Ashley Iaconetti may have gotten her start in the world of The Bachelor, but these days, she’s flourishing as a Real Housewife. On Season 1 of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, fans have seen Ashley navigate filming with her husband, co-owning a Rhode Island coffeehouse (Audrey’s!), and working through complicated friendships with the rest of the cast. Now, with the first reunion fast approaching, Ashley spoke with Bravo’s The Daily Dish Instagram and then asked every burning question fans sent into the Instagram live.
See her answers, below.
Is Ashley Iaconetti a Swiftie?
BravoTV.com: Uh, we have a lot about The Bachelor, but let’s start with Carlie from Hoboken. Are you a Swiftie? Because I’m pretty sure “Mastermind” by Taylor Swift was written about you.
Ashley: I feel like “Mastermind” and I do have quite a relationship [Laughs]. I love “Mastermind.” When I first listened to that song, I was like this is my story. This is so crazy. Yes, um, Taylor — I am a Swiftie, yes. I am a Taylor Swift fan. Sometimes I feel like when you cross the bridge over into Swiftie, that means you defend her at all costs. Sometimes, you know, sometimes I’m like, I don’t like that sundress. You know what I mean? But I am a Taylor Swift fan, for sure. And “Mastermind” is brilliant.
Why is The Bachelor Different from The Real Housewives?
BravoTV.com: Yeah, I love it. This is from Daneelsa from Scotland, Connecticut. Which was more difficult to film, The Bachelor or Housewives?
Ashley: Filming… I say this, uh, I guess I’m eight or nine years removed from filming The Bachelor. So given that, I would say I think filming Housewives was harder.
BravoTV.com: Tell us why?
Ashley: Filming The Bachelor felt very natural to me. I felt like when I even sat down in casting, I was like, this is a place that I was meant to be. It was almost like it was definitely kismet, like the fact that I met my husband through it. The moment I landed for casting in LA, I was like, I feel like something is very right about this. This is my path. With Housewives, I definitely feel a little bit more out of my comfort zone because it’s very confrontational, and I’m not a very confrontational person — unless you cross me, which is what you see on Bachelor. And when I mean cross me, it’s usually like if you’re trying to ruin a romance for me, then I’m going to get annoyed. But besides romance, it’s really hard to get me riled up. But now, I’m just like a settled, married person. With a lot of perspective [Laughs].
BravoTV.com: I love it. A lot of people asked about the differences, so that is great. Donna from California said, does anybody else in your family cry as much as you?
Ashley: No, I definitely cry more than anyone else in my family. And I just need to let everyone know I’m not just crying at the house all the time. I don’t know what it is about reality TV that gets the waterworks going, but it does. At first I thought it was just the romance in The Bachelor, dating and all that, but now I guess I cry so much here too. It just gets you in really intimate moments.
BravoTV.com: Yeah, maybe it’s cathartic, like a nice release [Laughs].
Ashley: Oh, no! [Laughs].
BravoTV.com: Zack from Baton Rouge said, who from Bachelor Nation would make the best Real Housewife? And what city should they be on?
Ashley: So I keep pitching this idea that Hannah Brown and Kaitlyn Bristowe should be part of the Real Housewives of Nashville. And they should also get Jana Kramer and Jessie James Decker on there.
BravoTV.com: Ooh, I love it.
Ashley: Mm-hmm.
BravoTV.com: Okay, very good. Eden from Wichita — as viewers we are used to seeing older generations on Real Housewives. How has it been ushering in a younger generation?
Ashley: I think it’s fun. I think it’s great. I don’t really have much to elaborate on that. My cast is super young, and it’s been fun. I liked having the millennials represented out there.
Does Ashley Iaconetti love The Jonas Brothers still?
BravoTV.com: Yeah. Speaking of repping millennials, I know you’re a big Jonas Brothers fan. This is Becka from Cranston, Rhode Island. Shag, marry, get rid of — Jonas Brothers edition.
Ashley: Oh my goodness gracious. Um, I can’t — I don’t like this question, okay? I don’t like this question, girl from Cranston. But I guess I would want to marry — uh, no, I don’t really know. I can’t do it. I don’t want to be offensive. I would marry two.
BravoTV.com: You would marry two of them?
Ashley: Yeah, can we play marry and then shag?
BravoTV.com: Okay.
Ashley: Okay, so you marry Joe and Kevin, and you shag Nick.
BravoTV.com: I love that you can’t get rid of one, I love it.
Ashley: Yeah!
Where does Ashley Iaconetti shop?
BravoTV.com: Michelle Schlossberg from Sarasota, Florida said I love Ashley’s style. She dresses effortlessly. Where does she get her style inspo from, and what are your top two go-to brands?
Ashley: Oh my goodness gracious, that’s so kind. I love this dress I’m wearing right now — it’s called Dress the Population. You find a lot of cute stuff from them. I also always love House of CB. And regular everyday stuff? It just kind of comes from everywhere. But I will tell you that I get the most compliments when I’m wearing boutique-y things from Rhode Island, because that’s one of my favorite shopping experiences — going to Newport and going to little shops.
BravoTV.com: Nice, like coastal. Love it.
Ashley: Yeah.
BravoTV.com: Rachel from Broken Arrow said not a question, but please never, ever change. So I just wanted to tell you that [Laughs].
Ashley: Aw, thanks!
What are Ashley Iaconetti’s Relationships with the RHORI cast?
BravoTV.com: Bravo Bo Dietl said has there been any new fights since filming? Or backlash from confessionals?
Ashley: I don’t know if there’s been a lot of backlash from the confessionals. I don’t think there’s been anything surprising said in there. But I think almost all the rivalries — I don’t know if it’s rivalry — I would say that the people who don’t like each other probably even more intensely don’t like each other now.
BravoTV.com: Mm, just volume raised.
Ashley: Yeah.
BravoTV.com: Any commentary on the fight that breaks out on trivia night? What were you thinking in that moment?
Ashley: Any drama that happened — I laughed so hard watching myself at trivia night. I am the most overstimulated person I’ve ever seen. And I thought it was really, really funny. I really did want to play trivia. And if I had to go back in time, I think I would have reacted the exact same way. It was just a lot to handle. I have a lot of stimulation at home with the kids, and sometimes you need an escape from it, and that just intensified — my brain was on fire.
BravoTV.com: Yeah, I’m right there with you. I get overstimulated often. Very relatable. And then two really quick questions — how are you feeling about the reunion?
Ashley: I’m a little bit concerned about the reunion. Not for myself personally, even though I do think that people might try to start things with me, because we’re going into Season 2. They’re like, Ashley’s gone through this without any wounds, it’s her turn to get stones thrown at her. So I’m a little worried about that. But I’m also just overall kind of worried about sitting in a seat for eight or nine hours with people yelling at each other, because I couldn’t even handle it at Audrey’s for an hour or two.
BravoTV.com: Yeah. Speaking of Audrey’s — go-to Audrey’s order?
Ashley: My go-to Audrey’s order. Jared just wants to take coconut off the menu, and I am a coconut person. In the summer I just want coconut coffee, like a cold brew, a frappuccino-type of thing. Yum. He wants to get rid of coconut, so if he’s going to get rid of coconut, then my other one is what you guys saw me order on the show, which is the Turtle, which is mocha and caramel and kind of a pecan-ish vibe. Very good.
BravoTV.com: Mm, I’m coming to try that. And then last — really quickly — who are you closest to besides Rosie?
Ashley: I’d say that I talk to Alicia and Rulla the most after Rosie.
