Bethenny Frankel's Real Take on Reality TV

Since rising to fame on The Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Frankel has become the ringmaster of her own circus. The motherpreneur juggles a booming business enterprise, a reality TV show, and her prized possession, her family.

While she credits life in the limelight for boosting her Skinnygirl cocktail line and best-selling book, Bethenny does plan to sign off from television at her peak. "I'm not the type of person that likes to stay at the party till the end," she analogizes. "I'm the person who pretty much leaves when it's really good."

Bethenny's objective to participate in the Housewives franchise was "to market my business… I would never have subjected myself to a reality fishbowl television show if I didn't want to show who I am and what my platform was." In a perspective not often spoken about by reality stars, she finds the experience to be "therapeutic" because being an audience member of your own life as it airs on TV "makes you introspective."

That being said, Bethenny believes the late Russell Armstrong from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is accountable for agreeing to appear on the show and the show and network should in no way be accountable for his suicide. "He signed lengthy contracts explaining what the show was about and he didn't have to go on the show," she opined. "He doesn't have to shoot when he doesn't want to. You can't really blame a television show on a suicide. I think that is a little irresponsible."

Housewives spin-off Bethenny Ever After returns to Bravo soon, but a source told Us Weekly that this season will be the series' final volume. All the while, in her ET interview, she insists that she'll maintain her relationship with Bravo and make television appearances in some capacity.