And they are back for more!

New York magazine has an excellent article here about Alex McCord and her husband Simon van Kampen. The couple that we love to hate are going to be back for another season of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City (what a misnomer that is). You know what this means, more scenes of Alex and Simon shopping and cavorting on the beach in St. Bart's in matching thongs. The article is worth reading for the bitchy things that Simon in particular has to say about Bethenny and Jill. You can also take a gander at the hotel Simon manages, the Hotel Chandler here.

Who cried last night at The Bachelorette? I know I did, pretty much all the way through the episode (I know I'm a sap). The tears pretty much started when Jesse's mother Wilma talked about how they tried for 12 years to have a baby before they finally gave up and she got pregnant with Jesse, whose name means gift from god. I worry though because DeAnna has that magical time table and Jesse looks like the type of guy who would want to date for awhile (say a couple of years) before having a wedding on a beach or a ski slope. I just don't see her fitting into his life for the long haul but I do see why she digs him. Loved his comment about how kissing is special. If only more men felt that way.

Jeremy bugs me for some reason. He's just too perfect (drink a shot every time DeAnna talks about how perfect he is. Drunk yet?). Perfect house, perfect job, perfect body, perfect dog. There's something a little off there. And what's with leaving your bar exam notes up on the wall? I can understand the bond they have over losing a parent (ex cutie-pie and I had the same thing) but I don't see any other bond between the two of them. Its one thing to show off pictures of your parents, its another to then read from your personal diary about your mother's death. There was something slightly creepy about the whole thing. I'm just saying. DeAnna mentions that she wants to fall in love with him, which means that she hasn't even come close.

Okay, I have made it perfectly clear that I am a Jason fan. I think he's wonderful, fun, understanding, and has the most adorable little boy who he loves to bits. How can you not fall in love with a guy who loves his son as much as Jason does? And his family is great as well. I felt they were the most welcoming of all the families. I really enjoyed the conversation that Jason had with his Mom about opening up his heart even though his ex-wife sliced it open and left him bleeding.

And finally there is Graham. It broke my heart to see DeAnna let him go instead of say Jesse but I understand her reluctance to keep him in the hope that maybe he just might open up. She just had too many doubts about him, and it didn't help that his mother admitted that a) he's a loner who doesn't let people too close and b) he hasn't had a relationship that lasted longer than 4 weeks. And seriously DeAnna Bunn? You just know that she was thinking, if she married him, she'd have to keep her last name. I really felt for her when at first Graham seemed so open and affectionate, and then he just shut down after they left his parents house. It was such a sharp contrast to the other guys. And the fact that he couldn't tell her what was bothering him, whether it was worrying about the other guys, or just not wanting to let her go, he couldn't give her anything. I think that if Graham had given her the note that he had written at that point instead of after she booted him, he would still be on the show. He just waited too long.

Of course she had to bring up Brad's name (take a shot everytime DeAnna mentions that Brad broke her heart or led her on. Drunk yet?). How sad was it that she told him that he was the one man that she was falling in love with, and he said nothing?

Can't wait for next week's reunion show & overnight exotic dates!

EKM

The Most Pretentious Couple in New York?

The Real Housewives of New York City is one of my guilty pleasures. For one thing, none of these women are housewives, apart from the Countess deLesseps, and she has a housekeeper who seems to do everything while she gives orders. But the couple that really makes this show is Alex McCord and her husband Simon Van de Kampen.

Seriously they have to be one of the most pretentious couples on the planet, but you can't hate them for it. You just have to laugh as you watch Simon insist that his son Francois (for the record Simon is Australian and Alex is American, so why there kid has a French name is anyone's guess) ask for a lemonade in French. In a restaurant in Brooklyn no less. Although if they had been eating at Florent or Pastis, that might actually have flown.

Alex doesn't believe in having a 'girl's night' out. In fact, when she was invited to one, she brought her husband along, which freaked out Ramona, who is a nutbar all on her own. She and Simon do everything together, including shopping. If you have ever wanted your husband to go shopping with you and be interested, trust me, you won't after seeing the episode where the two of them dropped thousands shopping in St. Bart's. They even wear matching thongs on the beach.

The couple have a French au pair to try and get Francois to learn to speak French, but this kid is resisting it with every fiber of his being. The best episodes were watching them get ready to go to the Met opening night and the episode where they took their child to a charter school for an interview. However, I was surprised that they actually enrolled him a public school instead of the Lycee Francais or some other school in New York where they teach languages from an early age (although seriously since they live in New York, they might be better having Francois learn Spanish as well).

The glee with which they looked to see if Alex had made the Sunday Styles section of The New York Times was hilarious (by the way she wore Roberto Cavalli). And the way they talk about climbing the social ladder in New York. Is this really something that people concern themselves with? I say this from the bottom rung of the social ladder and because I can think of other things I would want to spend $10,000, and none of them are tickets to the opera.

On the one hand, I think its sweet that they love each so much and they love spending time together, but they seriously need some other friends. I mean does Simon even have any male friends? At least Alex now has the cast of TRHONYC. I do give them props for eschewing the Hamptons for St. Bart's, but points are taking away for Simon wearing a thong on the beach.

I can't wait to see what is in store for them next season.