New York housewife no stranger to reality TV

I finally figured it out! As a reporter, I often run into people while I’m out and about who look familiar, but I can’t place how I know them. Did I write a story about them? Are they some distant relative of the Man on the Couch? Did I go to school with them?

When I watched the teaser episode on Bravo of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” the spinoff of the Orange County ladies, I thought Bethenny Frankel looked familiar, but she was out of context.

It wasn’t until I received the first episode to preview that it hit me. Frankel, a natural foods chef, was a finalist on “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Apparently the 30-year-old has enough status on the New York City social circuit to make her a housewife contestant even though she admits she’s a runaway bride who has been married once and engaged twice.

I previously encouraged you all to check it out, even though I don’t think it will be as big a hit as the Orange County version, so be sure to tune in or set your recorders for 11 p.m. Tuesday, March 4.

There’s also lots of reality TV drama to report on that you don’t have to tune in for because it’s being splashed throughout media outlets nationwide. Some of the characters in trouble might not come as a surprise, such as “I Love New York” star Tailor Made, who’s in trouble for inappropriately firing off a middle finger at a NYC police officer.

Then there’s “Dinner Impossible” chef Robert Irvine, who has been called out for falsifying information about his past, including his education and supposed star clientele, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

A big surprise was Matt Roloff of “Little People, Big World,” whose drama is in the news, but also will be played out in the upcoming season starting at 8 p.m. Monday, March 3, on TLC. Roloff was charged with drunken driving, and rumor has it he has been found guilty.

Breaking news from the Reality TV Blurred Web site also claims that “Dog the Bounty Hunter” is being given a second chance by A&E and will return in August. The show was pulled last fall after taped conversations of Dog using racially unacceptable terminology were released. Dog since has tried to make amends, and A&E has accepted his efforts and is going to allow the show to continue.

Hopefully the star can stay out of the doghouse this time around.