{"id":591987,"date":"2026-04-18T15:43:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/591987\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T15:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:43:12","slug":"the-real-housewives-of-rhode-island-bring-party-to-fenway-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/591987\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Real Housewives of Rhode Island\u2019 bring party to Fenway Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

\""The“The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” cast took the field during Bravo Night at Fenway Park on Friday, with Alicia Carmody tapped to throw out the first pitch.Barry Chin\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

As \u201ca huge New England sports fan,\u201d cast member Jo-Ellen Tiberi said it was \u201cunbelievable\u201d and \u201ca surreal feeling\u201d standing in front of the Fenway Faithful. <\/p>\n

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\u201cGrowing up, you think like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m gonna make it,\u2019\u201d Tiberi told the Globe during Friday\u2019s festivities. \u201cBeing at the Red Sox game, throwing out the first pitch, I think you made it when you\u2019ve thrown out the first pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while she doesn\u2019t originally hail from Rhode Island, \u201cRHORI\u201d cast member and former \u201cThe Bachelor\u201d contestant Ashley Iaconetti has become a bit of a New England sports fan herself courtesy of her husband and fellow reality show star Jared Haibon, a Rhode Island native and an alum of \u201cThe Bachelorette\u201d who was also in attendance for Friday\u2019s game. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy son\u2019s middle name is Brady, which isn\u2019t very unique around here,\u201d joked Iaconetti, noting her affection for a certain former Patriots quarterback.<\/a><\/p>\n

Iaconetti credited costar Rosie DiMare, a Massachusetts native and former Rhode Island TV news anchor, for helping her get acclimated to life in the Ocean State.<\/p>\n

\u201cRosie has helped me a lot with getting acquainted, because with her, I have a friend who comes over and sits on my couch with sweatpants and is there within an hour of me texting her,\u201d said Iaconetti. \u201cIt\u2019s just really nice to have a friend like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FromFrom left: Ashley Iaconetti and Rosie DiMare during Bravo Night at Fenway Park on Friday.Brian Fluharty\/Getty<\/p>\n

While DiMare and Iaconetti seem to have a friendly relationship, \u201cRHORI\u201d is, of course, known for its more chaotic moments and gossip-fueled drama. In addition to the \u201cfriendship dynamics,\u201d DiMare is excited for fans of the show to see the uniquely Rhode Island \u201cway that people think, the way that people act\u201d in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s literally unlike anywhere else you\u2019ll ever be in your whole life,\u201d said DiMare. \u201cI grew up 15 minutes away from the border, and even sometimes I feel like I\u2019m on a different planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

DiMare admitted that her \u201clife is literally no different\u201d now following the show\u2019s debut, noting that she and her husband, Rich, a singer who performs Frank Sinatra tunes, were already \u201csomewhat well known before the show happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether we\u2019re in New England, Boston, Rhode Island, whatever, it wouldn\u2019t be weird for people to stop us or talk to us, so nothing\u2019s really changed in that way, which I kind of like,\u201d said DiMare. \u201cI don\u2019t want it to change. I\u2019m trying not to go online. I\u2019m trying not to let it get to my head or anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

While cast members like DiMare and Iaconetti are no strangers to life in front of the camera, it\u2019s been a bit of an adjustment for others. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been uncharted territory,\u201d said \u201cRHORI\u201d star and self-proclaimed Rhode Island \u201ccannabis queen\u201d Liz McGraw. \u201cEvery day is something new. It\u2019s been pretty surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Costar Rulla Nehme Pontarelli described the experience as a bit \u201coverwhelming,\u201d but also \u201cvery exciting\u201d thanks to the positive reaction from fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the thing that humbles and flatters me the most is all the fandom and all the outreach and love and support,\u201d said Pontarelli. \u201cThe response is absolutely just, it\u2019s over the top, and we\u2019re so grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""The“The Real Housewives of Rhode Island” stars Rulla Nehme Pontarelli and Alicia Carmody posed for a picture with fans before Friday night’s game at Fenway Park.Brian Fluharty\/Getty<\/p>\n

As the show puts relationships and family drama front and center, Pontarelli hopes folks can \u201cdig deep\u201d when it comes to her storyline so they can \u201cmaybe appreciate how I\u2019ve had to keep a hard exterior while handling things my own way, and that it has not been a sign of weakness, but actually my own strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tiberi shared a similar sentiment over the portrayal of her personal story on the show, including the issues with her mother that have been teased, and hopes that it will resonate with audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people, especially, you know, there\u2019s so many millennials and a little bit older that are watching this that can relate to having issues with their parents,\u201d said Tiberi. \u201cSo I think that one\u2019s gonna really hit home with a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while they tend to fight a lot on the show, all of the cast members agree that they want viewers to see the beauty of Rhode Island, from its luxurious vacation spots to its deep historical roots. However, the \u201cRHORI\u201d stars disagree over whether the Ocean State or Boston<\/a> is more deserving of being the true center of attention in New England.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough Boston is a beautiful city, Rhode Island is just very intimate,\u201d said Pontarelli. \u201cWe have so much to offer in a very small state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Costar Kelsey Swanson is also in Rhode Island\u2019s camp, calling out the way in which people \u201cnever leave\u201d the state, while noting that Boston is \u201ca great city,\u201d but filled with \u201ca bunch of transplants.\u201d Carmody is team Ocean State, too, praising the history of Rhode Island and how it \u201chas a lot more families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that Boston is incredible, and it\u2019s like so old school, and it\u2019s obviously very original,\u201d said DiMare. \u201cBut I feel like you could also be in any little city, whereas Rhode Island, everyone acts a certain way. And it\u2019s just like a totally different universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FromFrom left: Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Rosie DiMare, and Ashley Iaconetti at Fenway Park on Friday night.Barry Chin\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

For Iaconetti, the reality TV veteran thinks Rhode Island \u201cmakes for a better show,\u201d but wouldn\u2019t go so far as to say that it\u2019s a better destination than Boston. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think Rhode Island works for the show because everything [is] just a one degree of separation from everyone, so everybody knows each other,\u201d explained Iaconetti. \u201c[In Boston], not everybody knows each other, not everybody even cares to know each other. In Rhode Island, everybody cares to know about everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while Tiberi has a lot of love for Rhode Island, her heart belongs to the Hub.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoston is the capital of New England. It truly is,\u201d said Tiberi. \u201cRhode Island\u2019s getting a little piece of that pie right now, which is unbelievable. Rhode Island is so beautiful, but nothing compares to Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt Juul can be reached at matthew.juul@globe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n