Anyone watch these shows? I absolutely love them. Ive watched NJ and Atlanta and now they are airing NY. Couldnt get into the Orange County. Too many blondes and fake boobs. Anyone else watching the current season of NY. Lots of drama. My favorites are Bethany and Kelly. I also like Jill although she bugs me. Alex does nothing for me and I cant stand Ramona and LuAnn

On 4/27/2023 at 8:18 AM, Cat said:

At this moment in time, I am torn between my enjoyment of, and loyalty to, these RH franchises -- but it comes alongside a feeling of diminishing returns. I do hold out hope that the RHs can turn things around, because in Daytime terms, this is a young set of franchises.  And Daytime in the past was able to pivot and reinvent itself. Well, until the last 15 years or so.

...

I will add one more thing: the RH social media behometh. So much of RH now plays out off the show. On social media, in podcast interviews, on the After Shows. It's like, the show is the core brand. Bravo needs to show what happens ON THE SHOW + REUNION and keep the cast in line when it comes to leaking and giving everything away. Eventually, no one is going to want to buy the cow if they're getting the milk for free (to paraphrase a nasty old saying with regards to women). Or maybe I've got it wrong, and the RH ecosystem actually helps to drum up viewership for the core show.

 

Well since the Real Housewives are like modern day soap operas, the timespan of the arc from humble beginnings (50's) to burning out (2010's, etc.) is also truncated.    In terms of quality, I think we're at the early/mid 2000's, with pop culture relevance still somewhere in the 90's.  

Yes, you are so correct about social media behind the scenes becoming a whole other separate storyline that the shows will hodge-podge together the following season so viewers who don't follow all that fodder can understand why so-and-so has beef with so-and-so.  Like a printed magazine that hits the shelves when all the juicy details were already laid out in full online.  The social media aspect, like you said, can hurt or help a show. On one hand, it stirs interest; on the other hand, no one gets the full story. 

 

11 hours ago, NothinButAttitude said:

 

Sheree keeps making poor decisions, part 55. I thought last year's jailbird was a low, but Martell is giving me Ralph vibes with an extra helping of Grumpy Narcissism. 

I've just looked him up and he was on Love & Marriage Huntsville. I believe the phrase "narcissist manchild" was used to describe him, so I guess my take wasn't completely wrong.

Sheree... you keep making bad decisions in business, the bedroom, and friendship. Why the hell is she roping this stranger in to go after Kandi? Kandi is going to annihilate her and him.

17 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Wait, is that roller coaster intro new? Are we about to get a Six Flags over Georgia tie-in?

That rolling see-through staircase in Sheree's intro is straight out of the Disney channel, and it's also making me dizzy, lol. At least intros got an upgrade, though. 

OC

 

Well, it appears someone already leaked the intro...without the taglines.

 

That said...UPDATED!!!

 

On 4/28/2023 at 7:32 PM, Gray Bunny said:

Well since the Real Housewives are like modern day soap operas, the timespan of the arc from humble beginnings (50's) to burning out (2010's, etc.) is also truncated.    In terms of quality, I think we're at the early/mid 2000's, with pop culture relevance still somewhere in the 90's.  

Yes, you are so correct about social media behind the scenes becoming a whole other separate storyline that the shows will hodge-podge together the following season so viewers who don't follow all that fodder can understand why so-and-so has beef with so-and-so.  Like a printed magazine that hits the shelves when all the juicy details were already laid out in full online.  The social media aspect, like you said, can hurt or help a show. On one hand, it stirs interest; on the other hand, no one gets the full story. 

Yeah, the RH social media ecosystem is,so big now, I actually need to check Twitter to understand what is going on in its full context. It's light for Miami, which is why I think the reboot has flourished -- the important drama is on the show. But for NJ, everything, every allegation, is happening OFF the show and on social media. And I believe the ebbing show,ratings reflect why that's not working for NJ. Although reunion will likely see an influx of viewers. Everyone is waiting for reunion so that all threads are brought together, perhaps for one final time.

So do you think RH is fast approaching its 2010 burnout era? I hope (foolishly perhaps) it can turn it around.

On 4/30/2023 at 4:43 AM, Cat said:

So do you think RH is fast approaching its 2010 burnout era? I hope (foolishly perhaps) it can turn it around.

I think what happened with NYC (which so far blew up in Bravo's face; but we'll see how the new NYC fares) is eventually going to happen to other longstanding Housewives shows. A total retooling; a brand new cast; and/or completing retiring the OG's and letting certain city franchises die off. 

But who knows? I thought they were going to have a Come to Jesus moment when Russell Armstrong committed suicide yet they get pluggin' and chuggin' along and only got bigger and better (so to speak). 

Jill Zarin is expanding her “fabulous circle” of friends on a new reality-competition series (with Drag Race’s Alyssa Edwards and Kristen from VPR, among others):

 

Edited May 1, 20232 yr by Faulkner

New RHONY is in its way

 

23 minutes ago, Cat said:

New RHONY is in its way

 

WE ARE READY! YES!

3 hours ago, Cat said:

New RHONY is in its way

 

Yay? I feel like I’m going to hate watch this show. 

16 hours ago, Liberty City said:

WE ARE READY! YES!

 

13 hours ago, Antoyne said:

Yay? I feel like I’m going to hate watch this show. 

LOL the contrast.

I wonder if I'm going to hate-watch it, too @Antoyne. Most are Instagram influencers. Watching Influencers 'at work' is going to get repetitive fast -- basically it's Kim Kardashian sitting in her make-up chair droning "I am working, like, so hard."

We also have not heard much about the show since they posed onstage at Bravo Con (October 2022), and that kind of worries me. I do like what I've seen of Jenna Lyons, though. 

I'm going to give this a chance. After all, Real Housewives of Dubai had trouble getting off the ground, but saved itself with a slow build and watchable reunion. I also think the RHUGT #5 news has pacified me a little bit. 

17 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Jill Zarin is expanding her “fabulous circle” of friends on a new reality-competition series (with Drag Race’s Alyssa Edwards and Kristen from VPR, among others):

 

Wow, some real A-listers there. Best of luck with that. Geezus, Teck from 1999's Real World Hawaii? Blast from the past. 

22 minutes ago, Cat said:

LOL the contrast.

Haha. I'm just excited for the chaos of New York City to return, and it sounds like this new cast brought that and more.

23 minutes ago, Cat said:

I also think the RHUGT #5 news has pacified me a little bit. 

Did we get news about the fifth season, yet?

49 minutes ago, Cat said:

Most are Instagram influencers. Watching Influencers 'at work' is going to get repetitive fast -- basically it's Kim Kardashian sitting in her make-up chair droning "I am working, like, so hard."

... and that's an immediate eyeroll for me. I want to see old money not instagram money. I suppose this is the more modern-day version of a Bethenny rags-to-riches tale?  Yeah, I'll be hate-watching and see if it turns to love, just as I mock-watched Potomac's first clunky season (remember all the talk about etiquette?) 

19 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

Haha. I'm just excited for the chaos of New York City to return, and it sounds like this new cast brought that and more.

Did we get news about the fifth season, yet?

I hope they are good! I am all for top-tier entertainment. OG RHONY at its best stood out to me because the women could be both whip-smart and insanely clueless at times. But the smartness and knowing quality was always there. And the sense of humor. 

So the rumor about RHUGT #5 is that it is basically the OG RHONY cast minus Jill (who was thought to have torpedoed the RHONY Legacy spinoff). So: Luann, Sonja, Dorinda, Kelly Bensimon, possibly Tinsley, possibly Alex, possibly Ramona. The other rumor is that they are going to Scary Island (aka US Virgin Islands). If that is the case, they need to invite Bethenny because, really. 

3 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

... and that's an immediate eyeroll for me. I want to see old money not instagram money. I suppose this is the more modern-day version of a Bethenny rags-to-riches tale?  Yeah, I'll be hate-watching and see if it turns to love, just as I mock-watched Potomac's first clunky season (remember all the talk about etiquette?) 

I remember Gizelle and Kal trying to get up Charrisse's Mount Everest steps to her house for some kind of champagne brunch in the S1 finale episode. Kal gave up halfway through. But S2 was so much better, and S3 was a dream. So it just goes to show. Maybe some of these RHONY newbies will surprise us. Maybe they're not all influencers and we will get some compelling stories following these women's work as well as their home lives.

Listen -- and you know how I felt about Bethenny in her later years -- but at least she was truly hustling in a real-world context. Pushing muffins at a Short Hills NJ supermarket. Driving that walking billboard she called a car.