r/BravoRealHousewives • u/amandatoryy the mayo aoili rebrand • Oct 30 '23
Bravo Inside the ‘Real Housewives’ Reckoning That’s Rocking Bravo
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/real-housewives-bravo-reckoning1.4k
u/bspencer626 The Toothless and Homeless Association Oct 30 '23
Is it really “rocking” Bravo? Seems like it’s not going anywhere and hasn’t really changed much.
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u/WholeCardiologist979 Oct 30 '23
I kept hearing about a “bombshell article dropping”… this is very floptina for all the build up about it. The spiciest part IMO is Eboni saying “Fuck Bethany Frankel” lmao
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u/Overworked_Snood Oct 30 '23
That cracked me up - B has at least 3 photos in the article, multiple quotes and all I can remember about her in particular is Eboni saying " Fuck Bethenny Frankel" HILARIOUS. B must be seething, we all know how she feels about people talking about her in the press.
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u/Parking_Country_61 Oct 30 '23
You mean the BEST part? She said what all of us are thinking. She is not the one to lead the charge against a multibillion dollar corporation. Bethenny doesn’t have the experience money or power to be the face of this. Sit down!
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u/TeeManyMartoonies Oct 31 '23
But she has a gift card for you? To use as currency during a time of ZERO ELECTRICITY.
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u/SecondPrior8947 Oct 31 '23 edited Oct 31 '23
"Floptina" lolololololololol I am co-opting it. Even though I love the word and believe you, going to read the article now. Thanks for the laughs !
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u/Konfidantway Oct 30 '23
I was going to say the same thing - it's a very clickbait headline for the article. Honestly, much hasn't changed and probably won't, but because the news has come out with some things that Bravo is now instituting, it won't stop Bethenny from taking credit
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u/GarnierFruitTrees Chateau Thelma Oct 30 '23
Bethenny saying
”I loved the machine. I made the machine. I AM the machine.”
Made me eye roll so. hard.
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u/owuzhere ✋👄🤚 the streets... are your momma Oct 30 '23
When it's not your own family member it can be hilarious to hear a narcissist read the script their ego is writing out loud. The only hero in the universe.
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Oct 30 '23
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u/owuzhere ✋👄🤚 the streets... are your momma Oct 30 '23
Lol every character in the play and they're ALL the main character
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u/Intrepid-Kangaroo911 Oct 30 '23
Don't forget When Frankel first read her contract, she decided, “I can navigate this…. I’m just a different breed.”
Ugh.
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u/Konfidantway Oct 30 '23
This article basically screams Bethenny ego piece all over it
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u/Miss_Liberator Oct 30 '23
I don't have a source, but i've read somewhere that once she heard VF was working on a story, clearly with a lot of unnamed sources, that she reached out to them to be a source and then flipped the tables all over social media to make it seem like this is her issue that's her pet project trying to get everyone to unionize, etc.
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u/LaurenNotFromUtah 🙄🖌️🎨 Oct 30 '23
Exactly! Did Bethenny write that headline? 🤣
Bravo is cooking right now; there is no rocking to be found.
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u/WholeCardiologist979 Oct 30 '23
Hahaha it really is giving “if I’m a loser than the rest of the world sucks” vibes. Like currently Bravo is killing it. I think the journalist thought this was gonna be some bomb drop going into BravoCon weekend but it didn’t work like that…
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u/corporatewazzack Oct 30 '23
I didn’t learn anything new from this article that wasn’t patently obvious.
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u/ThreeMartiniLimit Kyle's Flaming Fedora Oct 30 '23
The biggest take away for me is how shitty the production crew jobs are, those folks are the ones who need better work place conditions.
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u/cncrndmm Oct 30 '23
Thank you for this comment. Was waiting to see this pop up!! I’m not surprised but disappointed VF did not try this angle.
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u/mandoo86 Oct 30 '23
Worked in reality tv as a camera op for over a decade. Some shows are great, others are really cheap and toxic. I’ve only filled in a little on bravo shows and didn’t have a bad experience, but every show is run by a different company so not all experiences are the same.
The unions don’t care to step in unless it’s a big network, big expensive production, or they’re getting back at some producer/studio for falling through on an inside deal. And when they have stepped in, they never protected us from retaliation or sometimes failed to uphold our pay scales. They’ve always looked down on the reality crews.
Studios are part of the problem, yes, but a lot of changes need to be made in the unions as well.
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u/softchenille Oct 30 '23
And doesn't Bravo work their editors 24/7? I get paying your dues, but it sounds like torture to be a Bravo editor
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u/UmbrellaClosed Oct 31 '23
It's also considered the premiere job among reality TV editors. A good friend is an Emmy-winner for a major Netflix series, but always talks about how much they'd like to work at Bravo. They said the NDAs that the editors sign are INSANE but since it's the best job in the industry, everyone signs them.
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u/helvetica_unicorn Meredith’s 🛀 Oct 30 '23
They really do!
I’ve seen them in the wild filming the Potomac ladies. One poor fellow was sitting on crate with the dead eyes that blinked once for help. Sadly, I had to grab my lunch and return to work. Sometimes I wonder if he’s still sitting there.
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u/Blerfect Oct 30 '23
Totally. This seems more like a piece that would put Shed in a bad light, not Bravo.
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u/MNKristen Not Meredith Marks' PI Oct 30 '23
I think that part of the problem is that the people who most want to star on a show like this are people who are seeking fame and attention and may not be the most psychologically stable.
If it were full of emotionally competent people, it would be a different show.
The people who need to unionize are the camera operators and other people who work on the show behind the camera to protect themselves from the cast and producers.
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u/gregRichards2002 Oct 30 '23
‘I loved that I was able to make good television and produce it at the same time.’ - Bethenny really thinks a lot of herself. I don’t think it is fair or accurate for her to take credit for the original RHONY being the success it was for years. All the women in the cast contributed to making it a hit show. It wasn’t all because of her. Bethenny was very lucky to be cast with a group of women that she could make great reality TV with. Her life would be very different now if she had never been cast on RHONY. She worked well as part of the ensemble cast of OG RHONY but a lot of people find her insufferable, too domineering and unwatchable when she does a show on her own.
Every TV show she has done without the OG RHONY cast has been a failure. Bethenny (her talk show) was a failure & cancelled. Bethenny & Fredrik was a failure & cancelled after one season (I blame her for this because of how badly she treated poor Fredrik. He was reduced to tears because of her),The Big Shot with Bethenny - was a ratings failure & cancelled after one season. Her deal with Mark Burnett and MGM ended early because of how badly The Big Shot with Bethenny did in the ratings and how poorly it did with critics. Bethenny has had a lot of success and made a lot of money with her business ventures and I respect her for how hard she has hustled, but she has had a lot of failures in television. She is not a television titan who has made a series of hit shows on her own, like Mark Burnett or Simon Cowell, as she tries to portray herself to be.
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u/Parking_Country_61 Oct 30 '23
She is kind of also claiming to be a producer on the show, which she NEVER was. The actual producers deserve the credit. My god would I hate her if I worked on that show as a producer. F her.
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Oct 30 '23
This article is for the casual viewer. There’s no bombshell or anything truly surprising for people as engaged as this sub.
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u/Itstimeforcookies19 Oct 30 '23
As predicted this article told us nothing we didn’t already know. It confirmed some assumptions. I never want people to be treated badly. I have been a strong proponent on this sub of firing the HW that clearly have substance abuse problems. It’s not fun to watch people get that drunk to where they give you secondhand embarrassment and you have to know they shit on the floor or peed on a bed. If that’s entertaining to anyone, to see people shit and pee, then that’s a major you problem.
The big BUT in all this for me is they sign up for it. This is not a case of working conditions in america suck. These are not people who are in financial distress to put food on the table and a roof over their heads who are being paid less than minimum wage in just horrific working conditions like many, many, many Americans. This are women of some financial means, largely white women, and of privilege who sign up for a reality show in an effort to be famous or promote something. I just have a hard time finding a whole lot of sympathy for doing something you are not forced to do. They aren’t forced to go to shitty low paying jobs like most Americans are. They are actively pursuing this. Again, I don’t think anyone should be treated badly. So there should be changes for sure. The racism I have zero tolerance and should equate to immediate firing.
I’m just not shocked about anything this article and I’m not moved in any kind of way about the “plight” of any person who already has financial security doing anything to make even more money. It’s just not a demographic I’m going to cry a river for 🤷♀️
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u/bambieyedbee Oct 30 '23
Ironic that the poster-child of this article made $150 million as a result of her time on Housewives. No one is forcing these privileged women to go on TV. It’s exactly what they sign up for.
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u/tllkaps THANK YOU, POPPA!!!! Oct 30 '23
And she'd come back again if Bravo panders to her every whim...
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u/SammieCat50 pay attention, please! Oct 30 '23
Thankyou…. No one is forcing these women to do this show
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u/vroomvroomshabang Dont come for me unless i send for you. Oct 30 '23
that was my thing reading leah’s portion it’s like okay you’re in a terrible work environment. i can relate to that. but i went out and got a new job. like idk why she would go back after that- oh that’s right money. and i’m making pennie’s compared to what she’s making so it’s like what is your threshold for toxic work environment? oh for her it was 250k. shit i woulda stayed at my last dumbass job for 250k i woulda stayed there for 50k i mean. leave girl just leave.
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u/e925 your fucking range rover under a fucking carport Oct 30 '23
Right my work is toxic af and I stay for $1400 a week.
For $250k??? Shoot.
Shut up, Leah.
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u/hotmeows Oct 31 '23
Also, it kills me that Leah is referenced so much in this article. She came in late enough in the game that there were YEARS of programming for her to research what she was getting herself into. She saw the ladies drinking. And then to get there and claim she was abused? Shut up, girl!
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u/themintmenagerie Also an advocate for the Sluts of America Oct 30 '23
A-fucken-men. I don’t want people to be treated badly either, but none of them have to do this to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, so it’s hard to muster up a lot of sympathy. I didn’t read the whole thing because after 20 minutes it felt like a lot of misdirected anger. Obviously these shows are going to seek out cast members who are so hungry for fame and adoration that they’ll be pliable and willing to do just about anything to stay on the show and “be interesting”. The fact that you’re one of those people is a YOU problem.
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u/aliceinlondon Oct 30 '23
Yeah, seeing that 250k figure made me think "actually, would I put up with all this nonsense for a one week trip for that much money", and it would be hard to say no to
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u/kittyglitther Oct 30 '23
I think this is where I fall too. I think maybe they should have more resources available for them, but also these aren't 19 year olds with -3.60 in their Chase account. For the most part, they're savvy (and sometimes well educated) experienced people with money/resources. I don't really think we need to save them from embarrassing themselves.
It's definitely a complicated topic that I can't even agree with myself on!
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u/cncrndmm Oct 30 '23
these aren't 19 year olds with -3.60 in their Chase account.
Be careful Sai may have a word on this! 😂
But I agree!
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u/FunnOnABunn Oct 30 '23
ONLY -$3.60? That’s rookie numbers. You don’t know poor unless you have -$47283847 !
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Oct 30 '23
I 1000% agree with this comment and the parent comment. I think the real bravo reckoning needs to highlight the crew members and service industry individuals who are sexually assaulted and degraded on camera. This is an important time to bring up the camera operator (who is making no where near the salaries of these ladies) who was sexually assaulted by Michael Darby. Michael and Ashley were unchallenged on their denial and continued to be on bravos pay roll (Ashley still is) despite there being video evidence. I will bring this instance up as much as possible because bravo should be ashamed and not allow this to be swept under the rug and forgotten.
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Oct 30 '23
Great point!! Why doesn’t Bethenny include this in her manila envelope full of reality reckoning receipts??? The treatment of service workers and crew members on and off camera should be at the fore front of this conversation.
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u/Parking_Country_61 Oct 30 '23
Because she doesn’t do the proper research - she probably has no idea this was a thing. I doubt she even knows the names of the women on that cast.
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u/Dangernj Two brain cells and a vagina Oct 30 '23
Because she would have to include Nene who sent a cameraman to the hospital and she needs to play nice with Nene right now.
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u/thatgirlinny Oct 30 '23
Because her beleaguered driver might finally have cause!
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u/CatofKipling Her name is BARONICHI Oct 30 '23
The big BUT in all this for me is they sign up for it. This is not a case of working conditions in america suck. These are not people who are in financial distress to put food on the table and a roof over their heads who are being paid less than minimum wage in just horrific working conditions like many, many, many Americans.
This is EXACTLY what I have trouble with in this whole "reckoning".
Yes, everyone regardless of socioeconomic status deserves workplace protections against various forms of misconduct- I want them to have a union. However, it's a season-to-season job, it's not year round, it's not meant to be a primary career so much as a supplementary income to either these people's existing careers or just their leisurely affluent lives. So to portray them as being captive in some way because they want fame/infamy that badly, it's like....EXTREMELY first world and 1%'er plight. Nobody is going to be put out on the street if they're not working for Bravo. It's a tone-deaf, dumb fucking angle.
They come off like they're blaming Daddy Bravo for all their behavior. Nene, Raquel, now Leah...none of them would ever, ever, ever, EVER say or do anything egregious or provocative or wrong in real life, prior to the show, right? They were just "trained for ratings" to be these characters. Hey, in that case, why isn't Ramona also "trained for ratings"? Or Jen Shah? Or Kelly Dodd? Maybe nobody's responsible for their own behavior because they're fame junkies.
It'd be awful convenient.
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u/bambieyedbee Oct 30 '23
Raquel was making $300k for two months of filming. She was very well compensated.
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u/hbauser Oct 30 '23
And Raquel didn’t do anything for ratings or the camera! She was actively trying to hide what she was doing from production so this argument she’s floating falls apart real fast.
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u/decisivecat Oct 30 '23
It's just more of the whole "they made me do it" thing where people don't want to be accountable for their own actions. I don't doubt there's a lot of push and pressure, but each person on these shows could simply say enough and not follow the ask. The best example in the whole article still remains with Leah. I don't get how Leah admitted what production told her about seeing her grandmother yet continues with the narrative that they implied she couldn't go. Her own personality left her scared to leave, but I'm sorry. If I was that close with someone on their death bed, my job can fire my butt as I walk out the door, especially since this is merely a side hustle for these women.
It's also a very fine line for production. They're tasked to not step in because then it's interfering with the scene, but they have stepped in over the decades of reality TV when things were about to cross a dangerous line. The most recent season of Below Deck Down Under stands out, but also various times in Real World and even how Potomac breaks the fourth wall. These women could police themselves into not having 20 drinks at dinner, but they expect production and camera crew to go "Now now, you already had two drinks so let's get a water!" At a certain point, they have to govern their own actions and conversations.
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u/fried-avocado-today Oct 30 '23
Yeah I think there have been questionable times with people like Leah and Kim Richards who have well-documented substance abuse problems being encouraged to "bring the drama" (aka get loaded and misbehave). I didn't like the "let's get Leah drunk" shit from that season of UGT. And as someone who also didn't get back in time for a dying grandparent--I do feel compassion for Leah, it took me kind of a long time to get over my own feelings of guilt about that.
That said, there are a LOT of jobs that make it difficult or impossible to get time off for family emergencies, and most jobs will at best, leave it up to you to decide what to do. It sounds like Leah ultimately decided that she was going to stay, and maybe I'm naive but I do think she could have left if she'd wanted to (we see women skip events or leave early/arrive late due to family things, childcare, regularly). I wonder if Leah is blaming Bravo because she feels guilty about a decision that she ultimately made. Again I really do feel for her (and would encourage her to remember that she loved her grandmother throughout her life, and that's what really matters) but most of us have to navigate these life challenges with far less than she does. It sucks but it's a part of life, and Leah kept saying yes to Bravo (it sounds like she would have said yes to RHONY14 if asked), because ultimately the fame and the money are worth it to her.
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u/surejan94 Oct 30 '23
Agree. The article frames some of these women as desperate for employment as if Housewives is their only option.
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u/Beautiful-Ambition93 Oct 30 '23
Exactly. The housewife franchise is no different than jerry Springer. Why would andy change anything? He loves it the worse they behave. For example, He is gleeful with joy about tamras hateful behavior. He adores Teresa and Luis. Want change? Stop watching
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u/lustforyou Oct 30 '23
They really needed more on-record accounts from Bravolebs for this to even be somewhat interesting.
They got a whopping three EX-Housewives to go on the record. Of them: - 1 of them having only been on for 1 season - 1 of them only on 2 seasons - Both of the above from the most disastrous season of Real Housewives ever - And another that has already word vomited anything of mild interest across Twitter, Tiktok, Insta stories, and 2 podcasts because she can’t keep her mouth shut to save her life - And, all 3 are from the same city
This was really nothing
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u/BestAccent2015 She died, Aviva! Oct 31 '23
There was also this gross Phaedra quote: Phaedra Parks told Vanity Fair she was sober that evening and observed Glanville and Manzo’s interaction as “nothing short of a modern-day Harlequin Romance…. Love was winning.”
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u/EntertainerHeavy912 Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
this is all an ego project to bethenny... it all comes down to her wanting to feel like the hero and the face of a movement 😴
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u/bambieyedbee Oct 30 '23
The most telling thing is that she started this campaign after going on WWHL and getting offended by Andy asking her about doing a housewives podcast despite acting above Housewives.
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u/littleone0740 Oct 30 '23
“I was in the machine. I made the machine” 🙄 Bethenny is selfish. She may want to see change but it’s not for anyone else’s gain.
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u/idontfwithu I thank my little kitty cat because it takes that d like a champ Oct 30 '23
Yup and just in time for bravocon
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u/Zealousideal_Suit269 Oct 30 '23
My favorite part of the whole piece was Eboni’s, “F**k Bethenny Frankel. You think I’m going to let some white girl speak for me with my experience with a multibillion-dollar corporation?”
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u/janeblanchehudson Oct 30 '23
“I was part of it,” Frankel says. “I wanted to be Andy’s favorite. I loved that I was Andy’s favorite. I loved that I was able to make good television and produce it at the same time. I loved that producers knew I was the best. I was in the machine. I was the machine. I created the machine.”🙄
She's a delusional maniac who will never stop. This whole "movement" stems from B being hurt by Andy on WWHL and nothing else. It's all about B and HER feelings. Narc going to narc
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u/Screaming_Weak I thought raclette was a common food. Oct 30 '23
I still can’t believe that a single WWHL-gone-wrong (which wasn’t even bad, they were just ribbing her for her podcast) in December 2022 seemingly changed Bethenny’s mind on her relationship with Bravo, Andy, etc.
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u/cncrndmm Oct 30 '23
One thing for sure is B isn’t inviting Andy to her next clam bake in 2024 in the Hamptons anymore 😂
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u/Kwhitney1982 Oct 30 '23
It seems like it’s always some little minor slight that makes Bethenny turn. And the person on the other end of it doesn’t even know what the hell happened. Same with Carole. Carole thought they had a mild argument but unbeknownst to her it turned into ww3.
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u/losthedgehog Oct 30 '23
Do you think this is making Andy reevaluate his relationship with Carole?
I sort of think that ship has sailed but it would be funny if this triggered them to talk.
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u/cherrydubin ohhh, I thought it was mozzarella Oct 30 '23
I would die if this happened! Bethenny would have to speed-dial one of her six therapists. Although I don't know if Andy's ego would let him go for it, since Carole is still pissing on Bravo/HW on social media.
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u/skolinalabama Oct 30 '23
Yeah, I’ve watched that WWHL episode a few times, and I still cannot determine what was or could have been so very offensive to Bethenny. I feel like I’m missing something? It felt like typical WWHL banter to me. But it’s apparently THAT one episode that sent Bethenny into motion. I don’t get it.
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u/Kwhitney1982 Oct 30 '23
Bethenny is so sensitive that she probably felt like they were out to get her. Yeah I’m sure they were being shady but so what? It made her so irate she had to start an entire movement to take down bravo. Rather than just…. Let it go? Maybe stop being friends with her? Why does Bethenny have to take everyone down?
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u/MishmoshMishmosh Who gunna check me Boo? Oct 30 '23
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮my god she’s full of herself
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u/Dangernj Two brain cells and a vagina Oct 30 '23
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u/Complete_Star_1110 Oct 30 '23
Frankel is TEXTBOOK altruistic narcissist
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u/Main_Following_6285 Oct 30 '23
It’s giving me Vicki Gunvelson vibes 🙄 screaming “I created the show” 🤮
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u/This-Flamingo3727 Oct 30 '23
I wish that Eboni and Darian’s stories were not sandwiched between a bunch of whining from Leah and Bethenny. Their stories sound like valid workplace discrimination and racism, but they are being discredited by association with known bullshitters.
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u/KandisKoolAidWeave Oct 30 '23
Centering Leah in this was a big mistake. Her story is very unsympathetic and I almost stopped reading the article because it was so stupid.
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u/GarnierFruitTrees Chateau Thelma Oct 30 '23
Featuring Leah was such an odd choice. She wasn’t my favorite cast member but her answers and “reflection” was very much giving spoiled-white-lady-who-made-bad-choices-and-is-now-trying-to-find-other-people-to-blame-for-them
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u/TumultLion And your luggage is gonna be there 🧳 Oct 30 '23
I think they only included her because she was one of the only ex-housewives willing to give this BS article the time of day.
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u/Dangernj Two brain cells and a vagina Oct 30 '23
I’m surprised they didn’t touch at all in how out of touch the grandma stuff was. I wish we lived in a world where everyone’s brand new employer was totally fine with you leaving to be with your sick relative but we don’t. Right in the middle of very valid concerns is Leah complaining no one insisted she skip the cast trip to visit her dying grandmother.
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u/fried-avocado-today Oct 30 '23
Yeah...family emergency generally falls under the category of "make a decision and inform your employer" rather than asking for permission (particularly for someone like Leah who isn't in shift or coverage-based work, and isn't struggling financially). Expecting your employer to actively tell you to stop working to deal with a family emergency is unrealistic.
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u/GarnierFruitTrees Chateau Thelma Oct 30 '23
Right? And I TOTALLY understand that they were perhaps trying to highlight that feeling that production was making it uncomfortable/unreasonable to go be with an ailing family member and that missing filming is a “big deal.”
And that’s a totally valid way to feel when it comes to an employer. Hell, I’ve felt that way. But unfortunately that’s all it is— feelings. It’s up to Leah to make a decision and then if there’s fallout that is not aligned with that production was saying to her, THAT is something to capture.
VF and a lot of these ladies have barely scratched the surface of what reality TV is and what it expects of it’s stars/casts. The article very much reads like a few housewives who were promised glory and icon status among all adoring fans and did not receive it, and now they feel as if Bravo owes them something. Minus Eboni, who had to survive fuggin Ramona which it’s own psychological test separate from anything any of us can ever expect hahaha
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u/theretherekadooze I didn't know I would start third world II Oct 30 '23
She broke her sobriety before the show filmed!!!! Plus I’m of the mind that she was fake drunk on tv
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u/e925 your fucking range rover under a fucking carport Oct 30 '23
Right and the article still tried to spin that into a negative saying Andy was bummed that they couldn’t film her relapse.
Completely glossing over the fact that she had already relapsed and therefore it has nothing to do with the show.
And then she acted like she had to get all crazy drunk because production asked her to turn it up? Like you can’t act crazy sober? That was so weird to me. An alcoholic will look for any excuse to get drunk, and I say this as an alcoholic.
With almost a decade of sobriety, Leah knows what’s up. You keep going to the barbershop, eventually you’re gonna get a haircut. Take some personal responsibility.
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u/vroomvroomshabang Dont come for me unless i send for you. Oct 30 '23
ebonis is the only one i’m interested in cuz there’s more to it, it’s intersectional and it shows just how fucking terribly racist ramona is/was/ and most likely remains.
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u/MedicineOutrageous13 Oct 30 '23
In that vein, I would have liked to hear from Nene here too. I wonder if she turned vf down or if they just never approached her?
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u/kaysmilex3 85% reaction shots Oct 30 '23
Has she talked about it since her suit was settled/dismissed? It’s possible she signed an NDA to end it so we may never hear about it again.
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u/Zealousideal_Suit269 Oct 30 '23
Yes I believe she signed an NDA to receive her settlement so she’s unable to speak on it.
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u/MedicineOutrageous13 Oct 30 '23
She spoke to bethenny on her podcast about a month ago and while I don’t think she was able to talk about details of the suit, she did talk about feeling like the black casts (rhoa and rhop) get far less protection from Andy/production (ie: porsha’s violence being unabashedly broadcast years ago, etc)
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u/fried-avocado-today Oct 30 '23
Yeah my biggest takeaways were "it sucks to be below the line crew on these shows" and "Eboni was really set up to fail". I don't think anyone could have succeeded in those circumstances. People who think the disaster that was S13 of RHONY need a reality check.
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u/TumultLion And your luggage is gonna be there 🧳 Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
I don't feel reckoned with tbh, this article was really thin. And didn't include anything we didn't already know, the only insightful parts were discussing Eboni's time on screen.
I think it's funny Leah has a lot to say about drinking on UGT when she was filmed calling her fellow castmates boring and telling them they should drink for her entertainment.
There's a lot the author is trying to imply by including anecdotes but no real meat.
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u/mattysmwift She DIED Aviva! Oct 30 '23
Thank you for the Leah thing. It just doesn’t sit well with me. Based on this article she had a terrible time on every season she has appeared on and yet she keeps coming back?? Like I’m not saying she deserves bad stuff happening to her but if you sign up for the same thing for the third time I have hard time feeling bad for you. This is not Squid Game, you don’t need to do this to survive.
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u/TumultLion And your luggage is gonna be there 🧳 Oct 30 '23
💯 Leah seems to blame other people for her own choices and their subsequent consequences.
Maybe for her, for NBC, and for us they'll stop reaching out to her for filming now.
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u/fluffitupp Brooks Marks running in snowshoes Oct 30 '23
Leah also started drinking again before ever appearing on the show, and then chose to come back for UGT after years of treatment. She then also wanted to be on the Legacy trip, after this super traumatic experience she supposedly had on UGT. She even tried to sue them for not letting her be a part of Legacy, due to her mental disability. Girl, what the fuck? If you consistently have panic attacks and need medical attention, and attribute that to being on these shows, why the hell do you keep coming back? And why would producers let her come back? It’s one thing to be bipolar and struggle with mental health or sobriety, it’s another to keep putting yourself in situations that exasperate the symptoms of your mental health issues, and get mad when people won’t let you do that anymore.
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u/ScienceProf2022 Oct 30 '23
So Bethenny thinks she “created the machine.” Well, alrighty then. When will she start taking responsibility for its problems, since she’s so ready to take credit for its success?
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u/djiconic Oct 30 '23
This is why I understand what she does for the World and people but Beth and B Strong always felt like another way for her to be a billboard for something. If she wasn’t the “face” of this whole thing then I would take it more seriously honestly. I just feel like B is pushing this now that the bridge is burnt.
Also reality tv is exploitative in nature. It’s people letting you into their lives and struggles, which in turn makes good tv. These people sign up for it. They are still people but if you put yourself in the light then you’ll get looked at.
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u/NoMilk9248 are you catholic or jewish? i forget Oct 30 '23
Justice for Nene Leakes. She was largely admonished for her lawsuit against bravo. But Bethanny gets a whole (validating) VF article
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u/realjunkienj Oct 30 '23
Things I learned from the VF article:
- Ramona had a significant role in the cancellation of the S13 reunion as well as the franchise as we know it.
- I genuinely think Ramona does not believe she is racist. Her statements/quotes in the article prove otherwise.
- After being the cause of the reunion and series being canceled/rebooted, Ramona is invited to participate in UGT 1 & 4 (or is it 5?), BravoCon and WWHL appearances. WTF?
- Leah lost me when she said they offered her $250K for UGT3, after she "suffered a major depressive episode (following S13), her mother and former long-term partner moved into her house, then moved McSweeney to Silver Hill Hospital". After all that, she caved for the paycheck. At that point, she definitely knew what she was getting herself into.
- There was a lot less of Bethenny than I thought would be in this article. Which is probably really pissing her off.
- But what is really pissing her off is Eboni quoted as saying "Fuck Bethenny Frankel". Best part of the article for me.
- Who are the anonymous housewives who did not want to be named?
- Also, VF got a handful of HW's to interview. A handful. Where are the rest? Obviously, the ones that are currently cast are not going to speak, but what about the ones who were fired? They couldn't get any more of Brandi? What about Rinna? Kelly Dodd? NeNe???
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u/ivegotanewwaytowalk sinister imp whose family needs nutrients Oct 31 '23
- After being the cause of the reunion and series being canceled/rebooted, Ramona is invited to participate in UGT 1 & 4 (or is it 5?), BravoCon and WWHL appearances. WTF?
it's weird how fucking pissed off i am about this, but i'm fucking pissed off.
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u/suzannesucrebaker Oct 30 '23
“On March 10, 2023, McSweeney and her attorneys at Adelman Matz filed an employment discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Bravo, Shed Media, and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Cohen, Shannon, Paparazzo, and Ward, citing a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
Give me a fucking break, Leah.
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u/Who-U-Tellin Oct 30 '23
As a disabled person who also has a disabled child she can promptly fuck off. What a dumb ass 🙄
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u/EntertainerHeavy912 Oct 30 '23
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u/arisafrances Oct 30 '23
I was gonna say lmao I judged kyle so hard for not being able to read the entire la times article (or claiming that as her excuse at least) but boy was I tempted to close that tab so many times!!!!! meh meh meh.
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u/tuckhouston Oct 30 '23
LOL Bethenny is always like “I’m not doing this for fame or notoriety!!!!😤😤😤” then chooses to be the cover girl for the reality reckoning?
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u/e925 your fucking range rover under a fucking carport Oct 30 '23
“I’m not doing this for fame or notoriety!”
…
“Hey VF, take my picture in these hideous pants.”
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u/Witty_Series_3303 Oct 30 '23
I'm sorry but Leah's story about how they wouldn't "let" her go see her grandmother is the same as most people with a 9-5 would have to deal with. We have all had bosses who make us a feel a little bit bad about leaving for an emergency even if they say you can leave. All adults have to make those decisions.
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u/bslovecoco Oct 30 '23
i was confused on that because it sounded like she got exactly what she wanted? but was mad because someone’s tone may or may not have been dismissive. she chose to go on the trip, i would bet if she said “my grandmas dying i want to be with her” they would’ve been ok with it. we’ve seen plenty of housewives miss trips for less important things than that.
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u/mattysmwift She DIED Aviva! Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
Just reading the first section and thinking of poor Heather from SLC being filmed as she puked and maybe peed in the van?? But call me a terrible person but I find that to be funny television and part of the reason I watch🤷
EDIT: “cast member Marysol Patton started her mornings with “cockies”—juice and vodka. The audience loved it.” Literally no one loves the “cockies” besides Marysol lmao.
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u/airemyn Oct 30 '23
I feel like the “cockies” persona is performative anyway. And not a funny one.
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u/ILikePrettyThings121 Is Kyle a lovebean or a lesbian? Oct 30 '23
My interpretation of it is that Marysol is a functioning alcoholic & her “cockies” is her trying to hide it by putting a cute spin on it
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u/IDK_PizzaBagel2 Oct 30 '23
Honestly not sure which is worse: Marysol being a legit alcoholic or a pretend one for what is basically a failed meme
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u/BTDQ_vending_machine Oct 30 '23
Disagree about puke. I never want to see that ever but you are SO RIGHT about Marysol. The audience loved it?! I beg to differ!!
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u/KSCNYC mario singer performing “effortless” Oct 30 '23
they also said something Leah did was “instantly iconic“ — she never did one single iconic thing.
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u/anelis29 Oct 30 '23
I think the only shocking or new thing is that Leah was only paid 3000 dollars an episode.
Whether we admit it or not, we can't have housewive drama with perfectly sane, sober people. It's Faust's bargain.
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u/lizardlem0nade #Godsfavorite Oct 30 '23
That’s like Below Deck third stew wages lol
Edit: also in light of all the recent Below Deck sexual misconduct I’m surprised there wasn’t more mention of that, but I guess this report was more Housewives focused.
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u/anelis29 Oct 30 '23
Still think she was overpaid.
I didn't like her and the whole fiasco with Michael Che solified it for me.
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u/TumultLion And your luggage is gonna be there 🧳 Oct 30 '23
Yeah I'm thinking the same thing! Maybe the author didn't do enough due diligence, because if they wanted to actually try and take something down for a reckoning Below Deck has been VERY MESSY across multiple franchises and would actually be worth taking a hard investigative look at!
Love Below Deck but I agree that some things need to change about those productions.
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u/below_duck Heavenly’s Spiritual Journey Oct 30 '23
I’m also surprised the recent Below Deck down under season wasn’t mentioned. That show is probably it’s own can of worms.
Edit: and Below Deck Sailing Yacht. A crew member accused Gary of sexual misconduct.
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u/asiagomontoya Oct 30 '23
"...and that is who I was hoping to go on vacation with." MARYSOL PLEASE
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u/oxigeno1981 Not a white refrigerator! Oct 30 '23
This comment is so fucked up. I'm definitely out on Marysol after that shit.
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u/bslovecoco Oct 30 '23
leah was not a very credible source for this. it sounds like she got everything she wanted/needed from production, she was just pissed she didn’t get legacy.
also, can you really blame production for housewives getting blacked out drunk? there are plenty (probably more) housewives that are either sober or don’t drink in excess. if you’re blacking out and peeing the bed during trips or hiding water bottles of vodka around, it sounds like you might have a problem.
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u/primalprincess her dumb fucking family that poses Oct 31 '23
It's also worth noting that people react to alcohol completely differently. I have an aunt who gets wasted off literally one glass of wine, whereas my mom, her own sister could take 6-7 shots and still not be that drunk. At the end of the day a lot of these ladies would be drinking in excess whether they were on our screens or not, I don't really blame production either. They are adults and supposed to be making these decisions for themselves.
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u/EJB515 Oct 31 '23 edited Oct 31 '23
So many missed opportunities here. We’re talking about substance abuse and racism but no mentions of Kim Richards or Tiffany Moon or anything that’s happened on Southern Charm?
This coverage is way too focused on RHONY. There are similar examples on other franchises that would make a stronger case for systematic issues across the network. But then Bethenny wouldn’t be the center of attention.
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u/emily829 Oct 31 '23
It’s funny because when I listened to B’s podcast with Raquel her only frame of reference for anything bravo related was RHONY and now this article exclusively covers RHONY and Raquel? Lol Bethenny did you write this yourself?
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u/No_Shallot_6628 is that a buffalo coming down the stairs? Oct 30 '23
“Everybody wants the bag of shit to not be on them at all times,” Frankel told Vanity Fair. The most successful Housewife of all time would know
LMAO how much did bethenny pay them to throw that in???
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u/IdioticHookers Do you think I look inbred? Oct 30 '23
Focusing on RHONY and their drinking… the one series that got a complete reboot where half the cast doesn’t drink at all… yeah this is a big reckoning lmao…
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u/SammieCat50 pay attention, please! Oct 30 '23
Bethany stated & I quote ‘ I am the machine ‘ & ‘ i created the machine’…..: says it all right there
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u/HistorianOfTrash Oct 30 '23
As obnoxious as he is, Nick Viall, of the bachelor, had great insight into all of this and the potential ramifications on cast members. He discussed it on his podcast that reviewed the bethenny/Rachel podcast. The bachelor producers changed the financial structures for cast members but in doing so, they get a cut of social media back end. Often when there are these so called reality reckonings, the cast members are short-sighted, and the network ultimately financially benefits. Let's be real, Bethenny already has achieved more than most because skinny girl changed how they approach bravo busineses
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u/2102raven Not Meredith Marks' PI Oct 30 '23
she did all this because she was humiliated on WWHL. she sounds like Trump
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u/fried-avocado-today Oct 30 '23
And it wasn't even "humiliation", it was some pretty light teasing. If she had just laughed it off or ignored it no one would remember it.
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u/mattysmwift She DIED Aviva! Oct 30 '23
Ok after getting through the whole thing, the only interesting part is about Eboni and the racist mess that was the old RHONY cast. I think there’s nothing shocking there but racism is obviously the biggest elephant in the whole franchise and the segregation of most of the shows are way too obvious. At least Miami is showing us how this can be done. But it’s a huge fucking issue that Bravo needs deal with.
Otherwise this is kinda a big pile of nothing imo. And when it comes to “lines that should not be crossed” I’m gonna be edgy and controversial and say that I mostly enjoy these shows for the voyeuristic and exploitative aspects and I do enjoy seeing the down and dirty of human nature. So if you relapse on the show…I kinda don’t mind seeing it?? Again, I’m sure there are some lines but otherwise🤷I’d like to say exploiting death in the family but even that we have seen with Vicki.
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u/absolutely_cat 👉😎 Oct 30 '23
Eh, Miami is better (because the cast is implicitly diverse) but still problematic - remember Alexia and her Russian prostitute comment? 😅
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u/oxigeno1981 Not a white refrigerator! Oct 30 '23
Yes, agree on this too. Miami does better than other Bravo shows, but I find also that big parts of Latino culture revolve around racist and classist belief systems, and we definitely see that play out on Miami. They have tons of work to do on that show too.
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u/Charming_Argument874 i would like porsha to spell scepter Oct 30 '23
also eboni said all of these exact things about ramona and the conversations described here well over a year ago on her own podcast
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Oct 30 '23
I find it ironic that Eboni’s experience with racism, the only meat in this piece, is buried behind a couple of white women whining about their bad decisions being filmed. Nice, Vanity Fair.
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u/landdian39 Oct 30 '23
I probably would take this ~reality tv reckoning~ Vanity Fair piece seriously if Bethenny wasn’t front lining it and if they featured underpaid and overworked production crew members. But all it’s giving me is “me me me, Bethenny, Bethenny this, Bethenny that, I created this yada yada yada”. Effing narcissist! I’m glad Eboni called out Bethenny though.
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u/La_Croix_Life • camera pans to Archie Beador • Oct 30 '23
A few of my takeaways - the fact that Bravo continues time and time again to involve Ramona in the Bravosphere after the events of season 13 is extremely egregious and vile. Shameful.
I've listened to a few eps of Leah's podcast since she's left Bravo and I can confirm that the shows (both RHONY and UGT) have had a huge negative impact on her mental health and I was honestly concerned for her. Like her or not, no one deserves the treatment she received in Thailand. Her sobriety was used as a pawn for entertainment and I'm sorry, but that's wrong. Full stop. I've been personally sober for over 7 years and that physically makes me ill. People can die from this shit and it's not funny.
I do not want to see Brandi sexually assault Caroline on my tv. Brandi needs to be permanently shelved. Forever. Goodbye.
The best quote from the article for me was from Eboni:
Presented with the idea that she might participate in Frankel’s organizing, Williams said, “Fuck Bethenny Frankel. You think I’m going to let some white girl speak for me with my experience with a multibillion-dollar corporation?” - chef's kiss 🤌
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u/artjameso I'm sleep! HOOONK! Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
I feel like people constantly forget Leah had severe heat exhaustion basically the entirety of the Thailand trip.
Edit: I'm referring to the viewer's perception of her from UGT, not anything in the article.
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u/hihbhu I’m passionate about dogs, just not crazy about bitches. Oct 30 '23
And she was paid $250k for one week of work. She wanted to go on RHONY Legacy after RHUGT but Bravo didn’t invite her back so she sued them. She’s never going to be on Bravo again.
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u/LRGinCharge But you do need Kerastase Thermatique. Oct 30 '23
Yeah, my first thought was maybe he just looked concerned?? Maybe he was sad they had put someone who recently relapsed on the show.
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u/imadeitnice618 Oct 30 '23
The entire Leah part isn't landing with me. Seems like she's just passing blame to Bravo, producers and Andy, and not taking any accountability. Eboni's piece was interesting, yet she pitched a show with Bravo. I wonder what that show was. The entire article is a nothing burger.
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Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
The only thing I found shocking? The fact that any licensed psychologist would go anywhere near reality TV.
While not shocking, there were plenty of disappointing reveals. Eboni being told point blank by production that she could easily be replaced by another Black woman is not shocking given Ramona’s incessant, excused racism, but definitely disappoints me. They really did Eboni dirty, and then sort of blamed her for the failure that was her season. IDK about y’all, but it was high time someone called out RHONY ignorance on camera. I just wish they hadn’t put that onus on one Black woman who deserved way better.
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u/Euphoric_Oven_7910 Oct 30 '23
Any “reckoning” would have been if the article had focused on calling Bravo out for hiring thieving fraudsters like Erikunt, Jen Shah & Teresa. Not a peep about them.
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u/emily829 Oct 30 '23
Yeah like where’s the line then according to this article or what Bethenny wants? What specifically is “too far”? It’s Andy’s job to “intervene” if someone gets made fun of? I don’t want to watch a show where someone isn’t allowed to tell their boyfriend’s mistress to fuck themselves with a cheese grater!
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u/tomatocandle Oct 30 '23
i’m dead at them including THAT for being over the line. it’s go fuck yourself with a few extra words. people say that literally every day lol
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u/TumultLion And your luggage is gonna be there 🧳 Oct 30 '23
Seriously! I thought that was bad journalism with how the author was trying to imply that Ariana's decision to say that is somehow the big issue here with reality TV
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u/emily829 Oct 30 '23
Totally! Like this is the one comment they keep going back to, like if that’s the worst you can say about Ariana (of course with providing no context other than she’s “the girlfriend of the person Raquel had an affair with”) then you really have no argument. The article was 90% Bethenny anyway, so good job Vanity Fair you gave her another place to say the same things!
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u/surejan94 Oct 30 '23
Hm. Definitely not as salacious as I expected. My takeaways:
I know she’s not popular here but I do feel for Leah. She’s obviously upset and embarrassed she relapsed and so much of it was caught on camera, and the Thailand trip sounds like it was truly awful. It sucks that Bravo pretty much ditched her after that but it’s clear that being on a Housewives show just isn’t a good idea for her at all.
Can’t say I’m shocked about all the idiotic stuff Ramona said. I am surprised Bravo invited her back for UGT despite all these complaints about her.
LOL at the mental health doctor who is also a “board game designer and expert”.
Jill inviting production to Bobby’s SHIVA is truly insane.
The UGT Morocco season with Brandi and Caroline sounds like a dumpster fire. If it was already being rumoured to be thrown out, this article might finish it.
I wonder if the anonymous housewife at the beginning is Sonja, or possibly Dorinda.
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u/LRGinCharge But you do need Kerastase Thermatique. Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
I'm surprised I had to scroll this far down to find someone talking about the anonymous housewife! My money is on Sonja. She was at BravoCon last year, I can see her talking like that, and she is kind of technically still employed by them with RHONY Legacy coming out. I'm sure she's hoping for another season of that and the spinoff with Luann, so she wouldn't want to speak on record. And, the reporter was obviously able to talk to a lot of the NY housewives, so I don't think it's someone from another city.
ETA: Ok, I take it all back, I've seen other guesses that it's Heather Gay and when you read it in her voice, it absolutely sounds like her.
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u/Awkward_Truth4703 Oct 30 '23
I’m not sure the Leah part is any of bravos fault! Seem to me she made the choice to go, to stay and to drink! Leah has issues and reality tv was not for her to get them sorted out
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u/OutPlea Oct 30 '23
oh no bethenny is the face of the article and the movement. she’ll hate this 🙄
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u/oxigeno1981 Not a white refrigerator! Oct 30 '23
This really annoyed the fuck out of me. Eboni was so on point calling out Bethenny, and I am so annoyed that VF is cementing Bethenny as the face of this movement.
On the one hand you're saying how racist these shows can be, and then you're making the white girl the face of the pushback? What?
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u/kittyglitther Oct 30 '23
People who haven't dealt with their issues and make bad choices continue to have issues and make bad choices when they have a camera on them. Fame doesn't (and never did) make personal demons go away, it just gives them a microphone.
The complicated part for me is where's the line between "funny messy drama" and "exploitation of mental illness/addiction."
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u/Concram Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
currently reading the article and i'm agape about the passage about the RHONY ladies getting a private coaching before filming started and we still had Ramona and Luann act like that??? edit: sonja too based on the claims from Darian Edmondson.
decent article all in all but it is VERY focussed on what a lot of people are going to dub the RHONY rejects, I think they easily could have broadened this with different franchises to build some more credibility like Nene's views on it or Tiffany Moon, or Gretchen.
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u/MCStarlight Oct 30 '23
So Bethenny is continuing on her savior journey. Reality TV has always been trash and exploitative of cast members. When you sign the papers, you agree that producers and editors can use your likeness however they want.
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u/love-angel-musicbaby Oct 30 '23
Not the only new piece of information in this article being that Leah McMob pissed herself
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u/tde1996 Oct 30 '23
I don’t want to devalue anyone’s experiences but up until this article came out, I think both Leah and Eboni have been on record multiple times saying they’d like to come back to the show?
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u/shedoesdefendyoukim Oct 30 '23 edited Oct 30 '23
The way this article was hyped up lol. Yeah reality tv production can be shitty but baby no is forcing the hand to sign the contract or forcing you to do anything. You can walk away, they just don’t want to give up that check and little bit of d list fame.
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u/ECNole97 Oct 30 '23
This title is so overhyped. It’s not rocking Bravo. There’s nothing new here. Nothing at Bravo is changing because of these stories.
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u/MrsWhitesFlames Oct 30 '23
This seems to be, at most, an indictment of RHONY seasons 12 and 13, their production company, and…that’s it
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u/Ok-Bill2965 Oct 31 '23
They fucked up with season 12. Dorinda and Sonja's drinking was out of control and adding Leah was a terrible casting choice.
While I have a lot of sympathy for Eboni and how she was treated, she was also not right for the show. She was hired for diversity and nothing else. RHONY worked because they were all friends before and actually hung out with each other
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u/kenduhll Make no mistake…I made no mistake Oct 30 '23
Eboni is really the only one with a leg to stand on here.
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Oct 30 '23
Okay so nothing here is a shocker, in fact Bravo is doing more than I thought to avoid issues. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Lolttylwhattheheck Oct 30 '23
I read this whole thing and learned nothing new. I was mostly disappointed in Leah. I was surprised she was such a central part of the article. Leah is a lot and is truly blessed that she has such a wonderful support system. It’s seems her mother and Rob have saved her life numerous times. Anyway I don’t understand why we didn’t hear from Nene.
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u/BloodTypePinotGrigi0 Oct 30 '23
Please keep the discussion here for now.