Cat

I'm shocked tbh. Kelly Monaco has been at GH so long, I thought she was a fave of TPTB. I'm not a megafan, but I do think the timing is cruel in that she has been through a terrible and life-changing loss recently. Someone upthread said this might be to free up money for a Vanessa Marcil limited return, and I can't shake the feeling GH might be planning out something approaching a long goodbye.

LVP knew something was up from the get. And I think, deep down, so did most of us watching in real time. We may not have known the detail amd extent of the embezzlement, but we knew... just as LVP knew... things were not as they appeared.

* Screams * Was just going to post the reunion looks! You know what? Everybody looks true to themselves. Heck, Taleen looks like she always does on the show. I love Stanbury's clean 90s lines. I've been missing the 90s recently, lol. Ayan dressed for carnival. This look harks back to RHOMiami reunion, and even further back to some of Porsha's reunion looks on RHOA. Porsha IMO produced some of the best reunion looks of all time. Sara went strapless and showed off her tats, and that is a bold move for her! Lesa probably won in terms of her well-planned total concept, but I've got to say, Brooks going full 1940s femme fatale/Diahann Carroll on Dynasty looks pretty phenomenal.

I think the story is shaping up to be Lesa vs Stanbury and their lingering resentment, and in a way, Ayan is merely peripheral to events. Interesting that Ayan said she was angry at Lesa about how events went down... I was like B!tch, where? How are you angry at Lesa?? But honestly, as lowkey as the episode was, I loved how it took us into individual lives. Sara uncovering a kidnapping plot chimed with what I've heard about wealthy people in the Gulf -- they have to be careful whom they hire because ransom situations are real, given all the money there. And lucky Brooks has deflected all the drama to Lesa and is watching from the side, happy to swoop in like a harpy and gather up the broken pieces to cackle over. I wonder how reunion went for her? Andy and Brandi... either this story disappears into the ether, like the Bethenny union thing, or it clings on and kills Andy's career. RHOC -- I've caught up, tonight's episode notwithstanding, and what a fire season it has been so far. OC hit the ground running. Tamra doing the most to destroy Shannon emotionally is such a bad look on her (coached by her minion Terri, I wonder?). And Gina finally getting called out on her stirring is long overdue. OC and Dubai are really hitting the spot right now.

OMG! What is THIS? A professional, personal, amicable, authentic (did I mention authentic?) parting of ways? Did Sara embezzle a children's charity or something? I swear, like @NothinButAttitude, snooty b*tchy Saba is so up her own ass, and I love it. And it's all official templated, like "UAE, London, August 13, 2024." Saba is setting up S3 of Dubai -- The Unraveling of Sara. You know what this reads like? A coded divorce announcement. I've said it before about Sara, and I'll say it again -- this may be one of the things she is hiding. Lord, that pigeon motif was applied with a heavy hand. Nevertheless, I am very excited. I can see the hand of You-Know-Who crafting this trailer -- not least the use of gossip (who got knocked up after a drunken night? What did Erin's husband say/do?) to guide story. Also Rebecca Minkoff is barely to be seen, so he's gone elsewhere for some drama. But I am glad they kept last season's kewl gurl (but not as cool as they think) vibe. And I have to say, I have affection for these ladies, as flawed as they may be. I see Ubah has experienced zero self-realisation since last year! October 1st, though, is too far away. I wanted September 1st. Larsa jumped on an opportunity to play the victim and burp out an insta SL. Adriana better by investigating this mess like a pig in truffle!

@Taoboi @Soaplovers @NothinButAttitude Dubai reunion is finally -- finally! -- filming. Seating chart: I would have done it: Taleen -- Ayan -- Stanbury -- ANDY -- Brooks -- Sara -- Lesa. I said what I said!

Exactly so. S10 RHOA would have been nothing without a Reunion reckoning which was MANY years overdue. It finally made Kim Z accountable. One could argue that RHOA S9 reunion did also, regarding Kandi and Phaedra. "THE LIES, THE LIES!" In fact, RHOA is often (though not always) good at channeling a better reunion to save a poor season. Reunion is the Superbowl, it is the build-up, and the finale is the bridge into such an event. Problems are rarely solved meaningfully in the finale, but they have potential to be dealt with at Reunion. And yes Andy plays favorites all the time, but he's pumped to be doing Reunion. They are a feather in his cap. Taking a more recent example, can you imagine if SLC had decided to forego reunion after that barnstorming finale? Reunion brought all the cast together for the first time since Bermuda to hash it out. The fact that SLC had, mostly successfully, hidden the season's big reveal over the course of filming meant that Reunion was more important than ever, and the live viewing figures surged as a result.

Sadly, Marcusa is no longer a HW on RHOM, so Andy can't ask him! But I sure hope Larsa talks about this and their ex-relationship on the show. HOWEVER! I speculate that Larsa signed an NDA after they broke up, so that the Jordan family wouldn't have to worry about loose lips. And that will mean for another consecutive season, Larsa will deflect, deflect, deflect. I do hope the other women comment about the coke-snorting, although I suspect Marysol and Alexia will somewhat suspiciously clam up, too, lol. I've got the polar opposite opinion. I love the reunions and cannot stand the cheapo After Shows which give everything away for free. They have eroded the power of a three-part reunion. Bravo cannot control the social media RH ecosystem and gossip blogs, but it can control this. It should can the After Shows and keep Reunions 'special.' I live for the tense build-up, the crazy dresses (hello, outfit watch) and the fact that issues from the season are ostensibly laid out on the table all in one go. It represents a kind of catharsis and closure to the season for the cast, and the audience.

I love what she did with the place. Those gold plated sockets. The wallpaper in her second walk-in closet. The high ceilings which let in the light. As a renter in a small location, this gives me lots of inspiration. Though I will probably never be able to buy in this city. Sob. Like you and @Taoboi I love nuRHONY (and I love oldRhony). I'm invested in these ladies now and cannot wait for S2, even if it is a gentle gander in the concrete jungle. Some reboots work better than others, and as @Gray Bunny pointed out, the OG RHONYs are still viable. Lu was caught on film yesterday surmising how a mix of OGs and the nuCast need to be involved. I hold out hope because I think some of those pairings would work. As for NJ, I blame Bravo. They knew the audience was at its wit's end, but no, they wanted to keep Melissa, B!tch Boy, Marge and Whoville, and make Fetch collectively happen. To your earlier point, I think they knew NJ would flop and they are fine with that.

If you and @Taoboi are nosy about real estate, Brynn Whitfield gave People a tour of her apartment. It's not Dynasty, but for someone like me, it is relatably aspirational.

Brooks has been saying what about herself? That she's Maleficent? Lololol. Actually, I loved Brooks' honesty about herself and her past at S1 reunion. I think this is why I love Stanbury this season -- she never shies away from saying how she feels. She isn't fake. For someone who was scarred by a loveless childhood and boarding school, Stanbury is refreshingly upfront about herself and open to having sit-down conversations with others. Like her convo with Brooks which went a long way to repairing their friendship. I wish we knew what went down with Sara because both women would be up for confronting it and trying to fix it. After all, as Sara said, she was very close to Caroline, Sergio and her family.

I can't believe Bravo threw in a To Be Continued at the end -- and then proceeded to skip a week! Just when a few more people started tuning in (on the basis of that clip of the voice-note reveal, I'd wager). Way to kill momentum for a show deserving of better numbers. Couldn't agree more about Stanbury, who is firing on all cylinders. Whether it is pranking the women with 'Sergio's coming,' to talking face to face with Brooks, to the voice note reveal -- Caroline is Queen Bee and rules this show effortlessly. She is in control, and I thought Lesa's "First of all -- messy" with its tone of near-admiration was to Stanbury, not Brooks. Lesa knows she got outplayed. Check. Mate. Totally agree about Taleen and Ayan vying to be the Juliets in Caroline's life. Juliet must be watching the season from London and absolutely FUMING. As far as who is to blame, Lesa shared the voice note with Ayan, who shared it with Caroline, who used it to embarrass Sara and break up the Brooks-Sara friendship. Neither of these three women are coming out of this smelling like roses! I don't believe Lesa shared it with Ayan because she didn't understand who Sara was talking about (Taleen). She shared it with her BFF so they'd have leverage over Sara. As for Sara -- dumb move recording that voice note in the first place and sending it to Lesa, of all people. Are they even close? Also dumb: believing that Brooks, aka Maleficent, is a true friend. Brooks is going to throw Sara under the bus to get close to Stanbury again. My girl Sara is naive, and I feel bad for her. She has no other close friends on the cast. She was once close to Stanbury and Sergio, but threw that away to prove to Brooks what a loyal ally she is. Sara is going to get burned. I'm starting to find Taleen annoying. Brooks thinks she's that girl, but the reason she came to Bali is that she didn't want the other women bonding and getting close without her there to drive a wedge. Stanbury let drop that a gentleman who appreciates Brooks', ahem, talents lent her the private plane. I'm intrigued, because that is the second or third time this season that someone has implied that Brooks relies on the kindness of well-connected men. Hmmmm. I'm so invested in this show and cannot wait for the next episode. 🙌 I'm no fan of Kyle, but I totally agree with you. Kyle and the psychodrama with her sisters has been the cornerstone of this show since Day One. None of the other women can match that. They are all reactors to events and don't really bring much of their lives to the screen. Kyle actually drives story and bases most of it on her familial relationships. Without her, I fear the show is going nowhere fast. It is literally built around her.

I get that vibe too, but it's not universal across Bravo. Andy knows that without RH, his WWHL dies on its feet. My speculation is that after Scandoval, Bravo wanted to go the Millennial route. They allowed Kyle to do her Selling BH show and got rid of Monica from SLC. But while The Valley did decent, VPR had to be put on pause. The Traitors may have been another possibility, but it is RHs and their fans which carry that show. Traitors is what UGT was meant to be. Other Millennial focused shows like nuRHONY haven't done as well (even though i love nuRHONY, Dubai and Miami). So now Bravo is trying to recalibrate again. I still have hope for RH. But if BH, Potomac and ATL don't deliver, it is in big trouble. Only OC is carrying the torch right now. P.S.: I'd give anything to have Dubai on Sunday and OC on Tuesday. And another RH on Monday. P.P.S.: I wish I knew how the RH shows were doing on streaming! Those viewing figures are really key now.

This makes me sad to read, because I am still invested in the Real Housewives. I am definitely enjoying Dubai and OC, and looking forward to RHONY 2.0 coming soon, and of course Miami. I am even looking forward to BH and Potomac, even though they are way past their best. (I didn't even finish Potomac proper last season). While it saddens me to read your comment (bolded), I cannot fault your logic. The RH brand is struggling. I'm not sure Bravo is invested anymore -- it just doesn't have any other safe island on which to land at the moment (unless they want to expand Below Deck to 10 iterations?). There is also a core RH fandom which would abhor mass cancellations and make its anger known to NBC Universal. I don't know what the future holds, unless one of RH franchises captures the zeitgeist again with some crazy amazing season which becomes Must-See TV. Given that I no longer watch Daytime soaps, I would be sad if the Real Housewives disappeared altogether. The problem right now is that NJ and ATL, two of Bravo's biggest ratings juggernauts, are almost in a death spin. People have clocked out of both. NJ last season was still hitting +1 million for a couple of episodes, but fans have switched off this season, and I'm not sure they are coming back. As for ATL, I think its loyal viewers will give the season opener a chance, but if it is lacklustre, they too will take their business elsewhere.

That's too bad, Dubai was just gaining a little momentum in its weak numbers last week. 😪 Any reason for the pause? I'm still catching up on last week's Dubai and OC -- I was out of town. After @DaytimeFan's excoriating assessment of the most recent NJ episode, I have zero desire to catch up on the season. Plus Melissa Gorga appears to be on WWHL every week, and that's a hard no for me.

Ayan told Stanbury something secret about Lesa. Just speculating.

That's the best news I've heard all week! Hoping it's a December start for them.

I saw it. It was spectacular. Honestly, one of the best things about Dubai is the cinematography. The light, the surroundings, the color. It's like a glossy movie made with film stock, not digital. Miami has this quality also -- when Julia jumped onto the bay at sunset to surprise Martina who was swimming. That was pure cinema escapism.

Yep. And this season, it is now a three-way between Stanbury, Lesa and Brooks. Lesa and Brooks want that crown so bad. Stanbury currently as it because basically this series was built around her. Sara thinks scrambling for the crown is so unclassy, and Taleen just wants to get her feet under the table first. Ayan would LOVE the crown (and in a way, she already has it, cuz Andy loves her and so do other RHs) but she's insecure and knows she doesn't have F-you money. So she's happy to have alliances with others. She likes to keep her friends close and frenemies even closer. LOL, Heather is just relieved that she (and her marriage to Terry) is not in the hot-seat this season! Shannon's DUI was a gift for HD -- it drove Tamra back into their old alliance. Tamra never misses a chance to kick someone when they're down! But so far, Shannon is making her way swimmingly through this PR disaster of a DUI. She's winning over the audience. The timer is unofficially 'on' to see who runs to make amends with Shannon first -- Heather or Tamra.

RHOC Not as epic as the season opener, but a necessary episode to lay down the individual and group narratives fot the season. Shannon has got this. Alexis is fighting fire with a tiny blowtorch. She looks completely awful involved in this Take Down Shannon SL, and Shannon appears barely phased by her. Even Gina and Emily are like 'What are we doing cheerleading Alexis on?' The scene where Shannon apologises to Gina for giving her a hard time over her DUI was likely Shannon looking to make a quick alliance, but it was nice that she acknowledged Guna's feelings, and nice that Gina hugged her and understood what Shannon has been struggling with. Heather was anxious not to appear like the sniper from the side, but it's clear that she and Tamra set up Shannon. I can't buy Tamra's defense for turning on Shannon so cruelly. This is payback for when she left OC and Shannon dropped her. I do understand, however, why Eddie might not be crazy about Shannon's presence in Tamra's life. I always forget that Jenn Pedranti is on this show, but when she appears, I realise why she is a great addition to OC. She looks like a Tamra-Gretchen hybrid. She is Lynne Curtining her private life for the cameras. And now she's got her Midwestern father (another OC throwback) and Gina vouching for her financially. What could possibly go wrong? Lol. She needs to dump this Ryan twit who is doing zero to support their family.

@Taoboi @Soaplovers It was definitely Dubai's best episode tthus far of the season. But i have turned on Brooks. That's not to say that I want her off the show. It's that she is mean, and insanely competitive and jealous of the other women. Villainess, I can live with, and I believe her when it comes to Taleen. I think Taleen used her to get on the show and then dumped her to get to Stanbury. However, Brooks is spiteful, and she's knock-knock-knocking on Marge's door with all this dubious info she collects on the other women and attempts to hold over their heads. I wish Sara wasn't so close to her, because this is going to alienate her from the other women and them blow up in her face when Brooks gets possessive and vengeful (honestly, I cannot believe Brooks is a Libra!). I'm glad you noticed @Taoboi that Lesa set this fight up for her own amusement. Lesa and Brooks are cut from the same cloth sometimes; Lesa is just better at being the sniper ftom the side. Did you notice Stanbury's exasperation when she laid out her table and felt she had to put Ayan and Lesa together, otherwise Lesa would kick up a fuss? LOL. I saw some commebts on Twitter saying Taleen's husband needs to stay out of women's business (hello, Nene meme), but I thought Rafi was in the right and merely defended his wife who was being mercilessly attacked by Brooks -- who chased them down the house to hurl accusations at Taleen that she was a drunkard. Rafi looked shocked and lowkey hurt that Brooks would turn on them like that. Dawn looks beautiful but doesn't say a damn thing -- just like on RHOCheshire. She could have been a great HW back in the day, but was always way too careful about not being seen to be the bad guy. How on earth she and her over-mortgaged husband landed in Dubai, the land of copious capital, is beyond me! Speaking of mortgages... that tea about Michael paying Stanbury's mortgage.... how? Why? Why would you pay someone else's mortgage? What is Stanbury to Michael? Is he her brother? Is he super-wealthy?? Because i cannot fathom any other reason why he would do this. Why isn't Cem paying for these things? Why isn't Sergio??

I hope you cherish this tribute to Shannen from another B -- Buffy. Sarah Michelle Gellar paid wonderful tribute to her close friend of 30 years: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9ch6s0JoWt/?igsh=MWxkbDd5dnAxNjd3bQ==

Beautifully said. I will miss all those people you mentioned. Shine bright, stars, for they always shone so brightly for us. Shannen is a hard one, because she had that certain quality that made you compelled to watch her (they all did!). I followed her on Instagram, so proud of the woman she became. She never lost her fight. She was feisty even as she showed us her deepest vulnerabilities and fears. RIP, powerful Shannen. And hugssss, my dear friend.

What a tough, feisty lady, in the best sense of the words. She fought such a hard battle against breast cancer. I was in admiration of her courage and bravery. She will always be an absolute legend to me... and FYI I was always a Brenda fan! Lol. If you know you know.

OC I agree with most of you -- it was a great premiere that threw you right into drama that is a decade into the making, but still feels accessible for a new viewer. As I suspected, this season is putting Shannon on the outs with everyone to build her back up. By the end of the season, I predict she will be queen bee and Tamra and Heather will sidle up to her again, leaving the other ladies in the dust. The only problem is Shannon's unwillingness to acknowledge a very real drinking problem. Emily isn't the only one who's been hitting the Ozempic hard. At least Emily still has her curves and looks herself. Gina is literally a shadow of her forner self and looks 10 year's older. Shannon is a twiglet and seems to have had another nose job and face lift. I zoned out during the Gina scenes. She's doing a lot of OTT work. Cool that she sold Lizzie Vargas's house, though. Jennifer is a solid addition to this cast and feels very OC throwback. Sutton's friend is an unusual addition and might work better on BH, but I do like her on OC as a classy counterweight. Alexis hasn't changed a bit, and that works. It was her cluelessness that kept her on the show. John Jansen is going to blow through her alimony like he blew through Shannon's inheritance. She's always had horrific taste in men. Looking forward to this season and all the layers of drama weve seen unfold slowly over years. Bravo already gave us a Shannon-Alexis face off and it was pure soap. You must tell me why you think Sara is a wannabe! Is she trying to carry the image of Emirati women on the show? Sure. But the other women are calling her on it. Is her relationship with Akin set up for the show? Probably, but at least we got Maktoum's random twerking! I like her. I think she has a good heart. The scene between Ayan and Lesa made me sad becauseit felt like real friends confidingin each other, but it was also very good. Something is obviously going on in Lesa's marriage and she's preparing for the possibility that he might leave. Brooks is such a manipulative villain and I love it-- but so, too, is Taleen. Sergio.... sigh. Even his mom knows Caroline better than he does. And so does Yasmine. She was spilling sone major tea. Sergio moved in during the height of Covid one week after her dad moved out? Oof. Caroline really lets it all hang out.