The Real Housewives of Rhode Island Recap: Grapes of Wrath

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The Real Housewives franchise hasn’t typically cast people who are already known from other reality shows. Andy Cohen was hesitant to hire Bethenny Frankel after she was on The Apprentice, and conversations about casting Snooki on RHONJ usually don’t go far. However, things are changing. With Rachel Zoe (The Rachel Zoe Project) on RHOBH, K. Michelle (Love & Hip Hop) on RHOA, and now Ashley Iaconetti (The Bachelor) joining RHORI, the show is starting to bring in talent from elsewhere. This gives Bachelor fans a bit of an advantage as we get to know the new cast members – and they already know Ashley is someone who often gets emotional and cries.

We noticed she was upset last week, and now she’s barely holding it together while at the park with her kids, confiding in a friend about everything that’s going on. While the business isn’t doing as well as planned, she’s most worried that her husband, Jared, feels useless. She tries to encourage him to relax, but ends up doing all the childcare herself, which leaves her completely drained – it’s a never-ending problem. Honestly, if she gets through even one episode of this show without crying, she deserves an award.

Liz and Kelsey are meeting Rulla for lunch – she’s the last of their group who hasn’t joined them yet. Rulla is a financial planner and a rare female boat captain, married for nine years to a podiatrist. The others describe her as very even-keeled and quiet. She gets upset when Jo-Ellen’s party is mentioned, explaining she has a long-standing problem with Jo-Ellen, who has been spreading rumors about her and her husband. Apparently, there’s more to the rumors that Rulla’s husband, Brian, is having an affair – Jo-Ellen actually found photos proving it. Rulla initially appreciated Jo-Ellen trying to tell her, but became angry when she discovered Jo-Ellen was sharing the photos with everyone.

Rulla insists the relationship happened last summer and is now over. However, Liz quietly tells her across the table that she needs to stop pretending everything is fine. Rulla points out that Liz also had issues with her ex, Gerry, and didn’t end things completely. Rulla argues her situation is different because she has biological children, while Liz only has stepchildren. This understandably upsets Liz, considering she helped raise Gerry’s children from a young age.

Let’s talk about something more amusing: I’m completely captivated by Alicia. She showed up at Kelsey’s house to apologize for the Fourth of July incident, but only brought crackers because the cheese line was too long. Then, when she started talking about why she doesn’t like to drive, she said something that made me laugh so hard I thought I’d damage my lungs. She casually mentioned she’d actually run over a woman! The producer and I were both stunned and immediately wanted to know more. “What do you mean you ran over a woman?” the producer asked off-camera, and honestly, it sounded like a beautiful line. Alicia just repeated it like it was a normal thing that happened, and I’m left with so many questions. Who was this woman? Is she alright? And can we please get her on the show?

Fortunately for Alicia and everyone else in Rhode Island, the show’s cast travels to lunch at a vineyard in a van. After a quick tour of the grapevines – and a question from Kelsey about whether rosé counts as wine – they realize there’s an unexpected guest. Rulla is joining them, much to Jo-Ellen’s anger. It’s captivating to watch Jo-Ellen react as if she’s just learning that Rulla, someone she deeply dislikes, is part of the show. Here’s what happened: Jo-Ellen discovered photos posted by Rulla’s husband’s mistress and shared them with Liz, who then told Rulla. Rulla pleaded with Jo-Ellen for the photos, and she sent them. Six months later, Rulla and Brian attempted to get Jo-Ellen fired by contacting her workplace and sending emails to HR. Jo-Ellen feels like she’s being blamed for bringing the information to light, but she’s not backing down.

Jo-Ellen was clearly anxious when she heard the news, but thankfully Rulla called to cancel their plans. Jo-Ellen explained that Rulla wasn’t actually sick, just getting headaches from the stress of using Ozempic, and suggested getting a turkey leg from Ashley – the camera then cut to Ashley, who was wearing a corset reminiscent of Medieval Times. While Jo-Ellen and Rosie had a playful rivalry, Jo-Ellen’s conflict with Rulla is a much more serious feud.

The lunch takes a dramatic turn when Kelsey casually announces, “I have a little game.” In the world of Real Housewives, this is basically a declaration of war – if someone invites you to play a “game,” it’s time to escape! The “game” – orchestrated by the show’s producers – involves the women answering anonymous questions about rumors circulating among them. Ashley confesses she waited until she was almost 30 to lose her virginity, while Alicia denies rumors of an affair with Jo-Ellen’s husband. Rosie also denies having an affair with a basketball coach. As for Jo-Ellen, she denies being a swinger, though she admits to having participated in a threesome and jokes that Rhode Island has a thriving swinging scene – a detail she suggests should be included in the state’s tourism materials!

Kelsey claims she’s never been polygamist, but immediately admits to dating another person while her boyfriend is away. She acts like this is perfectly normal. Rosie looked into the situation and explained that “polygamy” refers to multiple marriages, so Kelsey’s situation is actually polyamory – having multiple consensual romantic relationships without marriage.

Things got a little tense when Alicia, using the anonymous question box, brought up a rumor about Liz and another guy. Liz was quick to shut it down, explaining she just has a really close male friend who keeps her company when her husband is away on long fishing trips, and she was genuinely hurt that Alicia even asked. Alicia insisted she didn’t believe the rumor, she just wanted Liz to address it publicly and clear things up. Liz didn’t see it that way, and honestly, as someone watching all this unfold, I wouldn’t mess with Alicia – she doesn’t seem like someone you want to cross.

It’s amazing how much information we already have! By the second episode, there were so many rumors – or stories – about these women that we had to quickly review them all. It’s great to see these professionals in action, and I’m happy to say I can mostly tell them apart now.

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2026-04-06 05:57