"I feel like, without having her...Bethenny's a big force to be reckoned with and takes up a lot of oxygen in the room. I just feel like there's more room for the other women to breathe and you're going to get to know them better," Luann de Lesseps told E! News. "And, you know, the show must go on and I must say this season I think is going to be one of our best seasons yet."
When asked if she missed the Skinnygirl mogul, Ramona Singer said, "No, no I did not," Singer told the outlet. "No, I think it was just a lighter, happier show, didn't get dark. And everyone could just truly be themselves more without feeling...I mean, Bethenny was great for the show. She's a great person. I only wish her the best. But sometimes her personality was so strong, she'd override us. And we'd all walk on eggshells because of her. And this season, we're all lighter and brighter and we had our moments but nothing got dark. And so because of that, I think the viewers will like that."
While Tinsley Mortimer said it "would have been great" to spend time with Bethenny, she also agreed there was a noticeable dynamic shift in the group.
"I think that not having her around in one way, though, I feel like bonded the group better a bit," Mortimer explained. "I think that we were all at a lot more events and different things together and so that was different and good, but also but not having her there, there were certain girls that I feel like we're trying to assert dominance more in some way."
She added, "And there were a lot of times I felt like I was like, 'Damn, where's Bethenny?!' Because I know that she would have defended me here."
Leah McSweeney is the latest addition to the series, who joined the show for Season 12. So how do the ladies feel about the newcomer?
"She's a great addition to the cast," de Lesseps told E! News. "It's not easy shoes to step into. And I feel like she walked in and kind of fit right in. So excited about that because I really like her. She's a mother and a business owner and, at the same time, has a vulnerability to her that I think fans will really relate to her."
"It's fun too to have Leah come in as the new Housewife. She's a lot of fun," Tinsley Mortimer said. "I was like at a time of my life too where I just felt like I wanted to be like louder and more wild and have fun," Mortimer continued. "And so Leah was like a perfect addition and so fun to get to know better and she's an awesome girl."
Ramona Singer joked that there was a little bit of "hazing" for the Married to the Mob founder. "You know, we give every new girl a hard time," Singer dished. "It's a hazing experience."
Singer adds of McSweeney, "With her I just took on the role as her surrogate mother and you'll see during this season...You'll see when you watch how I was her surrogate mother and because of that, I held [her] to a different standard and a higher level, which sometimes we butt heads about in a big way."
Photo Credit: Bravo, Getty Images
