Reality Recap: Drama, defense, divorce

This week, Erin responded to Brynn’s Rolling Stone article, slamming her for claiming that she and Erin are ‘like sisters’. Jenna Lyons and Bozoma Saint John appeared on Watch What Happens Live and Dorit was in the audience to support her friend Boz. Ally Lewber announced her break up with James Kennedy and shared some details about what transpired the night of his arrest. And if you haven’t seen this video about some of the worst reunion looks, it’s certainly worth watching.

Lisa and Bronwyn’s reunion drama spills over

Social media users are throwing their support behind Bronwyn and calling Lisa Barlow a “textbook narcissist” after Bronwyn shared a lengthy post adding more context to the drama surrounding her and Lisa this season, which was a topic of discussion during the first part of the reunion which aired this week. 

Bronwyn’s explanation not only adds more context, but completely backs up everything she said all season long and at the reunion – that her daughter’s paternal grandparents and family had known about her daughter all along, and that Lisa was wrong for repeating a harmful rumour that she had a miscarriage and that Gwen was never born, to make his family appear in a better light.

Lisa wasted no time defending herself against Bronwyn’s claims, unleashing a series of tweets about the alleged dishonesty about the jewelry, likening that to the situation with her daughter’s dad’s family. Her inability to just apologize to Bronwyn for the impact that this situation has had on her, her family, her daughter, and Gwen’s paternal grandparents is an indication that perhaps she is a bit narcissistic, or at least certainly incapable of feeling empathy. 

With Lisa having categorized Bronwyn as a “social friend” on the reunion, a lot of fans are seeing plainly that Bronwyn clearly overestimated the nature of their friendship and therefore shared very personal and private details of her life, not knowing she was just a “social friend” to Lisa. But with Lisa clearly holding her in that regard, it begs the question of why she would even mention such a personal story for Bronwyn on camera in the first place? Why not just keep it surface? Also, can we get a definition on “social friend”? Things are not looking good for Lisa going into the second part of the reunion. 

Kyle can’t stand being in the hot seat

This week, Kyle showed us that she would never have survived being in Erika’s spot during the seasons she was being investigated. And while the kind of investigation Kyle is under is much less serious and certainly less criminal, it still has the power to completely axe her friendship with Dorit.

This season, there’s been a lot of speculation surrounding Kyle’s ongoing conversation with Dorit’s estranged husband, PK. The news that he and Kyle still text each other was a shock to Dorit, who had hoped that Kyle would side with her in her separation from him. So naturally, the question of what the pair might possibly be texting about has persisted – one that Kyle has avoided until the last two episodes.

When Boz found out that Kyle revealed the text message to part of the group, she pushes Kyle to reveal it to the rest of the group. Kyle becomes irate, reads the text, and it’s damning as ever. Essentially, the text reads that she will remain his friend and won’t repeat anything he says to her – which goes way beyond the memes she insisted they sent each other. 

In true Kyle fashion, she storms off, leaving the party – and Erika takes up for her. And let me tell you something, if Erika Jayne defends you, citing her having been investigated the past as her reason for supporting Kyle, understand that it’s very likely you’re in the wrong. 

To be clear, Kyle’s text to PK is only a little bit incriminating. But what is super incriminating is how she handled the situation. In my friendships, I would’ve screenshotted that sh-t as soon as I sent it, sent it to Dorit as an FYI and re-pledged my oath of allegiance to her. We all know that Kyle and PK were friends when it was the four amigos but guess what? It’s not the four amigos anymore! 

With Dorit and Kyle both navigating divorces, it would be great if they could put this crap to the side and move on and support each other. But with Kyle being a certified asshole and saying that because she’s ‘never seen’ that side of PK that she thinks Dorit may be taking advantage of the situation and that he’s not here to speak up for himself – I don’t blame Dorit for being absolutely, positively done with Ms. Richards.

Stacey Rush gets some real talk on Real Housewives of Potomac

If I were to judge by the conversations I saw on social media this week, I’d say the most talked about scene from this week’s episode of Real Housewives of Potomac was the conversation between Gordon and Ray. And while it was nice to see two old men catching up over their shared experience of being on the show…we didn’t come here for that. 

What I did come here, for, though, was to see people’s divorces play out on television in front of my eyes. And that’s what I got this week when Stacey meets her divorce lawyer for the first time and fills her in on where she and her estranged husband are at. Stacey reveals that she’s hired a mediator, will be keeping her daughter during the school months and sending her to live with her dad during the summer. Then she says though she is seeking alimony, she won’t be seeking child support.

The lawyer asks what the discrepancy between their incomes is, and Stacey’s face tells us everything – he earns a sh-t ton more than she does, fine. But why, then, is she choosing to forego child support when it’s very clear he can afford it? 

According to Stacey, her daughter’s dad takes care of everything her child needs. She’s never had to worry and doesn’t believe she’s going to have to start worrying now. But the lawyer begins making some points, and I hope every woman, married, single or at home with cats (like me) was listening. 

The lawyer tells her that anything can happen. She paints the picture of her ex ending up in a new relationship where, perhaps his new partner is not comfortable with him bearing the brunt of the financial burden for a family that isn’t hers. She encourages Stacey to take the same approach to her child’s future as she’s taking with hers – approach with caution, skepticism even, that he will uphold his duties. 

Stacey asks the lawyer how many women have come into her office, willing to forego child support, only to return when things flip to see if there’s anything they can do. Her lawyer tells her that if she had five dollars for every woman that came back, she wouldn’t have to work anymore. Then, just in case the point didn’t land, she says this:

“Things change. And that’s why you’re sitting here today.” Ouch.

Stacey has a certain sense of naivete that, while adorable, is dangerous. And if she doesn’t chuck it to the side and accept the fact that divorce can and does often get ugly, I’m not sure she’ll be prepared for what may come, but I am glad to see she’s got a lawyer who seems to know what she’s doing.

With January being dubbed “divorce month” and not without reason, given the news from two high-profile Jessicas, the reminder for women to do their due diligence when it comes to a divorce or separation is timely. As amicable as things may be for the time being, just like her lawyer said, things change. 

Attached - Kyle Richards out yesterday in Burbank.