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There once was a fibber from Nantucket: Bethenny Frankel’s whopper exposed

By April MacIntyre Oct 11, 2011, 1:02 GMT

06/20/2011 - Bethenny Frankel - © Ruben Flores / PR Photos

For those who may labor under the illusion that reality TV is real and not staged comes the shock news that Bethenny Frankel’s “lost at sea” story is a load of malarkey.

The Bravo TV star allegedly was stranded off Nantucket for 21 hours - a whopper of a tale she spun out to E! Entertainment and even the Ellen DeGeneres’ show.

Tim Russell — the guy who “rescued” Frankel, husband Jason Hoppy and their boatmates, has come clean about the fishy tale.

Russell tells the Jewish Journal he was called by the boat’s captain (also Frankel’s therapist) to tow them into shore after the Coast Guard refused — because the boat was completely functioning and didn’t require a tow.

Frankel was accompanied by a six-man film crew from her “Bethenny Ever After” Bravo show, all eager to film the “rescue” for the show.