Ashley Iaconetti Compares RHORI and The Bachelor

Ashley Iaconetti Haibon came to Season 1 ofThe Real Housewives of Rhode Island with years of reality television experience under her belt. The Bravo star previously appeared onThe Bachelor and two seasons ofBachelor in Paradise, which is where she met her now-husband, Jared Haibon.

“Interestingly, Bachelor is harder to watch back, but that’s just given my situation. I was such a sloppy mess when it came to romance,” Iaconetti tells TV Insider while promoting her partnership with Honey Nut Cheerios Protein. “I was honestly a little desperate. I felt like I desperately wanted love, so my behavior is a lot more unhinged on Bachelor, and here I’m like … I have a lot of perspective, I have the life that I dreamed and wanted, so I’m pretty much just cruising.”

RHORI has already been picked up for a second season, which will film this summer. And while Iaconetti can’t confirm whether she’s returning as a cast member, she did reveal what she hopes to change if she’s back on the show for Season 2.

“This season went well. If I’m part of next season, I would probably just be a little more comfortable defending others,” she explains. “If I hear something sassy or wrong, I think I’m going to be much more comfortable just calling it out. A lot of times I did that through a tight throat and tears this year, and I’m like, I can be a little stronger in my delivery.”

Below, Iaconetti reveals where she stands with her castmates, reflects on her first season as a Real Housewife, and opens up about her Honey Nut Cheerios partnership.

When you look back on the experience of RHORI as a whole, how do you feel?

Ashley Iaconetti Haibon: It was challenging. It strengthened me. It gave me an even thicker skin, which I feel like I already have. On Bachelor, you get a thicker skin from the audience, and on this, I feel like you get a thicker skin just from being around these personalities.

Did you expect the show to be so popular?

This cast and production team has been absolutely fantastic. They are all great TV. Even though there’s moments when we were filming I was a little intimidated and I’m like, “I don’t need to be here anymore, ah!” I still knew this was going to play really well on TV.

Noam Galai/Bravo

You weren’t involved in the drama on the show, but there’s then the interviews and confessionals that air late. What has that been like, and is there anyone you’re not in a good place with?

I’m in a good place with everyone. Of course, there were a few little clips in the media and press because we all had our own press round. I’ve addressed it and I also talk about it again on the reunion. Any little comment that somebody had, it didn’t get under my skin much and it’s addressed.

Aside from Rosie [DiMare], who you came on the show being very good friends with, did you get particularly close with anyone throughout filming?

I feel like, in general, I’m just probably having a better rapport with everyone. Throughout the year, Alicia [Carmody] and Rulla [Nehme Pontarelli] I’ve talked to the most besides Rosie. A little bit here and there with Liz [McGraw] and Jo-Ellen [Tiberi]. Kelsey [Swanson]’s the only one where it’s just like … because one of my closest friends in the cast has such drama with her, that’s a little bit of a harder friendship to navigate.

Tell me about the partnership with Honey Nut Cheerios.

Honey Nut Cheerios is my family’s go-to snack. Both kids love it as snacks, in the morning, they’re everywhere. They’re in the crevices in the car and in the couch. Every day, it’s the sound of a Cheerio crunching underneath my shoe. It’s a mess. Jared comes back from Audrey’s after a late night and always has his Honey Nut Cheerios on the couch. This is a key component to the pantry in our house. So, when they came to me for the Honey Nuts for You campaign, I was like … absolutely.

It’s the Honey Nut Cheerios that you know, but with eight grams of protein per serving. Basically, your go-to snack tastes almost the same and it now has this added protein, so it’s a wonderful benefit.

The rings [they’re promoting it with] made a lot of sense for me, too, because it’s about committing to something that has boosted the protein in your life. What is a perfect match for you when it comes to protein? Certainly, for me, it’s Honey Nut Cheerios. So, they came out with rings to commemorate this launch. The rings come in this box, they’re very cute, and they’re all on-theme. We have a bee ring, a spoon, and we have the one that I’m wearing, which is basically a Cheerio. It’s an eight-karat gold-plated Cheerio. It comes on top of your box. If you order this, there’s going to be two launches – you can order and get the rings. It’s very cool, adorable, and delicious!

You need to mask the protein a lot of the time. My one child is so, so picky, so this is a new protein source for both him and I.

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, Sundays, 9/8c, Bravo