The Real Housewives of Sydney is coming back, revamped, refreshed and apparently better than ever.
This week the new cast was revealed, with seven Sydney women set to navigate complex friendships, personal lives, careers, families and drama all upon a backdrop of luxury. We love it.
We will see Sydney OGs Krissy Marsh and Nicole O'Neil return (big yay).
We also have Dr Kate Adams, who is the owner and head vet from Bondi Vet Hospital who also is a regular on the vet's reality TV show, shoe designer Terry Biviano and Sally Obermeder who is a television presenter and the founder of wellness brand Swiish. And to round it out, we also have additional fabulous newcomers Victoria Montano and Caroline Gaultier.
Now as a gigantic Real Housewives fan, when I was asked if I wanted to attend the cast announcement event and chat with the Sydney Housewives... my answer was a resounding yes.
Watch: Goggleboxers watch the OG season of The Real Housewives of Sydney. Post continues below.
Season one of Sydney was back in 2017 - and it was Jatz crackers to say the least.
There were a lot of fights, name-calling and sl*t-shaming. And for those who aren't equipped with Real Housewives you might be thinking 'Well surely that's what every franchise is about'.
But Sydney took it to a whole other level. Almost too far.
Krissy Marsh tells Mamamia that she initially wasn't going to come back for this revamped season of the show, after what she put up with six years ago from some of her fellow cast mates.
But it was her very close friend and fellow alum Nicole O'Neil who convinced her otherwise.
"I didn't [say yes]. She forced me," Marsh jokes.
"We had a lot of fun doing season one, despite how it ended up being perceived at the end. It was like Schoolies week. But coming back took convincing. Nicole and I both have children going through HSC so we're flat out. And my life is so much bigger than this one show."
When Marsh's kids found out she was going to do Real Housewives again, they decided to offer some of their own sage advice.
"My kids had never watched it because they were too young. They watched it this year when they found out I was going back on it. And they were like 'Mum, you're wrong dot com, no sexual comments, don't do this'. But I had to say 'Darlings I am who I am'. So they are very opinionated on what I should do and what I shouldn't do."
For O'Neil, it was an easier decision to rejoin.
"It was fun - you get to film with your family, your friends, your kids. It's a great time stamp. I can't tell my children to take chances with their life if I don't."
As for Sally Obermeder, Terry Biviano and Dr Kate Adams, they were all adamant that the tone of this season needed to be authentic, less b*tchy, and vulnerable.
When asked if they wanted to sign onto Real Housewives, Biviano initially said "God no", Dr Adams said "It was a natural progression and exciting", and Obermeder said "It depends".
"I wanted to know who else was going to do it, what the kind of vibe was going to be and I wanted to make sure it was going to showcase our friendships and let us explore them," says Obermeder to Mamamia. "I wanted to make sure it would actually show our lives, and not us in a small, narrow way."
Biviano says she was "very anti" the idea of joining the cast originally, adding she had been approached for prior seasons. But "never say never is the first lesson of life" and "never judge a book by its cover".
As for what might be a big discussion point in this season among the women?
When pressed on what potentially caused a bit of friction in their friendships, Marsh makes note of one key factor. Interestingly, it appears we'll be seeing a potential clash of values on issues like working mother's guilt.
"It's real issues. I sat there going [to one of the cast members on this season] 'Are you seriously saying this about working mothers?' Because I've run my own business for 15 years. It's very topical right now. And it hurt."
O'Neil agrees, adding: "When you're 24/7 with people and also when you're travelling - and you might even have been friends for a very long time - you realise what they respect and value versus what you respect and value sometimes don't line up. That made for interesting conversations and confrontations.
"Your values and your life are under the microscope - how you raise your children and if that's right or wrong. Also, the values you're instilling in them and whether that's right or wrong. There's pressure in the fact you've got to be very confident in who you are as a parent [in this TV environment]."
Marsh says it was O'Neil who has been her rock - both on camera and off camera.
"Nicole and I have a very real friendship and in one of the opening scenes, she's talking to me about what I've done in the last X amount of years and stuff, and that's genuine. I'm crying now, and I cried in that moment too," she says through tears.
For Biviano, she's recently been navigating this topic in her own life.
"I've been labelled many things in my life. I was a shoe designer, then put that on hold to concentrate on my family. And I felt I was at a bit of a crossroads in my life," she says.
Perhaps the biggest critique about the first season of The Real Housewives of Sydney was that it rarely showed a positive perspective on female friendships. Dr Adams says that was something they "really worked hard" to change and "insisted" on changing.
Although "you can't control all the cast members" Biviano alludes.
"Another focus was shifting the Housewife perspective. I mean look at Dr Kate Adams here - she is young, she's a successful vet, she's married and she doesn't have kids. She has fur children. There's so many women out there who have grown up and realised 'What do you need a husband for?' And it's a perspective we needed."
Of course, Real Housewives will always bring the glam, glitz and high life. That's why we love it. But the cast members all note that despite the very affluent backdrop, they hope the issues discussed ring true to a wider audience.
"There's a lot more insight into our lives," says O'Neil. "Yes, things are sprinkled in glitter - I don't wake up with my hair in rollers and a full face of makeup. It is the glamorous side of it, but I hope there's more relatability."
And considering last season there was a screaming match that involved statements such as "talk to my six-carat diamond b*tch", a bit more relatability is desperately welcomed.
Do I have a sneaking suspicion about who this season's drama centre might be? Yes, I think I do... but time shall tell.
Will there be tears in this season? Absolutely.
And will the topic of working mums experiencing shame and guilt from others be at the crux of some of this season's arguments? All signs point to yes.
The Real Housewives of Sydney is coming soon to FOXTEL and BINGE.
Feature Image: Mamamia.
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