13 Things To Expect From The Real Housewives Of Sydney
Everyone stay calm - Real Housewives of Sydney is actually happening! Aussie TV powerhouse Foxtel is casting for the series and the rumours of who will appear have already begun. All this excitement began when on Sunday they dropped an 11 second teaser trailer announcing that the show will begin in 2017.
Following on from the success of Real Housewives of Melbourne, producers will be searching for the next Gina Liano, who will also be willing to play tennis in 6 inch stilettos. Filming for season one will take three months, which is a short time considering the chosen cast members have to make friends and then become enemies.
RHOM star Lydia Schiavello, told Associated Press that the first season of RHOS will be shot before a fourth season of Melbourne. She confirmed, "There is and will be, I'm pretty sure about that, a fourth season but we don't know if Sydney will be filmed first before Melbourne." So far - this is all we know. However, from previous spinoffs of this epic franchise, there are some things we can expect from season one, which of course means there will be plenty of drama.
13 There Will Be A Lot Of Cat Fights
In true Real Housewives style, there will be plenty of cat fights in the Sydney spin-off. Rumoured cast member Christa Billich has already expressed how she's going in claws first. She told The Daily Telegraph, "I would love to do (the show) because I think I can show my other side." She added, "People think I'm gentle and soft but I do have a side of me that is perfect for the Housewives. As we know, b****es are made, not born, and I can be a b****,' she added.
Christa is best friends with Real Housewives of Melbourne star Gamble Breaux and has already made a guest appearance on the show so she knows what goes down. The RHOM edition has seen the ladies trying to balance on their heels as they attempt to pull each other's hair extensions out. We can only imagine the Sydney ladies are going to bring the same drama.
12 They Are All Power Players
If the casting rumours are to be believed, then there will be some serious power players involved in the RHOS. Daily Mail Australia has already claimedthat top Sydney socialite Skye Leckie, wife of retired CEO David Leckie has been tied to the show. Alongside Leckie, beauty therapist and Miss Universe Australia judge Matty Samaei is among the considered cast members.
We can also expect model-turned-businesswoman, Michelle Walsh, who is married to Martin Walsh owner of Chadwicks Management which represents some of the biggest names in the business. Former One Nation politician David Oldfield's wife Lisa Oldfied has been mentioned for the lineup, alongside successful makeup artist Gordana Willesee-Poljak, who is the ex-wife of TV host Mike Willesee and former fiancé of celebrity chef Jason Roberts.
11 The Sydney Wives Are Super Confident
Skye Leckie (pictured above) will become the "natural leader" of the group as she is already one of the most talked about socialites in Sydney. She also has the confidence to go with it. Celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary with her husband over the new year, she wrote on her social media: "This new year's I resolve to be less awesome since that is really the only thing I do in excess."
Previous studies have shown that women feel at their most confident when they are over 40-years-old, as this is often the age we are settled into our careers and our own social circles. With this many alpha females around though - it could only mean fireworks.
10 There Will Be A Lot Of Personal Brand Building
There is no denying that those who sign up as a cast member for any Real Housewives show will reap the rewards off screen. Just look at Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes, she made a name for herself by either starting a fight or always becoming involved in one. The camera was constantly on her and it paid off, she started taking home a staggering $750,000 per season, plus $250,000 for the reunion shows. She is the only $1 million a season Real Housewife.
Alongside the huge pay day, other benefits of a lot of screen time is that cast members can promote their own personal brand. Just look at the Real Housewives of New Jersey cast; Teresa Giudice promoted a number of cooking books and memoirs on the show, Melissa Gorga used the show to promote her music and Kathy Wakile would constantly be plugging her deserts. Drama equals more screen time and more screen time equals more money.
9 There Will Be A Lot Of Scandalous Reveals
If Lisa Oldfield does appear on the show, then her once troubled life might be brought into her storyline. She told Woman's Day magazine, "Every Friday and Saturday night, I would take an ecstasy tablet. But eight hours after I'd taken it, it was horrible."
Then there is rumoured cast member Gordana Willesee-Poljak's (pictured above) previous brush with the law. In 2014, she was caught driving while suspended and was summoned to court. She received her licence back after she fiercely defended herself, so she will have no issue when under questioning from her other cast members.
She told The Daily Telegraph the show would help her live a better behaved life. She revealed, "I think it could be a fantastic random opportunity to help me live an even straighter life because Ill be on show." Ummm… has she actually seen the show?
8 The Husbands Might Also Play A More Central Role
Much like Real Housewives of New Jersey, the Sydney version of the show might focus on the husbands just as much as the housewives. TV titan David Leckie, husband of Skye Leckie, has had his fair share of personal battles, after a spell of bad health forced him to become completely tee-total.
Lisa Oldfield's husband, former One Nation politician David Oldfield, has also had his fair share of drama after his close friend Pauline Hanson revealed in a tell-all book, titled Untamed and Unashamed, that they had an affair together. Not one to miss out on the drama, producers might bring these story lines into the new season.
7 The Nights Out Will Not Be Cheap
The best part of this franchise is looking at how the rich like to party. In Sydney, there are a handful of bars where us average folk couldn't pull enough cash together for even one drink. At Sydney's premiere place to eat, Marque Restaurant, a glass of tap water will set you back $5. Close by is the Catalina Restaurant where a bottle of beer costs $125 or the Ivy where one cocktail costs $325.
Former Real Housewives of New York City cast member Alex McCord revealed that: "It's about who can throw the biggest, best party." Her own husband, Simon van Kempen, once spent $5,000 on a private yacht for her own birthday as he thought, "Wouldn't it look great on camera?" The new Sydney wives better make sure they bring the credit card along as there will be plenty of opportunities to show off their own wealth.
6 There Will Be A Lot Of Alcohol
The new cast members are going to need to find a quick hangover cure because being a cast member of this franchise means consuming a lot of alcohol. Besides what else are these housewives going to throw in each other's faces if they don't have a glass of wine handy? It's a simple formula for the show: big parties + plenty of alcohol = lot's of on-screen drama.
Producers won't even hide the booze when reformed alcoholic Kim Richards shoots scenes for Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Her sister, Kyle Richards, claims, "She has to live in the real world. She can handle it." In one episode of season 3, when Kim was fresh out of rehab, the cast members celebrated her sobriety with an alcohol fuelled weekend in Ojai, California. There is just no getting away from the strong stuff - so the Sydney housewives better know how to hold their liqueur.
5 The Producers Will Be Stirring Things Up
Anyone who believes the producers of the Real Housewives franchise don't get involved in the drama is a fool. They are secretly the puppet masters behind all the on-screen chaos. Alex McCord also revealed that when meet-ups are held between cast members the "producers might have told people different things about why they were meeting."
Phone calls and restaurant scenes are also staged. Alex also added that the show is nowadays less about the "glitz and glamour" and now, it's all "cattiness and drunken faux pas."
4 They Need To Look A Million Australian Dollars
Another big production secret of the franchise is those who don't look like consistently fabulous will be forced to pay out big fines. Before filming begins, the housewives are ordered to sign a contract in which they agree to maintain their appearance and confirm with producers in advance their chosen clothing, accessories and makeup. If the contract is breached they are hit with a minimum $50,000 fine.
Former Real Housewives of New York cast member Kelly Bensimon revealed when she first signed up for the series she was told "we just want you as you" but then when she put on a natural look to go horseback riding she said, “They were like, 'The next time you film, you need to have your hair blown out and be wearing makeup. You're supposed to be a supermodel, not a drowned rat.'"
3 Those Who Don't Bring Enough Drama Will Be Fired
In the U.S, the Real Housewives of Melbourne premiere attracted 414,000 viewers. By season three, the season's premiere scored 534,000 viewers. Producers would like the same rise in viewing figures from RHOS, which always results in cutting and changing the main cast. Whoever brings the most drama will be allowed to stay for a second season - it's that simple. Kelly Bensimon also added, "It's not a show that celebrates women. But that's just the nature of the beast: He who barks the loudest gets the bone."
This was confirmed by former reunion show host, Andy Cohen. He tweeted back in 2013, "We are replacing several women in two cities." Before he confirmed he had spent 45 minutes on the phone with one of the housewives' husbands, who begged for his wife's job back.
2 There Will Be Plenty Of Game Playing
Once the cast members begin to see the money rolling in, they will want to stay in the series for long as possible and get rid of any potential threat to their reality TV future. Carlton Gebbia, who is Wiccan, was a popular fixture with fans who loved her weird ways and unstoppable sex drive. However the other Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast members did not like how attention Carlton was getting.
In true game playing fashion, they began to refuse when producers wanted them to shoot scenes with her. Andy Cohen also revealed in his tell-all, "They believed she had put spells on them." Carlton was fired after just one season, she told E! News that she would like to return to reality TV revealing: "I would like to go into a show and not have to watch the knives coming at my back. That would be great!"
1 The Full Cast Might Not Be Revealed Until The First Episode
The most information anyone has right now about the cast member's lineup is magazine gossip, this is because the producers are keeping super tight-lipped about who will be in the show.
Skye Leckie, who is the bookmakers favourite to feature, told The Daily Telegraph, "I've heard I've been on the list since day one but I don't know, you've caught me unawares." Although she is quite coy about the show, close sources have said she has been 100% confirmed as a main cast member. It's going to be a long wait, but we know when the Real Housewives of Sydney arrives we are about to witness the most explosive scenes yet.