Cat

RHOP Wendy remains the target for attacks, one season after Mia laid hands on her (and really should have been fired for it). Nneka was clearly hired with the intent to 'bring down Wendy.' And Ashley is turncoat as always, setting up the takedown because the only alliance she is loyal to is the GEBs. None of the women, except Karen and Candiace, can actually match Wendy for smarts. (K and C could teach her something about quick wit!). So the GEBs decide to lean into one of the uglier African stereotypes out there. And Nneka went along with this narrative! Her family must be so proud that for millions of viewers, the Nigerian diaspora in the US will now be reduced to 'Osu' and voodoo. Robyn going along with this and making herself the focal point of the shrine nonsense -- I can't with this bully. She is laser-focused on hating Wendy. Sometimes I feel sorry for Robyn's marital situation but, frankly, she brings misery and karma upon herself. I hope the Nigerian Miss Dorothy gets invited to reunion to dress these idiots down and speak her piece.

Right? Larsa already secured the bag with her first marriage. It feels karmically unjust that someone with breathtakingly little talent and personal attributes secure a second massive bag of $$$$ !

She stole Guerdy's ability to tell her story herself. And she did it on purpose. I'm sure at reunion she'll say she didn't realise Guerdy didn't want her to say anything, and it will be treated as oops, no big deal, because Andy labours under the delusion that she's one of the stara of this show. However, this is par for the course for Larsa, who doesn't have the talent or singularity to truly carry a story of her own. Unless that story is 'Get the Jordan child to marry me before Papa Jordan's lawyers force me to sign a prenup.' Never have I rooted so hard for Team Lawyers. I predict that come reunion time, Lisa will no longer be with Jody. She's still too tied up in Lenny and the psychodrama of her divorce. Guerdy asking advice of Martina was a great scene helping to demystify certain scary things about cancer treatment. RHOBH I liked this episode. I can't believe I'm going to say it but individual members of the Coven (Kyle, Dorit, even Erika) carried the episode. Kyle admitting that alcohol was kind of a front may be a metaphor for her entire life on the show. It's interesting (to me) that Kyle, who has appropriated other people's personality ticks and style over the years (LVP, Teddi, Kathy) has arrived at a point in her life where she doesn't know who she is anymore and is desperate for change. And so what does she do? She collects a new lady friend and starts appropriating her tattoos, likes and interests. Normally I'd be rooting for Sutton saying that Kyle will never have her back, which is true, but I feel like Sutton read it on Housewives Twitter and that's why she's saying it. Like @Soaplovers I think Garcelle might be ready to distance herself from Sutton.

Gizelle had to laugh when Karen said "I don't know international, I only know domestic." Karen is so quick! And as for Mia, Karen knows she's going to flip on her, the only question is when. She's ready and anticipating it. I felt bad for Wendy too. Ashley went below and beyond to drive a wedge between her and Nneka and it bummed me out because we now know that the two never got back from that initial lie. So even when Ashley gets called out on it, the damage to thtmat potential friendship has been done.

The article and the 'union' has been a massive flop. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely room for Bravo to improve its treatment of reality stars. That message is probably best delivered by the audience, to demand the change it thinks Bravo needs. Not by a personally aggrieved Bethenny, who fell out with Andy when he let her know she wasn't considered for the 'younger' nuRHONY. That's what really stuck in her craw -- that she may have aged out in the eyes of network execs. This woman's ego is OOC if she honestly believed that she was single-handedly going to burn that house down. Nevermind that, while ratings are down on some shows, RH still pulls in advertisers and eyeballs, and loyal eyeballs at that. The whole exercise also finally destroyed the myth that Bethenny is bigger than the RH franchise, that she doesn't need the RHs to succeed. This couldn't be further from the truth. Those drugstore-makeup TikToks aside, Bethenny cannot stay away from RHs. She needs it to stay relevant.

RHOP This was a great season opener. Last season I was disappointed by the laziness of production, so was surprised at the attempt to listen to fans. What's especially noticeable is the rehabilitation job on Gizelle -- and not Robyn. After years of not showing her life and distracting the audience by throwing dirt on others, Gizelle is showing her best self. Dating, her daughters, and tough love for Robyn, whom I really do believe she considers a friend. This is a Gizelle I've long wanted to see. (Throw Monique back into the mix, of course, and this show would be perfect). Robyn, on the other hand, was left to dangle in the wind. That scene between her and Juan was so effing painful and fake. It made Mo & Kyle's scenes on BH look slick. At one point I thought Juan was straight up trolling her. It made me feel almost bad for Robyn, to be in such denial and have to go on WWHL to whitewash his philandering. Still, after the Patreon scandal, she kind of brought this on herself. I will say that with adversity comes Robyn's pretty good glow-up. Juan, by contrast, is letting himself go a bit. This episode was the first time I warmed to Charrisse. I felt she was genuinely concerned for Robyn, having gone through similar herself. RHOBH I was expecting a break-out episode involving the Magic Mike show. I didn't get it. After a great build-up, none of the ladies delivered on the fall out. I was actually on Erika's side. Sutton was a damp squid on the fun, jealous that she didn't get picked, and she had to ruin it for everyone else. Unclassy and narcissistic. Dorit is the only one really working so far this season, and personally I think she looks better without her glam team (which she can no longer afford, allegedly). RHOMiami Fantastic episode which sadly is only drawing in viewership a fraction of its lead-in, BH. Lots of little and big drama. Marysol trying to have a SL with a Gay Brunch she refused to invite the one gay cast member to. Alexia and Todd playing nice for the cameras but Adriana is right, there is definitely trouble in paradise. Guerdy revealing to Adriana, Nicole and Julia that she has breast cancer was a gut punch of a scene, and one of the most emotionally involving moments I have ever seen on RH. Nicole's face said to me that she already knew, or guessed, the news. Julia was in quiet shock, already having gone through this with Martina. Everyone's reactions felt real and unexpected. This show is Bravo's crown jewel, IMO. RHOSLC I'm way behind on the show and slowly catching up, but already it feels lighter and more fun without the toxic felon. Monica, despite her lack of cash and clout, is sort of shaping up to be a find.

I have seen some of the confessionals. It's another world of wealth. If BH, Miami and Dubai all end up airing around the same time, I think I will be on luxury overload. RHODubai cannot come back soon enough for me. The BravoCon panel suggests alliances have completely shifted and that Lesa is on the outs. She seemed a little bit sad about not having her BFF Chanel anymore. I have no idea what went down but enquiring minds want to know. Also, I was listening to the Two Tits on an Ant podcast against my will and Chanel indicated that Sara was actually a lot of fun and quite fearless off screen. However, as the sole Emirati on the cast, she is under pressure to behave and present herself a certain way on the show, because she is representing her culture on the show. Chanel also took up for RHONY's Ubah who is, legitimately, her first cousin, and not "a Heather Gay cousin," said Chanel.

I'm excited too! And OMG THEY BROUGHT BACK THE PIRATE. I was surprised that Ramona wasn't missing from the trailer completely. It still feels like she's going to play a key part in RHUGT.

That's not the only feud: OK, I'm ready for RHODubai to come back. 😍 Even though there are too many RH shows (and M2M) coming back at once and I can't keep up.

These tributes are bringing tears to my eyes. Tyler died way too young and with so much potential still. He was turning his life around. I cannot help but feel devastated at this loss. He was clearly so beloved at GH.

RHOM. What a treat to have this franchise back. The Miami locations. The colours. The real estate porn (the drone shots over Nicole and Anthony's new house!). The fashions. The beauty. The interactions between the women. The homegrown and individual dramas. From Alexia trying to find her way back into the audience's good books (and kind of abandoning Marysol), to Nicole's assurances about Guerdy's health to Guerdy, to Lisa and Larsa on the boat... the relationships between these women feel tight. The last 3 minutes of the episode reinforced that and set up the next few episodes. When will Guerdy start telling the other women about what she is going through? On a very superficial note, I love Julia's haircut (and possibly a light facelift), Nicole's style, and Kiki's everything. It's early days since the VF article came out earlier this week, so I could be very wrong, but I think the 'Bravo takedown' proved to be a damp squid. That surprised me because VF is a big-name publication which used to be known for its in-depth, gossipy reportages. They didn't get the breadth of HWs that they thought they would for this article. The Ramona reveal was already out there in the public domain -- Eboni has been talking about it for two years. Bethenny is already turning on the VF journalist which tells me that the article didn't land like she hoped and she's really about saving her 'brand'. As Eboni rightly pointed out in the article. All this to say that I don't think Bravo/RHs is imploding on itself. Yet. It is in the midst of BravoCon fuelled by this gossip which is grist for the mill. I'm bummed that RHUGT Morocco got shelved (is that official BTW??) because I really wanted to watch it and make up my own mind. A combination of Brandi pushing it too far as usual and Caroline's scary lawyers did that. Ramona getting fired is a long-delayed reaction by Bravo, but RHUGT RHONY Legacy will still be screened. I'm not sure RHs has been OJed and I'm not sure Bethenny has dealt it the death blow she claims she has. Rather the death blow will come from a precipitous decline in quality across the board, or a foolish, desperate change of format, and then the audience will rapidly abandon the shows. JMO.

This was the weirdest and dullest BH episode I've ever seen, and that's saying something because I sat through all of Season 8. They need to rename RHOBH The Boris & Natasha Show. I don't think I've ever seen so much of Dorit in one episode. Look, I'm glad she came activated and energized this season, but nobody needed to see her and PK cosplaying Pretty Woman. Who asked for PK sausaged into his casino tux? Richard Gere he ain't. Some random caterwauling Take My Breath Away (wrong movie BTW)? WTF am I watching here? This is exactly why production called up Kim and Denise, and told Kyle to ramp up the escándalo. Speaking of the scripted, post-filmed nonsense that is Kyle & Mauricio -- the only thing I can recall about this segment was how much Mo is going to look like his father in 5 years. And how much one of Kyle's daughters is going to look like Mo's mother in 45 years. Crystal's brother something-something looking to get married. This is Crystal's story this year. OK. Erika is clearly banking on the show being so dull that Bravo comes begging for Lisa Rinna to return. So far her strategy is working. I'm not sure I'm ready for next week and Sutton walking out of the Magic Mike show in outrage.

Beautiful words from Kimberly McCullough. Tyler seems to have been beloved by so many people in the cast and crew.

This is devastating. As with Billy Miller, I held onto serious hope that he would return to Daytime, and specifically GH. His portrayal of Nikolas was indelible. From day one, it was clear that he didn't just have acting talent, he had soul. This was also abundantly clear in his recent interviews about his struggles with depression and addiction. He spoke cogently and with great insight about what he was dealing with, and it really stayed with me a long time. It also gave me hope that he was going to eventually get to a better place in terms of his addiction. There is a mental, addiction and loneliness epidemic in our societies and, either directly or as a secondary effect, it is claiming more and more lives, it seems. I fervently wish we had the resources to give people the tools to better manage and overcome the worst of it.

Agreed about Ubah. The previews made it out that she was going to be a mess, but they left out her explanation about why she felt hurt, which made perfect sense. The problem, I think, is that English is not Ubah's first language and so there were miscommunication with the other women. However, some of the other women have played on that language barrier purposely ("i dont speak emoji" Ubah told Erin at one point about her texts). Brynn was egregiously interrupting Ubah and trying to derail her train of thought. That's when I understood why Ubah called Brynn and Erin a fake friendship -- she was pointing out that they have an alliance, and Brynn was fulfilling her side of the alliance by antagonising Ubah. Ubah has not backed down to 'fans' on social media and stood her ground this week as well. I hope she has saved her job and that she and Jenna grow closer, should there be a S15. Erin has been playing the other women against each other since episode 1. I hope these women have her number. I liked the way Jessel calmly did not let her get away with lying about Pavit. Sai acquired herself very well this reunion. She apologised and explained herself in a relatable, reasonable way. I suspect she has saved her job also.

Taglines true to each woman. Lisa went full Game of Thrones! Miami is showing the other shows how it's done, and I am so pleased for its renaissance. Can't wait for this season.

First of all, I am truly honored you mistook me for DaytimeFan! Secondly, I get what you mean. The cast has been practically the same for the past four seasons and it needs juujing. Although I like that The Coven is without two of its most virulent henchwomen and is now, finally, on the back foot. I see Dorit, Kyle and Erika ALL came hot out of the gate this episode to earn their spot. By contrast, we saw approximately zilch of Crystal, and Sutton was more or less reduced to horse talk. I'm going to give it to Potomac -- they at least tried with those taglines. Moreover, it pains me to say it, but Gizelle and Robyn's were actually the standouts. Ashley: something-something gold-digger. Wendy: something-something professor. Candiace: "I may be small -- ooowa" Newbie: I'M NIGERIAN Karen: I'm not riding Fitz. Fitz is riding me!

Not sure Rinna has represented that "umph" for years. She'd wait like a spider for someone to trip up or misspeak, then beat them with a stick about it. My Truth! Own it! She really did nothing and showed nothing, almost like she was trying to punish the producers/Bravo. Only her white-hot hatred for Garcelle activated her, but even then, it was usually directed off-camera (I still feel in my gut that she set up those bots to attack Jax). I'm glad that malevolent, bitter presence is gone. I did think the premiere was very lowkey. However, within it were a few juicy tidbits. Sutton dropped an absolute BOMB about PK being in a car with another woman when he was stopped over the limit. The editors right away cut in a VT of Dorit saying that PK was often away in London and they had grown apart. So it appears that Dorit and Kyle have identical SLs. I wonder who came up with the SL first and who stole from their friend. Interesting that Kyle went to WWHL, not with Dorit, but with Teddi. Another interesting moment was Kyle inexplicably deciding that Garcelle and Sutton were the wedge between her and Kathy, and not Rinna and Erika! That blew my mind until I realised that Kyle's problem is not about her and Kathy falling out. Rinna and Erika went after Kathy with Kyle's tacit acknowledgement, I am almost certain of it. She just didn't want to get her hands dirty. Garcelle's SL with Jax and him wanting to move in with his dad interests me. Miami gave in 7 minutes what BH couldn't give in 46 mins. Glossy, sun-drenched, top-notch -- more than that, effortless. No throwing around of too many counterfeit labels (always a red flag). On Miami, wealth both shouts and whispers. What is more luxurious than a walk on a perfect sandy beach in your exclusive Miami neighbourhood? A yacht lunch? That was a great sneek peak and now I cannot wait to watch! The fact that Lisa is contesting the pre-nup is juicy.

I am. I feel like it was done to promote his weird stint on DWTS. Plus there's a scene from the first episode doing the rounds and it is the weakest piece of 'troubled marriage' acting I've ever seen on a RH show. Which is saying sonething. (Plus Mo's unbearably large new teeth are very distracting).

Yes, Ubah was islanded and didn't show much of her life, and there lies the problem. Ayan also talked about female circumcision in her culture. But Ayan could express herself in a compelling way. Ubah couldn't verbalise what was actually bothering her. She dropped bombs at reunion, and everyone went silent, but she was unable to back them up when asked to expand on them.

Jessel's calmness drivers the hags NUTS and I love that! Ooo BH! I'm so ready for another season of BH staring contests:

She was scared for her TV life IMO. Also thought it was interesting that on WWHL the night reunion aired, Andy had Luann and Dorinda on, and Ramona in the audience. I can't imagine that booking was done by accident.

RHONY reunion Part 1 was awkward and incoherent -- a bit like Ubah. I don't know which producer (or cousin -- looking at you, Chanel Ayan) got into her ear, but the fear of being fired took over and Ubah decided she was going to put on a SHOW. The only problem is, her interjections were so random and out of the blue that they flopped. After one of her many, MANY "But Jenna" moments, Andy side-eyed her and cut her off. Uh oh, you in danger, girl. I'm starting to wonder if she'll be back next season. She was all over the place and couldn't keep her rehearsed reads in order. It pains me to write that, but it's true. IMO the reason she gunned for Jenna was because Jenna contractually negotiated her outs, but Ubah didn't, and now Bravo is mad that she kept Mr. Connecticut hidden. Jessel outwitted Basic Homegirl and Sai Smuggins without breaking a sweat. I will say that, largely because of Ubah's implosion, Sai acquitted herself relatively well, as awful as she is. Erin is a dingbat who has to have jokes explained to her. Interesting that she likened the show to sorority hazing -- which she thinks of as complimentary. That says it all. Brynn gave as good as she got, and Jenna is an interesting, authentic character. I hope she is back next season.

Pavit finally went to Vietnam for 30 hours! I am SO hungry watching this: I hope so! I imagine if Bravo wants her back, they will also up her offer.

Couldn't agree with you more. I loved the reboot, even though I didn't expect to. Like you, I would keep the cast as is (yes, even Kerin and Saiyena) and build around that. Sai, as @Soaplovers pointed out, is deeply insecure. She couldn't stop hopping around Brynn's party trying desperately to antagonise Jessel -- and failing miserably. The supreme irony of it all when she was caught doing what she accused Jessel of -- lying. Erin is a narcissistic dimwit who has somehow convinced herself that she is Bethenny Frankel -- without the hustle or the brainpower. Can't wait for this self-absorbed loudmouth to get read for filth at reunion. Jessel was a delight. I had her primed as a one-season wonder from the trailer. Somewhere in episode 3, she leaned into self-absorbed kookiness and was off and running. Do i think Jessel was actually intimidated by Sai and Erin? Yes, i do, but she also has a measure of self-worth and clearly told herself 'I'm not going to let those two dumb b!tches faze me.' She and Pavit make a great team. Jenna was a very unusual RH in being so introverted and OCD, and I liked that. She has basically said she probably won't return to the show next season, which is a shame. Just the outs in her contract riled up the other woman. Bookworm Brynn definitely grew on me, but I hope next season she cools it a little with the breathy boy-crazy stuff. That was a neat RH trick she pulled exposing Sai; a part of me wondered if she did that to encourage Jessel this is how you bring down the cackling hags. I did wonder for a hot second if Ubah hid her relationship from the cameras because her Connecticut guy was either (a) married, ( b) filthy rich, or ( c) both! Parts of the audience were critical of the fact that Jenna and Ubah kept their private lives offscreen. For that matter, and for all her talk, I'm not sure we ever saw Brynn go on a date, did we?