Cat

Re: RHONJ, can't disagree with any of you. Like @Gray Bunny said, RHONJ is the Ultimate Survivor of Real Housewives. I'd go even further: RHOC is Ultimate Survivor; RHONJ is literal hand-to-hand gladiatorial combat with a cheering Roman coliseum baying for blood. And like @Gray Bunny, I get the stomach knots when I watch. Nevermind them hating each other -- I'm not sure I like many of them. Dolores has long been my girl on this show, thanks to her sensible nature, and I hope and trust that she will continue to rise above the fray. Jennifer and Teresa are openly involved in bringing the other team down these days. However, they aren't very good at retaining soldiers (Kim D, Jacqueline, Danielle Staub, Staten Island, associated Twitter pundits) and that spells badly for them. Jen Fessler is on another level from most of these women in terms of intelligence. So why does she want to get involved with their drama? I liked Fessy a lot last season, but I am curious how she handles her blatant allegiance-shifting. I'm also curious how Marge will handle it. The whiff of Hawaiian Tropic/red-hot heat of the tanning bed that emanates from Da Huzzbinds! Some of the steroid abuse is also crazy. One of them is literally growing moobs. Grandma Fuda was funny and, boy, she had some poker face referring to Jennifer as 'Nose Job' while Rachel Fuda's elongated, purpose-built ski-jump was right there.

Thank you @Gray Bunny ! That is a lot of strong flavors in one glass, but the beauty of a truly amazing cocktail is to be surprised by the fact that you can taste all the different ingredients in one gulp, and that they actual enhance one another. LVP has been in the bar game a long time, so she knows what she's doing. I imagine Checkmate Bitch contained exactly the kind of spicy kick that Adrienne, Rinna and Bland Spice (if you know, you know) got in the face whenever LVP walked into a room.

This is what I mean about every RHONJ-adjacent's grandmother and her cat trying to scare up some coin by joining the RH ecosystem. They become gossip bloggers or podcasters and trade in leaks and information passed from the HWs. I scroll past them on Twitter at this point, but Melissa's Old Nose was quite obviously Teresa/Jennifer's mouthpiece for years. Behind the Velvet Rope used to get dirt from Marge until they fell out. Now that podcast is pro Teresa. It's a whole ecosystem out there built to push different HW narratives, as you say. It really got going in Atlanta when early RHOA took off. I don't see what all the fuss is about, except that I'm finding it an increasing distraction from the actual shows. They need to be careful it doesn't take away from the franchise itself, because all the contrived stuff on the shows are starting to pale in comparison with the Twitter dirt and surprise announcements. This past season of RHOBH is a prime example where Kyle's PR team and Netflix spinoffs have totally stolen BH's thunder. ETA: your point about SLC is especially interesting, because while the whole reveal involved the fact that Monica was a SLC gossip bloggers, the drama was played out entirely on the show. Entirely! RH Twitter went nuts (in a good way) and it helped drive viewership to the show itself.

Seriously. In NJ? Marge needs to watch her back. She's going to threaten to spill on the wrong person one of these days. And I think that blackmailing/intimidatory nastiness has weighed on her. There's no joy in her RH game anymore. LVP looked absolutely glorious, that light, bubblegum pink complements her very well. Back in the early days of RHOBH, LVP was literally the physical cross of (at their peak) Liz Hurley, Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Bissett. Truly spectacular looks.

I'll give the NJ opener this -- it has actually made me want to watch the first episode of the new season. One reason is the Lack of Marge. I just can't stomach the woman anymore. The other is Dolores looking like a mob queen and trying to bring the famb'lies togethuh. I simply do not care about Whoville Fuda and Staten Island (aka the defanged chihuahua -- all bark and no bite). I'd much rather have Jackie Goldschneider and Jess Fessler take their places. Jennifer has always been about the alliance that keeps her on the show. Why she's trying to save Melissa's job now is beyond me. Yes, the hate is real for real. It seems like half of Northern New Jersey is personally invested in the show -- in being a part of it, in collecting a paycheck from it, in making a living in the RH ecosystem off of it (podcasts, etc). The cast themselves are highly invested in remaining on the show and will literally destroy family relationships to stay. Marge has apparently accrued serious dirt on everybody, to the point where if this were Murder, She Wrote, she'd be in danger, girl. I'm not sure this season should even have happened. But I will see how long it can hold me. Last season was an almighty chore. What was in this Checkmate Bitch cocktail? I love a tasty cocktail!

I felt that it didn't quite have the 'it' factor until the end of his run, by which time Lane's time on GH was already marked. And the end felt rushed, with GH desperate to squeeze some of the old chemistry out one last time before his character Cameron was bumped off. Lane had great chemistry with Chad Bannon who played his son. It was a disappointment because HW Bob Guza was part of the Santa Barbara brain trust (a breakdown writer at one time), and Mulcahey was a breakdown writer for GH and had penned Julia & Mason's greatest scenes on SB. 2003/2004 was deep in Sonny/Jason/Carly era, though, and Guza was obsessed with The Good Mob. Everything else was just a peripheral illustration of how hard 'love in wartime' is when you are Sonny Corinthos and Jason "box of pain" Morgan.

I'm serious! I'm getting JFP vibes from this guy -- look at his cast pets. His bland filming 'aesthetic.' His stunt-SL-whenever-my-job-is-in-danger moments. Hey Mia girl! Thanks for the finale-episode lift! Your impression of the first few episodes on nuRHONY is interesting in that it highlights how things changed over the course of the season regarding audience reaction. Sai, Erin, Ubah and Jessel saw the biggest 180s. (I'd even argue that Sai saw a 360 because in a weird way, audience estimation of her, which was at rock bottom by the finale, edged up a bit after reunion because she acquitted herself pretty well and did a few Mea Culpas). Ubah imploded at reunion and I'm not even sure why and whether we got the whole story on that, but I liked her during the season. Jenna is an icon but... I'm wondering, by the time you get to the end of your viewing, whether you will feel that the bloom is coming off the rose? Jessel in the early days, I thought, would be a one-season wonder. I felt she was contrived, trying to be someone she was not (New York important fashionista) and hiding a strained marriage. Then, somewhere along the way, Jessel changed her mind and revealed that she was actually a slightly quirky, eccentric nerd, and she was OK with talking about her marriage (and so was her husband!). Her star rose very quickly indeed after that shift. Her personality infuriated Sai and Erin and made them look worse.

It's total bait-casting, of course, but Mason/Julia on SB meant an awful lot to this nerdy kid back in the day. And with Patrick Mulcahey writing? I'm already intrigued.

@Taoboi @DaytimeFan Eric Fullner is the Notorious JFP after she killed AW and before she elbowed her way onto GH.... i can see that now!

Granny Fuda referring to "Nose-job Jennifuh" when Rachel Fuda's Plasticine nose-work is sitting right there. 👀 Remind me why this uninteresting couple has beef with Tre & Louie again?

My personal litmus test is, are the seasons watchable on repeat? With BH, S6 and S7 are watchable, though difficult if you are an LVP fan. But S11-13 are almost completely interchangeable to me and a bore. And very self-produced. BH gets by on the frisson of LA's dark secrets threatening to emerge. However, viewers' patience are wearing thin. Totally agree that RHOA barely gets a fraction of the budget and promotion that BH gets, and that a root-and-branch overhaul behind the scenes is sorely needed.

Your thoughts on Julia echo mine. It is rare to have a pot-stirrer who isn't an out-and-out b!tch trying to gaslight somebody. I hope that isn't the case with Guerdy and that she's in a love bubble with Russell and her boys.

Why is Bravo is letting RHOA tank? Is it because Bravo cannot forgive Nene for the lawsuit and cannot get past the RHOA/Nene association? The show feels like a giant after-thought, and last season was dry and unwatchable. Everything about the production team is mediocre, and their lack of caring oozes from the screen. It's a RH show done by sleepy box-ticking. They f***ed RHOP up, too, but unlike RHOA, I feel like Truly Original somewhat cared about that show in a weird, toxic way. As for Miami, the Guerdy/Julia rumor makes me sad. As you know, I have a real fondness for Julia and her backstory. Guerdy is a force of nature who built her own, highly watchable events business from scratch, and who is the only one to call out that sloth Larsa. Both are necessary to the show IMO. I will say, though, that the RHOM cast don't seem to care that much about rumored cast cuts, because Julia, Alexia, Lisa and Marysol were partying it up in NYC yesterday. Larsa who?? And in RHOBH (aka the one franchise Bravo cares about) news:

First of all, they should be filming all this ASAP. Secondly, while I don't think the marriage was shaping up to be rainbows and unicorns, I do think Alexia was blindsided by Todd filing. Carlos King recently speculated on his podcast that Todd, a financial planner, probably had a pre-nup in place where the two-year mark represented an uplift in any payout going to Alexia in the event of a divorce. Todd was likely aware that the two-year anniversary was bearing down on them. He reviewed the marriage coolly, like it was an investment, decided it wasn't going to last in the medium-term, and then moved to divest himself quickly in order to avoid a bigger payout. It's a shame because his first season on the show, I thought Todd was an interesting RH husband, and spoke a lot of sense to Alexia and Peter about Frankie and his care. I'm sure Alexia will land on her feet, but she's been used to expensive lifestyles under Herman and Todd (and probably when she was married to the cocaine cowboy). As Adriana pointed out in S5, Alexia is used to living off the money of her husbands. Having to fend for herself will be hard, unless she is already independently wealthy (from her mom and Herman) and has money in trust. In other news... How long until we get a RH franchise back on the air?! I've been watching The Valley and it's fine, but I'm just not a VPR uberfan so it's not hitting the spot for me like the RHs do. Totally agree, each of the residences you cite had a unique personality, just like New York City itself which was literally another character on RHONY. It denoted status within the group, too, and that status was finely calibrated. Like Bethenny obviously bought and sold apartments with big pricetags, but they all looked like suites at a business hotel, and in a way her status wasn't truly Top Dog as a result (much as she hustled to be Top Dog in front of camera and behind the scenes). Personally, I thought Dorinda's second (rented) apartment in the city had a great living room and view of the city. Luann's homes in the Hamptons were both incredible, especially her first one, but Ramona's Hamptons abode is definitive RHONY for me. More definitive than Bethenny's or Jill's Hamptons homes. I can pick out her kitchen or the green-and-white bedroom from memory.

It has long been an albatross around her neck, especially in terms of maintenance. So for that reason, I hope a burden will be lifted for Sonja. I also hope that she is not in such terrible financial straits that she absolutely must sell the place for a song. It is in an amazing location, and with the right renovations, it will become an absolutely stunning, Gilded Age-esque residence. And truthfully, I will miss it a little bit. That townhouse was RH folklore. It defined almost an entire franchise. Hope Sonja's already got a place lined up somewhere in Manhattan.

No doubt a financial decision -- and another reason why Sonja needs a job on the nuRHONY!

Co-sign on this, too. Honestly, Keiarna was a small puff of freah air and for that reason alone should have been asked back this season. It's not often you get a FOH that naturally clicks with the cast. Honestly, I would have given Nneka a second season, too. Wendy has run her course, and so has Ashley, I'm afraid. But I can understand why Bravo is hesitant about an aggressive cast overhaul.

The look on Heavenly's face! I saw on Twitter a week ago Heavenly referred to as 'Jackie's security detail.'

Angela Lansbury's wardrobe was an inspiration for ladies of a certain age -- and even in the repeats 3 decades later, her style has translated well because she stuck with the classics. Aquascutum tweed/houdstooth blazers (which Talbots would copy for her fanbase at the time), pencil skirts, a sensible heel, silk patterned scarves, beautiful gold broaches and earrings. She knew what would look good but wouldn't detract from the story. My mom noticed something years ago on MSW which was, in addition to her conservative, judicious face-lift, Lansbury also utilized a 'veil' or special filter in her close-ups in the early seasons of the show. It is not so apparent in the later New York seasons, but the fuzzier filter was noticeable in many episodes when the show would cut from her close-up to another person's close-up. I think some of the special guest stars who had been female movie stars in the 1950s (like Celeste Holm, for example) also utilized the 'veil' when they appeared on the show.

Voice of the people.

Bethenny's mother has passed away. I post about it here because during her RHONY seasons, that relationship with her mother seemed to indelibly shape Bethenny and the way she interacted with other women, including her intense, all-consuming friendships with Jill and later Carole which later went scorched earth. The way her mother looked in middle age also resembles Ramona -- which may also explain their love-hate relationship. https://www.instagram.com/p/C5_4_qbSxcI/?igsh=MTFwNWl1b3FiZHpuaw==

It was PERFECTION. Karen: "Is Jamal coming?" Giz: (pauses) "No, he--" Karen: (quickly) "Of course not." Monique: *cackling * ----- As for Larsa & Larsus, sounds like their break-up/make-up was in order to secure a mojito for S7. He's as thirsty as she is. Also where did her feet go in that picture?

The baby shower meeting was a betrayal and set in motion why Monique was on the outs with Candiace. The way Candiace tried to brush it under the carpet and gaslight Monique that she was making a big deal over nothing was infuriating. I think Candiace did that to justify to herself that her participation 'wasn't that bad.' When in actual fact, if Candiace had been in Monique's position, she would NEVER have forgiven her friend for doing what she did. And don't get me started on that female producer. What she said about Monique in that book was shockingly aggressive, manipulative and completely biased. I'm not a naive little lamb about these HWs and their agendas, but there is no way that Monique is more manipulative and evil than other HWs in the pantheon of RHs. More manipulative than Gizelle? Bethenny? Kyle? Rinna? Bad Mormon? Get out of here. Unfortunately, I suspect that particular producer is still around, unlike Eric Fellner. This is why production needs to be changed root and branch; I'd start by offering RHOP to the M2M team at Purveyors of Pop. As for Ashley and Mia, unfortunately, I do see them as vulnerable to Gizelle's leveraging and manipulations. Ashley is desperate for this job and will do whatever to stay on the show (bear in mind that even her evil old buzzard of a husband won't f*ck with Bravo anymore!). So Gizelle can easily manoeuvre her. As for Mia, she's ascended the echelons overnight, but her penchant for lying stupidly opens her up to Gizelle's blackmailing. If she abandons the MiaBeLying stuff and continues owning her sh!t, she grants herself agency on this show. If she doesn't, she will be forced to become Gizelle's pawn.

She wouldn't and she doesn't, and knowing what we all know about how production operates, I would never want that for Monique. However, a part of me wants her back, wishful thinking I know. A kind of karmic righting of wrongs given how she was treated. Candiace had a good friendship with Monique. But she wanted to kiss up to the GEBs, and sat at that table at Andy's baby shower and kiki-ed with them and Charrisse over ways to bring down Monique. It took me a long time to forgive her for that. She got payback and then some, in the worst possible way, and for that I feel bad for Candiace. She learned the hard way who she was dicing with, and Gizelle's pet pomeranian Ashley was the least of her problems.

Monique!! 🥰 I will never stop wanting her back on RHOP! She is so badly needed for the show -- SO needed. I wish she and Candiace would make up, too. Never forget: