Bravo's The Real Housewives of....

[Maxim]

I saw the finale yesterday and my 6th sense of Monica was right. She is disgusting.

[Cheap21]

Welp! And Mary was her only supporter post-reunion. I know Mary is DONE with her now

[Taoboi]

I agree. I actually had to switch off from all of these leaks/drops/teas because 1) now this is getting TOO much and 2) it IS taking away from the reunion from me. Which was filed before the drops. Knowing me, I will go back post-reunion for that of this so I can form a well rounded opinion about Monica because even with all of this 3) Monica made good tv and even now is STILL giving us something to talk about to the point. Add on the extreme backlash from the Garcelle/Dorit talk on BH...it is all TOO MUCH. Reminds me of the how this place was doing the Monique/Candiace fight...and yes, I remember I was heated then, but saw both sides.

 

Which reminds me that RHOP...and online is already picking sides ahead of time due to that clip of Candiace calling Juan's Roommate out to her face and Roommate still being that ditzy bitca. 

 

So 3 heated events...it's SLC Jen arrest/Porsha's new man/3rd thing week all over again. lol. 

[Cat]

RHOP

Karen can charm the pants off of anyone. I seriously think she and Robyn are going make up.

[Antoyne]

If you needed more proof that Karen Huger is the glue and the foundation that Potomac is built on you just need to watch last night’s episode. Outside of the dinner everyone came together to have fun to celebrate Karen’s triple 20 and it made for a better episode.

Nneka is such a hater and a flop like AnneMarie. How did we get two such just ugh people at the same time on two different franchises. 

[Cat]

100%. Karen made the episode light-hearted and fun, and not one person was excluded from the festivities. Some of thecwomen (namely Giz)  actually seemed thrilled to be putting this together. Karen lifted the entire episode.

Nobody is working harder than Candiace and Robyn to keep this feud going, but I really do not care about it. The one thing I noticed was Robyn calling Juan for his,weekly airtime segment (which he refused to turn Face Time on for) and promptly hanging up on him in anger.

Nneka is a flop and I keep forgetting is on the show. Apart from the shrine allegations, she has contributed zilch. 

[alwaysAMC]

That was the drag show I attended - happy to see it got ample airtime!

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It was such a fun time and all the ladies were really enjoying it that night.

[Taoboi]

Yeah, I remember the videos and couldn't wait for it to happen. Such a highlight of the episode. 

[Gray Bunny]

Did you spot yourself in the footage? 

Agree with all that Karen is the one that helps bring any joy and lightheartedness to this increasingly toxic franchise. Such a shame; Potomac was always the breath of fresh air when the other shows were darker or just blah. 

[Maxim]

One general comment about all housewives seasons this year. Most seasons now feel a lot more fake than before... I think because of the dying format and low ratings year to year... the producers have clearly told these women to take the drama to another level. Back in the day a whole season could be interesting with just one feud... now it's chaos with all this over-reacting drama and hysteria... it all feels so up and down, up and down and artificial. Beverly Hills has been having the fakest, most scripted season yet. Kyle Richards should get a writing credit this year. 

[Gray Bunny]

Agreed.

At this point, I consider these to be improvised soap operas.  The producers/headwriters come up with ideas and have their breakdown writers/producers flesh out the individual arcs, and then the on-air talent / actors / Housewives are responsible for fleshing out the dialogue (i.e. the scriptwriters).  The producers tell them what, when, where, who they're filming with, and give them bullet points of topics to discuss (other castmates; their marriage woes; sketchy businesses; their beef with others, etc.), and will coach them on the side with topics to bring up as they're filming their 987th recreation of the next "Dinner Party From Hell." That's why I always give a great big Anderson Cooper eyeroll whenever someone brings up a topic in front of everyone that clearly makes everyone squirm or it's something that should really be discussed one-on-one with the individual they're beefing with, because I just know the producers off-camera told them to bring it up. 

It's such a tired formula at this point, and it's no wonder they stepped up their game this year by knowingly hiring someone (Monica) who's been lowkey stalking the castmates for years in hopes of joining the show. There's no shame in her game, I guess(?), as so many newbies are just ridiculously thirsty (see the new Danielle on RHONJ, for example) to be the next *STAR*.  But it is starting to come off as icky now, with Bravo going to great lengths for their next November Sweeps twist. 

Andy Cohen considers Housewives to be modern day soap operas. As such, their lifespans will be shorter. Real Housewives of Orange County won't be celebrating their 72nd anniversary to match Guiding Light, godwilling.  To equate Housewives to Soaps, I'd say we're in the mid-2000's now; numbers are down and showrunners are scrambling. 

Add to that, they're also at a crossroads of keeping their veterans that they've mostly run out of story for, or flood the show with cheaper newbies. 

A Whodunnit Murder Mystery is sure to be in the cards for 2025. Or Dissociative Identity Disorder. Or maybe someone's househusband will accidentally get his peen cut off and sewn back on upside down. I vote Joe Gorga. LOL. 

 

Edited January 9, 2024 by Gray Bunny

[Maxim]

Absolutely. I think the only series that could have continued being real and unscripted was the OG New York, just because it had mentally disturbed women who I don't think can follow a script. 

But yeah... what Beverly Hills has become from what it was when it started... is sad. Season 1-3 were TV GOLD and there were many unscripted, crazy moments that could never be repeated. Now... it's just... sad.

[Maxim]

Also Kyle using Morgan Wade to paint herself as NOT this straight cis white woman she is... is so pathetic. I don't know what this woman will do next to seem current and woke. She is like the reality Madonna.

[DaytimeFan]

I really like this analysis. I have long compared Bravo's approach to the RH franchises to how ABC approached its soaps under Frons.

I think we are at 2006/2007 when ABC fired Stuart Damon and dropped Jackie Zeman to recurring on GH, and Y&R hired LML, unseating the Bell team that had been there 30+ years. Just like ABC, Bravo is chasing a younger demographic and just like Sony/CBS, none of the executives know how to do it, so they're throwing sh*t at a wall and seeing what sticks. 

Sadly, I do not see Bravo learning from daytime. They'll follow the same path of self destruction as the shows become more outlandish and less real. 

[Maxim]

Let me just say this season I am so disappointed in Garcelle (too much acting just like Kyle) and Suton and the one I usually gag from... Dorit... kinda like. She has started to mature a bit, which was about time since she is nearly 50.