Househusbands of Hollywood on Fox Reality
The Couples Talk about Their Show and Their Lives
Aug 14, 2009
Billy Ashley, husband of celebrity makeup artist Lisa Ashley, Danny Barclay, husband of attorney Katherine Barclay, Darryl Bell, husband of actress Tempestt Bledsoe, Charlie Mattera, husband of a therapist, and Grant Reynolds, husband of TV personality Jillian Reynolds keep the home fires burning while their wives are off in the working jungle.
Just how do these men live their lives while their wives are off working during the days? During the recent Television Critics Association Press Tour the couples talked about the show. They have already completed filming the first season of ten episodes.
Billy Ashley jokes about raising their kid during the day while his wife is away, “She brainwashes them at night [and] tells them, ‘Don't listen to your dad while I am gone. When you come back, I'll give you everything that you want.’"
The Curse of Reality TV and Marriages
When Darryl Bell, who is an actor like his wife, is asked about the prospect of a reality show harming their marriage, he simply replies, “I can only say that certainly for Tempestt and I, we've both been on television for a long time, and what we've done in the show depicted our relationship, which is bereft of acrimony. And, really, we enjoy each other so much because we've been together so long. It is because we have the ability to make each other laugh. So nothing happened on the show that was going to make us grow any further apart. It was just an affirmation of why we are together because she's just hot.”
According to Danny Barclay, “Reality TV exposes the flaws in a relationship, but it also exposes what works. And I know, for Katherine and I, I almost feel like we have a stronger marriage after this first season has wrapped.”
Billy Ashley comments that people like reality shows because they enjoy watching train wrecks, but this show is different. “For our show, the reality that we've portrayed is natural. It's our day. Our storyline -- Lisa, myself, and my kids -- is basically exactly what we do in life, and I think for the most of us [on the show] it's not a train wreck that we are watching.”
Getting the Husbands to Do the Show
Grant Reynolds is an actor and married to TV personality Jillian Reynolds who says “I know my husband Grant didn't want to do the show initially because he's more of a private person, although I have no idea why he married somebody like me. But I am very open and public, obviously, about my life.” Jillian has appeared on Howard Stern’s show and openly discussed her sex life. She is not one to hold anything back, whether it’s on TV or off.
Katherine Barclay weighs in about putting their marriage on TV, “Danny and I have only been married for a few years, and I think one of the things that we really struggled with at first was having this unconventional marriage where he stayed home and I was the working wife.”
Mattera acknowledges that his mother-in-law lends a hand, especially when he is off working. “She showed up and took care of things until I came back from work. So you make it work no matter what it is. There's no problem that there isn't a solution for.”
A Gentleman Bandit
Charlie Mattera confesses he has done time for crimes, but with a genuine smile apologizes for his past transgressions. “This is a great country. It's America. You can really put a foot to your life. You can destroy yourself in the worst possible way, but you can also come back from hell. And I've worked very hard to get my life back on track, and I figured, after a criminal background, the only place to go would be Hollywood because there's so many criminals in film and in the entertainment business, and I figured I'd be right at home,” he says with a chuckle.
“But I was very lucky and fortunate enough to meet a really nice girl. And my wife is a psychologist, so I have in-house counsel. And she's a great girl, and she's put up with me and dealt with me and given me a beautiful son. So, right now, I look at it like I'm batting a thousand, Mattera says proudly. Charlie’s best friend is Ryan O’Neal who appears periodically on the show.
The couples revealed that this show has been therapy for them. They see their marriage publicly, and discuss their relationships.
Househusbands of Hollywood premiers August 15 on Fox Reality Channel and it will be available on Hulu as well as Video on Demand and iTunes.
While it might sound like a boring premise for a television series, the couples are interesting and viewers will probably get interested in at least one of the couples. They’re each colorful in their own way.
Note: Charlie's wife is not seen in the show because she is a professional therapist and feels it is best if her persoal and professional life be kept separate for the sake of her patients and her practice.
Read about Guiliana and Bill Rancic's Reality show here.
 |
