Miami Housewives: Insider Secrets and Recasting Rumors

'Put on pause' is a phrase fans of Real Housewives know all too well. 

Last month, Bravo announced that the was the latest franchise to be due to low ratings. 

'The cast was definitely blindsided,' a source exclusively told the Daily Mail, claiming the women already had meetings set up with production to go over the new season and were allegedly told to put their spring and summer plans on hold. 

The source added there was 'no warning.'

'We were shocked and disappointed and sad. We were so ready to start,' RHOM stars and  told us at a recent red carpet.

'I just feel like Miami is such a unique city and it's so popular,' Nepola said. Patton added: 'The whole internet is blowing up. They can't even believe this is happening.' 

A production source, however, downplayed that any official filming meetings had been scheduled, claiming whoever told that to the cast was just being 'optimistic.'

'Nothing's canceled,' they told the Daily Mail. 'It's on pause. It can always come back, just not right now.'

That indeed has rang true before in the Real Housewives franchise.

The Real Housewives of New York City in 2021 after some of the stars made tone-deaf and racially insensitive remarks before ultimately getting a re-cast reboot that is currently filming for Season 16.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey later  in 2023 and has since been trapped in a casting limbo for more than two years.

However, the outcome was bleak when Bravo pulled the plug on the Real Housewives of Dallas and also Washington, DC, neither of which ever made it back onto screens.

The latter, we are told, is a fate feared by the Miami Housewives, especially given that this was supposed to be their second chance.

RHOM originally aired from 2011 to 2013 and was then brought back in 2021 after Miami became  and entertainment hub following the pandemic.

Now, sources close to the RHOM stars have been left trying to make sense of how a franchise based in 'one of the hottest cities in America' failed to get good ratings. 

'How are you going to put on pause the hottest city in America right now? That just doesn't make any sense to me,' one frustrated source told the Daily Mail.

'If this show was not successful, it's their fault.'

'Housewife' Stephanie Shojaee, 40, who made her debut on the latest season, also pointed the finger at execs in her social media statement, writing: 'Life is about timing, and airing during peak summer travel was far from ideal!!' 

However, one industry insider scoffed at Shojaee's belief that most viewers in middle America were too busy with their summer travel plans to tune in.

'If you lead a fabulous life like Stephanie, probably you're thinking "OK it's a terrible time," but the average person could have watched [over the summer],' the insider said, noting that the Real Housewives of Orange County aired during the same time period but was able to bring in higher ratings. 

The industry source speculated that casting issues were actually to blame for Bravo's decision, as two women in particular were struggling to fit in with the group.

'It's pretty clear Guerdy [Abraira] had no friends on the cast,' they said. 'She had no connections - she never invested her time to build her relationships with the other women.' They claimed Julia Lemigova was also on the outs with some of the group. Shojaee was also said to be on the fence about whether or not to come back.

Our first source added: 'Some of the girls, they didn't want to be a part of the show. If you don't want to be a part of the team, what choice do they have?

'[With Lemigova and Abraira], it was so toxic. How are they going to bring back people that don't want to film or are hard to work with?'

Nepola - who aside from Larsa Pippen and Lisa Hochstein was the only full time RHOM 'Housewife' since season one - is widely considered the face of the franchise. 

But even she posed an issue for casting, per our industry source.

Alexia's on-off husband Todd Nepola previously sued Bravo and, on the Housewives shows, there is an expectation that the main cast's immediate family members will be featured in some capacity.

Last October, Todd  against the network and its parent company NBCUniversal, claiming that they 'intentionally and maliciously air defamatory statements' about him. 

He also shared his disdain for RHOM during filming, with Alexia, 58, often expressing how she felt she had to choose between her husband and appearing on the series.

Todd, 53, eventually dropped the suit in December for undisclosed reasons.

'The Todd thing really complicated matters. They can't film with him and do they even want to film with him?' the industry source said.

Our production insider debunked that claim, however, stating of Todd: 'He's not a cast member, [Alexia] is, so I don't think that was in play. It didn't get that far.'

Alexia also defended Todd - whom she confirmed she is once again romantically involved with - telling the Daily Mail at the New You Beauty Awards in Miami on March 28: 'I can tell you wholeheartedly it had nothing to do with that.

'He knows that the show is a big part of my life and how much I enjoy doing it so he supports me, so he's sad. Was the show great for us? No, that's not a secret.' 

The RHOM star conceded that poor ratings were the main driving force behind the pause, adding: 'We need America and the world to watch our show more.' 

Alexia - who is of Latin descent and affectionately dubbed the 'Cuban barbie' - also lamented that RHOM was taken off the air given it spotlights minority voices.

Aside from her, it also featured Adriana de Moura, who is Brazilian, Abraira and Kiki Barths are Haitian, Shojaee is of Colombian descent and Patton is half-Cuban.

'The fact that we get to speak in Spanish and English, there's no other show that does that and Bravo has given us that platform. I feel like we have a voice as a Latina in Bravo and I want to continue to have it,' she said.

De Moura, 60, echoed similar sentiments on Instagram, writing: 'Talking about #rhom "pause." As a Brazilian woman, my mission remains the same: to represent Latin culture and to inspire others.' 

Shojaee also mentioned in a post shared on her Instagram Story: 'I'm disappointed, because strong Latina voices deserve a spotlight that's still lacking.'

Our industry insider pointed out, though, that Bravo 'liked' that RHOM had such a diverse cast and tried to do 'everything they could to keep it on the air.' 

The production source reaffirmed that claim, and pointed out how RHOM was moved from streaming only on Peacock to Bravo in order to try and give it a ratings boost.

'We all had high hopes and wanted this to work and get the eyeballs back. It's literally all about performance,' the source said, explaining that research, ratings, audience responses and scheduling adjustments all factor into the decision as well.

They did admit that there was tension brewing amongst the RHOM cast, but claimed a 'recast' would have been a fix - if it were the only issue. 

'It was not about that, but yeah when you have people that can't shoot together, it's certainly going to make a switch in that cast,' they said. 'You can look at Jersey for that matter.'

RHONJ only recently confirmed that Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga and Dolores Catania will be the only  to the series. New faces are set to round out the other slots - although these have yet to be confirmed. 

Sisters-in-law Giudice, 53, and Gorga, 47, left season 14 not on speaking terms, and as two of RHONJ's biggest stars, fans were divided about who should return for the following season.

They made amends during their nearly three-year hiatus, which another source told the Daily Mail influenced the decision to bring them both back on the show.

'They have a lot of history and things that can be rehashed just for on-air drama,' they said. 'They can be happy, go-lucky and on good terms now but that's not to say things can change once filming starts.

'Melissa and Teresa have shown time and time again that they can't move. Teresa really holds a grudge. If they need drama, you can count on them two to bring it.' 

Former RHONJ stars Jennifer Aydin, Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda and Margaret Josephs will not be participating. The latter announced her departure online last week, while our source said Josephs' exit was months in the making. 

'Margaret is going to be like Dorinda Medley going forward,' the insider reassured, highlighting how many 'Housewives' go on to appear on other Bravo spinoffs, as Dorinda has done.

'She has a great relationship with the network. There will be lots of opportunities for her - she's not worried. She's filming a show for Amazon right now in the Dominican Republic with other housewives and Bravo people like Kenya Moore and Kim Zolciak.'

RHONJ producers have been trying to find the missing puzzle pieces to complete the Garden State's cast - and have gone to great lengths to do so.

'They tested over 50 ladies from  and all over - Alpine, Monmouth County,' the source said.

'They had multiple iterations of what they thought it was going to be. They had a gay couple test, football wives, makeup artists.'

Meanwhile, in Miami, talks of of a recast were also being considered, per multiple sources, but now we're told those conversations have been halted due to the hiatus.

Pointing out the complexities of casting for a franchise like 'Housewives,' our industry insider said: 'It's hard to find people that match all of the components: people who have the wealth, who are willing to open up their lives in front of a camera and get in the mix and get messy. It's tough!'

Our first source concluded that ultimately Bravo's decision has left many of the women feeling like they are in the dark and that they 'don't know what they're doing,' as they wait in the wings for what their reality TV future holds.

'There's no real answer, no clarity on what's going on,' they said, claiming that at least one of the Housewives doesn't feel good about not hearing from Andy Cohen.

The Watch What Happens Live host, 57, has reportedly not discussed the news with some cast members - although a separate insider denied that claim.

Cohen said on his SiriusXM radio show of the pause: 'This was not my decision and, by the way, look. I'm an [executive producer] on these shows, if it were up to me, they'd be rolling all the time... and frankly, I'm happy that people are so passionate about it and I hope they tell their friends to watch. This is a ratings game after all.'

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Bravo, Cohen and RHOM for comment.