A Reality Star Who Is, in Fact, Here to Make Friends

On much of reality TV, characters shrug off bad behavior by explaining that they are “not here to make friends.” On the Real Housewives franchise, however, husbands may come and go, but friendship is forever, at least once it’s patched up in the post-season reunion. “I'm a girl's girl,” the Housewives say, over and over. Then they befriend and betray one another. While they value female friendship, they also manage to transcend the strict confines of “likeability” by acting abhorrently.

When the Cut talked to Kristen Taekman, the rookie Real Housewife of New York, she explained that she did in fact join the show to make new friends. Over the course of season six, which wrapped up with a Champagne toast last week, Kristen had a wine glass thrown at her face by another Housewife, fought so much with her husband that fans advised her to divorce him, and cried in nearly every cutaway. But she also learned how to stick up for herself and did make “lasting friendships with some truly great girls.”

Over the phone, Kristen talked about what it’s like to watch herself on TV, how she learned to talk and not just smile, and why reality is way better than fiction.

Via: A Reality Star Who Is, in Fact, Here to Make Friends