Something you’d never expect will happen when you watch Sunday night’s season finale of Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake: You will cry.
It’s proof of how much of a wonderful surprise the reality series has been—and how it subverted fans’ expectations for what it was going to be.
The premise was simple. Real Housewives of New York City veterans Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps are sent to the small town of Benton, Illinois (population: 6,708). In the scorching heat of summer, they’d be put up in a seedy roadside motel and tasked with rehabilitating the town, which had been hit hard by COVID. It was A Simple Life meets Green Acres with a dash of Schitt’s Creek; we were meant to laugh at these two Upper East Side divas recoiling at the horrors of rural living.
But as they worked hand-in-hand with Benton locals to build a new playground, renovate the animal shelter, and put on a series of events to drive tourism and build community spirit, it became clear that, funny as Morgan and de Lesseps are together, this was not a joke to them. Over the course of six weeks, they forged deep bonds with the people of Benton, and really got their hands dirty—in one case, literally into the mouth of catfish—to ensure that they made good on their promise to help the town.
For Morgan, who, in her years on RHONY, was known for boozy hijinks, candor about bowel movements, and a penchant for flashing a nipple or bum cheek, Crappie Lake has meant an opportunity to be seen in a new light. Ahead of Sunday night’s finale, we caught up with Morgan to discuss how surprisingly emotional the experience has been, how it changed her, how it compared to the upcoming Ultimate Girls Trip season she’s appearing on, and why it’s important to be unafraid to fart at a Dairy Queen.
I have to say, I cried a little watching the finale.
That means everything to me, Kevin, that people can be emotional with us. They went through the whole journey, and then the culmination of the variety show. That’s the jewel for us, that we could bring all that talent together and the families together. And that they respected us—in the end, after they got to know us.
It goes to show how much of the series was about thwarting people’s expectations. Just like maybe the people in Benton had one idea of what you guys were going to be like, audiences might have had one idea of what the show was going to be like. Of course, it was funny and silly and all of that. But the fact that it ended up being so poignant I think took a lot of people, including myself, by surprise.
It took me by surprise too. That’s why I just feel so good walking around now. It was the perfect storm for me.
One thing I was really impressed by in the finale was noticing just how comfortable the two of you really seemed in Benton. When you arrive in the first episode, it’s a shock to the system. To go from the life that you know in New York to going to living in that motel, and it’s so hot. It’s just a very different place. Did you really feel that settled in the end?
People ask me, “Who else could do this with you?” Only us. We’re like an old married couple. We read each other’s minds. We never have to coordinate our outfits. We are both able to get down and get dirty. She’s one of seven kids. I’m one of four. We’ve been through it. So many things. Humbled many, many times. We’ve been filming TV for so long that we have shown our underbelly, because it’s a fishbowl. We have been through a lot. So we could go there and just get acclimated right away with the motel. She needed her little lights and to make everything all pink. I was just happy to have a bigger counter space and a toaster oven and a blender. But it feels good that we could settle right in.
I think people expected you guys to be bigger divas about being in the small town.
We’re both from very small towns. I think the townspeople were shocked. They were trepidatious. They were like, I don’t know if they can do this. And in heels! They felt we were Hollywood, as the sign said. So the town was very surprised that we could get things done. I think that’s what feels good for Luann and I, because we very much are conscientious of getting things done. Big work ethic there. So if the jungle gym had fallen through, I don’t know what I would have done. I wouldn’t want to let down the people. They were sitting out every day watching us on their porches. Kids were coming home from school and sitting out and watching us. People started putting in new trees at their homes because they knew the park was coming. You just can’t duplicate that feeling. Even now I text probably every three to four days somebody from Benton.
How did your families react to seeing you acclimate to Benton life on the show?
Well, as far as our daughters, I think you’ve probably heard Luann say that her daughter had already said, “I could see you on a show like A Simple Life.” My daughter too. As soon as we mentioned the concept to my family, my daughter was like, “This will work.” So people that are close to me knew. But the response from people has been humbling and overwhelming. It fills my heart. I could cry with you right now about it. When Andy Cohen said, “Oh, we’ve got something…” Because he doesn’t even have an iron in the fire. He’s not even a producer. And when he said that, I was like, “Oh gosh, we do have something.” This doesn’t happen all the time.
It definitely doesn’t.
It was the magic storm. The perfect storm. I’m really happy right now. I would say this is the best thing that’s happened in my life since my divorce. I’ve been really spinning my wheels. I work really hard. So this is a great culmination of those efforts.
Were you at all nervous going into this?
I wasn’t nervous. We weren’t nervous because we’re so full of ourselves, and we always say yes before we know if we can do something. I didn’t even ask where I was going. I was just like, when? I hadn’t been working. I hadn’t been filming. I hadn’t seen my girls. I was excited to have some quality time with Luann for six weeks, because when we’re not filming, we have to do other stuff. She’s on tour with her cabaret. I’m on tour with the Sonja in Your City comedy tour. So to be together again and on camera together was everything for me. And then to do Ultimate Girls Trip with Ramona [Singer] and Dorinda [Medley]. It’s been so good. I’m walking on air right now.
It’s very few people who can do both and appear comfortable and, dare I say, happy doing reality TV both in Benton and St. Bart’s.
I really enjoyed that trip. It was my favorite out of all the Housewives filming that I’ve done. Times have changed so much since COVID. Since the election. Since Black Lives Matter. We’ve all changed so much. Doing Ultimate Girls Trip after that whole revolution, let’s say, just felt different. I could always go there with Ramona. I can say your face looks like a pizza with no cheese, and we just keep moving on. But to be able to do it now with Kristen [Taekman] and Kelly [Bensimon]—you're gonna see. It’s amazing.
So even filming with the RHONY cast again felt different.
We still have conflict, but we really do quickly come together.. It just seems petty now. It’s petty to be like, “Oh, what’s that bag? Is that a Birkin?” “Who made those shoes?” We’re over that. We’ve all been through it. Most of us have been through divorce and dating again. And we’ve all lost loved ones to COVID. It was a nice way to film. I hope we do another Ultimate Girls Trip right away. I don’t care what city. I just really want to get back with my friends.
You’ve used the word “humble” a lot, and I think that’s a really interesting word to use. It’s not one that’s typically associated with any Real Housewives franchise, let alone RHONY. So it’s intriguing to think about this particular group of women at a time when they feel humbled.
When you say that, you really put a pin in it because we were so gracious on this trip. We’ve been everywhere. Done that, done this. I’ve been to St. Barts. I’ve been to St. Barts before with 50 people for New Year’s Eve on my husband’s yacht. It’s not that anymore. Now I’m there with new eyes... I took it for granted before.
You don’t realize how fortunate you are to do something when it just seems like something that’s normal and unexpected. And then it takes a big moment in your life to make you realize that it’s special.
It’s an old Joni Mitchell tune. “You don’t know what you have until you lose it.” [Actual lyric: “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.” The parking lots in Hawaii. You’re looking over at the greenery. It’s gone. You can’t get back those old trees. I think we’re all a little bit more cognizant.
In terms of being Sonja Morgan, reality TV star, did you feel like you were a different person while filming Welcome to Crappie Lake? We all love Sonja, the straw who stirs the drink, from RHONY, who is kooky and funny. And that personality is there in Crappie Lake. But we also see you be really serious and treat the tasks you were given with real gravity. Did you feel different?
Well, you know right off the bat that this isn’t a vacation. We’re not drinking as much rosé all day as we can. I was tailgating at night, but Luann was on a journey. She was going to bed at 9 or 9:30 to get up at 5 or 5:30, make her calls to Europe, and then start our day. It’s a very long day outside our motel room. You get to see us on camera flexing another muscle, but it always was there. Me and Lu, we’re always those kinds of people. She’s always supported animals and the LGBTQ [community]. Because we’re artists. It’s inherent in our business. When you’re on a show with seven girls, you don’t get to show all the facets.
I’m thinking again about how emotional the finale is. Now that the show has aired and you’ve had time to reflect, do you have clarity about how you’ve changed from the experience?
It really affected me… This just dropped in my lap literally from the universe. It was a combination of what I have been doing on Real Housewives all this time, and my fashion and the comedy and the philanthropy and the entertaining. It all came together. But I wasn’t the genius who figured it out. Bravo and NBC figured it out. I have changed. Also because of this period of time we just went through, where we lost so much and so many people. So what do I want to spend my time on? I don’t want to sit around talking about fashion or who’s doing what.
It sounds like you’re pretty aware of the effect it had on you.
I am manifesting another season. I was in tears leaving my friends there. But I’m going back. November is primetime in Benton, when all the hunters come, so I will be back down there in November hanging out with my friends... But really we need to go to another town. I’ve gotten so many DMs and so many messages saying, “Can you come to our town? We need this. We need a new medical center. We don’t have a hospital for 45 minutes.”
When you go back in November, do you think that you’d stay at the Benton motel again?
I’ll probably stay there. That’s the only place to stay. They do have some cabins on the lake, but I don’t want to be far. I need to be walking distance to everybody. When I’m going to town, in two blocks I can get to the fire station. I can get to Dairy Queen and the bike rental place.
I think the episode with the Dairy Queen perfectly encapsulated why the show was so special. You’re having that heartfelt discussion about being compelled to really do good for the town, and then there’s the comedy of a fart in the middle.
I’m very comfortable with Luann. I always feel like intimacy is when you can fart on a friend or wipe your nose on their shoulder, which I do regularly. Luann may seem like a diva and always dress up, but I know I have that kind of relationship with her. She’s like family. I’ve been at her house for Thanksgiving. She’s been at my home. She’s been with me when my dog was in the hospital, or when I took down the paintings of me with my husband. We share so many things in common. You could feel that all come together tailgating at Dairy Queen. Because you have to do it. Sometimes you just need it.
It seemed like it was a hard day.
We had just seen those poor dogs, with the new woman, Bobbi, running that place. We were inspired by her. We were not wasting her time, because she had fresh eyes on this place. She agreed immediately that we needed to get the dogs outside so that their feet touch the grass and they have fresh air and would be more easily adopted. So after we walked through there, Luann and I were crying. I don’t know if they showed it on the show. We were bawling our eyes out and shaking after seeing the dogs. So it did really call for Dairy Queen. We practically shat our pants. Luckily when I farted, it wasn’t liquid. It was actual gas. So that was good. Because after Dairy Queen, you don’t really know what’s gonna come out. You’re taking a chance.
There’s always that risk.
And it’s already a four-panty day there, with the heat in June.
It seems like this is something you’d definitely want to do again.
We can do lasting things for a town and do it that easily in six weeks. Not easy physically or emotionally, but easy for us compared to other people. The reality gods were with us. Producers knew we’d be slapstick together and we have a trust zone. We know we’re there for each other. We’ve spent a lot of time in Europe, both Luann and I, so we know you get [what’s bothering you] off your mind. You say it. You move on. No grudges. Besides, she can’t remember a fracking thing anyway. I don’t know if she knows my ex husband’s alive or dead, or if I’m divorced. I don’t know if she knows. But she doesn’t live in the past. Neither do I.
