Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps traveled to Benton, Illinois, for the content, but it sounds like one of them may have made a potential love connection while filming their new series.
Sonja, 59, hit it off with a man named Billy Richard while she and Luann, 58, filmed their new series Welcome to Crappie Lake, which debuts on Sunday, July 9. “He texts me all the time,” Sonja exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the Crappie Lake premiere. “He likes to drive, so every time we speak he goes, ‘I’m gonna get my truck and come on up there and see you.’”
Billy — a New Orleans native who was just visiting a friend in Benton — would have quite the 20-hour drive ahead of him, but he doesn’t seem deterred. “He has a big truck with big wheels,” Sonja quipped.
The reality star added that she and Billy have discussed meeting up in Louisiana, though she noted she’d rather fly than drive. “Driving is so far. We’ll see, we’ll see,” Sonja told Us. “I thought the guy was local!”
Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Luann, for her part, developed an attraction to another Benton man, but she didn’t see many options for long-term relationships. “They’re all kind of married in these small towns,” she explained to Us. “There’s not a lot to do, so I understand why people would be married. You need a partner.”
Welcome to Crappie Lake follows the longtime pals and Real Housewives of New York City costars as they attempt to bring some of their urbane charm to a town with a population of just 7,000. Over the course of eight episodes, the duo go mudding, catch catfish and drive tractors, among other things.
Lesser friendships might have crumbled under the weight of so many unusual stressors, but Sonja and Luann had no such problem. “One of the greatest things that came out of this trip is that Luann and I always make it work,” Sonja explained. “We come to a happy medium, and neither of us are wrong. We just have different and opinions on things.”
Luann agreed, though if the pals land a season 2 she’s hoping they get the chance to film in a more temperate locale. “It was hot. I mean, beyond,” she recalled of Benton. “It’s the only place I’ve ever been where if it rains, it gets hotter.”
Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake premieres on Bravo Sunday, July 9, at 9 p.m. ET.
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With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
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