Reality Recap: Programming, dating, walkout

Vanderpump Rules star (or former star?) Scheana celebrated her 40th birthday this week and all her new co-stars from The Valley were in attendance. Married to Medicine fans are rejoicing after Sweet Tea confirmed she will not be returning next season. Bravo released the mid-season trailer for Real Housewives of Atlanta, turning fan complaints over this season being boring completely on their heads. And in a shocking turn of events, Lala Kent announced that she and Kristen Doute are friends again, with Lala admitting their fallout was her fault. Is that hell freezing over?

Bravo’sbig programming news

There’s been a pretty major shakeup on Bravo’s schedule, according to some programming news the network released this week. In an article posted to BravoTV.com, it’s been confirmed that a brand new Real Housewives franchise is coming – this time cameras are heading to Rhode Island.

Embarrassingly enough, I had to confirm whether Rhode Island was a state or a city – and despite my ignorance, it’s actually a very good sign that I know so little about it because I have a theory. And it’s that some of the lesser known, or at least lesser talked about cities and states produce some of the most drama. 

Remember when Potomac hit the block? There were people who couldn’t even say it correctly, let alone identify which state it was in. And who would’ve thought that Salt Lake City, not so much that it’s unknown, but certainly doesn’t rank as high in pop culture  popularity as places like New York or Atlanta, would give us some of the most iconic storylines, scenes and memeworthy moments – from the Homeland Security bust to brand partnerships with Kerastase. New franchises carry a lot of promise.

Besides the new cast, the return of some shows were also announced – Below Deck Mediterranean and Down Under, our southern shows, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Orange County, Potomac and Salt Lake City, Married to Medicine and we finally got the green light for season 12 of Vanderpump Rules after much uncertainty.

Another interesting addition is The Valley Persian Style, though Bravo is letting us know it’s a working title, which is great because it’s awful. The new show essentially sees some of the old cast members of Shahs of Sunset in a new series. If you recall, the original series was halted after cast member Mike Shouhed was arrested on a felony charge of domestic violence.

Left off the list of renewals? Real Housewives of New Jersey and New York. Perhaps it’s because I’m currently doing a RHONY rewatch from season one, but I just do not think the new cast has what it takes to bring the chaos that the OGs did. And when I say chaos I’m not talking about the type of chaos Brynn brought, which I wrote about here.

All in all, it looks like Bravo is entering into a new era – and if that’s too generous, certainly a new chapter. It could be a regular programming update or something deeper given the mess that’s hit the network in recent years. Either way, I, and my fellow reality TV junkies are seated.

Love Hotel is a success, so far

I started the season a week after it premiered, and quite frankly, I wasn’t in a rush to watch the show because I didn’t feel like I’d be missing out on anything worth phoning home over. But boy was I wrong.

Firstly, I am a huge fan of shows where men have to vie for women in any capacity. We are the prize and we should be fought for. So immediately, I loved the concept, but wasn’t entirely sold on the cast. Shockingly, though, seeing LuAnn De Lesseps, Shannon Beador, Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby navigate the throes of dating together has been compelling, particularly because most of the men have no clue who the hell they are. 

They’re great on camera and they seem to be doing well in this non-Housewives setting.

But by far, what I’m loving most is how open, honest and vulnerable the women and men are being in their quest for love. It’s different from The Bachelor in the sense that there are cast members ranging from their 30s to 60s and they don’t hide the things they’ve been through. 

Earl, who Shannon has certainly hit it off with, gave a tearful confessional about what it was like losing his wife to cancer. It is so refreshing to see real people, real bodies, real grey hair, look for love. But there’s also the competitive edge with new matches being ushered into the hotel next episode. And I cannot wait to learn more about what the hell happened with Joel Kim Booster, who, so far, is doing an amazing job hosting the show despite knowing the drama that ensued between him and Shannon Beador. Bravo took a chance on this one, and it was a good gamble.

Ciara walks out on West

This week on Summer House, Lexi and Jesse are back together again despite last week’s blowout - ugh. Lindsay doubts that Carl actually hooked up with someone. And West is still grieving the friend he lost last year.

During a conversation at dinner with Amanda and Ciara, West reflected on the aftereffects of grief. Throughout the conversation, he reflected on his initial reaction to losing his friend, and Ciara becomes visibly uncomfortable hearing him speak. Not annoyed, but certainly uncomfortable. And when he talked about how the year prior, he showed up at Ciara’s house and cried for two hours straight over the death, she had to get up and walk away.

Of course, people are sharing their thoughts on social media about why she left the table – and a lot of people are saying it was rude of her to leave the table. But I don’t think Ciara was leaving to be rude, I think Ciara was leaving because she was about to cry.

In a confessional, Ciara revealed that while West was talking, the realization of how much of a friendship they had last year had become overwhelming for her. I can totally understand the weight of that realization, particularly if just one year after being his literal shoulder to cry on, you are now what feels like the archnemesis. 

I think the reason people have a hard time seeing that Ciara was acting out of self-preservation is because this season, she’s made it a point to let West know that they are not friends. And though I usually love that energy, it’s becoming clear how much it’s depleting her inside out – so I’m wondering if she’d be better off adjusting her strategy.

Ciara has a very soft heart by nature that’s been hardened by issues with her dad – and you can see how her father wound impacts her relationships with men. She ends up going for numb nuts like Austen Kroll and West Wilson, FFS. They are emotionally unavailable and unable to give her the love she is after. 

But it’s starting to seem like the exhaustion is starting to get to her, and I hope, for her sake, that she can find the happy middle of letting herself be free from the pain she’s experienced, without letting the people who have caused her pain completely off the hook.

Here's Kristen Doute walking her dogs in LA.