Bethenny Frankel: Returning to The Real Housewives of New York City!

In a surprising casting development, alleged celebrity and former Bravo reality star Bethenny Frankel is returning to The Real Housewives of New York City!

Four years after she quit the show that launched her career, Bethenny is returning to her roots and rejoining the long-running Bravo series next year.

The former natural foods chef and talk show host, whose self-titled program was canceled in February, will be on the show's upcoming Season 7.

Producers hope her return will help boost ratings for the maligned program, which fell to 1 million viewers (from a record 2.6 million) during Season 6.

"Bringing her back is a last-ditch effort," one source says.

Frankel will benefit, too, from promoting her Skinnygirl empire, which includes a cocktail line, shapewear, and several books, including a new children's book.

Her daughter Bryn was born just a few months before Bethenny Frankel announced that she would not be returning for Season 4 of RHONY in 2010.

Frankel had fought with former BFF Jill Zarin and longtime rival Kelly Bensimon constantly, and said that she didn't see "any reason to go back."

Indeed, Frankel had plenty of other projects to keep her busy, including the Bravo spinoffs Bethenny Getting Married? and Bethenny Ever After.

Of course, those blissful series co-starring Jason Hoppy look downright quaint now, as the two split and were tied up in an ugly custody battle for years.

Only LuAnn de Lesseps and Ramona Singer are left of the original Real Housewives of New York City cast, and both will appear just in recurring roles.

The other current stars are Sonja Morgan, Carole Radziwill, Heather Thomson, and Kristen Taekman. Bensimon and Zarin left in 2011, after Bethenny.

What do you think of Frankel's return? Will it make you more likely to watch The Real Housewives of New York City online than before? Sound off!

Real Housewives: Before They Were Reality Stars!

1. Tamra Barney: Before The Real Housewives

OCs Tamra was quite the bodacious bikini babe. Still is!

NCIS New Orleans Season 1 Episode 2: Plagued by the Plague

In the least surprising television development of the week, NCIS: New Orleans Season 1 Episode 2 kicked off with a scene inside a jazz club.

Viewers watched as a young lieutenant took in some local music, though but he seemed clearly ill and began stumbling around before ending up outside.

He staggered to the street and then got killed by a cab, prompting Agent Pride and his team to be called in because the victim was Navy Lt. Louis Collier, an office on leave.

Watch NCIS: New Orleans Season 1 Episode 2 Online

"Why did the sailor cross the road?" asked Pride, as Loretta is unable to determine the officer's state at the scene. Aside, you know, from the fact that he was dead.

The squad then learns that Collier was engaged and that he possessed a spotless record in the Navy.

His fiancée says he was the most responsible man she’s ever known even. His colleague gives the same sort of response, shooting down talk of drugs or anything sordid at all. 

After some back and forth (and some Yoga for Sebastian), Pride and Sebastian head to Loretta’s office, where she screams for them to get out of the room. Because she's found blood and tissue that say Collier had bubonic plague. Seriously!

The ship goes on on lockdown and the team is vaccinated, prepared to track Collier’s trail through the city to make sure he hasn’t infected anyone else. They are told that 34 sailors are roaming around New Orleans on leave and when they find one playing poker, he's clearly sick as well.

Pride says he’ll inspect the ship in order to determine where plague started. Another agent, meanwhile, has been sent down from NCIS HQ: it’s Agent Tony DiNozzo!

This crossed over character says they call him the Plague Whisperer and that he’s happy to help Pride, as the two get down to business and find a sailor dead in his bunk.

Sebastian and Carol from the CDC do some research and announce that this strain of sickness was created in a lab. The ship was targeted and the sailors used as weapons of mass destruction once they went on land.

Pride consults with the commander and insists someone must have brought the virus on when they docked in Lima.

Could it have been Dr. Hufcutt, a new addition to the medical team? He owns Hufcutt Pharmaceuticals, a company with the vaccination that happens to be broke. So there you have it!

Pride, Brody, and LaSalle track this evil physician at an international convention and save the world from a bubonic plague outbreak in the process. All in a day's work, right?

The episode ends with a cookout and a call about a dead Marine, which sends Pride and company off on another job.

What did everyone think of this installment? Watch NCIS: New Orleans online via TV Fanatic and Comment away beloe!

Dance Moms Season 4 Episode 31 Recap: Here They Come, Hollywood!

Tuesday evening's Dance Moms Season 4 Episode 31 marked the beginning of Nationals, and things were predictably intense for Abby Lee & Co. on Lifetime.

The Abby Lee Dance Company and the Candy Apples Dance Studio both faced competition - and stalkers - that made the trip to the West Coast challenging.

Watch Dance Moms Season 4 Episode 31 Online

The upside of heading to La-La Land for Abby? A possible ALDC expansion.

The downside? Former Dance Moms troublemaker Jeanette showed up!

Vowing revenge on the ALDC as she stalked the team 2,500 miles from its Pennsylvania home base, this felt like a classic ruse to bring in ratings for Lifetime.

If you watch TV online - specifically reality TV - you know you need a good villain and an unpredictable source of conflict to really invest people in the plot.

Often, it must be manufactured.

Whether it was staged or not, the drama came during the highest stage for the competitors, Nationals, and Jeanette sure has an axe to grind with Abbs.

Her daughter, Ava, was uninvited from the select ensemble in the middle of Dance Moms Season 4, and here in L.A., woman is out for blood. Blood!

Also noteworthy in Dance Moms Season 4 Episode 31 was the fact that Abby announced that she will be opening another studio in L.A. next season.

She's looking to bring stars from both the select and elite teams, and the girls' performances at Nationals will help her choose who she takes with her.

Of course, there was also the dreaded Cathy and the Candy Apples Dance Studio, which has hired So You Think You Can Dance winner Keon.

Looking to play spoiler across the country, Cathy tried to sabotage Abby's team when they made an appearance at an outdoor street festival.

They showed up and challenged Abby's girls to a dance-off, which Abby accepted in a made-for-TV moment that clearly was not scripted in the slightest.

Was this an actual competition? No. Were the stakes as high or higher in Abby's mind? You know it, and of course Nia and Chloe were the finalists.

McKenzie won that dance-off, however, and when the two groups competed, Abby Lee's troupe prevailed once more, really sticking it to Cathy.

How do you like them (Candy) Apples?! Just wait until Nationals.

Follow the link to watch Dance Moms online, and don't miss the epic second half of the finale next week, October 7, on the Lifetime television network.

29 Craziest Celebrity Fights

1. Dance Moms: Abby Lee Miller-Kelly Hyland Fight!

Abby Lee Miller of Dance Moms goes at it with Kelly Hyland in this clip from Season 4 Episode 7.

Chicago Fire Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: The Struggles of Severide

Are you over that shocker yet?

Have you recovered from learning about Shay's death on Chicago Fire Season 3 Episode 1?

More importantly, perhaps, have the fighters at 51 recovered? That was the main question heading into Chicago Fire Season 3 Episode 2, an hour that focused squarely on Severide and how he's coping with the death of his partner.

Watch Chicago Fire Season 3 Episode 2 Online

During a rescue mission to save a girl trapped in a car, Severide took over the mission rescued the young lady, showing signs that he may be himself again.

Only at work, however.

Away from the station, Severide drank by himself at a bar, clearly distraught and unsure how to move on. 

He let this inebriated state get the best of him in front of Brett... who bears an uncanny resemblance to Shay. The man is clearly struggling to keep his life together and may be heading down a very dark road.

Heck, he even screwed up a date with Detective Erin Lindsay (from Chicago PD), though she agreed maintain a friendship and help Severide through this difficult period in his life.

Dawson, meanwhile, was looking forward to her candidacy at the Austin Firehouse.

She failed her initial physical exam attempt, as we know, but was given another opportunity this week, with Casey there behind her the entire way as she trained.

During one workout, he actually placed a ring for her to see; she accepted the proposal and the two spent a passionate and intimate night together. Ooooh, yeah, people!

Dawson shared this news with Brett, but asked her to keep it a secret due toe the conflict of Dawson and Casey working together. Dawson also discovered that her transfer to 105 was denied.

ELSEWHERE:

• Mills learned more intel about his family, though he wasn't happy about any of it.
• Herrmann found fresh ways to improve business at Molly's by including other firefighters into the ownership and business end of it
• Boden and his wife found out they're expecting a child, which has been put under the high-risk category.

Did you catch this installment? You can watch Chicago Fire online via TV Fanatic if not and you can sound off on all these events and a lot more below.

Emily Ratajkowski Cosmopolitan Cover: All Our Productivity is Now Gone, Girl!

Emily Ratajkowski graces the cover of the upcoming issue of Cosmopolitan, and needless to say, the "Blurred Lines" beauty sizzles on the front of the magazine.

In fact, she may melt that cover off, despite wearing considerably more clothing than we're used to seeing her in, given some of her previous gigs.

That's quite a feat for the 23-year-old, but she pulls it off and then some.

When she's not modeling, the brunette beauty can be seen on Instagram (seriously, follow her account), and in the highly anticipated film Gone Girl.

While the Gone Girl reviews are mostly positive, Ratajkowski is sure to win widespread acclaim anytime she shows off her girls, which is often.

And that right there is one of those things that we love about this world.

The model rocks a pair of denim jeans with an unbuttoned white blouse in Cosmo, no doubt causing jaws to drop at newsstands across the U.S.

Emily says she's grateful for her recent success, and is "lucky to wear what I want, sleep with who I want, and dance how I want," while still being a feminist.

Get it, girl. Check out more sizzling Emily Ratajkowski photos below:

39 Sexiest Emily Ratajkowski Photos

1. Emily Ratajkowski Topless Photograph

Emily Ratajkowski poses topless on Instagram. Those jeans appear to be falling off too.

The Voice Season 7 Episode 4 Recap: Toia Jones is the One and Only

Gwen, Pharrell, Adam and Blake were back at it for another evening of spaceship-chair-turning insanity on The Voice Season 7 Episode 4 Tuesday night.

What contestants impressed them enough to land a spot on one of their rosters in this season's fourth Blind Auditions love-fest? Let's take a look, shall we?

The Voice Season 7 Episode 4 Blind Auditions

1. Toia Jones - One and Only (The Voice Auditon)

Toia Jones' audition for The Voice, in which she sang "One and Only," was epic.

Toia Jones, with a powerful rendition of “One and Only,” landed on Team Pharrell, and her tone, talent and personality could make her one of the season's gems.

Somehow, this girl was only a two-chair turn, but watch out for this one.

Chris Jamison, whose take on John Mayer's “Gravity” earned him a spot on Team Adam despite Levine's comment that Chris did too much with his voice, was impressive.

He's got a great back story and good looks to go along with talent, too.

Amanda Lee Peers' spin on “Put the Gun Down” won her a shirt from Team Gwen, who was surprisingly the only person to turn around. But it only takes that many.

Jonathan Wyndham impressed Adam with his performance of “Say Something” and deservedly so. When you can take on an overplayed ballad like this and turn four chairs? Wow.

Craig Wayne Boyd sang “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin'” but plenty was working' about his delivery, which carried a power and authenticity that made him an instant fit with Blake.

Ethan Butler brought a refreshing and unique tone to the song “Beneath Your Beautiful” that some might not be a big fan of, but Adam Levine was, signing him up.

Tanner Linford won a position on Team Blake's Season 7 roster with "When You Say Nothing at All," making up for his rejection on Season 6 and making it through.

Katriz Trinidad, a 15-year-old, singing “At Last” was a bit ironic, but all four judges were quite impressed with what they heard, and Pharrell eventually won out.

Jean Kelly got her Team Gwen shirt for a strong performance of “Already Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, and a spot-on cover was enough to get this singer through.

Who do you think was the best on The Voice Season 7 Episode 4? Was it better than Episode 3 (below)? Which coach has the best team so far?

The Voice Season 7 Episode 3 Blind Auditions

1. Blessing Offor - Just the Two of Us (The Voice Audition)

Blind since childhood, Blessing Offor can't see that his soulful blind audition, "Just the Two of Us," has all four coaches turned around to see him.

Michael Phelps: Boozing, Gambling at Casino Prior to DUI Arrest

We know where Michael Phelps was around 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday morning:

The Olympic swimmer was about 84 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone and, therefore, got arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

But now we also know where Phelps was for the eight hours prior to this incident:

According to TMZ sources, Phelps was at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. He arrived at 5 p.m. and sat in a VIP room, reportedly playing Blackjack and Poker.

Michael Phelps: Arrested for DUI in Maryland

The record-setting Gold Medalist left at approximately 1 a.m. was was drinking beer for most of the night, according to witnesses.

It must have been A LOT of beer because initial reports indicate Phelps' blood-alcohol level measured twice the legal limit at the time of his booking.

"Earlier this morning I was arrested and charged with DUI, excessive speeding and crossing double lane lines," Phelps Tweeted hours after news of his arrest went public, adding:

"I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility. I know these words may not mean much now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down."

Over a decade ago, Phelps was also pulled over for drunk driving. He received a punishment at the time of 18 months probation.

In 2009, meanwhile, Phelps was caught smoking marijuana at a party on a college campus.  He was quick to issue an apology following that scandal as well.

20 Celebrities Who Love Weed

1. Snoop Dogg

"You knowz mofo be rollin' up summa dat dank ass sticky-icky-icky and gettin' fizaded off the bubonic chronic right muthaf--kin' now." Uhhh, what Snoop said.