Fans who thought they had seen all the drama the Real Housewives of New York City ladies had to offer this season had best think again, as Monday night's reunion episode will push the cast to the brink, costar Cindy Barshop confirms.
"We sat there screaming at each other for eight hours. It's not normal!" single mom of twins Barshop tells Us Weekly ahead of the two-part reunion special. "I can say that people get off the couch. It gets really crazy."
As was evidenced throughout the season, the cast continues their "blondes vs. brunettes" battle at the reunion, says Barshop, a member of the "brunettes" alliance with Kelly Bensimon, LuAnn de Lesseps, Kelly Bensimon and Jill Zarin.
"[With] everything that we talk about — say I'm talking to Ramona [Singer] or Sonja [Morgan] about something — the blondes stick together; it's almost like they made a pact," says Barshop, who told Us Housewife Alex McCord angered the women when she frequently interrupted the conversations.
McCord also took heat during the reunion show for her husband Simon van Kempen's actions on the series. "One thing we talked about was how aggressive Alex's husband gets when he drinks. At least I think he does. That's my opinion on the situation," Barshop tells Us. "Alex got really riled up about that."
And according to Barshop, McCord wasn't the only wife to make waves. Ramona Singer — who had a pregnancy scare on the show's July 21 finale — allegedly verbally attacked de Lesseps' parenting skills.
"In my opinion, Ramona goes way too far. She hit below the belt. It was really bad," hints Barshop. "She says 'don't talk about the kids' but she really went too far talking about parenting skills and LuAnn's kids. It took me a while to figure out that's how these people treat each other," she continues. "This crowd — when they're together — this is how they really act."
Still, despite the season's wild revelations and intense blowout fights, Barshop tells Us rumors of her leaving the series are exaggerated.
"There's no [season five casting] decision on either side –on theirs [Bravo] or myself," says the reality star. "Some people just start rumors to get their names in the press. Bravo hasn't made any decisions. They haven't asked anyone or not invited anyone. But I can’t imagine Bravo not wanting any of us back because I know the ratings are up."
Part one of the Real Housewives of New York City's reunion airs Monday at 10 p.m. (EST) on Bravo, with part two airing August 1.
By Allison Corneau for Us Weekly. For more Channel Surfing, click here.
