real housewives of rhode island The series premiere is finally here! It’s so exciting to see the first new Real Housewives series on Bravo since The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City! Ahead of the series premiere, we got hints about the unconventional love lives and partners of the RHORI women, especially some of the housewives.
In the first episode, we get to know the women better. And, surprisingly, by the end of the episode, I was able to tell all these similar-looking brunettes apart. The power of a strong personality! So, what happened on the Real Housewives of Rhode Island series premiere?
What happened on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island Season 1 Episode 1?
On The Real Housewives of Rhode Island Season 1 Episode 1, “Welcome to Rhode Island,” we meet our newest Real Housewives cast member. Rulla does not appear in the series premiere. But the previews show that she’s going to be a major force in the drama this season. As we get to know the women of Rhode Island, a familiar face pops up for Real Housewives fans. Dolores Catania, of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, appears as a friend in the RHORI season premiere. What else happened in the opening episode?
Alicia The Real Housewives of Rhode Island is a flip-flopper
We meet the first Real Housewife of Rhode Island is Alicia, a self-described flip flopper. We see him go from cursing out a classmate to hugging them in an instant. Alicia is a lifelong Rhode Islander, and all of her aunts live 15 minutes away (which is an eternity to them). Alicia is engaged to Bill, who proposed while she was pregnant. Their now nine-year-old daughter, Alicia, is a mini-me. But despite a very long engagement, she is in no rush to marry Bill.
Alicia has known her fellow Real Housewife Liz since she was born. Apart from Ashley and Rosie, everyone in this group has deep ties to each other.
Liz is the queen of weed
Alicia says Liz lives in a castle, and she’s not wrong. Committed to the aesthetic, Liz drinks from the cup in her confessionals.
She considers her husband Gerry the King of Cannabis, so she is the Queen of Weed. Gerry and Liz are the owners of one of the first cannabis dispensaries on the East Coast.
“Some people say I’m scary…Odour,” Liz says to introduce herself. I’m not sure if quotes can do justice to her strange confessions! Later in the episode, she says that Dolores knows “where Jamun’s body is” (meaning where the bodies are buried).
Speaking of, Liz looks so much like Dolores, it’s weird. Although she admits that this is partly because they go to the same surgeon and dentist. But it’s hard to believe that they are not related.
Liz Is However, her husband is concerned. They had been married for six months before genealogical DNA testing revealed this. It seems like they’re distant relatives, at least? Their marriage also made Liz a stepmother to three girls.
I can already see Liz becoming a fan favorite. His introduction package starts with him walking his cat on a leash, and ends with him taking a dinghy to meet Kelsey at a restaurant while looking like a badass. She’s already excellent housewife material.
Don’t call Kelsey a sugar baby.
Liz grows up with Kelsey’s much older boyfriend, who comes from one of the most prestigious families in the state. This man is never named, and his face has been removed from the photos they show. For the first half of the year, Kelsey’s boyfriend is in Miami with his other partner.
Kelsey describes herself as a “woman of comfort”, but not a sugar baby (as she is actually attracted to her boyfriend). The former Miss Rhode Island is facing an existential crisis regarding her lifestyle now that she is 31 years old. She wants a committed relationship with one person. But ever since she met her lover at such a young age, this is the only life she has known.
Is Jo-Ellen Rory’s villain?
Jo-Ellen is the frontrunner to be the villain of RHORI season 1. From the beginning, Jo-Ellen admits that she has a big mouth. She is Kelsey and Liz’s best friend. She is married to Gary, whom she fell in love with in high school…when he dated her sister Jane. Gary and Jane were both Alicia’s friends at school.
Currently, she is feeling stressed with three small children. She has unresolved tension with her mother, who takes care of the children. It looks like their strained relationship will be a major part of the storyline of Jo-Ellen’s new season.
Kelsey met Jo-Ellen when she was in high school. At the time, Jo-Ellen was having an affair with a tanning salon owner… and his wife. Jo-Ellen also dated Kelsey’s boyfriend’s brother.
Rosie stirs the pot
Jo-Ellen’s biggest rival is definitely former news anchor Rosie. The host is a mess, and she admits it, calling herself “Nosy Rosie.” As soon as Rosie arrives on screen in a hot pink Jeep, she announces her big personality. She is brought into the group thanks to Alicia, who met Rosie through the girl who gets her Botox. Rosie is married to Frank Sinatra singer Rich (not the impersonator).
Recently, Rosie angers Jo-Ellen by bringing her a cheap bottle of wine. Then she hears Jo-Ellen saying terrible things behind her back. Rosie also revealed that Jo-Ellen is rumored to be a swinger!
Jo-Ellen and Rosie are RHORI’s biggest rivals
Rosie moves from reporting to hosting a lifestyle show, although Jo-Ellen pokes fun at how low her view numbers are. But Rosie’s show gives us the first event of the series, where the women gather for a picnic. Also included in the crowd is Rosie’s friend Ashley from Bachelor Nation. Unlike the other housewives, Ashley is not from Rhode Island. She moved there with her husband Jared, a RI native whom she met on Bachelor in Paradise.
Kelsey’s unconventional relationship unfolds as they play a game of Never Have I Ever. Jo-Ellen doesn’t want to give up her BFF’s business, but she hints that Kelsey is going through it.
Rosie addresses rumors that Kelsey has another boyfriend. Jo-Ellen calls her out, and Rosie retorts that she overheard Jo-Ellen say that she is bad and “even the kids won’t like me.” Jo-Ellen doesn’t remember saying this, but she does Feel like this. She also tells him to “shut the fuck up”. They both accuse each other of playing the victim. Rosie begins to cry that Jo-Ellen continues to be mean to her even after inviting her as an olive branch. Ultimately, in an effort to make a fresh start, Jo-Ellen invites Rosie to her 4th of July party.
Ashley sheds light on life after Bachelor in Paradise
Ashley and Jared are the owners of Audrey’s, which they claim is the second highest rated celebrity owned restaurant (Jon Bon Jovi has the first). But it is not as financially successful as she and Jared would like. She is also concerned that Jared spends too much time and energy at the café (although he has stopped working 100 hours per week).
As she tries to tell him about the drama that happened with the girls, he keeps interrupting her by calling out the names of people’s coffee orders. As she says in a confessional, Bachelor fans happily say that their love is so inspiring. But now, she’s showing how things change when the honeymoon phase ends and real life happens.
Rosie brings literal and figurative fireworks to Jo-Ellen’s Fourth of July party
The RHORI premiere ends with Jo-Ellen’s 4th of July party. Dolores makes her first RHORI appearance as Liz’s guest. They met at a cannabis convention. I’m already crazy about this pair. Dolores’ boyfriend Pauly revealed that they’re staying in Rhode Island all summer, so hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot of him on RHORI!
As a peace offering, Rosie brings a bottle of champagne (not cheap) and a bouquet of fireworks. Jo-Ellen is a little confused by the gift of a bouquet of fireworks.
Meanwhile, Jo-Ellen tells Kelsey that Rosie asked questions about her relationship. Kelsey teases Rosie by calling her “not a girly girl.”
When Kelsey confronts Rosie, the reporter claims she was just asking questions after Jo-Ellen brought up the issue about their relationship. Jo-Ellen did not mention He Raised it. Kelsey doesn’t know who to trust. “Rumors in Rhode Island…it’s part of the culture of our state,” she says.
As the episode ends, both Alicia and Ashley hint at bigger secrets—and cheating scandals—that will emerge about the group. Liz warns that the truth always comes out. Jo-Ellen insists that she is an open book – if anyone asks her questions about what she has done, she will ask if they want details. “If you’re going to say rumors about me, I’m going to share rumors about you,” Rosie warns, “and I’ve been keeping my mouth shut all summer.”
real housewives of rhode island Airs Sundays at 9PM/ET on Bravo. Episodes can be streamed on Peacock.
TELL US – What did you think of the ‘Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ series premiere? Which Real Housewives of Rhode Island is your favorite so far?