Southern Illinois reality TV show debuts on Bravo

A new reality show set in southern Illinois premiered on the Bravo network on Sunday night.

"Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake" involves two personalites from the show "Real Housewives of New York" interacting with the lives of people in Benton, Illinois. 

Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan arrived in southern Illinois last July and spent several weeks filming in different locations with a theme of big-city socialites coming to a small town and the culture shock that ensues for both visitors and residents.

Early social media responses from local residents who watched the first two episodes seemed to be generally positive. Many feared that it would cast a bad light on the town, but some commenters point out that the two hosts play up the scenes for comedy at their own expense, and the humor is good-natured.

The premise of the show includes the pair getting involved in local projects to "spruce up" the community like putting in new playground equipment, painting downtown murals and revitalizing a local theater. 

A cameo from Paula Abdul is also part of some upcoming episodes.

The show is the brainchild of Benton native and SIU alum Russell Jay Staglik. 




(Photo: Bravo TV)