Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[NothinButAttitude]

 

The ratings aren't where they usually are but they are steady given the show is usually up against some network TV event. 

[Soaplovers]

RHOA:

I like the slow burn of the season so far.

 

Ms. Olympic:  Trying to have her moment with that strange conversation she had with Drew where even I was giving off the same expression as Kandi while she was talking.

Kenya:  She's been on her best behavior... for Kenya that is.  Judging by next weeks preview I'm guessing she and Marlo will fall out... again.

Marlo:  On the bike alone made me laugh

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Drew:  Why does she hold a peach?

Sheree:  So her prison lover proved not to be Prince Charming?  Are we surprised?

I did love the shade Marlo/Sheree/Kenya were throwing on Drew's website being down.

 

RHOBH:

I'm not watching until Ericka/Rinna/Dorit are off the show.

We could have a strong show with Crystal, Sutton, Garcelle, Kyle, and Diana.. with Kathy as a friend of.. and maybe another newbie.  OC rotates out their cast... don't understand why BH holds onto dead weight.

[Taoboi]

RHODubai

 

 

It began with Caroline Stansbury.

 

For those who don't know or remember she was the HBIC on a little Bravo show called LADIES OF LONDON. For better or for worse, she would keep those girls jumping. Whether her business was thriving or falling apart, you could count on Caroline to still keep a stiff upper lip as she took on everyone.

 

Fast forward to this new show...WOW. She really and truly has mellowed with time. The only sign of old Caroline I saw was at the end at the dinner when she joined in the mess with Caroline B after it had been resolved. Why? Because SHE CAN. And she does not like Ayan. 

 

Which brings me to this show. Caroline Stansbury is now a Boss Bitca...in a group of Boss Bitca.

 

Uh oh?

 

I thought it was a good premiere as well. They definitely felt like a group of friends...with the complications that come with it...which was a plus. We had a native to narrate us. And we had wealth. Nice unashamed wealth. And of course, the petty fighting and shade that would come with a HW show. And that made up for the slow start for sure. Because that dinner fight was hilarious.

 

CAROLINE. Well...still all about Caroline. LOL!!! The fact that the main drama has to do with a not-invite to her Hen party lets us know that she is still about being the center of attention. And apparently recovered from her work crash. Interesting that she is technically already married, but has to do a second wedding to keep up appearance as well as be accepted in a way in Dubai society. But through it all, I just could not believe that she was so chilled. Nice even. But it was only at the end of the episode that OLD Caroline popped out by letting herself get messy with Ayan. Will she run the roost here like on LoL? Time will tell.

 

AYAN. ICON. lol. She was off and running this episode. And I'm not bugged at all. All shows need a diva and she most definitely is one. Funnily enough not what I expected after the trailers. So I wonder at what point she will be humbled and will she lose her edge when she does. Loved all her stuff with Lesa. They were given GEB 2.0 and I'm here for that. Cuz that lunch was shady AF before Lesa called Brooks. Speaking of Brooks, I look forward to her rivalry with her because it screams fun petty drama.

 

THE MILAN. So this is who Nuthin and Cheap has been talking about. hehe. My kind of Bougie. So far, she is just so beautiful, witty, and fun shady. Not mention messy. And like I said, I thought her and Ayan was hilarious.

 

BROOKS. Oooooooooo childe!!! She is soooooo messy. But 'Jealous? Of you? With that stiff wig making you look like a scarecrow!' took me ALL...THE...WAY...OUT!!!!

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I love her. 

 

NINA. I also like her. Nice, but firm. Voice of reason?

 

SARA. There is something that draws you in. Her eyes. Her vibe. Just something that I cannot put my finger on it. I cannot wait to see more of her. She just appears so unconventional and I love her trying to help her son get over his fear of heights and talking about Dubai old and new. 

 

Good start. 

[Cat]

Real Housewives of... Chicago?

 

[Faulkner]

They need to be careful. There are too many franchises as there is and they aren’t all thriving.

[Gray Bunny]

It was kinda ho-hum for me, too. The Naomi Campbell wannabe already has me rolling my eyes.  But we'll give it a try... 

[Faulkner]

Imitation Iman was doing too much. Feels inauthentic.

[Cat]

BH somehow has 'the hook' that compels you to keep watching each week with anticipation. BH also does great with its viral marketing -- the drip-drip of rumors months in advance, the constant social media presence of the cast throughout the season. They are expert at keeping fans engaged in the petty drama.

Kyle's face when LVP's name was mentioned was akin to Gizelle's cracked-open look when Monique read out Jamal's number. Though Kyle said nothing at all, It was like she suddenly, briefly aged for a few seconds. I do salute the Garcelle-Kyle pot-stirring tag team on this episode, though. One Supreme may be falling while another rises, but I think it's also a case of game recognizing game. I think Kyle is debating a strategic alliance with G. That may not thrill Teddi and Rinna.

Sutton was cool, calm and collected. She was the least frazzled out of all the ladies and did not seem worried at all about what Crystal might say (unlike Garcelle who had the same reaction I did).

Crystal playing coy about what Sutton said was a bad look. I understand her argument that none of the ladies cared a jot about her feelings last season. But drop a giant hint like that, you either spit it out or it's like it didn't happen. 

Dollar Store Gabor! 

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 I'm done. Like @Chris B said, she will be a one and done. I wonder if anyone will bring up the Epstein rumors dogging her on social media.

Very sad about Lois, who seemed like a wonderful, life-affirming person.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Cat

[Cat]

 

 

I watched and enjoyed the show (better than the trailer, I thought) -- but I also agree with all your differing opinions.

@Faulkner Kim Zolciak definitely came to mind when I saw Caroline Stanbury. God knows Andy and Bravo have tried for years to find a vehicle for La Stanbury since she left Ladies of London. I loved her on that show, but Caroline once said that she was a superficial person and wouldn't apologise for it. That works on a show like LOL where London, aristocratic traditions and social-climbing are also the stars. When the setting is Dubai, where superficiality is raised to an art form, it gets lost in the wallpaper. 

The setting may be part of the problem. On one hand, you have the ex-pat community which is mostly families. They love it because it is so safe and sunny 265 days 365 days of the year! It truly is a global melting-pot. But these communities are like the OC gated communities -- not much going on culturally except a lot of expensive real estate. Property is literally king there.

It's like the scene where Sara and her son looked through the frame at the New Dubai and Old Dubai. New Dubai was the ex-pat world, built in large part by global financing (and laundered money). Then we had the smaller, anonymous white houses of Old Dubai, largely populated by Emiratis. What are their stories. their lives like? Some may live very Western lives, but others hew closely to old religious traditions. This is a secret, protected world, separate from the Western other side of the Frame. I think this is why, like @Taoboi, I liked Sara so much. She might be the missing link in this franchise between the Old and New Dubai. Otherwise, this show is just going to be about McMansions, glam and shopping. Which is fine but.... it's not enough.

The UAE's regressive policies may also be a problem -- or the show's inability to truly talk about them. The ruler is incredibly wealthy, powerful... and despotic. His recent divorce from Princess Haya of Jordan in the London law courts exposed a lot of dark things. Two of his daughters tried to escape his influence; they are now under house arrest in Dubai, with one reportedly on serious mind-numbing medication to keep her pliant. 

Having said all that... I met a group of brilliant women from UAE at a conference about 10-15 years ago. I cannot tell you how warm, kind and generous they were towards me. I still think of their unforced generosity today. Meeting them changed the way I had previously viewed that part of the world. If this show makes broad moves towards showcasing Middle Eastern females in a largely positive light, it will have done a lot, because you don't see them represented all that much over here. The global diversity of this show is definitely a strong point. But now it has to build on this first episode and not lay back on its glitzy laurels, believing its job is done.

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Cat

[Soaplovers]

Not Chicago..the Chicago suburbs. 

Winnetka is north shore and fairly wealthy though Glencoe and Willmette are higher end than Winnetka.

[alwaysAMC]

I'm pretty shocked at how ratings have fallen.  They're pulling in OC/NYC numbers this season.  Still in the top 10 of their evening for cable, but the demos and overall viewers on first live episode are way down than Atlanta's normal.  They've always been the top-rated Bravo show every year, but NJ, BH and Below Deck are topping them this year.

Edited June 8, 2022 by alwaysAMC

[Faulkner]

I’m loving ATL this season, but it doesn’t really have a story that transcends the show and bleeds into pop culture this season. NJ has the Teresa stuff with her fiancé and rivalry with Margaret; BH has Erika’s story, plus Dorit getting robbed and even the Lisa/Sutton stuff (and I don’t even watch either of those series). Potomac has been amazing at generating out-of-season hype in the past few years.

If Porsha had stuck around and had to answer for her new relationship with the other ladies (instead of on her ill-advised spin-off), ratings would be much higher. That was a huge story, of course.

But ATL really needed this season as a reset, to hone its production, which has really stepped it up this season. I hope the show doesn’t look at the soft ratings and think the changes didn’t work. The production is not why ratings are down.

[DemetriKane]

I have been patiently waiting for that Chicago/Illinois spinoff. Hoping and wishing that the blind items are true and it lives up to the hype!

ATL 

There is many reasons for the shows falling ratings. The sign of the times (Streaming era), they were off the air much longer than usual, the first time it's aired during the spring/summer since like S2, major cast turnover, 3 fan groups have banded together against the network and are boycotting, with Kenya not playing the bad guy the show is lacking something IMO and isn't producing any water cooler moments!

Edited June 8, 2022 by DemetriKane

[Cat]

I feel a lot more connected to the women this season, like I'm revisiting old friends. Sheree, Marlo and Kenya in particular stand out. I can't get over how bad I felt for Sheree last episode, and I'm not sure in the last few seasons, that emotional pull would have been there. Kenya telling her over the phone "Oh, baby, don't cry, Sheree" also underscored the ties that bind some of these women together -- even as they are paid to playfully shade one another. It made me warm to these two even more.

But as you astutely point out, that Big Impact story has yet to materialize this season. Losing Porsha's drama was a blow -- especially as we already watched that crazy mess on the recent spin-off. ATL seems to be be missing a Lightning Rod character who electrifies (and polarizes) the fans.

I also lay part of the ratings problem at Bravo's door. Bravo's marketing efforts have been so piss-poor this year. I don't know whether they fired a bunch of people or what, but it's like they aren't even trying with ATL. The photo shoot that had to be re-shot with the HWs own money. No rumor mill in overdrive in the months leading up to the premiere (unlike, say, BH). 

A part of me wonders whether Bravo is giving the ATL women the cold shoulder this year once they got wind of Nene's lawsuit. Kind of like they wanted to put the rest of the cast in check.

Thanks! I wasn't sure whether Bravo should go with RHOWinnetka or not. Winnetka would be more accurate, but 'Chicago' might allow Bravo to spread its net wide in case potential RHs in Winnetka fall short. Kind of like RHOBH encompasses not so much Beverly Hills as Encino, Sherman Oaks, snowy Pasadena and Hancock Park.

I'm not super-familiar with the North Shore suburbs, but I did grow up watching John Hughes's films which were mostly filmed in the area (Glencore, Maine Township, Shermer, etc). Winnetka is home to the Home Alone house. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I think ratings are down for 2 reason: 

 

1. As aforementioned, the show is typically on air against a lot of network TV events. 

2. People are peeved (and I don't know why) that their faves (Nene, Porsh*t, and Phelony) are clogging up the airwaves anymore. 

 

I actually find this season refreshing as the women aren't toxic and are providing fresh, natural narratives to work with. The show feels like it has recaptured the good feeling it had the first 5 seasons. 

 

I don't get why BH is getting such high ratings when it is toxic across the board.