‘Real Housewives Of New York’ Cast Will Reportedly Reunite To Tape Bravo’s First In-Person Reunion
The Real Housewives of New York City cast will reportedly reunite in person next week, despite the ongoing coronavirus health pandemic. The cast for Season 12 of the Bravo reality show will meet up for an in-person reunion on Wednesday, August 5 on Long Island, according to a source for Page Six.
Insiders told the outlet that COVID-19 precautions are still being worked out for the surprising taping, but that producers will be following CDC guidelines as they conduct the reunion. There will be a limited number of crew members on the set and mandatory face masks will be used for participants. In addition, the New York ladies will likely sit at least 6 feet apart as they meet to talk – and scream – about their explosive season.
In addition to the cast — which includes veterans Luann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley, Tinsley Mortimer, and Leah McSweeney — Watch What Happens Live star and reunion host Andy Cohen will appear in person instead of zooming in from his New York home. As The Inquisitr previously reported, RHONY“friend” Elyse Slaine has already confirmed she will not be a part of the Season 12 reunion.
The in-person reunion is a first for the Bravo franchise ever since the health crisis prompted a shutdown in filming for most television productions earlier this year.
Cohen, meanwhile, has already hosted a series of virtual reunions taped from participants’ homes and featuring that Brady Bunch-like Zoom grid. The casts for the Bravo reality shows The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Vanderpump Rules, and Summer House have all reunited virtually in recent months, and more homegrown updates are still to come.
The pandemic-era in-person RHONY reunion comes a few weeks after fellow franchise stars from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills taped a virtual reunion due to safety concerns amid the pandemic. Castmates Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna, Dorit Kemsley, Erika Girardi, Teddi Mellencamp, Garcelle Beauvais, Denise Richards and “friend” Sutton Stracke were all dressed up with nowhere to go – except to a video monitor in their homes, as they rehashed the show’s milestone 10th year of the Beverly Hills-based reality hit. Guest Brandi Glanville reportedly taped her segment separately, also remotely.
The late-night show, Watch What Happens Live, has also been broadcasting remotely from a room in the longtime host’s home that looks like his signature clubhouse, so the RHONY reunion is indeed unprecedented during these trying times.
While the New York Housewives will face each other in person, making their drama even more intense, Cohen did reveal that there was a perk to the home tapings, according to The Daily Dish. When NeNe Leakes and Eva Marcille’s reunion argument went on too long during the Real Housewives of Atlanta taping, the frustrated host simply hit a “mute” button to shut them up.
