Cat

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!

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.

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. 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.

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.

"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?"

Seems plausible. She is on the other side of the country and doesn't want crazies going after Ryan and her kids on social media. Plus she has gone back to a job in nursing. She always loved being a nurse and I'm glad she is not dependent on the show or her mom anymore. It clearly made her resentful and trapped. The Carolinas is a nice place to live, too. Also, Ryan is on Marines disability, and I have to wonder if that isn't for PTSD. Compared with Potomac and NY, there isn't much going on yet. Still 10 times better than last year. Lawn Guylind Gina wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. What can I say about Vicki? She can never admit that she is in the wrong. Even with Tamra/Eddie she was pulling out the false equivalencies, as in "I said this, but Tamra said that." At least she choked out a Bible quote ("Duderonomy") that was meant to pass as an apology. Vicki is such a Trump Republican sometimes. Having said that, this episode would be nothing without her. Screaming at Kelly for being put out about the double-date? Girl, you may want to rethink that strategy. Even though I don't think Kelly should be crying about this. She wanted to divorce the guy. I'm just saying that if Tamra or Gretchen had set up Donn with a new girlfriend the year after his divorce, Vicki would have made it a WHOLE BIG DEAL for an entire season. Steve Lodge certainly is thirsty for his close-up! I am 100% bored watching him. Let's hope next week at Andalay's provides some fun.

She'll be coming for Ashley and Gizelle big-time at Reunion -- unless they can convince her to turn on Karen. Either way, I think Candiace desperately wants to be on the show. However, both she and Charrisse should be nervous: Kyndall is thirsty for a spot, and possibly Erica Liles if Bravo can get her to film next season. I can't deal with yet more wedding-planning scenes in the coming episodes tbh.

I appreciated that Candy-ass stood up for herself with Ashley. But whining about not being centre of attention taken seriously was annoying. ALL of these women incl. Candy-ass need to stop giving Ash/Gizelle/Robyn so much damn importance in the group. I mean, Gizelle ordered Monique to give her an explanation about Kyndall and threatened to go ninja on her! How about "I owe you no explanation, pack your bags asap and F off back to Bethesda" ? Gizelle is the absolute worst, and no tearful phone call from her daughter is going to make me change my mind. I don't know whether to give Ashley an A for pot-stirring or a big fat F for personality. She's laid it all out there re: her marriage, but given its parlous state, she really shouldn't be going after Karen every waking second. It's like kicking a puppy at this point. We all know Karen is fronting like crazy and the marriage is in trouble. Ashley may think this is an easy way to score points, but imo it makes her look worse doing G, R and Cha-Cha's dirty work. Speaking of Charrisse -- her friendship with Monique must be dead and buried after this episode.

Hmmm difficult question. Sometimes it is a case of simple chemistry. This cast does not gel nor do they like each other. They are trying to sell us on friendships that do not exist. The show has been a popularity contest from the beginning. When Andy told Camille that she was the most hated HW in RH history, Camille was completely devastated -- and the camera cut to Kyle, gloating and triumphant. When the audience turned on Kyle for her S2 takedown of LVP, Kyle did not like the backlash and made it her mission to make the audience feel sorry for her. The cast is obsessed with being the likable fan fave at all costs. They are essentially strategizing themselves off the show! They take potshots from the safety of their VTs. But when it comes to bringing their real beef out into the open, they are fearfully afraid of the audience turning on them. So they make up some petty B.S. to disguise their true motives. Sometimes you need a Tamra to air out all the dirty laundry! As a result, in true Hollywood form, they all seem to be acting out some hastily contrived script. The authenticity is gone. None of it feels remotely real. I don't believe what they say. And production appears unable to get them to put their real lives or feelings on the table, because most of these women are rich and have power/connections behind the scenes. So much of the truly interesting stuff on BH goes on behind the scenes! That is a problem. The show used to be about the haves and have-nots of Beverly Hills. I really liked that dynamic between the richies and the social climbers. Taylor and her ratchet friend Dana/Pam should never have been fired imo. I also liked that under the sunshine and gloss, there were these dark Hollywwod secrets waiting to come out. Kim's drinking, you stole my goddamn house!, Big Kathy's scarring influence over her 'girls,' Russell's controlling abuse and his thieving of his clients, Adrienne's surrogacy lie... Toxic though they may have been, these were real and they put the show on the map. The dark secrets were like another character. In recent times, a decision has been made to not really delve into those secrets and to focus exclusively on the glitz and wealth. The show has become very surface as a result. I don't care if I ever see Erika's glam squad do her makeup again! Also, so much of these shows of wealth are smoke and mirrors. Erika is about to be dumped by her wealthy husband any day now. LVP is mortgaged to the hilt and needs to sell off Villa Blanca and SUR asap and focus on Pump and Tom-Tom. Dorit and PK are living hand-to-mouth in a rented McMansion with the creditors knocking on every door. Once again, I do not believe anything these women are trying to sell me about their 'aspirational lifestyles.' The show is completely hollow.

It's not so much the Denise Richards addition (though she is an insalubrious one); it's the existing cast remaining as it is. That cast is a disaster! Bravo really missed a trick by not trying to have Kathy Hilton join. IMO the show needs a complete reboot. Without Little Big Kathy, Kyle has no reason to be there. LVP needs to stick to VPR. Rinna, Erika, and Dorit all need to be fired post haste, and Teddi needs to go live her best life off screen. The show will never be the same again. Nobody is even remotely likable or watchable. Brandi basically strangled BH, and Rinna finished it off by sticking a knife in it. It's done.

Those 'grimy' accommodations are apparently owned by the Santo Domingo family, a Colombian family which is one of the wealthiest in the world (Tinsley is good friends with NY socialite and sometime 'Vogue contributor' Lauren Santo Domingo). The Cartagena house is full of local history and charm, located in the heart of the old town. It reminds me of some beautiful old houses I saw in Seville. Even tone-deaf Ramona can see the place is pretty unique. But because Bethenny is not in charge of hosting and bragging about the vacation, she of course has to sh*t on somebody else's effort as often as possible. Bethenny's tastes also run towards the highly generic. Look at how coldly and blandly her apartments are decorated. Anything with any unique touches or quirks is deemed a no-no and must be bent into submission. Pinot got stuck in an elevator and still went out to party IN A WHEELCHAIR!

Luann's exasperation at seeing Ramona milk the wheelchair situation. OF COURSE Bethenny was the one to call Ramona a drama queen. She should know! Like you, I feel for Bethenny. It must be heartbreaking when a BFF falls out of love with you. The spell is over, she sees you for everything you are -- and she doesn't like what she sees. Carole's indifference is harder for Bethenny to bear than her anger -- and B is doing everything wrong in her attempt to get Carole to notice and feel sorry for her. The other reason Bethenny is having a breakdown: she is no longer in control of these women or the trip like she was last year. She has to hustle to be centre of attention. Although Production did help her out by giving her 95% of the VTs during this episode. An unpleasant reminder of last season's All Bethenny All The Time Show. Bethenny is self-aware, but that self-awareness is used to excuse bad behavior, a la The Berzerkshires when she went Slut Pig on Luann and later was all "I blacked out. I have fibroids." Right now she is signposting to the group all her issues so she can go postal on Carole next week and then blame it on losing her BFF/moving/court date with Hoppy. Best moment: Luann's Chaquita wig. And that extended flashback of Crazy Rey!

I believe the funeral may have taken place today. And the Daily Mail will likely be reporting on it. Very sad and a shocking loss. Seems like she'd been friends with a lot of the LOL ladies for many years. I don't have a problem with Ashley pot-stirring per se. We need pot stirrers on these shows! What irks me is Ashley being the light eyed losers' handmaiden. She is doing their bidding by going after Karen and Ashley constantly, but she never takes them to task for their skeletons -- in fact, nobody is seemingly allowed to call out Robyn or Gizelle on their mess. It's a lopsided battle.

@DaytimeFan @Taoboi @Faulkner @alwaysAMC More info about Annabelle's passing (it was determined to have been a heart attack, out of the blue), and the tributes paid to her by her Ladies of London friends: http://www.realitytea.com/2018/07/18/ladies-of-london-stars-speak-out-after-annabelle-neilsons-passing/#/slide/1

Savage! Candy-ass is a step above that boring drip Shamea at least! I'd put her on a par with Eva Marcille who -- surprise, surprise -- is also planning a wedding this season on ATL. I find wedding planning such a snooze on all these shows. Candy-ass FWIW has no business getting married -- she is all about planning the wedding but is doing nothing to plan the marriage that follows. I'd be interested to see how she does a second season once she realises this is all a big mistake.

Yeah, Eddie's story is sad and it's not clear whether they've been able to fully rectify his heartbeat. I hope they do. I like Eddie. The interaction with the kids adds another dimension to the show for sure. I guess David Beador doesn't GAF about the Ladies of Rock now that he has a young, bikini-ready girlfriend. I was surprised Michael Dodd allowed it, but Jolie looks like a strong personality and seems more than ok with appearing on the show. Tamra's other son, who just turned 18, will also be appearing this season, apparently. Speaking of Tamra's crotchfruit, I didn't recognise Ryan now that he's shaved that mountain-man beard. He looks better, younger -- but still shifty.

OC returned for season 13 last night. It was an ok opener, I was not concentrating on it fully given yesterday's news, but hopefully this will be a complete re-set on last season. Vicki and Shannon's interactions feel a little awkward, Shannon especially didn't seem to be feeling it 100%. They really are the exact same person, though. The rope course was amateur dramatics hour with both Vicki and Shannon trying to out-screech each other. Lots of interactions with the kiddies. Shannon's daughter acts like she despises her. Kelly's daughter is 13 and basically her confidante with regards to all the men Kelly is dating. Uh oh. New girl Emily seems a good fit (she reminds me physically of a youngish Jeana Keough) and her kids are very cute. She already has a frenemyship going on with Tamra, so that bodes well. Steve Lodge is such a bore. I know Brooks was awful for Vicki and the show but, damn, he was entertaining. Next week we meet the Joisey-accented one. I am already done hearing about it.

As a Ladies of London fan, and on a day when we are all less sad, I need you to talk about your LOL-adjacent experience! It is heartwarming to know that Annabelle was nice and the most easygoing. She truly showed herself as she was on the show and didn't try to carve a 'perefct' image for the cameras.

I know, this is very shocking news. I keep checking the internet to see of this has been confirmed, and hoping against hope that this is some kind of mistake. Annabelle was a strong personality on Ladies of London, but she was very sensitive too.... This has been a very sad news day, gosh.

Holy sh*t. What is going on in the reality world?? First Luann relapsing, and now Annabelle passing at so young an age? I am sorry to hear the news of both, but Annabelle in particular, who seemed like a sad soul sometimes. I had hoped she would overcome some of her demons. I hope Luann does too, and that she and her kids find a solution to this stressful financial issue. Obviously the accusation that the lawsuit implies must have pushed Lu to the brink.

*gasp* How dare you! Vicki is the OG of the OC. I don't watch for her grandparenting tips. I watch for her intense FOMO, her primal screaming matches, and her deep, latent need to be Tamra's one true soulmate. Her story this year is going to be how her boring boyfriend set up Kelly's ex-husband with his new girlfriend, and now Kelly can't forgive her. But, really, her story should be how she, Tamra and Shannon make their way back to each other.

I believe they moved to North Carolina where Ryan is from. So they may not have filmed on OC this season. Moreover, given Vicki and Ryan's little spat on Instagram on July 4, doesn't seem like they are in a good place at the moment. No clue where Briana stands in all this but probably on her husband's side. FYI, this is the post that triggered it. Vicki saw this post with Donn and drunk-tweeted back at Ryan and it became a thing.

@DynamiteKiddo IA, the Luann news is disheartening. I hope the lawsuit is merely a case of legally defining what is Luann's and what is her children's, for the sake of both parties (and not a case of the family cracking apart). Ramona and Carole always come for Luann via her kids, so I thought it was brave (or foolhardy) of Lu to admit to Victoria that she was All About Tom and saw her kids less as a result. It did show self-awareness on Luann's part. However, in light of what just happened, it now makes her look like worse. FYI: Luann is slated to be on WWHL (with Kristin Chenoweth) on Wednesday evening. Carole has never forgiven Luann for making a big deal out of Adam & Carole... the deepest cut was when Luann called Adam 'Sonja-young.' Carole has always thought of herself as above the other HWs. Even when she is caught doing the same sh*t they all do. Only now that Luann is at a chastened, humbled point in her life can Carole reach out and 'forgive.' But Carole is STILL all about the Mouth-Breather as #1 Priority. B vs C were a real friendship, which is rare because Bethenny does not play well with other girls. However, Carole fell out of love with being ordered around, and now seems totally over Bethenny. B is trying to paint Carole as inexplicably turning on her à la Jill Zarin, but it is definitely not as b&w as that. (And in hindsight, I sometimes wonder just how b&w the Bethenny/Jill breakup actually was).

Potomac God, I hate Gizelle. When she told Robyn that everybody wanted to leave without her (when in fact they wanted to wait!), that was straight from the Controlling Husband Handbook. Isolate your prey, make them think nobody cares about them but you. This is how Gizelle makes sure Robyn stays her loyal little attack dog. Speaking of Giz's attack dogs, I LOLed when the women asked Ashley if she was going to report back to the light-eyed losers. Sure enough, at dinner, the three of them tag-teamed Karen and Monique. I dislike Ashley as much as Gizelle. This shark-eyed alley cat would sell out her nearest and dearest for a quick buck. And this is why Michael extended the pre-nup -- because he does not trust her as far as he can throw her. I love Karen. Karen who lies about her houses/finances/marriage/blah blah -- I don't care! We know she's lying. She knows she's lying. Karen is super-meta and plays for entertainment. Gizelle tries so hard but cannot break her, and that makes me love Karen all the more. Those three b*tches are coming at her with knives! Unpopular opinion, but I like the Karen/Candy-ass friendship. Candy-ass teases Karen with her singing, and Karen gives her honest advice that C needs to hear, even if she doesn't want to. Monique needs to stop hanging with Gizelle one-on-one. Monique always spills too much personal detail, and Gizelle is going to twist that and won't rest until Monique's marriage/friendships are lying in ruins. ETA: Did anyone catch Ashley pulling a Rinna and demo-shaming Bravo? 'Karen and I are from different generations! I'm a millennial who puts everything out there on social media! Karen is a closed book!' Are we punishing HWs older than 45 now? I like that the RH shows are multi-gen. They need women of a certain age who live dramatically. Where would OC be without Vicki and Shannon, NYC without Ramona, Sonja, Luann? Can you imagine if Potomac went millennial-only? It would be Ashley, Candy-Ass, maybe Monique and Robyn. Ugh, Ashley is working my last nerve atm.