‘Real Housewives of New York’ Reveals New Housewife, Demotes LuAnn De Lesseps (Video)

Bravo confirms cast changes and releases first trailer for Season 6 of the reality series

Michael Lavine/Bravo

Bravo doesn’t play when it comes to its “Real Housewives” casts. On Wednesday, it confirmed reports of a new castmember on “The Real Housewives of New York City” and the demotion of another.

It also released the first trailer for the upcoming season premiering Monday, Feb. 24 at 9/8c.

After a much-publicized stand-off with the cast last year, original castmember LuAnn De Lesseps has been demoted to a recurring castmember. In her place, Bravo has added businesswoman Kristen Taekman.

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Aviva Drescher, Sonja Morgan, Carole Radziwill, Ramona Singer, and Heather Thomson return as fulltime castmembers.

Back in May, De Lesseps was the lone woman out after Bravo broke the cast’s “Friends-style” negotiating tactics and all the other women signed their contracts. Back then, it was reported that she had signed on for a lesser role on the series. Bravo confirmed that with Wednesday’s announcement. De Lesseps has been with the show since its first season in 2008.

Her replacement, Taekman, is a former model. Currently, she owns greeting card company 2nd Street Press. She’s married to Josh Taekman, the co-founder of energy supplement company EBOOST. They have two children, five-year-old son Cash and daughter Kingsley, 2. By the way, the new housewife is an Elvis Presley fanatic, so she must be getting a kick out of her official casting announcement landing on the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s birthday.

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In the trailer, there’s plenty of the drama you’d expect from “Real Housewives.” The new lady seems to fit in just fine, which is to mean she can get into it pretty well. Expect to see women lose body parts: Morgan loses a tooth and is that Drescher’s leg on the floor?

Watch the video below.

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