Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[Cat]

Totally. To both statements. Eventually Kathy will have to start revealing herself bit by bit and not hiding behind behind the kooky.

And yes, Kyle has always been and continues to be une Basique Bettay.

I didn't realise Bethenny had cut all ties with Bravo. I assumed that, as one of Kyle's many besties, she'd be up on all the gossip. But they seem to have fallen out. With the pandemic, Bethenny has made it clear she wants a complete reset in her life. She retreated to Boston and the Hamptons and a lot of her time seems focused on Brynn. 

Yeah, Tom's power went right to the top --he 'donated' to many major political campaigns. His influence over the CA Bar was detailed in one of the big investigative articles (possibly the LA Times).

Edited September 17, 2021 by Cat

[Faulkner]

The RHONY reunion is cancelled.

 

[Chris B]

Welp. They down BAD! I just hope they get it right next season. This is the first Real Housewives in America to not have a reunion. RHONY used to be the gold standard. If they’re smart they’ll keep Bershan and just act like it didn’t happen. 

[Liberty City]

I'm happy they ended on a high note. Now ditch the "Countess" and Singer Stinger, and we'll be good to go!

[Faulkner]

 

I wonder where this leaves them for next season. Sounds like a lot of changes are afoot. Kate Aurthur filed this for Variety, saying “more to come” on this story:

 

[j swift]

I'm an optimist, (most of the time), so my immediate response is to think of the positives because I feel as if the reunions have become an artifice that have too much effect on the rest of the show.  I would rather that they focus on their present lives rather than carry over the drama from past reunions, or change their behavior based on future reunions.

We either get a situation wherein everyone is afraid to fight because the fans won't like them at the reunion, but they never discuss audience reaction during the season because they aren't allowed to acknowledge that they are on a show.  Or we get a reunion fight that they aren't allowed to directly reference, because with the exception of Potomac, they never discuss the reunions during the season.  Also, most of the material has already been reviewed on WWHL, so it is rare that we get new information (except for the background of the Tinsley/Dorinda fight).

RHONY is consistently my favorite because they've been together for so long that it feel more like reality.  Most of them are a-holes, but I feel like they are an accurate representation of women in that culture. 

[DaytimeFan]

RHONY was absolutely awful this season for a variety of reasons. Nobody asked for a reunion and it was obvious nothing had been scheduled as the cast were all travelling so when Andy sent out that message I was perplexed.

Now it’s officially cancelled? Someone above Andy made a decision (in my view the right decision) and perhaps it’s a warning to the cast that they’re all replaceable - who knows.

But I expect some changes for next year, probably to the show’s detriment.
 

[Taoboi]

That just means like this past season of BELOW DECK SAILING YACHT, I can take my time finishing out this season then. I'm still back in Salem.

 

 

[Taoboi]

@Gray Bunny the meme that keeps on giving.

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Re: Kathy. I always felt she was brought on to soften Kyle's image after that Denise season. But...I didn't mind. At first. Her, Crystal, Sutton, and Garcelle brought back the very much missed glamour that BH used to be. After all, this show was about the rich, maybe famous, and of course their secrets, lies, and struggle with the wannabes. 

 

Now...I have started to side-eye...

[Cat]

Bravo is likely mulling over some possibly seismic changes, and I hope those made will not hurt the show any more than it already has been.

On the one hand, they could call it a Covid anomaly of a season and keep it moving with the current cast, Dorinda, Tinsley and a newbie.

On the other hand, might this season be a sign of deeper problems? Have the three OGs run their course? And could Leah and Eboni even take over the RHONY mantle? They were very poorly received this season, which mostly played to Ramona's benefit.

RHONY has revamped before and IMO that revamp was a stunning success. Bravo got rid of the toxicity (Jill, Kelly, Cindy) and embraced the fun and the glamorous (Heather, Carole, Aviva). Pitting the shocked 'normal' newbies against the weathered, crazy OGs was a match made in heaven. Can it do so again, I wonder.

Bethenny won't come back, but i'm not sure the show needs Bethenny to succeed. If they want to keep the current cast, I'd go cap in hand to Heather again and give her an apple. Heck, I'd do the same with Aviva and Carole if I could. That's how desperate I would be to recapture some RHONY magic. The problem is, RHONY also needs some newbie magic. Women with some nutty charisma, who are friends with each other and willing to show their life. I hope Bravo has some good scouts (Bethenny claimed credit for finding Aviva and Leah, if I recall correctly).

Finally, RHONY needs a break away from the cameras. Time heals. By the time this season rolled around, many viewers who had turned on Dorinda were ready to welcome her back. Perhaps that will be the case here with this cast. They could start the first episode with a montage of all the Daily Mail headlines pitting the cast against each other, so that the viewer knows The Group is Divided.

If I had to speculate on any cuts, I'd say Luann right now. But any one on the cast could get cut, as you say. And that's what's scary because it never used to be the case that everyone on RHONY was completely expendable.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Cat

[Faulkner]

I wonder what antics we’ll see from the NY cast in the off-season to secure their places. 

[DaytimeFan]

I think cutting Luann would be a grave mistake. RHONY has succeeded based on its organic relationships between the cast. Luann, Sonja, and yes, even Ramona, have always had organic relationships with their cast mates.

Leah and Eboni are the ones without any organic ties to this cast. That is where the weak spot in the armour resides. 

But I wouldn't cut Eboni. I think she has an interesting life  in non-pandemic times. Leah is the one who doesn't bring anything to the table. She had to film with her family because there was nobody else! No business scenes. No romance scenes. No levity. She's an albatross and the show would be well rid of her. 

 

[Faulkner]

I’m not sure if this would work and it’s not necessarily what I’d want, but, for some reason, I can imagine a RHONY looking like this (a soft, more inclusive reboot of seven housewives, which could be executed well or be a disaster. Leah, who is almost universally disliked now, and at least one older HW - likely Luann or Ramona, for their participation in the racial conflicts and fallings out with Eboni - would be axed):

Dorinda

Heather

Luann OR Ramona OR Sonja (two of the three at most)

Eboni OR another black housewife (not saying they are interchangeable—but it’s obvious they want to preserve at least one place for a black woman)

New black (Bershan? Hmmm…) and/or Latina (Dominican/PR) housewife

New Latina or Asian housewife (from Queens?)

New white housewife OR maaaybe they keep one of the older housewives (maybe Sonja)

It might be worth looking for multiple new housewives (two or more) who share some kind of longterm, more than superficial connection.

That’s barring one of the existing NY HWs hitting the dubious “jackpot” of an Erika/Jen Shah/Luann-gets-arrested-type scandal…

Edited September 19, 2021 by Faulkner

[Taoboi]

POTOMAC

 

Oooooo and just in time for Mia and Candiace to drag each other this weekend on Twitter. 

 

I think my favorite moment might either be the unmasking of Gizelle (Season 5) or Candiace vs Gizelle when she butted in on Candiace vs Charisse (Season 3)

 

 

[Cat]

Don't get me wrong, I actually don't want to see any of the OGs go. But there does seem to be a growing groundswell of 'get rid of them' on social media. We forget, perhaps, the ability of Luann, Ramona and Sonja to reinvent themselves during the HeatherCaroleAviva years. They went on a journey with their changing lives and relationships, and so did we.

If that Daily Mail article was anything to go by, Eboni has had quite an interesting life in the Manhattan firmament -- Fox News -- and she pissed off some people over there. A possible Republican voter who may have switched allegiances. Lawyer, obvs. Girlfriend of a mega-rich divorced banker with an estate in New Jersey (the apartment she was living in on the show was part of the Four Seasons and seemed to have been financed by him). This is all juicy (to me), and in a non-pandemic environment might have come out on the show.

My own personal judgment is still out on Leah's contribution (she's not my fave, tbh, but not my most hated either). But I can see that people here are sick to death of her and that may be reason enough to let her go.

BH *REALLY* lucked out with the Fall of the House of Girardi. It could have been curtains for BH's ratings if we had to face yet another season of scripted BS. The controversy over Crystal's ugly leather pants would not have sustained 18 episodes. (The influence of Erika in pushing a template of glam-squadded, empty-talking, scripted fakery has been so damaging to BH and the other franchises generally IMO).

Is Luann due for a Europe-based run in with the Swiss Police? Could she hit West Palm Beach for another tour of the city jail? Will Ramona be at Mar-a-Lago when feds (with body cam) show up to arrest somebody over there? One can only hope. 

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Edited September 20, 2021 by Cat