Last week’s episode of The Real Housewives of New York City doubled as a public service announcement for the repercussions of failing to properly pass out brunch invitations. Claiming you sent an email that you didn’t is not acceptable — but neither is extending an invitation to some but not all of the women who happen to be staying in the same beach house together.
The dueling brunches disagreement continued into episode 3 of RHONY season 7, and although Bethenny Frankel reiterated that everyone was invited to her soiree, despite what Ramona Singer may have thought, it seemed that no number of Skinnygirl drink concoctions could bring this train back to the station.
Read on for more details of how each of the women fared in the “Battle of the Brunches.”
Is It Still Brunch If No One Eats?
Ramona kicked things off by (finally, really!) sending out an email invite to brunch to fellow Housewives LuAnn de Lesseps, Carole Radziwill, Heather Thomson, and Kristen Taekman. The Pinot Grigio purveyor noted she was now hosting the meal in “honor” of her friend, new Housewife Dorinda Medley. This sparked some chatter amongst the invitees about why Dorinda warranted honoring, as well as concerns about their social calendars since they had already committed to Bethenny’s brunch. LuAnn put the debate to rest with the seemingly logical suggestion that they all go to both.
The foursome started their brunch-crawl at Bethenny’s, where they downed Skinnygirl cocktails and Heather challenged the host to help get Sonja Morgan focused and organized. Bethenny seemed uber-excited about the potential project, which is a fun idea and will probably make for good TV, even though there’s virtually no chance Bethenny will succeed. Their arms loaded with Skinnygirl products, all the girls (minus Bethenny, of course) headed to their next event. (Shout-out to Carole for nabbing that giant blender!)
The group arrived at Ramona’s brunch sometime after 1 p.m., making them more than fashionably late. The guest of honor was clearly put out about their tardy arrival and left pretty much the moment they arrived. It’s worth noting, however, that she didn’t leave before first throwing some shade at them about — drum roll please — the brunch. Though the other women hung around a bit longer, no one had time to eat anything. At least Dorinda and Ramona’s sister managed to suck down a few Bloody Marys before it was all over.
Bad Blood and Bandage Dresses
At last, some light was shed as to why Bethenny and Ramona were so quick to get at each other’s throats over this meal in the first place: It all goes back to a dress — a Herve Leger dress, to be exact. Apparently, when Ramona was on Bethenny’s now-defunct talk show, she borrowed a dress from the host and (accidentally?) left the studio with it. According to Bethenny, when she asked for it back, Ramona told her it “fell out of her car.” Bethenny wasn’t buying the story, however, and referenced a picture of Ramona wearing the dress in question a few months after she allegedly lost it. Bethenny insisted she wasn’t mad at Ramona about the dress, but was mad at her for going “psycho” on her for inviting Sonja to brunch. For her part, Ramona did not address the missing dress.
Heartbreak Hotel
Things took a sad turn when LuAnn visited Ramona’s apartment for a light dinner, which they didn’t seem to ever technically eat. Scans of the flat revealed that even though Ramona insists she’s over Mario, her shelves are still populated with photos of them as a couple during happier times.
“I know a lot of people have great connections and great wealth and great families, but we had something beyond special. Everyone who knew us well saw it,” Ramona confided in LuAnn before tearing up and insisting that Mario is having a major midlife crisis. “I Googled it and they say it lasts two to four years and I can’t be around that,” she lamented.
She then informed LuAnn that she was in a new place in her life and was all about going with the flow. Her knee-jerk reaction over that silly brunch would seem to imply otherwise, but maybe this is one of those situations where practice makes perfect.
Bensimon Comes Back
LuAnn then decided to host a ladies’ night for all of her single girlfriends, which, to be clear, includes every Housewife except Kristen and Dorinda. (Though Dorinda is not married, being in a committed relationship qualifies her as not single enough to join.)
Everything was going fine with LuAnn, Carole, Heather, Sonja, Ramona, and former cast member Kelly Bensimon (invited by LuAnn at the last minute) — until Bethenny arrived and was none too pleased that Kelly was there. She wasn’t mad at Kelly, though. She was mad at LuAnn.
“You told me exactly who was coming tonight and you didn’t mention one person, intentionally,” she argued. LuAnn promptly apologized, though, and Bethenny seemed to forgive her. This time, at least.
While the episode had many twists and turns, perhaps Dorinda summed it up best. Describing her experience at brunch, the newbie lamented, “No one ever showed up. We didn’t have any food. And I just listened to these old bitches fight the whole time.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
The Real Housewives of New York City airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
