EXCLUSIVE: Bravo set off a chorus of speculation on Wednesday when they announced that the premiere of one of their 'Housewives' franchises would be delayed in order to debut another. The cable network shocked fans and members of the cast when they said 'The Real Housewives of New York City' will not be hitting TV screens on Feb. 15, but instead will be pushed to March or April.
While it would seem Bravo wants to give their newest entry, 'RHO Miami,' which debuts Feb. 22, some time to shine, various reports floating around allege that Bravo was "a little worried" about the final product and that they thought the show "needs a lot of work and editing."
But a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells PopEater that it's far less scandalous than that. In previous seasons, there has always been a several-month break between the end of filming and the actual debut on Bravo. Normally, the lag hovers around three months, but sources tell us shooting for season four did not end until late January, making a Feb. 15 start date a bit unrealistic.
"It was very surprising when Bravo jumped the gun back in December and announced a mid-February premiere date," admits our source.
Now, with it pushed back to the spring (sources tell us it'll start in the first two weeks of April), the production schedule now falls in line with previous years with it premiering about three months after filming finished.
We're told that several members of the cast were "shocked" by the announcement, which reached them in an internal memo by Bravo executive vice president Andy Cohen. It said that they wanted "more time to make the show as GREAT and as big a hit as possible."
A press release emerged a few hours later announcing the premiere of the oft-delayed 'Miami' and the bumping of 'NYC.'
Cohen quickly tried to quiet the storm by releasing his own statement about the moves, saying he thought there was enough TV heat for both shows.
"No conspiracy here folks. We have an embarrassment of riches with Miami and New York and I assure you that the 'Real Housewives of NYC' will be well worth the wait and the 'Real Housewives of Miami' is hot, hot, hot," said Cohen. "Heaven knows we could use a bit of heat on the East Coast about right now."
Several cast members turned down our requests for comment on the moves, but Simon van Kempen, Alex McCord's husband, tells PopEater exclusively that he isn't worried about the quality of the show -- or the loss of one of its biggest stars.
"Having done the show for four seasons I am confident that this latest season is our best yet," he said. "Bethenny Frankel has moved on to her own show, and as other franchises have shown, the loss of one cast member has never affected how great they've been and our season four will be no different. I know that this season will rock!"
A friend of the departed Bethenny had a different take, telling PopEater's Naughty But Nice columnist Rob Shuter, "Without Bethenny the show doesn't work. It needs a lot of work."
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