Cat

Yay!!! Definitely no separation of HWs this year! And ouchhhhh was that a naked Tamra that hit her head on the sliding door as she slipped and fell??

Speaking of RHONJ... I wonder how this year is going to be without Siggy. She was truly horrendous but unfortunately she also drove the show last year.

Sometimes it's like the universe is trying to tell you something!

Typo, and it stays! DAMN. Congrats to her, I guess?

What is with these fake charity events intended to gather cash and write it off as tax deductible? I love the Grande Dame, but Karen getting defensive about charity invites being paid into her company was suspect. Kyndall striding into the Monique's event ready for her close-up! If I were Robyn, Candiace or Charrisse, I would be verrrry nervous for next season! As I suspected, now that the amendment has been signed, Michael no longer wants kids. I predict he will be divorcing CAshley soon rather than later. And by 'sooner,' I mean before that amendment runs out. Being that Ashley is busy selling out her friends to the green-eyed bandits, I don't feel all that sorry for her at the moment. I'm not sure why Robyn thinks that the women she & Gizelle routinely attack/humiliate owe her any kind of loyalty. I'd also like to know who tf paid to hear Robyn speak about how to 'build your business' and 'create an empire' ? She doesn't even have a job! Gizelle sure was working Robyn up into a froth ahead of siccing her on Karen.

SQUEAL!!! Ugh..... Robyn and Gizelle. I would dearly love to know what the hell Robyn has done in life to be such a smug bitch. Being Gizelle's attack dog? LMAO the first comment under the YT vid: "This is not an ambush. This is a message" Well Robyn, ya'll about to get another message when ya'll get there.....

Ashley looked really bad, taking the cameras into the meeting... why? To look like the loving wife? To force concessions out of Michael on camera? However, Michael is no fool for suggesting this amendment. Ashley is pinning alllll her hopes on a baby which at the very least would assure her an income should they divorce. But from the previews, Michael clearly has no desire to have a child with her. If I was being cynical, I would say he has Ashley right where he wants her. He doesn't entirely trust her, and with this amendment, he could divorce her as soon as reunion has filmed and not be tied to her financially. Ashley would be reliant on her Bravo income; and while she's happy to spend Michael's money, I doubt she feels the same way about her own harder-earned pennies. In 'past RH' news, there was a The Hills marathon today, the granddaddy of reality soapdom. Brody Jenner -- son of Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner, son of Linda Thompson, ex-stepson of David 'My King' Foster, ex-step-brother of the Kardashians -- was on that show. The scene i saw featured Linda Thompson, who was on S2 and S3 BH, show up with a friend at a restaurant. That friend was TayShanna who immediately positioned herself in the camera's centre. Seems TayTay was trying to break into reality for some years prior to BH lol.

You have expressed everything I feel about Y&R and its music. That musical archive was part of Y&R's DNA. It was like another character. It took Y&R from being the usual soap about dialogue/plot to one about human psychology. The music was the expression of the brokenhearted, longing-filled, twisted, dark psychology of these characters. It 'explained' why they sometimes broke down, were irrational, got caught up in an impulse (not to mention, that same style of music saved Brad Bell's shoddy writing on B&B for years!). I used to call WJB's Y&R the film noir of soaps, and the music went a long way in anchoring that cinematic, film noir, spine-tingling feel. The fact that JFP sold that archive to needlessly replace it with some 90s Casio keyboard sh*t does not surprise me, but even after all this time it enrages me. Her arrogance enrages me --- yes, arrogance, because she assumed she would either be on the show forever, or at least when she departed, she will have left her indeliable mark on the show. She made sure her aesthetic legacy of crappy, grey sets and crappy, grey, generic music remains. I hate that! It's gotten to the point where if MAB came back, i wouldnt mind either... however, one must not forget the incalcuble damage Maria also did to the show, her shlock writing, her wastefulness. Because of her tenure, the Bells' control of the show was lost forever. Sony and CBS stepped in and instantly set about turning the Rolls Royce of soaps into a Chevy Cavalier. As @UK LAW says, Sony/CBS cannot get their hiring right. I don't know how they succeed with keeping Day's identity intact (just about), but with Y&R it's like they are staffing a brokedown strip-mall Sears. They have no understanding of the show and don't care to have any. They're just going to keep staffing Y&R with increasingly cheap and dirty options until it stops making pennies for them. Sorry to be so pessimistic but that's how I feel about the situation at the moment.

Thank you! I loved how Sonja used those plastic sheets like lush tapestry curtains for her four-poster bed. Bethenny let slip a very telling phrase to Carole: "I can't believe you are debating me right now!" She cannot believe her sidekick is answering her back? Sounds like something you would tell a paid employee, not a friend. At the same time, Bethenny seems legit devastated by this friendship hitting the rocks. I was somewhat on Carole's side during their discussion, but cannot entirely warm to Carole, especially after her obvious joy at Luann's arrest. In her latest blog, she says: "I do feel sorry for Luann, she is careening from this dinner toward a jail cell. Sure she was drunk and belligerent about Adam – none of it was true - not to mention she randomly demeans all those folks who live in the Mid-west. But still I’m surprised she said anything at all. Since spending the last three years with Adam; I know a lot about her carousing and have never spoken of it. Adam not only cooked for her (for nearly nothing) but he played babysitter for her teenage son when she spent nights out partying with men. So play nice Luann. Karma can be a swift bitch." Well, I guess you are speaking of it now, Carole! Nice way to kick someone when they are down. I hope karma won't be a swift bitch to you. Carole's blogs are obsessed with Mouth-Breather and ageing. She is deathly afraid of being seen as 'old' or a peer to Ramona, Dorinda, Luann, Sonja. Well, not to worry -- she is nothing like them. They seem to have embraced their age and living life joyously where they can. The nutcracker thing should never be brought up again. Having said that, Dorinda is a supportive friend when it comes to Luann. Almost everybody, including Tinsley (who I assumed would be doing the happy dance alongside Carole) was gracious and supportive in their way. When the chips are down, most of these women have a 'But for the grace of God go I' moment and close ranks. Bobby's funeral next week will be another example of that. Next week is Episode 11. How on earth are they going to fill another 8 episodes after that? So much has happened already! It feels like Reunion should be around the corner. Agreed on both points! Sonja is doing her thing and I don't believe it is truly harming anybody. And yes, there is an authentic bond between these women. Even when they are vicious with one another, it stems from a real, shared history.

Returning to S10 NYC -- did anybody see last night's episode? Was it any good?

Ask, and ye shall receive. Season 4 reunion was like watching a viper's nest attack a baby chick (Alex). It was horrible. Kelly was truly terrible, and like you, I was DONE with her by reunion's end. She said some nasty things about Sonja but refused to accept that she was mean for doing so. After all, she was voted one of Cosmopolitain's 10 Nicest Celebrities! Sonja's retort " 'I'm nice! I'm nice!' ...Say it a few more times, you might actually believe it!" was amazing because it really exposed Kelly's attachment to empty accolades in lieu of authentic kindness and empathy. Kelly was devoid of empathy for others. She was a hollow person.

That screencap is everything lol Cindy is also friends with Jules Wainstein, according to this recent-ish article: http://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/cindy-barshop-real-housewives-of-new-york-city-where-is-she-now. And she still hates Sonja with the fire of a thousand suns. And yes she's still in the vajazzle business, or as she now calls it, 'Medi-spas.' Her spas are now doing 'natural' vaginal rejuvenation and, apparently, that's v empowering to women.

I think the downgraded housewife on OC is one of the newbies -- not the core 4 of Vicki, Tamra, Shannon and Kelly. Was S4 OC Naked Wasted? Because that was... incredible. Tamra revolutionised the RH franchise. She made it Survivor, with the alliances and 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' and striving to win at all costs. I also think Tamra was like Shannon in that she showed us all aspects of her life -- even the ugly and painful (like the Simon stuff). Gretchen was definitely Single White Femaling Tamra to a degree. She had watched the show, had taken notes, and Tamra was her fave, apparently. The one she related to, whose style she related to, the one she kind of wanted to be. One of the reasons she got tossed from the show. Nobody bought her fake-crying 'I'm the victim' stuff now that we knew how she operated behind the scenes. Like Faulkner said, the series post-Morocco along with the reunion really amped up the toxicity. Jill, Kelly, Luann and Cindy were invested in attacking Ramona, Sonja and Alex and getting them off the show. Alex was considered 'the weak link' and they attacked her mercilessly and stopped filming with her. It took the toxicity of S3 to another level, and resulted in mass firings which have not really been seen on any RH show since (with the possible exception of OC). LOL and Cindy was so miserable and mean. For a while she was considered the worst HW in the franchise. I assume Kim Z 2.0 has scooped that accolade now.

Sob. Good times! YEAH BABY

Interesting the contrast between Jo/Alex & Simon and Gretchen. Jo was a literal child back in ye olde days of Bravo who didn't really know herself. When she broke up with Slade, it was her independence declaration. She had discovered what SHE wanted out of life -- and it wasn't him (as opposed to going along with what Slade wanted simply because she had no direction). SiLex, meanwhile, were older, wiser, and suffered through the 2008 recession. When Bravo pink-slipped them, it was small revenge to know that Jill (who had made it her mission to try and ruin both their careers/get them fired from RHONY) was also kicked off the show. SiLex strike me as a solid couple with the same goal in life: to be happy. The decision to start over in Australia was a definitive closing-the-chapter on their Bravo life. If the fame game no longer wanted them, they had confidence in their combined abilities to start afresh. Gretchen has moxie. But she's that girl who always has to have a boyfriend, the idea of being single is unbearable. As a result, unlike Jo, she cannot conceive of a new life without a guy. And unlike SiLex, she won't turn her back on her dreams of stardom. She is literally a mega star in her own mind. Hanging around the periphery of RHOC, there is always a chance the show might bring her back. Certainly, the last few seasons, Vicki advocated for Gretchen to return. After the awfulness of last season, I wanted Gretchen and, yes, even Alexis & Jim Bellino back too, lol.

I think she's been punished a lot by karma the past couple of years. Some of it she has brought on herself, of course, but pretty much most of it she has straight-up owned. When oh when will Bethenny and Carole get their doses of karma?? Moreover, I don't think you necessarily have to like Luann to appreciate what she brings to RHONY. That line to Alex was bitchy but perfectly delivered and totally unexpected. S1 RHONY is showing where I am (praying seasons 2, 3 and 4 follow!), and Alex & Simon brought so much to this franchise. The pretentious wannabes who became lovable-but-hapless voices of reason! Bethenny, Jill, Luann, Ramona and Alex were a perfectly complementary/antagonistic cast (Kelly, too, I guess). I hated that Alex got fired alongside Jill, Kelly and Cindy Miseryguts. She was poorly treated by Jill and her rottweilers, and I think she should have been rewarded with an invite to S5. In the long-run, though, it seems that when one door closes, another opens, and SiLex really embraced the opportunity to start again in Australia, go back to university, etc. Kudos to them!

I came into RHONY in S4 and so had to work my way back through S1-3 to appreciate OriginalBethenny. I still have a love for S4, though -- Ramona was everything! But you guys are right, S3 was the best season of any RH franchise ever, I get goosebumps even on the re-watch. And Jill Zarin is still the most hated HW. I want her to return to RHONY S11 and take Tinsley Boretimer's place, but all this S3 talk has reminded me how venomous, envious and toxic she was. She tried to ruin everybody's life, and was a true narcissist. I may want her back -- but even now a part of me is not sure that would be a good idea! Your gifs have inspired me. The one you posted of a shocked Ramona taking the Pinot is

lol MY FAVE PART ALSO! Kelly: Have a good time, you guys. I'll be in my la la land with cartwheels and nice people being genuine and kind, and you guys can enjoy all your banter and all your, like, vile behavior. Enjoy that! Kelly: (attempts to exit dramatically through sliding door). Kelly: (tries and fails to prise open sliding door) Everybody: Ramona (angelic): We'll see you in a little bit, sweetheart. 😇 😇 Ramona: Didn't mean to upset you. 😇 I hope you are right! Maybe the sonogram on Instagram is Kenya's way of reminding Bravo that she's the only one with buzz around her at the moment. Eva tried to deliver last season but it was so obvious how desperate she, Marlo and Shamea were to be relevant. All three came across as scripted and contrived.

Was it in s3 when Ramona got massively irritated with Luann and started imitating her " 'And can you? Oh, will you? And won't you?' I wanted to VOMIT!" Pure, perfect Ramona. Re: I wouldn't put drugs past Kelly, being she was a hyper mess at the best of times. However, with Scary Island, this felt like a mental break. It was like Kelly was secretly bipolar and had left her medication at home, and neither we (nor the HWs) knew she had it until the moment she called Bethenny Al Sharpton and accused Bethenny of trying to kill her in her dreams. Jill arriving -- and leaving -- the island was an incredible moment: "Hiiiiiiiiiiii gaaaaaallllllss" Sonja: Ramona: Bethenny: Alex:

lolol Double karma. It was. Not one single dud episode! So much happened, and that season changed EVERYTHING.

@Cheap21 Candiace should have taken the high road with that fan (or Gizelle in disguise, or whoever that was). The last comment reflects badly on her. Btw, I am over the bridezilla talk. Candiace was particularly Mommy's Little Princess this episode. Watching somebody plan their wedding brunch is just not interesting to me. Robyn planning a 'women's empowerment event' one episode after going after Monique? Glad some of the women chose not to attend that Ponzi scheme. Like Cheap, I hate when HWs do empowerment events while attacking their own friends/co-workers. They'd be better off supporting domestic violence charities. This 'seminar' is going to be useless management-speak and vague psycho-babble. Monique spilling the TEA on Sherman!! The police caught him trawling for some strange when he was his first wife? Hmmmm, and why is he ghosting Gizelle, a woman he has dated for 1.5 years (according to her)? Business affairs not on the up and up? I wonder if Gizelle got wind of this convo between Charrisse, Monique and Ashley, and hastily extricated herself from her one tru wuv. Michael + Ashley + the pre-nup. Ashley looked like she was trying to pull a fast one with the cameras there. Both really should have had their lawyers present. This 'marriage' is looking like one big final payout negotiation. IA with @DaytimeFan that Michael is sharp and shrewd, and I respect that about him. THIS! She is a complete dullard. We already have Cynthia bringing the pretty (and the sympathetic tbh). I am not interested in Eva, pregnant or otherwise. Kenya OTOH? Her Instagram is one big off-season soap spinoff. Bravo would be wise to use this as a launchpad into a better s11. Especially after they effed up the last 2-3 seasons so badly.

How immune am I to Bethenny's putdowns -- sorry, 'humor' ! -- on this show that I barely registered the silent discontent of the recipients of that joke? Sonja probably didn't register it either! Yes, Bethenny is anxious to connect with these women, and she fears that they resent her for her success. If I knew Bethenny, I would point out to her that when she returned in s7, she was as successful as she is now, and she was plenty loved, adored and coddled by all the women. It was she who had a problem with some of them (Kristen, Heather). Bethenny doesn't realise that her own outbursts of barely-contained rage keep some of the ladies at a distance. She is so hard and abrasive that it is difficult to cozy up to her. Especially when many women bond because of shared vulnerabilities and self-deprecation. Bethenny is unwilling to be vulnerable in front of these girls unless drunk, and her self-deprecation is for the VTs only. I do feel for her because she must be very lonely. Last year's Southern Charm scared me away as it was a rather poor season. But this year seems to have reverted back on track. It is incredible how much dirt you can get on wealthy, connected, white scions when they are drunk and coked up! The monstrous 'star' of all this is of course the hideous Thomas Ravenel who will be gone after this season (thanks to them pesky sexual assault charges), and I wonder if Southern Charm will be able to continue after that. However, I am relieved to see him get his just desserts with that awful hired GF of his, Ashley. Best of all is seeing Kathryn back on track, sober, and determined to put her children first. All of this is the best kind of soap opera, and it is no accident that I have turned to some of these Bravo and RH shows for my dose of drama and sadly turned away from most of Daytime. I hadn't realized this story resembled a little of Y&R's Little Scotty SL until you pointed it out.

Yeah the tweets are basically a prop to launch talking points at these reunion shows. I also have my suspicions about the tweets AND the calls into WWHL as being fake -- some hapless staffer in the room next door, pretending to call from Omaha.

Ugh, that's a disappointment! So pregnant Kenya, who has actual stuff going on, is let go (is that officially confirmed btw?), but this nasal bore comes back? Not sure s11 Atl is shaping up to be much better than s10.