What's real about The Real Housewives?

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2023

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What makes The Real Housewives peak culture – as in the #1 topic in the group chat – for so many people? Host Brittany Luse and producer Liam McBain descend into the depths of Bravocon – the Bravo convention – to find out. They talk to fans, a producer, and the Housewives themselves to understand how the franchise became a cultural juggernaut.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I think like good housewives are messy, transparent, the best ones are delusional.
0:09.5	You're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR.
0:12.0	I'm Britt E.Loose.
0:13.4	And today, our episode is about a cultural juggernaut.
0:18.1	An institution big enough for its own convention with 30,000 attendees.
0:24.0	It's not comics or drag.
0:26.6	It's Bravo.
0:27.6	Bravo is a dynasty in the world of reality TV.
0:34.2	And its flagship franchise is the Real Housewives.
0:39.0	The Real Housewives alone has over 50 total programs.
0:43.4	That includes former shows, international installations, and spin-offs.
0:47.6	If you're not already a reality TV, Tarroufer, this train is coming for you.
0:54.0	Half of American adults watch at least one hour of it per week.
0:58.1	So in case you don't know what the Real Housewives is, it's a docu-series about a bunch of rich
1:04.0	women, many of whom are already kind of famous, who invite us into their lavish lives.
1:10.1	Can throw her tennis bracelet.
1:12.1	How much do you think that bracelet is worth?
1:14.1	Oh, 70 grand and minimum $70,000.
1:17.1	It's like $70,000.
1:19.3	They go on extravagant trips with each other.
1:21.9	Paris.
1:22.9	Amsterdam.
	...

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