Cat

The annoyance on Chris Samuel's face when Andy tried to soften him up with some Last Dance talk. And then that little smile at the end. Yes! Gizelle and Robyn looked scared, and they'd better be.

I would have. K might have coughed on the card before she sealed it! Yep. The true sniper from the side. Season 1, the tabs were full of stories about Camille, and she was quickly termed the 'most hated housewife in history.' Ironic, given what we saw on screen. Camille was egoistical, out of touch and likely in denial about what was happening with Kelsey -- but most hated housewife? Nothing she did really justified that moniker. I can't imagine who might have been behind some of those rumors! *ahem*

Oh @Gray Bunnyspeaking of the real Kyle, the blogs wanted to let us know today that Kyle sent LVP a condolence card regarding Giggy! Wonder where they got that info.

That Gizelle takedown ended too soon! Andy shut it down quick, but the damage has been done. As @Cheap21's avatar illustrates, Gizelle has been completely unmasked. The coldness, the spite -- it's all there on her face. She can no longer hide her shenanigans behind a smile and a joke about Big Boy. Karen mentioned that Candiace called her, very upset, after the Plotting Dinner with Robyn and Gizelle. Because C knew Gizelle's scheme to bring down Monique was toxic and crossed a line. I'd like to think that Candiace, in that moment, saw the GEBs for what they are -- utterly ruthless and without empathy. I also imagine she was upset because she knew the lazy-ass GEBs were expecting Candiace to do all the work and she would be left holding the bag when things turned bad. It was a small moment. Once again, I can't believe Candiace caped so hard for that cold b*tch Gizelle. Meanwhile, Karen is the one who threw her a damn lifeline with that mention! The gaslighting of Monique was something else. I couldn't believe Andy jumped in behind the GEBs calling Monique emotionless. What I saw was Monique utterly focused. She knew this might be the last chance to get her proof out there. But cold, empty, emotionless? No. There is emotion driving Monique's fight to be heard, even though the GEBs, Candiace and Andy want to shut her down. Wendy has zero sense of humor. And her wide-eyed 'omg shocked' face is cringe.

I'd be cool with Robyn staying and having to stand on her own two feet, instead of being a bully's sidekick. Also the Michael lust for Juan is one for the ages, and I confess i want to see how that plays out for both couples concerned! I think Gizelle is saying anything to deflect attention from her own wrongdoings and keep Candiace in a place where she feels victimised by Monique and Karen. Quite frankly I have no clue why Candiace is suddenly caping for Giz at reunion. That ice-cold beeyotch has never cared one iota for Candy and has never lifted a finger to help her. Ever.

Seems like she didn't want to poke the good Judge too much, so she deleted the post. But she had it up long enough to give the impression that this divorce is about cheating, and not what it looks increasingly like, which is about money and siphoning away assets! And TT's comments section on this story has been a treasure trove of information. The texts Erika published are taken on a 3G phone (4G was introduced in 2009). As a result, someone has dated these texts as far back as July 2005! So basically Erika trotted them out as a deflection tactic. Dead cat on a table, as legendary political spin doctor Lynton Crosby would call it. Honestly, if they sold the Pasedena house, a lot of their debts (though not all) would be satisfied. IA. This is very exciting to watch in some ways, but we are at peak toxicity here. This group cannot hold. Gizelle has been unmasked, and her deep hatred of Monique and Karen is evident for all to see. No way we can pretend next season that they are friends again. Unpopular as this may be, but I think we could lose Gizelle. Yes, I know Andy considers her the kween of Potomac and some kind of compelling figure, but I don't. Not sure Andy ever had his finger on the pulse of Potomac anyway, judging by the cheering on social media regarding Gizelle finally getting exposed. IMO we could do without Giz or her minion Robyn (even though I will miss looking at Juan, and of course Michael Darby will be devastated). Keep Candiace, Ashley and Wendy, they still have story to tell. Keep Karen. Monique... it would be interesting to see if we could ever have a Candiace-Monique sit-down, just the two of them, without everyone else involved.

Erika's post is cold, calculated, emotionless. The rumor that Tom had a mistress has been around since she joined the show. They had an arrangement: she gave him some great years, the marriage became in name only, she moved out a few years ago to live in the city and hang with Mikey, he does whatever he wants. This is just a deflection tactic to make it appear like it isn't all about the money, when everything that pushed her to expose this woman and her texts is ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. Also extra cold to name the woman so her stans can go attack the chick on social media. More deflection. Gizelle looks like the biggest liar on earth here. She can barely defend herself. Her hatred and disdain of Monique is dripping off the screen. What an awful person. She and Candiace aren't even *remorseful* for what they did (which is the stick they used to beat Monique with all season). Candiace seriously needs to STFU denying this sh*t -- did she forget her Instagram Live where she was high as a kite and spilled the beans on the plot to bring up Chase's paternity? Its on YouTube and very easy to find. She is confirming verbatim what Monique said in this clip. She looks an epic fool screaming at Mo that she's a liar.

Seems like the moment they wanted to launch EJ, that's when the Ponzi scheme you explained so well in a previous post (i.e. paying Client A with Client B's funds --> paying Client B with Client C's trust. And so on) accelerated. That vicious cycle becomes almost impossible to exit. When Client C loses and there is no Client D to cover Client B's settlement which you have 'borrowed' against... the sh*t hits the fan. Seems like shuttering EJ in 2015 was an attempt to regulate the financials and get Girardi Keese's house in order -- but then Erika landed RHOBH and there was even more pressure to keep up appearances, to keep Erika Jayne going with bigger and better 'opportunities.' After Erika joined BH, her impact on the show was very noticeable. Suddenly, everybody's wealth was being called into question next to the Girardis, who were setting the bar high. Suddenly everybody got glam squads to go to The Coffee Bean. New wardrobes, new glam, new face-lifts, new teeth, new Lamborghinis, new bigger houses (hello, Kyle, Dorit, Terri). The pressure was on to spend more more more, just to keep up with the Girardis and each other. BH had to be That Show which showed the pinnacle of wealth, and Erika's presence triggered the race of who could exhibit the most conspicuous consumption. Erika and Bravo laid down the gauntlet of competition, and if you came up short, it became a stick with which to beat you. It also became filler in place of actual SLs, authentic emotions and feelings. Which sort of sums up Erika on the show -- emotionally closed off, always dressed up as a character, watching silently, waiting to pounce on the smallest outward imperfection. It wouldn't be the first time somebody overextended themselves on the RHs to pretend they are richer than they actually are. But that LA Times article really shows how far the Girardis have fallen. Tom was one of the top lawyers in the country! And he was already wealthy! What a crazy house of cards. It's like, they couldn't make do with California Wealthy, so they had to spend like they were Oil-Oligarch Wealthy. Did Bravo/RHOBH encourage this behaviour, or did they come on and change RHOBH themselves with this behaviour?

He cares about nobody but himself. Certainly not his daughters, nor his ex-wife, who he has now publicly humiliated for a second time (and during her worst week ever). He married a pretty woman who would look good as First Lady, who was Texan political pedigree, and all that was expected to burnish his image. Honestly, Gizelle should never have involved him in the show. It makes her look like she desperately needed him to help her out.

Dear Lord! Not 24 minutes of Jamal Bryant getting high off the sound of his own voice! Gizelle was already exposed on Sunday night! Why is he piping up now? This narcissist can't even maintain a dignified silence for the sake of his three daughters! He should have said: "I have no comment, except that I love mah fambly and am busy caring for my flock during Covid times." But no. Big Mouth fires up the Zoom and PONTIFICATES for half a day about defending his good name, his daughters wearing church promotional hoodies, and Chris Samuels allegedly having CTE! He needs to stop jeopardizing his ex-wife's job prospects.

There is a coldness to Gizelle, a deep reserve, which turns men off. She is so Vanessa Williams-looking but, paired with her outward coldness, it must come across as haughty arrogance. I also think that she has dated for security (money) and not necessarily for love or physical attraction. Perhaps she was attracted to Jamal Bryant back in the day, but she got burned and publicly humiliated. (And I just realised that she has now been publicly humiliated a second time. I'm not sure she will ever forgive Monique and Karen for that). So she is being defensive and even strategic with the men she chooses. Sherman was nothing special in the looks/personality department, but she latched on -- despite his messy personal life, despite the fact that she knew his ex-wife Kyndall -- because of the lifestyle he might provide. There are a few times when Gizelle warms up around men. One is with Kal, who is clearly her most loyal friend and confident, and I enjoy their closeness. The other is with Juan Dixon. I'm not saying she has a thing for Juan (like Michael Darby), but I am saying that she lights up when a beautiful man confides in her as a peer and asks for her advice. I sort of wish a hot dude would come along and give her a new lease of life.

@Cheap21 omg your avatar

@Money @Chris B Well damn. I wish we could upvote people's posts around here!

I've seen it. It's MAJOR. Potentially bigger than Teresa & Joe Giudice's case. (Though the reason the Giudice case was so newsworthy is because the Feds got in on it). RealityTea has the summary on what happened at yesterday's ruling -- https://www.realitytea.com/2020/12/14/tom-girardi-contempt/ . What stood out to me were the judge's words, which RealityTea quoted: Judge Thomas Durkin reportedly said the “simple way to cure all of this” is to pay at least four clients that are allegedly owed $500,000. “These are widows and orphans. Half a million dollars for any one of these families is a significant amount of money. Life-changing, given the tragedy they went through,” the judge explained. So $2 million in total. Given the Girardi's possessions, including more than one home, this sum is doable for the Girardis. They could offload a holiday home somewhere or one of the private planes? Liquidate some stock/share portfolios. I mean, if push came to shove, Tom could ask Erika to give up some of the Cartier Panthere jewellery we saw onscreen (the expensive Panthere rings currently retail for US$15,000. A Panthere necklace is priced at $75,000). Didn't he give her a small Marc Chagall painting her second season on the show? That has to be worth $$$$. What shocks me is how easy it could have been for Tom to pay out $2 million but he chose not to. He instead moved some money around before Erika filed for divorce on November 3rd. $2 million! Erika has flashed much more cash on the show, surely. (Thinking back to Erika and her VT/reunion appearances, all that grandstanding looks extra gross given how relatively paltry a sum the judge is demanding here). Tom's lawyer said in this hearing that Girardi Keese only had $15,000 in their bank accounts. In the initial suit filed by Edelson PC (which can be found here and makes for fascinating reading if you have time for 30 pages: https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/documents/292/78143/Edelson-Girardi-complaint.pdf ), there was reference to Tom transferring 'loans' in the $ millions to Erika's company EJ Global prior to the divorce. This comes after Girardi Keese took out litigation loans for company purposes. So the company was heavily in debt. The Edelson suit says the Lion Air settlement was used in part to pay off these litigation loans, and also alleges that the settlements and the loans funded the Girardis lifestyle. The connection between the depleted accounts and the transfers is probably why the judge ruled to freeze all Girardi assets (cue the memes about the assets being not just deliberately frozen, they are INHERENTLY FROZEN (c) PK). If Tom is moving money around in an attempt to hide it, then it is likely that other creditors and lawsuits may be coming. If it was a case of just $2 million to 4 families, then this would be a no-brainer pay-out. But moving those assets signifies to me that the Girardis are worried about losing absolutely everything. Oh! And yesterday's hearing gave a small glimpse into what might be Tom's defense. The lawyer brought up his age and perhaps making decisions while not being in perfectly sound mind. Judging by what we've seen on screen, Tom has always seemed sharp as a tack so I'm not sure how true that is. But it does stun me how Tom could have gotten himself into this mess. I know greed is real, but he always seemed smart, in control and clear-sighted. I don't think Erika is ruling him and forcing him to make these decisions, but that is what this 'old/confused' defense might make it sound like. Anyway, he risks being disbarred, publicly shamed, losing all his money, and going to jail at his advanced years. It's a major shock. I always liked Tom on the show and thought he was an OK guy considering. Out of all the couples on BH, I honestly never thought this would happen to the Girardis (the Kemsleys, maybe).

Thank you for situating the belittling of Monique in its proper context. Robyn, Candiace and Gizelle would TOTALLY have ridden that rumor about Monique's baby not being Chris Samuels' all the way to reunion if they could have.

Because this wasn't Tom's idea. It was her's. She wanted to become this kind of Kardashian/Gaga-Pokerface-Era hybrid. I didn't realise she doesn't have an actual record deal! Although rumor is she is seeing Scooter Braun, perhaps to fix that. However, if the divorce isn't real... then neither is that. I am watching RHOA S7 right now -- the Claudia season -- and this is where Nene's VTs stop being real and start sounding rehearsed, stolen from drag queen reads. I now realise that Erika does the same thing. She frontloads everything into her VTs where she recites a script 'the gays will love' and sips her champs performatively.

Everybody here said it all. Monique owned Gizelle lock, stock and barrel. I couldn't believe Gizelle just sat there. Did she figure the jig was up and this wasn't the hill she wanted to die on? Does she have something up her sleeve? Is she just lazy? Did she believe she could just show up and deflect onto somebody else? Gizelle's stans on Twitter are HORRIFIED that Monique and Karen could come for her like that. Like Gizelle, they got complacent. They are so used to her being coddled by Andy, throwing the stone and then hiding the hand behind Ashley, Charrisse and Candiace, that they are literally stunned when she is held to account the same way. I mean, Ashley got dragggged last reunion. I actually feel more sorry for Candiace than I do Gizelle right now. Candiace is being played -- by the GEBs, by her pride, and by her anger issues.

This better not be false advertising! What's interesting to me is that Tom spent a lot of money on Erika's launch for stardom, presumably because if she made it big, the stardom would pay for itself and it might even contribute to his very comfortable lifestyle. Interesting that despite some dance hits, he still has had to fork out $$$ -- primarily for RHOBH. Now that she has set the standard with lewks and glam and such, now she has to maintain it, especially with Dorit and others in on the glam act. It just adds to the expenses every year. When I think of the current incumbent in the WH, I think immediately of Jim Jones. His core base are wedded to him body and soul. Religion generally seems to hold a lot of power in the US, because of its sway over some people. Look at how influential evangelical Christianity now is in the SCOTUS and the lower courts across the land. In addition, groups focused on idolising a guru or cult leader tend to crop up a lot -- Scientology, NXIVM. I feel like some of these religions incentivise cons, because churches/religions get tax exemptions. With Mary's Faith Temple, the more I see those parishioners are entranced at her 'speaking in tongues', the more I hear about the tithes paid to fund her lifestyle, or her anger and disdain at their 'cheapness'.... this all says 'cult' to me. A cult her grandmother set up, her step grandpa took over, and she inherited. There is something very dark about the whole thing.

1,000 times this. I find the BH ostentation suffocating -- as if I ate too much cake. And what monopoly money are the Kemsley's using to pay for sh*t? I also think this ostentatiousness is simply a replacement for an actual SL (20 minutes of glam squad footage and Kyle getting her new face contoured), and a replacement for an actual personality in the case of Erika and Dorit. The brands/outfits are what defines them. There is nothing else there.

@Taoboi So I am all caught up on SLC! I wasn't sure after the first episode whether I would take to it, especially after seeing all the high praise on social media. But Ep 2 onwards really got into its groove. It reminds me so much of RHOV, I can't even take it. Not just the mountain city locales, but the fact that Meredith looks like RHOV's Ronnie with a little Lauren Bacall (the icon in my avatar!) sprinkled in. I think Meredith must be one of the most beautiful HWs i have ever seen (next to Cynthia). And she is giving us relationship drama which I am sure we all sensed with her very first scene on the show. Meredith is mysterious and keeps her emotions under wraps, though in her scenes with Seth, there feels like a deep sadness within her. Did he cheat? Did she? Is she in love with someone else? Or are we watching the dissolution of a marriage, no third parties, quietly and for its own reasons? The Greek Chorus/voice of the audience are Heather and Whitney. I love them both. I saw some on social media say that Whitney should be the one to go after this season which truly shocked me. Whitney is our entry into Mormon culture. She explains things so well, so deeply, and her reactions to the Jen-Mary crazy are hilarious. I also find her a boss with the martial arts AND her SL with her father is authentic and timely. Prescription pill addiction is no joke. Heather...LOL. I love this chick. Guard the burger and the chicken lollipops! She has her feet firmly on the ground and, like Whitney, grounds this show. She is SLC's tentpole character as far as I'm concerned. Lisa is fun and I love her dancing machine of a son, Henry. Other than that... I'm waiting for her to step it up. Maybe this week at Sundance. Jen. Oh boy. My antenna went up about 2-3 weeks before the premiere of the show. Jen was retweeting all the JEN IS KWEEN OF RHOSLC comments. This is before SLC had even aired! And she was #ShahSquad on all her posts. So it turned me off a little. She's definitely in it to win it -- she wants to be the OTT queen bee who dominates the franchise, and in a way, she's a natural. The others are too quiet, too laid back or calm to really claim the crown. This ain't BH where at least 4-5 HWs hyperventilate for top spot. OTOH, when you want something too much, the audience smells desperation on you and withholds their support. And that's where Jen might be heading. It's all starting to feel a little contrived. The HW beefs, the meltdowns in parking lots, the glam squad, the Kardashian reject outfits, the rented chalet which I assumed was the weekend house but... it may be the only house. Having said that, Jen brings drama to the ensemble. And that's what this show is: a great ensemble with very different, complementary moving pieces. Without Jen, I'm not sure there would be much Drama. And then we have Mary. Whoever scouted her and convinced her to join deserves a raise. Mary is a magic component to this show. We need to appreciate her now before the Feds arrest her and Peepaw for embezzlement/fraud/tax evasion/slavery (I'm wondering if Charlinda is even paid). Her crazy eyes and kooky awkwardness remind me of Ramona. There is something... damaged and fragile about her which i have to wonder isn't due to her family dysfunction trauma -- marrying your step-grandpa to seize control of the cult and its money from your mother. I mean, that is bananas. At the same time, we know she is ruthless, if those recordings from her 'sermons' are anything to go by. I am just fascinated by her, and there are times when i feel sorry for her and impressed by her clear-eyed lucidity. And other times when I'm like 'Hey, cult leader.' All in all... fascinating show. Don't understand why either this or Potomac are struggling for viewers.

The Edelson PC lawsuit filed the previous week is a doozy and very damning for Erika. It alleges that Tom embezzled millions from the settlement of the Lion Air victims he represented, and used it to fund their lavish lifestyle. It points to her $40,000 a month glam squad as example. It alleges he transfered tens of millions of dollars this year to her company EJ Global LLC. Consequently, it alleges the divorce is a sham -- a vehicle to hide their assets from creditors. Finally, it names Erika herself as party to the lawsuit. I cannot see Erika even choosing to return to BH next season. I am not sure she will want these multiple lawsuits (which risk stripping the Girardis of all their assets to pay the settlements) to play out over the course of the season. @DaytimeFan Poor LVP. She and Ken adored Giggy. What a tough year for her, not to mention the restaurants and VPR on ice. @NothinButAttitude This screams cult to me. As watchable as Mary is on SLC, I feel like the Feds are watching that church and her lavish spending with interest.

Yikes. That is damning indeed. I know you've watched OC for a long time. Seeing this rampant selfishness (I don't believe it is ignorance as much as this particular stance suits their agendas. I want to do whatever TF I want, no consequences, why should I care about other people? They're all lazy/poor anyway!) in the context of a pandemic... I don't blame you for quitting. OC is also a lead-in for SLC and I worry it might harm SLC's chances.

Remind me again why Katie never got a contract after S1 ?

This is my standout Karen moment -- turning lemons into lemonade.

Damn this imagery takes me back. Brits have often had a schoolyard sense of humor. Tidbits (!!!!!) magazine certainly bears (bares?) that out. The butt cheeks on the Olga Korbut pages, and the Bond Girl references! I honestly cannot tell if this mag is aimed at men or women. Possibly both. The 70s really was this permissive decade which was also rather prurient. Kate O'Mara was stunning but IMO that picture does her no justice. Actually, I think she really grew into her commanding beauty when she hit her 40s and 50s.