Cat

I never enjoyed Jaqueline so IMO bringing her back last season was dudsville from the get go. That girl never got the memo that she is not the star of NJ! Anyhoo that's my personal opinion. Even though I hate Bethenny now, her return three seasons ago was electric and really made NYC great again after a boring S6. TBH it was that mix of old and new NY ladies that worked for me. Bethenny vs Heather was riveting! I also agree that Jill needs to return -- and interact with both Bethenny and Ramona, otherwise it's a waste for us viewers. That threesome (+ Luann) made RHONY what it is today. NY seasons 2 and 3 have been showing daily here and, no joke, I have been DVRing it. Not one bad or boring episode! Yes, things got toxic in S3, but in a very real, relatable way... and it ended with the wicked witch Jill being exposed for her crimes. Even then the situation wasn't 100% black and white. It is a very satisfying viewing experience, and the NY Four drove so much story and dynamics. I honestly think they should drop Tinsley and have Jill replace her so that we have Bethenny, Carole, Ramona, Luann, Sonja (possibly), Dorinda and Jill. If Ramona gets fired and Jill doesn't come back full-time, though, I fear NY will become a 43 minute advertisement for Bethenny's Skinnygirl Lunch Meats.

IA balance is key, and believe me, after a toxic couple of seasons, I could do without Rinna on BH stinking up the place with any old accusation she can drum up. The reason I want Gretchen back is that there is something about the bimboish, tacky Gretchen that shakes Tamra to her very core. To the point where she tried to sic her badnewsbear of a son on Gretchen, date-rape style. Peggy isn't really rattling Tamra as much as Tamra recognising that there is nothing going on with OC right now, and she'd better go after the newbie in order to generate a SL. Peggy can't even antagonise Meghan properly, let alone Tamra.

Nope, he won't. And I sort of respect his willingness to stay out of the fray. He doesn't care about any of em, and now he doesn't have to pretend he actually likes any of these people (except David Beador ofc. Eddie loves David).

It boggles the mind why Gretchen was not invited in a Luann-as-FOH role where she essentially appears in all the episodes (as opposed to just one!). Looks to me like Tamra pulled rank (I'm assuming Vicki would have been a-ok with Gretchen's return). I could even have withstood a glimpse of that toad Slade if it meant we got to see Tamra rattled by Gretchen showing up to all the events! Speaking of rattling Heather... Kelly isn't gripping me this season either. Kenya showing up married on RHOA and all the women gossiping about it sounds to me like a strong opening story for this upcoming season. Better than Sheree pretending that Shack Sheree is 'almost' finished, and that She By Sheree actually exists.

As @Nothin'ButAttitude said in his last post, I can respect that! I do think some fans out there do confuse the two tho. OC is such a disappointment this season, i am still shocked the producers let it get to this point. I could tell within two minutes of the first episode that Peggy was not a good fit. The fact that I forgot Meghan would be back says a lot about how little I missed her know-it-all behind. Like you, I had high hopes for Lydia' s return but those have definitely fizzled.

Some fans cannot differentiate between hate and love-to-hate sadly. It's possible to dislike a HW and recognise what she can bring to a franchise. I hate Kim Z but still appreciate what she brought to Atl's first three seasons. OC is a case in point where the bores are clearly hurting the show. As standalones, imo Peggy Lydia and Meghan are unworthy of being called HWs. I just don't give a [!@#$%^&*] about them or their lives. Kenya? After the Matt drama and her wedding and her dynamic with Nene and Marlo, I really want to see what is going on with her this season. Her secret wedding went and upped anticipation for season 10 imo.

A gif which proves my point!

Atlanta is lucky to have Kenya. She makes things move on the show. If she wasn't on, it would be a borefest of fake SLs like Sheree's. Moreover, i like her. Shes not afraid to both stand up for herself and show her vulnerable side. The way she tried to reach out to Nene even after Nene was awful to her is a case in point. She can and does try to relate to the other women. Kim Blowup Doll can stay in her lane. What a grubby little pimp she is.

A snippet of Andy's interview with Luann is already out on either the Bravo or WWHL channel on YT (I'm on my phone otherwise I would link to it directly).

House of Hilton (https://www.amazon.com/House-Hilton-Conrad-Wealth-Privilege/dp/0307337227/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503675326&sr=8-1&keywords=house+of+hilton). Obviously it's a salacious read. Kyle should thank her lucky stars that her child-acting career never really panned out. Remember those stories of how her mom would take her from her bed sleeping and she would wake up on set somewhere? Or the time Big Kathy took her to Studio 54 and then went off to party? I remember Erika was like "That's what I'm talking about! Kyle's so cool!" when she heard the Studio 54 story, but the way Kyle told that story and the one about being taken in the middle of the night to a film set, it sounded kind of scary for a small child. So imagine you are Kim and actually winning roles and acclaim and $$$$ for your mom to live off of. And you develop a drinking/addiction problem to deal with the pressure. And instead of seeking help for your drinking/anxieties, your mother decides to sweep it under the carpet and enable it -- because possibly having you, her little worker bee, under the influence makes you more reliant on her. So many of Kim's problems stem from her overbearing mother. Her insecurities. Her addiction to the limelight and marrying for money were probably her mother's obsessions which she projected onto her child. No wonder Kim carries so much anger and resentment today.

Ana strikes me as one of those borderline Libertarian Republicans lol. Now that you mention it, I think I do recall Alexia expressing admiration and thanks to Obama for his 8 years in the WH on Instagram! I love Alexia lol. Lawd I forgot about Kimsley having dated him. Big Kathy sure shoved her girls at anything with money huh -- absolutely anything. Didn't Sonja say she dated him too? And what is the one common denominator which links Sonja to Kim? Le booze

@Nothin'ButAttitude Many Cuban Americans in Miami (especially the wealthy ones whose parents came over when Fidel came to power) will be Republican with a capital R. It's personal for them -- the Cuban regime essentially chased their families out of Cuba. The Republicans have a hardline policy regarding the Castro regime because the party is ideologically opposed to Communism. Younger Cuban Americans have been a bit more positive regarding Obama's opening towards Cuba (and the chance of going to Cuba one day to visit), but I think overall the RHoM women who are Cuban-American would feel aligned to the Republican party -- though perhaps not Trump per se. Like they would support Jeb Bush. As I recall, Marysol, Alexia and Ana were quite LGBTQ-positive, and Miami (the city) seems to embrace the community. It's tricky to figure out! I would say Marysol probably ended up going with HRC anyway, and Ana, too. Ana seems to know what's up, and what kind of troll Trump is. Alexia, no clue. She worked with special needs kids in the public school system, so my hearts says no since Trump never really campaigned for public school education lol. I would be shocked if Kyle on BH voted Trump! I don't think either she or her husband lean that way at all. Most of Hollywood is true blue Dem (and HUGE fundraisers for Hillary and the Democratic Party), and she's big on being part of the social firmament. She also strikes me as a bit of a follower, rather than marching to the beat of her own drum. Heck, even Hollywood Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenneggar won't vote Trump. Estelle Umansky is an anomaly in this wider social group and kind of a loon.

Judging by her Twitter feed at the time, I felt that Bethenny tried to appeal to both sides. After the Trump win, she tweeted along the lines of "He won let's get over it and move on." This was around the time protests started forming in the days and weeks after the election result, so it seemed somewhat in response to do that. But hey I buy that she voted for HRC. In other 'shocking' news, I believe Andy mentioned that the cast of the OC and NJ overwhelming supported Trump. And in Bethenny news, she is apparently back with Dennis Shields.

Rumor has it that Andy will have sit-down solo interview with Luann on Wednesday Sep 6th! Wonder if Bethenny will be there to direct Andy on his line of questioning. OC is def at a turning point -- at this point all current incumbents could go, starting with Peggy, Lydia and Meghan. Somehow, though, Meghan is like a cockroach who keeps turning up no matter how many times you call pest control. And then there is Tamra, Vicki and Shannon, any of which could go, too. Bravo definitely needs a plan of action. I could be wrong on this but I think Bravo and Andy want Shannon to stay. They love Shannon the way they love Erika Jayne. They think a new queen is in town.

Personally, I don't think Eddie is gay, and he is pretty confident in his masculinity but, as you say, it was intended as an attack on Tamra and that's prob why he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Tbh, Eddie was already done with Vicki around S8. By S9 he was showing her the finger at dinner parties and urging Tamra to stay away from her. Yeah, the Shannon friendship will never be repaired. Even though it was a matter of public record! David hates Vicki. Kind of like LVP should never acknowledge the crown, so Vicki should never have told Shannon to "Get off MY show!" It was hilarious at the time because Shannon was such a self-righteous whiner during reunion, but in hindsight it highlighted how precarious Vicki's situation is, rather than the opposite. Yeah, Gretchen was fired for less, though at the time I was ready for her and her fake Slade SLs to go. Technically, Andy and Bravo should have fired Vicki after the solo interviews where Brooks admitted to the scam and Vicki couldn't give a straight answer on when she found out. At the time I felt she was badly treated by Brooks and the three witches and that's why I wanted her to return but now... I'm not so sure it was a good idea. She spent S11 sweeping everything under the carpet.

Margo and Bill! SALLY SPECTRA!!! A lot of the time I was Team Rivals like Bill Spencer and the Spectras against the smug Forresters. Darlene Conley was a true gem.

@Soaplovers @Nothin'ButAttitude Interesting that you both thought Vicki found out in the middle of the season and basically tried to pull a Nixonian cover-up job. When I originally watched S10, I was convinced that Vicki believed Brooks had cancer right until the end and her "nailed on the cross like Jesus was" speech. It was only when Reunion started that I thought "She knows now." But today in hindsight, it is obvious that when she presented those fake medical documents to Tamra, it was a messy clean-up job. The fact that she didn't kick that gross turd out of her life as soon as she found out is stupefying. 100% agree that Vicki's inability to be alone is a major flaw. She constantly admits to her own neediness, but I wish she would do more to deal with it in therapy. It has left her personal life, her business and her family in tatters. Wow, you advocate cleaning house, huh. Actually, I wish they would. The rot definitely has set in. However, RHoNY S5 frightened Bravo producers forever with regards to major purges (I don't understand why. Were ratings really that bad?). I would guess that Vicki will be gone after this season but Tamra will remain for S13 because she has allied herself with Shannon and made up with Kelly. Agreed that they wouldn't fire both at once. Not sure the Eddie is gay rumor is that big a deal as Tamra herself has acknowledged that it has been around since the dawn of time and she doesn't care. It was more an excuse for Tamra to let her anger explode re: Vicki pretending cancergate never happened. Tamra despised (and was right about) Crooks, and never forgave that Vicki chose him over her (unlike Tamra, who chose Vicki and the show over Simon). I agree that there is no coming back from S10 and S11, and the show is hurting as a result.

Brooks' cancer scam continues to hang over this season of the OC and the women's relationships. Do any of you now believe that Vicki was in on the scam? Maybe even from the beginning? Or do you think she was blindsided and unfairly blamed by Tamra/Shannon?

Found the article -- RealityTea by way of PEOPLE magazine, from Brandi's own mouth! http://www.realitytea.com/2015/02/18/brandi-glanville-tried-invest-lisa-vanderpumps-restaurant-pump/ The PEOPLE vid: http://people.com/videos/why-lisa-vanderpump-turned-down-em-rhobh-em-costar-brandi-glanville-on-a-business-deal-20901404/ "Lisa’s reason, according to Brandi: “She just wants to keep business business and pleasure pleasure.” " Season 4, as you know, was when LVP was building PUMP, and that's when Brandi got upset about Scheana. But I always thought it was more than Scheana that prompted Brandi to go mad-dog on the Vanderpump-Todds. Btw I stand by my statement that LVP probably realised Brandi did not have mega $$$$$ to invest and prob wanted freebee drinks every night for her and her posse. RHoD: So, was OC any good tonight? I have to give it to LeeAnne. She will do WHATEVER IT EFFING TAKES to get this show off the ground! Even if it means hot dog costumes for her and her poor, tortured pet. All the women have the most plucked eyebrows of any RH franchise. It is very noticeable on Stephanie, Brandi, LeeAnne and Cary. I kind of don't care about this Brandi-Stephanie fallout because it is unclear exactly why Brandi has fallen out with her BFF. Having said that, I am starting to see the fakery in Stephanie. I never did before. I know she's despised but I really enjoy Cary. She has a dry sense of humor and, even though Mark is clearly in denial about his true calling in life, they both seem happy with each other so who cares? Her daughter is adorable. I also appreciate that Cary hasn't given up her job as surgical nurse for this show. I do think shady Cary made that comment about LeeAnne to Stephanie, though. Kameron -- I'm over the pink dog food. Tammy Faye Bakker is BACK! But as someone who works in a family business, I 100% understand where D'Andra is coming from. The product may need some updating, and the way to advertise and distribute DEFINITELY needs an overhaul. Web business is so important, especially for supplements.

Holy sh*t, that was Frankie?? He looked better before.

IA about Brandi, though I think the issue was more a case of Brandi not being part of the BH wealth bubble. As a result, she was in a position of weakness that Kyle and Kim used against her, and which Yolanda and (maybe) LVP exploited. (LVP once said the beginning of her breakdown in her friendship with Brandi came when Brandi wanted in on investing in PUMP and LVP/Ken turned her down, fearing perhaps that she didn't have the money and also that she would use the place as her personal wine cave). She became the lapdog for drama because that was ALL she had to bring to the table. No property porn, no fancy vacations, no crazy money on crazy cosmetic procedures, no hanging out with her kids even. NJ is a different animal -- the dynamic is complete toxicity with added 'fambly' dysfunction thrown in. Some of these women are wannabe tough-guys, so there's that 'Eye-talian' element which Bravo adores. Not to mention that Teresa was in the pokey and Juicy is there now! And Kim G is likely up to her neck in mafia money/coke/murder/allegations -- Posche seems like a front for something much dodgier. NJ is built around some really dark things. I find the look in Teresa's eyes very sad. Danielle's few moments in the trailer were IMO some of the least toxic parts. Speaking of Brandi, this was her outfit when she got booted from CBB. Yikes at all that flesh-colored netting.

That is some bullsh!t about Danielle not being a regular HW! For her 8 seconds of material in that teaser she should be! Kathy did less in 3 seasons!

She really was. SF once called Stephanie a tentpole character, holding up the show, and she was right. It is an amazing part (back when Dynasty/Dallas/Falcon Crest/Knots Landing had breathed life into amazing character roles for women over 40), and when you have a talented actress who gives the part authority, experience, backstory and nuance, you have a star-making turn. I literally cannot keep my eyes off her. When she talks to her children at the breakfast table, I am hanging on her every word just like they are. And ITA about the different relationships with her kids. It added to the layers of character that Susan Flannery and Bill Bell had already sketched onto Stephanie. The Forrester children had characteristics that Stephanie already possessed -- or wish she had. Ridge was essentially a surrogate husband -- she was drawn to his seductiveness as she had been with Eric -- but she also felt protective of Thorne's sweetness, too, fearing he might be trampled by Ridge's assertiveness (maybe as she had once been hurt by Eric's cheating). The dialogue lol is from another time. But I loved it and miss it sometimes. The formality and vocabulary reminds me of how my grandparents used to speak. Nobody speaks that way now, but at least nobody in this clip is mumbling their words or chewing end consonants or indulging in baby-speak ! I like that attention to elocution on the Bell shows. The dialogue was important and everybody treated those written words with kid gloves.

@DRW50 Watching that clip, I am impressed by Susan Flannery's game. She elevates everybody (and the show as a whole). Some of the dialogue is a little formal and stilted (Kristen's especially, but Thorne asking his dad how his romantic evening went was also a giant wtf!). However, SF is so natural in her delivery that she makes it all sound perfectly normal. She really flips the audience who go from hating her to loving her. Her command of this character is one of the best I have ever seen in soaps tbh. KKL was radiant. It's clear this is one reason she rose above the fray on B&B, because this show is mostly packed with glamorous blondes. (Love the ads -- TV advertising's last hurrah before the internet age threw a flame-thrower on all that)

Trump's ass could cause a solar eclipse.