One of the dynamic duos of The Real Housewives of New York City is going to be back on our screens once more. Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan were given their own spin-off, which will debut on Bravo in 2023.
Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake filmed over the summer in rural Illinois and will have the same feel as the OG buddy show, The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.
The hilarious pair have not been on TV together since RHONY ended after Season 13, and was recast by Bravo and executive producer Andy Cohen.
It was reported in July that Lu and Sonjarita were spotted filming an unknown project in the small Midwest town of Benton, Illinois. The small city, which is in the southern part of the state, equal parts between Missouri and Kentucky, has under 7,000 residents.
The project was officially announced over the weekend at BravoCon, where a sneak peek trailer was shown but not released to the public yet.
After the announcement, Luann took to her social media to make it Instagram official, posting, “Beyond thrilled to work with my BFF. We just ❤️ you #Benton! Excited for all to see our new show!”
What shenanigans will the Countess and Lady Morgan get into on Welcome to Crappie Lake?
While the obvious premise is for Luann and Sonja to show the differences between country life and city living in Manhattan, Sonja said there will be a lot of “do-goodery.” She added, “We do a lot of good things for the town, and it was very emotional for us.”
The sneak peek showed Lu and Sonja at the town’s Testicle Festival, where participants eat animal testicles. Not exactly the Rose and five-star dining they are used to in Manhattan. The ladies also helped build a playground and search for the town’s infamous crappie fish with bare hands. They even put on a variety show for the townspeople, so maybe viewers will see some Luann cabaret!
During the BravoCon panel, Sonja revealed that the pair filmed the show for six weeks, only having three days off.
RHONY: Legacy has still not been cast – will Lu and Sonja be a part of it?
Loyal RHONY fans would assume that Luann and Sonja would be perfect for the Legacy cast, especially because it is supposed to be reserved for beloved favorites of the original series. But no decisions have been made on casting, and neither lady has heard from Bravo execs that they were chosen.
Luann has publicly said she would absolutely be on board to join the cast if asked, but she and Sonja aren’t sitting by the phone waiting for the call.
They are out having fun and creating more content for their fans, and we can’t wait to see it!
The Real Housewives of New York is currently on hiatus.