collider.com: It has been few months since The Real Housewives of New York alum Bethenny Frankel waged a war against Bravo and the rest of the franchise. She was inspired by SAG-AFTRA and the WGA strikes to stand up for the rights of Reality TV stars. Bethenny chose to call out studio exploitation and asked for a reality TV union that would protect its stars from exploitation. This includes payment rights for the reality stars as well.
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My initial reaction to Bethenny Frankel wanting reality stars to be protected from exploitation was, “isn’t that what a reality show is?” But although there might be truth to that statement, it doesn’t mean that reality stars don’t also deserve rights. They provide entertainment just like any other TV show and should be properly compensated and protected as actors. However, I don’t see any of these stars struggling to make rent or pay their utility bills. It is still interesting to see how far the effects of the SAG-AFTRA and WAG strikes reached. Folks in all aspects of entertainment are realizing that maybe they haven’t been treated fairly and deserve to be paid properly, or have their time respected better. I will say, reading about how the stars all disagree or agree feels like I’m watching an episode of one of their shows, especially when Vanderpump mentioned she believed some retaliation was due to shows being declined by the networks.
Growing up it was instilled in me the importance of unions and I still heavily value unions and what they do for workers. I will rarely say that a group shouldn't unionize, unions are what allow workers to have a fair chance at negotiating their contracts. Unions are necessary and even if Bethany Frankel is pushing for unionization for the wrong reasons I'm still going to support the unionization of reality TV stars because They still deserve to be able to negotiate their contracts properly. I’ve always hated the notion of “don't bite the hand that fed you” Because just because they gave you an opportunity doesn't mean that they deserve to be exempt from any responsibility. Like every other corporation Bravo needs to be held responsible for proper wages and treatment of the actors. Just because some of the biggest Stars are happy with the treatment and don't think they need anything else doesn't mean that everyone is.
It’s easy to not want to validate the complaints of lavish housewives such as Bethenny Frankel or Lisa Rinna. Their career as housewives has been built on their wealth, and their ability to make money just by shouting at dinner parties is unfathomable to a lot of us. This being said, they still deserve a union just as any other entertainment professional. If the painfully long SAG and WGA strikes have shown us anything, it is that studios rarely have their talent's best interests at heart. While Bravo runs differently than movie studios, the same exploitation of talent can exist. I do understand Lisa Vanderpump’s point of view of wanting to support the network that built her, but I also don’t think that unions don’t inherently have to exist in slander of “the boss”. If union needs are adopted by the network, the pushback between unions and Bravo doesn’t have to exist. Unions are there to support the reality TV individuals that aren’t as big as Vanderpump, and that can’t afford to be exploited. I’m so curious to see if and how this new union turns out.
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