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And some Karen-level trolling with that disingenuous "oh gosh, I'm sorry you feel that." I'd be seething if I were Garcelle but she played Rinna's game and kept it cool.

Preaching to the choir. If they'd just waited 4 months, they'd be in the sweet spot with talk of vaccines being rolled out and NYC reopening. hindsight is 20/20. of course, but it must have been clear early on -- possibly when Heather walked out of the FOH role -- that this was shaping up to be a tough shoot. I wouldn't mind a one-off reunion on WWHL, with a cheering audience of tipsy fans and some fun drinking games. They can discuss Luann's 'sensual' love-life! The WWHL episode recently featuring Ramona was game-changing for her IMO. She was fun and answered all questions. I feel like all the rumors about Ramona being fired from RHONY literally disappeared into the ether after that.

BH: @NothinButAttitude @Antoyne @DaytimeFan ITA about Kyle. As Erika once said, she showed her f*cking ass! What a tremendous miscalculation on her part. The temptation to score easy points with the audience by setting up Sutton as the 'bully' hammering poor Erika proved too strong. BH has always been about egregiously currying favor with the audience and a race to become the most 'popular' HW with viewers. To the show's detriment, in my view. Kyle fell into her own trap she has been setting for others for over a decade. This episode was called Dinner Party From Hell Part Two, and it was probably one of the best epis of the season. But it didn't quite reach the heights of the original DPFH for me. The OG party was unmoored, a dinner party that legitimately went off the rails, and which Camille was unable, and had no desire, to save. (It also had Faye Resnick, just saying). THIS DPFH was carefully constructed from beginning to end. Props to Kathy for really going all-out and not just Old School, but Old WORLD, with her dinner party, the table, and Patrick the French Butler. "Zay are fighting cats and dogs!" Kathy revealed herself too this episode. We've been lulled by her quirks/wealth/doing her makeup at the table during a big fight. I do love Kathy Hilton, but she is not Daffy Duck. She is smart and almost as opportunistic as Kyle. That was clear at the mini luncheon when she tried to win Garcelle over to the dark side and pissed all over Sutton with "Nobody cares what you think." Kyle may have given Kathy the heads up about time to pick a side, and that side better be Erika's. Having said that, the look of barely-repressed annoyance on Kathy's face as Rinna ACK-ACKED all over the place and rang the butler's bell every 5 seconds was AMAZING. The dinner was a major Covenly Construct where Erika could do her melodramatic "Everybody is going after me" routine. Last episode she had already threatened Sutton with "I am going to take it to another level with you, I promise you that" so we know she needed a couple of days for Mikey, Rinna and Kyle to coach and prepare her. And of course, Kyle has been cultivating the Sutton friendship since last season, calling her up for cosy chit-chats about what she'll be wearing later -- straight out of the LVP Handbook. Dorit was designated counter-voice, I believe, in order to lull Sutton into falsely thinking somebody else would speak up alongside her. But Sutton already has the measure of these b!tches and knew none of them would. Crystal did f*ck all this episode except smirk during the mini-luncheon about Sutton being an awkward loser. Rinna, meanwhile, was f*cking hiding her face during Erika's tirade like the damn Cowardly Lion! What a clown. Garcelle showed compassion and read the room well. That recoil from Erika when Garcelle tried to wipe her tears, and Garcelle refusing to take that and going to hold her underscored everything I already love about Garcelle's empathy and human side. Erika crying... sigh. I would never wish this nightmare on my worst enemy. Having said that (and as @Chris B and @Taoboi mentioned) I think back to all the women targeted and brought to tears and worse by Erika and the Coven. Kathryn. Dorit. Terri DiMarco. LVP. Denise. Garcelle. Never once has Erika shown them a shred of empathy or humanity. Instead she sneered and jeered at them for being "weak" and "cry-babies." Not so nice to be on the other side of that, is it?

I finished watching the RHONY season finale and like many of you, I really loved it. It was warm, non-toxic, cheerful, and was a hark back to the RHONY we've been craving. Pinning the tail on Harry Dubin made me wish Aviva, Heather, Carole and Kristen could have all showed up just for this episode. Having the women play each other was genius -- Sonja as Bershan, Eboni as Luann and, of course, Ramona as Leah were spot-on. Also, and this will be an unpopular assertion, I believe that the OGs really do adore and bond with Leah. So how to explain the Daily Mail article above and so many other articles showcasing the breakdown across the cast? I think this is pure self-preservation. The women must have sensed while filming that this was not greatness. That nagging fear mushroomed as the season aired, Twitter went buckwild and ratings plummeted. I think Luann, Ramona, Eboni and even Leah and Bershan started to brief against each other in the press. Nobody wanted to get the blame for this season. The charges that Bravo was forcing wokeness on the show definitely came from Ramona and Lu's respective camps, while the rumors that Ramona was being kicked off the show, I suspect, came from Eboni's side and possibly Leah's (and maybe even a disgruntled production source). The fact is, after this week's episode, I would welcome them back next season with 2-3 additions. Let's just pretend that this season was the final two episodes and call it a mini-series.

RIP Gregg -- one of the truest, kindest gentlemen of the RH franchises. You could tell everyone on RHOA respected him so highly and felt sweetly protective of him. Cynthia in particular. You can tell in her post how sad she is about this.

Starting to think these are definitely old RH shots of the women patched together. Teresa doesn't even have black curly hair anymore, does she? Welp. Bravo saving those pennies. For bigger and better things, one hopes!

What's insane is that I didn't even recognise Kyle over there at the end. But I did notice Kenya finagled herself a centre spot! Maybe she pushed Luann, aka Wonder Woman/Captain Sandy Yawn, out of the way like she did in that beach Tik Tok. I swear Teresa makes that hand-on-hip pose in every pic! In fact, I'm starting to think that Bravo recycled her and Melissa's from an old RHONJ season. Ramona looks like a lighting technician who accidentally wandered into shot.

So weird, and it makes me nervous.

Cut to slow fade-out as Eric watches Quinn and Carter walk hand-in-hand up the stairs of the Forrester 'mansion' to the bedroom.

Eric has long been the Clarke Garrison of recent-era B&B. Bradley does seem to enjoy having John McCook jump through these kind of humiliating hoops. However, I don't think this is the worst SL B&B has ever done -- or indeed will ever do.

Duh! Of course! I can't believe I forgot Vanessa and Sean Kanan. He was interviewed on MB's vlog not long ago. I think at one time in his 20s and 30s, MB was probably jonesing for movies and theatre, like his method actor idols. But as you say, he has now made peace with those dreams.

LOL This S5 BH episode was ¡icónico!

I don't either -- I think they are at a point where they are grateful for the work/steady paycheck/frontburner status, and are nowadays too exhausted to make constant demands, if that makes any sense. They seem to want quieter, calmer lives. MB especially. It is clear that this podcast series has been a stimulating and positive outlet for him. I loved the tea Kimberly was spilling. I get the impression drugs on-set really came to the fore during Gloria Monty's tenures, starting in the late 70s. I think I remember TG making some kind of joke about coke availability at the Kraft services table. Genie Francis had some addiction issues when she was young. And GH and its actors were incredibly popular throughout the 80s and 90s, so I imagine drugs and 'partying' were tolerated by the brass. I read Demi Moore's autobiography recently and she talked about her GH years and her drinking/drug struggles. It wasn't that GH was the cause per se, just that Hollywood as a whole was awash in drugs and it was a given that everybody partook. KMcC was guarded about naming names, so I figured it was someone she had been close to. For a second there I did wonder.... Tristan...? Surely not Finola! Then I wondered abt Michael Sutton. Interesting the point she made about how she and Maurice worked well together because they were so close and alike in many ways, and that she and SBu worked because she was intimidated by him that it made her to step up her acting game with him. I imagine SBu must have let 20 years of hype and a series of fawning EPs, HWs and network brass go to his head.

GREAT interview, and I have to give it to MB with this podcast series -- it seems very few subjects have been off-limits, and he seems a pretty chill interviewer. The beauty of this episode, of course, was the undeniable bond which unites KMcC and MB all these years. She was very comfortable talking with him on a whole range of issues. I found the entire interview compelling from beginning to end. She was erudite, grounded and thoughtful in her answers. I found her talk about 'passing' as white (she is half Mexican) especially illuminating; I was hoping Maurice would chime on on that, too. Also, I very much feel like Robyn was Sonny's true little sis. I know JFP brought generic blonde Courtney (hisss!) on the show to inexplicably be Sonny's half-sister (and Jason's GF), but she wasn't a patch on the Sonny-Robyn connection.

This GWTW Fabulous 'live' performance is so good! I couldn't take my eyes off the backing dancers who were voguing for their lives! Especially Baldylocks who was giving it 2,000%. And the show-stopping finish made me jump! (Mikey and Bamboozle Jayne later 'borrowed' a similar finale when they auditioned dancers on BH). Wendy lol.... that is one freshly-plumped, shiny cheek. Candiace thinks she is sooo shady when she pulls that juice-sipping 'Chile' stuff. It is as annoying and fake as Kyle's open mouth of shock.

Unfortunately, Gretchen will be a shoo-in for MM's seat as a lone conservative voice. I'm surprised they're not going to try out Megyn Kelly. I remember during the early days of Obama's presidency when Gretchen had a Church Watch on her show which counted the number of Sundays the President wasn't seen attending church services.

Very possible indeed, and I've not counted that out. It could simply be she does not want him maligned on the show in the eyes of her family and friends, or in the eyes of his employer. Chris Samuels really put his family first. At reunion he never let the pressure off anybody, and took zero bullsh!t from Andy or the network. Other husbands, recognising the contribution Bravo makes to the household income, might have balked coming up against network brass. But he didn't, because his family was his only priority. He showed everybody up that night.

You hit the nail on the head. Because of Eddie's family's refusal to give this marriage their full support, it puts extra pressure on the couple to make it work against the odds. Nigerian communities are very close-knit, especially first/second gen, and something like this would be the talk of such a community. There may be something more going on here that Wendy is covering... Having said that, whenever I see Eddie in scenes with Wendy, hand on heart he always strikes me as genuine and present. In that moment I just cannot see that he would have cheated on her. I don't know how to explain it -- he just seems into his wife. Mia is coming across forced and, as much as I am looking forward to the salad toss episode (!!) (I'm giggling cuz I just finished watching The White Lotus), in the trailer, from her side it rings rehearsed.

I would agree with most of your post. Mia just isn't hitting the spot for me. I find her a little too rehearsed and what she thinks a RH should act like on the show. I do get a kick out of the GLEE she gets from gossiping/pot stirring, though! It is also early days, and I'm more than willing to change my mind if/when she peels back the layers and reveals more of her real self like a few episodes back. (By the way, did you guys hear that Monique may have been asked to be part of All Stars 2 but turned it down? Andy keeps saying he "hopes to do more" with Mo. Ok, Andy). When Wendy hid behind her braids, I felt lowkey bad for her. Like I've been there before -- feeling so intimidated that you just want to run away and hide. However, Wendy is approaching 40 and needs to woman up, look Gizelle square in the eyes and show no fear. As Yolanda would say, who is Gizelle Bryant in dis verlt? Robyn gave us big energy this ep, so props to her. She also confronted Wendy directly and finally initiated a dialogue. What I didn't like was Robyn building up an anti-Wendy brigade during the day with everyone else. Robyn chooses not to see why Wendy was rightfully hurt because she's all about backing Gizelle, but when it was turned on her, she got butt-hurt. Wendy's muted voice delivery is not helping matters because it makes her come across as very limp. Last year she was defending Candiace's ground like a lioness, but this year she seems jittery, insecure and almost scared. Something is off and all the other women can sense it.

Late to the news but happy for Jamey, too. This is a dream come true for him as he has watched Days for at least 3 decades. And judging by the trailer, it's looking pretty decent.

It warms my heart to see Candiace and her Cryangles ((c) @DaytimeFan) getting dragged around here. She has been playing a great game this season, pretending to be the middle ground. However, the lines have been drawn between two sides on this show, and given that Candiace gave herself and the GEBs the main house in Williamsburg, it is pretty clear to me which side she aspires to be on. Karen's dance audition for Candiace's mv deserved to win, I'm sorry! The other teams paled in significance next to that Ms. Tina Knowles energy Karen was giving us! Mia is ok but... I'm not sure she fills the gap left by Monique. She got caught telling exaggerated tales, and that will come back to bite her in the ass. Wendy held her own this episode but it felt a little shaky against the Gizelle/Robyn onslaught. When Gizelle said we need to get together and talk about this and Wendy hid behind her braids, I was like Oh, no, Wendy! Because it came off like she was afraid of them. She did have a point about Robyn being hurt by what Wendy said about her relationship but not connecting to the hurt that other women feel when the GEBs go hard for their relationships. Too bad Wendy said all this in a VT and not at the table to Robyn, because a comment like that would have hit home. Once again, it feels like almost everyone (with the possible exception of Karen) is sitting there waiting for the GEBs to pick them off one by one. Like the GEBs wield this crazy power over them.

Thank you for clarifying. I knew that Bradley and Colleen Bell had donated to Democratic causes but was unaware that Bill Bell Jr and MAB were also big donors. My dad and his family in Michigan were Midwestern, not-particularly-religious Reagan Republicans. I can very much imagine WJB and LPB's mindset back in the day (70s, 80s) -- sometimes you could glean it in the writing for families like the Brooks, Abbotts and Forresters! But this was way before the Reps morphed into a sycophantic adulation machine of religiosity for the Tr*mps. A lot of the Reagan Republican establishment is either long gone from this world or purged from more radical state RP organizations. Or they are Mormons, many of whom used to work in the State dept and have quietly returned west.

Seeing Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans, and seeing Christian Leblanc Post about it on IG (he lives there now most of the time, it looks like), I wondered if any of you missed seeing Michael Baldwin on screen more often. Now, I HATED the Fisher Infestation (Kevin, Gloria, plus I include Chloe who I have never been able to stomach). But excluding them, I'm kind of missing Michael and Lauren as regulars on the show. I think it says something about the lack of compelling stories on y&r that I am jonesing for this throwback!

May Gregg be at peace in the coming hours and days.