Real reason so many local businesses refused to let Real Housewives of Rhode Island film

If you thought the drama on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island would be limited to the cast… think again.

Because before a single glass was thrown or side-eye delivered, there was already tension brewing behind the scenes, and it involved the locals.

Yep, while Bravo was ready to turn Rhode Island into the next must-visit Housewives hotspot, not everyone was exactly rolling out the welcome mat.

In fact, some businesses actually straight-up said no to filming?!

When did filming for RHORI take place?

RHORI was announced in May 2025, with cameras beginning to roll that summer, think peak coastal vibes, yacht days, and al fresco everything.

By mid-July, filming was already spotted at local hotspots like Newport Vineyards, and production continued through late summer into early autumn.

By November 2025, Bravo was teasing footage at BravoCon, which means most of the first season was already wrapped by then.

Fast forward to April 2026, and the show officially hit our screens, but those filming months? That’s when all the behind-the-scenes awkwardness with businesses was actually happening.

Dolores reveals awkward reality of filming

Okay, now for the juicy part, because this is where it gets very Housewives.

During a chat with Jeff Lewis, both Liz McGraw and Dolores Catania did not hold back about how Rhode Island reacted to the show filming there.

Liz McGraw admitted: “I would say that originally Rhode Island in general as a whole did not want this. Did not want the filming there.”

Jeff Lewis was just as shocked as we are, saying: “That is so ridiculous because I was thinking about this tourism is about to explode. Because someone like me who is like I never it was never on my bucket list to go to Rhode Island and after I saw it I’m like this looks like a beautiful place to go and stay.”

And Liz doubled down: “And it really it truly is.”

But the real tea came from Dolores, who basically spelled out what everyone was thinking: “They should have been thanking these girls. They didn’t let them film. You won’t even see in the nicer places because they wouldn’t let them film there.”

Jeff tried to stay optimistic: “Maybe they will second season or third season.”

And Liz agreed: “I believe so.”

But Dolores wasn’t done, and honestly, she made the strongest point of all about the so-called “stigma” around Housewives: “Well, there’s a stigma. I don’t know why that comes with this show, but businesses explode. Are you kidding me? People go to Rails as a New Jersey tour. They used to go where Teresa flipped the table all the time. They used to book that room. I mean, come on, guys.”

She’s not wrong. Housewives history is basically a marketing masterclass.

Liz added the final mic-drop moment: “I mean, they’re afraid of tables being flipped in their restaurant, but would ultimately actually bring them more.”

And Jeff confirmed what we’re all thinking: “Oh it absolutely would be.”

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