Bravo Brynn Whitfield of RHONY.
A new star from “The Real Housewives of New York City” revealed that she actually turned down a chance to be on another Bravo show years ago.
In a July 2023 interview on Betches’ “Mention It All” podcast, RHONY newcomer Brynn Whitfield revealed that Lisa Vanderpump asked her if she would be interested in joining “Vanderpump Rules” when it debuted in 2013 – and she turned the offer down flat.
Whitefield, now 36, could have been cast alongside bar stars Stassi Schroeder, Jax Taylor, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, Kristen Doute, and Tom Sandoval but instead waited more than a decade to make her reality TV debut.
Here’s what you need to know:
Brynn Whitfield Thought Reality TV Was ‘Trashy’
BravoPictured: (l-r) Brynn Whitfield, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Ubah Hassan
Whitfield appeared on “Mention It All” alongside her RHONY co-stars Jessel Taank and Erin Dana Lichy. During the chat, Whitfield revealed that she was already familiar with the Bravoverse before signing on because her “best friend’s mom” was once part of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
“I knew Lisa Vanderpump before the show,” Whitefield said on the podcast. “Like you would go there on a Tuesday random night, and there would be rose petals up the staircase and candles. It would look like Valentine’s Day and it was a Tuesday. So she’s that fabulous.”
Whitfield explained that she met Vanderpump years ago because she is close friends with the SUR owner’s daughter, Pandora Vanderpump-Sabo.
“I’m friends with Pandy,” she added. “And actually back in the day when they were starting ‘Vanderpump Rules,’ they were like ‘we’re starting this show, would you maybe want to think about being on it?’ And I was like, ‘well I would have to quit my job at this PR firm and actually work at this restaurant.’”
“I got on my high horse and I was telling Lisa and Pandy, ‘I would never do reality TV. Like that is so trashy!’” Whitfield, who works as a PR and marketing consultant, admitted on the podcast. “The second I got [RHONY], Pandy screenshot it and was like ‘really b****?’ And I was like ‘I’m poor, I need to do it!’”
Whitfield added that reality TV has changed a lot since then and it’s “cool” now.
In October 2022, Whitfield was announced as a cast member on the revamped version of RHONY alongside Lichy, Taank, Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, and Jenna Lyons.
Brynn Whitfield Was Afraid She’d Be ‘Insecure’ With Reality TV Cameras Around
Whitefield’s reservations about doing reality TV weren’t limited to her thoughts that it was beneath her.
In a separate interview on Access Hollywood’s “Housewives Nightcap” in July 2023, she revealed that she couldn’t imagine not feeling self-conscious with cameras around.
“I was like there’s no way that I could actually hang out with my friends and have cameras and not be different,” she said. “I was like, I’ll be insecure. I’ll be like ‘how do I look?’ whenever the craziest thing happens.”
“After five minutes you forget that they’re there,” she told Access. “And then that’s like a problem, you know? Like you actually don’t even notice that they’re there.”
She also revealed that 10 years after “Vanderpump Rules,” it was “an immediate yes” when she was asked to join RHONY. “It’s just an absolute honor and like to be able to represent New York … it’s honestly a dream,” she said.
While she did turn down a spot on “Vanderpump Rules,” Whitfield revealed that Vanderpump did give her advice when she started on the Real Housewives franchise. “Lisa gave some good advice – she was like, ‘just be yourself darling,’” Whitfield told Page Six in July 2023.
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