Cat

NYC

I thought tonight would be the finale! IMO they could have condensed this episode into half of next week's.

I was thinking I would miss Carole after she's gone -- but then she brought up Tinsley's abusive relationship to explain her reaction on the boat.  Carole is that girl, who reminds her BFFs of their failures in order to slap them with her superiority. She and Bethenny are made for each other. 

I like what Ramona has done to her Hamptons home (namely update the kitchen). Bethenny's new apartment looks identical to her past 5 apartments: like a sterile executive suite at the Marriott.

The #Countess seems to have found her old confidence and bitchiness this episode! I'm not sure how I feel about it. 

Ugh, I thought we could avoid seeing Adam this season, but no, Mouth-Breather has returned. And in his time away, he still hasn't learned to enunciate his words. 

Sonja as usual is the gift that keeps on giving. The detailing of bodily functions is embarrassingly relatable, lol. And using Ramona's party to canvas her show line?  Sonja is saving on her marketing budget.

11 hours ago, Faulkner said:

 

 

 

Oh Heather, how I missed your common sense.  

12 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

I'm liking RHOC so far... it's in the process of a rebuild.  It's a different breed of a housewife show than NY (thank god) and Potolomac.  Its a family show where family is equally in focus with the non family stuff... and I'm sorry.. I'm liking Kelly sticking it to Vicki.  Vicki needs to go, she covered up Brooks cancer.. and that actually bothers me quite a bit.

RHOC does cover families a little more than the other shows, but since Season 6 the show has focused more on the womens' relationships with each other. Tamra brought a Survivor dynamic to the show (alliances, targeting the weak link, etc) and it brought in viewers, for better or worse. 

I feel you re: Vicki. She is such a central figure, but I understand that her unwillingness to discuss all the details of Brooks' scam coherently has weighed on the show. This season does feel like make-or-break.

12 hours ago, Chris B said:

@Cat I definitely think Lydia got hosed and as annoying as she could be I do miss Heather! It just seems she was so difficult to work with they wouldn’t have her back. Gretchen and Alexis I feel are too trashy to bring back but I’d be down for Lizzie, Jeana or Lauri again even just as a friend. 

Yeah Gretch + Alexis are part of RHOC's less aspirational (but imo golden) middle seasons. When I wrote about that dumbbell Alexis earlier, I LOLed thinking about her forays into local morning TV. S13 would have been great to have her, if only so we could understand why The Deepest Love didn't survive. 

10 hours ago, Chris B said:

Tonight Andy responded to fans on twitter suggesting Kenya on RHONY and said “Now that’s an idea!” Whether or not it would happen is anybody’s guess, but interesting he’d even mention it. Could be a good time for Kenya to join with Carole leaving. You can easily get rid of Tinsley as well and there’s no telling on if Luann will be full time with all her issues. I’d certainly entertain it. 

I'd entertain it, too, but Kenya is an acquired taste [(c) Ramona] and she could either gel with this group or be a square peg in a round hole.

On the plus side, she has humor. She is a drama queen (move over, Bethenny). In fact, the possibility of her and Bethenny butting heads is glorious. Plus the Dalys lives (very comfortably) in Brooklyn. Cue Ramona clutching her pearls.

On the minus side, she wouldn't be able to troll the NY women as comprehensively as she did on ATL her first two seasons. This isn't shooting fish in a barrel like it was with Kim Zolciak! That Apollo mess she instigated would not fly either.

The other 'minus' is Kenya's shade. It is never not improvised. A lot of those reads -- at reunions, in her VTs -- are contrived. Not saying the NYC ladies don't pre-plan their putdowns, but both Dorinda and Bethenny also think fast on their feet. Moreover, they + Ramona are like dogs with a bone in terms of getting the last word in. So is Kenya, and consequently, a face-off like that could be GOLD -- or it could leave Kenya badly exposed. 

4 hours ago, Gray Bunny said:

 

OC definitely feels like a chore to watch in comparison. I feel like they're already stuck in a story rut, so something needs to jolt things up and switch it around. Kelly Dodd, I feel like she's made it three seasons by default because the other newbies were dull as dishwater and made no lasting mark. She can be funny and mildly entertaining, but overall she's very sloppy and messy and blurts out horrible remarks without ever thinking first. 

 

Agreed. I'm way over Kelly Dodd at this point.

To reinvigorate the cast, how about *whispers* Lydia. Heather. Gretchen. Alexis.

Why Lydia? Lydia unfairly took the fall for last year's fiasco, but she did get under Shannon's skin, plus she managed to get the franchise rid of that horrendous stepbot Meghan.

Why not? I can't deal with another Nobleman launch/ball-snipping party for her boring husband.

Why Heather? Dynamic, snobby, has a watchably-irritating, receptionist-shagging (allegedly!) husband. Plus she has unfinished business with Kelly Dodd.

Why not? I can't deal with another four seasons about that effing half-built McMansion and that effing porte cochere.

Why Gretchen? Because it would make Tamra go BA-NA-NAS.

Why not? It's Gretchen. And it's Slade.

Why Alexis? Now that Jim Bellino has dumped her, I would happily watch Alexis trying to make another go of it on Fox 5. At this point, they would probably have her as a serious pundit on Fox NEWS. It's National Booty Awareness Month, guys! Also, the prospect of a balding Jim Bellino going apeshit on Tamra and Shannon is made of win.

Why not? It's Alexis. 

42 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

Yep...Ashley is going to get totally dragged...lol.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNVYJ7ZGrng

YESSSS Don't let her get away with it, Monique!! I am so glad Mo is holding Ashley to account. Not only is she a giant hypocrite AND a bad friend (friends don't let friends drive home after drinking), but she set out to destroy her with this.

3 minutes ago, ChitHappens said:

Not seeing a dragging here.  I'm waiting for someone to really stick it to Ashley and there is a lot to toss at her.  Her husband does not want her, (not eve has a beard), he doesn't want any kids even tho she's trying to trap him into more money, her settlement will be significantly lower, her mother is a leech and taught her everything she knows, etc...

You're not seeing the dragging? I thought Monique was like a dog with a bone, she didn't let Ashley outtalk or outbark her one bit.

So I'm watching season 3 M2M for the first time in full (initially dropped it for a while because S2 was kind of dull). S3 really is the season M2M came into its own. There was a lot of juicy material: Simone's anger and trust issues, Jackie's stuff with her dad, Quad vs Lisa Nicole, Lisa Nicole and that dog of a husband, Dr Darren! I am curious to know what people here thought of Lisa Nicole. In terms of the vs Quad stuff, I am definitely Team Lisa. Quad was so pissed at being exposed as a fraudster and felon that she went out of her way to attack and expose Lisa's private life. However, there is something kind of smug about Lisa Nicole. All that fake 'our family is stronger than ever!' stuff. I wish she would have dumped Darren's cheating ass. Cheating is such a dealbreaker and I don't know if I could trust a partner again after that. 

Quad had a lot of plastic surgery work done since S1, damn. That ego was out of control then as it is now! I still don't understand how this woman thinks that she is the 'queen' of this show? Also Quad, running an online doggy clothing business does not mean you are 'in fashion.' Get over yourself.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I am liking Toya and even Devilishly this season? Devilishly comes across better when her cute daughter is around. She is still shady though, like when she roped Darren in to be a bachelor on her dating night. Still, she had some great lines: "Damon don't need to be near no hoes, just like I don't need to be near no food."

Jill is ok but if they had to bring a white woman back, I would have preferred Kari. Meanwhile, Mariah this season looked absolutely gorgeous with darker hair.

Potomac

This has been my favourite franchise of the HWs this year, alongside NY. The OG core group have know each other for years, the young 'uns are a good mix, and amid the fights and 'scandalous' revelations, there is just the right balance of lightness, shade and humor.

As @DaytimeFan said, without Karen, there would be no show. I love her, unapologetically, flaws, lies and all. Her issues give these other women a reason for collecting a Bravo cheque living. Her shade is unparalleled (Gizelle in her wildest dreams could never be this funny). Her comebacks are flawless. Clearly, Great Falls is a fake set-up -- but I wager that whichever condo she is camping at is still more fabulous than the Green Eyed Monsters' abodes combined. Yes, even the Darbys' large apartment, which looks like a sterile, steel box.

Ray showed up Thirsty Michael effortlessly and it was icing on the cake. Both the Darbys want to detract from their toxic problems by going after the Hugers. Many people say that Ashley is putting it all out there, that she has nothing to hide. I disagree. Ashley only puts out the issues which make her look good. The stuff with her mom is meant to showcase Sweet Hard-Working Ashley, taking care of her fambly. The baby talk on-camera? To coerce Michael into giving her a kid. However, Michael made clear tonight that he doesn't trust her to stick around after that little human ATM is born! This SL wasn't meant to showcase her gold-digging tendencies, but it has. I also notice that Production never presses Ashley on Michael's Grindr rumors like they do Karen's financial difficulties.

That look on Candiace's mom's face when Ray told Michael where to go was priceless. I'm starting to think that Candiace's mom, like Dale on RHONY, needs to be on this show a whole lot more. And I really am warming to Candy-ass. I like her and think she needs another season -- but without any wedding planning talk because it is BORING. 

Also her Chris has THREE kids?? What? I thought he just had one! Oy.... this marriage...

Gather her, Karen!

https://youtu.be/9ZF0j1qY_7w

Quad doing her best "YOU DON'T KNOW.... WHAT I GO THROUGH.. AT NIGHT!" Screaming and wailing is her best diversion tactic to avoid uncomfortable questions about felon pasts/ex girlfriends/fleecing husbands of their money.

Having said that, if Mariah is returning to the fold (yasss), we need Quad there this season. There is a lot of unfinished business between those two.

Glad the ex husbands are also featured, so that they get their say.

Candiace is dressed the best out of all of them in her yellow satin dressing gown! Say what you will, that color is gorgeous against her skin. The thing about the Potomac women is that they routinely look like they got into their kid's dressing-up box. Here, Monique looks like she  is auditioning for a sci-fi movie. Gizelle is going full Princess Jasmine of Aladdin. I'm tired of her long blonde Barbie hair too. I know it's her signature look but I wish she would change it up a bit like Karen with her wigs.

2 hours ago, ChitHappens said:

@Cat, I just thought about it.  If Michael did file, this decreases Ashley's payout, right?  

 

Absolutely. She signed that extended pre-nup (effective 5 more years, i believe) on-screen as a sign of good faith. She thought that if she did that, he'd agree on-screen to having a child as a sign of his good faith (and therefore she'd get a payout/comfortable child support in the event of a divorce). However, Ashley gambled wrong and he now has her in a corner. As she told her enraged mom earlier this season, if she left Michael now, she wouldn't be able to support her mother and half-sister at all, let alone herself. 

2 hours ago, Taoboi said:

@Cat @DaytimeFan @Cheap21 , it's here!!!!

 

 

Literally hyperventilating!

Here for the Hugers vs. Darbys. Does Michael look like he is crying? And does it seem like both Ray and Michael have filed for divorce from their wives?

Here for Ashley getting called out. Gizelle and Robyn aren't getting dragged enough IMO after they got Ash to do their dirty work. Also here for Candy-ass feeling herself vs Ashley. I think I want her back next year!

Monique killed Giz with: "I don't need to bring another woman to ruffle your feathers; I can just breathe and do that!"

New York

Probably the episode of the season. Sure, there was toxic feeling, and clearly it was a shitty trip for everybody --- literally. But all I felt was affection for every single HW this episode. Fundamentally, everybody loves each other, everybody is kind of obsessed with each other!, and that was showcased on the island especially.

-Bethenny encouraging Dorinda to talk to Luann,

-Luann hugging Dorinda wordlessly,

-Sonja flashing everything to everybody,

-Luann playing the (naughty but not malicious) dead-crab joke on Ramona in the hammock,

-everybody being Luann and Sonja's audience during their impromptu cabaret rehearsal,

-Sonja sitting on a crying Ramona's lap in the boat,

-Bethenny holding Carole's hair back as she threw up in a bowl,

all these moments were kind of tender and heartfelt in their way? The relationships these women share are evident. Even when they are on the outs with one another, they care.

The only bum note was the shot at the end of the lady scrubbing a bed down after the night's collective diarrhoea attack. It was disrespectful of a person who likely works very hard for a minuscule wage by US standards.

@alwaysAMC That's probably the reason I am most bummed not to see Luann at reunion -- I love her friendship with Dorinda, and that whole incident needs to be talked out.

On another note, I am rewatching Real Housewives of Auckland and OMG, it is 10 episodes of perfection. I can't believe they won't do a Season 2! Angela Stone! Anne the champagne cat lady! Pot-stirring Louise!

These southern hemisphere RH shows are so watchable (the EP of RHoMelbourne, Kylie Washington, also did Auckland). Sydney needs some tinkering but hopefully it can do better when it returns in 2019.

1 hour ago, Faulkner said:

Bethenny is just so childish. And she always seems to be speaking on behalf of Bravo, even for seasons when she wasn’t there (her tweet at Aviva concerning the NY Post article about HWs being overserved).

Truly childish. It's always about her. Only she can quit RHONY! I know she has a fanbase, but is she that universally beloved that she can call the shots like this?

BTW, in contradiction to Bethenny's statement, Andy was asked if Carole quit or was fired on his radio show, and he said that she quit. 

Jill Zarin Bethenny really really really wants Carole to know that she 'won.'  ^^ 

So when are we going to get a 'focus group' telling Bravo to fire Bethenny? 

Honestly, Team Carole at this point (haven't seen yesterday's episode yet, so I reserve the right to change my mind). Carole may be cold, snobby, superficial. She may be obsessed with staying young (and that's why she latched onto Tinsley and Adam). But I can't fault her for knowing her own mind. She got tired of tending to Bethenny and having the energy sucked out of her. I truly believe she left because she was over the B and over the show.

16 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

@Cat I'm not surprised the OC isn't pulling in ratings that are closer to 2 mil (like in previous seasons).   Season 12 was a disaster.. and the shows refusal to fire Vicki is what is killing the show.  A lot of Housewife fans I've talked to in Chicago have cited Vicki as their primary reason they've tuned out of the OC... Facebook message replies on the RHOC page also indicate Vicki should have been fired, and even Twitter has said the same thing.

 

Yes, Vicki is the OG.. but lets face it... Nene and Bethenny left their shows and the shows carried on without them.. so I think it is time for the OC to shed their OG and focus onto the future.  She isn't married, her primary filming partner (Brianna) isn't on this year so we won't see her as a mother nor as a grandmother... I'm still questioning why she wasn't downgraded to friend of status since she doesn't have anything to offer that Shannon/Tamra/Kelly can offer.

 

Vicki is polarising for sure, and as you see here, there are viewers who are for her as much as there are those out there against her. Some feel she knew about the cancer scam and should be punished about it. My view is that she was in deep denial and half-crazed with grief (her mother's death). She had given up so much of her credibility to be with Brooks that she couldn't afford to let go of him when yet another scandal came up. She was so dickmatized that she didn't want to admit to herself that Brooks was lying. The show basically forced her to cut ties with Brooks once and for all, because her professional reputation and livelihood were on the line. And that is why some people accept that Vicki should stay on the show. Because she IS deeply flawed, and those are relatable flaws in a way. She is entertaining in showing us exactly what makes her tick, and not a lot of HWs are willing to show that side of themselves.

Could well be that RHOC took a hit because Vicki remained on the show. I also think that the constant harping on Brooks and Cancer for 3 seasons afterwards eroded the audience base. People just got exhausted hearing about it. I got exhausted every time Meghan showed up onscreen!

Vicki was on WWHL this week and the show made a point of having Vicki mega-fans call in. Vicki emphasised that she has a lot of fans and is close with them. It made me go Hmmmm because on one hand it seemed the show was bending over backwards to show us how big Vicki is with some fans. On the other hand, I have actually seen a Vicki 4-EVA lifer who has been her fan since S1 lol (the devotion was a bit scary tbh lol), so I know they are out there.

1 hour ago, alwaysAMC said:

 

NYC ratings have been pretty decent this season.  They've even been at the top of the Wed. night cable ratings a handful of weeks, so it's a success.  They're nowhere near their glory days of Season 3, but it's better than Seasons 5-7.  Here are the ratings from this past week:

 

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC

BRAVO

9:00 PM

1,475

0.5

 

OC has started pretty low this season, which is a little lower than normal, but the OC always has a bigger buildup and end each season with pretty good ratings.  BH is usually the same - start slow/low in ratings but build up to higher ratings by end of the season.  Atlanta is always pretty consistent throughout the season.  

 

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF OC

BRAVO

9:00 PM

1,412

0.5

Thanks for all the info! That's great to know that NYC is pulling in some decent ratings! It's my favourite franchise. I'm willing to wait for OC to build its audience. The ratings here make me wonder whether Potomac would get a few more viewers if it was on at 9pm (ET) on a Sunday instead of 8pm. Sunday 8pm seems like such a Sunday-family-time/Murder She Wrote timeslot, lol.

On 31/07/2018 at 5:57 AM, DaytimeFan said:

Tonight's OC episode was really fun thanks to Shannon, Vicki and Tamra. They were hilarious and did seem to like each other.

 

Kelly had better watch out because she's an island unto herself. 

 

The other two feel like their scenes are edited in. They're irrelevant. 

Yeah, the OC episode felt like the old days. Even the two irrelevants on stroller duty felt like Early OC! It will be interesting to see if they gel with The Big Three as the season goes on. The Big Three are a force unto themselves and could quite easily carry a mini-season on their shoulders alone.

Kelly is becoming less relevant and interesting. I never really warmed to her except on the Bus Ride from Hell, but I know she has her fans here and elsewhere. She is definitely trying -- and failing -- to marshal Shannon and Tamra against Vicki, they were all like "Oh wow, how awful" -- and then they blithely made their way to Mexico with Vicki to whoop it up.

Who is in the right here? Well, maybe Vicki should not be double-dating with Michael and his new GFs. When a divorce happens, the friendship group usually splits, and it seems like Vicki is more Team Michael when she should be Team Kelly. Everything in Vicki's words and demeanour suggests that she likes hanging out with Michael more. Plus she sympathizes with his rejection by Kelly.

Kelly has every right to feel betrayed/hurt BUTTTTT -- she wanted to get rid of him. She went on camera saying she hated his guts. She filed for divorce, so she shouldn't be mad if he is dating again. As S3 Luann once said, "when men move on, they move FAST."

13 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Have y'all noticed the Potomac ratings lately?  They've plummeted throughout the season, granted they don't have a strong lead-in like they did the first half of the season.  But this past week's episode went down to a 0.3 and they've been under a million in total viewers for a bit now:

 

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC

BRAVO

8:00 PM

856

0.3

 

Per TVbythenumbers.com

That's really too bad, although the past few weeks' episodes have had slightly less momentum. I'd be interested to know NYC's numbers as a comparison. As Cheap said, Potomac has been one of the best franchises this year, so it's a shame not as many viewers recognise.

@Soaplovers @j swift I wondered if location is a problem for Potomac. I didn't really know where Potomac was before the show. Contrast that with BH, OC, NYC, ATL, etc., all shows with a central sense of place. Potomac could be set in suburbia anywhere, and in fact most of the ladies don't actually live in Potomac the town -- Karen is in Great Falls God knows where, Gizelle's in Bethesda, Robyn in Hanover, Ashley looks like Arlington, VA. I have no clue where Monique or Candiace live. They should have just called it Real Housewives of DC 2.0 or Real Housewives of Maryland. The lack of sense of place is a problem because, as said here, the location needs to become a character in of itself.

I think Dallas this season may be Texing it up a bit more.

The thing I like about Potomac, though, is this uber-thin line between having money (or pretending to have money) and not having a dime. Ever since 2008, this has been a major anxiety of the squeezed middle-class, which found itself mired in massive debt. People had Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget. This anxiety powers Potomac's women more than any franchise (with the exception of OC Lynne who was the first to show the financial lies underpinning her family's life).

The Potomac men once had money and now they are going broke or are leaving them. Suddenly these women are looking into the abyss of pennilessness, of having their mortgaged homes seized, of trying to scratch out some income for themselves (without actually getting a real job lol). Gizelle, Robyn, Ashley and Karen are all experiencing this predicament to different degrees. It's why Gizelle latched onto Sherman as an answer to her (financial) prayers. It's why Ashley latches onto Michael, even though their marriage is dead. 

Oh Lizzie...

http://www.realitytea.com/2018/07/30/lizzie-rovsek-owes-over-108k-in-back-taxes/

And here is Dorinda on Jenny McCarthy's radio show:

http://www.realitytea.com/2018/07/30/jim-bellino-suing-tamra-judge-shannon-beador-million-dollars/

He must be REALLY Hard up for cash!

19 hours ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

Potomac:

 

This episode was the one filler episode this season and it was not needed. 

 

Giz crapping on Robyn flipping homes is to be expected. She crapped on Karen, Ashley, and Monique's business ventures. Not shocking she'd do it to her own friend. It just boggles my mind how she was ready to fight Karen last week for dissing Every Hue when she disses everyone else's. Ugh. Giz is a miserable sow. 

 

I didn't find the women trespassing at Karen's house to be funny either. Just tacky & shows how much they obsess over Karen. I am ready for Karen and Ray to dig into the Darbys next week. 

 

Lastly, Ashley wanting kids is hilarious. Girl, let that pipe dream go. The second that you signed that agreement (without an attorney might I add), that dream was over. Dead. Finito. Done. Michael does not wanna bread with you and never have. Your purpose was to be his personal beard and nothing more. Girl, move one. Hilarious how she sh-ts on Ray/Karen when her marriage is the true horror story. 

 

I'm ready for the finale and reunion. 

IA it was filler. I didn't find the pizza delivery disguises funny. We get it, the house is staged for filming. The point was just to humiliate Karen. I really want Karen and Ray to expose the three losers instead of letting them get away with their maliciousness. 

Ashley is changing her story about her deadbeat mom dumping her on the grandparents and prioritising her no-good boyfriend. Now she is all 'My mother raised me on her own, she's a saint.' She's been playing her mom against Michael this whole time and now the show is exposing her duplicity. She wants to guilt Michael into having a baby and I bet when he watches these episodes, he's going to be less likely than ever to 'rush her to the bedroom' (barf).

Candiace's mother is more interesting than Candy-ass. Fact.

I keep forgetting Monique is on the show! On another site, the Potomac viewers seem to think Monique is the sniper from the side, playing women against the other. I'm not sure I see that exactly, but is that what people think here? I find it hard to put my finger on Monique and get a read on her.

1 hour ago, Faulkner said:

Maybe the ratings haven’t dipped enough for the show to feel the urgency for drastic, necessary changes. I just feel there’s really nowhere to go with this crew, and one woman in, one woman out isn’t going to be enough of a shift. Like how many times can we do this with LVP and Kyle? But if Kim hadn’t imploded so spectacularly at the reunion, it looked like Bravo was going to send us on the Nene/Kim rollercoaster again. They don’t really ever learn to stop beating dead horses.

OMG amen to this! That Denise Richard news really indicates to me that Bravo are just tinkering. Denise Richards is not going to revive this franchise on her tiny shoulders. And one HW down still leaves five HWs remaining! Five HWs who have strategized and manipulated the show into a dead-end. 

Like, how many more times can we watch Erika get glammed up and call the other women c**ts? Dorit, ditto? Rinna, ditto? Is LVP going to adopt more puppies in order to strong-arm the audience into liking her? Is Kyle going to play the victim in order to guilt the audience into liking her? I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I may just have to sit S9 out!

2 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Ugh. Why can’t it be both? They are so awful and toxic to the show. And kick Dorit out with them.

Dorit is the worst. She is toxic and awful and coked up and would literally sell her mother down the river for a moment of 'relevance' on BH. I'd be willing to give Rinna and Erika another chance at a season if Dorit was kicked off the show -- that's how lowly I think of her. However, what BH really needs is to fire absolutely everybody. They are all toxic and they all despise each other. It can never be what it once was. 

Basically, BH's horribleness has even surpassed NJ's season of the twins and those Marchese people. lol I know those are fighting words.

13 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Yeah, it’s not so much wanting Carole to stay, but there needs to be a check on Bethenny. I felt that same way when Nene’s ego grew to the size of an asteroid on ATL. There were always people who could get under Nene’s skin (Kim, Sheree, sometimes Phaedra), but they weren’t rootable figures at all. Kenya couldn’t really hang with Nene. Claudia could go toe to toe with Nene verbally, but that was *all* she brought to the show, and she came off as a one-note thirsty pest. I think Nene, since her return and some career ups and downs, is a less condescending, more likable presence now, so there isn’t as much need for a counterbalance. (That could change.)

 

Bethenny, on the other hand, is more out of control than ever. 

IA the power trip has been largely unchecked, and this was the first season at least one person was standing up to her. Ramona tried last year and almost lost her spot. 

As I said, I didn't like Carole in recent years, her laxy ass was happy to use Heather and Bethenny as her attack dogs when she didnt like somebody! However, this season is different. She has no f*cks to give. This season has been an emancipation of sorts. The tone of her press announcement suggests that it might be her decision to leave, and to not look back.

But if Bethenny is the new Jill Zarin, then S11 is going to be like S4. The ego will be left unchecked, and she will make Dorinda and Ramona PAY for backing Carole up. The difference between S4 then and now is that production had no love for Jill and were ready to cut her loose. Bethenny basically has power over production at this point, and that is bad news for the audience, the other women and the show. 

I'd be interested to see what transpired at reunion....

Choosing between Team Bethenny or Team Carole is like making a choice on Game of Thrones: neither choice is great, and you'll probably end up as roadkill whichever team you go for.

On one hand, I feel for Bethenny being rejected by her BFF. Carole kind of is America's Houseguest, slinking through wealthy and connected people's lives. When things are great, Carole will hang with them, but when they go through a rough patch, she doesn't want to know.  

OTOH, when Carole told Sonja that friendship with Bethenny is "a lot about Bethenny, and not much about Carole," she hit the nail on the head. Bethenny is exhausting. She is an emotional vampire who sucks the air out of a room and has to make everything about her. 

I haven't liked Carole since she became all about Mouth-Breather. However, if as @Chris B says, she has been chased off the show by Bethenny (another one bites the dust!), that's too bad. Because she was the only one standing up to Bethenny and getting the best of her. When she goes, who will be left to keep Bethenny from devouring the show? Drunk Dorinda? Ramona? We know that if Jill comes back, she will buddy up with Bethenny again because she is desperate for Bethenny's love and forgiveness. In some ways, Bethenny has become the new Jill Zarin.

Speaking of Dorinda, my girl has aged so much in one year. The drinking is a serious, serious problem, and it is driving away her friends. She needs to seek help

Finally, I love Sonja! She is funny, upbeat, humble, kind and sagely understanding of the whole group. She really showed her best side this episode.

On 25/07/2018 at 9:38 PM, Chris B said:

 

RHOBH - I’m happy they’re delaying the start of the season. Shows they’re serious about retooling the cast and also starting later gives them a chance to show us different parts of their lives. Switching the filming schedule worked wonders at New York. I’m hoping Denise Richards does get the gig and I’d love Eileen back. 

 

RHOA - This show is like popcorn tv. It’s interesting in the moment but drags. I’ll miss Kenya and do think they’re doing her wrong, but it isn’t the end of the world. Hopefully the new housewives are good so we can move the story forward. I’m not excited by this show at all anymore. I need a good trailer to care. 

ITA about BH and ATL. IMO both need a total reboot and revamp. They really have lost the magic. I have fallen out of love with all the women on BH, to the point where I'd rather watch RHONJ *with* Siggy Flicker than one more episode of S8 RHOBH.

On ATL, I still feel a lot of affection for Nene and Cynthia. But even they are not bringing much to the table in recent times. Sigh. 

27 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

More breaking news - Carole is leaving NYC!  This is an early announcement, but she's clearly done and ready to move on:

 

https://people.com/tv/carole-radziwill-leaving-real-housewives-of-new-york-city/

Wow! I am legit shocked. And almost sorry about it. She was the only HW capable of going toe to toe with Bethenny and matching her for smarts.

4 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Vicki's apology to Eddie was hilarious to me - once she brought out the bible quotes, I was done 

"The Bible says you have to forgive those who trespass against you, even though Tamra trespassed against me first. I was scammed too! I'm sorry Tamra's actions forced me to say that about you. Can you forgive me?"