Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[Cat]

It already looks better than what little I watched of last season.

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It doesn't involve Jen Shah. 

Or a black eye. 

It has a newbie talking (seemingly) honestly about feeling like she has to flaunt labels she cannot actually afford. 

Mary. 

 

I didn't think I would want to tune in ever again to SLC, but I'm ever so slightly interested in checking out the first episode of the new season. Hopefully it's a clean slate without the toxic Shah drama stinking up the joint. 

They should put a moratorium on the fancy dress FOR SURE. Bravo finds it is hilarious and meme-able to show to these HWs screaming at each other in crazy wigs. I'm convinced they went for the bonnets because it would highlight Angie K's obvious plastic surgery in the worst way possible. (I did giggle at Monica's pirate beard drawn on with a magic marker, though).

[Soaplovers]

We already kind of know Angie K so at least the show won't spend too too much time introducing her to us.. except maybe to show her family life.  Her instagram shows she's fully embracing her Greek heritage and that will be nice to see on the show.

Newbie Monica looks like a spitfire.

Mary is to SLC what Kim Richards was to BH.. the quirky/eccentric energy that a housewife show needs.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Soaplovers

[alwaysAMC]

So glad that Mary is back!  She cracks me up.  

I'm growing tired of the Heather/Whitney drama though - just be friends/cousins and move on.  

[Michael]

The Whitney/Heather drama is NOT working. It was exhausting last year, it was exhausting on RHUGT... I feel like they think this is some Bethenny/Carole [!@#$%^&*], and it is not.

[j swift]

Just based on the trailer, it looks like Heather continues to make all the wrong moves.

We know that Heather and Whitney only found out that they were related shortly before shooting.  Her real history is with Lisa Barlow from their time at BYU (party girl era).  Heather exudes excluded-from-the-cool-crowd energy, which she could use to gain sympathy from the audience, even though her marriage was worth more status than Lisa's.  But, saying anything about Jack going on a mission will definitely backfire.  Despite, Lisa's many unlikable qualities, she is funny and seems to be gaining popularity in the last season.  Heather would be wise to try and align with her, rather than oppose her, to win back the audience support she gained in the first season. 

It feels like Heather let social media go to her head, while Lisa has remained an authentic (if still annoying) presence, and I think the fans are always drawn to authenticity.

[Michael]

That's how I feel about Heather, too -- which is actually not too far from how I felt about Carole later in her RHONY run. She's high on her own supply and has lost sight of why people liked her in the first place. The whole black eye thing was horrible Housewifery and annoying as hell, and the way she handles confrontation is bizarre (though kind of fascinating from a psychological perspective).

[j swift]

For me, the most interesting part of Heather is that she was in this high profile marriage, with a guy who didn't appreciate her, and when they split she got thrown out of the church, even though many of the doctrines seem engrained in her identity.  They allow very little space for her to express how her fall from grace has affected her new friendships.  

One assumes that when she was married to Billy, she would have had the power to exclude newcomers to the faith like Lisa.   So, it would be interesting to hear her express some of her anger at having to beg for acceptance from these women who once would have sought her out for her status in the church.

[Soaplovers]

 

If this show comes back for season 5...either Heather or Whitney need to go.  I would vote for Littlw girl since I want to see Heather vs Lisa so bad.

And Lisa...I'm happy seeing her out in the wilds of society.  Her fishing, trying to cook, and her obsession with Taco Bell.....she is reality tv gold.

[Cheap21]

 

[Cat]

 

@j swift You make a really good case for digging deep into Mormon society and bringing that world and its social tropes to the fore, letting it drive story. It's a world i know only peripherally, having one SLC-based Mormon friend, but still a fascinating place to witness.

Alas, maybe because of Covid, or maybe fear that it might be too niche, Bravo shied away from that and we've watched the bog-standard petty RH dramas straight out of the playbook. The promise of S1 was not capitalised on, and the show suffered as a result.

Honestly, I find the Heather/Whitney divide to be phony. I think these two are exchanging notes during the off season and scripting this drama. Unlike Carole and Bethenny, though, I'm not sure the audience investment is in this cousinship. (P.S.: I'm on of the few who believe that Carole leaving RHONY was disastrous for that franchise and left it unmoored. But that's a Ted Talk for another day).

I also think that the black eye and Heather's perpetual victimhood status in friendships is also an act for the show. Playing victim wins over some of the audience, but in interviews, Heather strikes me as very self-aware and together and someone who would no longer put themselves through those toxic dynamics wth a friend. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Heather has had an innate understanding of how she wants to appear on this show, and how she wants her story to progress, from the very beginning. 

BWAHAHAHA! I don't miss her one bit, though.

Edited August 12, 2023 by Cat

[Michael]

@Cat You make good points about both Carole and Heather Gay!

[Cat]

RHOC

I'm rather enjoying this season as Tamra surreptitiously takes down first Shannon's relationship, and then lays the blame at Heather's door. Two birds with one stone! Damn, Tamra is reverting to her old evil self, strategizing every step of the way. But it's not all smooth sailing for her. Jenn is a tougher cookie to crack than Tamra anticipated, while Emily is making sure she doesn't get left holding the bag either. Meanwhile, Heather (who looked weirdly good in that blondish wig) isn't letting Tammy Sue (who also looked weirdly ok in a brunette wig) get away with turning the group against her. Elsewhere, Vicki is all of us, just enjoying the ride.

 

There was a moment I was getting Taylor and Russell Armstrong  S2 BH vibes from them, which is worrisome. But now, instead of physical abuse, I wonder if Shannon isn't emotionally beat down and desperate not to lose him because she doesn't want to be alone. Kind of like Vicki. I don't think he's as nice as he wants to present on camera, but I also don’t think Shannon is terrified for her life, like Taylor was? I could be wrong though. 

[Antoyne]

This is the best OC season in YEARS.

[DaytimeFan]

It most definitely is a major return to form. Much as Tamra would take the credit for it, a lot of the success lies with Shannon, whose relationship naturally imploded, and Emily, who has somehow became this IDGAF queen. 

ATL

Aside from Drew's marriage imploding, this show is awful and likely deserving of a hard reboot a la RHONY. 

Kenya is just heinous. The fake baby storyline really shows what a hypocrite she is. For years she's been saying Marc Daly is her living nightmare...yet she'd use his embryos and have another child biologically connected to him? She is so hollow and so fake. No wonder production didn't come running to her aid when she wiped out in front of the hotel. She seems just awful to deal with.

NuRHONY

I like Brynn, Jenna, Ubah, and Sai. 

Jessel and Erin are both very irritating, so the fact they're feuding with each other is a bust for me because I don't feel compelled to side with either of them. 

[Cat]

RHOC is great and there is hardly a wasted minute. Each episode flies by for me, and it honestly feels like a return to form, helped by, as you point out, the organic implosion of Shannon's relationship.

RHOA: That Kenya wipe-out stood out to me also. It was striking the way the women on the bus glanced out of the window, like "... Is anyone going to see if Kenya needs help?" They weren't prepared to do it, and neither was production. She was writhing around on the ground for five minutes before a Portuguese staff member and Kandi went over. It said a lot about how Kenya has alienated a lot of people in front of and behind the cameras. 

The Marc Daly second baby SL is patently ridiculous. He hates her like Jason Hoppy hates Bethenny. Isn't he also suing her for alimony? No way he's going to hand over his sperm unless there's a hefty price tag over the next 18 years attached. i don't believe it for a moment, and the 'new boyfriend' SL rings false also.

Carlos King has an interview coming out with Kenya today. This follows his smash interview with Nene last week. Now, Nene is grumpy and has got beef with Bravo and others, but I listened to her interview from beginning to end, and she was speaking her truth. There was not a moment i didn't believe she stood by her opinions. One of them was that Kenya is not the star of the show, she could have been at one time, but something is missing. Many may disagree, but in the context of this season, I couldn't deny her point. Now Kenya is getting a chance to clap back and give her Grand Nene-like Interview, but from the short clip I've seen (talking about the second baby/Marc's embryos!), she is indeed missing something: authenticity.