Cat

41 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

RE: Jill

Sigh... I saw that. What could've been.  (And boy, what a view she had!) 

IF ONLY Bravo could have filmed Jill tiptoing to Ramona's door with a doctor's stethoscope to listen in on Ramona's many dates.

Please also note that everything has been moved out of the apartment in that shot -- except for a prominently-arranged Zarin Fabrics Rug (c). Hustle hustle!

Seriously, this should have had Peacock's careful touch, and I'm lowkey aggrieved that Jill made it an 'all or nothing' situation.  Maybe, after the success of RHOM and RHUGT 3, it will be back on the negotiating table next year.

OK, RHOA looks really GOOD. Everyone looks gorgeous, and they packed a lot of juice into 3 FULL MINUTES of trailer! 

I have thoughts (Marlo still Fake AF, Kenya still Grumpy AF) but overall the show seems to be generating a momentum we haven't seen in a while. It seems determined to give us juicy stuff this year -- hence the renewed focus on Drew (which maybe why the trailer was delayed, so that Bravo could splice in the Drew Divorce Drama).

16 minutes ago, Cheap21 said:

OMG that was SOOOOO good! I love that we finally got new visuals. The ladies look amazing

UGH to Kim being back....WHY?!?!?

Kim is back because Bravo is not confident that the main cast has fully gelled TBH. So they're throwing Penniless Kim in there, they're throwing Cynthia in there, they'd throw Porsha in there if they could.

4 hours ago, Taoboi said:

OH?

 

Well Eva the Diva does not take kindly to cheating if I remember....

I don't have any tea.  Just from his statement "I am going to fight for her....our love is strong enough to get to the other side" -- the other side of what? is where my mind went.

Jill Zarin has let go of her rental in Ramona's building on the Upper East Side. Looks like she'll be spending more time in FLA. Her 'Goodbye NYC' makes me feel like it's a wider Goodbye to the OG RHONY 

On 3/28/2023 at 10:53 PM, Faulkner said:

Word on the street is also that Eva Marcille (ex-RHOA) has filed for divorce.

Hmm.  Sounds like he got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do.

13 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I don't think Denise is cut out for it either.  There seems a lot about her life she doesn't want to share and I do understand that because she's 'famous' on her own.  It's just not what the Housewives is about.

Yes, there is something dark about watching Kim and I always feel nervous watching her.  I believe she is in a better place, but I am not sure if she is equipped for this either.

As far as Marysol, she is so open about her drinking I almost think it's a gag and she doesn't drink that much.  She honestly never seems super intoxicated.  As someone who has had ulcers though drinking would be absolutely painful and not dull my pain at all lol.

The filming with Kim doesn't seem to be anything more than a one-off guest-spot -- at least for now. Although, given the clamoring to bring Kim back in recent times, anything could happen, and BH is down a Richards sister (Kathy, where are you).

Camille, Cynthia and Denise's off-screen voice (that's all you saw of her on social media) at Kyle's party seemed to be blink-and-you'll-miss-em guest spots. I honestly doubt any of these ladies will feature beyond a name-check, although I am down to see Camille and Denise cheers-ing each other now that Rinna ain't around. 

8 minutes ago, carolineg said:

Exactly. Generally, most of the dark housewives stuff comes out due to joining the show.  The Denise stuff is common knowledge and she is going in knowing people have this idea about her.  I think she wanted to show a different side of her, but at the same time she can't or won't put her full self out there so she comes off inauthentic to me.  I just think there were better ways to handle the Brandi affair rumors besides absolutely shutting down.  Frankly, I don't care if she hooked up with Brandi and would have liked if she 'owned' it and made Lisa look even more awful than she already did.   I mean, there are a lot of inauthentic housewives and she is not the worst and is likable-I am just not excited about her coming back.  The need isn't there for me. 

I didn't understand why Denise didn't roll with it, like "Yeah, and?" Possibly because the husband wasn't in on it, and possibly because Brandi made out that she was somehow tricked into sex? Anyway, that season was draining and, while I hated the Coven for targeting Denise incessantly, I don't think Denise should return full-time -- for the reasons you state. And also because I don't believe she is that dynamic a personality.

19 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

RHOBH:  I like the fact they're throwing in everything but the kitchen sink (Vanderpump). Of course, the Rinna rimmers online will say it's because the show is lost without her. But I'll gladly take the return of Camille, and visits from Kim and Denise, plus a Housewives crossover with Cynthia (dual pop-ups, with her appearing on ATL this season, too). I get what you're all saying about Kim and Denise, but in Denise's case I feel there's unfinished business and Garcelle can help facilitate that. As for Kim, there's all that Richards sisters baggage... is Kathy filming? 

RHUGT3: This has shaped up to be a surprisingly fun arc. It makes me miss Porsha, appreciate Candiace more, confirm my strong dislike of Leah, and makes me wonder what the heck is up with those goofy Miami women. It's a good thing Tinsley turned down the opportunity and they got Porsha in her place, because I don't think the show would be popping if she wasn't on. 

Rimmers have been saying that loudly, but you know what? They are probably bots paid for by Diana. I will happily trade that toxic, soulless vampire for something lighter, fluffier, more glamorous, and with returning guest spots every episode. If Kyle can shoehorn her personal drone Terry into every season, I can damn well have two minutes of Camille, Denise and Garcelle cackling "Ding dong the witch is gone" over a couple of Chateau Margauxs.

Re: RHUGT3 -- I never properly appreciated what a masterful operator Porsha became until she left RHOA. She knew when to be light and sweet, and when to go in for an incisive burn. How far she has come from her early ATL seasons! On RHUGT she has expertly kept the momentum moving from morning til night while not breaking a sweat. She has Pepsi curled around her little finger, too. Gizelle seriously needs to sit back, marvel, watch and learn, cuz this is how you do it.

20 hours ago, Cheap21 said:

Word on the curb is that these women are set to make appearances on the upcoming RHOBH: Kim Richards, Denise Richards, Cynthia Bailey

It's more than just word -- Kim was filmed by Bravo with Kyle and Dorit on a mountain walk (taking us back to old school BH: The Yolanda and Brandi Years). Prior to that, Kyle had a dinner party (again, filmed by Bravo) and Denise, Cynthia and Camille were all invited. Who knows whether they will appear when it airs, but I hope they will. Now that Rinna is gone, ex-HWs feel like it's safe to participate again. I'm ready for some call-back to earlier seasons.

17 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Word on the street is also that Eva Marcille (ex-RHOA) has filed for divorce.

Not that I followed her relationship closely, but Eva seemed very much in love with her husband and happy with her family life. He even formally adopted her eldest daughter. So this is a surprise, to say the least.

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

Paul O'Grady was so prominent in UK pop culture for so many years, I'm shocked by the news of his passing. He was a very funny, warm presence, who was an increasingly popular public figure in very dangerous years for gay people. He also loved animals and spent much of his time fighting for them. 

100% this. He spoke his mind but also had tremendous empathy for people and dogs. He was a huge star for this reason. Viewers trusted him as a human being. 

50 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

 

Very unexpected. He was HUGELY popular in the UK, and a big dog lover.

@Antoyne @Soaplovers Re: Leah on UGT. I'm halfway through episode 3. And you were right. I was wrong. 

She's a narcissist who thinks she's back on RHONY and can control/police people's conversations. And as Porsha rightly inferred, she is a "Look at me! Don't look at me!" attention-seeker. It's exhausting. 6 yr olds act better than this 

Super-rude to act bored while Alexia was talking. Leah kind of hit it on the head when she said Alexia is on a loop reciting her script. However, Alexia has probably had to recount her life story so often now that it has inevitably settled into repetition. Her life story is still exciting, though -- certainly more exciting than Leah's. And that's what Leah couldn't stand.

Porsha is a top-tier HW and can handle questions from Candiace about her marriage with ease. This is why Gizelle doesn't mess with Porsha and wants to be her buddy. 

Do I think the timeline on her engagement was sketchy? 100%. But I also think Porsha is super-careful about protecting 'her brand' and made sure all her ducks were lined up in a row before she publicly jumped into that relationship. Candiace tried but was unable to make Porsha squirm.

Heather is still so, so cringe to me. 

Episode 2 mentioned Mama Elsa and I got  . She was amazing.

19 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

Quite frankly RHUGT 1 made me really not like Kenya at all.  She was age shaming, and using physical force against Ramona... which I remember thinking 'gees Kenya.. you're no better at controlling your emotions then Porsha.. maybe you should get the # of a good anger management person from Porsha'.

 

According to Candiace, this trip was filmed right after season 7 wrapped when she and Gizelle were in an ok place.. which would explain why they were nice to one another on the phone call... but by the end of this trip.. they weren't in a good place again.  And she's been warning the other women not to tell Gizelle anything personal or she'll use it against them.

 

I liked Kenya more on RHUGT 1 than on RHOA where she seems increasingly grumpy. What I warmed to on RHUGT 1 was Kenya making friends with many of the other women. It was a new experience. But as I mentioned a day or so ago, I was 100% on Cynthia's side when she was largely abandoned by her friend who calculated that the Cynthia friendship post-RHOA was not so valuable to her. And Kenya clearly knew to target Ramona because, well, it's Ramona. I forgot about the physical force.

Thanks for the Candiace-Gizelle timeline. It's obvious that Candiace is very cautious where Gizelle is concerned but neither does she want to start an outright war. She also wasn't in a good place with Chris when the trip started, so that may have contributed to her pulling her punches.

4 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Aside from Cynthia, who was a whiny Debbie Downer, the ATL ladies have all shined on these UGTs. Even someone as forgettable as Eva was on RHOA stood out. Kenya, Phaedra, and Porsha have also been great in this context. All very perceptive and, like they said, ATL toughens you up, so the petty drama doesn’t faze them as much. (Well, aside from Kenya’s battles with Ramona on the first UGT, but Ms. Singer would drive anyone nuts.)

Forgot to say: I know Cynthia wasn't riveting fun on RHUGT 1 -- that show was all about Kenya’s star turn. However, on a human level, I really felt for her. She was struggling with some stuff, including being let go from RHOA, the feeling that Kenya was pulling away from their friendship precisely because she'd been dumped by Bravo, and the fact that her marriage (which she tried to paint as her blessed second chance at love) wasn't all that. I appreciate that she wasn't trying to hide her emotions behind an Everything's Perfect facade.

4 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Aside from Cynthia, who was a whiny Debbie Downer, the ATL ladies have all shined on these UGTs. Even someone as forgettable as Eva was on RHOA stood out. Kenya, Phaedra, and Porsha have also been great in this context. All very perceptive and, like they said, ATL toughens you up, so the petty drama doesn’t faze them as much. (Well, aside from Kenya’s battles with Ramona on the first UGT, but Ms. Singer would drive anyone nuts.)

I’m glad there are no California ladies on this trip (even though I wound up enjoying Tamra more than I thought I would on UGT2). 

I’m just glad the fake phony facades that Gizelle and Candiace were initially showing were broken down. Those scenes of them chatting on the phone before flying to Thailand were a huge WTF. They despise each other and I’m glad they were finally real about it.

The ATL women have been absolutely crucial additions to UGT and honestly, it's a big reason why Cynthia and Phaedra are returning to the Bravo fold this year. I have no doubt that if Bravo could get Porsha back on RHOA, they would. It is clear from her UGT VTs in episode 1 that she won't return unless Production concentrates on making her and her brand look as great as possible. And frankly, I'm not sure that should be Production (and the rest of the cast's) priority at all. It didn't work on her last season, and it didn't work on her spin-off, that's for sure.

The Gizelle-Candiace nicey-nice stuff and phone call made my head spin even if you take into account that reunion was filmed only recently and way after RHUGT. It actually made me wonder whether Candiace's anger on Reunion had all been an act? I haven't seen them really square off yet on UGT but I'm ready to!

I was thinking how glad I was that nobody from BH was on this trip. They would have been passive-aggressive wet blankets with a superiority complex IMO.

4 hours ago, Antoyne said:

You had me until you said you like Leah. She’s an emotional vampire and I love that the ladies are like why are you even here.

Believe me, it was painful to even write that. Bear in mind, I'm only midway through episode 2, so haven't seen any more meaningful interactions of hers outside of episode 1 when she (rightly) called Heather out, put her on notice, but kept it breezy and moved on. I did notice her mini-tantrum at Pepsi about not giving her a 'good room' and my antenna went up. I know the self-righteous narcissist in Leah is bound to emerge with a vengeance soon.

On 3/24/2023 at 12:00 AM, Cheap21 said:

Loving RHUGT3!

Porsha is fun. I liked how they used her as the narrator to open up

YES to Heather being exposed for being fake and a clout chaser. Whitney is being vindicated bc she is doing EXACTLY what she said she would

Gizelle is even more annoying on this show than Potomac. I hate the way she speaks and how she thinks she's so funny when she's not

Marysol continues to be drunk and its still not cute

LMAO at the Candiace vs Porsha brewing. Candiace got her and Gizelle with her shady names

Episode 2 cliffhanger:

Leah to Marysol: "You're in a bad mood bc your stomach hurts. Don't take it out on me. Its not my fault you're drinking vodka every morning"

Just finished episode 1. Confidently, i can say that this is my favourite UGT so far. The choice of HWs was very astute. These women all have  contentious relationships with the audience, either as pot-stirrers (Giz), narcissists (Leah), hiding behind their sunny image (Porsha), or fakes (Heather). With the fourth-wall element somewhat removed, it will be interesting to see how far their machinations are exposed.

Clearly, Heather is the one all these women can spot a mile away as being a fake AF, insecure Pick-Me. She also thinks she can fool the audience with her "I'm just a child in floaters surrounded by sharks" comment. Clearly deluded about her RH powers of pulling the wool over viewers' eyes.

Gizelle going after Alexia & Marysol for speaking Spanglish. Really? This is the hill she wants to die on?

Whitney is just going to parrot whatever she thinks Gizelle wants to hear. The SLC girls are woefully out of their depth on this show.

Porsha is keeping it pretty and breezy but I'm ready for the questions about Simon & Falyn. Like @Faulkner said though, IA her presence is sorely missed from RHOA, and UGT reminds me why. Her aura puts Gizelle's in the shade.

Deep breath. I'm liking Leah here so far. 

5 hours ago, Faulkner said:

They are so bad together. There isn’t enough of a personality difference between them. I thought Emme Rylan’s more openly spoiled Abby worked much better with Devon (and they should have gone there with them with her in the role), maybe simply because ER played Abby with a stronger POV. He also worked really well with EH’s Chloe when she was a schemer. And of course his chemistry with Mishael as Hillary (but not with the more benign Amanda) is the stuff of legend.

Bryton is a great actor but he’s low-key in a way that doesn’t always work on soaps. And Y&R hasn’t written for him well (in the same way they often failed the gifted KSJ). He’s very natural and easy in his interactions but he isn’t a chemistry magnet in the way that MTS and BM are, and placing him with Ordway doesn’t give him opportunities to shine. But light a match under him (like his recent work with CK and TSJ), and he blows me away.

IA that Bryton is a good actor, and when he gets material which allows him to do a slow build in terms of emotion, Bryton excels. It is also why he needs a firecracker upon which he can offset his more naturalistic style of acting. Obviously Hillary was that firecracker for a while.

My problem is more with Ordway who does try, but comes across as almost a fembot because the svripts give her the most generic dialogue imaginable. Abby has, as others have mentioned here, no personality other than the last names of her parents. I think back to that little girl with all that gumption who sat on Victor's lap, huffing "I OWN Jabot!' in her best Uncle-Jack voice, and I can't help but think what could have been! A born actress. A gossip. A dreamer. A mini-me of her sensitive, sophisticated mother. That's the route I thought Abby would go as she got older.

The most interesting plot movement in yesterday's episode was Phyllis-Diane, in that I actually want to see how far Phyllis will go to destroy Diane. Feel sorry for Diane for having to deal with that obsessed stalker, lol.

I have always had a fondness for Michael Grazadei and his ability to tease chemistry even from Christel Khalil. Beth Maitland also has that fine-honed ability, and the reason that the Traci-Nikki scene worked is that these two actresses are chemistry magnets who click with whoever they interact with.

Devon-Abby are a cure for insomnia. Has Abby ever had a pairing that clicked? She's such an empty vessel of a character. 

3 hours ago, janea4old said:

For the past month the show has been posting online old clips and photos that include Paul/DD.  Lauralee Bell's social media has included old photos of him.   On ET-Canada last week, they asked actors who the best kisser was of the actors they'd kissed during their time on Y&R, and Lauralee Bell picked Paul.  I believe other actors have included him in old photos.

The show's dialogue over the past few months has been clearly stating that Paul is active in Genoa City, is still the police chief, and he is still married to Christine:
Paul was discussed in January dialogue between Christine and Danny. Lauren described Paul fondly at her party (TEB anniv episode Jan 25) where Lauren tells Fen's boyfriend about her past, how she was once with Paul, and he's now the police chief - and they showed an old clip of Paul and Lauren during the episode.  During Heather&Lucy's recent visit to Genoa City, they told Daniel they'd just visited Paul and Christine, describing a scene that was offscreen.  

There seems to be an intent to make Paul part of the show, yet DD isn't. 

I've no idea what the behind-the-scenes reasons are for any of this.

Money? Or maybe DD threw one too many fits about his place on the show, and TPTB were like "Bye." They've not been invested in the character of Paul in a long, long time. Certainly not after Steve Burton left. 

I'd personally love Paul and Christine back and Lauralee Bell on the show fulltime.

1 minute ago, DRW50 said:

One of the reasons I despised the framing of this story as some kind of brave and daring gay material - with anyone who objected to it being seen as homophobic - was that the show made sure Adam was seen as using Rafe rather than any sexual or romantic interest being involved. We were meant to be agog at how wild the show was, but never tried for any ambiguity in the storytelling. We never saw anything, aside from the infamous shot of Muhney's paw on mouthbreathing Rafe's bottom lip, and they made clear that Adam was still only interested in women. That Nelson Branco paraded Muhney, MAB, etc. as some kind of equality heroes still angers me, 15 years later. 

Right. It was to sensationalise and scandalise viewers and they got the soap press to get behind the whole thing. Y&R kind of threw Chris Engen to the wolves, and they tempted fans with a possible gay SL which many had probably really wanted to see on Y&R for a long time.

And I have to wonder if the show wasn't already planning to replace Engen with thirsty-ass Muhney. I don't think Y&R was crazy about Engen's boyish take on a character that MAB wanted to go full-dark-villain. 

Anyway, here is Engen's statement about his leaving:

https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-young-and-the-restless/news/4355/chris-engen-statement-on-quitting-young-and-the-res/

And this is a SoapCentral article about the upheaval which presents more of Y&R/CBS's view:

https://www.soapcentral.com/young-and-restless/news/2009/0525-engen.php?utm_content=cmp-true

So I like both Eric Braeden and Eva Longoria. EB's Twitter feed, with its copious use of YA GOT DAT-style exclamation marks, is always a hoot. I was sort-of prepared to take EB's side because he seems pretty together on his social media.

Having said that... he overreacted, for real. EL was about maintaining her day job so she kept quiet about her acting. I do think he 'read' her feelings on the subject -- she does seem lowkey embarrassed about the soap clip, and that's what he reacted to. But his 4-5 Tweets went a little far. Jeez, she wasn't Eileen Davidson, but she wasn't that bad as Isabella. Obviously comedy is more her fit.

Also: Robert Di Nero (sic) was on soaps?? 

18 hours ago, Dylan said:

No Michelle Stafford

Amelia Heinle

Allison lanier

Michael Mealor

Kelsey Wang

Joshua Morrow 

 

Extremely surprised about most of the people on the missing list. Stafford, Heinle, Mealor and Morrow are all frontburner actors on this show, three of them for many, many years. I would have thought they would make sure to fit 'repping the show" into their busy schedules.

As for the people who came, I think Loren Lott looks absolutely movie-star spectacular in lilac. She literally stands out in her photos.

So wonderful to see Victoria Rowell! I would love if this meant she was back on Y&R! Rowell is also one of the very few in this selection of photos to pull off a non-traditional evening look. I love her cape-coat.

Heather Tom and Lauralee Bell simply do not age. Tom looks phenomenal in her flowery dress and glows from within.

Kate Linder looked like she was channelling Joan Collins in some pics.

Disappointed in Eileen Davidson's boring black, but luckily her elegance just about carries her through. Courtney Hope should have burned that sludge-colored horror when it was offered to her.

Julia quietly ended Larsa and Alexia:

11 hours ago, NothinButAttitude said:

Marysol pronouncing herself as the wittiest person on the cast was absurd. It is painfully obvious that Marysol hires someone to write her "funny" lines (Ana confirmed this). And even those lines aren't funny. I'm sick of Marysol and that damn cup and thinking being a lush is cute. It isn't. Mama Elsa was funny. Marysol wasn't. She was whiny at best. 

Alexia is horrendous. I've never seen a housewife fall from grace as she did. I wish Lisa would've reached across and popped her when Alexia did that dig against her. But this should be a sign that Alexia is friends with no one. Much like Marysol, Alexia wreaks desperation and wants to be famous. 

I ignore Larsa as she has no credibility. Never has. Never will. 

I just hate that Kiki is under the spell of these three witches, who have clearly promised her something. 

Oh, they promised Kiki something alright -- a potential spot on the show, probably at the expense of someone on the right couch. I cringed when Marysol made Kiki sip that sparkly tumbler and she had to oblige. The irony is that while Marysol has to proclaim herself as the wittiest, it was Kiki's funniest VTs that Bravo chose to show. 

Alexia going to reconcile with Julia in the dressing room almost seemed like an excuse to drop a lot of raging put-downs, on camera of course, in Adriana's direction. Alexia seems to think this makes her look tough and cool (Erika Girardi does the same thing and we see how well that worked out for her). It also crossed my mind that Alexia doesn't want to be seen insulting Martina Navratilova's wife. If Adriana were dating someone with Martina's stature, would Alexia be nursing this convenient grudge which allows her to constantly rage on her? Or if Adriana held a mojito? I think Alexia and Marysol would be slightly less inclined to treat her like dirt.

RHOM

This episode solidified why I love Julia. She's a truly kind and grounded person, talking about what Martina's going through, while also trying to mediate Alexia and Adriana's resentment. 

By contrast, Larsa looked like a clown. That man Julia was kissing turned out to be a fashion designer and close friend. Larsa looked especially dumb telling Nicole, a doctor, to get 'real jobs' like she has. This from the lazy-ass who posts pictures of her toes on OnlyFans? It never ceases to amaze me how dumbasses like Larsa seem to land rich men. She needs to do better with her pot-stirring because I just don't get why some fans think Larsa is accomplishing something on this show. Even Andy is over her. 

Marysol is annoying trying to make her sparkly tumbler happen.

Apart from that, it was another very involving reunion. I'll be sad when this season is done after next week. What will fill it's place? RHUGT 3, I guess!

On 3/15/2023 at 6:05 PM, Gray Bunny said:

Thank you for bringing up the RHONY discussion, my favorite as well, and it is so sad how badly they (Bravo) botched everything. 

I also liked Eboni (I don't know her Republican-slanted backstory) and I think she could've thrived had she been brought on even just one season prior. And the idea of her joining Potomac is inspired. The fact that Ramona and Eboni were able to come to an understanding on their own and go forth into what would have  been Season 14 together shows growth and maturity on both sides. 

We can always do the woulda, coulda, shoulda with this cast, but had they gone through with S14 with the entire S13 cast intact (though I'd ditch Leah), I still think it would've been wise to include the return of a vet (Jill, Dorinda, maybe Kelly if we're super desperate) for the vets to work off of again instead of just newbies. 

Meanwhile over on the LEGACY that may never happen.... I'd be interested in knowing just how steep the differences in pay were between LuAnn vs. Kelly vs. Jill.  On one hand, I totally get Jill's point in that it should be an equal pay playing field, but then I see the side of giving folks like LuAnn and Sonja more because of their continued presence on the series, year after year. Regardless, Bravo should not have shelved this series. 

Perhaps the future of LEGACY rests on the success or failure of the NEW New York.... 

 

We are not the only two missing OG RHONY 

I would take this cast back in a snap, but around 3 of these 7 women likely won't return -- Bethenny, Carole and, I believe Tinsley didn't like the scrutiny over her relationship with that Chicago Tech Guy. She keeps turning down Bravo offers to rejoin. 

Something I've also wondered, given how many of these women (indeed, how much of the Upper East Side these days) now reside part-time in Florida -- mostly Miami or Palm Beach (or West Palm Beach -- looking at you, Luann). Given that Dale resides in Palm Beach, I would love a Real Housewives of Palm Beach with some amalgamation of this group + Dale. (Yes, I will keep banging that drum for Dale Social-Climbing Mercer. I love her!). And they can fight over what constitutes PB and WPB in 'Palm Beach.' Or indeed where Boca Raton fits into 'Palm Beach.'  

Also, Carole is close with Dorinda, and recently may have repaired fences with Bethenny via Dorinda mediation. It would be great if she and Tinsley were to make up too.

Yes, I cannot help but like Eboni and think she was handed a poison chalice AND a mission to educate the OGs of RHONY who were/are possibly uneducable. I still think she had chemistry with a lot of them!

I feel like pay should be based on what that individual HW brings (and indeed has brought) to the table. I'm sorry, but Jill didn't bring it to RHUGT 2, and she hasn't brought 'it' since S2 RHONY. Her methods are completely outdated. So I don't think she should be paid as much as Luann (who has a very watchable habit of picking the wrong men) or Sonja. But honestly, if Bravo had been minded to give LEGACY a chance, they could have accommodated Jill in some way -- or told her she would be replaced by Alex McCord. Ha! And then I would have needed a camera on Jill just to see her face. Finally, payback for how mean she was to Alex!

I'm not sure I can answer whether Leah should come back to RHONY LEGACY until I watch RHUGT 3. I am still watching RHONY S12, Tinsley has gone now, and the law of diminishing returns is starting to set in as far as Ramona and Dorinda are concerned. I'm still liking Leah a lot, but S13 definitely changed all that. She was insufferable.

7 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

Black Shabbat was disgusting. How Bravo did not denounce Ramona after that was... a choice, and showed how much Andy Cohen wanted to protect her.

If Eboni were to join, my desire for Wendy to exit would change. Immediately.

Black Shabbat was horrific, and honestly, I wanted Ramona to face the music at reunion. We at least needed a discussion about this mess, as awful as it was to watch.

Eboni filed a complaint with HR about Ramona and that should have been discussed too, because even after the complaint was filed, Ramona and Eboni reportedly met up a few times to discuss it. Eboni later said she was prepared to return to RHONY *with* Ramona in S14.

I actually think such a discussion between Eboni and Ramona would have initiated closure on all sides -- for Ramona, Eboni and the audience. As it stands, Ramona still feels (to me) integral to RHONY, and I wanted Eboni to be given a second chance on the show. But by burying all this, Bravo left everything hanging. I imagine Bravo did so because Ramona was already scheduled to be on RHUGT #1 on Peacock, which had not been filmed yet. The right move would have been to remove Ramona from that and stick in somebody else, AND gone ahead with RHONY reunion.

1 minute ago, Faulkner said:

Yeah, the draw is kinda lame. They put the “Good Ones” all in one quarter instead of having the @ssholes evenly dispersed to ensure the most competitive final four. Lol I’m taking it way too seriously.

But I’d love to see Eboni tangle with the Potomac women. It would also take the burden of representation off her shoulders as well as force her to be more open and vulnerable. My only fear would be the balance of the cast. Like if she were adversarial with Wendy, for example: Wendy has enough enemies among those women LOL. I’d love to see them spar a bit, though. 

Eboni is a natural-born spar-er, and like you, my worry would be that she would choose to pick off Wendy first as the easy target. Thereby allowing lazy-asses Gizelle, Robyn and Ashley sit back, sip mimosas and pretend that Ray Huger looked at them the wrong way. When really, we need to see Eboni's quick mouth go after Gizelle, who (spoiler alert) is simply unable to think up ripostes on the fly unless they have been scripted beforehand by Kal.

The draw was messed up. Hoppy and Russell should have been on opposite sides of the starting line! You know, like Wimbledon does with Djokevic and Nadal in hopes that they meet in the final. I also expected Jim Bellino and David Beador to get further than they actually did.

1 hour ago, Faulkner said:

Totally. Bethenny was born to be part of a reality-TV ensemble. She flails when she’s the main event (like on her flop solo shows) or when she’s given too much power (which is true of all of these women, Nene and LVP included). But when she’s amongst these women, she had an effortless charisma. You can’t replace her with a Cindy Doorstop or a thirsty Leah. (Leah definitely did better than Cindy. But that’s the lowest of bars IMO.) They should have gone in a different direction entirely instead of trying to replace the irreplaceable.

I think Eboni would have been better placed on another franchise. Too bad she’s NYC-based. I would say Potomac not because she happens to be black but she would have had a better give and take with the other cast members. And the Potomac cast would be empowered to call her on her bullshit (her Fox News background, etc.), and she’d be willing to call people on theirs. (Hopefully not just a rubber stamp under the thumb of Gizelle.) Let’s be real: Potomac is also the smartest cast of any of these franchises, so she would have been better matched.

1 hour ago, Liberty City said:

 They are. Despite my gripes with [some] of the cast, Potomac has been non-stop giving, cast-wise. They really are proof new franchises can work when done right. Eboni would've been a wonderful fit.

As someone who cherished the balance of Bethenny-less seasons 5-6, and who was somewhat relieved she was not there for S12 (allowing others, like Tinsley, to get a word in) -- IA that the loss of this Alpha left a huge void. And while Bethenny's solo stuff is peak Flopalooza (even her podcast was a hard, shrill listen), her dynamic in an ensemble really is unmatched. She lights a slowly-percolating fire under everybody.

Honestly, S12 IMO has the blocks on which RHONY could build -- had Covid Season not happened. Today, I would still want Elyse, Eboni and Leah (and of course Tinsley) back, because I think their respective dynamics would soar in a less claustrophobic environment. Leah would have amends to make after being a real b!tch all through S13. Eboni hit it off with Sonja, Leah and even her frenemy dynamic with Ramona was watchable (prior to --shudder-- Black Shabbat). The fact that she was on Fox should have endeared her to Ramona, lol.

Potomac is an inspired idea (and please note that Robyn's infamous sit-down with Andy on WWHL had Eboni in the second chair. She obviously keeps up with RHOP, judging by her responses). If I were Wendy, I would be WAY nervous of this other pundit coming on the show. Eboni is super-quick, and she is ruthless.

29 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

Especially in a world where Marc Daly, Russell Armstrong, and Jason Hoppy exist (or in Russell’s case, existed).

I mean, the psychopaths that were Russell Armstrong and Dead-Eyes Hoppy....  The problem is that Russell and Hoppy were drawn against each other in Round 2. Hoppy somehow beat out a wifebeater before getting obliterated by Tom Girardi. Tough draws.

I feel a bit bad for Ralph Pittman-Sidora for getting this far. While obviously a sleaze, he had some easy draws early on before somehow managing to beat creepy control-freak Simon Barney.

Marc Daly was powerless against the life-force that is Jim Bellino.

Ken Todd beat: Richie Wakile (how?), Eddie Judge (ok), Todd Tucker (I guess) and is now drawn against Lenny Hochstein. Surely Ken is not going to beat Lenny....?