Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake: The Countess catches a fish while Morgan reels in a guy
Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan shook things up when they moved into a small town in Illinois and went from picking up guys at a local bar to literally pulling a fish out of water on the season premiere on Sunday of Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake on Bravo.
Luann, 58, and Sonja, 59, both from The Real Housewives of New York City agreed to go to Benton, Illinois, a town with a population of 7,000, and spend six weeks working with the Benton City Council to help the small town bounce back after the pandemic.
Before they even arrived, the locals at the town were buzzing with anticipation. The local motel put up a sign that said 'Welcome Hollywood.' Luann was in her New York City apartment wondering what to pack.
'I love an adventure and when they asked me to help the town of Benton, Illinois, I was like that sounds like a lot of fun,' Luann said. 'All I know about Benton is that - I know it's very hot. I know they have some lakes.'
Sonja was also packing. She brought extra pads for her recent 'leaking liposuction' and admitted that she didn't know much about Benton.
![Season premiere: Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan shook things up when they moved into a small town in Illinois and went from picking up guys at a local bar to literally pulling a fish out of water on the season premiere on Sunday of Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie on Bravo](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034635-12281341-image-a-62_1688973678652.jpg)
Season premiere: Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan shook things up when they moved into a small town in Illinois and went from picking up guys at a local bar to literally pulling a fish out of water on the season premiere on Sunday of Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie on Bravo
The townspeople said people come to fish crappie fish from their lake and now the popular name for it is 'Crappie Lake.' At the town local meeting, the mayor introduced the townspeople to Russell Jay-Staglik, formerly of Benton, who was now a reality show producer.
Russell said his mother and his twin brother still live in the town and that he learned the town had really been affected by COVID and so he organized the reality stars to come to town to help.
'We do have two celebrities coming into town,' Russell said. 'I can't say who they are right now. They grew up in very small towns and humble beginnings, and they are so excited to come here and help the town as well.'
Russell encouraged them to go up to them and show them around the town. Luann and Sonya boarded a private plane excited. The town rolled out a red carpet for them. The townspeople guessed the celebrity might be Kim Kardashian, Jessie Alba or Vin Diesel. Before they landed, the pilot told Luann and Sonya that they had to circle the airport because there were livestock on the runway.
'That's a first for me,' Luann said.
Luann was surprised to see that there was a crowd of people holding signs and cheering for them at the airport and they even put out a red carpet. The town's mayor Jeff Kondritz gave them a hug.
'Thank you for coming to meet us,' Luann said. 'I thought that there was rioting.'
Luann and Sonya walked over and said hi to the crowd.
![Mayor's list: Sonja received a list from the mayor of items they could work on in Benton, Illinois](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034675-12281341-image-a-63_1688973696570.jpg)
Mayor's list: Sonja received a list from the mayor of items they could work on in Benton, Illinois
![Private jet: Luann and Sonja flew by private jet into the small town](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034717-12281341-image-a-69_1688974072581.jpg)
Private jet: Luann and Sonja flew by private jet into the small town
'Spoiled rich girls from New York, this is going to be a long five weeks,' one of the townspeople said.
Russell thanked Luann and Sonya for being cheerleaders for his hometown. He told them that Mayor Fred was going to give them a list of things that he needed help with.
'Please don't let me down,' Russell said. 'This is my hometown.'
Akash Patel, the motel owner, was at the airport to take them to his motel. Luann got in the car but the air conditioning wasn't working.
'Who do I have to f*** in this town to get a car,' Sonya said.
'We've got to get another car,' Luann said.
They pulled into the motel that Sonya declared 'vintage chic.'
'Lu, I'm going to pass out,' Sonya said. 'I think I saw this in a movie. Oh my god, the walls. It used to be a jail or something.'
![Hot car: Luann got in the car but the air conditioning wasn't working](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034695-12281341-image-a-66_1688974027023.jpg)
Hot car: Luann got in the car but the air conditioning wasn't working
![Warm welcome: A large group came out to welcome Luann and Sonja](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034699-12281341-image-a-67_1688974033173.jpg)
Warm welcome: A large group came out to welcome Luann and Sonja
![Hotel owners: Akash Patel, the motel owner, was at the airport to take them to his motel and spoke about the celebrities coming to their small town](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034739-12281341-image-a-68_1688974046967.jpg)
Hotel owners: Akash Patel, the motel owner, was at the airport to take them to his motel and spoke about the celebrities coming to their small town
'No, it's not that I was expecting the Plaza Hotel,' Luann said in a confessional. 'But it's got paneling from like a 100 years ago. I don't know what's living in the carpets, and I'm not too excited to look under the bed.'
Sonya carried a box to the room.
'I think I just popped a stitch on my liposuction,' Sonya said.
The next morning Luann did a workout with water bottles. Sonya slept and put a 'do not disturb' sign on her door. Luann put her own sheets and comforter on her motel bed. They got ready and drove to go see the mayor Jeff Kondritz. He told them he wanted them to build a park with a playground in an underprivileged neighborhood; help increase tourism; help them make their Christmas in July celebration bigger; upgrade their animal shelter; and to put together an end of summer performance.
'We are here to work,' Sonya said.
Luann and Sonya then went catfish hunting for fun at Crappie lake. Sonya farted and Luann laughed.
'You are going to scare the fish away,' Luann said.
They grabbed pink foam noodles and boarded a small fishing boat. Their noodling skipper Jason Miles said he would take them out, find a hole and then see if there were fish there. He told them that they would then put on their gloves.
'Ultimately, you want the fish to bite you,' Jason said. 'That is the goal, to get bit.'
'With your hand?' Luann said.
Jason said so they could grab it and pull it out of the hole. Sonya said she saw people still had their hands so she didn't expect anything would happen. Then one man showed her that he was missing a finger.
'I'm disgusted with the idea of putting my hand in a fish's mouth or anyone's mouth,' Sonya said. 'Disgusting. I'm not losing any fingers over this.'
Jason told her to follow her leg down and Luann went down to try and catch it. Moments later, Luann emerged from the lake holding the catfish over her head.
'I think you should cross that off your bucket list,' Sonya said.
A woman asked Luann, who let the fish go, if she would do it again.
'Hell no,' Luann said.
![Never again: 'Hell no,' Luann said when asked if she'd go hand fishing again](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034639-12281341-image-a-65_1688973974778.jpg)
Never again: 'Hell no,' Luann said when asked if she'd go hand fishing again
Luann and Sonya put on sequined dresses to meet the town's theater director. Bill King.
Luann suggested they put on a variety show and Sonya came up with the name 'Benton Follies.'
Next they pulled into the local fire department. Luann said she wasn't having any sex and she flirted with one of the firemen named Alex.
'She's hangry and hasn't been laid in a while,' Sonya told the fire chief.
Luann invited Alex to come hang out at their motel when they had a party. After driving around for two days in a car with no air conditioning in the ninety degree weather, the mayor found a new truck for them.
'We went from the Fred Flintstone vehicle that we had to operate with our own legs, to this!' Sonya said.
They drove to the Benton Civic Center for auditions and were surprised that only around five people showed up to audition. One woman came and did a scary interpretive dance. A young boy played music while he rode a unicycle. Luann said they needed to do a lot more casting. Later the women changed to go out on the town. They drove to the Barn Bar which had underwear and bras plastered on its ceiling.
Sonja said in a confessional that she was getting very horny and met this man named Billy from Louisiana who invited them to go 'mudding' or driving through ponds in their trucks.
![Mudding invite: Sonja said in a confessional that she was getting very horny and met this man named Billy from Louisiana who invited them to go 'mudding' or driving through ponds in their trucks](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/10/08/73034697-12281341-image-a-64_1688973922162.jpg)
Mudding invite: Sonja said in a confessional that she was getting very horny and met this man named Billy from Louisiana who invited them to go 'mudding' or driving through ponds in their trucks
'If you take that shirt off I will lose it,' Sonya said.
Billy took off his shirt. The men started taking off their shirts and pulling down their pants to show off their tattoos.
Sonya grabbed Bill and said she was going to ride back with him.
Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake will return next week on Bravo.
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