The 401
ARTS & CULTURE
BY TESS LYONS
PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF BRAVO / JORDAN CURTIS HUGHES AND SCOTT EISEN.
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INCE PREMIERING IN APRIL,“ The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” has become one of the most popular shows on Bravo with a large fanbase( those accents!) and a second season in the works.
The cast, featuring Ashley Iaconetti, Kelsey Swanson, Liz McGraw, Rosie DiMare, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Alicia Carmody, Jo-Ellen Tiberi and frequent guest Dolores Catania, each bring their own baggage that, after a few glasses of rose, spills out by way of screaming matches and emotional blowouts. There are also lighthearted moments when the women let down their guard and show genuine affection for each other.
Some of the cast members recently chatted with Rhode Island Monthly to discuss the show’ s meteoric rise, misgivings about joining the cast and their favorite local haunts.
Why do you think the show’ s been received so well? LIZ: I think that we are so unique here and we’ re such a small, tight-knit and impenetrable state. We all know each other, and even if we don’ t, we do. We can’ t go to the store without knowing everyone in the store. ROSIE: I think we’ re just different from a lot of the other shows. Some of us are younger, some of us aren’ t super rich, we’ re just being ourselves, and I think that comes across. I didn’ t know it was going to be a huge hit right away, but I knew we had something. It’ s only going to keep getting better and I’ m just happy to be part of it. I’ m the bad guy on the show right now; maybe that’ ll change, maybe it won’ t. Either way, it’ s fun to be a part of it. ALICIA: In Rhode Island, we’ re different characters in that a lot of people don’ t know about the state, so I feel people are like,‘ Wait a minute, why are they so extra?’ Because it’ s a small state, we think we’ re superior. I think people are understanding the family values, the
The cast of“ The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” from left, Dolores Catania, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Alicia Carmody, Kelsey Swanson, Jo-Ellen Tiberi, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw and Rosie DiMare; Iaconetti, below, and her husband, Jared Haibon, celebrate at a July Fourth party on the show.
Q & A:‘ The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’
The RHORI stars dish on fame, the Ocean State and their misgivings about joining the show.
friendship values, the loyalties that we have and, of course, our Rhode Island accents. ASHLEY: I can’ t say I’ ve ever watched‘ Housewives,’ but I do feel like there is a little bit more of a grounded feeling with ours. There’ s also a lot of funny to it. I love the way that we’ re all getting so much love on social media. People just think it’ s a fun, lighthearted watch.
Were there any reservations when signing onto the show? ALICIA: I think Billy [ Kitsilis, her fiancé ] was more nervous because he has different businesses and restaurants. I feel like it’ s been very therapeutic for both of us. I don’ t open up on the day-to-day and this show really helped me realize what bothered me. Usually, I would just let stuff go and go to Target or something, but now we’ re making the time to talk about emotional issues. ASHLEY: It took us at least six weeks to make a decision. It was a lot of thinking. I always say I’ d rather say yes to something
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