Socialite ‘dials in’ for toxic reunion as Real Housewives of Sydney drama splits cast

Drama has erupted on an Australian TV show, after months of tensions and escalating fights, leading to HR being called in to adjudicate.

After months of infighting, production of the difficult third season of Foxtel’s Real Housewives of Sydney is finally in the can.

Sources close to the program have confirmed production company Matchbox was, in the end, forced to abandon hopes of shooting a 10th and final planned episode of the BINGE show, instead delivering a climactic reunion episode in its place which features just six of seven cast members.

Missing from the reunion is original castmate Nicole O’Neil who dialled in from an overseas location, said to be London.

Terry Biviano is believed to have been behind some of the discord. Picture: Supplied

Nicole O’Neil dialled in to the reunion from a remote location. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

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The six remaining Housewives, original RHOS castmate Krissy Marsh, media personality Sally Obermeder, fashionista Victoria Montano, ex-model Caroline Gaultier, vet Kate Adams and retired WAG Terry Biviano, make appearances however.

Friends O’Neil and Marsh were among a quorum of returning Housewives who had tabled their objections concerning Biviano’s Season 3 casting at the start of the year.

This followed Biviano’s introduction in season 2, that recruitment marred by contract delays which contributed to on-set tensions.

The wife of retired NRL player Anthony Minichiello was accused of being habitually late and unhappy with some location choices during the Season 2 shoot.

Stream The Real Housewives of Sydney on BINGE, available on Hubbl.

Terry Biviano and Anthony Minichiello.

This impacted fellow Housewives who felt the ex-shoe-designer was being pandered to by producers.

Reps for Biviano have previously denied these claims.

It wasn’t long before tempers flared anew in season 3, which airs on Foxtel and Binge in 2025, and a group of aggrieved Housewives threatened to quit the show.

Persuaded not to leave, the women rushed on with shooting however by episode nine, cast tensions came to a blistering head at a party which descended into a physical and verbal fight.

Complaints from the feuding Housewives were subsequently escalated up the ranks to HR bosses at US production company NBCUniversal, owner of Matchbox.

Real Housewives of Sydney current cast. Victoria Montano, Krissy Marsh, Terry Biviano, Dr Kate Adams, Nicole O’Neil, Sally Obermeder, Caroline Gaultier. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Sources have told this column among allegations was that one woman drunkenly shouted to another: “This is your last f**king series”.

Unedited program rushes were subsequently examined in the US, the column was told.

In response to questions put this week, Matchbox issued a broadly worded statement: “We are committed to a respectful work environment and anything that violates our policies is immediately investigated.”

Is Singo contemplating radio return?

Is former media boss John Singleton contemplating buying back some of the radio stations he flogged to Nine in 2019?

According to sources close to the recently retired – and somewhat bored, or so we gather – former adman, “Singo” has expressed an interest in picking up some of the radio stations he once owned as part of his Macquarie Media group.

For a good price, of course.

John Singleton and Gai Waterhouse. Picture: Michael Klein

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Among those on his wish list are said to be talk stations Sydney’s 2GB, Melbourne 3AW, Brisbane’s 4BC and Perth’s 6PR.

It seems that with the audience at Nine’s radio division in decline and Singleton’s mate Ray Hadley about to hang up his microphone at Sydney’s 2GB – where he’s been on top for two decades – Singleton may be of the view the weighty Nine would be happy to offload some of its stations.

Last year Singleton showed his hand when the former radio boss became the patron of Central Coast community station Coast FM963 and immediately lobbied station bosses for his former 2GB star Alan Jones, who was arrested two weeks ago on indecent assault allegations, to score a daily spot on the airwaves.

John Singleton and CoastFM staffer turned wife Sarah Warry

The board of the community station (and a sales rep who soon, albeit briefly, became his next wife) couldn’t wait to oblige Singleton and days later Jones launched his short-lived “Ask Alan” spot on the community station.

Singo didn’t respond when we put the question on Thursday while Nine denied it has any current plans to sell radio stations.

ABC culture a work in progress

ABC staff raised concerns with senior management about the recruitment of a man said to have been accused of inappropriate conduct with a young male staffer.

Two months after outgoing ABC boss David Anderson apologised to staff for the findings of a widespread culture review which identified recruitment processes at the national broadcaster as being flawed – and six months after Anderson acknowledged the broadcaster was failing to meet its own standards concerning sexual harassment – frustrated staff were last week still looking for answers concerning the historic appointment.

Former ABC chair Ita Buttrose. Picture: Supplied

Outgoing ABC boss David Anderson. Picture: Supplied

According to ABC insiders, the man was put under the grill and interrogated at a meeting with staff who have received no satisfaction concerning their concerns to date.

Miffed about being questioned, the man is said to have stormed out of the meeting.

Sources have told this column managing director David Anderson and chair Ita Buttrose retained a consultant to investigate allegations about the man before setting concerns aside and appointing him.

An ABC spokesman refused to be drawn on the allegations this week.

Sydney Head Office of Network Ten in Pyrmont, Sydney. Picture: AAP Image/Lee Besford

Parking no perk at Ten

With parking at a premium in Sydney’s CBD bean-counters at network Ten have struck upon a novel – and hugely unpopular idea – to claw back costs.

They’ve introduced the idea of charging staff to park onsite.

Ten is the last of the three commercial broadcasters to be based on the city fringe.

Seven relocated to Eveleigh in 2018 and Nine to North Sydney in 2020.

Ten leases it more central premises from the Goodman Group.

On-site parking was one of the few remaining perks left to staff who were left reeling in 2022 when execs cancelled the broadcaster’s Christmas party.

Originally published as Socialite ‘dials in’ for toxic reunion as Real Housewives of Sydney drama splits cast