Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It

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Kathleen French (Senior Vice President of Current Production, Bravo): It is the weirdest place. You go through this first gate—you have to give your name—and you’re in this completely different land. Immediately, the world changes around you. It’s a huge community, and there are gated communities within the gated community. More fabulous homes behind other gates of their own. Not All Diamonds and Rose is the definitive oral history of the hit television franchise, from its unlikely start in the gated communities of Orange County to the pop culture behemoth it has become-spanning eight cities, hundreds of cast members, and millions of fans. Nene Leakes and Kim Zolciak-Biermann appeared to be close friends on RHOA. They admitted they've had a bumpy past but they genuinely loved being around each other. But according to the tell-all, the two former friends couldn't stand each other and pretended to get along for the show. Grab your pencils and sit down for the ultimate Real Housewiveshistory lesson, courtesy of author Dave Quinn. The only textbook you'll be needing this September is Quinn's Not All Diamonds and Rosé, recounting the oral history behind the famed Bravo reality TV franchise that has captured table flips, cheating scandals and of course, everyone's favorite Housewife catchphrases. Scott Dunlop: Jeana’s family was very unusual. They were perfect for television, really. Jeana came from Hollywood—she was a Playboy Playmate of the Year, she had been one of the muses in ZZ Top’s music videos, but she was now working as a real estate agent. Her husband, Matt Keough, was a retired baseball player. They were always gone, and their three children sort of roamed the streets of Coto de Caza wild. I remember seeing their son Shane one day, he must have been about seven years old, just standing at my door. I asked, “Shane, what are you doing?” He goes, “I’m hungry.” I said, “Where’s your mom?” and he didn’t have an answer. That was the Keoughs. I knew we could get a lot out of them.

Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real

And speaking of falling out—Bethenny and Nene are not in this book and their absence looms so very large. LVP only gives a couple quotes at the end of BH chapter. For the first time in the ultimate reunion, the ladies of The Real Housewives dish on the iconic moments we’ll never forget and the off-camera drama we’ve never seen before. From flipped tables to thrown tiki torches, from Atlanta to Beverly Hills, this is the definitive story of the Real Housewives. If you're looking for ANY RHOC wife to be held accountable for their disgusting behavior (including racism, misogyny, abuse, fat-shaming, I could go on), don't hold your breath. This exhaustive oral history features dishy interviews with 185 cast and crew members behind the Bravo phenomenon. Fans will delight to read about how it all got started.”

What is it really like to be a housewife? We all want to know, but only the women we love to watch and the people who make the show have the whole story. Well, listen in close, because they're about to tell all.

Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside - Yumpu Ebook/PDF% Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside - Yumpu

just like in the show, garcelle was the only one in the book to defend denise. and don’t think i didn’t notice how the producer’s treatment of denise (and fourth wall breaking) isn’t mentioned at all, but they made sure to turn their nose up at denise’s “unprofessionalism” and the “bravo bravo bravo” comments. the women also continue to spin the tale of “denise was shaming and vilifying us for talking about sex, even though she always talked about sex” when that was very clearly not what happened at all. Jeana Keough: He was pretty excited about us. I thought, “Oh, how sweet. Anything we can do to help him out, we’ll do.” I’ve always been a networker and someone who helps people realize their dreams. It’s coming from the Midwest, that’s what we do.

Nearly all the wives, producers and network executives, as well as Cohen himself, are on the record, unfiltered and unvarnished about what it really takes to have a tagline," the official description continued. "This is your VIP pass to the lives behind the glam squads, testimonials and tabloid feuds." All these archetypes started appearing for me, and I had an idea to do a short film that was kind of a send-up of life in affluent suburbia; something tongue-in-cheek and a little parodistic. Then, around 2003, reality TV was becoming big business. It made me think of the Loud family, who were on PBS’s An American Family. And I said to myself, “There are plenty of characters here who are just as compelling. Maybe this could be a reality series? What would that look like?” Not All Diamonds and R osé] spills the tea (or the rosé, if you prefer) on the reality empire with extensive reporting from the series' casts, producers, executives, and more.”

the Ultimate Real Housewives History Book Get the First Look at the Ultimate Real Housewives History Book

Not as much “tea” as I’d hoped for but throughly enjoyed walking down memory lane with these ladies. The interviews are masterfully woven together, great editing. I thought the RHONJ chapter was especially well-edited. The author is also clearly very good at interviews and can ask the right questions to get a fun story. The RHONY chapter was probably my favorite; I think long-time fans will enjoy hearing the BTS details on Jill etc. Sonja is, of course, always a delight. I liked hearing more from Dorinda. Not getting a Bethenny interview is disappointing. Scott Dunlop: I was a first-time television producer, and this was a docu-soap as we know it now, which wasn’t as dominant at the time. But I knew that Bravo was kind of reengineering their brand. Dave Quinn's Not All Diamonds and Rosé is the definitive oral history of the hit television franchise, from its unlikely start in the gated communities of Orange County to the pop culture behemoth it has become—spanning eight cities, hundreds of cast members, and millions of fans.

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After every season of The Real Housewives, Cohen hosts a reunion to talk about everything that happened over the season. But at the start of the series (when Orange County was the only city), the reunion was not like it is today.

Not All Diamonds And Rose: The Definitive Oral History - Target Not All Diamonds And Rose: The Definitive Oral History - Target

All in all, I devoured the book because I love mess. Because of some of the points above, I feel conflicted. It's worth the read, but if you know someone with a hard copy, borrow it. If you expected a thoughtful exploration of these shows, these women, why we love them, etc., this isn't it. If you wanted some gossip and a fun read, but don't need your favorite 'wives to be held accountable– you'll like this. If you loved mess but were left wanting more analysis/depth, I'd recommend Brian Moylan's book and the Andy's Girls podcast. Major events are skipped altogether - barely any discussions about the reunions. Whole seasons are basically skipped. Major cast members are not included (despite being interviewed, Lisa Vanderpump is barely quoted in the Beverly Hills chapter, but Chris Cullen, a producer who has since been fired, is quoted at length and he definitely has a grudge). Events are portrayed not in the way they are shown and to make certain people look good. Disgusting events are told that never got aired and shouldn't have been written about (Sonja Morgan and a cigarette comes to mind).

The book will include in-depth interviews with over 100 Housewives past and present from Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Dallas, DC, Miami, New York, New Jersey, Orange Country, and Potomac. According to a press release, the "book is the definitive oral history and includes hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews, candid conversations and never-before-heard details from those involved. From Housewives and friends of, to producers, network executives, casting directors and more, Quinn gives readers an exclusive all-access pass to behind-the-scenes details of legendary rivalries, off-camera revelations, and some of the most iconic moments in Housewives history." Shari Levine (Executive Vice President of Current Production, Bravo): You have to remember: Bravo had started out as an arts channel, so we were at a place where we were really defining ourselves and moving into uncharted reality programming.