‘Real Housewives of Rhode Island’ episode 5: New locations, new drama

The Blackstone Valley got its star turn in the fifth episode of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” with a popular Cumberland pizzeria joining sites from Newport, Portsmouth and East Greenwich as new locations where the Bravo series filmed.

The show also took to the somewhat-new-to-the-series hairdressing shop that Kelsey Swanson operates inside the mansion of her mysterious East Greenwich boyfriend.

And Bravo didn’t quit with the travel-brochure montages of scenic Rhode Island sights to bridge between scenes. A few highlights include:

New filming locations for episode 5 include:

Kelsey’s beauty salon, East Greenwich

Yes, tucked away in her boyfriend’s 16,000-square-foot mansion is a fully equipped beauty salon. And, yes, the Rhode Island Department of Health says it issued Kelsey Brooke Swanson a license as a hairdresser/cosmetologist on March 17, 2025, after she graduated from the Paul Mitchell School in Cranston.

While Kelsey does Ashley Iaconetti’s hair, the Housewives talk about how Kelsey got into doing hair when she was a beauty pageant contestant. Kelsey bares a grudge against Housewife Rosie Woods DiMare for not telling her social media following that she liked a haircut Kelsey had given her. Ashley, who besides a career as a reality TV show star is also a social media influencer, captures a photo of her new ‘do and says she’ll give Kelsey “a little ad.”

Of course, this exchange was less about hair than about setting up a blowout of a different kind later in the episode.

The Housewives head to Goat Island Marina, 5 Marina Plaza, to board the Schooner Aurora for a sunset cruise celebrating the birthday of a friend of the group. Rhode Islanders who remember that the HMS Gaspee was also a schooner that sailed from Newport one fateful day will not be surprised when fireworks break out on this modern ship.

Not much birthday celebrating takes place before Kelsey and Rosie are going at it in a burning argument about friends’ obligations to support each other’s business endeavors online. Fortunately, unlike in 1772, this schooner doesn’t end up on the bottom of Narragansett Bay.

As Housewife Liz McGraw and her husband, Gerry, come for their last visit to his sportfishing boat Gypsea, which he has sold, Bravo clearly lets viewers know that the boat is docked at Greenwich Cove Marina, 3 Division St.

Housewives Joe-Ellen Tiberi and Rulla Nehme Pontarelli stop at the Mexican-inspired restaurant at 50 Main St. for chips, guac and drinks – and to resurrect their argument from the Studio 54 party at Liz’s house over whether Rulla’s husband is still cheating on her.

Jo-Ellen shows Rulla texts from “the mistress,” and Rulla says texts can be faked. They don’t see eye-to-eye by the end of the visit, but no one raises their voice, either.

Before taking a Rockstar Limo party bus to Portsmouth for a polo match, the crew gathers at the 133 Mendon Road pizzeria, owned by the family of Housewife Alicia Carmody’s boyfriend Bill Kitsilis. As they make their way toward the highway, the bus passes the landmark Mendon Road McDonald’s and passes one of the few at-grade train crossings in Rhode Island.

The Housewives attend a polo match at Glen Farm, 2200 East Main Road, but the real action is definitely not on the field, as “the mistress” posts something online that reinforces their belief that Rulla’s husband is still having an affair with this woman. Husband Brian does his best to not talk about the subject on camera.

The polo series holds matches every Saturday in June, July, August and September, featuring teams from around the world, including Ireland, Italy, Brazil and South Africa, with tickets starting at $25.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: ‘Real Housewives of RI’ episode 5 locations: Polo, Newport schooner