Erin Lichy and Rebecca Minkoff's master prank to root out the group's "pigeon" seem to have backfired.
On the Nov. 19 episode of The Real Housewives of New York City, the Housewives had stark reactions to Erin and Rebecca's pregnancy prank during their dodgeball excursion. Last week, the duo staged a rumor that claimed the fashion designer, 42, was pregnant with another baby — but didn't know who the father was, despite being married to her husband Gavin.
"That was a really f---ed up lie," Sai de Silva admitted as Jessel Taank added she was "definitely worried about her."
While Rebecca and Erin laughed it off as a joke, Sai told cameras that the ploy seemed a little "tone deaf."
"I mean, there are three women who want to be pregnant," she said as the scene shifted over to Jessel, Ubah Hassan and Brynn Whitfield. "I think maybe Rebecca and Erin need to possibly check their baby privilege at the door."
Elsewhere in the episode, Ubah, Sai, Brynn and Racquel Chevremont sat down at the Museum of Sex to discuss the jaw-dropping prank. While recalling the series of events leading up to the reveal, Brynn claimed that Erin had looped her in on the joke.
After Erin told Jessel and Brynn that Rebecca was pregnant, Brynn said that she and Erin went for a one-on-one drink where she was told that the pregnancy was real but the mystery surrounding the baby's parentage was a prank.
"I was like, 'Okay, I'll be in on it with you,'" she recalled, before Racquel chimed in and shared another piece of the puzzle. During their double date with their partners, the art aficionado claimed that Erin said she was on the search for the "leaky pigeon" who was spreading rumors about their group.
When Racquel asked if Brynn was in on the prank, Erin denied that she was privy to their plans.
"I was really leaning into it because I knew it was a joke," Brynn said before explaining to cameras, "I was under the impression that Rebecca and Erin are playing a fun prank — weird prank — but fun... But then it comes out at dodgeball that actually it's not a prank or a joke. It's a test."
Despite all of their differences, Ubah took Brynn's side. She revealed that after Brynn noticed that Ubah was uncomfortable with the news, she took her aside during the group's game to tell her that the whole thing was a ruse.
"I'm thinking about it, I could be wrong," Ubah told the group. "I think the reason she told you is a prank, because she wants you to do it and then go around to everybody else to be like, 'Look! Look! Who's the leaky pigeon?' Because if she didn't tell you it was a prank, you would not have said it."
As soon as the model made her theory known, the gears began turning and the Housewives began putting two and two together.
"She wanted me to believe that you're a leaky pigeon, that you're like this terrible person that would go out and tell us all these things," Racquel said. "She told me that you and Jessel bought it — hook, line and sinker."
In a conversation with cameras, Racquel opened up about feeling deceived by Erin's antics. She admitted that she felt like Erin "manipulated the situation" and failed to tell her Brynn was involved so that the Housewives would think Brynn was a gossip.
"I came into the museum questioning Brynn's character, and now I'm thinking, do I need to question Erin's character too? Was I being f---ing gaslit?" she added.