Bethenny Frankel Will Headline HBO Max Reality Competition Series After RHONY Exit

The Big Shot with Bethenny features contestants competing for a chance to join her executive team

By Chris Harnick Feb 19, 2020 8:19 PMTags
Bethenny FrankelSasha Maslov

Bethenny Frankel sent Real Housewives fans reeling when she announced her exit (for the second time) from The Real Housewives New York City ahead of production on season 12, and now her next TV gig has been revealed.

HBO Max has ordered eight episodes of The Big Shot with Bethenny (working title), a new competition series starring the Skinnygirl founder. In the series from MGM Television, Mark Burnett and Bethenny's B Real Productions, business moguls compete for the chance to be second-in-command to the reality star and business tycoon with a position working on her executive team. The competition will feature real-life tasks and challenges to see how far each contestant can push their creativity.

When she announced her exit, Bethenny hinted at new TV projects.

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"Aside from motherhood, what truly defines me as a person is being a driven, passionate and hard-working woman determined to make the impossible possible. My mantra is to come from a place of ‘yes' and to find and create the solution," Bethenny said in a statement. "I am an executor of visions, and I share and impart that information to those who work with me. MGM has been neck-in-neck with me with ideas and their execution. I couldn't be more thrilled to continue my longstanding relationship with Mark Burnett on this series and pay this American Dream story forward."

Bethenny got her start on Martha Stewart's The Apprentice spinoff before joining Real Housewives of New York City.

Watch: Bethenny Frankel Says "RHONY" Can Be Used for Good

"I first met Bethenny when I put her on the first season of The Real Housewives of New York City and she's always both impressed and entertained me," Jennifer O'Connell, executive vice president of original non-fiction and kids programming at HBO Max, said in a statement. "It's incredible to see her empire continue to grow and I know that candidates will be clamoring to work for her."

RHONY will continue without Bethenny. Dorinda Medley, Ramona Singer, Tinsley Mortimer, Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps are all back for season 12 with newcomer Leah McSweeney joining as a full-time cast member. The new season premieres Thursday, April 2 at 9 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)