liked her that were made aware of her brand and Dubai it. (Haha, voice to text. But I'm leaving it.) So it's six of one, half dozen of the other.

Bethenny, unlike Heather whose brand was already established, has totally benefited from establishing her brand as a housewife. She was unknown so there was no place for her to go but up. 

Maybe Beth would have still been a huge success even without the housewife exposure. I won't buy her stuff just because she's exposed her messiness. Had I not known that about her, I might have picked up a bottle or two of her swill, or box of popcorn.

Edited April 9, 2018 by ryebread

[Jel]

I'm going to Dubai me some more Spanx today!

That letter she sent to Sara Blakely, ai to the yi yi! (The letter, in the link Zoeysmom posted).

[diadochokinesis]

29 minutes ago, ryebread said:

And the thing is, I bought one of Heather's sports bras at TJ Maxx. But after I really realized I didn't like her, decided I couldn't support her brand. I likely wasn't the only one who felt that way. So I was one that her appearance on Real Housewives hurt her brand. On the other hand, there are people who liked her that were made aware of her brand and Dubai it. (Haha, voice to text. But I'm leaving it.) So it's six of one, half dozen of the other.

Bethenny, unlike Heather whose brand was already established, has totally benefited from establishing her brand as a housewife. She was unknown so there was no place for her to go but up. 

Maybe Beth would have still been a huge success even without the housewife exposure. I won't buy her stuff just because she's exposed her messiness. Had I not known that about her, I might have picked up a bottle or two of her swill, or box of popcorn.

 

Haha.  So, funny thing is that my husband and I joke that Dubai (really, the Middle East) is where restaurants go to die.  Like, there is a Ponderosa here.  Is there even a Ponderosa in the US anymore????

I have some Yummie stuff.  It was meh to me because it just smooths you out (which I didn't need).  I did get the briefs with the tummy control panel after my first kid and all it did was roll down.  It didn't hold anything in. If anything, it CREATED bulges. 

[ryebread]

Omg. A Ponderosa in Dubai. That goes against everything I envision the glittering, $$$ Dubai to be. And I haven't seen a Ponderosa in the U.S. in years. We are, however, inundated with Longhorn, Lone Star, Logan's, Texas Roadhouse and Outback steakhouses.

I bought one of Yummies sports bras. It was a nice quality, but was misled to think it would control bouncing bubbies - said so on the packaging. Not so. Makes a comfortable sleep bra though.

[hoodooznoodooz]

1 hour ago, zoeysmom said:

I believe her financial partner felt that way about RHONYC not being a good fit for the company.  Good for Heather but not necessarily the brand.  There is a tawdry side to RHNYC, a lot of swearing and drinking.  They do not come off as a very supportive group of women.  One can pick the alliances and friendships apart and come up with examples but for the most part they do come off as catty and cut throat.

I find this interesting, because I agree that there is that tawdry aspect. I think if I were her business partner, I would initially object to her joining the cast. But eventually I think she showed that one can conduct oneself in a dignified manner. She stood out as someone who was level-headed, rational and respectable. She dropped some MFs, but other than that, I cannot think of anything that might reflect poorly on a product. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

I sort of find it sad that a brand can be positively impacted by being exposed on a show like RHO.  It says a lot about our celebrity-obsessed society that we will consider purchasing based on recognition alone.  The Kardashian phenominon is the most glaring example of this obviously.

I would agree with Heather's business partner, and I would have tried valiantly to keep her from signing onto that project, probably at my own financial detriment.  Why I don't live in Manhattan, with interns and drivers and umbrella holders I guess.

Edited April 9, 2018 by SuprSuprElevated
Gotta correct that spelling!

[ryebread]

4 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I sort of find it sad that a brand can be positively impacted by being exposed on a show like RHO.  It says a lot about our celebrity-obsessed society that we will consider purchasing based on recognition alone.  The Kardashian phenominon is the most glaring example of this obviously.

I would agree with Heather's business partner, and I would have tried valiently to keep her from signing onto that project, probably at my own financial detriment.  Why I don't live in Manhattan, with interns and drivers and umbrella holders I guess.

Preach.

[diadochokinesis]

2 hours ago, ryebread said:

Omg. A Ponderosa in Dubai. That goes against everything I envision the glittering, $$$ Dubai to be. And I haven't seen a Ponderosa in the U.S. in years. We are, however, inundated with Longhorn, Lone Star, Logan's, Texas Roadhouse and Outback steakhouses.

I bought one of Yummies sports bras. It was a nice quality, but was misled to think it would control bouncing bubbies - said so on the packaging. Not so. Makes a comfortable sleep bra though.

If it helps, there is a lot of glittering too.  LOL.  But yes, we also have the steakhouses too. 

I just want a comfy bra that makes for two boobs instead of one.

[Minzy]

Dubai's food scene (and the rest of the Middle East as well) isn't quite that dire. There are tons of places to eat at that are on par with the best restaurants in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. 

[Otherkate]

I bought one of Heather's bras only bc Luanne wore it in the "be cool" scene and made it look so damned good. It was fine, but I wouldn't purchase another one. 

[diadochokinesis]

49 minutes ago, Minzy said:

Dubai's food scene (and the rest of the Middle East as well) isn't quite that dire. There are tons of places to eat at that are on par with the best restaurants in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. 

Never said that we didn't have great places to eat.  We do.  We just also have all the restaurants that seemed to have died off in the US.  Anyways, it is majorly off topic. 

[crgirl412]

1 hour ago, Minzy said:

Dubai's food scene (and the rest of the Middle East as well) isn't quite that dire. There are tons of places to eat at that are on par with the best restaurants in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. 

 

14 minutes ago, diadochokinesis said:

Never said that we didn't have great places to eat.  We do.  We just also have all the restaurants that seemed to have died off in the US.  Anyways, it is majorly off topic. 

You could stop at (aka click on) Small Talk: the Regency Bar if you want to continue the conversation.  

[LIMOM]

Will Jill come back?

I think that Beth needs to find a way to let her back in. I know that she hates her however Jill is good for the show, imo.

[Rap541]

I think it's really not Bethenny's decision. I really think Jill burned her bridges with her supposedly surreptitious attempts to tape the behind the scenes of her WWHL session and her now openly acknowledged attempts to sabotage filming so that the show's cameras would be firmly centered on Jill. 

That said, I think it would be really unhealthy for Jill to get back on the show. And without Bobby to check her behavior, I think it would end with even more public humiliation for Jill.

[Celia Rubenstein]

Youre probably right. But for my own selfish reasons, I still want her back! She was simply great TV.

[LilaFowler]

Bethenny is going to need people to film with. I think there are people who want to see Jill back (me being one of them). Bethenny putting in a good word would go a long way with AC, IMO.

[SuprSuprElevated]

I'm putting this here because the Tea For Tat (?) thread is becoming bogged down with a lot of stuff that isn't necessarily episodic.

http://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/real-housewives-of-new-york-city-jill-zarin-bethenny-frankel-friendship-update

[HunterHunted]

Something about this feels like Jill is trying to manipulate here way back onto the show or get herself another show.

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/why-lindsay-lohan-was-living-with-jill-zarin-details/