"It was a lot different than The Bachelor:" The Real Housewives of Rhode Island star Ashley Iaconetti opens up about the difference between the two franchises

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island is the newest addition to the Bravo world's Real Housewives franchise, announced in May 2025. Producer Andy Cohen revealed the official cast lineup for the series, along with the first look at the BravoCon 2025 event.

At BravoCon 2025, Cohen confirmed that the premiere season will follow Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Bachelor in Paradise alum Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi.

Joining them would be The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania, who would appear as a friend due to her connection to new Housewife Liz McGraw.

The first look of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, set to premiere in 2026, which debuted at BravoCon 2025, saw the cast members speaking in a voiceover.

“In Rhode Island, everyone knows everyone. People here, they don’t look down on other states, but they are weirded out that other states exist.”

"You may not know Rhode Island, but here, secrets don’t stay buried for very long,” another cast member shared.

One of the cast members, Alicia Carmody, appeared on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, episode of her Almost Famous podcast with Ben Higgins, where the 37-year-old, Ashley, addressed her presence on the upcoming series.

The Bachelor Nation star did not reveal much about the show, but thanked everyone for their support and compared the two different franchises she has worked on as she explained:

It was a lot different than The Bachelor, I will say that. … It is a very fun, exciting time to kind of go through the cycle again, especially with so many nice people out there rooting for me.

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island star said it’s “a little less scary” this time

Stepping into her newest chapter as a Bravolebrity, Ashley Laconetti finally opened up a little about the experience of filming.

During the November 18, 2025, episode of her Almost Famous podcast, Ashley confirmed that she is officially part of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, as she said:

"The reason I was gone a lot over the summer was because I was filming The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.” She further added, “I truly can’t say much more than you can check out the trailer, which dropped at BravoCon [this weekend].”

Ashley admitted that watching fans react to the cast announcement has been both exciting and heartwarming. She shared how much the messages of support mean to her during this new adventure.

Thank you all for being so supportive and saying the sweetest things about me being on there. I appreciate that so much

Even her cohost Ben Higgins joined in on the excitement, teasing that the franchise “picked up one new viewer” thanks to her.

Comparing her Housewives debut to her earlier reality TV experiences, namely season 19 of The Bachelor, which aired in 2015 with lead Chris Soules, along with the seasons 2 and 3 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2015 and 2016, while returning to reality TV in 2018 on Bachelor Winter Games.

Ashley was honest about how different the two worlds feel, describing how filming of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island this summer was an experience for sure.

While she has no idea when the show is going to air, she says:

“I don’t know when it’s gonna air, I don’t even know if I can give a timeline as to what the estimated airtime is. It is a very fun, exciting time to kind of go through the cycle again, especially with so many nice people out there rooting for me.”

Ashley feels grounded heading into this new franchise as she compares the new Bravo show with her earlier Bachelor Nations show, saying that it is a lot different this time, and the experience was fun and exciting to go through the same phase again. She lastly concluded, explaining:

Having been in the spotlight before, it’s a little less scary… At least, like, you guys kind of understand who I am and hopefully that still stays reflected throughout the show. 

Stay tuned for more updates.