RHONY Casting for New Housewives: Which Cast Members Could Get the Chop?

TW: This article contains discussion of sexual assault.

Season 15 of The Real Housewives of New York ended in a dark and upsetting place. The cast trip to Puerto Rico was rife with drama. However, the final night of the trip saw the simmering tension between Brynn Whitfield and Ubah Hassan explode. And with it, their friendship.  

Right now, the cast is divided, and a bit shell-shocked by the feud between Ubah and Brynn. Plus, lower ratings for this season have also been a concern for Bravo. Heading into Season 16, it looks like RHONY may be getting some new cast members. @shedcasting created an Instagram post, announcing that they were looking for newbies for RHONY.

Of course, these newbies could be in addition to the current cast or take the apples of some of the Season 15 cast members. Still, that begs the question, after such a dark ending to the season, what will Season 16 look like? Most importantly, which RHONY cast members could get the chop? Here are our predictions – and please note, with the exception of Rebecca Minkoff’s future, none of these have been confirmed!

RHONY’s Brynn Whitfield – Not returning

Brynn ended up in hot water with almost all of her co-stars. She gossiped about Jessel Taank with Sai De Silva, claiming that Jessel’s hubby, Pavit Randhawa, wasn’t “the love of her life.”

During the Puerto Rico trip, Brynn was upset that Ubah alleged that she might have slept with someone to score her job on RHONY. Then, Brynn revealed that she was a sexual assault victim and that Ubah knew about her rape.

After some of the cast confronted Ubah, she had a visceral reaction and immediately denied knowing anything about Brynn’s assault. Most of the cast became extremely emotional and were initially on Brynn’s side.

However, when Brynn later mentioned that Ubah might not have “clocked” the information about the assault, the tides turned. Of course, the ladies believe that Brynn was assaulted. They just don’t believe that Ubah knew anything about it. Given all the backlash that Brynn has faced, and that she was at the center of much of the drama this season, it makes sense that she may want to take a breath.

RHONY star Sai De Silva – Returning

Sai, once again, did not have much of a storyline. Since she and her husband, David Craig, own a home in upstate New York, there were questions about Sai leaving Brooklyn behind. But she is a city girl at heart, so the country house is used during weekends and the summer.

Instead, this season was about Sai’s healing journey. Finally, Sai was ready to lay her mother to rest. She lovingly planted a tree with her mother’s ashes. This scene of the family bonding was incredibly poignant. It showed a vulnerable and sentimental side of Sai that viewers aren’t used to seeing. 

Plus, Sai worked on herself, trying to become less hangry and more Zen after exhibiting her temper last season. After she likened Jessel’s husband to a fish in an animated film, Sai did not apologize. She felt that Pavit owed her an apology for calling her a “bitch” during Season 14. Anyway, Sai needs to bring a storyline if she returns next season. I think it is likely that she will.

RHONY’s Ubah Hassan – Not returning

Ubah also had a tough season. She desperately wants a baby with her boyfriend, Oliver Dachsel. Unfortunately, doctors discovered a fibroid in her uterus, which could greatly affect her ability to become pregnant. During the season, Ubah investigated her options.

Plus, Ubah and Brynn feuded all season, with the Season 15 finale showing what appears to be the end of their friendship. Ubah insisted that Brynn never told her about her sexual assault. Understandably, Ubah was horrified that Brynn stated on camera that she knew about her rape.

However, Ubah’s remark that Brynn allegedly could have slept with someone to land her role on the show wasn’t fair, either. Overall, I’m not sure where Brynn and Ubah go from here. Could they both exist in the same cast?

As of right now, Ubah is living with her boyfriend in Connecticut. So, maybe being part of RHONY is no longer a good fit for the model.

RHONY star Jessel Taank – Returning

Jessel was a fan favorite during Season 14 of RHONY. This season, she is all about expanding her family with Pavit and using one of their frozen embryos. The only problem? Pavit. While Jessel believes that they may have a future Beyonce in the making, he isn’t buying in. While he is happy with just their twin boys, Jessel desperately wants a little girl. She even convinced her food influencer hubby to attend couple’s therapy to hash out their differences.

However, Brynn’s remarks that Pavit wasn’t the love of Jessel’s life deeply hurt her. Jessel told Brynn that her ex-boyfriend gave her the “wildest sex,” not that he was her soul mate. Jessel revealed during the Season 15 reunion that Brynn also hurt her husband, who is now second-guessing his wife’s true feelings for him. “It was gut-wrenching. I was destroyed,” Jessel told Brynn.

I’m not clueless when I say that Jessel is destined to return for Season 16 of RHONY. While her friendship with Brynn may never recover, Jessel will no doubt throw another cool, themed party for the cast.

RHONY newbie Racquel Chevremont – Returning

Racquel Chevremont is Season 15’s newbie housewife. She has an incredibly interesting life. Not only is she a model, but she is a well-known art collector and curator. She is also friends with last season’s RHONY stand-out, Jenna F*cking Lyons.

Racquel is engaged to her fiancé, Mel, who is a neuropsychologist. Thankfully, we got to know a bit about Mel as she filmed with Racquel during the season.

We also learned that Racquel’s mom seemed to withdraw from her when she explained that she was engaged to Mel. Her mother stopped visiting, and Racquel’s two children missed her. After all, the purpose of the trip to Puerto Rico was so that Racquel could reunite with her mom. It was a wonderful reunion, and hopefully, they can keep the relationship moving in a positive direction.

While I hoped that Racquel would continue to hold her apple, the darkness of Brynn and Ubah’s argument weighed heavily on her. I’m not sure that she realized all the messiness that is involved in a reality TV show. Still, I’ve got my fingers crossed that this fashionista will be wowing us with her ensembles next season.

RHONY’s Erin Lichy – Returning

Well, Erin Lichy fell victim to her love of practical jokes. However, when Erin pranked her husband, Abe Lichy, with a steamy phone call, Ubah melted down. Plus, Erin’s pregnancy prank with newbie friend of the housewives Rebecca Minkoff fell flat. And, finally, showing off a photo of her husband’s d*ck to Jenna and Brynn impressed them, but shocked the other ladies.

However, it wasn’t all fun and games for Erin. She spoke out about having an abortion in college, and her bravery touched the other women. In addition, Erin navigated marital issues with Abe because he sold their Bitcoin without telling her. Ouch!

The most emotional moments dealt with Erin handling her mother and father’s cancer diagnosis. Erin and her father, Eliahu Yitzhari, filmed a scene where she finally confessed that she had an abortion, and he supported her. Sadly, her father passed away, leaving Erin heartbroken. But before his death, Erin was able to share the wonderful news that she and Abe were expecting their fourth child. I will be shocked if we don’t see Erin happily holding an apple next season.

RHONY icon Jenna Lyons – Not returning

Jenna made a splash during Season 14 and was the MVP of the show. She dealt with insecurities because of her genetic condition, incontinentia pigmenti. I appreciated how vulnerable she was, and also how witty.

There were concerns that Jenna was a one-and-done housewife but having her friend Racquel onboard convinced her to return. During Season 15, Jenna mended her relationship with Erin and prepared for her son to leave for college.

She also featured her fiancé, Cass Bird’s mom, on the show. However, Jenna made it clear that Cass would not be appearing. Naturally, some of the cast felt it was unfair that Jenna doesn’t have to show such a big part of her life, while they have to be transparent. Still, Jenna’s personality and humor add a great deal to the series. If all else fails, she will break the tension by discussing the state of her pubic hair situation.

Anyway, I feel like Jenna’s disappointment at Brynn spinning information may have been too much. In addition, the fact that she won’t show Cass when fans and her co-stars wish that she would, may have Jenna giving a hard pass to next season.

RHONY alum Rebecca Minkoff – Not returning

Rebecca was a newbie friend of the housewives this season. She suggested to Erin that they prank the other cast members by telling them that Rebecca was pregnant – just not with her husband’s baby. Yikes! That went terribly awry.

And when Brynn and Jessel asked Rebecca about Scientology, she quickly and politely shut them down. Overall, Rebecca didn’t bring much to RHONY. In fact, Sai called her “boring.”

If viewers had seen more of her life at home, I think that would have helped us understand more of who she is as a person. I feel like I know facts about her, but not the real Rebecca.

It seems like Rebecca’s experience didn’t feature many high points that would make a Season 16 return enticing. Additionally, she recently announced her departure from the show.

Real Housewives of New York is available to stream on Peacock.

If you’ve been impacted by sexual assault, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.