Yesterday and today Stephanie wrote about the end of Vanderpump Rules, truly one of the greatest and darkest reality TV shows of all time. When it launched, these waitresses, hostesses and bartenders were all in LA to “make it” in acting, singing, modeling. None of them came from money. No one had influence or clout. That clawing desperation fuelled the show and I don’t think, in the way reality TV has taken hold in pop culture, it could ever be replicated. 

 

Bravo has tried a reboot in New York; it is terrible because all of the women behave as if they are in a TV show. The best reality stars can’t help but be themselves on camera, which requires a mix of ego and obliviousness. Cast a person who performs “real” on camera and the audience will sniff it out immediately (see: Brynn on New York). The VPR crew did their job well for over a decade and that is commendable. And the OG viewers remember that prior to Scandoval, the show was on life support and felt like it was over. That storyline was the last, beautiful gift.

 

It’s American Thanksgiving and the gossip front is a little quiet so I feel like this is a safe time for me to get this off my chest: there are too many Kelces. I am sure they are a very nice family and have handled the extreme attention that comes with being connected to Taylor Swift well, but I do not need headlines about their favourite snacks or bedtime rituals or really anything about them. I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me. 

 

I haven’t seen Wicked yet but want to this weekend. Are people really singing in the theatre, is this a thing? Kristen Bell went with a choir but she obviously rented the whole place out. 

 

At the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, Cynthia Erivo has given her approval to sing in the theatre, so I don’t know what this means - how do I ensure a non-singing seat?

 

Lainey beat me to the non-exclusive Ben Affleck exclusive in PEOPLE (he’s spending Thanksgiving with his kids? Groundbreaking.) but this other exclusive caught my eye because it’s about The Sex Lives of College Girls. It’s been widely reported that Renee Rapp left the show (don’t @ me, it’s not a spoiler!) and PEOPLE has an exclusive breakdown of the story with two of the lead actresses and the showrunner. But the person who left the show, Renee Rapp, isn’t quoted. She’s done zero press and hasn’t posted about it since it was announced. A clean break or a breakup?