Cat

I have watched this about 50 times now (coincidentally the average age of this group). Truly the gift that keeps on giving. 😆 Obviously Melissa wants to showcase how hot and youthful she is compared to the other grannies. However, without her stab at TikTok relevancy, we might never have got: -whatever-the-hell bony interpretive dance Ramona was doing. -Kyle showing off in the back. What, no splits, Simone Biles? -Teresa -- yup, no clue what she's supposed to do. -Cynthia channeling George Clinton. -Kenya understanding the assignment. -Luann not understanding the assignment, but it doesn't even matter by that point. Conclusion: I will watch every second of this show -- even though I have zero access to Peacock. Also: Why is Lisa Rinna not here as the pot-stirrer? I thought she had been asked? Did she refuse because she doesn't want to be the unpopular one?

I didn't post that; I think Faulkner did? But yes, that photo made her look like a 1950s movie star. So much potential, having attended one of the finest HBCUs in the country.... and she throws her lot behind a two-bit pastor who preaches discredited 'prosperity theology' ? I don't understand it. It reminds me of S3 when Karen was going through her travails Gizelle showed her little empathy. Now there may have been reasons for that we don't know about. But knowing now that she suffered a mental breakdown once, it makes me wonder if she never came to terms with that, views it as some sort of flaw or weakness that should never be mentioned. And maybe that's why she was unable to show Karen much grace. To this day, I'm not sure Karen has forgiven Gizelle for that season.

That's it! Stephen Macht. He has done literally everything out there -- Highlander, a few Star Treks, Melrose Place! I remember him most notably from the Columbo episode with Lindsay Crouse as a sex therapist who gets revenge on him. Ahem. Back to inappropriate sexual chemistry in soaps! This isn't Daytime, but on original Dynasty (back in the 80s), Adam (Gordon Thomson) had some kind of crazy chemistry with Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin) which the writers actually had culminating in a kiss before they knew they were actually siblings.

I feel sorry for her, too, hearing that story. And now more than ever -- I will never understand how Gizelle keeps sticking with this charlatan! There must come a point when even the sex isn't worth it. She comes from black political pedigree, and those pics from her Howard University days show how beautiful she was. I'm sure the pastor was dashing in his day, but judging by what I've seen on RHOP, he is an expert gaslighter and way too enamoured with the sound of his own voice. She seems smart and even cynical so -- why keep casting her lot with him? And don't say 'It's for my girls' -- they don't seem to tolerate him much, either.

I was actually more interested in the Zaccharas than I was in the Corinthoses (plural?) for a while, precisely because the Zs seemed to be like a real, crazy mob fambly (as opposed to the Good Mob Avengers). Brown and BB were excellent as these broken, tragic, doomed siblings. The actor who played Trevor Lansing was also fantastic (his name escapes me -- though I've seen him in Columbo and other great shows throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s). As you say, though, it was all about Sonny, Jason, Carly, Michael and making them heroic at all costs -- and against the odds. Michael bashing Claudia's head in with an axe is not a great look on anybody. Sure, Sonny spent about a day with his hand on his forehead, mumbling about "My mob life made him dis way" -- but all that was quickly excused with "Michael was just tryna protect his muvva. He's a Good Boy." As @carolineg pointed out, it was the unabashed violence. Throughout her run, Claudia was the outlet for various men's (and notable misogynist Carly's) viciousness and blood lust. I couldn't help but root for her.

RHONJ: Imagine being called 'ruined' and 'broken' by the needy little dude. Joe Gorga did WAY too much. I hate that he termed Frank's cheating "doing his thing," and yet Dolores is the one 'ruined'? WTF is that? I will give Frank credit -- he was the only one standing for Dolores (while munching on all the appetizers). Everybody just stood there smirking at her. I've always been Team Dolores but even more so now. Melissa -- this fool. I cringe every time we get another acting scene from her. This time it was playing drunk with Teresa and heckling Dolores. She was all-in on seeing Dolores get humiliated, as she has been all season. Also, Melissa is a beautiful woman, but does JLo know she has stolen her look the past 15 years? Also, also: I worry about Melissa' ultra-pulled-back hair. That is the fast-track to a receding hairline. Crazy how this SL disappeared without a trace after Teresa forced out a gritted teeth apology. Jackie seemed exceptionally shook and relieved not to have Teresa go against her and the group choosing Tre over Jackie (which they would have). She did astutely point out that Joe was probably trying to target Melissa, not Dolores. But yeah, Evan got more screen time this episode than she did. I wonder how reunion went and whether she pulled her punches regarding Teresa. Because if she did... she may be ready to leave. Last week she was on WWHL, and a Zoom viewer treated her like sh!t. It was really awful to watch, in fact, and I felt bad for Jackie because there was no need to get so nasty with her. I wondered whether she figured the show is not worth that kind of abuse.

I know. I liked Claudia and Johnny a lot and their SLs started off intriguingly (also BB had really strong sexual chemistry with just about every woman on the show -- with the notable exception of Julie Marie Berman. That anti-chemistry was ROUGH). After a while, though, the stuff they were putting Claudia through bordered on the exploitative, misogynistic and cruel. And the way she was killed off and her body dumped in the woods, whew.

I thought Mary looked great at reunion -- the best, actually -- and especially loved her shades-of-pink makeup: Not a fan of Jen's over-contouring, but IA her hair is usually on point. I would be interested to see Mary with darker hair.

Got my first jab yesterday. AstraZeneca. Today feel a bit tired and woozy, like my head has something heavy weighing on it. But ok, all things considered.

I have no idea -- @Chris B might know. I imagine if she had said something, Queens of Bravo and other RH-adjacent accounts would have been ON IT, sharing the relevant clip. Heather's own Twitter account is very healthy-living-positive-vibes, and focused on promoting the guests on her podcast. This made me giggle though:

Re: Michelle the Realtor. Just speculating, but Joe Gorga and Michelle's husband fell out over a deal/payment, didn't they? Then Tre brings Michelle to some group party in like episode 2. I wonder whether, at that point, Melissa & Joe pulled rank with production and producers then minimise Michelle's involvement in the show. In return for Mel & Joe giving us more 'drama in their marriage.' Like I said, no tea, just speculating. I'm thinking of posting these Brandi/Kary screens until reunion finishes airing, LOL. I don't even dislike Leah, but I wish she'd stop yapping about this for a hot second and let the viewers make up their own mind. She is doing too much, and it is turning fans against her, not Heather.

Despite its obvious faults, I mostly enjoyed RHOD this season. Editing out Jen's story at the last minute meant that production had to panic-fill the higher episode count. If I had been EP, I would have made an executive decision to cut to 13 episodes and excise most of the Oklahoma trip. The finale was lowkey, but I enjoyed all the couples having a delicious-looking steak dinner on the Southfork back porch, dressed up JR and Sue Ellen styles. It was a positive note to end on -- despite Bryan Redmond looking completely dead-eyed whenever someone told him that he and Brandi make a "great couple." No, they don't. 😬 Brandi worked extra hard this episode to 'keep her place.' She almost got me with that red wig and the way she apologised to the Southfork organiser. Yes, I almost warmed to Brandi for a hot second. But, god, that stage-managed scene with Stephanie where she declared her love and gave her a ring (!). Brandi needs to admit that Stephanie is the love of her life, dump the cheating ginger tool, and duke it out with Travis for Stephanie's love. Season 6, y'all? 🤔 J/k! Kary is a reckless, entitled, spoiled brat dismissing people's concerns and playing victim. As @DaytimeFan pointed out, Dallas was a cultural gamechanger in TV which put the city on the global stage. I don't buy that her marriage problems are what triggered her vandalism -- I could have told you last season Kary would act out this way because, drunk or sober, she thinks of nobody's feelings but her own. It's all about her immediate gratification. And her carelessness extends to potentially exposing others on the way to reunion. Like, you had one job, girl.

@FrenchBug82 You can certainly share your opinion, as is your right! I will share mine, by saying that IMO we all got defensive (and I'm sorry for my part in that), and even your post of today 'reads' to me as heated and annoyed -- even if you perhaps did not write it with that intention in your head. I must also defend @Taoboi with whom I have posted on this thread for a while. You really mischaracterise him -- he is not an aggressive stan, nor unhealthily obsessive. He is (as am I) an enthusiast of the Real Housewives. Even as fans, though, none of us take these franchises at their literal word. I think I speak for all posters here when saying that we enjoy these shows for what they are -- scripted-reality entertainment. We know we are being played by these HWs trying to monetise their platform. Even when getting into it amongst ourselves about a HW... honestly, it is just banter, and we're not taking it too seriously. It's a Housewives Show -- we know! I should also point out that our opinions on Bravo and these HWs can (and do) change on a dime! Potomac last season was dramatic and people had lots of opinions. I don't really want to hash that mess all over again, but Candiace herself confirmed the existence of 'a plot' by Gizelle, Charrisse and Robyn to bring up on the show whether Monique's baby was actually Chris Samuels' son. That idea went nowhere, but nevertheless, it turned many Potomac viewers off Gizelle. FWIW I don't think viewers feel Monique is a perfect saint either. We know she's done things behind the scenes to get dirt on a few of the HWs. Hence her binder. BTW No-one here is arguing that Monique didn't start that physical altercation. I'm truly sorry you felt vitriol or personal attack here. This thread is a pretty enjoyable 'escape from reality' for me. I don't want it to end up a toxic place where someone posts an opinion about a HW and then it becomes a toxic back-and-forth because someone else disagrees with that opinion and cannot accept its existence. IA that we should agree to disagree -- it's just a TV show. We can debate our side of things (and enjoy the debate!) without devolving into accusations of delusions, lies, or rewriting history.

First of all, it's nice to see Wendy present, smart and on point these days. I can see both sides of this argument? Joseline wants more support as a black girl out there trying to create projects for herself. Wendy is defending her right to criticise because she wants some people to do better and raise their standards.

I don't know how some of our posts got heated all of a sudden, but perhaps you, me and @FrenchBug82 misunderstood each other over the last day or so? 🤔 On Monday @FrenchBug82 posted about Andy Cohen basically agreeing with what lots of us have been saying. So maybe we all got the wrong end of the stick today. Hopefully my post re: Potomac reunion cleared some things up. Happy to hear that about RHONY. Sounds like Ramona is a little more invested in participating this season and keeping the show fresh. The shots of Tweddledumb and Tweedledumber at reunion made me laugh so hard. Brandi looks.... woah. Boozy ex-Vegas showgirl circa 1971. "I used ta date Frank Sinatra, you know." "We're repainting the dining room, so I moved that portrait of your Great-Aunt Lucía onto the patio." Nice social distancing... with a TV screen: ------------------------- Dallas got 16 episodes but NJ got 13?? That's crazy! Having said that, NJ has been flying by fast this season. Sneak peek for RHONJ tonight. Joe Gorga how dare you go afta My Dolores you bootpolish-haired trick

I'm not talking about the fight between Candiace and Monique or any footage related to that. Production (to its credit) showed ALL the fight in one episode virtually uninterrupted. I thought it was very good they did that because there should be no room for doubt about the event as it transpired. I was actually referring to a moment in the reunion (and I should have been more clear) when Chris Samuels wanted to talk about the rumors of Monique having an affair with the trainer. Andy, Gizelle, Candiace and Robyn basically shouted him down like "We already discussed that, CHRISSSS. Pipe down!" I personally felt like it was gaslighting the Samuels who had a solid case pointing the finger at Gizelle, Robyn, Charrisse, etc. Candiace even admitted there was a discussion about spreading a rumor about the parentage of baby Miles, and production supplemented that with unseen edits of Chris pointedly asking Gizelle if his son looks like him. I do blame Andy for protecting Gizelle from the Samuels' questions throughout that reunion -- I think Gizelle can defend her own self, plus Robyn rides to her defence a lot of the time, too. Monique is no victim, I agree. Both Giz and Monique give as good as they get. (I also think Monique is throwing a lot of money at this Bindertime Tales thing on YouTube when she really should have just stayed on RHOP and hashed out the binder there. It's starting to look like she regrets turning down that contract).

RHOA: You all know that I am not a Kenya fan. But honestly, I 100% see why she was aggrieved about Drew and Porsha. She carried all of Reunion Part 1. It's like Kenya and Kandi's massive contribution to the franchise is now being sidelined in order to protect Bravo's investment in Porsha and Drew Thirstora. It relates to @Taoboi's point about Andy. I hate the blatant favoritism. It's been ongoing for some years, but it was somewhat in check and now it is out of control. Thanks god Potomac's production team snuck in those cuts to back up Monique's story. I wonder if that will ever happen again now that Andy knows they did that. It is quite obvious that entire context and SLs are being curt from the show in order to prop certain people out there that Bravo considers their 'main stars.' Gizelle and Porsha were tapped to do that Bravo Chat Room thing for this very reason. Bravo might also be nervous that Porsha's new agents may guide her away from the network. Gizelle, of course, isn't going anywhere.

It was almost like Giz forgot the lie she peddled on Potomac and then had to carefully backtrack! Contessa: Your husband touched my soul. (Cut to: Pastor Jamal) Contessa: He was fantastic. 😍 Gizelle: He's actually my ex. But yes. Lisa Nicole: But you guys are reconciling, right? Gizelle: 💡... Uh Yes. But we're not officially... engaged. Or married. So... As in, Robyn is Engaged. Dr Jackie's inner southern bitchessa also made a short appearance: Robyn: It's been a journey... blah blah blah. Dr Jackie VT: (sighing) I understand, you know, we've all been there before. But the second time around, things should be different. You set a standard, you put some boundaries. And, with me and Curtis, you get it right. 💅 Looks like I need to catch up on M2M! I'm about 2 episodes behind.

Anger management means taking accountability. I keep hoping for a Karen-Candiace reconciliation but Candiace seems like she holds grudges for a while.

After Wendy did all that work baiting Karen in order to impress Robyn-Gizelle? Tut tut. Candiace.... will dump her insta-friend Wendy will dabbing her eyes with that pointy napkin. Robyn-Gizelle are just too powerful an alliance to ignore. However, Candiace should be worried, because she'll be next. 100% Gizelle is poised to use Candiace's rage issues against her.

This must be the most incompetent and useless production team on Bravo. Why are they editing out entire SLs?? Removing anything juicy? It's almost like they want ATL to fail! When a RH show engages or enrages an audience, it is winning. A show fails when the audience gets bored and no longer cares. ATL (with this production team) appears to want to replicate the BH model, where the women spend inordinate amounts of time Serving Looks and Serving Shade on cue. However, when it comes to actual interaction, everything is chopped up and disjointed and we only get petty fluff. This is one reason why there has been a high turnover of newbies. The audience as a whole is just not connecting to them. If I were Kandi, I would be FURIOUS. It's like production is focused on protecting Bravo's 'investment' in Porsha and Drew. Anything that interferes with that is brutally excised from the show. Kandi's mic was turned down when she tried to speak up for LaToya and Kenya? So they are literally trying to silence her now? Andy is all about the double-standard. What a flake he is. He only loves ATL on a superficial level -- he likes the rehearsed shade, he liked Apollo. That's about it. I don't believe he truly understands what 'type of show' ATL is and that IMO is holding the franchise back. Well, him and production. ETA: I loved Mama Elsa too. It's not too much to say that she WAS RHoM. Nobody else came close to dominating the screen like she did.

Leah went in on Ramona and her Covidscapades during much of the pandemic, so I'm hoping we see a lot of that confrontation on the show. Sadly, Ramona partying with Don Cokehead Jr at Mar-a-lago came out after filming wrapped (!!). She really is deeply selfish and uncaring of anything but her own immediate gratification. Dorinda: sometimes I wonder if she even needed a year off? The fact is, the viewer has had a year of No Dorinda, and oftentimes that is enough to come back refreshed? Dorinda could have had a redemption arc this season, but once again, I'm not sure she felt she needed to, and that may be where she and Bravo parted ways. Dorinda was not reading the room with regards to how she came across last year, and instead doubled down. She may still be harboring resentment with the other women and Bravo about not being invited back. Tinsley and Dorinda. I think Dorinda was jealous of Tinsley's looks and youth, and resentful of what she viewed as the preferential treatment Tinsley got from production with regards to her SLs and whatever was really going on in her relationship with Coupon Creep. Dorinda basically called her a kept woman. They also probably never got each other. Dorinda likely viewed Tinsley as really not that smart or interesting (I'm afraid I agree with that). And of course Tinsley knew a few secrets about Dorinda. John asking Coupon Creep for money obviously soured Tinsley and Dorinda's relationship. Tinsley likely also knew about the extent of Dorinda drinking and other proclivities, and Dorinda, I imagine, did not like her having the upper hand. So she thought she could intimidate her into silence. Clearly Production took sides on that issue, too, and that's why they leaked the blow-up about John.

I think you might mean Tinsley, not Leah? Dorinda liked Leah and kind of wanted to ally herself with her. Dorinda will be missed. The new opening credits feel a little empty without her and her multifaceted personality. But she was in denial about her anger and her drinking in a big way. To the point where the Acapulco trip was almost unwatchable the way she bullied Luann and Sonja into submission. I'm not sure if she fully understands or even feels at fault.

Lu looks epically stunning. She has not aged a minute since her Pirate Bootycall days! I like Eboni too. She is smart and realises that flattery gets you everywhere with the Ramona-Sonja-Luann triumvirate, but caution is also necessary, because newbies get burned with those three. You're so good! LOL. Each clip is under 2 mins so it really is only a few short segments being given away. (Nevertheless, I do want RHONY to get its rightful share of viewers on the night). I really missed them too, and you know what, Leah did not annoy me in these clips.