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Pop culture expert Danny Pellegrino knows what TV shows are worth watching and when it’s time to change the channel. Danny, a New York Times Bestselling author and host of the Everything Iconic podcast, has seen everything from early 90s talk shows to today’s popular reality TV and he’s here to spill the tea. He tells Ricki and Kalen about his memories watching The Ricki Lake Show after school, digs into all the drama that surrounds The Real Housewives franchise, and shares who he considers to be the Queen of Reality TV. Plus, Kalen divulges what reality shows he’d want to be on and Ricki asks Danny about the on-screen scandals we can’t get enough of.

Please note, Raised By Ricki contains mature themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners.

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Ricki Lake, Kalen Allen, Danny Pellegrino

Ricki Lake  00:13

Hello, hello welcome friends to another episode of Raised by Ricki. I am Ricki Lake and I’m here Kalen Allen.

Kalen Allen  00:23

How you doing? What’s poppin?

Ricki Lake  00:26

I’m great. I’m so great and I am so excited to talk to you today and have our guests on today. We’re talking about everything iconic. That would be Danny Pellegrino, who is hosting his own podcast called everything iconic. So I wanted to ask you, okay, the question is other than Beyonce, so you can’t pick Beyonce. Who is your all-time favorite pop culture icon?

Kalen Allen  00:51

Right before me who’s yours?

Ricki Lake  00:53

See, I’m just sitting here thinking about it. I mean, there’s a pop culture icon so. So that would be a singer or doesn’t matter. I’m not someone that clamors to go to a Madonna concert, but I can recognize the impact she has made. Like I could say to your name you through personality me, I do. I think they’re like one of the most.

Kalen Allen  01:17

I think you got somebody like if there was somebody that if you met tomorrow, you would like, you get nervous. You know what I mean?

Ricki Lake  01:25

Yeah, definitely. Definitely. I mean, pink. I really, really I want to be friends with Pink. She lives in Malibu, from what I understand. And I just am sure I’m going to run into her like grocery store or something someday and we’re going to bond and we’re going to hang out. Who do you want to hang out with and be best friends with?

Kalen Allen  01:45

I would say my all-time favorite pop culture icon is none other than Ricki Lake.

Ricki Lake  01:53

Oh, stop, stop.

Kalen Allen  01:57

That’s my vote. That’s my vote.

Ricki Lake  02:00

Okay. That’s very kind and I think that’s the wrong answer.

Kalen Allen  02:04

Let me tell you why I say you Ricki Lake. Okay. You ready? Okay. So say, Listen, look at the career. Okay. You do hairspray. Right? Then you do the Ricki Lake Show, right. And then you do movies you do? You know, you have your things here, there. You do charter school, you do all those things? Right. Right. When I think of a pop culture icon, I think that I think of the people that are recognizable just by their name, that they’re impacting what they have provided to society into culture as a whole has left such an imprint. That all it takes is just their name for someone to recognize their significance. That is why I say you.

Ricki Lake  02:49

Oh, my goodness. Thank you. Thank you for saying those sweet words about me. And are you excited for today’s episode? I did Danny’s podcast a few months ago. Here we have a very dear mutual friend Liza Persky, you know her as well. And I just love him. I love his show. I love he’s all things reality TV, and I’m so excited to talk to him today. Hey, do you hear that? Someone’s at the door? Hi, Danny.

Danny Pellegrino  03:22

Hi, how are you?

Ricki Lake  03:23

I feel like it’s been a while since I got to talk with you on your podcast. And this is Kalen. Do you guys know each other?

Danny Pellegrino  03:30

No, Kalen, hi.

Kalen Allen  03:33

How are ya?

Danny Pellegrino  03:34

Good, what a pleasure.

Ricki Lake  03:35

Well, thank you. Thank you for doing this. And so of course, you know, we’re talking about pop culture and focusing on my old show. And is it true that you were Raised by Ricki?

Danny Pellegrino  03:44

Of course. Yeah. I mean, who wasn’t raised by especially the millennial generation. I was raised by Ricky I remember watching it specifically. At the house that I grew up in we had this like little ledge that we would watch TV on. It was like sort of the alleged that from the kitchen to the living room that we shouldn’t have been sitting on because it was just you know, it was a ledge, I’ve never said ledge so many times in my whole life until but wait, yeah, we were sitting on it. And I just I specifically have this like memory of us watching it from that spot.

Ricki Lake  04:18

So was it taboo? How old were you? You were you’re a lot younger than me. So I would imagine you were very young.

Danny Pellegrino  04:25

I was young, but I had older brothers so they were always putting it on and we were my parents weren’t really strict about what we watched. I specifically remember like my dad, I come from an Italian family and my dad would always have like The Godfather or Scarface or my cousin Vinnie was like a family favorite, which the language in those movies is bad and the violence and all of those kinds of things. So they never were paying attention, or they never cared what we were watching or worrying about. Is this okay for a young child or something like that. So they were fine with it, and I really He was like a talk show junkie. I still am. But I feel like your show was probably one of the first reasons I was the Rosie show, which I think I maybe mentioned when you’re on my show. Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show was like everything to me it was I could never stress enough of like what that show men to me It introduced me to Broadway, which I had never been aware of as a kid in Ohio. But I was just always attracted to talk shows. And as I got older, I became more and more obsessive. Now my office I have a rosy mug right there. I have a view mug. I just love. I love talk shows.

Kalen Allen  05:37

So what talk shows do you consider to be like the best to ever have been created?

Danny Pellegrino  05:43

Rosie to me was the best I think the way that she infused we’re talking pop culture, the way that she infused pop culture into her show and it was also very positive. I loved that I love getting to know people that I wouldn’t necessarily know. The thing that I look back on that show that was most interesting to me was that she was such a pop culture junkie herself that even if I didn’t know of someone if I wasn’t aware as a young child of who Mary Tyler Moore was her excitement maybe want to learn more about Mary Tyler Moore.

Ricki Lake  06:14

And she was such a fan like I you know, she’s a dear friend of mine. I was just with her yet literally yesterday, she lives right down the street from me on the beach. But I did her podcast, she’s doing a new podcast. And so I talked with her you know, it’s like, I think, you know, both of us did such different shows my show was focused on like regular real people, hers was more celebrity driven, like Ellen with Kailyn. But I love that she was such a gushing, authentic fan, you know?

Danny Pellegrino  06:41

Well, and I think similar to your show what comes across or what I’ve learned watching all these talk shows, it’s always about the authenticity of the host. And sometimes I see every new fall, there’ll be all these new talk shows. And I think you can tell when they’re not authentic to who the person is, or they try to fit themselves into a specific box of like, what they think will work. And especially with celebrity driven talk shows there has been so many that have come and gone throughout the years that sometimes lasts one season or a six week run or, or the last two seasons, even if they’re lucky. And you can just sort of smell through the BS. And so I think the host has to have, you have to feel a connection. There has to be an authenticity there.

Kalen Allen  07:24

Who do you feel is doing good, right, in today’s day and age?

Danny Pellegrino  07:27

I love the view. And I think they really reinvigorated the format of the talk show. And they’ve been doing it for so many years and successfully.

Ricki Lake  07:39

I’m sorry. I’m interrupting you. But the Barbara Walters like tributes? Like wasn’t that moving?

Danny Pellegrino  07:45

So yes, I went wait, did you get you? I’m sure you’ve come in contact with her throughout the years.

Ricki Lake  07:51

Yeah, I mean, to I have a good I mean, she’s always been very, she was very, very respectful to me. And my show was on the air before the view my show launched in 93. I believe they launched in 95 or 96. I remember feeling somewhat intimidated by her. But she was a good time. Like I was on the view dozens of times. I mean, a lot I would guest host on the show with Barbara. And she I mean, I just appreciate the commentary after her passing like everyone, you know, that that that clip of all of the other hosts that she paved the way for with Oprah, I mean it you saw the T Rex, Ray, Galen, you saw that whole I mean, I love the special they did on her. I wish I had a specific like story or memory of her. I just remember being in the like, the company of greatness. And she was she was good to me. You know?

Danny Pellegrino  08:45

Yeah. I mean, she really changed the game with that show. And then there was, of course, so many copycats of that show, and some of them work better than others. But I just think it’s such a smart, smart concept. Also, I think Sherry’s been great on her new shows. She’s from the view, but I think she has an authenticity to her that you could tell that whatever she is talking about feels like she wants to talk about it and not something that’s necessarily like forced on it.

Ricki Lake  09:13

I like Tamron Hall, I really like I think Tamron’s, really, first of all, she’s so beautiful. I just I stare at her. But I think she’s also really curious and smart.

Kalen Allen  09:23

Tamron is probably also the only talk show this on right now that comes from a journalistic approach very similar to how like Oprah’s show had a very journalists kind of background already, you know?

Ricki Lake  09:36

Of course. Oh, yeah. I mean, it’s so sad because if you can’t, you can’t replace you can’t duplicate. I mean, it just she was a whole another level. We all can admit it. You know, do you watch shows like Dr. Phil like those kinds of shows?

Danny Pellegrino  09:50

No, I mean, I’ve dip in and out but I think I love the Drew Barrymore show too by the way, I think the first season it was a little rocky but I think once she kind of found what her thing was. I think now it’s so quirky and I’m kind of obsessed with it right now.

Ricki Lake  10:07

And Ross Matthews is so great. He was just on with us and I did his podcast. He’s just great energy. So positive. What about Kelly Clarkson?

Danny Pellegrino  10:17

Kelly Clarkson? Yes. I mean, to me, it’s so smart to have her be singing every day. And so, you know, every single morning I’m on the Instagram or twitter account for the Kelly Clarkson show. Like saying what did she cover today? Like, what are we getting? Yeah,

Ricki Lake  10:30

Kelly okey, it’s so good. It’s so good. Okay, you have a best-selling book, New York Times best-selling book? How do I unremember this? How did you come up with that concept?

Danny Pellegrino  10:40

Well, you know, I was a ghostwriter. Before that, and I had always wanted to do my version of like a David Sedaris book. And so I have a podcast where I interview celebrities. So you were so gracious to come on the ship as I was honored. It was such a such a pleasure. And I also on the podcast, recap a lot of TV and reality TV specifically. And so oftentimes, when I would be recapping or interviewing someone, I would tell these stories about growing up in Ohio or family stories or personal things like bad dates and everything. And I noticed when I was like, touring pre pandemic, I was doing live versions of my show. And mostly people were coming up to me and talking about the stories that I told about my family and everything. And so I kind of I felt like there was a book there, I thought I could write about these stories. And I was familiar with the publishing world from ghost writing. And so I really set out to create like, it’s got tons of pop culture references in there a lot of Midwest stories and family stories. And so it really just stemmed from that I always wanted to be able to do my version of a David Sedaris book, or one of those essay collections.

Kalen Allen  11:45

Wait, what is ghost writing mean? Like, if I gotta know what ghostwriting means, like for people that are like rappers, so like, what is what does it mean in your context?

Danny Pellegrino  11:53

Well, in the book world, it’s just writing. So basically, it’s somebody else’s book. So I wrote a couple books for people who are on reality TV, and I wrote a guy named Bob Harper, who was on The Biggest Loser. I did his last diet book. Ghost writing is kind of weird because my name is on the very bottom. So I’m technically for the two books that I ghost wrote. I’m technically a co-author on them. But ghost writing basically means you’re writing in their voice. So although I’m listed as a co-author, I wrote the whole thing.

Kalen Allen  12:27

So like Mariah is book was written by Mikayla. So then that’s the ghost writer. Oh, honey, I listened to the audiobook too. I was tapped in.

Danny Pellegrino  12:42

So of course, it’s done in so many different ways. So like some celebrities will work very closely with the ghostwriter. Some will not some will write themselves and have the ghost writers sort of edit it. Some of them want the ghost writers name completely hidden. So it won’t be listed on the book or anywhere throughout the pages. So it’s kind of all over the place and can be done so many different ways. But I had a

Ricki Lake  13:04

I had a book. I wrote it with somebody. I give her credit. Like I was not going to be like faking like I wrote my own book. But I did work very, very closely with a woman named Rebecca de Roberto, an amazing talented writer and became a producer on my last talk show. And it was so cathartic. I mean and it’s so interesting because you know you write interesting is the wrong word. It seems ridiculous because I wrote like my life story. And I feel like the story since I wrote that book is so much better now. Like it’s like so much has happened.

Kalen Allen  13:37

What you’re saying is you need another book?

Ricki Lake  13:41

I don’t think I need another book. Okay, we have to take a really quick break right now but we will be back before you know it. I want to talk reality TV with you because Kalen doesn’t really watch reality.

Danny Pellegrino  14:09

How dare you Kalen? What are you watching? If you’re not watching reality TV?

Kalen Allen  14:13

I’m an actor. So like, I’m watching like drama. Comedies. I mean, I am aware though, because I think I just am in tune just by social media, of knowing everything that happens and I’ve been connected with a lot of housewives. You know, like, Lisa Vanderpump gave me my dog. So it’s like I’m aware of, you know, who’s all reality TV. I just don’t watch reality TV.

Ricki Lake  14:40

Can I tell you fun fact? Okay, so my husband, he grew up devout Mormon, like, like, full on full on until he was 35. And his cousin is Lala Kent. Her real last name is Burningham. His name is Ross Burningham.

Danny Pellegrino  14:58

I thought that was going to be a connection to this. Salt Lake City housewives and then but see the whole world is connected because Lala is on Vanderpump Rules but she also knows she sort of cameoed I think on the first season in Salt Lake City.

Ricki Lake  15:11

I think she’s from Utah. Yeah, my husband’s from San Diego. But he went to school at BYU, of course. But we’re way into the Salt Lake. Heather gay, he’s reading the book right now the audio book of Bad Mormon. Are you going to read it?

Danny Pellegrino  15:24

I just had around my show last week talking about it. And it was it was fascinating. And, you know, going kind of going back to books, I think how side books can be hit or miss. But what was so fascinating to me about that was like, I don’t know much about Mormonism. And so it was interesting to learn about it.

Ricki Lake  15:40

Right? Well, hey, if you ever want to come over to my house, you can ask my husband anything. He’ll tell you at all. I want to connect with Heather gay actually, because he has found her story and her sharing through her book. And through this other podcast that she did about getting out of Mormon, it was very similar for him.

Danny Pellegrino  15:59

And when did he get out of it you said?

Ricki Lake  16:01

Well, he’s now 56. He was 35. So but you know, I mean, half his life. I mean, that was his life. And there’s so many great quality I mean, Mormonism there, there are some nuggets of like beautiful qualities, the values family, work ethic, like a lot, but then there’s also so much of it. That’s so crazy and funked up and so yeah, it’s just been interesting, but I am a reality like television freak. Not maybe not like you all together. Well, I mean survivor and even before that the real world the real world was brilliant. The updated version. They did the remake or whatever. Blew my mind.

Kalen Allen  16:44

Did you watch her season of charm school?

Danny Pellegrino  16:47

I swear to you I did but I don’t remember much. But I mean, I remember loving it, but I don’t remember it when I watch TV that I feel like it goes in and out of my mouth. And Kalen when you said like, I’m aware of the players, it’s so funny to me because oftentimes, when I talk to people about reality TV they’ll be like, I don’t know. I don’t really watch it but then they like know everything that happens on the show because it sort of permeates into our pop culture.

Kalen Allen  17:13

That’s what I was about to say I was about to say, for me I watch reality TV as growing up but it was like competition shows like I watched all the flavor of love I watched all of I Love New York I watched all a surreal life. I love money like all those shows. But I didn’t really start watching Big Brother until Celebrity Big Brother was created. Then I prefer to Celebrity Big Brother over regular Big Brother.

Ricki Lake  17:42

What did you do? I’m a Celebrity get me out of here.

Kalen Allen  17:45

Absolutely. You know what show I would not do is this most recent show with like, Kingdom more and they gotta be like the Marines.

Danny Pellegrino  17:52

Oh my god Special Forces.

Ricki Lake  17:54

No, thank you.

Kalen Allen  17:57

They tried to get me to do the challenge when I first started in Ellen. And I was like, my little tweak ass is not going on the damn channel.

Danny Pellegrino  18:07

I watched the challenge too. And there’s always only like one gay person. And they’re always kicked out. I haven’t watched it a few seasons but they’re always the first one gone.

Ricki Lake  18:15

Are you a dancing with the stars man?

Danny Pellegrino  18:17

My parents are so I feel like I get that information like in my head because I’m every time I call my mom she’s like, damn, this just happened on DNC with this so and so got voted up for this happened. I did love that trader show, the DC traders.

Ricki Lake  18:34

Okay. I was gonna ask you that because Alan Cummings is a good friend of mine. I I’m dying to see it. I’ve not watched it yet. Do you recommend?

Danny Pellegrino  18:41

We recommend Alan needs to win the Emmy for it because he is like serving these looks. It’s I mean, even if you don’t get into the gameplay, which I think you would. It’s every single time Alan come in every time he’s on screen. He’s wearing this great outfit. He’s being dramatic. I mean, Caleb from an acting perspective, you’ll watch it and be like he’s doing character work. Like he’s not. He’s having fun with it. I mean, I’ve never seen a host like that on a reality show. It’s so brilliant. But it’s also a fun show.

Kalen Allen  19:10

Are they celebrities?

Danny Pellegrino  19:14

It’s half reality stars and a half non-reality stars.

Ricki Lake  19:19

Would you ever do survivor Danny?

Danny Pellegrino  19:21

I don’t know that I could do survivor but I think I could do like a big brother. I think I’d be terrible at Amazing Race because I get travel anxiety. I just be Xanax the whole time.

Ricki Lake  19:31

Why, are you stressed when you fly, Kalen?

Kalen Allen  19:37

You know I got that travel curse, Ricki.

Ricki Lake  19:40

His flights or something’s wrong with the plane.

Danny Pellegrino  19:45

Forgive this term but plane drugs meaning like well, you have a cocktail before you fly.

Kalen Allen  19:49

I don’t have any problem flying. I don’t even have problems sleeping on planes poopy like I can’t say I’d be knocked out honey. If that plane end up like flight eight to eight. Hang on even though we go.

Danny Pellegrino  19:58

My boyfriend is worse. than I am. And I always feel like we’re walking to the airport. It’s like Weekend at Bernie’s, like I’m hoisting him up. And he’s like, barely conscious, and I’m trying to get him through the runway, so we would be just a nightmare on him. He’s funny.

Ricki Lake  20:12

Well, I took so much Ambien, the last season of the original Ricki Lake show because I was living in LA, I had a new boyfriend’s going through divorce to have a new relationship. And then we go back and forth. And I would take the show, like, at that point, we were doing six in two days. So like a Tuesday and a Wednesday, I’d get on that read I pop my Ambien, show up at work, go right to work, take the shows, get back on a plane and hear the stories that people could probably tell from sitting next to me on my Ambien at Miami and in my one cocktail. I don’t remember, of course, but I’m sure someone does. Someone does. Yeah, anyway, how do you manage to watch everything?

Danny Pellegrino  20:49

I feel like I dip in and out a lot like, and I tend to just, I don’t know, I suppose I think of it as my job now because I cover a lot of these shows on my show. And so it’s just like, Well, I gotta watch housewives. And I recap housewives on the show. And so I’ll take very copious notes every time I sit down, and that’s weird to me, because it’s just strange that I’m typing out like, Teresa, Judy, Che, does this or whatever.

Ricki Lake  21:13

How do you feel about Ryna being gone?

Danny Pellegrino  21:16

I think it was time for Ryna to go. I think she could use little break. And I do think she’ll be back. Eventually. I think how sighs oftentimes, they take a couple seasons off and then realize they need them. But I don’t love. I don’t think she was doing well on there the past season or two. I think she even probably was like, I need to get out of here for a minute.

Kalen Allen  21:37

I heard that. Now. I got a question about Atlanta. Do you think Phaedra now did watch the season? Do you think Phaedra should have been kicked off?

Danny Pellegrino  21:44

Okay. Kalen, I love you. Because you just told me how you don’t watch it. And you’re like, I just watched the season. Everyone always says like, oh, I don’t really I don’t watch any of it. And then you really get to talk to them. And they’re like, well, I watched that whole season.

Ricki Lake  22:00

I’ve seen Atlanta, and I know who Phaedra is. But what did she do that you’re talking about?

Kalen Allen  22:05

Phaedra basically accused Kandi of in some type of way trapping Porsche, and like a dungeon and basically taking advantage of her like this was the whole story of what she was telling people. And this is what the rumor was. And then at the reunion, she confessed that it was a lie, that it was not true. And Kandi was so upset about it, of course, and it was his huge thing. It was the first time especially like, you know, because yes, reality stars is somewhat acting, you know, they’re playing it out. This was what you really notice that people were being really themselves. So it’s waste. And it was like we’ve taken it too far, you know?

Danny Pellegrino  22:51

And really heavy accusations of sexual assault. Yeah, drug use. And Kandi obviously has a very successful brand and business outside of the house side. So it’s like also really good would affect her brand if these accusations were true, and Phaedra had admitted these. I mean, that I think was the only four part reunion of in house life history. I could be wrong about that. But I’m pretty sure it was one of the few of if not only, because usually those reunions are two to three parts. But yeah, it was that season was incredible TV, but also Yeah, it was it was hard to watch and, and I think a lot of people love Phaedra and she’s so good and confessional. She’s very quick witted. And she was great on the ultimate girls trip. But they’ve never really been able to fold her back into house size because I think candy has said she would not film with her and rightfully so I think Kandi is right for that.

Kalen Allen  23:41

And Kandi has been there since the beginning. So like, yeah.

Danny Pellegrino  23:44

There’s such an interesting thing about these shows of, I think everyone’s kind of figuring out on the production side of like, how far is too far? When do we get rid of where’s the line for what’s fun, messy and what’s too messy or what’s too inappropriate or what’s too we can’t be giving these people platforms kind of situation. And it’s always evolving, it seems but I’m so fascinated about that. And, and Ricky, you brought up the real world earlier. And oddly enough, I’ve been rewatching old seasons on Paramount plus, and there’s this one season, it’s up Portland, and it came at such a I was watching and I was so in shock because I think it was maybe 2013. And prior to that on the real world, in particular, anytime anyone who would lay hands on each other, that was grounds for okay, you’re out of the house, right? And there was this weird time where that wasn’t the case and it was evident in this Portland season where the cast are fist fighting for whole episodes pulling each other, no one stopping it. No one’s there’s no bodyguard or no security that comes in. No camera people stop it. The cast tries to stop it. But cameras keep rolling and they keep getting super physical. And now that would never happen. But there was a weird moment, I think around 2013 Where think reality TV in particular was getting very violent. And there were no consequences or lines for a short time and it’s fascinating.

Ricki Lake  25:16

It is. I mean, I, you know, I love watching, and you’re right, like you’d like there’s a line that sometimes feels really, really icky and wrong to be watching this, you know, it’s like a car accident that you can’t look away from, like the Jen Shaw, like the moment she gets nailed in that limousine and you’re watching that, like, and then now knowing what happened and her pleading guilty. It’s like, they want privacy at some point. It’s like, well, you’re you open the doors to your lives. It’s like, where do you draw the line? You know, right. Okay, we’re gonna take a short break, but there’s more raised by Ricky coming up in just a minute

Kalen Allen  26:05

I got a question for Danny. Danny, who is the queen of reality TV cuz I have the answer. And I want to see if you don’t get it wrong.

Ricki Lake  26:14

Oh my god. Beyonce.

Danny Pellegrino  26:15

Like Nene. I think I miss Nene on TV.

Kalen Allen  26:26

Tiffany Pollard?

Danny Pellegrino  26:29

Of course. Yeah. And I just saw this morning that Tiffany in New York is going to be on a show. It’s rumored it’s like a bunch of villains. Reality TV villains. And I saw her on there. And I was like, I mean, number one. I’m so excited for her to be back on reality TV. I mean, talk about someone who just is funny. I love New York.

Kalen Allen  26:49

She was New York.

Ricki Lake  26:50

So she was in the Flavor Flav was she wasn’t on charm school with me?

Kalen Allen  26:55

But no. So you have rock of ages then you knew is a rock of love.

Kalen Allen  26:59

Let me give you a little Tiffany Pollard. […] . You ready? Okay. So New York was basically the Beyonce a flavor of love. Right? So she was on Season One. She made it all the way to the end. And then but I still to this day on my life will tell you, the only person to ever be on that show that genuinely loved Flavor Flav was Tiffany Pollard. And you can tell just how real it was for her. But she was so over the top. She was so extra. And she was the villain of the show. So she didn’t win the first season. Right? So then in the second season, flav brings her back because he’s like, I want you to like go through these girls and see if they gonna make chat. She got asked back in there and she ended up on the show. So did she end up being a contestant again? And then she makes it to the end and he doesn’t choose her again. And then that’s what they gave her the spin off. But then she did it twice just like flavor love this. She had a whole bunch spin out she had New York Goes to Hollywood. That’s where when the girl because you remember when the girl was like breaking leg before her audition she was like she made her break a fucking leg.

Ricki Lake  26:59

Both shows they were from.

Ricki Lake  28:15

I love how we started this podcast by you saying you don’t watch reality TV.

Kalen Allen  28:23

I know. But this she was on charm school. She was on charm school. But she came back as like a counselor. She came in to surprise the girls into like, like she was like one episode. But really, in most recent years, she was on Big Brother in London. Okay. And there was this whole clip when they tell us when they tell her that they she thought David Bowie was there was a David in the house. Right? And, and David Bowie’s ex-wife when David Bowie died, told her was like Davis dead in New York thought it was the man in the house. She started going all crazy now it was iconic and

Danny Pellegrino  29:02

she thought somebody in the house died. You know, New York and I mentioned Nene. But the one of the things that I think make them the best reality stars is like their clips, their moments, their gifts, their memes live on forever, like they’re the people. If you go on any online culture, you see them appearing the most frequently and yeah, and I feel like those are the best ones because they can have the littlest moment and it just lives on forever and keeps getting recirculated

Ricki Lake  29:32

Heather gay is pretty is pretty entertaining. I mean, the black guy kind of it was it was it was like a nothing burger, right? It’s like we never found out I can’t believe they didn’t have footage of that. Yeah, honestly.

Danny Pellegrino  29:44

I also was shocked that they stay showcased that so much being that they didn’t have a resolution for it. It was I would have scaled back if I was production but I don’t know why they do it.

Ricki Lake  29:54

I have to agree with you with my producer hat on right now. I agree with you. It just It pissed people off In the end, what about Brandi? Glanville, what is going on with her?

Kalen Allen  30:03

I was Randy’s podcast.

Ricki Lake  30:05

You were? Did you like her?

Kalen Allen  30:07

Yeah, she’s cool.

Danny Pellegrino  30:09

did hers too and I always liked her a lot. I think there’s this so an ultimate girls trip which is the show where they bring in all these other housewives together in season four, so season three of that show hasn’t even aired yet but they just filmed season four. And so there’s only been kind of as of right this recording there’s been like little details that have been released about the situation she had with one of the other housewives Caroline Manzo from Jersey okay and but it’s all it’s all a little unclear at this point. But I’m curious to see how it’ll come up but allegedly, she had made some physical passes that Caroline Manzo brandy did and then I just was reading I think it was Page Six or somewhere it was saying that there was a bathroom situation where like a door was locked and brandy wouldn’t let Caroline out allegedly and that they had audio of it or something. And so I also Yeah, I don’t know how it’ll play out on the network, but it’s frustrating because I’ve always loved brandy on TV. She had always been pretty messy. But I thought oftentimes it was like fun messy occasionally it would cross the line for sure.

Ricki Lake  31:15

And you kind of root for her you feel right like It’s like there’s something sympathetic about her?

Danny Pellegrino  31:20

Yes, she’s a single mom and she has been open about like, trying to provide for her family and all of those things. So yeah, it was frustrating because I think especially she was on the second season of this show ultimate girls trip and I think we were all rooting for her to have a great comeback to Beverly Hills housewives and now it seems like things just took a really dark turn.

Ricki Lake  31:44

Which housewives is your is your favorite?

Danny Pellegrino  31:46

New York used to be but I think the it hasn’t been good and it’s upsetting to see what has happened over on New York House size but they used to be my favorite Miami currently is so good at which is on peacock and Potomac is always pretty consistently.

Ricki Lake  32:01

I mean, I haven’t seen Potomac

Kalen Alle  32:03

Dr. Windy follows me.

Danny Pellegrino  32:04

Oh, I love Dr. Wendy.

Ricki Lake  32:07

Oh, I was gonna say she the Dr. Pimple Popper.

Kalen Allen  32:09

Ah, you know what, Dr. Pimple Popper.

Danny Pellegrino  32:15

We need a producer to take a running tally of these shows that doesn’t.

Kalen Allen  32:21

Think about Dr. Pepper. I actually only watch it because I see it on TikTok. And then I’d be like, oh, I need to go watch the tape. So then I go on, like discovery plus, and the thing that’s crazy about Dr. Pimple Popper, I’d be like, you didn’t notice that bump on your back. 10 years ago. And you’re just gonna walk around, especially when there’s like the bump beyond a but I know. I know where you sit and you fill that damn book. You ain’t trying to pop that shit. I can’t even have a pimple on my face for two hours before I’m in the mirror trying to be a doctor. Surgery. Buy me a big ol bump. bitch, I’d be like grab some alcohol. Sterilize that. Motherfucking butter knife beach and cut this thing open. Okay?

Ricki Lake  33:05

Wait, what are some of the other TLC shows?

Danny Pellegrino  33:07

So I’ve been I’ve been watching I didn’t really watch it when it was on but Kate Plus eight. Fascinated by that whole era of reality TV and like the fascination with moms, which was a big thing. Like moms of multiples Tan Mom like that whole era.

Kalen Allen  33:22

[…] into her name. Oh my god. I think so.

Danny Pellegrino  33:29

Well, they’re I think every episode of 600 pound life is different person, but I’m obsessed with Dr. Now the person who’s on a 600 pound life. He’s the doctor and he’s the least telegenic person I’ve ever seen on television, like ever. And the show’s been running for 100 years. Like it’s so it’s been on forever. And they have not spruced up his doctor’s office. It’s still completely bare bones. I’ve never seen someone less alive on camera. It’s shocking but he’s the star of it and he must be the producer and have like a heavy.

Ricki Lake  34:03

Dr. Now?

Danny Pellegrino  34:06

He’s name is longer.

Kalen Allen  34:08

Wait, what about the Chris Lee?

Danny Pellegrino  34:10

Chris Lee supposedly know best but they don’t know that they do. He’s going away to jail or something.

Kalen Allen  34:15

They both go away to jail.

Ricki Lake  34:17

I have never I don’t even know who they are. You guys. I’ve never heard of them. I just know about the scandal.

Kalen Allen  34:22

I’ve only seen it like in passing. I’ve always seen it apparent but yeah. And I just want to say that’s a very flamboyant family.

Ricki Lake  34:34

Wait, I could talk about reality TV literally forever. There’s so much do you think let me ask you this. Do you think the Ricki Lake show could work today?

Danny Pellegrino  34:43

Yeah, I would love to see it.

Ricki Lake  34:44

Yeah, well, what about a one night only one night specials? You know what, this is the 30 year anniversary of the launch of the Ricki Lake Show.

Danny Pellegrino  34:52

You should do a special.

Ricki Lake  34:57

That’s we’re looking we think Kailyn and I are We got some wheels turning up here. It’s exciting. Maybe you could be involved in.

Danny Pellegrino  35:06

I would do anyway. Yeah, I would just come and watch and do whatever I can.

Ricki Lake  35:11

Yeah, that would be amazing. I love you I love what you do I you know, you have kind of like the best job I think of anyone because you clearly love everything you’re talking about

Danny Pellegrino  35:23

People can sniff through the bullshit, right? Like they can always sniff through it. So whatever. I feel like anything in this industry whenever you’re doing it has to at least come from a genuine.

Ricki Lake  35:36

Absolutely. Thank you so much for just spending this time with us. It just makes me want to go watch more TV.

Danny Pellegrino  35:41

Thank you for having me. It was so nice meeting you, Kalen.

Ricki Lake  35:47

Thank you. Okay, Kalen you are so fucking funny. You like, proclaim that you don’t watch reality TV. But yet you are the one I think rambling off all these people and stories and networks. And of course you’re into reality TV.

Kalen Allen  36:09

I’m just I think just with what I do in my job. I have to know everything. I have to know what are even if I am not watching it, and I get a lot of that information from Twitter. You know, that’s how I keep in tune with stuff especially like clips on Tik Tok and stuff like that. So I think that’s what really keeps me a no because I can honestly say that I’m not sitting at home, pulling it out. Like if you went to my Hulu account right now you are not gonna see, continue watching the Kardashians or continue watching, you know, real housewives. That’s not the reality. But I am just very aware of everything.

CREDITS  36:40

It’s amazing. You got your hand, every pot out there. It’s a job right? Well, Danny was awesome. I loved having him. And thank you for listening and hope you come back next time. Raised by Ricki with Ricki Lake and Kalen Allen is a Lemonada Media Original. This show is produced by Claire Jones and Nancy Rosenbaum. Our associate producer is Tiffany Buoy. Our senior director of new content is Rachel Neill, VP of weekly production is Steve Nelson and our executive producers Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Jessica Cordova Kramer and DeRay McKesson, and the show is mixed by Johnny Vince Evans. Music is written and produced by Jellybean Benitez, Jason Peralta and Jay Coos for Jelly Bean Productions