Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[Gray Bunny]

 

Ugh... another copout. Although I find it interesting that Bravo initially told her she wasn't invited 3 months back. 

Another SLC castmember bites the snowflake, er dust. 

[NothinButAttitude]

If Jen isn't there then they can skip a reunion altogether. The remaining 4 are not engaging enough to even bother watching. 

[Soaplovers]

It's odd that Bravo finally is not rewarding a criminal. 

With Jen Shah, she really should have been fired after season 1 due to her violent outbursts, threatening cast members, etc.  After stealing from the elderly, I'm glad Bravo finally had a line that shouldn't be crossed.

Even if Jen Shah was invited to the reunion, the show seems too toxic to have a reunion.

[Taoboi]

 

 

Same.

 

Though I am mostly enjoying the season at the moment. They are not engaging enough for the reunion to be three parts if Jen isn't there. Heck, they could do it in one. 

 

 

[Taoboi]

RHOM

 

Go on then, Lisa!!!! What's good for the goose...

 

 

[Cat]

Miami

I've caught up with the first 5 episodes -- what a compelling soap opera of a watch. I'm not even sure which elements have me so enamoured. The crisp, clear cinematography? The sultry, jet-setty location (like RHONY, a character in of itself)? The legit opulence? Martina Freaking Navratilova fully invested in the drama/spirit of the show? The women's individual stories which knit together surprisingly perfectly? All I know is that this cast has settled and the dynamic is now second to none. When Lisa broke the news about Lenny (which these women had long suspected but never really used as leverage against Lisa), the shock was real. Larsa hugging Lisa, Marysol sweetly calling her "monkey." These women have formed relationships with each other. Alexia was dragged on Twitter for declaring "I knew it!" to Lisa's face, but I felt she was in overbearing mama mode, not triumphant mode. Now comes the hard part, with the fight for alimony, custody arrangements, and Lenny cheating, and I cannot believe we are going to see all of this go down on the show.

On a superficial note, Adriana seems to have got her groove back after last season. And IA with @NothinButAttitude -- Julia is about to be left heartbroken. Martina feels like Lenny a season ago: kind of over Julia and ready to move on to a younger model. I imagine the move to Miami Beach, away from the chicken coop, was her decision. She wants a social, urbane, exciting life; Julia is clearly a homebody.

[NothinButAttitude]

@Cat, I don't even think that Julia is a simply a homebody. I think Julia only feels fulfilled if she has a child or animal to oversee. She has no sense of self. I do agree that Martina is Lenny a year ago. Julia better tighten up or she will be Lisa in a year or two. Julia needs to realize that life is just beginning now that she has an empty nest. She should be thrilled. Now she and Martina can have tons of sexy time and travel. That's what I'd do. 

Again, this is why I love Miami. Their personal dramas aren't faked and are way more endearing than any fight over stupid stuff amongst the women. 

[Gray Bunny]

So from what I understand over the weekend, Andy Cohen and Jen Shah will do their own one-on-one interview a la Kim Richards circa S2 of RHOBH which will air after the SLC reunion. Also, I don't know how long they'll be on the couches, but all 3 friends (Angie H, Angie K, Danna) will be there to fill up time. 

[Cheap21]

RHOA:

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Cynthia confirms that she is returning next season as a Friend Of!

Edited December 19, 2022 by Cheap21

[Cat]

That's an interesting observation-- no sense of self. Last season, I thought Julia had a kind of quiet confidence, she was a mom and exuded a quirky energy, sure, but also a kind of sexy femme fatale, who'd been there, done that in the Paris jet-set, before meeting Martina and moving to the US. This season, that confidence seems to have ebbed away. I wonder if peri-menopause isn't playing a role here in her lack of purpose -- saying goodbye to her daughters/saying goodbye to her 'youth.' Even though Martina is the poster child for active, post-HRT-fuelled womanhood, lol. ITA with you, I'd be like, let's travel and have a second youth. But Julia is obviously struggling with a little sadness in her soul. And maybe Martina's resigned exasperation is adding to that sadness.

I agree. All these women's different journeys feel both relatable and endearing but also pretty impactful and even at times epic on-screen.

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Who is Bravo trying to kid? They've been dining out on the Jen Shah scandal for 3 seasons now. They knew exactly what she was about, especially after the FBI raided her home. All of a sudden, the network is clutching its pearls and saying Jen Shah must be shunned from reunion and only have a one-on-one interview? Andy had no problem with Teresa dominating the S6 reunion when she was a few mere weeks away from entering prison!

[Cheap21]

Miami:

To add to the Julia discussion, I think we have to remember the story she told at the reunion about her first child being mysteriously murdered. I dont think she's ever gotten over that and that explains the tight grup she has on her children and to an extent her animals. There's real trauma there that I dont feel has been properly addressed. Its triggering for her to not have someone/something to care for bc of her loss

Thats not whay this is happening. Bravo wanted Jen and the mess at the reunion but she informed them that she couldnt discuss her case for legal purposes. They were upset and felt they it wanst worth having her there then if she wasnt able to give them what they wanted to hear. I guess they came to some agreement over the weekend and her questions will likely be more curated and not all over the place with the other housewives chiming in

Edited December 19, 2022 by Cheap21

[Gray Bunny]

Yeah, adding to that:  Jen said Bravo disinvited her to the upcoming reunion back in September. Then a month ago, re-invited her, but upon telling them what Cheap said in regards to her case, they pulled the plug again. So it's not just fake pearl-clutching, it's sloppy messiness to squeeze out as much sleaze as possible. 

[Cat]

I cannot believe I forgot about her baby having been mysteriously murdered. 

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 Of course, that's exactly what it is. I don't know how any parent gets over such tragedy, and without any resolution.

 

Thank you both for clarifying. I thought Bravo was taking a position of 'We don't endorse this behavior' (which is ironic considering the network's unofficial moniker is Felons by Bravo). I figured Jen Shah would play the Legal Reasons card, but I'm sure the whole script will be carefully worded/curated, as you say.

Poor Heather must be FUMING that she won't be able to perform her "I'm so disappointed in my friend's actions" soliloquy to Jen's face at reunion. 

Edited December 19, 2022 by Cat

[Gray Bunny]

LOL I do like Heather, but you know she already rehearsed her lines ahead of time. Too bad for her then. 

Similarly, as I have watched the past couple episodes of SLC with Whitney's flimsy excuse for still being mad at Heather, I can't help but think this is the poor man's version of Jill Zarin making on-camera beef with Bethenny in RHONY S3 only to have it blow up in her own face.  I'm sorry, but Whitney's insistence with having an issue with her cousin isn't landing. Let. It. Go. 

[DaytimeFan]

Thank you! Whitney's routine is not landing and it's going to be a part of the implosion of the show along with Jen.