Has Bravo secretly been casting a brand new Real Housewives franchise right under our noses? According to some rumors around the internet, Bravo has been scouting for and possibly filming the pilot of a brand new Real Housewives series, set in Cranston, Rhode Island.
Where did the rumors about The Real Housewives of Rhode Island come from?
According to WJAR, the rumors that Bravo has been working on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island started on TikTok. The main account that has been spreading the rumor that the show is in the works is Chelsea Delman, a Providence woman who goes by The Socialite Files on social media.
According to Chelsea Delman, she started a series on her TikTok account called "The Real Housewives of Providence" in which she would vlog her day-to-day life for the internet and named it after the iconic Bravo franchise.
Coincidentally, she says that a number of her friends had been in the talks with Bravo to be cast for one of two different shows that the network was considering doing in Rhode Island.
One of them, which Chelsea Delman doesn't have any updates on, was a Southern Charm-style show while the other, which seems like might be what fans believe is to become The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, was said to follow Italian families in Rhode Island.
According to the TikTok user, she's been contacted by several people who said they know someone who is filming with Bravo and that they're filming in Cranston, Rhode Island.
Since Cranston has such a large Italian-American population, it would make sense with the initial rumor that Chelsea Delman claims to have heard about Bravo scouting for a show about Italian families.
It hasn't been confirmed yet by Bravo and there are conflicting reports about whether it's still in casting, if they've filmed the pilot, or it's been pitched to the network yet. Chelsea Delman did find an Instagram account for the show, but since she's been talking about the show on social media, it would be easy for someone un-affiliated with Bravo to make the account in order to stir the rumors up, so until Bravo officially announces the show, it's hard to say whether or not it's real.
Could The Real Housewives of Rhode Island be replacing The Real Housewives of New Jersey?
Because of the large Italian-American population in Cranston, Rhode Island and the fact that Chelsea Delman claimed that Bravo was allegedly originally trying to cast for a show about large Italian families, some fans believe that this might be Bravo attempting to replace The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
they better cast old school classy italians and make it jersey 2.0
— Salvatorè (@klmillion73725) December 27, 2024
Andy Cohen previously shared that there won't be any news on the future of RHONJ until 2026 at the earliest, so it's possible that Bravo is either working on trying to find a replacement for the show or something to fill the airwaves until it comes back.
The last season was so tumultuous and toxic that not even the cast knows whether or not RHONJ will get a reboot, a cast shakeup, or re-cast with the existing cast members and if there won't be news until 2026, that means it could be even longer before it actually airs again.
Some fans are hesitant to believe the rumors about The Real Housewives of Rhode Island
Although a lot of fans are excited about the prospect of a new Real Housewives franchise set in a fresh city, some fans are skeptical. Since it's still so early in the process for the new show and Bravo hasn't announced anything themselves yet, all the rumors about The Real Housewives of Rhode Island are just that -- rumors.
There are some fans that are hesitant to believe that anything could be going on with the new reality show. Some fans have even pointed out that Bravo doesn't typically scout and film new shows specifically to be a new Real Housewives franchise, pointing out the way that shows have been created in the past.
For instance, one fan on Reddit pointed out that The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills started out as a show about Kyle Richards, Kim Richards, and Kathy Hilton for a different network before it was taken on by Bravo to become the show we know today. Similarly, The Real Housewives of New York City was originally called Manhattan Moms and The Real Housewives of Potomac started out as Potomac Ensemble.
Still, other fans say that if the show ends up coming to the air, they'll definitely be watching.
Some fans have said they're excited to see that Ashley Iaconetti from The Bachelor is rumored to be in the cast while others have pointed out that other cities that haven't seemed like they would have a lot of drama, like Salt Lake City, tend to be some of the most interesting franchises.
It's still too soon to say whether or not Bravo is working on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, but it will be interesting to see if anything comes from these rumors.