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I hate the question-and-answer period.
Sit your ass down.
So, who pays for the trips?
Its always someones trip.
Can you tell us the details?
Glenda Cox, who works onReal Housewives of Atlanta,was the first to respond.
I have a question for you: Who do you think pays for the trips?
Erica exclaimed as fans shifted expectantly in their seats.
Kemar Bassaragh, who has worked onRHOAandReal Housewives of Potomac,said, I dont know.
Its whatever you think it is.
You cant say that!
an incensed Erica said.
Why cant they pay for their trips?
Look at them, they are friends.
So the housewife whose trip it is pays for the whole thing?
Erica, the Woodward and Bernstein of Housewivery, asked.
They can chip in.
When I go with my girlfriends, I chip in, Cox replied.
I pay for my own trips, Bassaragh said as well.
And the crowd started to boo.
Thats the thing about the Real Housewives.
The fans know the truth that there are all sorts of deals going on behind the scenes.
Why cant the online grid just acknowledge it?
It is based on something that the ladies really want to do.
Its places that they really want to go to.
Its places theyve been to before.
She then walked out and whispered something in Coxs ear.
Erica, she said, suddenly almost sheepish.
The room erupted in applause.
This is what the fans want: to be told that were not stupid.
We want the acknowledgment that what goes on behind the scenes is really what we think it is.
However, its not like she got them access to an exclusive factory that wouldnt have had them otherwise.
They totally went somewhere that is used to hosting tourist groups.
However fake the idea, though, trips are always worth the hassle for the fans.
or Lisa Rinna threatening to choke Kim Richards on the same trip.
But all of that costs money, and someone has to pay.
Finally, we know its Bravo.
Like Andy said, though, its also a combination.
with past-due car payments.
Every trip starts with the showrunner coming up with a budget.
Kristen Taekman was the host of theRHONYseason-six trip to Montana.
I mean, I didnt do much.
I did fun welcome bags.
They obviously organized it all, she said of her duties.
I helped facilitate, like these are the options of things to do.
They pretty much do it all, but somebodys got to host it.
Those swaps of exposure on the show for rooms or other services are calledtrade outs.
These are often also part of the contract.
(JK, Ramona.
Some places require that the women sign a code of conduct.
Those arrangements are made on the womens own dime.
The other thing that can become an issue is flights.
If they want to upgrade classes, they have to pay themselves.
Not every trip plays out like this.
The same arrangement applies when the women go to one of their second homes.
The over-the-top Halloween decorations, though, that comes right out of her own pocket.
Hotels arent the only businesses that can benefit.
What about all the restaurants where the women are constantly meeting to air their grievances?
Ideally, these are a reflection of places the women go in their real lives.
However, what production really needs is places that will allow them to film.
The production used the restaurant for a season-12 party for Tamra Judges husband Eddies birthday party.
That, however, is usually a no-no.
Barton G. has since been featured onRHOAandRHONY,both at the Miami location.
It wasnt negative on our brand, Wan says of the drama.
She never signed anything, but thankfully her epic side-eye lived to make it into the episode.
You never know if someones bringing their wife or someone else, he joked.
Nobody wants to find out that way, so we offered our other dining area.
repeatedly at the show.
Garay-Stanton says that, after the cabaret episode aired, the brands web traffic shot through the roof.
That famous incident led to Luann recording her track, Feeling Jovani.
It has definitely amped up the name Jovani and helped us go beyond prom, Garay-Stanton says.
A lot of people just think of us as a prom brand.
We sell dresses for your bat mitzvah to your granddaughters wedding.
(Youre welcome for this PR, too, Jovani.)
I think the ship has sailed a little bit on that, she says.
I know wed love to see to it the brand is still elevating.
We dont want to get stuck in that one-song, one-note-key in thing.
I hope that we wont be considered a joke later on.
Garay-Stanton turned them down or told them to talk to the store.
That makes us wonder, just how much free stuff are these women getting?
I want you to come in and design it all.
Im gonna put you on the show, he says about the incident.
I wasnt on TV yet.
I dont need to do it for free.
And shes like, Okay, okay, that works.
Berk says then he got a call from her husband trying to bully him into doing it for free.
He decided that he didnt want to do it at all and canceled the verbal agreement.
Months later, he was looking for some inventory and was informed that it was at her house.
His staff had been calling and calling to get it back, and she wouldnt return their calls.
When they tried the credit card, it was declined.
Then lets go to court.
Thisll be good TV.
He never did get his goods back.
This certainly goes for business launches.
Well pay for it.
Within reason, of course.
The women attempt to get the most out of production, however.
Theyre all so cheap, says one producer who has worked on multiple shows.
I mean, they will turn in a receipt for five dollars.
Theyre all so cheap, they want to get the most out of what they put in.
Arent these women rich, though?
Why do they always have one manicured hand out?
Also, only some of the women are really rich.
All that cash didnt come from Cut Fitness; it came fromReal Housewivesand the attendant businesses.
(And that was even before NeNe decided to leaveRHOAagain.)
Now Housewives only get paid for the episodes they appear in.
Most of the main cast, of course, will be in every episode.
Things are different for each franchise and for each woman, obviously.
Cary Deuber told me she made barely any money her first season onRHOD.It was less than nothing.
Less than a handbag.
Less than a Birkin, she says, and I will note she was joking about the Birkin.
She said by season three, she was making around $200,000 a season.
These women get paid per day of filming, which could be a two-hour lunch or an eight-hour outing.
They still get the same rate, and its not much, relatively speaking.
Oh, its definitely less than a Birkin, Cary says.
The figures havent always been as generous.
(Ana is a lawyer, so she knows this shit.)
That means she made $42,000 for season three.
Naturally, the franchise has stars that need to be looked after.
Kyle Richards was also making that much money, it seems.
Radar points to them making $150,000 and $300,000, respectively, forRHOAs 12th season.
I know Bravo is against it, but #GiveMarloAPeach.
You need them more than they need you, he counseled her.
Now she has an agent who probably does the bargaining, and the contract reading, for her.
Some of the Housewives now have agents, but most still represent themselves.
It says that Housewives can be fined for disparaging their co-workers online.
RHONJhas a special carve-out in their contracts, too.
There are a few other Housewife bonuses.
They also get their hair and makeup covered for the reunion and for other official shoots.
Being onHousewivescan also be great for business.
All the people there watched the show, she says.
Thats how I got in.
But so many of theHousewivesbrands come and go (Vickis Vodka, anyone?)
or dont get off the ground at all, like every idea Sonja has ever come up with.
Being onHousewivesis not a promise of business success, its just a loudspeaker to shout a message into.
Outside of entrepreneurship, being a cast member offers as many opportunities as a Housewifes dignity is flexible.
There are the dance singles, podcasts, and YouTube channels.
NeNe, Kandi, and Erika have all appeared on Broadway to a big boost in ticket sales.
Luann charges sometimes upwards of 100 dollars for tickets to her cabaret show that tours around the country.
Many of the Housewives have books, and some of those are even best sellers.
Just, hey, whatever you do, dont ask them to pay for their own trips.
Excerpted fromTHE HOUSEWIVESCopyright 2021 by Brian Moylan.
Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books.
