Cat

It was my first thought until I figured it out! I thought the Department of Motor Vehicles was centrally located in Potomac or something.

DMV = Delaware Maryland Virginia. Basically the wider area around DC. According to Danny Pellegrino, Heather also said on WWHL that Tinisha still does her hair. And that doesn't make sense to me, if Heather is making the point about being betrayed and Jen Shah being betrayed by Reality von Tease. As Judge Judy said, if it doesn't make sense, it's not true... Anyhow, just some food for thought. The mystery deepens. ETA: I agree that throwing Production under the bus is not the way to get back on the show. Especially when you are on the outs with everyone else.

This is taking me right back to Season 1 reunion when Lisa breathlessly praised Jen's business and her smarts. (This was just before the news came out about a Federal investigation). Meredith was silent, and she seemed to already know something wasn't right with Jen's money. But Lisa was gushing to the point where I thought 'Oh, she wants a cut of that.' Allegedly!

Interesting interview The Cut did with Monica: I wondered if it was linked to Beauty Lab. Maybe Jen Shah used it to launder money.

Jen Shah is a vicious, abusive, ruthless, violent person, of that I am sure. But I also wonder if other stuff may be going on between Heather and Jen Shah which could involve money or something like that. Something Jen actually cares about. And I've also wondered if it suits Heather have Jen as her bogeyman in order to gain sympathy from the viewers. I feel awful even writing this. A lot of people are in physically abusive relationships, and are disbelieved or minimised, like 'But what did you do to make him angry?' I really hope I've not done this with Heather. I don't want to diminish what was indeed an abusive and toxic friendship.

IA. Monica blew her chance. Bravo was open to giving her another go. Andy was bending over backwards to facilitate a coming together. Monica herself flopped with the FBI lie, the Burn Book (the most awful idea ever) and her complete lack of empathy regarding why the cast is aggrieved. She's so ready to do absolutely anything to bring down the other women, so much so that they are unable to trust her even a little bit. As that famous line in Chinatown goes "Most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything." The cast recognizes that Monica is capable of anything. It pains me to write this because I found Monica's SL by far THE most interesting to watch. I wasn't too interested in anybody else's personal story. Monica makes for compelling viewing. Like @NothinButAttitude said, "the group of Meredith, Heather, Whitney, Lisa, and Angie cannot carry the show. All of them are supporting characters in the ensemble." This, totally. You know who was a standout at reunion? Mary Cosby. Who obliterated the Whitney-Lisa-Heather Brain Trust every time they came for her. I love Meredith but she's too reserved to carry. I'm beyond over the Brain Trust Three. Social media needs to stop telling Lisa Barlow that she's 'iconic,' because it is a lie. Yes, Production knew who Monica was -- the season was simply too perfectly constructed and paced for them not to have known. I imagine this was their revenge for Black Eye gate. A final word on Heather. I'm starting to disbelieve the 'trauma' of her friendship with Jen Shah. That she protected Jen for an entire year regarding the black eye. It's not that women can't have dysfunctional, manipulative friendships... of course they can. But I believe Heather wanted to propagate a mystery for SL purposes and it failed. She foolishly and selfishly threw Production under the bus to keep it going. The weird thing about her admission that she is "no longer Jen Shah's b!tch" at reunion was her on Tuesday's WWHL essentially fist-pumping and saying 'This one's for Jen.' WTF are you doing, you fool? Increasingly, I wonder if Jen Shah doesn't have serious blackmail on Heather and that's why H routinely acts like her ride-or-die on national television.

This is a GENIUS idea. Given that Mariah has been suing Bravo or Purveyors of Pop (or both), she will be the most difficult 'get.' Nevertheless, I think she'd be integral to this entire idea. I like that there is a lot of variety in your potential cast, too.

I'm excited about this news. For SO long we have seen mediocrity rewarded in Daytime and bad HWs fail upwards into another HW position. For decades, what I would have given to see Mulcahey co-head-write GH! Well, now we've got him. I imagine, if he's coming out of retirement, that this is a labor of love for him. I'm cool with that. I'm cool with this announcement being an experiment, and one that may not work in its entirety. I know Mulcahey is best known as an insanely talented breakdown writer. I assume Korte will be there to provide structure and SL continuity. I'm happy to take it. Soaps having nothing to lose, and if I gain some great scripts and less of Frank's 15-second zip-zip scenes of nothingness, I'll be thrilled.

As someone who grew up watching Santa Barbara (and Days of our Lives) -- both were THEE formative soap operas in my life, but especially Santa Barbara which was my pre-teen obsession. At its glorious height, SB was better (in my humble opinion) than most night-time and Daytime shows. I thought of it the way loyal fans thought of Moonlighting, with which it shared a lot of similarities -- ground-breaking, witty, romantic, emotionally cinematic. The Dobsons were the reason for this. Talented visionaries. I remember in recent years checking out their work on Guiding Light and As The World Turns on YouTube and getting a frisson of excitement in recognition of their bold style. RIP, Bridget Dobson. Her contribution to the genre won't be forgotten on SON, it is fair to say.

She's a gaslighter. Blaming Sutton for a narrative she pursued, and then the ASA for calling her out on her falsehoods. Which she then apologises for. She's ridiculous. She has the arrogance of a Teddi without the brainpower. Sounds like she's pissed at someone on the cast (Kyle? Production?) for encouraging her in this.

Uhh... why can't "people like us" believe Kyle's marriage is done? We're not engaged in magical thinking here. Neither @Cheap21, nor I, nor others on this,thread, are breathless Kyle stans hanging onto her every word. Far from it! I agree with @Cheap21 post because I also initially thought this was going to be just a SL for the show. But picking up on the non-verbal cues, it seems pretty clear to me that the Umanskys are near estranged. We've been watching these RH shows a long time and become quite adept at separating out the scripted from what might actually be going on. Even if you viscerally disagree.... others are allowed to voice different opinions, and that difference be respected even if you are expresssing an opposite viewpoint. Couldn't agree with you more. While there may be an element of Kyle 'exhibiting' her marriage breakdown for the car cameras, Mauricio was following a different script and seemed blindsided by her overt digs and the fact that she wasn't playing along. The mics are picking up comments like "Is this pot or alcohol?" just before they slip into rictus-grin Umansky Couple Mode at the gala. Non verbally, they seem like they can't stand each other. Kyle appears to be biting back fury. The turning point-- I'd go back to one year prior and speculate that when Kyle first found out her friend had just died, Mo was nowhere to be found. Cut to the one-year memorial, and he's vacationing once again. Like you, I'm not sure what the Morgan of it all is. I'm irritated by how coy Kyle is about her 'friend'. She made such a show of watching Morgan sing that song before the memorial. She's wearing heart eyes but won't clarify their relationship. Yet has no problem showing just how disdainful she is of her husband? It makes no sense. I agree -- figuring out the financials is keeping the Umanskys married right now. Meanwhile.... Flopmarie keeps digging that hole

I don't know... I do blame him for checking out and possibly cheating. He knew what he was getting into with her and her family, and for a while those Hilton connections launched his career. He's got 4 daughters with Kyle, two of whom work at the family firm, one of whom is still in high school. He's now able to live his own teenage dream life of partying. I find his himbo/lovebean shtick when they are in the presence of others so grating and fake this year. JMO.

A damning indictment from Flopmarie's profession. She thought (and i use that word loosely) she could flap her gums about a medical condition which takes Google seconds to corroborate. She has single-handedly destroyed her career on national television. 8.5 must refer to the number of braincells she holds. Which part? Kyle forcing her way into Sutton's fridge? Baiting Mauricio in the car? Casually pointing out Morgan's shoes tucked in her wardrobe? Honestly, I find Mauricio lowkey awful this year. Maybe it's the new chompers. Maybe it's the video of him spraying down a Mexican popstar with champs in Aspen. He gives off the impression that Kyle exclusively has the brains in that couple. She is clearly so furious at him. She was already over the constant pot-smoking, I think. But he must have done something really bad because she can barely stand to look at him. And by bad, i mean cheating. It feels a lot more personal than "We grew apart."

Flopmarie's aggressive targeting of Sutton (for what reason? To have a SL? At Kyle's behest?) contrasts with Nicole who is using her medical expertise to support her friend through breast cancer. It is the polar opposite of Hulkmarie practically launching herself at Sutton and Crystal. Flop thought she was targeting 'the weak links,' but it turns out that she is the weak link. If we are choosing between Diana and Annemarie -- I'd have to say Diana was worse. 1. Raging bore. 2. High-class madam rumors she tried to whitewash with her charity work. 3. The bots that attacked Jax (plus her crazy obsession with Garcelle). Still think she financed those. Flopmarie is way, way dumber than Diana, though. Literally nobody can take her seriously. Not Sutton, not Garcelle, not even Erika. Kyle is starting to put some distance between her and her 'exercise friend.' And then we have Marcellus. She's one and done.

BH Flopmarie is not just one of the worst newbies on Bravo (which takes some doing), she's one of the dumbest (also a crowded field). Lying that Crystal, who struggled with an eating disorder, is the one who said Sutton had one. A lie that Bravo can easily refute. Kind of like the lie she told about small snuffleufaguses not being a medical condition. Sutton literally just has to stand there and watch this loudmouth dig herself a deeper hole. And speaking of dumb, Kyle forcing her way into Sutton's fridge to keep that narrative going? Sutton handled it coolly, so you might have missed it, but I never want to hear Kyle boohooing ever again about Sutton asking mean questions about her mawiage. The mawiage she has no problem displaying all over this show. Poor me! Look at me be a victim! Crystal had a nice scene with her brother. That and a real gala on BH. It's been a while since we saw that on the show. Dr. Nicole cleared her effortlessly. What a goddess. 😍

RHOBH I'm behind, but I did catch Kyle's memorial for her friend Lorene. Morgan singing the song about doing it with Kyle in a NYC hotel... This was not the place to debut her latest single! The whole evening was about Kyle and it was so interesting to me how she picks up new BFFs like she's shopping for outfits. Sutton reached over at one point and Kyle barely acknowledged her. Faye (Kyle's BFF before LVP) was hugging an emotional Kim. Teddi was flitting around trying to be seen by the cameras. Dorit was talking about the days when she and PK, Kyle and Mo would hang. I saw today that Kyle is now backtracking on how often she and Dorit would vacation together; I guess Dorit now knows what LVP felt like. Kyle has no more use for her and has found a new girl to refocus her personality around. It is really stark how Kyle adopts friends to adopt their personalities and then jettison them. Annemarie is objectively awful. I can't wait for Crystal to shut her 'medical' qualifications down. Dorit and PK's marriage now appears to be in name only.

100%. Karen made the episode light-hearted and fun, and not one person was excluded from the festivities. Some of thecwomen (namely Giz) actually seemed thrilled to be putting this together. Karen lifted the entire episode. Nobody is working harder than Candiace and Robyn to keep this feud going, but I really do not care about it. The one thing I noticed was Robyn calling Juan for his,weekly airtime segment (which he refused to turn Face Time on for) and promptly hanging up on him in anger. Nneka is a flop and I keep forgetting is on the show. Apart from the shrine allegations, she has contributed zilch.

RHOP Karen can charm the pants off of anyone. I seriously think she and Robyn are going make up.

BH While lost amid the SLC finale of it all, BH's episode harked back to ye olden days of RH, showcasing a lot of the women's individual stories. Crystal surprisingly had some stuff going on, re: her background, her dominating her brother, and an unexpectedly candid appraisal of the other women on Ozempic which leaves her comparing her body to theirs. Sutton had a date. It actually looked like somewhat of a success. Garcelle and Dorit had a face to face. I'm sure everyone will have thoughts because the subject matter is emotive. Both women expressed their viewpoint well, which was good in some,ways, but also left the situation intractable. Some corners of social media accused Garcelle of purposely trying to destroy Dorit in the eyes of the audience. Well, Dorit kind of did that herself with the 'diverse help' comment a few seasons back, but like I said, she was no pushover when it came to Garcelle's points. And overall I thought Garcelle had good points. At the end of the day, these two are oil and water (or rather fire and water signs!) and just don't mix. I also think that Garcelle has held back in past seasons before accusing anyone of microaggressions, but that last season with Diana and the bots changed her and she won't tolerate them poking her anymore. The standout scene for me was Kim and Kyle talking about their family dynamics and Big Kathy. Kim is never not an authentic presence and her childhood pain is close to the surface. This was the first time she openly admitted to past anger at her mother. What surprised me is Kyle, who'd usually be hero-worshipping Big Kathy as the bestest mom ever, admitted to close to the same thing by alluding to the chaos in her childhood and why she purposely went the exact opposite direction when raising her family. First of all, I love Julia, she is one of my faves, and I love that she is both logical, empathetic and kind. It helps balance the show IMO. But I take your overall point about Bravo being attracted to the crazy and rewarding the villains while punishing the good. I'd like to hope that they will handle SLC and Miami with more balance than that (old seasons of RHONJ and SLC show what happens when the crazy are let out of their cage), but we will see. 🤞

ETA: 👀 Heather might not have known who Monica was, but Jen Shah sure did back in 2021.

SLC That was truly epic reality soap. The way that entire episode was structured, the pacing of each bombshell. I had to wonder if production knew Monica was a blogger when she was hired... and went with it anyway, with this kind of explosive reveal episode in mind. That's the question: did Bravo know beforehand? Or did Heather piece it all together, and got in touch with contacts to confirm her proof? This triggers a slew of additional questions about the RH-dependent eco-system. We know the ecosystem involves people who make a side hustle on RH commentary and breaking news. We know that most of the HWs co-exist with this eco-system. The additional coverage beefs up their profile, their brand. They give them exclusive interviews and brief against their other cast-mates (Marge of RHONJ is one egregious example). So Monica was part of this RH-adjacent eco-system. She and Heather's hair guru Tenesha blogged about Jen Shah. The goal (according to Monica) was to expose Jen Shah's dirtiest secrets and bring her down. Monica has set herself up as some kind of truth-teller, exposing Shah for the good of the SLC audience. But is she? Let's not forget that this frenemy circle is not the first job she has infiltrated. She was undercover as Jen Shah's assistant. Tenesha was Heather's hair person. The question is: did they overstep the legal boundaries of their jobs, or did Heather leak stuff to Tenesha knowing some of it would get out there? Probably a little of both? Because the RHs and the RH ecosystem go hand-in-hand. They need each other. And RHOSLC, as a fledgling new show, needed the boost. Heather making her very practiced monologue about what she discovered and how horrified she was by Monica -- I'm not sure I believed it in full. She breathlessly hid the fact that Jen Shah gave her a black eye and was involved in a Ponzi scheme -- but this is beyond the pale? I can see @DaytimeFan's point about Monica's presence on SLC and what that might mean for the show going forward. SLC has a tendency to burn bright and then go down in flames. I, too, remember RHOV flaming out in S2 because Jody Claman was allowed to ride roughshod. I also recall the bad old days of RHONJ when a host of random fans (the real estate agent, Penny, Zorba the Greek) turned it into a sh!tshow. Monica has issues for sure. Her relationship with her narcissistic mother is highly toxic, and i keep thinking how that must have formed a person growing up. But I'm not sure Monica is going anywhere. Her dramatic presence turned SLC's fortunes around, not just this episode but throughout the 16 episodes. It is worth acknowledging that SLC is a cast endeavour. Monica is perhaps the necessary ingredient in the pot which up until now did not taste right. Her interaction with the other women was on point. Indeed, the reason why the reveal was shocking is that, despite her lack of aspirational wealth, Monica looked the part of a RH, was immersed in the group, and was very strategic -- she had to be, to stay one step ahead of the suspicions. However, the trailer for reunion, Monica showing up with her Burn Book... hmmm. Not sure how that will translate. Reunion can make or break a HW. Heather had a great S1 but reunion turned people off. Apart from Monica, two things about the finale. 1. Meredith has never looked so beautiful, and I felt I could read every emotion on her face. Her reaction of delayed shock was awkward enough to be completely believable. Meredith for me is a RH heroine, steadfast in her assessment of what is right and wrong. The moment Meredith referred to the security footage -- cut to Blonde Monica walking around on CCTV, cut to Brunette Monica acting like it was her first time there -- I actually got the f*cking chills. 2. When Lisa was shouting, and producers were falling over themselves to open the glass door behind her. 😆

Lisa has a literal lifesaver in the form of quiet, centered Jody, but she's so hung up on Lenny, his breakup with her, his family's rejection of her, and the lifestyle she had, that she cannot see the wood for the trees. It's hard to let go of all that wealth, but she will have to manage her expectations. That lifestyle will be very difficult to replicate even with alimony. Hopefully her priority is maintaining primary custody of her two adorable children.

I'm almost afraid to ask... what did I miss? This?

I understand why Miami hasn't gotten the same-day live ratings -- honestly, the last two months, we've had a surplus of top-tier RH shows (and UGT, and M2M), many of which have hit their groove all at the same time. I'm not sure why Bravo shoved them all into Q4 -- are we rushing to get to RHONJ or something? -- but underpromoted Miami got lost in the shuffle. In the run-up to Christmas, we are all super busy and exhausted! I would have put Miami on a different day from BH and at 8pm, or kept both it and Potomac back for Q1 2024. I also think most Miami fans are watching on Peacock/streaming. After a slow start, SLC has done really well. Jen Shah who? And gotta give credit where it's due: a lot of that is because of lightening-rod Monica.

Just want to say I get such a kick out of reading everybody's Best & Worst! This is my favorite time of year on this thread, and I'm so happy @Gray Bunny that you decided to sound the starter pistol and set the award criteria. Drawing inspiration from a vintage 1996 issue of SOD -- chef's kiss. If you're going to borrow, borrow from the best! Last year I tried to make a go of the Best & Worst and, on balance, I was more pessimistic than optimistic about the Real Housewives. This year, though, I have become more optimistic. The shows are not uniformly perfect, but I appreciate that Bravo has attempted to listen to viewer feedback, reinvest and reinvigorate some of the franchises. BEST & WORST REAL HOUSEWIVES 2023 BEST RETURN: Tamra, RHOC MOST REINVIGORATED SHOW: RHOC. MOST IMPROVED HOUSEWIFE: Emily, RHOC. BEST NEWCOMER (1): Jenn, RHOC. There is always a concern with Tamra that too much of a good thing will curdle into toxic cruelty. However, production carefully restored a lost sense of down-home-iness to RHOC, which is largely about a community of conservative Midwesterners determined to live the California Dream -- at any cost. Tamra's presence woke up the other women's A game. The change in Emily from one season to the next has been extraordinary. Heather Dubrow has proved what an invaluable member she is as the snooty, sophisticated outcast. Jenn Pedranti harks back to RHOC's first decade and fits right in with this motley crew. Finally, we have Shannon who is going to have a renaissance next season. And by renaissance, I mean a complete meltdown. In the words of Kelly Killoren Bensimon, it's not a breakdown, it's a breakTHROUGH. WORST RETURN: Kelly Killoren Bensimon, OG RHONY UGT and Denise Richards, RHOBH. Sometimes you can't come back. Let's be honest about Kelly -- the turn-off wasn't that she was crazy, the turn-off was that she was mean, judgmental and deluded. And still is. As for Denise. Girl.... But you boozed it up, threw Xanax into that moonshine, and consequently were no match for the Ice-Valkyrie Erika and her quip-writer, Mikey. Even Dorinda forwent vodka when she knew she was going to give Sonja a tongue-lashing. BEST FRIENDS OF: Adriana, Kiki and Marysol, RHOMiami. By rights, these three should be in the opening credits holding mojitos. They are as important to the show as the main cast -- the way they interact with them is the motor engine of this frankly excellent show. I may not love Marysol, but she is RHOMiami Legacy. Her possessive friendship with Alexia excludes the others and drives them nuts. Kiki is a sexy, stylish joke machine. And Adriana is the anti-heroine who cannot stop running her mouth. I cannot help but root for her. MOST WELCOME EXITS: Lisa Rinna, RHOBH and Jen Shah, RHOSLC. Is anybody unexpectedly enjoying RHOBH this year? I am. One reason is because a certain somebody is no longer selling her soul on national television and going to increasingly dark, toxic lengths to take down her cast-mates. As for Jen Shah -- never saw the hype with that fraudster. SLC has vastly improved since she departed. BEST NEWCOMER (2): Monica, RHOSLC. Monica harks back to those grifting anti-heroines who used to show up at Uncle Mack and Aunt Karen's house on Knots Landing and turn everyone's world chaotically upside down. She slept with her brother-in-law and dobbed Jen Shah to the Feds. Now she has wormed her way into the fractured frenemy circle Jen Shah left behind. What could possibly go wrong? BEST TREND: Soft reboots of franchises in trouble. RHOMiami. OG RHONY UGT. NuRHONY. This year, Bravo hedged its bets, bringing in new blood but also retaining the old guard just in case. I am one of the few that enjoyed NuRHONY, and I'd love it if Sonja's suggestion of an OG + NuRHONY mix on UGT would actually occur (I need Brynn and Sonja to meet). But OG RHONY UGT (thank god my crazy aunties are back!) is currently the comedy gift that keeps on giving. I had to rewind the shot of Sonja's pixellated behind leaping on the inflatable swan just so I could re-witness Kristen's squeal of shock. WORST TREND: Sh!t happening off-camera/pre-scripted by production. Potomac has been the worst offender this year. The production team for both Potomac and Atlanta (and they are the same company -- Truly Original) needs to be fired for the way they are mishandling both shows. Potomac has become way too toxic as production protects its fave Gizelle at all costs. Meanwhile, Atlanta is a limp, forgotten afterthought. Production isn't even trying down there. MOST CRINGEWORTHY MOMENT: I was going to say any scene featuring Kyle & Mauricio's New Chompers ("Lovebean!") , but you guys, I had forgotten about Drew serenading Ralph with her Brand New & Exclusive break-up single on RHOA! Thank you for reminding me. I watched that whole segment through my fingers. Boy, did that reunion save a lousy season. BEST FEUD (1): "Name 'Em. Name 'Em!" RHOBH. BEST FEUD (2): Adriana vs Alexia, Larsa vs Nicole, RHOMiami. WORST FEUD: Teresa vs Melissa, Marge vs Jennifuh, RHONJ. Although anytime Whitney, RHOSLC starts sidling up to Meredith, Heather or Mary Crosby, I get the cold sweats. I do not want to watch whatever fake feud Little Girl is trying to finagle. WORST ALLIANCE: Gizelle-Robyn-Ashley-Charrisse, RHOP. I'm sick of the Budget Coven. They just throw the nastiest lies at other people in order to deflect from their worst proclivities. And they need to stop trying to make Fetch happen with Charrisse, bless her. FAVORITE HOUSEWIFE: Karen Huger, RHOP, who never fails to delight me with her quickfire shade and humor. I will also never forget, a few seasons back when Wendy got the new boobs and Gizelle shaded her for it, Karen held her hand and told her to never hide her light under a bushel in order to make Gizelle Bryant feel better about herself! BEST SHOW: @NothinButAttitude said it best: RHOMiami. It is literally THEE best RH franchise right now, and I am lowkey devastated by its ratings. I need it back on Peacock so that my fellow international viewers can give it ratings love again. It is literally so perfect. Picture a sun-saturated adult playground -- the cocaine capital of the world. Fill it with wealthy businessmen, plastic surgeons and grifters. Throw in some good-time girls looking for rich hubbies. Think you are going to get Scarface? Think again! What you get is a surprisingly warm, funny and real friendship circle of women trying to navigate divorce and other challenges amid glossy wealth and luxury. Some of these good-time girls actually have good hearts, too. and when the chips are down, they are there for each other. Other times they go off the deep end (like Alexia did last season when the hype got to her head) and are forced to rebuild bridges. Miami the city is like the ninth Housewife (yes, I said 9th), an additional character in much the same way NYC was for RHONY and SATC. MOST TOXIC SHOW: RHONJ. I can't believe they brought back THE ENTIRE CAST. How do the Gorgas keep escaping the chop? And isn't Marge becoming some kind of Lisa Rinnaesque legal liability? MOST DISAPPOINTING SHOW: RHOA. RHOA needs a soft reboot. It needs interesting new blood. AND it needs some fan favorites back. Nene. Porsha. Cynthia. Yes, I said Nene! Basically, it needs the love, care and attention that RHOC got this season, from a production team that knows and adores RHOA.