Reality Recap: Shrooms, business, friends

Olivia Flowers finally found her Prince Charming and got engaged in New York City. I hope that Austen Kroll is feeling especially salty about losing one of the best things that ever happened to him (besides our girl Ciara, of course). Jax is setting the record straight on him and Brittany’s divorce. Apparently, he filled in paperwork that typically lawyers fill out, and evidently, there were some speculation-worthy boxes checked in his filing. Over in Dubai, Caroline Stanbury is showing us the kind of face money can buy you. And Jared Osmond has officially become a messy man and sent a bunch of lengthy DMs to a reality blog trashing Brittani, who I must admit, is very chaotic. And if you’re underestimating the power of Real Housewives, Marvel spoofed them and last week, just two weeks after the White House used Heather Gay’s iconic line in a tweet. Just saying.

Erin censors her husband on Real Housewives of New York

Censorship is at an all-time high over on the Real Housewives of New York, this time in an argument between Erin, who I’m finding increasingly insufferable, and her husband Abe. He says something about taking shrooms and looking at something for hours, and Erin shuts him down immediately, telling him he can’t say that on camera, then asks what’s wrong with him and whether he’s dumb.

This is a really precise example of why some people have been so frustrated with the reboot. The legacy OG RHONY cast were so unabashed in everything from their financial woes to their dreams of being cabaret stars to their DUIs. Yet a husband can’t even discuss shrooms on camera, which, by the way, Erin herself did in season one.

To Abe’s point that he made in a confessional, there’s obviously something else boiling beneath the surface, and that’s what’s likely causing her to overreact to this really minor moment. But even when she was pushed about that, she said she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. And with the confessionals being taped after the season is filmed and the episodes are being pieced together, it begs the question of when she will be ready to do her job and discuss the things happening in your life? 

All of this speaks to a larger issue we’re seeing in the overall franchise. When I wrote about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, I suggested that one of the things that made the show so successful was the fact that the women have got nothing to lose and everything to gain from laying it all out on camera. And guess what? They got awarded a 20-episode second season as a result of being themselves on camera. 

It's really the only way to make good, impactful reality TV – to be real. But when the cast of any given show starts getting too concerned with the edit they’ll get that season, and there’s all these side conversations happening off-camera and the audience feels left out, it doesn’t feel like we’re watching reality TV at all, and instead a heavily produced highlight reel of all your best moments. We want mess. But more importantly, we want honesty.

Meredith accuses Whitney of buying and reselling Ali Baba jewelry

Am I the only one that thinks Meredith’s ways of pronouncing things are her way of trolling us all? First it was “rumours and nastiness”, now it’s Ali Baba. When Meredith was chatting with Heather, she said she kept getting tagged on social media in posts exposing that Whitney’s company was not only selling products bought from Ali Baba, but using the exact same photo on her PRISM website. With Meredith’s beef over Whitney selling bath bombs, when baths and bath bombs are Meredith’s thing, it was obvious she was going to hone in on this.

I’ve written before about all the businesses that have been started up by reality stars, and about how Bravo gets a stake in these businesses because of the visibility they help bring to each star’s brand. But this is why just because you’re on a reality show doesn’t mean you know how to run a business.

Sure, we’ve seen some really successful businesses take off, like Craig Conover’s Sewing Down South line (which has expanded from just pillows), Bethenny Frankel’s Skinnygirl brand and, I mean, podcasts hosted by Bravo stars always seem to do well. And brick and mortar businesses have also thrived, like Leva Bonaparte’s restaurants. But Leva was a restaurateur before the show. She knows how to run a business, and we actually see her do that in her spinoff, Southern Hospitality, where she actually fires people that aren’t doing their jobs, no matter her personal relationship to them.

So when you see someone like Whitney who keeps venturing off down different business avenues and ideas, we have to understand that it’s not always because the business acumen is there, but rather because the “concept of a plan” and the capital to do it are there. And as we’re seeing, it’s just not enough. 

Shannon shows us life, friendship and rejected olive branches at 60

This week, the Real Housewives of Orange County enjoy a stunning tea party for Shannon’s 60th birthday, where it’s announced the group is heading to London and Gina shows us just how awful her accent is. With all of Shannon’s kids out of the home and away at college, she is really leaning on her friends (and Archie!) But since it was a celebration among friends, it’s no wonder Alexis wasn’t there. 

When her gift and card arrive at the table, Shannon lets everyone know who it’s from. The card expressed wishes for “a fresh start” between the two of them and of course, mentions God, because Alexis must remind us how holy she is at every opportunity.

Shannon’s response, which included her saying she appreciated the gesture, not wanting to spend the day talking about Alexis and saying it's nine weeks too late was perfect. She’s being consistent, unlike Tamra, who apologized to Jen after causing drunken chaos at last week’s dinner party.

We also saw Shannon shut Alexis down a few weeks ago when Alexis mistakenly thought she was coming in to give her a hug. But instead, Shannon let her know it would be a cold day in hell before she ever gave her so much as a conversation. Ok she didn’t quite say it like that, but realistically we all know that’s what she meant.

The reason I’m so proud of Shannon isn’t just necessarily because I enjoy seeing Alexis be shut down. It’s because of how much of a treat it has been to watch this is a 60-year-old divorced empty nester who went through a really rough breakup and has to face her ex’s new girlfriend in her work environment navigate life. We’re seeing how messy and nuanced and complicated life can be, and how important female friendships and community are in that process. 

I read a really interesting Vox article about gray divorce this week, and so much of its findings, like the fact that women fare better socially in divorce, is reflected in Shannon’s story. When the women go around and share their favourite memories of her, it’s a really beautiful tribute to friendship. None of those memories were centered around men. And there is something especially incredible about witnessing this part of her journey in a world constantly shoving the trials and tribulations of 30-year-olds down our throats. I think it’s fantastic, refreshing and hopeful to witness Shannon implementing boundaries and working on herself.