‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ star Kelly Killoren Bensimon arrested

Source: NYDailyNews

New York’s newest “Real Housewife” is denying blockbuster charges that she beat up her boyfriend, but the bruised beau said it happened – and it wasn’t the first time.

                       
Kelly Killoren Bensimon, 40, was arrested last week for misdemeanor assault after 30-year-old Nicholas Stefanov called cops, saying she punched him.

Bensimon, who appears on Bravo’s hit reality show “The Real Housewives of New York City,” hit him “with a closed fist, thereby causing informant to suffer a laceration below informant’s left eye and substantial pain,” the criminal complaint he filed with police charges.

The model/editor/reality TV star – who is actually divorced – turned herself in Thursday, two days after the incident. She was released on her own recognizance.

“The allegations are by a jilted lover saying she struck him during the course of an argument,” said her lawyer Stephen Turano. “We deny the charges, and we are hopeful this will be resolved.”

In an exclusive interview, Stefanov said he still loves Bensimon, but blamed stress from their recent engagement and the pressure of being on the show for causing her to snap.

“She is a great girl,” he said. “I do want to work it out. But what are you supposed to do when a girl is hitting you, just sit there like a punching bag?

“If I had hit her, I’d be sitting in a jail cell right now,” he said, adding that it was not the first time he’s been socked by Bensimon.

Stefanov said he called cops because he wanted the incident on the record, but that he doesn’t want to press charges. It’s out of his hands now, however, as cops are obligated to charge Bensimon and even filed a restraining order against her on his behalf.

Stefanov said the couple was fighting over the “usual stuff that couples fight about.” Stefanov said Bensimon “sucker-punched” him during the fight, but noted that at least she “had the courtesy to take her [engagement] ring off first.” She also returned it to him that night, he said.

Turano took issue with Stefanov’s account.

“They are most certainly not engaged and his allegations of past abuse are false,” the lawyer said.

Fellow “Housewives” co-star Bethenny Frankel stood by Bensimon: “I cannot imagine this being true, but all I can say is love shouldn’t hurt.”

Bensimon was married to famed fashion photographer Giles Bensimon until they split in 2006. They have two daughters.

In recent years, Bensimon and Stefanov have been staples of the society pages, photographed together at swanky celebrity parties.

Bensimon is due back in court March 31. Turano said he doesn’t think the charges will stick.

A Bravo rep declined to comment, saying, “We don’t comment on the personal lives of our talent.”

Outside her posh SoHo home, Bensimon refused to comment Monday night as two doormen shielded her with an umbrella and tried to shoo a reporter away.

Let’s Go Back to the Sugar Shack: Our Interview with Sugar from Survivor

Author: Allie, Host of Reality Check Radio

On Thursday, March 5th, 2009, Jessica “Sugar” Kiper joined Reality Check Radio where she gave her take on her season, the current season, and what she has been up to since the show has ended. We had so much fun discussing her former castmates, who her perfect alliance would be, and why she can’t get her name printed on a pair of mouse ears. If you love Survivor this was a great interview as it gave us a lot of insight into the casting process as well as what happens right before cameras roll and the torches are lit.

  

If you missed the live interview, you can always catch it on archive at Reality Check Radio on Blog Talk Radio. There you will find all of our shows including our other interviews with former survivors including Rupert and Billy Garcia. And of course, we are on live every Monday and Thursday nights at 11pm EST/8pm PST with all of the latest reality show news, gossip, interviews, and show caps from all of your favorite reality shows.

Sugar was fantastic, we had a great time talking and learned a lot about Survivor and specifically her season. Check it out and we know you will get a sweet tooth.

A Rose by Any Other Name Can Smell as Sweet: Thoughts on The Bachelor

Author: Allie, Host of Reality Check Radio
 

      Reality TV haters and lovers alike know one thing, Reality TV is not so….realistic. Yes, it’s true, in my everyday normal life I do not win a million dollars by staying on an island, traveling around the world or losing 100 pounds. Reality TV just means you are taking people and putting them in interesting situations and watching the results. The Bachelor is one of those shows; watching 20 women compete for the love and (or like or lust) of one single guy. Last night on my show, Reality Check Radio, people were up in arms over this long running dating show.

      It all starts with Jason, a single father from Seattle, and this season’s bachelor. We watched over the summer as his heart got broken by Deanna, the bachelorette choosing Jesse over him at her finale. Fast forward a few months we Jason where Deanna left off choosing between two women; Melissa, the bubbly girl from Texas, and Molly, the more reserved girl from Michigan. Jason chose Melissa, or so the audience thought; there love and engagement lasted about 15 minutes in TV time until Jason announced on the after the rose special that he didn’t love Melissa and loved Molly instead. He then broke up with Melissa on TV and reconnected with Molly, again in a matter of minutes.

      Long time fans of the show were outraged, vowing to never watch the show again, but I ask why. For entertainment value this was huge and ABC was beside themselves promoting it the first time in history this happening, with Jason making the rounds on all the TV talk shows to discuss the fact he simply chose one girl over the other. For you hopeless romantics out there, let’s face the facts. We have watched so many seasons of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and only one couple has been married and one or two others still in their on-again off-again relationships. If you really want to find true love, don’t go on a reality show ; if you want to watch fun Reality TV then watch dating reality shows.

      One last thing, Jason has a 3 year old son who has been featured a lot this season. He is not the only person on a dating reality show to have a child and put them on TV. My point is this, Jason signed up to be on a reality show where he got to date 20 women at the same time, his son did not. The question remains, will I continue to watch The Bachelor and the answer is of course, as long as the show continues to be entertaining. However, I am not expecting the fairy tale happy ending where the guy and girl go off and get married. After all, this is reality television.

On-Air Interview with Jessica “Sugar” Kiper from Survivor Gabon

On Thursday, March 5th, Reality Check Radio welcomes Jessica “Sugar” Kiper from Survivor: Gabon for a live on-air interview. She will be discussing her time on the CBS competition show and answering questions from her fans.

Kiper, who got the nickname “Sugar” while working at a San Francisco ’50s diner, became a fan favorite on the show, whose season ended in December, and finished third in the competition.

The show begins at 11pm EST/8pm PST. Listeners can find Reality Check Radio at www.blogtalkradio.com/reality_check. To participate in the live web chat, listeners are encouraged to register for a user account at www.blogtalkradio.com.

Reality Check Radio is a blogtalkradio show which highlights and discusses current reality television.

Season 7 Winners of CBS’ The Amazing Race Bring Success Home

Source: The Houston Chronicle

Reality TV has been so good to Uchenna and Joyce Agu, the Houston couple who won Season 7 of CBS’ The Amazing Race, that they’d like to make a career of it — but in a way that will enable them to succeed as philanthropists as well as producers.

                    

Their first effort as reality-show impresarios, The Great Raise Houston, premieres at 7 tonight on KHOU (Channel 11). Tonight’s two-hour episode will be followed by the two-hour conclusion on Feb. 28.

The plot is standard reality show/scavenger hunt fare — 10 two-person teams competing in a three-day, 350-mile chase through a maze of Houston-area landmarks — but the winners are determined not only by gamesmanship but also by the ability to raise money for the show’s beneficiaries, the Houston Food Bank’s Kids Café program and Casa de Esperanza, a shelter for children of families in the greater Houston area in crisis.

“After competing in The Amazing Race and seeing poverty in India and orphanages in South Africa, we knew we had the same issues in our own backyard,” Uchenna Agu said. “We could have put on a gala, but anybody can do that. We wanted to do something that helps a larger number of people participate.

“We can’t copy The Amazing Race, but we came up with our own event where contestants are competing and trying to raise money for charity. We shot it with the same quality of any show you would see on television, and we hope that we can reach people and inspire them to contribute a few dollars. It’s like a fund-raiser on steroids.”

The Great Raise Houston has been something of a marathon for the couple. They filmed the event last May and hoped to have it ready for broadcast by the fall, but Hurricane Ike put their plans on hold. Editing began two months ago, and they were still tying up loose ends this week as they delivered the final product to Channel 11.

The Agus incorporated some of the tricks of the reality-show trade in casting and preparing The Great Raise Houston. Their list of competitors includes a married couple, a brother/sister combo, the daughter/mother team of Erica Rose, a former contestant on ABC’s The Bachelor, and Cindi Rose; and Mikki Chernoff, a former Playboy model, and her former boyfriend, Carlos Zubizaretta.

Stops along the route include the George Ranch in Fort Bend County and Skydive Spaceland in Rosharon, and tasks include kayaking on Buffalo Bayou and dancing with the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company.

“We could tell if there would be natural friction (among competitors),” Agu said. “We tried to stay true to the elements of mixing personalities and casting people who voice their opinions. There will be people you love to hate.”

Hate, fortunately, wasn’t a byproduct of the show for the only married couple, Donavan Strutt, who works for the American Petroleum Institute, and Adriana Strutt, a neuropsychologist at Baylor College of Medicine and full-time reality-show junkie.

“Originally, I didn’t want to sign on for this,” Donavan Strutt said. “But she did the entry video, and she did a good enough job that we were called in for an interview. By that time, I was hooked.”

Adriana Strutt, who tried out for Survivor as a college student, said she was drawn to the project by the charity angle and, of course, for the chance to get her toe in the door for a shot at reality TV on a larger scale.

Donavan Strutt was game, too, but cautious, given the possibility of on-camera marital discord.

“We talked about it before the race, and we told each other that if we got into a situation where we were fighting and couldn’t get it resolved, we would have a safety word – ‘jellybean’.” He said. “If either person said the word, no matter what we were doing, we would drop it and go on.

“We did use it once, and I don’t even remember why. We laughed about it, and then we kept on going.”

If the show works, the Agus hope their next step will be a “Great Raise Texas,” which would enable them to take the concept and the program to other cities around the state.

Kelly Rowland To Host Bravo’s New Fashion Show

Source: JustJared

Former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, designer Isaac Mizrahi and Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion Fern Mallis will serve as judges and host Bravo’s upcoming design show, The Fashion Show.

The Project Runway-replacement follows professional designers as they compete for a chance to have their designs sold by a major retail outlet. The designers will face off in challenges and have their fate determined not only by the judges, but also by a studio audience.

It was announced last year that Project Runway would be moving to Lifetime.

On-Air Reunion with The Amazing Race’s Nick & Star, Ken & Tina, Dallas & Toni on February 23

On Monday, February 23rd, Reality Check Radio welcomes 3 of the top 4 final teams from The Amazing Race season 13 for a live on-air reunion.

               

Join winners Nick and Starr, brother and sister team, Ken and Tina, separated husband and wife team, and Toni and Dallas, mother and son team, as they answer questions from fans and discuss their time on the CBS competition show.

Reality Check Radio can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/reality_check. The show begins at 11pm EST/8pm PST. To participate in the live web chat, listeners are encouraged to register for a user account at www.blogtalkradio.com.

Reality Check Radio is an online BlogTalkRadio show which highlights and discusses current reality television.

New Interview with Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of NYC

On Thursday, February 19th, Reality Check Radio will be airing a new interview with Bethenny Frankel, one of the cast members from The Real Housewives of New York City. She discusses her experience on the show, shares her opinion on other cast members, and gives insight to the new upcoming season which is to premiere Tuesday, February 17th on Bravo.

Frankel’s biggest claim to fame, pre Housewives, came when she was one of 16 candidates in The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, of which she made to the finale. She is a natural foods chef and has her own line of baked goods, Bethenny Bakes. She recently penned a new book, NATURALLY THIN (in stores March 10th), which will unleash and unshackle readers from a lifetime of dieting.

Listeners can find Reality Check Radio online at www.blogtalkradio.com/Reality_Check. The show begins at 11pm EST/ 8pm PST. To participate in the live web chat, listeners are also encouraged to register for a user name at www.blogtalkradio.com.

Reality Check Radio is an online BlogTalkRadio show which highlights and discusses current reality television.

Survivor Fan Favorite Rupert Boneham Interview

Rupert Boneham from Survivor: Pearl Islands and All-Stars will be the on-air guest at Reality Check Radio on Monday, Feb 16th.

The live show begins at 11pm EST/ 8pm PST and can be found at Reality Check Radio.

To participate in the live chat during the show, listeners are encouraged to register for a user name at BlogTalkRadio.

David Osmond Brings Family’s Musical Legacy To American Idol

Source: People

On Wednesday, season 8’s audition rounds reached Salt Lake City, home of fan favorite David Archuleta. It’s also home base of the large and melodious Osmond show-biz clan — which delivered the show its most famous unknown yet.

David Osmond is the 29-year-old son — one of eight — of Alan Osmond, the oldest brother in the original singing act that gave us Donny and Marie. Both father and son suffer from multiple sclerosis — David seems to be in a period of remission, but admits he can’t know when the disease might worsen again. A performer since the age of 4, he has sung with the family and understudied his uncle Donny in a national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. His singing and videos can be streamed on his website.

Is he too accomplished? He has a great, touching story, and a good voice — although Simon didn’t think he was terribly contemporary. He got his ticket to Hollywood anyway — “so genuine,” said Kara — along with several other voices who seemed to have the judges genuinely excited. “Salt Lake was on fire,” Randy told Ryan. Here are some other standout auditions:

Taylor Vaifanua, 16. Randy compared her to Jordin Sparks, who was also 16 when she won. “Really good potential … one of the best vocals.”

Megan Corkrey, 23. An on-the-cusp single mother (she’s getting divorced from the father of her son, not yet 2). She had maybe the most distinctive voice yet from this season’s auditions — wiry, jazzy. Paula: “I think I’m loving you.” Simon: “You are one of the few I’m going to remember.”

Rose Flack, 17. She lost both parents by the time she was 15. An excellent voice — and the stylists in L.A. will be thrilled to get her out of that tie-dye dress. Simon: “You’ve got something special about you, and I don’t know what it is … but you’re one of the few I’m going to remember.”

So we know he’ll recognize at least Megan and Rose next week in Hollywood.

Thursday, the auditions wrap in Puerto Rico and New York City.