Cat

So, I came away with a somewhat different view of the episode. For the record, I'm not Team anybody, and I'm not Anti anybody either. Lesa is incredibly beautiful, fiery, and a pretty fab RH addition. But she is also jealous and controlling, and cannot admit to her BFF the real reason for her anger. She has a great deal of pride, and admitting such a thing would be an admission of weakness. Lesa is jealous of Stanbury. For many reasons. For the fact that she's a Queen Bee of this franchise, for the fact that Ayan is now making heart-eyes at Stanbury. And she thought she could manipulate Ayan over two seasons. She didn't expect Ayan and Stanbury to hit it off. And so, she tripped over some of the groundwork she laid. Her intense laser focus on trying to outplay Stanbury alienated her from the rest of the group, who didn't want to be her proxy either. The fact is, Lesa is not warm with the other women. She tolerates them, but Ayan is (or was) her special friend. By contrast, Stanbury cultivates friendships and people around her. Lesa kind of islanded herself. I see she's tried to make an alliance with Brooks ahead of reunion, but Maleficent is going to bite her too, sooner or later. Do I think Ayan made too big a thing over absolutely nothing? Yes. That fake boohooing was the cringiest acting I have ever seen. Ayan saw an opportunity to play victim and have her moment. But two things can be true at the same time, and maybe she was tired of Lesa, the dominant figure in their friendship, directing her on the show. They've obviously both been strategizing with regards to the other women up until this point. Reunion will hopefully shine a light on some of these issues. Maybe I've read it all wrong, too.

Alexia is not about that broke-broke life and never has been. I knew she'd finagle her way back into his life -- or start dating his best friend to make him jealous! This is the high standard of Telenovelaness we expect from RHOM. I sure hope the cameras are capturing all this.

There is a ton going on (Nicole's baby, the Pippen-Jordan break-up, Marcus coke-bumping, Lenny getting his ass dumped)! I'd give anything to watch karma smacking Lenny in the face, after he tried to lock his wife and kids out of the house so he could turn it into a love-nest for the tacky side-chick. Lenny's mom must also be ruing her decision to welcome the trashpot with open arms -- she alienated the mother of her beloved grandchildren in favor of somebody who was clearly going to move onto bigger and better sugar daddies. 💀

I guess she healed from all his free plastic surgery that made her look like a Barbie doll, and swiftly embarked on a Hot Gorl Summer.

I thought it was Mercury Retrograde also! Certainly the intransigence of my boss aligns with the intransigence between the female friends I cited. The really sad thing is a lot of problems I'm facing have solutions, but everyone is digging in and being very My Way or the Highway. And it is killing morale, and affecting me emotionally. Because the solution, as I said, is within reach but no-one wants to compromise anymore or accept responsibility. That's the issue we are also seeing play out between these Dubai women, specifically Ayan and Lesa who have been on the outs for nearly 2 years now. Lol. Thanks for the hugs. Sending good vibes to you also. I won't see a small respite until Friday 13th (yikes) so I just want to make it to there lol. Honestly, the RHs and this thread will be my little distraction for the next little while, so thank you, posters here, and keep up the good work! Lol.

Finally catching up on Dubai (after another horrific week at work, sigh). My quick take is that if Brooks' spa never once crossed Lesa (and her event planner's) mind, then she is really not bright. As soon as Lesa verbalised the concept for this event, I thought 'Uh oh, why isn't she having this at Glass Door? It would have been a nice way to get Brooks' support for a Mina Roe event. I knew Maleficent Brooks would have a problem with the whole tjing. Lesa may dislike Stanbury the most, but that doesn't mean her rivalry with Brooks isn't percolating either! Brooks expertly sowed the seeds of discontent, and Taleen saw an opportunity to go after Lesa for her moment, and it escalated into a mini gang-up, which Lesa managed to bat away -- for now. But the bad feeling now has momentum, which I imagine we see play out next week. The Sara-Saba conversation was pretty compelling to watch if, like me, you like Sara. You're right, it was the authentic Sara we saw behind the mask.of perfection. And given everything that has now transpired between the Two S's, it was crazy to watch them so close. Female friendships of all ages can be intense, sometimes you kind of fall for people platonically, and when you later fall out, it is as painful and heartbreaking as a romantic relationship break-up. Sometimes even more so, if the friendship was a long one. I don't know what's happening recently, but I'm seeing really close girl friends suddenly fall out catastrophically with each other, and I don't understand why! And RHs is built on the ebb and flow of these very intense, close female relationships, so I hope Saba I'd back for S3. It's too bad reunion has already filmed.

Woah, wat? Is this like Alexis and Shannon's ex on RHOC??

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.