By Megan Riedlinger
5:30am PDT, Apr 23, 2023
_
True Bravo fans know the pain of hearing they'll no longer get a front-row seat to watch their favorite reality star's life unfold. From shocking firings to show cancellations to the occasional delight of a past fan favorite's return, we're rounding up some of Bravo's most shocking casting announcements over the years…
Captain Lee Rosbach has been a "Below Deck" fan favorite since the inaugural season of the series back in 2013. And he's been a fixture throughout the last 10 seasons, becoming one of the show's biggest stars. His only absences have been due to serious medical issues — he missed the first charter of season 9 due to a heart problem that left him hospitalized, and Captain Sandy Yawn had to fill in for a few charters during season 10 due to nerve issues in his leg. So when it was announced that he wouldn't be returning for season 11, fans were stunned. Then Captain Lee surprised them even further when he revealed to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in April 2023 that the decision was not his choice.
"I was just not invited back. I guess I can see their point of view. They really couldn't get a straight answer from anyone on how my health was," Captain Lee told the outlet. However, he wouldn't rule out a return if he was asked back, adding, "I imagine they are going to see what happens with season 11, with somebody new trying to take over for me, see how they do. If it's too expensive for them, we'll see what happens. If the numbers take a tank, would I go back? Yeah."
Keep reading to look back at other shocking Bravo casting revelations over the years…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
_
Bravo fans were dealt a major blow in October 2022 when it was revealed that the "Real Housewives of New York City" they knew and loved was no longer. The network announced a massive shakeup for the show, revealing that there would be an entirely new cast hired to replace everyone from season 13. That unfortunate season, which featured Sonja Morgan, Leah McSweeney, Ramona Singer, Eboni K. Williams and Luann de Lesseps holding apples, famously tanked in the ratings and made history by becoming the first-ever season without a reunion episode. Though fans anticipated a cast change, they weren't expecting an entire wipeout. But all is not lost — there's reportedly a yet-to-be-named new series in development that will feature some of the legacy New York housewives. As for the next generation of "RHONY" stars…
MORE: "Real Housewives" kids all grown up
_
Meet the newest crop of Bravolebrities! The next season of "The Real Housewives of New York City" will feature an entirely new cast. The new ladies — Jenna Lyons, Sai De Silva, Bryn Whitfield, Jessel Taank, Erin Lichy and Ubah Hassan — were brought out on stage during October 2022's BravoCon to the delight of diehard Bravo fans. The network also announced that influencer Lizzy Savetsky would be a housewife, but she quit the show shortly after filming began.
MORE: Former "Real Housewives" stars: Where are they now?
_
Though she wasn't a full-time cast member during 2014's season 1, Kathryn Dennis certainly left an impression on "Southern Charm" audiences. By season 2, she was bumped up to main cast member status — just in time to show her welcoming her first child with former "Southern Charm" star Thomas Ravenel. Since then, viewers have watched the Kathryn grow up before their eyes, most recently celebrating her 30th birthday during season 8. But in January 2023, news broke revealing Kathryn would not be returning for season 9. The reality star confirmed the news to Page Six on Jan. 11, sharing, "What a wild ride it's been! Can you believe I was 21 when I first started filming 'Southern Charm,' back in its first season? That was in 2013, and in the decade that followed, it's safe to say my life changed in ways I could never imagine. It hasn't always been easy, but I'm so lucky to have had reality cameras there, capturing so many moments that I'll never forget (and a few, even, that I'd like to)." She also denied the rumors from Deadline that she'd still appear as a "friend of" the show, concluding her statement by noting that she was entering a new chapter of her life "away from the 'Southern Charm' lens."
MORE: Celebrities who are big fans of Bravo shows
_
Speaking of "The Real Housewives of New York City," Bravo fans were delighted by the news that a beloved original cast member would be returning to their screens. Alex McCord's "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" season 4 casting news completely eclipsed news about the other wives — all former franchise stars like on season 2. Alex is one of the original "RHONY" cast members but hasn't been on television for more than a decade following her 2011 departure after the show's fourth season. Joining the in-demand former reality star for this "Ultimate Girls Trip" in Morocco? "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Camille Grammer Meyer, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" fan favorite Caroline Manzo, "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Gretchen Rossi and former "RHUGT" stars Vicki Gunvalson, Phaedra Parks and Eva Marcille.
_
After eight seasons on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Lisa Rinna has left the franchise. The surprising news broke in January 2023 — three months after season 12 came to an end. Though Lisa's questionable behavior meddling in sisters Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton's relationship came into question, Bravo fans were still surprised by the news of Lisa's departure. According to People magazine, her contract had run out and the actress and the network mutually decided to part ways. In a statement, Lisa seemed upbeat in the wake of the decision, sharing, "This is the longest job I have held in my 35-year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series. It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!"
_
It's pretty rare to sunset an entire franchise, but that's exactly what happened after season 5 of "The Real Housewives of Dallas" concluded. That final season, which fans didn't realize would be the last, aired in 2021 with Kary Brittingham, Stephanie Hollman, D'Andra Simmons, Brandi Redmond, Kameron Westcott and Tiffany Moon starring.
_
Vicki Gunvalson announced in January 2020 that she'd no longer be a fixture on "The Real Housewives of Orange County." The reality icon, who was an original cast member instrumental in turning the show into the franchise juggernaut it is today thanks to her wacky antics, revealed that season 14 would be her last via an Instagram post. For her final season, she had been demoted to a "friend of" instead of a main cast member, so diehard fans weren't entirely surprised at her exit news. Her on-camera and real-life bestie Tamra Judge followed suit, announcing she also would be leaving the show. Fortunately for the duo's followers, it fans hadn't seen the last of them on the network…
_
After a moderately successful first season of Peacock's "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip," the streaming service made a very exciting announcement regarding the second season — it would feature former housewives! The cast was made up of fan favorites like "The Real Housewives of Orange County" stars Vicki Gunvalson and Tamra Judge and "The Real Housewives of New York City" star Dorinda Medley — who opened up her Massachusetts home in the Berkshires, Blue Stone Manor — for the other ladies. Dorinda's former co-star Jill Zarin, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast-offs Taylor Armstrong and Brandi Glanville and former "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" stars Phaedra Parks and Eva Marcille rounded out the cast to the delight of many Bravo fans.
_
One of the most shocking departures from a Housewives franchise came in 2019 when original "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Lisa Vanderpump parted ways with the show. The restaurateur's leave was as dramatic as you'd expect from a reality star — she stopped filming midway through season 9 and refused to take part in that season's reunion episodes. She later told "Extra," "The last year was a very negative year for me… I just had a horrible time with the show and the women. It was a very sad time in my life and it wasn't made any better. I just decided to walk away." Despite removing herself from the show that made her famous, Lisa opted to remain with the network as an executive producer and occasional star on her spinoff, "Vanderpump Rules."
_
Nearly half of the main "Vanderpump Rules" cast was fired after season 8 ended in 2020 after allegedly racist behavior from 2018 surfaced. Former Sur employee Faith Stowers, who appeared on the show a few times over the years, took to Instagram Live in June 2020 to reflect on the time Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute (far right) called the cops on her, incorrectly claiming that Faith was the same Black woman who was featured in a Daily Mail article about robberies. The events in question were confirmed by Stassi herself on a 2018 podcast episode on which she spoke about calling the police and also by a tweet that same year from Kristen, who posted the Daily Mail article. The network responded by firing both women. Later that year, they also fired Jax Taylor and his wife, Brittany Cartwright (far left). Though Brittany wasn't immediately tied to this same scandal with Faith, Jax had also tweeted allegations about Faith that included allegations she was wanted for grand theft auto. Newcomers Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also fired due to past racist tweets surfacing. This mass exodus of major players on the youthful Bravo series resulted in a flurry of new hires, but when season 9 returned in 2021, it saw some of the show's lowest ratings. A trailer for season 10 of the series debuted in January 2023 and revealed that the network seems to be focusing more on their remaining original cast members, something that seemed to appease longtime fans of the show.
_
Hannah Berner joined "Summer House" during season 3 and with her chaotic entrance breathed some new life into the younger Bravo series. During her time on the show, she somehow found herself in the midst most of the drama — from a romance with resident hunk Luke Gulbranson to a fight with frenemy Kyle Cooke that launched a successful podcast Hannah runs with co-star Paige DeSorbo (the show is called "Giggly Squad" after Kyle's name for the duo). That's why fans were pretty surprised when the comedian announced she wouldn't be returning for season 6 in May 2021. The move came before the cast prepared to spend the summer in the Hamptons with cameras rolling and shortly after season 5 aired, showing her blossoming romance with fellow comic Des Bishop.
_
After nine drama-filled seasons on Bravo, the network announced that "Shahs of Sunset" wouldn't be returning in 2022 — 10 years after the show premiered. The sad news came a month after original cast member Mike Shouhed was arrested on domestic violence charges, but sources told Page Six that wasn't the reason for pulling the plug on the series. Its sources claimed the show was getting "too expensive" to make, which is plausible considering it managed to retain four original cast members through the years: Mike, Reza Farahan, Golnesa Gharachedaghi and Mercedes Javid. However, there was still hope for diehard "Shahs" fans as rumors circulated claiming the network might continue to work with Reza, Mercedes and Golnesa in another capacity in the future.
