Real Housewives of New York: Casting Shakeup?

Though the cast of The Real Houswives of New York City has remained conspicuously mum on their Twitter accounts, RadarOnline is reporting that the ladies of the NYC are "getting anxious" over next season's contracts.  Or, more accurately, their lack of contracts.

That's right.  Not one member of the cast has yet been asked by Bravo to return for the sixth season of the series, which pulled mediocre ratings last season amidst the exit of original housewives Alex McCord, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, and fan favorite, Jill Zarin.  Filming of the series has already been pushed back twice, and with new cast members Carole Radziwill and Aviva Drescher not thrilling long-time fans of the series, the cast is "getting antsy" about getting the boot.

And that's not surprising.  The Real Housewives of New York City's ratings were down over the previous season's.  And Reality Tea is reporting that only two castmembers of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Brandi Glanville and Lisa Vanderpump) are guaranteed to return to the show, which has higher ratings and bigger growth than the aging NYC franchise.  The original Real Housewives franchise, The Real Housewives of Orange County, is also looking at a near-complete cast overhaul for the next season, according to RadarOnline, with Gretchen Rossi and Tamra Barney most likely leaving the show.

Despite the cast's fears of being fired, Reality Tea reports that the real reason for the holdup is not that Bravo wants to oust any of the women; they want to add another lady to the mix.  They just can't find one that they like!  Until then, the women are stuck in a state of limbo with the pricey endorsement deals hanging in the balance, as the cast needs to shoot in order for their other lucrative deals to receive press.

Bravo is making no comment about the RHONYC casting process at this time.