'The Real Housewives of Rhode Island' Are Under Investigation

This is So Chic, Very Chic, PAPER’s examination of Bravo’s sprawling cohort of fashion obsessives. From haute couture to TJ Maxx, they’ve literally worn it all. We've just got two questions. Is it so chic? Is it very chic?News broke a few days ago that Liz McGraw would be leaving The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. She said in a statement: "As filming for Season 2 begins, I have made the decision to take a step back and focus on my family, my work and my passions The RHORI cast is an amazing group of women who have created something special. I’ll be watching next season, rooting for the continued success of this franchise. For now, I look forward to enjoying this little comer of the world from the other side of the camera." The other side of the camera is presumably the iPhone pointed at her in the photo accompanying the announcement. That doesn't seem much different than a Bravo camera, but fans of the show have much worse things to say. Like, for instance, the fact that they are under the belief she is being investigated by authorities for her connection to a man named Dino, which seems prosecutable enough for anyone that's seen enough of The Sopranos. There's all sorts of investigations going on, as commenters would have one believe, and dear ol' Liz is running from them. I'd say that the long arc of Bravo history proves that narcissists who choose to become reality TV stars while also enjoying the spoils of a shady dealings rarely run from cameras. Whether they knew about those dealings or not! Case in point: Erika Jayne, Jen Shah, Teresa Giudice, the list could go on. No, I think ol' Liz had her feelings hurt that the world didn't immediately bend to her will, an effect she seems to have on her community and friends. Big Mamas wanna stay Big Mamas, and she was unprepared for being Little Mama'd by the fans and Bravo commentariat. She doesn't seem to know they express their devotion to Big Mamas through roasts and memes and full-frontal social media assaults. In a followup statement, McGraw wrote: "It’s fascinating to me how everyone assumes my reason for leaving involves being afraid of skeletons. jail..etc. This is not new gossip.. it has been the local slander for YEARS. If there were even an ounce of validity to it, I'd not have over gone on a show! I realize that for some, it feels good to speculate, hate and defame my character, but i have never been investigated, nor involved in ANY criminal case." She added that "It's preposterous and people should know how utterly ridiculous it sounds. Sorry to disappoint. It's wild to me how people feel at liberty to openly state such absurd claims as facts. Now that I have time on my hands, I will start the process of holding those originating and spreading such fiction accountable."This column would never spread a falsehood, knowingly or not. There's fashions we'd much rather spend our time ripping apart. Shall we?The Real Housewives of Rhode IslandThe Real Housewives of Rhode IslandMy little women! That's a real quote by Bob Odenkirk from the movie Little Women. I would know because I had to watch it twice, for work. The blue theming at this reunion is quite nice, as it exemplifies their nautical background. I'm serious, these women are actually mermaids. Didn't you all see them holding clams in the promo shot in the ocean, like Ariel from The Little Mermaid?But really though, there hasn't been a pair that's captured the imagination quite like Jo-Ellen and Alicia. They seem pulled from another era entirely, when Real Housewives were charismatic and interesting and singular. Our little women!Polly want a cracka! Polly want a cracka so bad she covered her dress in paillettes! Sorry, let me pull back before I begin the insults. This lip color is very pleasant, and I think she has a real charisma that is unlike anyone else on the cast. Plus, Andy seems fascinated with her. She's already won! That means I can insult this dress, if only because she deserves better. Paillettes are never the move where reunions are concerned, as they read flatter than they already are, and give dresses a costume-y quality, like the sort of think you might pull out of a bin in a "retro" store on Haight-Ashbury. It also fits oddly, but this is Polly's first reunion! I love her too much to continue.Jo-Ellen TiberiOh, wow, oh wow! Look at this pretty lady with the nice teeth and perfect makeup. Her investigative skills are a fair bit stronger than her fashion acumen, but she raised that latter bar slightly at the reunion. While this is still a prom dress, it's a prom dress I want to look at. Well, it was just about the only thing I could look at whenever they'd cut to the other side of the couch, seeing as its bustle took up half the couch.Liz McGrawIf we're keeping with The Little Mermaid metaphor, here's Big Mama, also known as Ursula, also known as Liz, or Lizzie, if you're nasty. I am spellbound by her beauty. She stares to me from beyond the perspex casing on a museum in the Louv

Jul 7, 2026 - 14:37

'The Real Housewives of Rhode Island' Are Under Investigation

This is So Chic, Very Chic, PAPER’s examination of Bravo’s sprawling cohort of fashion obsessives. From haute couture to TJ Maxx, they’ve literally worn it all. We've just got two questions. Is it so chic? Is it very chic?

News broke a few days ago that Liz McGraw would be leaving The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.

She said in a statement: "As filming for Season 2 begins, I have made the decision to take a step back and focus on my family, my work and my passions The RHORI cast is an amazing group of women who have created something special. I’ll be watching next season, rooting for the continued success of this franchise. For now, I look forward to enjoying this little comer of the world from the other side of the camera." The other side of the camera is presumably the iPhone pointed at her in the photo accompanying the announcement.

That doesn't seem much different than a Bravo camera, but fans of the show have much worse things to say.

Like, for instance, the fact that they are under the belief she is being investigated by authorities for her connection to a man named Dino, which seems prosecutable enough for anyone that's seen enough of The Sopranos. There's all sorts of investigations going on, as commenters would have one believe, and dear ol' Liz is running from them. I'd say that the long arc of Bravo history proves that narcissists who choose to become reality TV stars while also enjoying the spoils of a shady dealings rarely run from cameras. Whether they knew about those dealings or not! Case in point: Erika Jayne, Jen Shah, Teresa Giudice, the list could go on.

No, I think ol' Liz had her feelings hurt that the world didn't immediately bend to her will, an effect she seems to have on her community and friends. Big Mamas wanna stay Big Mamas, and she was unprepared for being Little Mama'd by the fans and Bravo commentariat. She doesn't seem to know they express their devotion to Big Mamas through roasts and memes and full-frontal social media assaults.

In a followup statement, McGraw wrote: "It’s fascinating to me how everyone assumes my reason for leaving involves being afraid of skeletons. jail..etc. This is not new gossip.. it has been the local slander for YEARS. If there were even an ounce of validity to it, I'd not have over gone on a show! I realize that for some, it feels good to speculate, hate and defame my character, but i have never been investigated, nor involved in ANY criminal case." She added that "It's preposterous and people should know how utterly ridiculous it sounds. Sorry to disappoint. It's wild to me how people feel at liberty to openly state such absurd claims as facts. Now that I have time on my hands, I will start the process of holding those originating and spreading such fiction accountable."

This column would never spread a falsehood, knowingly or not. There's fashions we'd much rather spend our time ripping apart. Shall we?

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island

My little women! That's a real quote by Bob Odenkirk from the movie Little Women. I would know because I had to watch it twice, for work. The blue theming at this reunion is quite nice, as it exemplifies their nautical background. I'm serious, these women are actually mermaids. Didn't you all see them holding clams in the promo shot in the ocean, like Ariel from The Little Mermaid?

But really though, there hasn't been a pair that's captured the imagination quite like Jo-Ellen and Alicia. They seem pulled from another era entirely, when Real Housewives were charismatic and interesting and singular. Our little women!

Polly want a cracka! Polly want a cracka so bad she covered her dress in paillettes!

Sorry, let me pull back before I begin the insults. This lip color is very pleasant, and I think she has a real charisma that is unlike anyone else on the cast. Plus, Andy seems fascinated with her. She's already won! That means I can insult this dress, if only because she deserves better. Paillettes are never the move where reunions are concerned, as they read flatter than they already are, and give dresses a costume-y quality, like the sort of think you might pull out of a bin in a "retro" store on Haight-Ashbury.

It also fits oddly, but this is Polly's first reunion! I love her too much to continue.

Jo-Ellen Tiberi

Oh, wow, oh wow! Look at this pretty lady with the nice teeth and perfect makeup. Her investigative skills are a fair bit stronger than her fashion acumen, but she raised that latter bar slightly at the reunion. While this is still a prom dress, it's a prom dress I want to look at. Well, it was just about the only thing I could look at whenever they'd cut to the other side of the couch, seeing as its bustle took up half the couch.

Liz McGraw

If we're keeping with The Little Mermaid metaphor, here's Big Mama, also known as Ursula, also known as Liz, or Lizzie, if you're nasty. I am spellbound by her beauty. She stares to me from beyond the perspex casing on a museum in the Louvre. The painter lived a tragic life, after his wife fell off a cliff into the sea, never to be seen again except in the haunting portraits he'd paint of her. That's sort of like what happened to Liz in quitting the show, except instead of falling off a cliff she posted an Instagram story, and instead of portraits, the editors kept cutting back to her when trying to explain why Kelsey was Like That.

As for the dress, it's a beautiful dusty blue. I could not pull of dusty blue, nor could half the women on this couch. But did anyone else think it gave a sort of velvet corduroy effect, like those pillows that were popular a few years back?

Rulla Nehme Pontarelli

Rulla is dressed like a RuPaul's Drag Race acting challenge where they have to do half-and-half looks, or like that time Silky Nutmet Ganache did a lipsync to Aqua dressed like both the bride and groom. I guess what I'm trying to say is Rulla is dressed like a drag queen, where the costume's conceit is being one thing when she's turned one way, and another thing when turned the other way. Really, if you think about it, I'm just trying to explain how the dress is two different things, except neither of those things are good.

Can I belabor the point further?

Rosie DiMare

Rosie is always dressed in the most foolish thing I've ever seen. This is not a compliment towards the clothes, but it is a compliment towards her ability to always seem like she's competing in a beauty pageant in Dubai. I hope she continues to blaze new trails in dress architecture next season. Maybe she'll be the first to invent a dramatic collar.

Ashley Iaconetti

Like Ashley, this dress is totally inoffensive. Like Ashley, it hides a deeper truth. I genuinely believe, against all odds, that there is a fierce glamazon diva hiding inside this influencer. I've seen her meltdowns on Bachelor in Paradise. I've seen the crying compilations. I've watched her comb her hair with a fork. I know that one crazy chica is hiding inside this prom dress, and I hope I meet her... soon!