NEWSOK! Exclusive: Kristen Taekman Reveals What It Was Like to Join Real Housewives of New York
I never thought I would join Real Housewives of New York. Brandi Glanville from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is one of my very best friends, and one night she took me to a work party. She always takes me to parties, but this one was definitely for Bravo people only. I kept saying, I really shouldn't be here! And she said, out of the blue, "If anyone asks, you're the next New York housewife."
I didn't even know they were looking for someone, and neither did Brandi. But then she introduced me to Andy Cohen with the sentence, "You two need to meet! She's your next New York housewife." He found out I knew RHONY cast member Heather Thomson, too, and I kind of saw him look back at me.
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It started slowly: Would you like to be interviewed for the show? I didn't think anything of it! As a model, I've gone on like twenty auditions a month, every month, since I was 16 years old. But of course, I put my best foot forward, and got my hair and make-up done and wore a fabulous dress. I just chatted with production, and they happened to have a camera rolling. A few weeks later I got another call: Can we see the banter between you and your husband?
A million factors go into casting a new housewife. A big aspect last season was finding a girl whose apartment they could film in. It's really difficult to get permission to film in a New York City apartment! Will you show your kids? Does your husband have a career where he can't be shown on a reality show? It's a lot of moving pieces. Let's be clear: my husband Josh has a career that would only benefit from a reality show, as do I.
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I wasn't at all stressed about joining Real Housewives of New York. I sweat the small stuff all day long, but the big-picture stuff doesn't bother me. Isn't that bizarre? I think it's a mom thing. I just kept thinking that I would never be cast in a million years. When I got the call, I was at a dinner with my two girlfriends and I literally felt weak in the knees.
Everyone kept saying, Your life is going to change, your life is going to change. They all wanted to offer me advice. I'm not big on advice. Brandi is my best friend, and she's been doing this reality show for years. I knew enough about the foundation of being filmed that it wasn't scary to me. And I didn't have anything to hide. I'm not faking anything. Brandi's only advice to me? 'Don't pick on the girl with one leg!'
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Heather and I were already friends, but Carole Radziwill and I bonded right away. Sonja Morgan was really sweet to me. She took me under her wing, and I never expected that. LuAnn and I hang out all the time. And Aviva? Aviva was one of the first people to call me last summer when I was cast. She invited my kids and I over, and we used her pool and chatted. Everyone kept telling me, Don't go there! We started off on a really great foot, and then she turned. When you watch the season, I kept saying over and over, 'I've done nothing but try to be your friend!' Like, ugh, Kristen, say something else! I was a broken record.
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I still don't know the real Aviva. She didn't come to Montana with us, so I haven't seen her in the morning when she wakes up. I haven't seen her in her pajamas. I don't know if she uses a retainer—I do! It's a real bummer. The best thing I've gotten out of this show is new friends. At some point in adulthood, after school and husbands and new jobs, sometimes you stop making new friends. I never went to college, so this show has been my sorority. I really grew to love these women! It's also nice to have pals who aren't new moms. They're always up for a party or an event, and they convince me to come out of my mommy shell a little bit. Yes, you can stay up until 11:30! Yes, one glass of wine won't kill you.
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Some people were concerned about Heather and me after our fight. We're totally fine. The beauty of our relationship, and that particular fight, is that it was real. That's what happens with friends! Montana was the worst part of the entire season for me. It was hard to be the hostess. I got sh*t on from the moment I said 'Montana.' And it just sucked. How much can you take before you crack? And I really cracked. There are all my worst moments, back to back, in those episodes. It's tough to watch.
That said, any reality star who blames editing for their portrayal is full of sh*t. Those words came out of your mouth at some point. One example that made me cringe? There's an episode where I went to a jewelry party with Heather. We filmed for hours, but all they show is me talking about sex. Blow jobs, blow jobs, sex, blow jobs, my husband. They filtered it down to me talking about not giving my husband blow jobs, but that was probably the only interesting part of the night! That's editing. But I said what I said.
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I would definitely come back for a second season. I'm just getting warmed up! Watching the show, there were so many times where I was like, 'Why didn't you tell her this! Why didn't you say that!' I definitely spoke my mind more as time went on. My mom taught me, If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. It's been hard to get out of that mind set. But now I've become more confrontational, in a good way. Now when I'm out with other friends, I'm like, Don't mess with me. I'll go all Housewives on you!
We still have a lot of issues that haven't been resolved, even with the reunion. Some things get answered, some things do not. You see people's true colors when they don't answer questions. It shows how crazy and delusional they really are. My marriage went through the wringer this season, and I'm going to tell you all about it. I'm not going to sugarcoat it!
I don't regret anything that happened this season, and I'm so glad I got to join the show. It's been a wonderful experience. Stay tuned to see what comes next!
What did you think of Kristen's first season on RHONY? Who is your favorite housewife? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @OKMagazine.
