BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

Latest Episodes:

RHONY's Bershan Shaw (on RHONY, Her Castmates, Current Season Criticism, Becoming an Apple Holder!) Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

RHONY’s Bershan Shaw steps Behind The Rope. Checking in from her home in Harlem, New York, Bershan is here to chat about her freshman season on The Real Housewives of New York City and address it all! Bershan chats about how she got involved with the show, what filming was like, and how she feels now that she is watching herself back on TV with the rest of the world. Bershan breaks down her co-stars Luann de Lesseps, Leah McSweeney, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan and Eboni K. Williams - who she knew prior to RHONY, first impressions, most welcoming, most surprised by and much more! On a more serious note, we chat with Bershan about being part of a network and franchise that has made a significant effort regarding diversity and inclusion, the extent to which that factored into her decision to join RHONY, and how she thinks Eboni has been handling many of the situations that have arisen both on and off camera surrounding racial inequalities. We chat with Bershan about the many various headlines RHONY has been making recently, the social media outcry about this season, the fact that “fans” think it is “off”, and what she thinks of it all. Finally, Bershan opens up about being a Stage Four Cancer Survivor, the new App she developed, her day job as a Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, and how her mantra of being a bad a$$ warrior gets her through each day. Grab those Apples and get ready for this RHONY extravaganza with the one and only Miss Bershan Shaw. With all the cast change talk a flutter, might we see Bershan holding an Apple next season?

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Nikki Haskell (on Studio 54, Kathy Hilton, Josh Flagg, The Perfect Selfie & More!) Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

Nikki Haskell steps Behind The Rope. Living Legend, Icon, Socialite, Talk Show Host, Real Estate Savant, Entrepreneur, Stockbroker, Studio 54 Regular. Checking in from her home in Los Angeles, Nikki chats about her bi-coastal life where she splits her time between LA, where she grew up, and NYC, where she worked as one of the only female stockbrokers on Wall Street at the beginning of her career. Nikki may have been trading by day, but was a permanent fixture at night at the legendary Studio 54. Nikki chats about what those days were like, the Studio 54 myths and rumors versus what the club was really like behind the velvet ropes, and all those famous friends she hung out with inside - Cher, Brooke Shields, Diana Ross, Andy Warhol and the list goes on and on and on. Nikki’s nightlife status led to The Nikki Haskell show which was broadcast live from Studio 54 where Nikki interviewed all the A list celebs inside the famed halls of this Iconic establishment. Nikki also chats about her many inventions providing weight loss options to the rich and famous - think Star Cruncher - and her new Star Shooterz invention providing a new and unique way to take Selfies! Sign us up! We chat with Nikki about the effects her show had on the origins of Reality TV, what Reality TV she watches now and some of the friends she has that have appeared on Reality TV - Kathy Hilton, Paris Hilton, Josh Flagg, Sonja Morgan, to name a few. Nikki knows EVERYONE and we mean everyone. We chat about that and her star studded series of Birthday Parties for her 80th earlier this year which read like a whose who of Hollywood elite. Finally, we chat with Nikki about her secret to looking and acting eternally young. One thing is for sure, Nikki is not slowing down anytime soon.

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RALPH PITTMAN (on RHOA Freshman Season, Wife Drew Sidora, Tampa, FL, & Much More!) Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

Ralph Pittman Jr. steps Behind The Rope. Mr. Real Housewives of Atlanta is here to chat about it all. Made in New Jersey, we knew we liked Ralph for a reason, Ralph chats about life off camera, some of which we have yet to see on our TV screens each week on Bravo’s highest rated of the Housewives’ Franchises - football (Go Rutgers University), music (“My Mind Music” Project, “The Preacher’s Son” Movie), and Fitness (‘Ripped With Ralph”, “Drop It With Drew and Ralph”), to name a few. Ralph breaks down how and where he met Mrs. Drew Sidora, what their first date was like, their whirlwind courtship, engagement, and ultimate wedding in 2014. Flash forward, and Ralph found himself a Real House Hubby on The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Thirteenth Installment thanks to his wife, Drew Sidora being given her Peach. We chat with Ralph about his Freshman Season on RHOA, what he has learned as a result of it, and what advice he got from fellow Peach House Hubbys Mike Hill and Todd Tucker. Ralph open’s up about some of last season’s highlights - disappearing for three days to Tampa, Florida - will he ever live that down?, the ups and downs of his marriage to Drew, and their unselfish decision to introduce their son Josiah to his biological father who wanted to re-establish a presence in the boy’s life after his incarceration. Of course, we needed Ralph’s opinion on the scandal that rocked the A-T-L these past few weeks, the engagement of RHOA’s Porsha William’s to ex-BFF Falynn Guobadia’s ex-husband Simon. With contracts about to go out for Season 14 of RHOA, we chat with Ralph about what he plans to do different once he and Drew sign on, c'mon as if they aren’t going to be asked, what he is looking forward to about next season, which wife he doesn’t want back, who from the RHOA he would like to see back, and just what is next for Ralph Pittman Jr and rest of the Pittman / Sidora clan.

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Carolina Bermudez (Breaks Silence on RHONY Rumors & Chats Interviewing Madonna, Britney, Katy, Mariah, Ariana, Gaga) Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

Carolina Bermudez steps Behind The Rope. First things first, Carolina addresses all of those many viral rumors that she was contacted by the The Real Housewives of New York City to join the RHONY franchise next Season, Season 14, as an Apple Holder. Of course, in true Rope fashion, you don’t think we let Ms. Bermudez off that easily. We discuss who she knows on the current cast, who she knows from casts past, what type of Real Housewife she would be, who she thinks she would befriend, who she has heard from in the RHONY and BravoVerse since this viral press, any reservations she would have in joining and last, but certainly not least, whether the fact that she would be the first Latina NYC Housewife would factor into her decision to join the once top rated franchise. Moving on, did we mention Carolina has had one epic career in the entertainment sector including stints as a Red Carpet Reporter, Senior Editor at In Touch Weekly, and even a recurring role on "One Life To Live”. The majority of Carolina’s career was spent at Z100 with Elvis Duran and currently at iHeart’s KTU where she hosts the “Carolina with Greg T” Morning Show. Carolina has interviewed EVERYONE. We discuss some of her most Iconic Chats - Madonna (one of her most difficult interviews from Dylan’s Candy Bar), Katy Perry (Carolina is the one responsible for “outing” Katy’s 25M Idol Salary), Britney (one of the last to interview her before her Conservatorship took place), JLO (there are makeup tips and Carolina shares a Bennifer update), Kelly Clarkson (who sung Carolina’s pregnancy announcement to the world), Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Adam Levine, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Sting and many many more. Caroline discusses the nice, the not so nice, and everything in between from behind the mic of each of these epic chats. Finally, we chat about her home life in Long Island - happily married to the love of her life with whom she just celebrated a 10 year wedding anniversary and two young boys who are too camera shy to take a pic with Sting and well behaved on an intercontinental flight from Costa Rica. Happily married with two young children. Now there is something we haven’t seen on The Real Housewives of New York City in quite a while. Can someone get Andy Cohen on the phone please?

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Audrey Landers (on Dallas, "Afton Cooper", A Chorus Line, & Ryan Murphy) Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

Audrey Landers steps Behind The Rope. Yes, that Audrey Landers. Afton Cooper from the iconic, mega hit, fourteen year long run TV show, Dallas. After a brief chat about how Audrey ended up in LA to pursue her career in acting, we chat about how she got her role on Dallas. She chats about her early days on the hit TV show, who she felt most and least welcome by, and the challenges of coming into an already mega hit TV show with a cast that was tight. Speaking of a cast that was tight, mostly, Audrey opens up about all of her cast mates including, but not limited to, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, and Charlene Tilton. She also chats about Victoria Principal who notoriously was considered “an outsider” by the others and dissects the truth behind that rumor. Audrey chats about what she loved most, and least, about playing Afton Cooper and which storylines she thinks went too far. We discuss the rich storytelling of Dallas, how it was truly the leader that changed the game in the nighttime soap genre, how it invented the cliffhanger, and how Eighty Three Million People who watched, and asked all summer, “Who Shot J.R?” will never be recreated again. After four short seasons (yes, it wasn’t enough) playing Afton, Audrey left Dallas for a role in the hit movie “A Chorus Line”, where she got to show off her singing and dancing. That’s correct, Audrey has had an illustrious singing career. Flash forward and Audrey returned to Dallas to reprise her role as Afton in the original and then again in 2012 in the reboot of Dallas. We chat about what it’s like to play such an iconic role for so long, getting typecast in Hollywood, how far Hollywood has come, or not come, in offering interesting roles for women over forty, how far they still have to go, and the “me-too” movement and its affect on the industry. Of course, there is also her recent audition for Mr. Ryan Murphy!

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GIZELLE BRYANT (on RHOP, Bravo's Chat Room, Her 'Hot Girl" Summer & Ramona Singer!) Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

Gizelle Bryant steps Behind The Rope. The Real Housewives of Potomac, Season Six. How did we get here? Gizelle is here to answer that question and chat about all we can expect this season on RHOP. Gizelle first chats about how this season is different for her than the past five. Then we break down all of her co-stars - her current relationships with and storylines we can expect from Candiace Dillard, Wendy Osefo, Karen Huger, Robyn Dixon, Ashley Darby plus newcomer Mia Thornton. Gizelle addresses all the on-line chatter about her “always being at the center of the drama” and the on-line chatter that Robyn is loyal to her to a fault. Gizelle also explains the “lighter mood” on RHOP due to the absence of the central Season Five storyline involving Monique Samuels. Of course, we discuss her on-again, off-again, currently off relationship with Pastor Jamal Bryant. On that note, we chat about Gizelle’s self described “Hot Single Girl Summer”, her desire to date, current relationship status and “type” of man who would be ideal. Switching gears, we chat about “Bravo’s Chat Room” - what being part of that show was like, the current status of the show, Kate Chastain’s unclear exit from the show (especially since she was a Producer), and Kate Chastain’s comments that working with both Hannah Berner and Porsha Williams was less than desirable. Finally, Gizelle explains how she wants to be remembered from this current Season Six, chats about how RHOP is no longer the Housewives Franchise to be underestimated and describes just what is next for this RHOP Lady Boss who refuses to slow down! Oh, and in the last few minutes, Gizelle cannot let us go without a special "shout out" to Miss Ramona Singer!

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RHONY - State of Emergency Address Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you a special episode addressing the RHONY State of Emergency. Or is it? The RHONY Headlines this week will just not stop. “RHONY has gone woke - and it’s killing the show” (Page Six), "Ramona Singer Fears Eboni K. Williams Will Frame Her as Racist on RHONY Reunion” (TMZ), “RHONY insider says a cast shakeup is on the way but Ramona Singer ain’t going anywhere” (DailyMail), “Eboni K. Williams Racial Storylines Aren’t To Blame For Our Poor Ratings” and so on. RHONY has had its lowest ratings in history the past few weeks. Why have the RHONY ratings sunken so low? What will it take to fix this once top rated Housewives Show? The Sisters from The Pop Apologist Podcast, Lauren and Chanler Bledsoe, are here to help us break it all down. Who should stay? Who Should Go? Who should we bring back? Are the rumors about Bethenny Frankel coming back really true? These and many other pressing questions answered as we discuss how, where, when and why it all went wrong and how to get this show back on track. We break down which of the castings rumors are true, who is leaking what, why has the reunion been postponed til September and what happens next. The episode you have waited all week to hear!

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Fernanda Rocha (on "Dating" Braunwyn Burke, RHOC, Tamra Judge, Heather Dubrow & Her Fitness Empire!) Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

Fernanda Rocha steps Behind The Rope. You have heard, read, and written so much about her, we here Behind The Rope figured it was time to sit down with the woman behind the on-line myths to discuss it all. Of course, at the forefront of that discussion is her current relationship with former The Real Housewives of Orange County star Braunwyn Windham-Burke that went viral when announced a few weeks back. Fernanda chats about meeting Braunwyn, how their relationship went from friendship to dating, the timeline of that relationship in regards to Fernanda’s divorce from her ex-wife, the public scrutiny their relationship has received, her “role” in the relationship as someone who has been an out lesbian for many years, and what she would like to say to the naysayers who claim their relationship has ulterior motives. Fernanda also chats about the recent RHOC cast changes, what it was really like for Braunwyn when she received the news that she wont be part of next season, and her thoughts on cast choices such as Heather Dubrow, Kelly Dodd, Shannon Beador and the rumored newbies / friends of Tamra Judge, Noella Bergener and Nicole James. She answers whether she would ever go back and chats “spin off” with Braunwyn. Of course, there is more to Fernanda than recent tabloid headlines and ties to the RHOC. Fernanda chats about her Laguna Beach Gym, “Art of Fitness”, discusses how to shed the Covid 15, dispels many fitness and nutrition myths, and chats fitness trends. Speaking of fitness, we couldn’t help but ask her thoughts about former fellow RHOC Tamra Judge’s infamous, “Cut Fitness” - answering the questions, did she ever see them as a real rival and is she shocked to see them closed. Are we being shady? In all seriousness, check out Fernanda’s “Art of Fitness” for all the work out motivation you need!

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Constantine Maroulis (on RHONY, Lu/Ramona/Tins Update, Idol, Ariana Grande & New Radio Show!) - Part I I Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

Constantine Maroulis steps Behind The Rope. Of course, we all know Constantine originally from American Idol. First, we reminisce with Constantine about Idol days of past - Randy, Paula, Simon and chat about Idol 2.0, whether singing competition shows like Idol still work, and test Constantine’s knowledge of whether he can name any of Idol's recent winners. Constantine drops a shocking bombshell of a revelation regarding his elimination and the circumstances surrounding his idol exit. As a Tony Nominated Artist for his work on Broadway, we chat with Constantine about the current state of Broadway, what we can expect once the Great White Way re-opens later this year, and his lifelong friendship with ex-Broadway songstress now global superstar Ariana Grande! For anyone who does not remember the last two times Constantine was here, all you need to do is Google “Constantine” and “Behind The Velvet Rope”. Seems our little chat regarding his “appearance” on RHONY, and by “appearance” we mean his “hidden identity” revealed as the man who has allegedly “been”, for lack of a better word, with three of our fav Apple Holders, Lu, Ramona and The Tins, had a viral moment. We chat with Constantine about the “fall out” from that chat, Countess Lu’s reaction, and whether he has heard from Ramona and The Tins as well. Of course we push for new and unrevealed details every step of the way! We also chat with Constantine about the current RHONY cast asking, of course, if he has ever met Leah and Eboni, just what are his thoughts on each and, well, okay, a whole lot more! Moving on from RHONY, Constantine has a new radio show “Cuz Saturday Rocks” where he will be playing hits and interviewing musicians from our favorite decades of music, The 80s and 90s. Having interviewed many 80s and 90s acts ourselves here Behind The Rope, we compare our favs from each decade, yes Madonna is included, as well as Britney, ’N Sync, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, and many more. Finally, we chat about the current state of the music industry, chart topping favs and much more. Tune, no pun intended, in now!

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Constantine Maroulis (on RHONY, Lu/Ramona/Tins Update, Idol, Ariana Grande & New Radio Show!) - Part I Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

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