A production team backed by a major North American film and television studio created a Real Housewives-esque reality television pilot in Toronto last spring that is currently under TV network consideration.
TorontoToday confirmed the details of the pilot in an interview with a producer behind the project who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of ongoing network negotiations.
Rumours about the potential reality show have been swirling online since November, when InTouch first revealed its existence.
As of now, the pilot has no affiliation with the Real Housewives brand, is not using the words “Real Housewives” in its title and is not an official franchise, the producer stressed.
It is also not a reboot of The Real Housewives of Toronto season that aired in 2017.
This is a completely fresh production not a continuation of the original series, the producer said, which was not renewed after its first season.
Who’s in?
One cast member of the 2017 series did film the pilot: Roxy Earle.
Earle, an entrepreneur and body positivity influencer, was among that show’s youngest cast members.
While Earle recently shared on Instagram that she had “uprooted” her life to move to California last year, the producer and Earle’s publicist both told TorontoToday that she still spends lots of time in Toronto.
“Roxy is establishing a larger presence in Los Angeles but Toronto is and will always remain home for her,” Earle’s publicist Spencer Lubitz said in a phone interview.
Per the producer, the other Toronto women who filmed the pilot are Jordan Stewart, fashion designer and founder of RVNG couture; Dr. Linda Khadivi, founder of 1Clinic; Natalie Gee, co-founder of Gee Beauty; Keshia Chanté, a musician and TV host who once dated Drake; and Sasha Exeter, an influencer who is known for being close friends with Meghan Markle.
Exeter is also known for her public falling out with stylist Jessica Mulroney, who is married to Ben Mulroney, son of the late former prime minister Brian Mulroney.
While Jessica Mulroney did not film the pilot, InTouch reported there is a chance she could still become attached to the show.
A representative from The Spotlight Agency, which represents Mulroney, told TorontoToday that is not the case.
“Jessica Mulroney is not involved in the Real Housewives of Toronto,” Spotlight Agency president Sundance Filardi said by email.
Overall, the pilot’s cast contains bigger names — in particular Chanté and Exeter — than the 2017 series, whose stars did not have a profile beyond their upper-crust Toronto circles.
Where did they shoot?
The pilot was filmed “all over Toronto,” per the producer, including Gee Beauty in Rosedale, boutiques in Yorkville and in the women’s homes.
The producer said they wanted to create a reality show in Toronto because they love the city and its diversity.
“There truly is this circle of women who sort of feel like a small town within one of North America's biggest cities,” they said. “It's funny to me how these women know so much about each other's lives, and they're so involved in each other's lives.”
“Toronto is a perfect city for this.”
Will it air?
As for which TV network could pick up the show, spokespeople for both Corus, which aired The Real Housewives of Toronto in 2017, and Rogers, which purchased the Canadian broadcast rights to Bravo’s Real Housewives franchises last year, told TorontoToday their networks are not involved in any discussions about the pilot.
Bravo, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Media Group, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Lark Productions, the Vancouver-based production company that created The Real Housewives of Toronto and 2012’s The Real Housewives of Vancouver.
Aside from online forums, gossip about the pilot has been swirling among the cast members of the 2017 series.
Kara Alloway, one of its stars, told TorontoToday she was approached last year by “a reputable production company with a history of producing within the Real Housewives franchise” but declined to participate in talks with them.
“Honestly, aspects of this rumor feels a bit like Gretchen Wieners trying to make ‘fetch’ happen — forced and contrived,” Alloway said about the internet chatter. “It seems like a desperate housewife might be behind this effort to stir up buzz.”
The producer denied it was their project that reached out to Alloway.
Sergio El-Azzi, who appeared in a side role on the series, relayed details about the pilot similar to what the producer told TorontoToday, including that Earle was the only “OG” in its cast.
El-Azzi — a real estate agent who starred in Luxe Listings Toronto, which aired on Amazon Prime last year — added that he has known about the pilot “for months.”
