The Hollywood powers that be are under siege. There's the writers' strike. And the actors' strike. Now a former reality star is attempting to spearhead the charge to revolutionize unscripted TV.
Bethenny Frankel, former star of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York franchise, has called for a "reality reckoning" — and there are signs that it might become, well, a reality. Frankel recently interviewed Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss, who took the internet by storm for her affair with a castmate, birthing the Scandoval. Never mind that Frankel admitted to watching only clips of Vanderpump and that Leviss had an awful affair with her good friend's partner, the title of the pod was "Reality Reckoning: Rachel Leviss." It's just a part of Frankel's larger goal of going after Bravo and others.
It's been a tumultuous time in reality TV. It's more important than ever for networks amid the duel writers-and-actors strike. But reality stars have shown signs of being fed up. Vulture reported on an apparent impending lawsuit against NBC Universal, the parent company of Bravo, alleging "fraud, emotional distress, distribution of revenge porn and false imprisonment" while also "asking the network to preserve any corroborating evidence." Meanwhile, a former cast member of Netflix's Love Is Blind has sued the streaming giant over allegations of "inhumane working conditions." A recent episode of Bravo's Below Deck Down Under showed a firing after a shocking scene of sexual misconduct.
Frankel fits into this equation because she's been spearheading a "reality reckoning" and unionization efforts. The former RHONY star wants reality stars to demand residual-esque payments for networks playing hit reality shows over and over. It's an industry, Frankel has said, that takes advantage of people eager for fame and perhaps not well-versed in entertainment contracts. She also suggested a minimum salary of $5,000 per episode and that stars get a 10 percent raise every season.
"Just because you can, as a streamer or a network, play the show as much as you want, doesn’t mean you should," she told Variety in July. "Meaning, yes, they're going to get as much milk out of the cows as they could because it's legal. We signed a contract. Does it mean we should be exploited? It means when you get a ratings bump or something happens, you should share. Networks and streamers have been exploiting people for too long."
With the two-part Leviss interview, Frankel's name trended throughout Thursday on X (FKA Twitter). With Leviss not exactly being a fan favorite, a lot of the response was critical. And it did seem like much of the pod was devoted to excusing Leviss' affair and betrayal of a friend.
Even Summer House's Kyle Cooke, a Bravo star himself, commented on Instagram that Frankel was "cashing in" on ads with the Leviss interview — and that it was money Leviss wouldn't see. Lisa Vanderpump, former Housewife and executive producer of Vanderpump Rules, even questioned the feasibility of Frankel's unionization pitch. Still, the major backlash has been from fans online.
This hints at the issue at hand: reality stars are often treated by fans as storylines. It's all a part of the drama and not necessarily real. It's hard for some fans to reckon with the fact that two things can be true: Frankel is an imperfect person who has had her life broadcast to the world and perhaps reality stars are treated unfairly. Yes, Leviss was one of the unquestioned villains of Vanderpump last season and also maybe reality stars are exploited and taken advantage of.
And yes, perhaps a podcast with Frankel and Leviss was far from the ideal way to promote the so-called reality reckoning. But that doesn't mean that reckoning isn't coming all the same.
