After last week’s Hamptons getaway awkwardness, it was time for the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City Season 14 to head home.

Thanksgiving was looming. Most of them would be spending the holiday with family.

Not everyone, however. Brynn Whitfield never had that sense of family. She usually has Thanksgiving with an ex.

She opened up about her early childhood of neglect and abuse. That’s how she ended up in her grandmother’s custody when she was still a baby.

Brynn Whitfield sports a fun confessional look on RHONY 14’s fourth episode. However many muppets died to make that top, it was worth it. (Bravo)

As The Real Housewives of New York City Season 14, Episode 4 began, the Housewives were waking up in the Hamptons.

This was dawn of the final day of their stay at Erin “Stop The Steal” Lichy’s Hamptons home.

And though Brynn Whitfield had clashed with their host, they clearly had their good moments, too.

A playful Brynn Whitfield cuddles up to host Erin Lichy on the final morning of their group visit to the Hamptons. (Bravo)

Brynn wasn’t the only one to have a sleepover with Erin. Sai was also there, but departed late in the night.

Following jokes implying that they had some sort of wild tryst (Brynn is really growing on me by the way), it’s breakfast time.

That means that Erin finally gets to make shakshuka for everyone.

Jenna Lyons volunteers to slice the tomatoes for their host’s fabled shakshuka … while wearing what her castmates call a half a million dollars in jewelry. (Bravo)

She did not get to the other morning, which was for the best.

Shakshuka is primarily tomato and eggs.

Putting what amounts to a lot of natural acids into your stomach before a workout is a recipe for disaster.

Shakshuka at last! The RHONy 14 cast isn’t doing a group workout this morning, so eating this is actually a pretty decent breakfast for anyone who really, really likes tomato and eggs. Erin Lichy finally got to make it. (Bravo)

But it’s clearly a fantastic breakfast food for anyone who enjoys the ingredients.

And Ubah Hassan provided some of her hot sauces to add more flavor to anyone who wants some.

Yes, the Housewives tend to plug their own brands and products on the show. Bravo lets them … because their contracts usually give them a cut of the Housewife’s profits.

“Put it in my mouth,” Brynn Whitfield says. We suspect that we’ll see this screenshot on the internet without the shakshuka breakfast context. (Bravo)

Of all of the Housewives, Sai De Silva seemed to be the only one who wasn’t head over heels for the shakshuka.

She didn’t insult Erin, she just … expected a little something more from the unfamiliar dish.

Soon, however, the ladies were discussing the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Sai De Silva is the only one at the table who isn’t digging Erin Lichy’s shakshuka. It is a lot of tomato and egg and very little else, even with Ubah Hassan’s brand of spicy sauces. (Bravo)

However, not everyone has the same Thanksgiving plans or traditions.

As some lamented intrusive in-laws, Brynn admitted that she would welcome an overbearing mother-in-law.

“I’ve never had, like, a real family,” she confessed to her castmates. Brynn had a very rough upbringing.

“I’ve never had, like, a real family,” Brynn Whitfield admits during the group’s Hamptons visit while they discuss Thanksgiving. (Bravo)

Brynn’s Thanksgiving solution has, historically, been to call up an ex.

Not for a hookup. She’ll hang out with their family for Thanksgiving to avoid being alone.

As far as family, Brynn has her brother. That seems to be it.

Brynn Whitfield wears a gorgeous pink ensemble and a lot of skin in this confessional look. (Bravo)

This time, she’s thinking of calling up the family of her third ex-fiance, Gideon.

Gideon is a handsome hottie. Brynn likes him as an ex, and worries that they’d now be divorced if she’d married him.

Her castmates seem to really like him. They note how much he adores her, and some of them would like to see them back together.

One of Brynn Whitfield’s exes is Gideon, her third ex-fiancee. A lot of her castmates still ship her with him. (Bravo)

We next see Brynn visiting a hair salon. She gets her hair done once a week.

For years, Brynn used hair relaxers. They have had a permanent impact upon her hair health.

The reason? She grew up as a biracial child under the care of her white grandmother while attending an otherwise all-white school in Indiana.

During her weekly hairdresser appointment, Brynn Whitfield recalls how her hair made her stand out as a child at an otherwise all-white school. (Bravo)

Brynn’s parents were not in the picture beyond infancy. That was for the best.

Her father’s family was also never part of her life. And her grandmother had no idea how to take care of her hair.

As a result, Brynn’s only experience with Black people who weren’t her siblings was going to her grandmother’s friend’s hair salon on Saturdays.

Gorgeous Brynn Whitfield sparkles in this silver confessional look on RHONY 14. (Bravo)

On Thanksgiving itself, Sai was thinking of Brynn.

She suggested to her husband that maybe they should have a Friendsgiving get-together. This time, after Thanksgiving.

But this wouldn’t be just a Housewives Thanksgiving. This would be a Brynnsgiving.

Sai De Silva discusses ideas for a very specific Friendsgiving while preparing her family’s Thanksgiving meal. (Bravo)

In the kitchen, she called up Brynn and suggested the idea.

(Real talk: as with so many of these phone calls on reality TV, they probably settled on the idea beforehand. That’s what I’d do, anyway)

It’s such a sweet idea. Brynn felt so touched. And Sai’s husband was all for it. (He also suggested that they be more patient with Jessel)

Brynn Whitfield wishes RHONY 14 castmate Sai De Silva a Happy Thanksgiving over a video call. (Bravo)

The day of Brynnsgiving arrived.

As the ladies gathered at Sai’s house, Brynn flaunted her backless dress and welcomed everyone to the party.

But it wasn’t all fun and games. Things became sad as she opened up more about her childhood.

“Welcome to Brynnsgiving,” Brynn Whitfield announced to RHONY 14 castmate Jessel Taank. (Bravo)

At the table, Brynn explained exactly why her grandmother raised her.

Her mom was a teen mom. Her dad was older. And whatever per parents’ situation was, it was horrible for her.

Brynn described what she had clearly heard about her treatment as a baby. There was more to it than extreme poverty, but that was part of it.

A tearful Brynn Whitfield describes the conditions that she faced as an infant, including abuse and neglect. (Bravo)

Days without her diaper being changed or being picked up by a parent or other caregiver.

Neglect and abuse. So, at just six months of age, she and her brother and her sister went to live with her grandmother.

Understandably, Brynn became tearful. And so did several of her castmates. This is where the episode ended, teasing To Be Continued.

Brynn Whitfield Describes Childhood Abuse, Neglect During RHONY Thanksgiving was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

After last week’s Hamptons getaway awkwardness, it was time for the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City …
Brynn Whitfield Describes Childhood Abuse, Neglect During RHONY Thanksgiving was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip. 

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