Bravo giveth and Bravo taketh away… Such is the burden of a longtime fan when a show that helped put Bravo on the map was snatched away from us like a thief in the night.
Gone are the days of Berkshires holiday celebrations. Bye-bye rich women in knee high boots imbibing wayyyyy too much alcohol. So long Morgan Papers that you absolutely may not ever touch. The original and never-to-be-forgotten Real Housewives of New York might not return as we know it, but the plethora of memorable quotes gifted by the cast will stay with us for an eternity.
Countess Luann de Lesseps / “I’ve been traveling, I’ve been to prison…”
Real Housewives of New York star, Luann de Lesseps might have been standoffish at times, but her life was pretty extraordinary and she gave us so much material. She will remain living in infamy for some lines that will endure the test of time, or at least endure longer than OG RHONY did. Lu was generous with her wit and we will always bask in the glory that she left behind. “Be cool, don’t be all like, uncool.” Don’t be uncool like Heather Thomson and question vacation-related hook ups and strange naked men in your villa. “Well, even Louis Vuitton makes mistakes.” Thank Jesus and Dolly Parton for these words of wisdom. Alex McCord learned a lesson that day and by 6am the next morning, those Louis boots were probably dropped off at the Brooklyn Goodwill.
“How could you do that to me question mark?” Yep, it was definitely about Tom and some of us never recovered from his betrayal. And then this actual diamond. “I’ve been traveling, I’ve been to prison…” This is my personal favorite offering from Luann and I desperately need it on a t-shirt. It sums up the life of a cosmopolitan woman of the world who may or may not have had one too many and tried to beat up a cop.
Ramona Singer / “Wow, Bethenny, wow…”
Although many people are giving Ramona Singer the side-eye these days, one would have to admit that over the years she handed out little one-liners like it was Halloween candy. Just because the show was cancelled to save her reputation Ramona wasn’t always socially appropriate, it doesn’t negate her legacy. “Wow, Bethenny, wow.” I say this to my kids when they get a bad grade. I say this when a car cuts me off in traffic. And I say this when a restaurant serves me an incorrect order. Does anyone ever understand what it means? Hell no. Season 10 saw Ramona and Bethenny Frankel’s relationship having some cracks, and what Bethenny absolutely did not want was to attend Ramona’s skin care line launch. Ramona wanted Bethenny to have “common decency courtesy” (we would also like for Ramona to have this), but alas, Bethenny wasn’t feeling it. Ramona was almost too stunned to speak when Bethenny walked away, but she did manage to stutter out this now iconic moment.
Sonja Morgan / “What are you doing here without Dorinda?”
Lady Sonja Morgan partied with John John and Madonna. She’s had a smoky eye and an updo. Sometimes Lady Sonja didn’t act like a lady, but it’s only because she was probably three sheets to the wind and on her way to a full blown blackout. What Sonja did do was graciously leave behind a few gems for us to use in our daily lives to relive the glory of the good ‘ol days. When the RHONY ladies were out partying one night, Luann was acting as a tour guide to the restroom area, and Son spotted the elusive John Mahdessian out in the wild without Dorinda Medley. While most people might keep quiet and whisper amongst themselves, Sonja charged John and said, “What are you doing here without Dorinda?” Listen, I know there are more well-known Sonja quotes to choose from, who can forget, “A squirrel came in my room last night. I almost made out with him.” And the iconic, “OK, so I had a walk of shame. I admit it, I live for the walk of shame. Actually, I call it a victory lap at my age!” But “What are you doing here without Dorinda?” became it’s own entity. It also begs the question, did we ever find out what John was doing there without Dorinda?
Carole Radziwill / “I was awoken in the middle of the night by two male voices. One was Luann’s…”
Princess Carole Radziwill and Countess Luann de Lesseps were never besties. It’s fair to say when Carole joined the show Lu could have been a smidge intimidated. A simple convo between Luann and Carole would usually evolve into a competition of sorts. Carole wasn’t reckless with her funny one-liners and she did not mince words. One of her funniest moments came shortly after almost strangling Aviva Drescher. When she finally met Aviva’s ex, Harry Dubin. The words, “Harry it’s so nice to meet you, I totally understand your divorce,” still linger in Aviva’s living room to this day. But Carole’s snarky description of Luann’s escalando “company” during the Season 5 trip to St. Barts was HIGHlarious. Lu’s titular “Be cool…” line turned into the trip’s most touted quote. But Carole’s very dry, not so subtle dig at Lu was quite effortless. Explaining the drama during an interview segment Carole said, “I was awoken in the middle of the night by two male voices. One was Luann’s.” It just fell out of her mouth so easily, no hesitations, no regrets. Yes, Luann might have a husky voice thanks to 2 packs of menthols a day genetics, but we mustn’t forget that Lu and Carole’s relationship was one of give and take. This time, Carole took the point.
Bethenny Frankel / “Did you take crystal meth tonight?”
Let’s face it, Bethenny has a ton of famous quotes from this show. I mean, how to choose from the plethora of riches that she gave us? Instead of going for the obvious like, “GO TO SLEEP!” or “MENTION IT ALLLLL”, I wanted to revisit a conversation between Bethenny and Luann that was so off, you could feel the weirdness through the television screen. In Season 8, Bethenny was planning a lovely trip to Mexico but the RHONY camps were divided. It wasn’t certain Lu would be invited on this trip because she wasn’t getting along with Carole. When the two met up for drinks to “discuss” Luann’s lack of invite, Lu’s very spunky attitude was clearly getting on Bethenny’s nerves. But Luann was newly in love and giddy and very, very talkative. In the middle of talking about Tom D’Agostino and ranting about Ramona, Bethenny interrupts Luann and asks, “Did you take crystal meth tonight?” It was funny because by the end of the discussion, where Bethenny basically didn’t speak, Luann managed to invite herself and then accept the invitation to Mexico that never came from the host. Sigh, I’ll miss you OG RHONY.
TELL US- WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE FROM REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK? WHAT WOULD YOU ADD? WILL YOU BE WATCHING THE NEW RHONY?
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