'RHONY' Airs the Colombia 'Boat Ride from Hell': 'We Would Have All Been Killed'

Hold on tight, because the Real Housewives of New York City's "boat from hell" is finally here — and it may be the scariest moment in the history of the Bravo franchise

Hold on tight, because the Real Housewives of New York City‘s “boat ride from hell” is finally here — and it may be the scariest moment in the history of the Bravo franchise.

For months, fans have heard about the tumultuous trip to Cartegena, Colombia, which made headlines back in February and left the cast reportedly “crying out for their lives” as rough waves crashed over the boat’s side.

Footage from the frightening voyage finally aired on Wednesday’s episode.

It all took place as Bethenny Frankel, Ramona Singer, Carole Radziwill, Luann de Lesseps, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley and Tinsley Mortimer were returning to Cartegena from a day of sun-soaked fun on the private island of Kalunga.

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Bravo

At first, in-fighting between Frankel and Radziwill — and between de Lesseps and Medley — had the cast wondering whether they should cancel their boat reservation.

But Singer and Mortimer persisted. “I want to go on the boat. We’ll all go on the boat,” said Singer. “We’ll resolve this, it’s a beautiful boat.”

“It’s going to be nice,” stressed Mortimer, having planned the trip.

The boat did appear to be nice, with glasses of pink champagne waiting for them on the vessel’s table-and-chair set. During the hour-and-a-half ride to the island, the Housewives sunbathed and danced on the bow, laughing and having a good time.

They were all smiles on the island, too, as they swam in the crystal-clear blue water.

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Bravo

Things quickly changed, though, around 3:15 p.m. local time — when they were told by someone associated with the getaway that they had to go back because “the sea is getting choppy.”

“The coast guard [called] and said it was time to go,” said de Lesseps. “Apparently the sea picks up at this bewitching hour of 3 p.m., so suddenly, it’s like, ‘Let’s get on the boat.’ ”

Not all were happy to go. “We have to leave now. Are you kidding me? No way,” Singer said. “We want to stay here all day and all night. The water is not any more rough than before. Hello, we’re not in a little rowboat.”

Singer couldn’t have been more wrong, obviously. Because as Frankel put it, they were “on the boat from hell.”

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As they journeyed home, the boat was jumping up and down so intensely that Singer was left screaming in Morgan’s arms. “Slow it down!” Singer yelled as the two embraced each other in the boat’s interior. “I can’t swim!”

“I peed my swimsuit,” said Morgan. “I’ve been on many boats in my life. … This is like being on a airplane with one propeller.”

Meanwhile, in the back of the boat, Housewives were ducking table and chairs as they came flying down. De Lesseps jumped for cover on the floor of the boat as Frankel tried to comfort a vomiting Radziwill, who was puking into a bucket.

“This is crazy. This is really scary. I’m losing my mind,” Frankel said through the course of the trip, as a siren went off and “a 15-foot wave” crashed into the boat. “Why is there a siren? I’m freaking out. This isn’t funny. Oh my god, get on the floor!”

“They need to slow down,” said Dorinda, asking where the boat’s life vests were before declaring, “it smells like smoke.”

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Bravo

Her nose wasn’t wrong. There was smoke — coming from the boat’s anchor, which had accidentally been deployed and was dragging on the ocean floor.

Before fans could see more, the show’s cameras went down. “Due to the rough waters, all production crew had to stop filming for the safety of everyone on board,” a title card read.

Later, in safety, the women explained what had happened. “The boat was trying to reel in [the anchor] and that was causing the smell,” de Lesseps said. “So we’ve got the captain, who runs out of the cabin with two swords, a la Pirates of the Caribbean, and runs to the top of the boat and he cuts off the anchor.”

“Had it been on the chain, the boat would have capsized and I wouldn’t have been here to tell the story,” said Singer. “We would have all been killed.”

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“We all thought we were going to die at sea,” de Lesseps noted. “It was so bad, even the cameras had to go down because they were holding on for dear life. I’m just holding myself on the ground, praying that the boat’s not going to capsize.”

Added Radziwill: “I put myself in some of the most dangerous places in the world [but] being in Afghanistan during the war and the Middle East during that war was nothing compared to what happened on that boat. By the time we got back to the house, all of us just needed to decompress and we were suffering a little bit from post dramatic disorder. Because even though no one got hurt, all of us were just like, ‘What the f— just happened.’ ”

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Only Mortimer appeared to be unfazed by it all.

“The boat ride was super dramatic for everybody but me,” she confessed, after calling the ride “a little bit bumpy” and “totally normal” while at sea. “I never feared for my life. But I can’t take away how they felt.”

One unexpected thing did happen: It bonded all the women, both in their hearts and in the bathroom, where all but Frankel and Mortimer suffered from diarrhea.

“Last night just reminds us why we love each other so much,” Morgan said. “We’re out of the boat, and now we’re swimming in s—. And by the way, no offense to Colombia because this could happen in any country. But not like this. Never before like this.”

The Real Housewives of New York City airs Wednesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.

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