Hair Color Plays a Role in Real Housewives of N.Y.C. Drama

The season-4 cast of The Real Housewives of New York City

Joe Pugliese/Bravo

The Real Housewives of New York City are no strangers to drama, catfights and taking sides, but this season the ladies have taken their differences one step further ? division by hair color.

"It's just the natural divide, it's like [the San] Andreas fault," LuAnn de Lesseps, referring to California's earthquake boundary, told PEOPLE recently at Bravo's upfront presentation. "You just can't guess when it's going to split."

The Countess is joined by Jill Zarin and new housewife Cindy Barshop to make up "Team Brunette," while Alex McCord, Ramona Singer and Sonja Morgan are members of "Team Blond" ? but Kelly Bensimon says her ombre highlights (dark at the roots, light at the tips) kept her firmly neutral.

"I don't really play sides," she said. "Ramona and Alex and Sonya are incredibly spirited and funny, LuAnn and Jill and Cindy and I just get along. I have a great time with all of them."

Even though season 3 was filled with meltdowns and epic battles the Housewives are trying to shift the focus back to fun this season.

"It's not about one epic fight that turns into Greek tragedy," McCord said. "It's a series of things ? positive, negative, dramatic, fun. People walk to the line of 'Oh no, she didn't!' and back so many times. I think that's what makes it our best season yet."

Besides hair color, how the women feel about costar Zarin also divides the cast ? as this video demonstrates:

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