Reality Recap: Returns, repercussions, reunions

Sandwiches, anyone? Katie and Ariana’s shop is finally set to open this Wednesday and friends, including Kristen Doute, have been stopping by to show their support. And Kyle Richards confirmed her return to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. This season should pack a punch considering it will explore her separation from Mauricio, now living in his own bachelor pad. 

Porsha speaks on her return to Real Housewives of Atlanta

Fans of Real Housewives of Atlanta have long been moaning and groaning about the absence of life and zest from the show. It appears that after the departure of Nene Leakes, everything just went downhill. Despite OG Kandi maintaining her reign on the show for several seasons after Nene left, it was announced that she would not be returning for the next season.

So it only makes sense that with Kandi’s absence, Porsha is returning to the scene. And in this clip, she promises fans that not only is she going to be bringing the heat, but that the new housewives will be bringing some “fresh, good energy” with them.

Porsha revealed that she actually watched the show while she wasn’t on it. And even she saw the need for new cast members. She sang the praises of her new co-stars, lauding their business acumen, their beauty and riches. Precisely what we want to see.

It’s all looking very good for the producers, mostly, who have been dragged through the mud over their casting and storyline decisions in recent years. This is why it helps to have ears on the ground, because the one thing we’ve all been saying is that we want the tea on Porsha’s split from Simon, and we may be getting just that this season.

Teresa remains unbothered

This season, Rachel Fuda is really gunning for a Teresa take down. The plotting and scheming is baffling, really, because Teresa is not someone you want to go against. Rachel’s husband, John Fuda, has also been doing the most, and it’s why a lot of people are referring to him as the new “Joe Gorga”.

The men on Real Housewives of New Jersey are especially messy. Frank Catania has had his fair share of over-involvement and being a gossip. In fact, he’s played a hand in fuelling the fire, letting it slip that there was some big meeting last season before the reunion where some castmates strategically plotted what they would say when Teresa and Louie fired off information (acquired by the private investigator Louie hired, of course). 

Despite the mess with the other castmates, and the nonstop mess that continues with her own brother and sister-in-law, Teresa has remained unbothered. She’s been attending meet and greets and she’s just been super chill. Meanwhile, Teresa is the conversation for Rachel, who’s been doing interviews explaining why she had such a visceral reaction to seeing her friend, Jenn Fessler, talking to Teresa, and how that led to them not having a friendship anymore.

This is very much the secret sauce of Real Housewives of New Jersey. The messy men. Teresa the unbothered OG. The new cast mates always making the mistake of trying to take her down. And more than anything, the role of loyalty, which can never be overstated with this group. In every other show, going to a dinner, having a chat or grabbing a drink with an enemy of someone you’re on good terms with would hardly bring the repercussions that it does with this group. It’s remarkable.

Lala airs Katie Maloney all the way out in VPR reunion

Toward the end of the first part of the Vanderpump Rules reunion, Lala exposed a series of things Katie vented to her about off camera as it pertained to Ariana’s success after Scandoval. According to Lala, Katie expressed her frustration over Ariana leaving to star in Chicago without giving her a heads up, not being up to date with her rent, and feeling overwhelmed at having to deal with the sandwich shop on her own.

Katie says the issues she was having with Ariana were about her own insecurities, and that she didn’t want to “guilt trip” Ariana into feeling worse than she already did after being cheated on. While I agree that her insecurities may have been the trigger for how she responded, I don’t agree that not wanting to “guilt trip” Ariana was the reason she went to Lala and not her best friend and business partner. 

The day after the episode aired, Lala said that her back hurt from carrying this season, earning her even more hate from fans, with some people suggesting she leave Vanderpump Rules and head over to The Valley instead. And while I can’t say she carried the season, I can say that she did her job.

The point of reality TV is to have uncomfortable conversations, be at events with people that you hate, and to have it filmed. So while Ariana was completely justified in wanting to grey rock Tom and bar his access to her, it just didn’t make for good reality TV. It’s not Ariana’s job, solely, to provide good reality TV. There’s quite an extensive cast to help with that. But I think Lala really tried to help facilitate these conversations to no avail, and while it’s easy to paint her as a villain for wanting to do that, I think part of her reason was because she was having these conversations off camera and realized she was the only one willing to have those conversations on camera.

This kind of crap happens in any working environment. There’s one strong-willed person in the workplace and everyone expects them to be the mouthpiece when there’s an issue with another colleague. But being the mouthpiece always comes at a risk, and in this case, it was being painted as a villain, and that’s precisely what happened. 

As I mentioned before, I’ve enjoyed seeing Lala’s evolution and I appreciate her efforts trying to get the cast to have the moments fans and producers so desperately wanted to see. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she was shipped off to The Valley.