The Real House of Rhode Island Get Real About Season One So Far

(Left to right) Jo-Ellen Tiberi, Ashley Iaconetti, Alicia Carmody, Kelsey Swanson, Rulla Nehme, Elizabeth McGraw, Rosie DiMare. (Photo by: Bronson Farr/Bravo)

When Bravo first announced that Rhode Island was the location for the newest installment of The Real Housewives franchise, the smallest state was buzzing. Since premiering every Sunday, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, RHORI for short, has gone on to become one of the most popular shows on Bravo with a rapidly growing fanbase. The cast, featuring Ashley Iaconetti, Kelsey Swanson, Liz McGraw, Rosie DiMare, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Alicia Carmody, Jo-Ellen Tiberi and frequent guest Dolores Catania, each bring their own baggage that, after a few glasses of rosé, spills out by way of screaming matches and emotional blowouts. There’re also lighthearted moments where the girls, through their heavy Rhode Island accents, let down their guards and show their genuine, for some of them decades old, friendships with each other. Carmody, McGraw, DiMare and Iaconetti chatted with us to discuss beauty rituals, reservations about joining the cast and how they each get through girl drama.

 How does it feel to have RHORI be such a success and did any of you have an inkling that it would be so successful when you were shooting?

Liz: No, its mind boggling. I always knew Rhode Island would be a superb place for a Housewives franchise, but I didn’t realize how so. We didn’t think it was enough. We maybe thought, oh boy, nothing’s happening, but things were certainly happening. I’m not sure it’s still real. I’m not sure it’s become real yet. Like what crazy dream did I just pop out of?

Rosie: It’s so crazy to think, but I’m not surprised. I think we have a great show. It’s crazy watching it and knowing that so much more happened but we have to smush it into like 48 minutes. If people think this is good, they should have seen what we didn’t show.

Alicia: It’s my dream because I love Rhode Island so much. The fact that I get to start this franchise in Rhode Island is wild. I’m literally so happy people can feel it because I feel like my soul is in the show. My family, my aunts, my daughter, Billy, it’s just soulful I can’t even explain it. It’s on Sunday too which is like the perfect way to end a Sunday.

Ashley: It’s really wild. I’m so proud of everyone. The crew and producers did a fantastic job. I’m so happy for them and of course the cast.

Why do you think the show’s been received so well?

Liz: I think that we are so unique here and we’re such a small, tight knit and impenetrable state. We all know each other and even if we don’t, we do. Like we can’t go to the store without knowing everyone in the store. Shit here spreads like wildfire.

Rosie: I think we’re just different than a lot of the other shows. Some of us are younger, some of us aren’t super rich, we’re just being ourselves and I think that just comes across. I didn’t know it was going to be a huge hit right away, but I knew we had something. It’s only going to keep getting better and I’m just happy to be part of it. I’m the bad guy on the show right now, maybe that’ll change, maybe it won’t. Either way, it’s fun to be a part of it.

Alicia: In Rhode Island we’re different characters in that a lot of people don’t know about the state so I feel like people are like, wait a minute why are they so extra? Because it’s a small state we think we’re superior. I think people are understanding the family value, the friendship value, the loyalties that we have and of course our Rhode Island accents.

Ashley: I can’t say I’ve ever watched Housewives, but I do feel like there is a little bit more of a grounded feeling with ours. It feels to me a little bit warmer than the other franchises I’ve ever watched in the background of my life. There’s also a lot of funny to it. Maybe I just don’t know the rest of the Housewives world, but I feel like maybe ours is excelling in that department right now. I think I just love the way that we’re all getting so much love on social media. People just think it’s a fun, light hearted watch.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF RHODE ISLAND — “Season 1 Screening Event” — Pictured: (l-r) Andy Cohen, Jo-Ellen Tiberi, Dolores Catania, Kelsey Swanson, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Rosie DiMare, Ashley Iaconetti, Alicia Carmody at The Yacht Club at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in New York City on March 30, 2026 — (Photo by: Noam Galai/Bravo)

Ashley, you’ve dealt with being on reality TV in the past being part of The Bachelor franchise. How is this experience different for you being on this type of reality TV show?

Ashley: The filming was a lot different. I’ve been really enjoying seeing the fan feedback every week. On Bachelor, you had your good weeks and your bad weeks. I’m sure I’m going to have my good weeks and my bad weeks as well but overall, I think the airings been really positive. Filming was a totally different beast because int eh bachelor you close off your life for a month or so and go into a weird fantasy bubble life. Here it’s not as invasive as I thought it would be. I’m not waking up every day with a camera in my face.

Rosie, as far as we’ve seen it seems like you’re the cast member most on the outs with people. You’ve fought with known adversaries like Jo-Ellen but then also friends like Alicia. What do you think the group is getting wrong about you in these first few episodes?

Rosie: I don’t necessarily think they have ever tried to get to know me and I think they’re lucky to have me to fight with. A lot of these women have known each other their whole lives and I think if it’s between fighting with someone that you’ve known your whole life or fighting with someone that you only knew through a TV screen, let’s go after the girl we don’t know. I also think that because I was a reporter for so long, I have the unfortunate impulse to point out the obvious or to ask questions. If everybody’s saying this, why don’t we address it and get to the root cause? Some people don’t want to do that, especially in Rhode Island. Also, keep in mind, what are we mad at me about? because I brought cheap wine? Because I asked if the girl with two boyfriends was in a polyamorous relationship? Because I repeated what Alicia said in another group settling? Like none of these things are like shocking crazy. Even what happened in last night’s episode, you’re mad I didn’t post a haircut that happened six months earlier? You could have texted me. She had six months to be like, ‘I’m so glad you liked it, can you post it online?’ I would have done it. By the time she’s screaming at me on a boat, I’ve got new extensions. I’m okay being the bad guy as long as I know that I’m not maliciously doing anything.

Ashley, you seem to be the closest to Rosie. What do you think the rest of the cast gets wrong about her?

Ashley: I don’t get it. I wish I could say more but Rosie has, from the day that I met her, been one of the easiest people for me to get along with. We just have so much to talk about and we have so much fun. Maybe it’s because we’re a little more childlike. Rosies blowing bubbles in this week’s episode and there’s a slide coming in the next few weeks. I don’t know if we have a younger energy. I don’t understand why Kelsey says things like ‘every little thing she does annoys me,’ like what is she doing? There were parts over the summer where we wanted to sit down and play a card game to try and get to know each other but everything was kind of scary. Every game we would play felt like tension was present and that somebody could get angry. We would want to play games and find out what everyones favorite food was, what there favorite movie was, who their celebrity crush was, like we just wanted to play games like that to help loosen everybody up. Everything had a serious weight to it and it’s not the best way to get to know Rosie and me. I was certainly more easily accepted into the group than Rosie was.

Jo-Ellen actually seems to like you.

Ashley: I like Jo-Ellen! It’s a very difficult world to navigate because I think that Jo-Ellen is a good time. But then I’m friends with Rulla and it’s hard. I’m sure that if we ever film again, there’ll be a lot of navigating.

Ashley Iaconetti, Rosie DiMare at the Studio 54 party/ (Photo by: Scott Eisen/Bravo)

Tell me about the polo match. Just watching that episode I could feel the tension and dysfunction. What was that like filming in real time?

Alicia: I think that Rulla is going through a lot and I think that a lot of people are forgetting that. He wants to be the best husband because he messed up and hes trying to prove himself. She’s got two children and she’s madly in love with this man. People need to remember that everyone can’t turn off their feelings. People have to understand both sides to a story. Jo-Ellen is coming as a friend but I sympathize with Rulla too because this is her life that is unfolding right in front of her eyes. She might not be the girl that cries on TV a lot because she’s trying to save face for her children, but she also wants to stay with the father. So I just feel like you have to give her some grace. I understand her, she’s very sweet.

Rosie: It was exactly as you just described. You have to keep in mind too, like we film for like eight or nine hours a day. That’s what I mean when I say it’s so condensed. A lot of it does feel chaotic when it’s happening, but then watching it back it’s just getting the vibe of it. We can’t show all eight hours so we’re showing you 20 minutes of that.

Do you think Brian could do anything to make Rulla leave him?

Rosie: I don’t know if she’s as much in denial as she’s – I mean I try to think of it from my perspective with Rich. I chose to marry Rich and I chose to build a life with Rich. I don’t necessarily know I’m going to choose to have children with Rich, but I did choose to introduce Clemmy to Rich and we all know how much I love my dog. I think Rulla wants to believe the person she’s invested her entire life in. She’s very aware that he cheated on her, she’s very aware that there was an affair. I wish that they can explain clearer why she’s mad at certain people. I feel like that gets lost in the shuffle. She’s very old school and she chose to marry this person. She’s already had one divorce and I think she wants a successful marriage for her kids. I think they do love each other. I’ve seen them in real life and they do love each other. Would I choose that life? I don’t know, I’m not in the situation. But it’s not as easy as saying she’s delusional. I’m sure if he did it again, maybe she’d leave but for right now she’s trying to make it work. I don’t know what I would do. I say I would cut off Rich’s dick off, but would I do that? Or would I curl into the fetal position and not leave for three months? I really don’t know.

 Were there any reservations when signing onto the show?

Alicia: I think Billy was more nervous because he has different businesses and restaurants. I told him I’ll always come back to you and if I feel like I’m getting too extra just slow me down a little bit and we’ll talk. I actually feel like it’s been very therapeutic for both of us. I don’t open up on the day to day and this show really helped me realize what bothered me. Usually I don’t have to think about what’s bothering me in our relationship and with this I’m actually sitting down and talking. Usually I would just let stuff go and go to Target or something, but now we’re making the time to talk about emotional issues.

Ashley: It took us at least six weeks to make a decision. It was a lot of thinking. I always say I’d rather say yes to something than say no to it and then regret and wonder what if forever. It’s a huge opportunity and Jared loves his home state and it’s crazy we get to be a part of such a huge thing in his beloved home state. I did make friends through it. I feel like I have more of a community now. I feel like I really do belong more in Rhode Island because of it.

Liz: It was all reservations. I tried to duck out a few times. Putting your whole life and relationships on blast, that’s not for the faint of heart. When you’re in a position like Gerry and I, where we’re kind of trailblazing and doing our thing, people come after you. I was wary of that. I’m also much older than the rest of the cast, so I struggled with that.

You don’t look it though.

Liz: People may say that, but I feel it. Walking across that polo field, my feet were swollen and I was feeling it.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF RHODE ISLAND — “Season 1 Screening Event. (Left to right) Dolores Catania, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Alicia Carmody, Kelsey Swanson, Jo-Ellen Tiberi, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rosie DiMare at The Yacht Club at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in New York City on March 30, 2026 — (Photo by: Jordan Curtis Hughes/Bravo)

Liz as you mentioned you and Gerry are trailblazers, having opened the first dispensary in Rhode Island, Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center. Being the cannabis queen, I have to ask if you have a favorite strain?

Liz: You know, I don’t really partake. They say we all have cannabinoid receptors in our brains. Mine must be absolutely full because I don’t partake. In the early years when we first started our own crops, I tried every crop and if I had to pick a specific strain it would be Sativa. I like the heavy Sativa strains but I’m not a daily cannabis user.

Liz, Alicia and Ashley, has business at Slater, Audrey’s and Pizza Mamma been better since the show premiered?

Liz: There’s no uptick in sales yet. Maybe as we go on, but you that aspect of my life isn’t seen a lot on the show. I’m just really appreciative of a long-term clientele base. We just celebrated 13 years. I feel so blessed to have been able to help so many people along the way with this benign giving plant that used in the right way, can quell so much discomfort. We also have an amazing compassion program where no one goes without, regardless of their means.

Alicia: It’s such a small spot and it’s been super busy. People are having so much fun with it, you know? That’s the thing I wanted when I did this; I wanted people to have fun. It’s not expensive pizza so everyone can go.

Ashley: The spike has been large. It’s been really quite significant. So, thank you Rhode Island for showing up. It’s not making Jared work any less, he’s there like full time now, but we’re very very grateful for all the business. We’re also just anticipating what’s going to happen when this section of the state becomes a vacation destination. People who aren’t from Rhode Island but are watching the show will hopefully be coming in too, so thank you to everybody who stops by.

Alicia have you and Billy had any more conversations surrounding the prenup and marriage?

Alicia: We’re always talking about it. He’s always asking why I haven’t gone back to the lawyers and I always say, why would I go back to the lawyers when you did it to me twice. I’m not an attorney but I’m not stupid. Let me just clarify, I’m not stupid. I’m definitely naïve but he’s a good guy and I don’t think he would ever leave me. I still have to protect myself of course though.

Have any of your relationships drastically changed after the show?

Liz: Not one bit. I mean it’s bumpy. I’ve hit bumps in the road with almost every cast member. I wouldn’t say that today any of them erratically changed from the beginning.

Alicia: I think we’re all pretty good right now. It’s like a roller coaster. We love each other, we fight, we love each other, we fight, we hate each other, we love each other again.

(Left to right) Dolores Catania, Elizabeth McGraw, Alicia Carmody and Jo-Ellen Tiberi — (Photo by: Scott Eisen/Bravo)

Everyone on the show is so stunning. What are some of your tried-and-true beauty rituals?

Liz: I do a lot of non-conventional things, which maybe you’ll see as the episodes go on. I slap my face because it just brings circulation and blood flow. Red light therapy too. I’ll do anything. If it has some kind of anti-aging properties, I’m doing it. That means needling, slapping, red-light mask, I’ll do all of that.

Alicia: A friggin spray tan saved my life this summer and honestly, I almost feel like I need to do it more than I did. It makes you feel thinner. I don’t care what anyone says, it shows your muscles better and it just evens out you rskin without getting into the sun.

Favorite spots to shop, grab a bite and hangout in Rhode Island?

Liz: Clothes shopping in Rhode Island is somewhat limited. As far as restaurants, what’s interesting is some of our absolute favorite restaurants were opposed to us filming. Again, it’s a tight knit state. A lot of it is nimbyism. Maybe they’re afraid we are going to flip tables. There’s a stigmatism to it so a lot of my favorite places were not super interested. I think maybe season two that may change. We can only bring in more business.

Alicia: For shopping I guess Garden City. We have get more stores up in Rhode Island. For restuarants I go wherever. The food is good everywhere. I love Ten Prime Steak and Sushi and Twin Oaks more than anything in this world. The garlic bread dipped in the marinara sauce is so good. I love Café Nuovo on the WaterFire nights and doing the boat ride that makes you feel like you’re in Italy.

Ashley: When my dad was in his residency we lived up in Boston for four years. So, when I was little my parents would always go to Newport on the weekends. Then when I was with Jared, I was like we have to go to Newport. It’s still very much my happy place in the state. I cross that bridge and I feel like I’m in a fairy tale. I love Watch Hill. I’ll always have lunch at Ocean House and of course see Taylor Swifts house. I love Wickford too. Wickford is more of my day to day because I go there all the time.

Jared Haibon and Ashley Iaconetti — (Photo by: Scott Eisen/Bravo)

What’s your advice for getting through girl drama?

Liz: I’m still trying to take my own advice. I get this fight or flight thing with girl drama. I say it all the time, I could sit in a room with 12 men attacking me and still be filing my nails and laughing but when it comes to girls, I get this fight or flight response. So, I would say that my advice would be to take what my tattoo says, lean back. I haven’t taken my own advice, but we’ll see what happens at the end.

Rosie: I haven’t figured it out yet. I’m working on it. My whole thing this summer was just that I have to keep showing up and trying my best. I think for most of my life I’ve been in therapy and have been really trying to be a normal person who functions with emotional maturity. So, if people don’t like me and they’re mean to me but I don’t have to be around them on a daily basis, I probably just won’t. You have to keep showing up and you have to keep trying to make it work. I could have obviously quit, but I wanted to see if I could get through to people. After a while if that doesn’t work, I think maybe I can just learn to have fun anyway. Overall, I think you have to just have fun and try your best.

Alicia: With the situation with me and Rosie fighting, when she said sorry, I knew she meant it. I felt it, you know? I feel like that was her first time cross me and she threw me under the bus a little. I forgave her because I do love her. I’m not the type to just throw you off the bus because of one fight. I come from a huge Italian family full of women. I have six aunts and about twenty girl cousins. I was a hairstylist and worked with women all day long. I consider it a sisterhood. I think of my friends as my sisters. You’re going to fight and you’re going to cry and you’re going to say things you don’t mean. But I know that Rosie loves me, I just had to let her know don’t cross me again.

Ashley: I think it’s all about the approach. Sitting down with someone and speaking calmly and having a relatively pleasant tone. You can get across to somebody so much more when you’re just trying to generally understand them.

New episodes of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island premiere every Sunday at 9/8c. Watch the trailer for the series below.