Lynda Erkiletian and Mary Amons reflect on their time on The Real Housewives of D.C. - ten years after the show made its debut on Bravo.
“I think that D.C. was supposed to be more serious,” Lynda revealed when asked why D.C. was very different compared to other series in the franchise.
“They cut out all of our designer stuff,” Erkiletian told Jezebel. “I knew based on that they were not interested in having us be glamorous.” she added, “They wanted the industry, but they didn’t want the housewives to come off vacuous.”
The show got axed after one season due to the show's controversy following an alleged security breach at President Obama’s very first state dinner involving cast member Michaele Salahi (now Michaele Schon), her then-husband Tareq Salahi, which the press dubbed the then couple as the “White House crashers.”
“When that happened, everything changed,” said Mary Amons. “From my understanding production had to go back and re-edit everything.” She added, “The focus shifted a lot from who we were independently as people and contributors to D.C. into what these people were, what they meant to us and how offensive they were.”
“There was a lot of disappointment that went along with how things ended,” Amons told Jezebel, adding that everything happens for a reason and that filming really strengthened the bond between the cast—especially Erkiletian, who was already a dear friend prior to filming. “It’s been a remarkable memory in our relationship,” Amons said.
Erkiletian continues to run her modeling firm, The Artist Agency, and works as the executive director for the James and Paula Coburn Foundation.
Lynda and Cat reminisced on RHODC via Instagram Live when Bravo aired a marathon in May 2020. “It was such a super high to experience today and have us all together [via social media],” Lynda said. “It was really a lot of fun.”
Amons and husband Rich Amons split after 26 years of marriage in 2012. As fans may recall, they share five kids: Lolly, Ryan, Alexandra, Meghan, and Matt.
“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my 26-year marriage. While I have the deepest respect for my husband and wish him the very best, we have grown apart,” she said in a statement at the time. “My primary focus is an amicable process, ensuring the well-being of my five wonderful children and their happiness, which has been, and will always be, of paramount importance.”
Mary, who runs her interior design company, Mary Amons Design, reunited with Lynda in July 2020 for lunch in D.C. “Loads of laughs and love lunching with my #covidbuddy @thereallyndadc @peacockcafe #RHODC #RHODC10years,” she captioned a selfie via Instagram.
Photo Credit: Bravo/NBCUniversal
