Reunions, re-casting, and setups (the RHONJ buzz-word of the moment) are what make The Real Housewives shows exciting to watch even though it's hard to keep up with at times. Here's what's been going on lately:

Alexis Says Farewell

After much speculation that Real Housewives of Orange County star Alexis Bellino would not be returning for another season, she made her decision official yesterday.

"After three seasons of appearing on The Real Housewives of Orange County, I have made the difficult decision not to return for season 8," Alexis told People. "Although Bravo made me a very generous offer and I'm thankful to have had this experience, I will be leaving the show behind to focus on my family and other opportunities."

While we can't say Alexis will be missed, we can say we're excited about another new housewife in the O.C. Bravo hit a home run by casting Heather Dubrow last year, so maybe they can do it again.

It's a Setup

On this week's finale episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the viewers witnessed a feud that would split up a family for an entire year. The basis of the fight was that Teresa Giudice set up her sister-in-law, Melissa Gorga, to be outed as having been a stripper. Now it looks like the drama may have been entirely manufactured by producers.

According to sources at Jezebel, the "mutual friend" who was texting Jacqueline about the "setup" was RHONJ producer Cat Rodriguez, and that all of the ladies knew something was going to happen that evening, except Teresa. Not to mention the obvious fact that Bravo put a personal mic on the bald accuser, when usually only cast members wear mics.

If this is in fact the truth, not only was Teresa's reaction genuine, but the producers are responsible for two families not speaking for over a year. It hardly seems ethical to break up a family for good TV, but hey, Bravo doesn't exactly have the best of track records with being ethical.

Reunion Wrap

The Real Housewives of New York City is wrapping up their season and finished filming by taping the reunion special last week. According to the Huffington Post, It was nearly a 10 hour day, and of course it was taxing on all of the ladies.

"Woke up with a migraine from yesterday's reunion!!! Sheeeeesh!" Aviva Drescher tweeted.

"It was a long day with a tough crowd! Luckily I have patience and a life!" tweeted Sonja Morgan.

Atlanta Sneak Peek

Last week, Bravo announced the return of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Atlanta. But while they did release a preview of RHOBH, they didn't for RHOA until today. RHOA returns on November 4, and here's a sneak peek:



Gina Pusateri
Contributing Writer

(Image courtesy of Bravo)