Exclusive

Kelly Bensimon Revisits Real Housewives of New York's Scary Island: "It's Not Easy Coming Back From 'Crazy'"

Exclusive! Kelly Bensimon claims Scary Island destroyed her reputation for a time

By Chris Harnick Sep 17, 2015 2:00 PMTags
Real Housewives Trips, NYC, Scary Island, Kelly BensimonBravo

The Real Housewives of New York City is turning 100, but you wouldn't know that with all the botox, fake eyelashes and boob jobs. To celebrate the big event, Andy Cohen sat down with Big Apple ladies past and present and nothing was off limits, including the fan-favorite (and super nutty) RHONY season three trip to Scary Island.

Kelly Bensimon revisited her jellybeans and Kabuki moment with Andy and said it ruined her reputation. For those who may not remember—hey, we don't blame you, there's been a lot of nonsensical moments on this show—the ladies of RHONY went to St. John and things got weird. Alex McCord had a beach-front photo shoot with Kelly, which Kelly then criticized. Kelly also thought Bethenny Frankel was going to kill her, apparently. Ramona Singer just wanted her pinot grigio and Sonja Morgan was there to have a good time.

"It's not easy to come back from crazy," Kelly told Andy about the label she was given during Scary Island in the new 100th episode special. "That doesn't brand well…I was toxic. You couldn't touch me. Not touch me. At all. No one wanted to go around me; no one wanted to be near me. Everyone was like, 'What's wrong with Kelly?'"

Some things Kelly said during the bizarre dinner moment include: "I threw up the night before I came, thinking that Bethenny was going to freaking kill me because she's tried to kill me so many times before." "I'm not eccentric, I'm real." "It's like freaking Hades in here."

"I could've lost my kids, Andy," Kelly said. "I'm a single parent! I'm the money! I'm it. There's no other satchels of gold, there's no tree filled with dollar bills—it's me!"

But fear not, we also get Bethenny's side of things about the Scary Island trip. "I just think she's extremely fragile and extremely sensitive," Bethenny told Andy when he said Kelly still maintains she was a victim of systematic bullying. "Maybe she perceives that as bullying?"

Bethenny, who reunited with Kelly during season seven of RHONY, said Kelly wasn't true to herself and not cut out for reality TV, that's what damaged her reputation, not the ladies. "It is what it is, you don't hate the player, you hate the game."

Dayum.

The Real Housewives of New York City's 100th episode special airs on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. on Bravo.

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