There are two new Housewives heading to Beverly Hills this fall, but they are not "official" Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Earlier this week, Bravo revved up the promotional machine for the highly anticipated second season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (which premieres on Monday, September 5th) and there were several things to note about the cast for the upcoming season. For starters, all six Housewives from the show's blockbuster first season will be returning and the friendship dynamics will take a drastic change from what we saw last year. Secondly, there were two new faces mixed in with original group, but they weren't included in the cast photo or billed as "official" Housewives. Those two women are Dana Wilkey and Brandi Glanville and Bravo has dubbed them "Friends of the Housewives" as they will be featured prominently in the season, but not enough to get a chance to strike a seductive pose in the show's lavish opening credits.
The "Friends of the Housewives" moniker isn't too much of a stretch given that there have been recurring Housewives during past seasons of most incarnations of the Real Housewives franchise. Fernanda Rocha comes to mind from The Real Housewives of O.C., while The Real Housewives of New York City had Jennifer Gilbert in their third season (even though her appearances were equivalent to a "Where's Waldo?" puzzle). Some might even consider Ms. Lawrence, Derek J, and Dwight Eubanks from The Real Housewives of Atlanta as being "Friends of the Housewives," since all three men have made numerous appearances on all three seasons of that particular show. Now that Bravo is giving Bio and Video space on their website for ancillary Housewives, maybe Dwight Eubanks should have thought twice before declaring he wasn't going to be a part of RHOA's fourth season.
Brandi Glanville and Dana Wilkey seem as if they will play a significant part in the dynamics of RHOBH's second season, but whether or not that includes their own personal lives is a different story. Brandi has been in the news a lot recently when word broke about her participation on the show, mainly due to her nasty split with her ex-husband Eddie Cibrian (CSI:NY), who dumped Brandi for LeAnn Rimes. Many speculated on whether or not that particular piece of drama would be a part of the upcoming season since Brandi began filming with the cast, but will she only be used for soundbites about events concerning the main six Housewives? Anything is possible at this point.
Until we know just how Bravo plans on using Brandi, there are other things of note about the recent divorcée. For one, she's a model who has worked with fashion giants Gucci, Giorgio Armani, and Chanel; has posed for the pages of high fashion magazines, such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour; and is the Lego-building mother of two young boys, Mason (8) and Jack (4). In the Real Housewives world, she's a triple threat, which makes us wonder why she didn't make the final cut on th show.
Here's an interview Bravo did with Brandi Glanville to tell us about what's to come this season on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
As for Dana Wilkey, I'll be honest and say that I haven't heard much about her, because I didn't even know who she was or even that I should. Although by looking at her bio on Bravo's official site for the show, you would think that I would. Dana is a well-renowned party planner in the both the U.S. and Europe, known mostly for throwing ridiculously excessive parties for top brass celebrities. Remember Taylor's Alice in Wonderland birthday party for her daughter? Yep, Dana is responsible for that fiasco.
Even though she's not a Beverly Hills native (she hails from the east coast), Dana has made a name for herself and is well-respected with the glitterati of the area. Her life story would inspire many women due to her never-ending tenacity to become what Bravo has dubbed a "self-made woman." Leaving home at age 15 after her mother succumbed to a coma from a car accident, Dana made her way to the west coast where she graduated with honors from USC and started her own party planning business along with a product placement/web application firm called the Adwill Agency. When Dana's not being a mother to her 22 month old son, she's doing work for the charities she belongs to and hanging out with Taylor.
Here's a clip of Dana giving us details about herself and what's to come this season:
What do you think about the two new ladies? Should they get official Housewives cred or not?
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season Two premieres on Monday, September 5th @10/9c on Bravo.
good article , highly informative
Wow, amazing blog format! How long have you been blogging for? you made running a blog look easy. The whole glance of your website is great, as well as the content!