Andy Cohen Reveals That ‘Real Housewives’ Almost Got Cancelled Due To Producers

Andy Cohen is a name that people often associate with The Real Housewives franchise, as he is always hosting the reunion shows, doing Watch What Happens Live interviews with the ladies, and answers questions from viewers. Andy has been around since the beginning, and he often has a lot to say about the ladies. Now, Cohen is being put on the spot.

Andy Cohen is now revealing that the show almost didn’t happen back in 2006. In fact, The Real Housewives of Orange County was originally a big mess. Back then, it was called something along the lines of The Wives Behind the Gates and targeted only Orange County. But it wasn’t so much the concept that almost flopped. Cohen reveals that it was a rough start for the franchise in the editing room.

According to a new Bravo report, Andy Cohen is now revealing that the producers had a hard time making a great show from the footage they got from the first season. Apparently, Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough, and Laurie Peterson didn’t perform as expected.

“I thought we almost killed that show — it was so plagued in season 1 with troubles in the edit room,” Andy Cohen has revealed, adding, “We wound up getting rid of the original producers. We brought someone else in. It was a nightmare to produce. And we contemplated for a moment saying, “Well, should we just scrap this?'”

Even though the first season of The Real Housewives of Orange County was a bit dry, Andy is happy that they didn’t scrap the show. Cohen knows that this show, along with the many other seasons that followed, really put reality television on the map.

“I mean, thank god we didn’t do it,” Andy Cohen admits, reflecting on the massive success of the other housewives shows in various cities, including New Jersey, New York, Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Miami, and the now-cancelled The Real Housewives of D.C.

Many other spin-off versions have been created in other countries, including Canada, Australia, England, and South Africa.

“Our viewers are so smart,” Andy Cohen revealed, adding, “They can tell when someone’s faking it or they’re pandering to the audience or they’re trying to manipulate the story so that people view them in a different way. They can just tell and it always winds up coming back to them.”

And it sounds like Andy realizes the success of the show, because sources are saying that an original housewife could be making a return to the show. According to the Inquisitr, Jeana Keough could return to The Real Housewives of Orange County for next season. This wouldn’t be the first time, as Bethenny Frankel recently returned to The Real Housewives of New York.

What do you think of Andy Cohen’s comments that the shows were almost cancelled?

[Image via Bravo]