'Real Housewives' Star Slade Smiley Compares Franchise To STD

Bravo's original "Housewives" show, "The Real Housewives of Orange County," is back and one of the show's stars, Gretchen Rossi, takes full responsibility, along with now-boyfriend Slade Smiley, for helping to start the franchise epidemic.

"Yes, it's like an STD," Slade told me on the set of my HDNet talk show "Naughty But Nice." "I think the success is based on how they are cast, because it is an inside look into the lives of these very rich, yet dysfunctional people."

Although Gretchen is the first to admit that she brings her fair share of dysfunction to the Orange County-based show, she said she's just being herself.

"At the end of the day, it's because we are real people," she said about why the Bravo-network franchise is so popular. "We are going through divorces, we are going through relationships, we have children and I think people can relate to them."

Although the pair is currently enjoying all that comes with their newfound stardom, they want to warn other "Housewives" and ex-"Housewives" that their 15 minutes of fame won't last forever.

"People need to understand that this kind of thing is fleeting," Gretchen said. "You are going to be here and gone tomorrow."

Slade also added that though people may recognize them from the show, they don't consider themselves famous.

"We don't like to think that we are celebrities ... but it does allow us to expose some of the business ventures that have come of this," he said.

Naughty But Nice airs at 8 p.m. Thursday on HDNet.

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Comments

[Alexandra Spinner]

06:53 PM on 02/26/2012

I suggest they send massive air drops of full body condoms to the masses who have been exposed to their STD:

Translation: STUPID TELEVISION DROPOUTS.

And frankly for some folks they haven't been exposed, WHEW!

[thejadedentrepreneur]

05:13 PM on 02/26/2012

Wow, plastic surgery did her good. Isn't she the one who used to look like a 60 year old horse?

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

02:00 PM on 02/26/2012

An STD is "naughty but nice"?

Just proves how incredibly stup. id these women are. Money can buy plenty of botox but zero brains.

[happycat]

07:06 PM on 02/25/2012

Very rich? Really?

[Maverickpower]

06:14 PM on 02/25/2012

STD's are weeping ugly painful chronic spoil your fun infections that scar you for life !!
Sorry , fun darling ! And they last longer than your pock marked show !

[dmm1047]

09:47 AM on 02/25/2012

What in the world do women see in Slade? He's not the least bit good looking, doesn't have a job and we won't even talk about his child support problems. There's not one person on this show that isn't a total fraud.

[happycat]

07:06 PM on 02/25/2012

Agreed.

[takethetime]

07:49 AM on 02/25/2012

They wouldn't know how to be real if they tried. They just try to out do one another.
Dysfunctional I think is an understatement.

[mtnmanjames123]

05:39 AM on 02/25/2012

She is nothing but a grifter. Married a dying old man, just to get her greedy little fingers on the money.

[MrsNutt]

10:22 AM on 02/25/2012

She & Jeff were never married.

[MrsNutt]

10:23 AM on 02/25/2012

I'm sorry I know that.

[MICHAEL9999999999]

11:37 PM on 02/24/2012

People, listen to me - WE ARE DOOMED!

[Ursofakingfunny Grant]

11:35 PM on 02/24/2012

a better comparison would be vaginal warts or hemroids

[Yayabeanes]

11:14 PM on 02/24/2012

As old as I am IMO Vicki is too long in the tooth for this group...She is so rude and self centered. Always has to be the center of attention. After catching one of their eariler sit downs, Andy asked Heather how she felt about how mistreated she was by the group. Before she could get two words out, Vicki was so rude to interrupt and tell them all how Heather was feeling. Surprized she didn't let out a woo whoo at the end of her interruption.

[stauff565]

11:12 PM on 02/24/2012

Slade is just plain creepy!

[DennisTheMenance]

11:02 PM on 02/24/2012

Well, I hope they all are getting Paid A Fair price for being in the Public Eye and exposing themselves and their Famlies..

[geldonski]

10:14 PM on 02/24/2012

WHO?

[lily53196]

10:02 PM on 02/24/2012

Slade Smiley? Who cares what he has to say. He is nothing except a parasite.