Call it the rumble in the lipstick jungle: When Kelly Bensimon finally confronted Bethenny Frankel about the tense state of their relationship on last night’s episode of The Real Housewives of New York City, it instantly joined the ranks of the great cat fights in reality TV history. PEOPLE.com caught up with Bethenny and Kelly on their cell phones this afternoon to get their take on what really went down. –Mark Dagostino
Bethenny’s Take:
Her opinion of Kelly: “I have met her no less than seven to 10 times, and she’s a ‘faux-cialite’ — that’s a word that I came up with, and she defines that word,” says Bethenny. “Everybody in high school knew that girl who ignores you until you got on the cheerleading squad. She’s just that girl, and it’s resonating with a lot of people.”
On her Madonna comment: “Had she said, ‘I’m sensitive, that was kind of a rude comment,’ says Bethenny, “I would have said, ‘I’m sorry. I have a big mouth. I get it. Let’s move on.’ But that’s not what happened.
On the feud: “The really funny thing is that she thinks that I’m the one who looked like a lunatic last night!” marvels Bethenny. “She believes that [her former employer] Page Six Magazine, which doesn’t exist anymore, is the Washington Post. It’s not like we’re dealing with someone who has a full deck of cards. Ramona said it best when she said it’s like she doesn’t have a brain. She’s the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.
On how she gave Kelly “relevance” on the show:
“I’m the one who made her relevant. She should send me a thank-you basket for making her relevant. Watching crazy is very, very entertaining,” Bethenny says.
Kelly’s Take:
On the backlash against her: “I’m not feeling beat up,” Kelly says of the knocks she’s taken in the blogosphere for her role on the show and in this feud. “It’s fun. It’s five different women in New York [ed note: there are six Housewives], and it gets a little hot and steamy. What’s wrong with that?”
On how the feud got started: In the middle of that charity meeting, “Bethenny attacks me, calling me ‘Madonna’ — calling me names,” says Kelly. “She put me in a very awkward position in front of five other women. I was really hurt by that. I don’t even know these people and they’re calling me names!”
On their bar fight: “I wanted to say, ‘I don’t know what the situation is, but we’re on this show together we should get along and have fun with it,’ and it became something I didn’t want it to become,” admits Kelly. “It went sour immediately. I got there, I was late, it’s the end of Fashion Week, I have two young girls. When she said ‘I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes,’ I mean, I’m doing the best that I can! I’m running all over the city with kids. I have a really hectic, crazy life.”
On Bethenny’s complaint that she acts like she doesn’t know her: “I don’t know her,” says Kelly. “It’s not a negative thing, it’s a question of reality. She adds: “If she feels badly that I’m not acknowledging her, she could say, ‘You didn’t say hi to me.’” In fact, Kelly says, “Ask any person that knows me and they’ll say, ‘Oh my God, Kelly goes out of her way to remember people.’ I’m nice to every single person all the time. I like people!”
On her feelings toward Bethenny: “I’m the most un-confrontational person you’ll ever meet,” reveals Kelly. “I was put in an awkward position, and it turned out badly, but I don’t have any ill feelings toward Bethenny.”
On the upside of the feud: Viewers are flocking to BravoTV.com, where, Kelly says, she’s able to spotlight the charitable work she’s doing by selling a clothing line to benefit the Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Institute. “I created this charity [selling] athletic wear to help my best friend’s daughter,” she says.
“I was really, really offended [by Bethenny’s comments],” she says, adding, “Regardless, the show must go on. There is drama because we’re all so different, and that’s what makes the show really fun.”
Michael Bezjian/WireImage, Dave Allocca/Startraks
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