Greg Doherty/Bravo via Getty Images
After their surprisingly delightful first season of the rebooted Real Housewives of New York ended on a rather bland note of weepy, bizarro reunion, one had to wonder how the women would fare in their first BravoCon panel. Seeing as fan-favorite cast member Jenna Lyons declined to be a part of the “Let’s Hear it For (New) New York” event, the result was up in the air. Would the panel be anything special, or would it simply just fizzle out like the last reunion between these women did?
Fans were eager to find out, given that the RHONY panel managed to turn out the single longest lines that BravoCon 2023 has seen thus far. Attendees stretched out the door of the entrance to the Glam Stage at Caesars Forum and into the warm Las Vegas sun. It was a shocking turnout given that, while the new RHONY was received well with audiences and critics, it didn’t fare so well with week-to-week ratings. Perhaps the excitement surrounding this panel is all that Bravo will need when considering whether or not its core audience wants to see more of this batch of fresh faces.
While the anticipation was palpable, the panel itself was largely just a good time. There were no major revelations from the cast members, which isn’t a shock considering that the actual reunion delivered about the same level of story progression. Moderator Matt Rogers kept a buoyant rapport with the ladies, discussing everything from Ubah Hassan’s banana obsession to Brynn Whitfield’s ex-fiancé’s foreskin. There were, however, two moments during the hour that fans fell hushed for, a rare moment of total silence in a room full of whispers, cheers, and laughter.