New York Housewives Want To Make You Sweat

The stars of Real Housewives of New York City get plenty of exercise shopping, pointing fingers, flipping their hair and catfighting. But sometimes, they've got to do a little bit more to really feel the burn.

Out promoting NBCUniversal's Healthy Step-a-Thon in Times Square, Kelly Bensimon, Jill Zarin, Ramona Singer, Alex McCord, Cindy Barshop and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps opened up about the workout and diet routines they follow to maintain their—love 'em or hate 'em—toned and slim selves.

"I do work out a lot compared to some people," LuAnn says, describing her Pilates-tennis-crosstraining routine.

And whether it's Ramona's attempt to work out in heels, Jill promoting her new line of shapewear or Cindy showing off her Jimmy Choo sneakers and emphasizing the importance of spray tans (instead of real ones) and drinking lots of water, all of the regimens sound about right for the Housewife in question.

"If I walk home, that'll be the best exercise ever, but I'll probably take a car service," laughed Jill.

"It's definitely bikini time, so it's not just about being fit, it's about looking hot," Kelly admitted.

Credit: E! Online (Natalie Finn)

Photos by Wire Image

Jill Zarin Attends Monster Help Day

Jill Zarin attended the Volunteer Event for Monster Help Day at Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal on May 20, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Charles Eshelman/Getty Images North America

Jill & Ramona Locked in Twitter/Facebook War

Jill Zarin and Ramona Singer are at war, this time on Facebook and Twitter!

After Thursday night's episode of Real Housewives of New York, the two took their beef to their social media platforms and began battling it out virtually.

Although Zarin, 47, and Singer, 54, have had a tumultuous relationship as of late, the real drama ensued when Singer showed up at Zarin's charity lunch toting a crate of her own pinot grigio, under what she claimed was a request from Zarin's assistant. The two went head-to-head at the door.

"When Jill saw the wine in my arms, she asked why did I brought it," Singer penned in her BravoTV blog Friday. "I said 'your assistant asked me to.' She replied, 'No, he did not,' and I was flabbergasted. 'Do I need to show you the email he sent me?' I replied and she just stormed away. Once again, Jill gets caught in a lie. I have finally realized that she is a pathological liar. She will just outright lie to make herself look good and make someone else look bad."

In true "ramotional" fashion, Singer tweeted on Thursday night: "If you want to see proof of Jill's lies check out my Facebook page tomorrow morning!"

Then, on Friday, she posted an email from the former assistant -- Darren Bettencourt --on her Facebook page with the caption: "On last night's episode, Jill denied that I was ever asked to bring wine to serve to the ladies at the charity lunch. Please see the emails between our assistants confirming just that! Another Jill lie..."

Before Singer's blog went up, Zarin tweeted, "I am sure Ramona's big surprise is something to do with my assistant. She doesn't know what I asked him to do and what he TOLD me."

Zarin followed up: "I will respond to Ramona's PROOF in my next newsletter. Sign up at jillzarin.com."

Bettencourt, who is now Zarin's manager, told Us Weekly: “The wine was always meant for the silent auction. The emails that [Ramona] posted are taken completely out of context. I can tell you that I spoke with Ramona’s assistant and she knew fully that the wine was not being brought there to serve for the guests. Her assistant left me a crazy email that I couldn’t understand, that’s why I sent the initial email. When Ramona showed up with the wine she had every intention of drinking it, while we were under the impression that it was for the auction, to raise money for charity. We didn’t even have the right glasses to serve wine in.”

Credit: Us Magazine

Jill Zarin: amNewYork's Welcome Party

Jill Zarin attends a welcome party for new amNewYork columnists at The Chelsea Room on May 18, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Wire Image

NY Housewives At A Beach Bum Tanning Event

Sonja Morgan, Countess Luann de Lesseps and Jill Zarin attend the Mobile Spray Tan Unit launch at Beach Bum Tanning Salon on May 18, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Wire Image

The NY Housewives Cast Could Be Replaced

Look out Jill, Ramona, LuAnn, and Alex -- according to a new report, you're all on the chopping block.

Bravo executives were so overwhelmed with the success of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills -- their season finale was the highest-rated episodes in Housewives history -- they're looking at revamping the NYC franchise with all super-wealthy women with over-the-top lifestyles.

Producers believe that the hotel-sized mansions, stretch limos, diamonds, private jets, and record-setting divorce settlements that are part of the Bev Hills housewives' world, that made the show so appealing. They think the NYC show would perform better with that same feel.

So if you have Adrienne Maloof of Camille Grammer-size bank accounts, live in Manhattan, and have always wanted to be on reality TV, you may be in luck, reports The New York Post.

"We're always casting for new housewives in every city," a Bravo rep conceded to The Post. Would the cable net do a wholesale housecleaning and start the NYC show over with an entirely new cast? "We've never done that before," is all the rep would say.

Credit: Radar Online

Jill Zarin Is Back! But Can She Be Trusted?

We’re happy to see Jill Zarin finally back on Real Housewives of New York City – she’s been missing in action for the past two episodes! And it sounds like Jill has been put under Ramona Singer‘s “renewal” spell since returning from her vacation in Australia.

Jill, NYC’s queen bee, claimed to be changed. But seconds after vowing to stay away from gossip – she took a jab at her frenemy Ramona!

“Ramona brings grown women to tears,” Jill told Countess LuAnn de Lesseps and newbee Cindy Barshop. “She leaves dead bodies everywhere!”

Even if Jill is trying to show her softer side, we hope she still has enough “chutzpah” to keep the season interesting! If not, it looks like Sonja Morgan will find a way to keep fans glued. The feisty blonde is holding nothing back this season. Do we have a new Ramona on our hands? She’s getting more “sonsational” as the episodes fly by.

Sonja took it upon herself to acquaint Cindy on “the pecking order” of their social circle. She even badgered Cindy about not having any Pinot Grigio for Ramona at her party!

“No one would be there or know you if it wasn’t for Ramona. There’s a pecking order, and if Ramona Singer walks into your party, you have to respect that,” says Sonja. That means have wine ready — and no more parties way out in Quogue. Cindy was obviously insulted!

The drama also seemed to settle down a bit between the blondes and brunettes — some even apologized! Sonja was successful in bandaging some of the wounds between Ramona and Kelly Bensimon regarding Kelly’s breakdown on “Scary Island” last season. Shockingly, Jill & Alex McCord finally had a sit-down — actually a burn-down — by throwing their qualms into the fire. Are their flames finally cooling down to smoking embers?

Has Jill Zarin finally changed?
Yes! She's so kind this season!
No! I wouldn't trust her!

View Results

Credit: Hollywood Life (David Ryan)

Jill Zarin: 2011 Outstanding Mother Awards

Jill Zarin attends the 2011 Outstanding Mother Awards at The Pierre Hotel on May 5, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Wire Image

Jill Zarin: 6th Annual Stella By Starlight Gala

Jill Zarin and Bobby Zarin of the Real Housewives of New York attended the 6th Annual Stella by Starlight benefit gala at a private residence on May 2, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Theo Wargo/Getty Images North America

Jill Zarin Speaks About Fame At Her Alma Mater

Jill Zarin was in Boston yesterday to debate the pros and cons of being a reality TV star at the annual Simmons Leadership Conference at the World Trade Center.

Let’s see, Jill hates the “loss of privacy” that being a celebrity has brought her, but she does like to use her fame to do charity work, according to the live-streamed video of her speech on the Internet.

Credit: Boston Herald (Megan Johnson)

Jill Zarin: 'I Needed To Regroup And Re-Center'

It would be an understatement to call the last season of Real Housewives of New York difficult for Jill Zarin.

It was a polarizing season as fans who used to love the duo of Jill and Bethenny Frankel were forced to choose sides as their friendship unraveled on the show. But, Jill says her relationship with the show's fans is on an upswing.

"There's no question that I think a lot of fans who questioned their feelings about me have come back to the nest," Jill tells Zap2it.

"I think because there were a lot of influences last year and that's last year," she adds. "The good thing about TV is people have a short memory and make decisions and such based on what they see in front of them at the time."

Jill has a metaphor for the relationship she has with her cast mates, which she says resembles summer camp.

"I sort of visualize the show like the seven of us are in a bunk," She explains. "And some of them will be your best friends. Some of them you'll like a lot. And some of them it will be harder to get along with."

"We're all in the same bunk," she continues. "So you do the best you can to try to get along with everybody all the time and it doesn't always work, but you try. And I think that's different between this year and last year is that I believe everybody on the cast tries to get along. It doesn't always work, but tries."

This season, she says she came back to show "the real Jill" after being encouraged by her family, friends, and fans, and after taking a couple much-needed breaks from the public eye.

"I spent a lot of time with my family and decided to come back to the show because I didn't want to leave on a down note," she says. "I needed to regroup and re-center."

Credit: Zap2It (Jethro Nededog)

Jill Zarin Talks Make-Up, Facelifts & Botox

Jill Zarin made headlines last week when she showed up at TV Land Awards with what appeared to be a fresh face free of lines and a more contoured nose leading some to speculate she’d gone under the knife.

However, the Real Housewives of New York star told Access Hollywood that her new look is simply a series of injections, some makeup and a new hairstyle.

“I have a new makeup artist,” Jill told Access at NBC Universal’s Central Park Beautification project event in New York on Tuesday. “What really changed is he lifted my hair off my face… It just made me look longer. And I guess I have a good night, you know, sometimes you look better than others.

“I do a liquid face lift. It really works,” she continued explaining that she received Botox and Restylane shots in her face. “It’s very subtle, very subtle, but it works. It pulls out the smile lines.”

Jill said fans will see her receive the liquid fountain of youth in coming episodes of her series.

“I got it done in January,” she explained. “I did it on the show, which is really going to be interesting, when you see it on the show.”

Credit: Access Hollywood

New York Housewives Beautify Central Park

Ramona Singer, Kelly Bensimon, Jill Zarin, Chairman of NBC Universal Entertainment & Digital Networks Lauren Zalaznick, Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen pose for a photo during NBC Universal's Central Park Beautification project on April 20, 2011 in New York City.

Credit: Zimbio

Photos by Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America

Jill Zarin Drops By The Wendy Williams Show

Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin, who says she gets "liquid facelifts", reveals her fresh look on the The Wendy Williams Show Tuesday in N.Y.C.

Credit: PEOPLE / Starcasm

Jill Zarin Explains Her Knife-Free Facelift

When Jill Zarin showed up at the TV Land Awards last week, her fresh face and narrower nose sparked speculation that the Real Housewives of New York City star had plastic surgery.

What's her secret? "I have a liquid facelift every six months," Zarin tells PEOPLE. "It really works. No knives!"

A "liquid facelift" is "just using injectables," says Zarin, who started visiting Dr. Patricia Wexler a year ago to get the procedure. Rather than using a filler to tackle individual smile lines, the dermatologist says she lifted Zarin's face by injecting Restylane along the jaw line and up along the sides of her face. The procedure can cost between $1,000-$3,000 per visit.

"I won't say it doesn't hurt," says Zarin, 47. "But it's 100 percent worth it. She took ten years off my face."

As for her new nose, Zarin says it's not needles or knives, but rather the work of her new hair and makeup artist, Jim Crawford.

"He put brown contouring makeup on my nose and thinned it out," she says.

Getting rid of bangs also changed up the Housewife's look. "With the bangs down, the nose takes up the largest percentage of her face," Crawford explains.

Though proud of her surgeon-free makeover, the TV star doesn't claim she'll stick to injectables forever. "All the sudden if I woke up with jowls, that's it," she says. "I'm going under the knife."

Credit: PEOPLE (Thailan Pham)

Alex On Jill Zarin: 'I Went In With My Eyes Open'

If there's one thing viewers took away from the Season 4 premiere of "The Real Housewives of New York," it's that Alex McCord has definitely found her voice.

At the end of the last season, Alex's relationship with cast mate Jill Zarin was rocky (that's putting it mildly). And as of this point in the season, it still is.

"I went in with my eyes open," Alex tells Zap2it about her relationship with Jill going into shooting. "The thing about real life and reality TV is you can't at the beginning of each season say, 'OK, everyone has a clean slate. Let's pretend nothing happened.'"

Though she invokes Bravo's famous "watch what happens" tag line when we ask her if she can call Jill a friend after this season, she did give us a vague hint.

"In order to have relationships," she says. "Be they good or be they bad, you have to have two willing players. If people aren't willing to talk and communicate or to try, then nothing happens."

Last season, fans criticized the show for focusing way too much on the Jill versus Bethenny Frankel feud. With Bethenny on her own show, "Bethenny Ever After," now, Alex tells us there's a different vibe and there won't be just one feud this season.

"You will see some interesting twists and turns," she says. "One thing I really like about this season is that there isn't one big fight. There's a lot of drama. There's a lot of fighting and crying and making up. I think every single one of us bursts into tears at some point."

"The longer we do this," she adds. "The more raw it gets and the more fearless we all get about letting people know what's on our minds. We're more comfortable with one another."

Credit: Zap2It (Nethro Nededog)

'RHONY' Stars React To Jill's 'Taut' New Look

While Real Housewives of New York star Jill Zarin told Rob Shuter of Pop Eater that her new look has nothing to do with plastic surgery, other members of the 'NYC' cast tell him they don't believe it.

Zarin, 47, denies getting any work done -- "If I did, I would be the first to admit it," she told him -- but her critics aren't so convinced.

"I really don't know what to think." Ramona Singer tells him. "If you see her in the photos, her face looks different. Personally I like her other look better."

Ramona said Sonja Morgan is certain that Jill has had numerous "injectables" put into her face. "It does make her face look too taut and not as natural," Ramona says.

Jill has admitted to going to famous cosmetic dermatologist Patricia Wexler. "Jill overdid it. It's not the best look. Too much injectables look as bad as a bad face-lift," a puzzled Ramona told him.

And it's not just the females on Bravo's hit show that are giving Jill a hard time.

Simon Van Kempen told him, "I certainly think it's better to age gracefully than pull yourself so tight that you can no longer show facial expressions."

Credit: Pop Eater (Rob Shuter)

Jill Zarin Scores Another Prime Time Gig

Anyone doubting the veracity of Jill Zarin's insistence that her, um, renewed look is down to drinking plenty of water and changing up her skincare regime might want to get ready to fire up their HDTV.

That's because the Real Housewife of New York is trading her unscripted drama for the written variety and will be appearing with her suddenly smooth visage on White Collar in an episode set to tape tomorrow. And as it happens, she seems to be going Method with her debut part: she's playing (wait for it) a woman at a cocktail party. Typecasting has its benefits, after all.

As for the persistent rumors that the housewife has gone under the knife, her rep is playing it slightly more coy than the denying reality diva.

"For Jill to be fully recovered now, any work she had done would have had to be done while she was filming season 4 of the Real Housewives of New York, so you will have to watch and see what happens." Or, you know, continue with the rampant speculation. We know which one we prefer.

Credit: E! Online (Gina Serpe)

Ramona Talks About The "WWHL" Poll Recount

Real Housewives of New York City star Ramona Singer can’t believe that her co-star Jill Zarin requested a recount on a poll when fans voted Ramona more likeable than Jill!

“When we were walking the carpet for TV Land [on April 10], people mentioned it to me saying, ‘Did you know she demanded a recount?’” Ramona tells Hollywood Life exclusively. “I said, ‘Are you kidding me? Why would she do that?’”

“And then I found out that she tweeted everybody to please vote for her,” Ramona says. “She’s tweeting all of her fan base to vote for her — and she still lost!”

Ramona says Jill brings trouble on herself. “Jill is her own worst enemy,” says Ramona. “She’s very competitive. She doesn’t know how to let things go.”

“Obviously she was the most disliked housewife last season because the way she treated Bethenny Frankel,” continues Ramona. “And she’s trying to redeem herself this year. But then her first episode, she’s nasty to Alex behind her back and to me. So why are people going to vote her?”

Ramona on the other hand doesn’t try to cover up her faults like Jill does. “I may not say the nicest things to you, but at least I’m not playing a game behind your back,” she says. “I admit, my mouth is sometimes unedited. I’m ramontional. I don’t think before I speak, but at least I tell you to your face.”

Jill “pretends she’s all nice, nice, but it’s all about Jillousy,” Ramona says. “She’s like a suicide bomber. She’ll self-destruct.”

“Andy Cohen said we were going to have a little vote on Team Ramona or Team Jill,” remembers Ramona. “I just thought OK, very cute. Whatever the result is, it is. I’m not so competitive and so anxious to win that I’m going to start tweeting while I’m on with Andy. But she did, which I had no clue about. I had no clue that she was so upset with the results that she demanded a recount.”

Credit: Hollywood Life (Lindsey DiMattina)

Jill Zarin Pulls An Al Gore At Andy's WWHL

An episode of Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live turned into a replay of the disputed 2000 presidential election for Bravo when "Real Housewives of New York star Jill Zarin challenged poll results.

Watch What Happens recaps recent Bravo shows and includes star interviews. The uproar began the other night when Cohen asked viewers to vote whether they were on "Team Jill," supporting Zarin, or "Team Ramona," in support of Zarin rival Ramona Singer.

When the results came back in favor of Ramona, Zarin flipped her lid, according to sources, and demanded a recount.

"They had a problem," Zarin told Page Six. "My initial reaction was surprise, based on my own fans and how they were telling me they supported me. That night, we said, 'We don't think these numbers are right.' "

Sources told us that Zarin went so far as to tell Bravo she was getting her lawyer to "audit" the polling numbers. But the "Real Housewife" told us she didn't go that far.

"I didn't call a lawyer at 2 in the morning," Zarin joked, apparently meaning the hour when she'd have had to jump into action -- although the show is over at 11:30 p.m. "To do that, I'd have to have the best attorney in the world, who'd take that call at 2 in the morning even if I wasn't in jail."

A Bravo rep admitted that the network did find voting irregularities but said the problem was not more widespread: "There was a calculation error. It has been corrected and won't happen again." The rep said votes were tabulated by a third party, not by Bravo.

Meantime, after all the drama, Zarin still lost. The recount moved her from getting support from 22 percent of fans to 41 percent.

Credit: Page Six