The Real Housewives of Rhode Island‘s debut season on Bravo came to a close tonight with a shocking confession, and an even more shocking finale.
In the Season 1 finale, the Rhode Island women and their significant others packed up their bags and headed out to Block Island for one last cast trip of the summer. For the most part, those embroiled in drama were able to let bygones be bygones. But the topic of Brian Pontarelli’s alleged “ongoing” affair was the elephant in the room, especially since his wife, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, had just found out about a recent video taken of him and his mistress.
The turmoil surrounding the Pontarelli’s didn’t stop there. In the final minutes of the episode, cameras picked back up one month after they initially wrapped filming to capture the fallout of Brian’s domestic violence arrest.
So, why was Brian arrested? And are he and Rulla still working on their marriage? Keep reading for everything we know!
Why was Brian Pontarelli arrested?
Brian Pontarelli, a Rhode Island podiatrist, was arrested in October 2025 for allegedly placing a tracking device in his wife Rulla Nehme Pontarelli’s car without her knowledge. In the final minutes of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island’s season finale, Rulla shared that she grew suspicious that Brian was tracking her — possibly to keep tabs on where she was when he was engaging in a secret love affair with another woman. Rulla said she went to the BMW dealership to get the device removed, but they sent her to the local police department.
In Rhode Island, placing an electronic tracking device in someone’s car without their consent is considered a misdemeanor domestic violence offense. Brian ultimately pleaded not guilty, and Rulla had the charges dropped in December 2025.
According to Jo-Ellen Tiberi, Brian allegedly had his mistress pick him up from jail.
Was Brian Pontarelli cheating on Rulla Nehme Pontarelli?
Yes. Brian Pontarelli was cheating on his wife, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli. Brian’s affair with another woman, allegedly Cranston-based medical aesthetician Beth Walker, began a year before cameras picked up for The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. While Brian insisted through the entirety of filming that their illicit affair was a thing of the past, a video of him and the mistress taken last summer seemed to prove otherwise. Brian initially downplayed the video, claiming the timestamps had been altered. But in the end, he did admit to his wrongdoings.
“Yeah, I fucked up. There’s a video tape,” he confessed. “I did whatever. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I fucked up. I don’t know if it’s middle age or I took too many hormones. I don’t know what the fuck it was.”
Are Rulla Nehme Pontarelli and Brian Pontarelli still together?
Somehow, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli and Brian Pontarelli are still together. The married couple shared during an April appearance on Watch What Happens Live that they are working on their relationship.
“I don’t think that Brian is a bad person. I think he’s good to the core, but has made some grave mistakes and a bad series of choices,” Rulla said at the time, while Brian added, “I was a different person then than I am now. I realize what an amazing woman my wife is. The only thing that matters to me now is my wife and children. I just want to move forward.”
How to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island:
Those looking to watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island will need access to Bravo and/or Peacock. If you have a cable subscription, you can access the network on the BravoTV website, or stream the show live on platforms like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV when it airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes also become available the next day on Peacock.
Peacock currently offers two subscription types: Premium with ads and Premium Plus ad-free. Peacock Premium costs $10.99/month, while Premium Plus costs $16.99/month.
You can save a bit by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10. These cost either $109.99 with ads or $169.99 without ads.
Peacock Premium Plus is also available to subscribe to via Prime Video with a seven-day free trial that you can’t get by subscribing directly on Peacock.
