Reality TV

Tim Gunn is comin' to his pal Heidi Klum's defense after rumors spread her daily intake is a paltry 900 calories ... a number he says she easily hits just between meals!

We got Tim at LAX and we asked him if he could confirm or deny the Heidi's calorie count reports, and he's certainly doing the latter here.

He playfully says one of Heidi's snack breaks would add up to the bogus total folks are claiming ... and applauds the supermodel for keeping her incredible physique while eating normal portions.

For those unaware, Heidi responded Tuesday to the noise on Instagram, denying the 900 calorie allegation. It all started when she got candid online about her weight earlier this week, and she says that's when folks really ran with the phony number.

Kroy Biermann and Kim Zolciak just ain't meant to be -- after filing for and then calling off their divorce  -- Kroy has filed for divorce against Kim once again.

Kroy filed the divorce papers Thursday, obtained by TMZ, stating their marriage is "irretrievably broken." He wants sole legal and sole physical custody of their 4 kids moving forward, and is asking for child support as well as alimony.

What's more ... Kroy's asking for exclusive use of the marital residence, the same home he and Kim have shared through their ups and downs.

TMZ broke the story, Kim and Kroy filed separate divorce petitions back in May ... and it got nasty fast. Kim accused Kroy of smoking weed -- and being a potential danger to their kids -- and he said she had a serious gambling addiction. It was also discovered the couple owed more than $1 million to the IRS.

The two also had home visits from the police -- hurling accusations at each other while officers were on scene.

Kim and Kroy remained in the same home during their divorce proceedings, but had a change of heart in July when they decided to pull the divorce docs.

Leading up to the decision to pull back their divorce, we'd seen the family attend church together and other family events.

Brielle Biermann is being hounded by American Express for allegedly not paying a five-figure credit card bill, and now AmEx is going after her in court.

According to new legal documents, obtained by TMZ, American Express claims Kim Zolciak's daughter failed to pay off a $12,870.25 balance.

The credit card company claims Brielle hasn't been forking over the monthly minimum payment on her Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card.

In the docs, AmEx says it's demanded payment from Brielle ... but she's failed to settle the bill ... and now they're going after her for the full balance, plus court costs.

The apple apparently doesn't fall far from the tree ... Brielle's mom is also being sued for an unpaid credit card bill at Target, just one factor in her mother's ongoing struggles.

Meanwhile, as we first reported ... Brielle's adopted father, Kroy Biermann, is being sued over an unpaid credit line from a casino trip to the Bahamas.

Dodger fans had at least one thing to cheer about before falling to the Marlins on Friday ... 'cause "American Idol" star Nutsa Buzaladze had the whole stadium going wild after a killer rendition of the national anthem!!

The Georgian singer was a special guest at Dodger Stadium for the home team's contest against Miami ... getting the honor of singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in front of 46,000 spectators.

Nutsa -- who's repped by agent/manager Darren Prince -- got to hang out with some high-profile peeps at the game ... including Magic and Cookie Johnson, Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter and Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol!! Small world, 'cause Prince also has repped the Lakers legend for nearly 30 years.

Of course, Nutsa made the top 12 of the famous singing show ... but after hearing her perform at the game, it's hard to figure out how she didn't go all the way!!

The lawyers going after NBCUniversal and Bravo with both barrels over alleged mistreatment of their reality stars have turned up the heat even higher ... demanding the companies release these stars from what the lawyers call a draconian confidentiality agreement.

Attorney Bryan Freedman fired off another letter to the companies, claiming the NDAs violate California law, which prohibits companies from forcing employees to sign NDAs prohibiting them from disclosing unlawful conduct.

As for the unlawful conduct Freedman alleges ... racism, sexism, sexual violence, revenge porn, child labor violations, forced intoxication, and psychological, emotional and physical abuse.

Freedman wants NBCUniversal and Bravo to fully release their reality stars from their NDAs, but at a minimum acknowledge they can discuss alleged illegal conduct during production.

The attorney, along with co-counsel Mark Geragos, has been blasting NBC claiming the networks are manufacturing mental instability by plying cast members with alcohol while depriving them of food and sleep. Freedman also says they have deprived cast members of mental health treatment even when they display alarming signs of mental deterioration.

We reached out to NBCUniversal ... so far, no word back. NBC issued a statement previously, saying they're “committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows.”

'Real Housewives' star Kyle Richards and her estranged husband, Mauricio Umansky, are still on good terms during their separation -- they're back together to take their family on an end-of-summer vacation.

The whole fam looks to be enjoying each other's company on the Amalfi Coast -- Kyle and Mauricio's 23-year-old daughter, Sophia, shared some pics Sunday, writing, "Last night in Positano 🧡."

One of the shots shows the entire family together on a boat, and everyone -- including Kyle and Mauricio -- is all smiles!

As we reported, the couple separated last month after being married for 27 years ... but they've said any talk about them getting a divorce is untrue.

They did, however, admit they've had a rough year.

They're also still living under the same roof, and have remained playful online -- he posted some shirtless pics of himself last month, saying he was out of shape 6 years ago, and she jokingly responded, "Must be Ozempic."

Kyle's also been dealing with persistent rumors she's dating country singer, Morgan Wade ... and the ladies have had fun with the gossip, appearing as love interests in Morgan's new music video, "Fall in Love with Me."

Paulie Calafiore, who just got eliminated from MTV's "The Challenge: USA," is coming out as bisexual.

The reality TV star came out to GLAAD, saying he almost feels guilty about waiting so long to share his truth.

Paulie says he decided to come out as bisexual after changing his perspective ... explaining, "There might be other people that are going through this exact same thing …and maybe this is what they needed to hear and what they needed to see in order to do it themselves."

For Paulie, one of the hurdles was his upbringing as an athlete ... he says he felt pressure to be viewed publicly as a strong athlete and competitor, and that sports culture made him feel like he had to repress his sexuality.

Paulie, who is also a "Big Brother" alum, says since coming out as bisexual he's been accepted by his family and his longtime girlfriend and fellow 'Challenge' star Cara Maria Sorbello.

Rachel Leviss may not be coming back to "Vanderpump Rules," but that isn't stopping Scheana Shay.

Scheana is dropping a new song Friday called "Apples" ... in which some of the lyrics go like this ... "I was with you on your worst day / You stabbed me in the worst way / How you gonna lie to my face?"

Scheana wasn't done ... "And you said that we would always be friends / Party on the weekend / But then you’re gone without a trace; I thought you were grateful / I found out you’re fake, though / I hope there’s a place for friends like you."

Interesting ... saying "you're gone without a trace" suggests Scheana is completely done with her friendship with Rachel or she's pissed Rachel decided not to return to 'VPR' ... safe to assume the latter.

And get this ... Shay labels Rachel a "narcissistic psychopath" whom she "cut out like lipo."

Scheana was pissed at the time over Rachel having an affair with Tom Sandoval ... ultimately resulting in Rachel (then Raquel) getting a restraining order against her after claiming Scheana physically attacked her.

Scheana denied the whole thing, with her lawyer calling Rachel a "known liar and a cheat." As you know, Scheana won in the end -- with the whole thing eventually getting dismissed.

Tom Schwartz is sporting a new hairdo ... and he says it's got a lot to do with his age.

We got the "Vanderpump Rules" star heading into his TomTom restaurant in West Hollywood with Lisa Vanderpump ... and our photog asked about his bleached blond hair ... a far cry from his natural brown locks.

Tom tells us he's having a midlife crisis ... so he's going blond, with the aim of finishing his summer strong.

While it sounds like Tom's joking about the midlife crisis, he's ripe for it ... he's about to turn 41 years old and the age range for midlife is 40 to 60 ... so he's now in the sweet spot.

Tom's boss, Lisa, is clearly not a fan ... telling us she's about to take the clippers to his new look.

Nev Schulman wants to play matchmaker for a pair of folks who got catfished by people pretending to be Katy Perry and "Stranger Things" star Dacre Montgomery.

We got the "Catfish" star at Aces Pizza in New York City Friday, and our photog asked him about the Kentucky woman who divorced her husband and got swindled out of $10,000 by someone pretending to be the Netflix actor.

Nev says the newly single mother, McKayla, would make a great match for a guy from his old MTV show ... Spencer.

As Nev explains, Spencer infamously got catfished by a woman masquerading as the "Dark Horse" singer ... and their awkward meeting was featured on his show.

Needless to say, Nev thinks Spencer and McKayla have enough in common to strike up a relationship.

While lots of folks are dragging McKayla for thinking she actually had a shot with a celeb, Nev says not so fast ... and he tells us why it's not that extreme of a premise.

Still, Nev cautions anyone going online in search of love to beware of some big red flags ... like when your potential partner starts asking for money. Nev says that's a dead giveaway.

It's funny ... Nev thinks he's actually being catfished here in some ways ... as we reported, McKayla detailed her saga on a YouTube channel called "Catfished."

Rachel Leviss is reemerging way outside the "Vanderpump Rules" orbit ... soaking up the Arizona sun in a bikini.

The 'VPR' star was poolside in Scottsdale Wednesday, the day before Lisa Vanderpump told us she was not coming back to the Bravo show for season 11 ... and looking absolutely unbothered.

Rachel lounged around in a daybed and took a dip in the water ... rocking a palm leaf bikini set and sunglasses.

It looks like Rachel has the entire pool area to herself, a much different situation than what she'd face on set of the popular reality show.

Rachel's been back in her home state since the 'VPR' reunion, where things got heated and emotional as a result of her role in the Scandoval.

She spent around 100 days in a mental health facility, and she surfaced earlier this month at a Massage Envy in Tucson.

Lisa Vanderpump's making it official ... Rachel Leviss is not coming back for season 11 of "Vanderpump Rules," even though she initially indicated to the big boss she was interested in rejoining the cast.

We got Lisa Thursday as she was heading to TomTom in WeHo, and when we asked about Rachel remaining on the sidelines ... she said they tried to accommodate her.

Lisa tells us she talked to Rachel about doing a one-on-one on-camera interview to focus on Rachel's growth and thoughts about being in a mental health facility during the Scandoval fallout.

Obviously, that didn't come to fruition, but Lisa says Rachel's team showed interest.

It's interesting ... Lisa says Rachel coming back to film with the rest of the cast probably would not have worked anyways, because most, if not all, of the cast doesn't believe anything that comes out of Rachel's mouth.

Case in point ... this week, Rachel claimed Tom Sandoval was offered a producer credit for season 11, but Lisa tells us that notion is "hilarious" and news to her as an executive producer and show creator.

A Bravo spokesperson also confirmed to us Sandoval was never offered a producer credit on season 11, and has absolutely no creative control over any 'VPR' editing.

Sandoval and Tom Schwartz were also at TomTom after LV broke the news Rachel's not coming back ... and they had 2 very different reactions.

In any event, Rachel's gonna have plenty of time for spa appointments over in her home state of Arizona.

Former "Big Brother" contestant Luke Valentine says there's a simple explanation for him casually dropping the n-word -- but his quasi-apology isn't doing him a lot of favors.

Luke shared his thoughts Wednesday on social media as he went live from Havana ... claiming it's "pretty clear" he meant no harm when he used the racial slur around 3 houseguests, one of whom is Black.

He says his slip came after a week of not eating and getting pretty crappy sleep -- and he wants folks to know the 'BB' game can take a big toll on people.

Luke does say he regrets saying the n-word, but brushes off the whole thing in the same breath ... adding, "What happened, happened" and laughingly says the whole incident felt like when he was running his mouth in middle school. He understands why they had to boot him from the house, but ultimately thinks production made the wrong decision.

As you'd imagine, 'BB' fans online aren't taking his explanation that well -- one called it a "piss poor apology," while another wrote, "Trying your hardest to look as unbothered as possible and failing miserably."

As we reported, Luke let it slip and then swapped the word for "dude," laughing over it while his fellow contestants shamed him. He stuck around with housemate Jared, who ended up telling Luke, "I don't give a f***" in response to his using the epithet.

Barbara Evans is concerned for the well-being of her grandson -- who she had custody of for more than a decade -- and believes Jenelle Evans' decision to take him off ADHD meds might have led to his runaway incident.

Barbara tells TMZ 14-year-old Jace was put on the medication 7 years ago, and was regularly seeing a behavior specialist ... which had seemingly been working well for the teen.

However, Barbara says when Jenelle regained custody of Jace, back in March, Jenelle not only took him off the medication, but also ended his sessions with the behaviorist.

Jenelle denies part of Barbara's claim though, telling us, "Barbara has not been in contact with Jace since Monday. I have cut off contact with her as of 3 weeks ago. Barbara doesn't have any idea what is going on inside my home. Jace had a therapist appointment today on zoom at 10:30am … she hasn't even attempted to speak to Jace directly."

It's not clear if Jenelle booked the therapist appointment as a result of Jace's runaway, or if it was already planned.

TMZ broke the story, cops in North Carolina put out a runaway bulletin Tuesday for Jace after he took off from school. Luckily, he was found safe hours later, but the situation was scary for all involved.

Jenelle told us, "Jace, got in trouble at school, we decided to take his phone away and that's when he decided to run off, Jace is a good kid and we're not dealing with anything that most families don't deal with while raising children."

Barbara says Jenelle's not talking to her, so she doesn't have any more info about why her grandson ran off -- but she squarely blames his issues at school on the lack of medication and therapy.

Rachel Leviss made a killing on the last season of "Vanderpump Rules," TMZ has learned ... which makes Bethenny Frankel's claim Rachel made less than her interns a bunch of BS.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Rachel made more than $350k for season 10 of the show -- nearly $20k an episode for a total of 19 episodes -- so certainly not chump change.

ICYMI, Bethenny told Rachel on her "Just B" podcast Wednesday that her own interns make more dough than Rachel did on 'VPR,' which came as a shock to Rachel.

Fans online slammed Bethenny's interview as embarrassing, and reminiscent of Howie Mandel's unhinged interview with Tom Sandoval back in April -- focusing more on his mustache than the cheating scandal.

Folks also pointed out the fact Bethenny didn't seem prepped for the interview, and she even admitted on the podcast that she had never watched the Bravo show and had only seen clips online after taking interest in Rachel and Scandoval.

So Bethenny either had no clue what Rachel really made, or she's completely overpaying her interns ... 'cause $350k ain't bad.

You'll recall, Bethenny and her attorneys have been hearing from dozens of NBC reality stars after firing off a legal threat earlier this month, claiming production employees have been tormenting the shows' castmembers. She's even been fighting for reality stars to unionize.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Rachel Leviss is breaking her silence for the first time since getting out of rehab, talking about Scandoval, and revealing how she feels she was unfairly labeled as the show's villain despite her castmates pulling off the same conduct in the past.

Leviss sat with 'RHONY' alum Bethenny Frankel on her 'Just B' podcast to explain why she took several months out of the public eye at a mental health facility, saying, "... part of the reason why I wanted to go to a treatment facility was to understand my behaviors and my goal was to really get down to the bottom of, "OK why am I choosing men that are unavailable, why do I keep finding myself in unhealthy relationships, what are the things that I need to change about my behavior?"

Rachel also says she believes it was unfair she took so much hate for her affair with Tom Sandoval, when just about every single other cast member has been involved in cheating.

Leviss says of affairs, "It's bad in normal life, but with producers it's good ... affairs are good for TV."

Then, she turns her attention to Tom and their whirlwind relationship, saying while she felt she was in love with him at the time, she now realizes it wasn't real ... and she doesn't believe he truly loved her, either.

The chat with Bethenny wasn't all defensive, however, saying, "I do want to take a moment though to just acknowledge the hurt that I brought to a lot of people. I was not careful in my actions and I was not thinking long-term. I was completely wrapped up in heartbreak and wanting to get certain needs met."

Rachel also hints at her future with the show, and while she doesn't say it directly, it doesn't sound like she's coming back, stating, "And you mentioned something about the addiction of doing reality TV and the way that they always dangle that carrot in front of you, like, ‘Well, you need to tell your side of the story otherwise it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So I almost went back, I know just because of that.”

As we reported, Bethenny is leading the charge in a war against NBC, Bravo and others for what she believes has been the unfair treatment of reality stars over the years -- fueling contestants with booze, ignoring their mental health and adding additional stress.

Unclear if Rachel will join that fight, but we spoke to attorney Bryan Freedman who says he's been contacted by a ton of former stars who all want to join in against the networks.

We covered the drama on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.