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The Real Housewives of Rhode Island has yet to start airing, but already, the cast is making headlines.
Ahead of its series debut, it has been alleged that one of the cast members involved in the reality show, which was announced by Bravo back in May, is facing a misdemeanor domestic violence charge after being accused of putting an electronic tracking device on someone’s vehicle without consent.
Based on court documents obtained by NBC 10 News this month, reported cast member Rulla Pontarelli filed a no-contact order against her husband, podiatrist Brian Pontarelli, on Friday. And on Tuesday, he is expected to be arraigned.
At this time, it is unclear whether the tracking device was placed on Rulla’s vehicle or someone else’s, and while reporter Molly Levine attempted to contact Brian at his home and office, she did not receive a statement.
When the series was first announced, Bravo shared a press release about what was to come.
“Set against the shores of the Ocean State, ‘The Real Housewives’ franchise expands into the world of a tight-knit circle of Rhode Islanders who have deep community roots and families that go back generations. With aspirational lives, thriving businesses and tangled family dynamics, these decade-long friendships prove that in a state this small, there’s no escaping your past … or each other,” it revealed.
A short time later, Andy Cohen, 57, told Page Six that the cast was “incredible.”
“They are very Italian. Rhode Island is such a small state, and they all kind of know each other and overlap, and it’s an incredible group of women who have really interesting connections. I think it’s going to really surprise people,” he gushed.
He also confirmed that, while similar, RHORI was different from The Real Housewives of New Jersey because it was “coastal,” and the ladies were even “more Italian” with “deep families.”
“[But it] does kind of remind you of early ‘Jersey’ in a weird way,” he added.
More recently, in September, Andy said that fans could expect an “amazing” debut season from RHORI.
“It’s gonna be really good. We’re almost done filming the season and [they’re popping],” he teased on an episode of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. “You do not want to f**k with the people from [Rhode Island].”
No word yet on a premiere date for The Real Housewives of Rhode Island season one.