Ashley Iaconetti Haibon is comparing her time on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island to her Bachelor days, and it sounds like RHORI came with a very different kind of pressure.
The Bachelor alum recently spoke with TV Insider about her experience filming the first season of RHORI, how she feels looking back and whether watching the show back was difficult.
Ashley, who first became known to reality TV fans through The Bachelor franchise, said RHORI was not exactly easy, but it did make her stronger.
When asked how she feels looking back on the experience as a whole, Ashley admitted it was intense.
“It was challenging. It strengthened me. It gave me an even thicker skin, which I feel like I already have,” Ashley said. “On Bachelor, you get a thicker skin from the audience, and on this, I feel like you get a thicker skin just from being around these personalities.”
That comment says a lot about the difference between the two reality TV worlds. On The Bachelor, Ashley dealt with public reaction, fan criticism and the emotional rollercoaster of dating on camera. But on RHORI, the challenge seemed to come more from being surrounded by strong personalities and navigating group dynamics.
While Ashley was not at the center of the biggest RHORI drama, she still had a front-row seat to a cast that brought plenty of intensity, conflict and big opinions.
When asked if she expected the show to become so popular, Ashley said she knew the cast would make great TV.
“This cast and production team has been absolutely fantastic. They are all great TV,” Ashley said. “Even though there’s moments when we were filming I was a little intimidated and I’m like, ‘I don’t need to be here anymore, ah!’ I still knew this was going to play really well on TV.”
RHORI quickly became one of the most talked-about new Housewives cities, with fans praising the cast for bringing old-school Housewives energy, real relationships and nonstop drama.
The first season featured major storylines involving Rulla Nehme Pontarelli’s marriage drama, Liz McGraw’s friendships, Alicia Carmody’s emotional childhood claims, Rosie DiMare’s reactions to cast conflict, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi’s involvement in some of the season’s biggest moments.
Ashley, however, mostly stayed out of the major chaos.
When asked what it was like seeing confessionals, interviews and press clips come out after filming, Ashley said she is still in a good place with everyone.
“I’m in a good place with everyone,” Ashley said.
She acknowledged that there were some comments made during press rounds, but nothing that deeply affected her.
“Of course, there were a few little clips in the media and press because we all had our own press round. I’ve addressed it and I also talk about it again on the reunion,” she explained. “Any little comment that somebody had, it didn’t get under my skin much and it’s addressed.”
