Bethenny Frankel can boast an impressive list of credits that includes founding a nutrition and lifestyle empire, penning several New York Times bestsellers and hosting a daytime talk show. But without her stints on reality television and the national attention it brought her, these accomplishments would not be possible. Prior to her time on television, however, she was just a fairly average American living her life in anonymity.
Bethenny experienced a troubled childhood. Her father, a horse trainer, took off when she was four, so her mother remarried another horse trainer. Together they raised the little girl, but it was an unstable environment, according to Bethenny, because of alcoholism and violent arguing that took place between her mother and stepfather. After graduating from New York University, she tried her hand at acting but never made much progress. She dabbled in some other arenas before attending culinary school and starting her own health conscious cookie company, BethannyBakes. The success of this business venture earned her a spot on the reality show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart which became a turning point in her life.
Bethenny made it to the finals of the reality show competition, and even though she lost, she secured an endorsement deal with Pepperidge Farm and a column in Health magazine. All of that exposure worked to her advantage because she was cast on the Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of New York City. Not only was the show a huge hit for the network, but it propelled her into the spotlight and afforded her the opportunity to take that spotlight and move on to even more lucrative deals including two spin-offs that focused solely on her and her fledgling family.
In the midst of all this, she launched her own brand called Skinnygirl which focuses on healthy lifestyles for women. Her first Skinnygirl book compiled healthy recipes, including the now famous Skinny Margarita. Several more books followed, and the favorable response to her collection of books eventually led to Skinnygirl cocktails becoming available for sale nationwide. Monetarily, this may be the greatest of her long list of profitable endeavors as the deal netted her many millions of dollars.
Bethenny's story is a testament to the influence of a reality show to change someone's life. She was given a national platform in which audiences could relate to her and feel a part of her tragedies and triumphs. She cultivated a fan base and created a personal brand with every appearance. Then she parlayed that popularity into becoming the mogul of an empire with built-in customers who felt like they knew her. She seized upon every opportunity that came along to create a bigger and better playing field for herself. Reality television certainly changed her reality.
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Bethenny experienced a troubled childhood. Her father, a horse trainer, took off when she was four, so her mother remarried another horse trainer. Together they raised the little girl, but it was an unstable environment, according to Bethenny, because of alcoholism and violent arguing that took place between her mother and stepfather. After graduating from New York University, she tried her hand at acting but never made much progress. She dabbled in some other arenas before attending culinary school and starting her own health conscious cookie company, BethannyBakes. The success of this business venture earned her a spot on the reality show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart which became a turning point in her life.
Bethenny made it to the finals of the reality show competition, and even though she lost, she secured an endorsement deal with Pepperidge Farm and a column in Health magazine. All of that exposure worked to her advantage because she was cast on the Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of New York City. Not only was the show a huge hit for the network, but it propelled her into the spotlight and afforded her the opportunity to take that spotlight and move on to even more lucrative deals including two spin-offs that focused solely on her and her fledgling family.
In the midst of all this, she launched her own brand called Skinnygirl which focuses on healthy lifestyles for women. Her first Skinnygirl book compiled healthy recipes, including the now famous Skinny Margarita. Several more books followed, and the favorable response to her collection of books eventually led to Skinnygirl cocktails becoming available for sale nationwide. Monetarily, this may be the greatest of her long list of profitable endeavors as the deal netted her many millions of dollars.
Bethenny's story is a testament to the influence of a reality show to change someone's life. She was given a national platform in which audiences could relate to her and feel a part of her tragedies and triumphs. She cultivated a fan base and created a personal brand with every appearance. Then she parlayed that popularity into becoming the mogul of an empire with built-in customers who felt like they knew her. She seized upon every opportunity that came along to create a bigger and better playing field for herself. Reality television certainly changed her reality.
Do you have a new TV show, movie or webisode idea? Click here
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