Entertainment
The Cast Of 'Secrets And Wives' On Bravo Is Even More Dramatic Than Those Real Housewives
I've got to be honest. I'm not really sure why Bravo's new reality show Secrets and Wives isn't just called The Real Housewives of Long Island. Just like The Real Housewives, the cast of Secrets and Wives have gorgeous homes, plenty of, shall we say, enhancements to their appearance, and enough aptitude for bringing the drama.
But there is one big difference between Secrets and Wives and The Real Housewives franchise. While each installment of The Real Housewives centers on a group of "friends" in a particular city, you can tell that some women in the Housewives' casts just interact because they're on the show together. That's not the case with Secrets and Wives because the six ladies on the show have been friends for years on Long Island. Bravo even refers to them as a "sisterhood of friends." You definitely couldn't use that term to describe The Real Housewives.
With long-lasting, close bonds comes a lot of love, but so does a lot of baggage. Believe me, these ladies have that too. From dating each other's exes to gossiping about their new looks to the occasional backstabbing, the ladies of Secrets and Wives may not be Real Housewives, but they certainly know how to be just as dramatic, if not more.
Image: Mathieu Young/Bravo
Amy Miller
Whether you end up loving or hating Secrets and Wives, you can thank/blame Amy Miller. She’s the one who told a Bravo producer three years ago that her friends would be great on TV. However, Amy actually never intended on being in the show, but with the backstory you’re about to read, how could she not?
Amy has trouble with the men in her life. A lot of trouble. She divorced her husband five years ago, and has been on-and-off with her fiance Arthur, who her friends hate. Amy is also having problems with her 20-year-old son living at home and not showing any career ambition. I’ve got news for you, Amy. Being on a reality show won’t help your relationships, but you were right about one thing. It certainly does make for good TV.
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Liza Sandler
Though some of the women of Secrets and Wives have remained friends since growing up together on Long Island, the same can’t be said about some of the ladies and their husbands. Take Liza Sandler, for instance. She married her high school sweetheart Andrew Sandler, who became a hedge fund manager. Unfortunately, the two drifted a part, and Liza had an affair with Donny Deutsch, an ad exec-turned-TV-personality. Andrew reportedly hired a private detective who photographed Liza and Donny kissing back in 2008, Page Six reported. Liza continued dating Donny after her marriage to Andrew ended, but she has since split with him too.
Liza will still have to deal with the fallout from her divorce on Secrets and Wives as she has to sell her home as part of the divorce settlement. She’ll also be coping with empty nesting, but dealing with the other ladies of Secrets and Wives is definitely going to be enough to keep Liza preoccupied.
Image: Mathieu Young/Bravo
Cori Goldfarb
Now here’s something you don’t see every day on reality TV. Cori Goldfarb is actually still married to her first husband, Sandy. How this group of mostly divorcees still lets her hang around, I’ll never know, but maybe she gets a little ostracized every now and then. I can only hope.
But don’t think that Cori is living in a fairy tale or anything like that either. Her husband lost his job on Wall Street, so the couple opened up the Truth + Beauty spa, which has put a strain on their marriage as they work to keep their business afloat and raise their four daughters. But what’s going to be more stressful for Cori this season is the fact that she’s going to find some sneaky texts on her husband’s phone. Sounds like she’s going to need a visit to her own spa as a customer.
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Susan Doneson
In a sea of blondes, Susan Doneson immediately stands out on Secrets and Wives. But aside from her appearance, she has one of the most dramatic bios of any of the cast members.
Susan was one of the last women in the group to get married, but after having two children together, the couple eventually ended up divorced. Susan realized she was really in love with her high school crush Jonathan, but the couple really had to move quickly with their relationship because he was on his way to prison for two years for securities fraud. Jonathan was released, and the two had a son together.
Susan is also more focused on her career than the other ladies of Secrets and Wives, which makes her feel left out of the group at times. She’s also very opinionated, and her views can often come out the wrong way. If that’s not a recipe for tension, I don’t know what is.
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Gail Greenberg
If I’m going to keep The Real Housewives analogy going, Gail Greenberg is just like Lisa Hochstein of The Real Housewives of Miami , blond and married to a plastic surgeon. For that matter, Gail’s friends tease that she’s like “The Bionic Woman” with her second husband Stephen putting her together to essentially build a whole new body, if you catch my drift.
It’s no surprise then that Gail is a perfectionist with a Type-A personality, always wanting to look and be the best, even if her husband doesn’t always have time. Oh, and her friend Andi dated her ex. I can’t wait to see what happens.
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Andi Black
Andi Black has a rock ‘n’ roll past. She was a back-up singer for the ’60s pop group Jay and the Americans, and she ended up marrying the lead singer Jay Black at the age of 18. The two eventually got divorced, and Andi would remarry and divorce twice more.
When we meet Andi on Secrets and Wives, she will be in the process of closing on a house with her boyfriend Adam. Since she has a solid relationship going, it looks like that’s going to make her feel like she can meddle in her friends’ affairs, for better or for worse, but always entertaining.
Image: Mathieu Young/Bravo
