THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NASHVILLE

A couple of weeks ago there had been a great deal of speculation, interest and rumor regarding a potential “Real Housewives of Nashville”. Jana Kramer was said to be filming “something” that involved Caroline Bryan. Brittany Aldean was also rumored to be filming as well. Kramer later said she was filming a pilot but it wasn’t Real Housewives. She had been interested in the Beverly Hills franchise when there was a possibility of a “friend” role. She would have been a “friend” of Teddi Mellencamp. Mellencamp’s contract was not renewed and that was that. Aldean has also said that she wasn’t filming “Real Housewives.” Fans have been clamoring for a Nashville version for years. That was the hope in 2014 for what turned into “The Private Lives of Nashville Wives”. There isn’t enough time in the world for me to fully unpack that one. From what I remember the company that produces The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, Evolution Media created a show to present to Bravo. They passed on it and it went to TNT. It lasted one season.

Well there HAD been some activity on a potential version of Real Housewives of Nashville. Fairly recent activity. I know firsthand. And how do I know firsthand you ask? Sit back and I’ll tell you.

Ballet Ball 2020. Someone in this photo was a potential cast member. Can you guess who?

In December of 2019 my friend, the eveningwear designer Johnathan Kayne asked me if it would ok to pass on my contact information to a casting director in New York. He was working on a potential series set in Nashville, that may or may not be “Real Housewives”. He would need help identifying potential ~~Housewives~~ cast members. Among other things, he works on casting The Real Housewives of Potomac. We exchanged several calls, texts and emails. I sent a list of potential ladies. That list is below. It was an interesting process. He was looking for someone that had a story to tell as well as a big personality. He didn’t interview everyone on the list and naturally not everyone interviewed was interested. From what I understand they had settled on Brittany Aldean, who is married to Jason Aldean; Kristin Geyser, owner of The Showroom, she was engaged to Kevin Williamson of Intercsope Records at the time, they recently married; Mary Carlisle Callahan-Young, she was a co-host on The Storme Warren Show SiriusXM and is married to Ricky Young; and Michelle Nowell, jewelry designer (Grace My Style) and married to American Child Care’s Willis Nowell. They had been looking for an additional cast member that was either more aligned with the social and philanthropic side of Nashville or someone who could be a bridge between that and the music industry. The casting choices were submitted, I assume to the network for approval. By the time Ballet Ball rolled around at the end of February there still hadn’t been an answer regarding casting or production. Soon after Covid hit and we went into a pandemic. There hasn’t been any actively since that I know of, at least in this iteration – I inquired. I’m sure that TMZ and People would love to see all of the feedback and comments for the proposed candidates but I will keep that to myself. Good, bad or in between it will interesting to see what happen next and if Nashville finally joins the pop culture franchise.