Should Be Working

If Brooks and Vicki conspired to fake his cancer, it would seem highly likely that Bravo would almost certainly have known about it too, although no one at Bravo is ever likely to admit it. Even without 24/7 camera crews, they probably have a pretty detailed and complete understanding about what each HW and her "partner" is doing in their spare time. In the grand scheme of things, Brooks and Vicki are both morons when it comes to covering their trails. Although privacy laws protect patients from outside inquiries (unless serious crimes are alleged), there was nothing to stop the producers from monitoring their daily itinerary, once his illness was proclaimed as part of the season's storyline. For example, to find out if Brooks was in fact paying visits to known oncologists and chemo infusion centers. Or wasn't. So while Bravo might have been officially complicit in this fraud, once they knew about it and chose not to make the truth known to their audience, we all know that the act of knowing the facts and refusing to divulge them in order to boost season ratings would anger a lot of viewers. (And just imaginef the ratings they'll get if and when Brooks' and Vicki's fraud is exposed. Kaching.) So, I guess it's in Andy and company's best interest to make sure that their own knowledge of the fraud is never exposed. But it would be a financial bonanza for Bravo if Brooks' and Vicki's shenanigans were ever to be anonymously "leaked out" to some well-known tabloid source.

Perhaps you're right, but these things always come out after awhile. The tabloids start doing their "Woodward and Bernstein" investigations of all the OC cancer treatments centers ("Say miss, did you ever see this man or woman here for a chemo session?"). Maybe Brooks needs a nicer place to stay and more cash and starts putting a Full Nelson on Vicki big time for a a much larger payoff (I'll go down, but so dammit will you!"). Point is, if they were both in on it from the start and proof of the fraud comes out, she loses everything she ever worked for, the insurance company, her adult children, her so-called friends, he OC spot, etc. What does Brooks lose? Nothing really, because he's penniless without Vicki and people know he's a con man. Faking cancer is as low as you can go. Too many people have died and too many relatives have had to endure the nightmare experience. So look at it from a cost-benefit analysis point of view. What did they stand to gain by perpetrating this fraud? Sympathy for Vicki and Brooks? OK. What is the cost? Lawsuits aplenty for years to come and the enduring hatred of the American public. Not that Vicki would consider all the possible ramifications of the scam this rationally. But it must have given her pause.

She claimed at one point this season that she had accompanied Brooks to one or more chemo sessions, but had not accompanied him to any meetings with his oncologist(s).. Knowing her penchant for telling people what they'd expect someone in her position to do, perhaps she was simply lying. Those sessions can last for hours and involve sitting around in a rather depressing room filled with patients in various stages of illness, some quite advanced. Perhaps she simply dropped him off at the front of the hospital clinic, then went shopping or returned home until it was time to pick Brooks up. And perhaps Brooks would go in and get infused. Or maybe he would kiss her goodbye, head for the doors until she drove off, then grab a cab to the nearest movie theater or strip joint and return at the designated fusion session finish time looking spent and tired. Eventually all of this will come out. If he really does have Stage 3+ NHL, it's rather cruel of Vicki to evict him in his time of need. If he's been faking it from the start, when and how did she find out? If he has been faking, I suspect neither one of them will come out it unscathed by the court of public opinion.

Now that's odd timing. Did she give Brooks a large "get lost" check so that he can pay for his rent, his fruit smoothies, transportation, and alternative cancer therapies for the foreseeable future? If he really does have cancer,this is a cold and heartless act on her part, depriving a very sick man of his sole support network, If he's been faking it and she finally found out, well, that makes a bit more sense. Should have stuck with the faked chemo sessions, Brooks.

This moron lives in an alternate universe of her own making. She and Alison are good friends? I bet Alison would say otherwise. She had a "close relationship" with LeAnn? Is that why she took it upon herself to broadcast LeeAnn's terminal prognosis to the rest of the world and give LeAnn's daughter that creepy talk about the "great circle of life" after Vicki's mother died? And the real kicker: her marriage to Jimbo is stronger than ever. If his increasingly dismissive language (more often these days, simple grunts), overtly contemptuous treatment, and constant trips away from OC are compelling evidence of an increasingly strong marriage, well, I've still got that beautiful swampland is Florida that I'll sell to her for a song, Meghan is either completely deluded or thinks the rest of us are. With a few exceptions on this forum, that is just not the case.

No, they're completely scripted and controlled by the producers. Before the start of each episode's shooting, each of the housewives is given a detailed description of every scene and the exact words (down to the frequent vulgarities) they will speak, the emotions they will "feel" and display for the cameras, how exactly they will use their eyes and body language. In real life, in case you don't know, Tamra is actually a graduate of UCLA's drama program (with a minor in religious studies), a weekend member of Habitat for Humanity, an accomplished world traveler with a real respect and appreciation for the languages, beliefs, and foods of foreign cultures. She is a very warm-hearted and generous person, extremely popular in her community. Her oldest son Ryan is a tech genius, made wealthy by the sale of several of his most successful startups. Meghan King is actually a very well-regarded gynecological oncologist with a thriving surgical practice and a leading proponent in her specialty for cancer patient empowerment and the compassionate treatment of patients by their doctors. She lectures frequently on the importance of always treating cancer patients with with the utmost dignity and respect. She too is very well regarded in her community.

"What do you mean you don't want to buy this fantastic software package? I've already called you at home four times and explained why I think it's a wonderful product. Haven't you been listening to me? Are you always this rude? OK, why don't you just leave. I know this is your office, but you have worn out your welcome. Just leave. Now!"

No big surprise there. But seriously, if you eliminate all the housewives with 2-digit IQs who populate this franchise (Vicki, Tamra, and Lizzie), that leaves only three who enter 3-digit territory. I'll be generous and give Meghan a 105 for graduating from 'Ol Miss and allegedly selling pharmaceutical software between reality show gigs, but her inability to even see that Tamra is a master shit stirrer seriously caps her in the low 3 digits at best. Heather, despite all her pretense and putting on airs, is probably the smartest of this motley group.That leaves Shannon, with her excellent verbal skills, somewhere between Meghan and Heather IQ wise, and probably closer to Heather. Now if only Shannon could borrow the pair she saw on Meghan, she could dump her husband pronto and get on with her life in an intelligent and productive manner.

Even if the term "Cancer Sucks" is trademarked, I'm not sure if the legal holders would bother going after Mini-Brain unless she started to heavily promote her hats for a nice profit. That aside, her choice of "#Cancer Sucks" demonstrates a complete and predictable lack of originality and creative thinking. If she really wants to promote the fight against cancer, why not do something really compelling like walking up, over, and down the St. Louis arch in gusty winds while wearing a blindfold? I'd contribute to that charitable event.

..no need to carry it ridiculous extremes while at the same time expressing constant admiration and contorted justifications for the most offensive and despicable cast member (aside from Tamra).

After watching Meghan's inquisition of the others at the dinner table ("I' feel like someone was talking about me.") and her followup comments ("I'm confused. I haven't seen Tamra be a pot stirrer." etc., etc.) I'm more than ever convinced that she is the physical, intellectual, and emotional OC embodiment and replacement for Kelly Bensimon. The tall, figure-less, mannish body; the emotional and intellectual skills of a dull-witted teenager; the creepy lack of affect when she makes her "where the shit did that come from?" pronouncements to the others. Obviously, Andy picked Shannon to play the role of Bethenney Frankel, her arch-nemesis.

I hadn't seen a picture of Allison before. Looks like Jimbo traded in a very attractive and curvaceous blonde for a very tall, skinny, and masculine-looking whiner. Jimbo, the long-time professional baseball player should know better than most that the objective is to trade up. Not down.

She claims to have worked as a software sales rep for a pharmaceuticals company between reality TV appearances. With her genial yet confidently assertive nature, I am sure she went over big with the customers.

Perhaps she paving the way towards suggesting that her brother, friend, and Carole are all related by their shared parentage of the same mutt. And since he's her brother, that sort of makes her (not bragging, mind you) a member of Polish royalty. Since she's related, by shared canine blood, to the sister-in-law of Jackie O., well, she's almost a Kennedy.

No, she's in full manic phase right now, despite Leann's passing. And aren't those personalized hats she's promoting something special. Given the number of her own tweets and the effort it must take to instantly delete all of the hundreds (thousands?) of derogatory tweets that surely get posted to her Twitter account, it's amazing she has time in the day to just to work on her biceps or do her neck stretching exercises. I get the feeling her Twitter fan(atics) are a real special breed too.

Shannon is a nearly 50-year old model, so you'd expect quite a bit of wear and tear on it. I'm surprised you haven't noticed the very strange styling and performance characteristics of the much newer Meghan ELN (Extra Long Neck) model.

And a flat butt to boot. One can only speculate about why they are both so masculine in appearance. Meghan's huge biceps and thin legs might be attributable to frequent upper body weight training without any strength training on the legs. Perhaps one or both of them are/were on steroid regimens. That would explain the simmering anger and bizarre dialog as well as the mannish bodies..

"James!" she shouted, devastated but tearless, as he finally finished loading up the Ryder Rent a Truck with the last of his belongings and padlocked it shut. "What the Hell d'you want, Meghan," he replied in an dull monotone, obviously impatient, unwilling to look back at her. "Where shall I go?" she pleaded, desperately fingering the brittle strands of her still-pink hair. "You've either sold or locked me out of all the other houses." He suddenly turned and faced her, anger flashing in his small dark eyes. "Should have thought of that before you posted that online video of you and Dave Beador making love in the giraffe exhibit at the Orange County Zoo." She started to move in his direction, awkwardly, in strange pulsing jerks, like some 6'2" praying mantis forced to walk on stamped concrete for the first time. "I was only trying to trying to shame his bitch of a wife," she sobbed, still tearless. "Besides, Andy told me to do it." "Bullshit." he said. "You know how many business deals that stunt cost me?" He paused, still glaring. "You never think of anyone but yourself." "But where shall I go, James?" she asked again, imploring. "Why don't you call Shannon or Vicki and ask if they've got room for you?" he retorted, a hateful smirk on his otherwise rigid face. "You know why," she sobbed. "They won't speak to me anymore. None of them will." she continued sobbing. "And Andy didn't renew me." "I'm out of here," he finally said in disgust, climbing into the cab of the truck, starting the ignition, and furiously gunning the engine. "See you in the funny papers, kid," he called out, the tires squealing as he turned right at the end of the driveway and headed out of her life for good.

While no one but a complete idiot believes that Reality TV shows like RHOC give us the unrehearsed, unscripted, and totally spontaneous scenes from the lives of their cast members, trying to argue for the other extreme, that the show's producers give each cast member a detailed weekly script of their lines, behaviors, responses, TH scenes, etc, is just as falacious. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Andy and his production crew interview and then hire new cast members who display and conform to certain compelling lifestyle and personality archetypes (e.g., the angry trailer park refuge who doesn't take shit from anyone; her eternally clueless but dominant dragon lady sidekick; the wealthy know-it-all with the obnoxious husband; the even more wealthy but emotionally fragile alcoholic with with a crumbling marriage, etc.). The producers know from experience that these shows thrive on enduring conflict and scandal, so they select for, promote, and preserve mixes of personality types that ensure this dynamic. Those the audience can root for and sympathize with and those they can hate and hiss at. In her two seasons on RHOC, Shannon has never come across as a manipulative, scheming, or heartless bitch because that's not who she is. On the other hand, Tamra, who was no doubt selected for her sharp tongue and massive chip on her shoulder, seems utterly fake and pathetic when she tries to shift her archetype and play the nice lady, which she most certainly is not. The fact that Meghan, from the start of her very first season, has consistently and repeatedly come across as pushy, rude, aggressive, self-promoting, and generally unlikable is not the consequence of her being arbitrarily assigned such an unappealing, even creepy, character role by the producers. It's a reflection of who she really is as a person. And her extremely rapid and overwhelming unpopularity with so many of the viewers is the consequence. The producers set a lot of the scenes, but they trust their well-chosen archetypes to take the ball and run with it from there.

Well, that's one way to look at it. But one could just as easily explain that Meghan, like a lot of us, simply grieves quite differently than is customarily expected (like Scott Peterson after his wife disappeared; whoops bad example). I'm sure she was so shaken by Leeann's iminent and actual passing (as expected as it was) that she just went a little bit nutso, dyed her hair pink, laughed it up with Andy and company on WWHL, and scarfed down a lot of greasy cheeseburgers to show all her haters than she too can chew food voraciously. Yeah, a bit crazy perhaps. But I'm sure she'll soon snap out of this grief-induced fugue state and return to being the energetic, hardworking, self-confident, and very devoted housewife who just happens to pick fights with older RHOC castmates and for some odd reason comes across on camera as this anthropomorphic fusion of an elf princess and a praying mantis with a giraffe-like neck who is totally self-absorbed with herself and without empathy for others and obviously a bit sociopathic but still doing her best to act warm and charming with real human emotions and body movements but failing miserably at the attempt. Give her a frickin' break, I say.

Another fine example of Meghan's lame attempt to rewrite events from her own self-serving and self-aggrandizing perspective. Perhaps this self-absorbed twit actually believes what she writes in her blog, but what I saw was Meghan playing the role of "very cool, slightly older friend and substitute mother" to Haley, doling out $100 bills without any proper pre-conditions, subjecting Haley to morbid and inappropriate parables on the fragility and temporal nature of human life, and taking it upon herself to obtain birth control for the 17-year old, most probably without consulting Haley's mother beforehand. As for Jimbo's awesome sacrifices, the aired scenes didn't show any emotional re-bonding with Haley (no surprise there, given his taciturn and cold demeanor with his new wife), I doubt those went much beyond footing the bill for her airfare to OC and giving her a room and permission to take meals with them.

You nailed it. Meghan's flowery and self-serving interpretation of events notwithstanding.

Seems that Meghan is only a giraffe when she sits down and exposes her ultra-long neck (or stretches it reach for foliage in tall tree branches). But when she's walking around in tight-fitting sports apparel, she becomes a praying mantis. She's RHOC's first Transformer wife.

I agree. I've always been amazed at how an utter loser like Brooks, with his child support non payments, absence of work history, and friend of young strippers routine, could secure the utter devotion and love of a hard-working woman like Vicki. She seems to lose all critical thinking or common sense where Brooks is concerned, so apparently desperate is her need for a man's love, albeit in a toothless and shiftless package. I've watched with a skeptical eye this season, where his Stage 3 NHL diagnosis has been relegated to a low-key back story. No shots of Vicki accompanying him to chemo treatments or doctor visits, not once. Instead, she wants to get away to New Orleans and momma's funeral while leaving him alone to his own devices and coffee enemas. At least he can call Shannon for medical advice if he needs it.

From what Vicki has said on the show and tweeted, Brooks has stopped his chemo treatments after the first few rounds failed to show any improvement (not sure if his "doctors" were monitoring metastasized tumor sizes, blood enzymes, or both to determine this). That he has been consulting with holistic medicine expert Shannon and following her alternative treatments, including the use of coffee enemas, instead of continuing chemo. I know others have insisted that Vicki, being the concerned and take-charge type, would certainly be closely monitoring all of Brooks' cancer treatments, talking to his oncologists, accompanying him to his chemo infusion sessions, etc., but I'm not sure that's the case. She seems to have taken a hands-off approach instead, content with asking him how things were going and taking his short answers ("I had a chemo session") at face value.