Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan Kick Off Filming New Reality Show in Southern Illinois!
Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan touched down in southern Illinois Wednesday to kick off filming their upcoming reality show, Page Six reports.
Dozens of fans joined Benton Mayor Fred Kondritz to welcome the Real Housewives of New York City stars on the tarmac of Benton Municipal Airport, as reported by local outlet WFCN News.
The ladies were snapped exiting the plane and walking a mini red carpet, as cameras captured their arrival. WFCN reported that Luann, 57, and Sonja, 58, will be filming in the area “over several weeks.”
Benton has a population of almost 7000 people, according to a 2020 census. The area boasts the Franklin County Garage Museum, the Historic Jail Museum, the George Harrison “Beatle” Museum, and Rend Lake as local tourist spots.
Page Six broke the news last month that the Bravo veterans landed their own show, which will reportedly follow the basic format as the “Simple Life.” The big city women will live and mingle with the town’s locals, similar to how Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie mixed with regular folk in the early 2000s series.
“Luann and Sonja of course will be their fabulous selves and each episode will have them interacting with the locals,” the outlet reported, in June. “They don’t know the locations yet, but it’s going to be somewhere like Kansas or Nebraska, not some hipster Southern town. [Executives] have been holding the locations even from the gals until the last minute.”
The show is expected to run about ten episodes, and a source spilled that fans can look forward to seeing some familiar faces pop in as surprise guests.
It’s unclear if the new show will air on Bravo or on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service. Luann recently appeared on Peacock spinoff series, “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.”
In March, Bravo executive, Andy Cohen, told Variety that the network was recasting the Real Housewives of New York City with a new group of women who will reflect the city’s diversity.
The decision to overhaul the Bravo formula came after crashed ratings and heavy social media backlash.
Cohen said—“I think that if you look at any series, where the ratings are declining week to week as the series goes on, and the viewer feedback is growing disenchanted on social media, etc. — I think that was a big red flag for us.”
“This is the most multicultural, diverse, and energetic, and exciting city in America,” Cohen told the outlet. “We are searching for a multicultural group of friends who really best reflect the most exciting city in the country. We’re looking for a group of women who are real friends, and who are of diverse backgrounds, races, and religions.”
A future “legacy” spinoff series will feature a group of former RHONY cast members. Cohen has yet to reveal which of the RHONY veterans will stay, and who will be cut.
“Our loyal fans have spoken as to what they want to see and what they don’t want to see — and we’ve taken that all into account,” Cohen said.
He added—“And this is a series where you’re going to expect to see fan favorites from the show’s great history.”
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Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.