"The Real Housewives of D.C." Makes Long-Awaited Debut

Unless you've been under a rock, you are well aware there are some new Housewives in town. Perhaps more than any other installment of Bravo's hit franchise, "The Real Housewives of D.C." has been the most anticipated of the bunch. While the O.C. wives are all about the botox and the New Jersey gals are all about family, the D.C. ladies will be all about political power plays, society and even race.

The formula remains unchanged: gather together a group of attractive, moneyed and well-connected ladies, follow their every move and watch what happens. The nucleus of this group is Mary Schmidt Amons, granddaughter of legendary yet controversial radio and TV personality, Arthur Godfrey. The married mother of five knew the other four Housewives prior to filming and is a noted philanthropist, helming the D.C.-based charities, "Labels for Love" and "The District Sample Sale."

The so-called mother hen of "The Real Housewives of D.C.," is Lynda Erkiletian (think Jill Zarin and Jeana Keough), owner of a D.C. area modeling agency. Bravo calls Erkiletian, a divorced mother of five, "a staple on the social scene." No doubt, much of her storyline will focus on her relationship with Ebong Eka, a clothing designer who was once named one of D.C.'s "Best Dressed Men," and who is 17 years Erkiletian's junior.

If Bravo's previews are to be believed, the "catty quotient" is likely to be filled by Brit, Catherine Ommanney. The thirty-something Ommanney made headlines in Britain in 2006, when she was spotted locking lips in a London nightclub with then-21-year old Prince Harry. According to Ommanney, the make-out session was a one-time fluke and she went on to marry a photojournalist in the Obama White House (her high school sweetheart). Previews have shown Ommanney, taking shots at President Obama's decorum and calling the husband of another Housewife rude.

Stacie Scott Turner is the lone African American in the cast (which Turner made note of during an appearance on "The View," claiming that with D.C. being known as "the Chocolate City," her position as the only African American "is almost as crazy as the 'Real Housewives of Jerusalem' with only one Jew."

Turner is married with two kids and according to Bravo, she and her husband move easily among D.C.s power players.

The most controversial Housewife of this or any city is Michaele Salahi, who along with her husband, Tareq, became known around the world for allegedly crashing a state dinner at the White House in 2009 (Bravo's cameras rolled during the incident). Salahi it seems will be the villainess of this batch of Housewives, as her cast mates criticize everything from her weight to her financial status. In addition to the White House incident, Salahi has been generating ink over her appearance on "The View" to promote the show. Hosts Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd, who conducted the interview, came down hard on Salahi for not answering questions about the state dinner debacle during a congressional hearing on the matter (the women were further irked when Salahi stated a book about the matter was forthcoming, which would answer all questions). Shepherd went so far as to state Salahi and her husband should have been arrested. Another drama began to brew when co-host Whoopi Goldberg came from backstage and touched Salahi on the arm and waist during the interview. Goldberg had come out to tell Salahi to focus on the questions being asked by Behar and Shepherd. Salahi now claims Goldberg hit her during the interview (an assertion Goldberg denies) and called the entire "The View" experience "horrific."

"The Real Housewives of D.C." airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Sources:

www.bravotv.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Godfrey#The_LaRosa_incident

http://www.jamati.com/online/style/ebong-eka-basketball-professional-accountant-and-clothing-designer/

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/104863

http://www.bvbuzz.com/2010/08/05/stacie-scott-turner-being-black-housewives-DC/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/04/michaele-salahis-white-ho_n_670416.html

http://tvwatch.people.com/2010/08/05/housewives-salahi-whoopi-goldberg-hit-view-crashers/