jkitty

After watching the restaurant scene for the third time, I think it is the most fake thing I have seen on "reality" TV in a very long time. An "explosive" scene was obviously planned from the get-go, with the consent of restaurant management. First, there are only 3 or 4 people in the restaurant (probably all crew members). Second, the most reaction any of these "patrons" show to seven women screaming, threatening violence and breaking dish ware is that one woman turns around. It's bizarre. If that happened in actual reality some or all of the following things would happen: (1) management would come over to the table when the yelling began and ask the "ladies" to please be quiet and respect the other guests; (2) the other guests would be whispering, pointing, or generally looking appalled at the obscene behavior of these "ladies;" (3) management would certainly come over when people were standing up, screaming, and breaking glasses to ask them to leave, to clean up, and to offer some accommodation to the other patrons; and/or (4) other patrons would stand up, move away from the chaos, look horrified, or leave to go get a manager when Lisa broke the glass. I have no more fucks to give about this mess. I liked the first half of the season a lot. This second half, centered on Kim's bullshit "recovery" and her abusive relationship with her sister is about as much fun as gonohrrea. Thanks, but no thanks.

The thing the disgusts me the most (and I don't use that hyperbolically) is that Heather implies the comments were inappropriate because she was another man's wife. As if it is her status as another man's "property" that makes it wrong to shout obscenities and sexual commands at a person. I do think David and Eddie were wrong for shouting those things. There are jokes and then there are jokes that go too far. I think "spread your legs" goes too far (others may disagree) and I would be pissed if someone yelled that at me. However I would be pissed because they are sexually aggressive and dominant commands (joking or not) made to ME, telling ME how to behave and implying that if am there for non-consensual sexual entertainment. I would not be pissed because my husband has "dibs" on commenting on what's between my legs. Hell, I would be even more pissed if it was my husband who shouted those things. My entitlement to respect does not come from the mistaken belief that because I am in a relationship I am another man's domain and should be treated as such. It comes from the fact that I am an individual autonomous human. I really thought Heather was savvier than that. Just gross.

Yes, I didn't mean to imply that the show is "scripted" in the traditional sense of a word-for-word script, but I do think the women are told what to discuss during certain scenes. I also think that some of the more calculating (read: fame-whorey) women are given tasks for stirring the pot (i.e. Tamra). Once the "stage" is set, the more emotional women react and chaos ensues. Here, Tamra was charged with stirring the pot by spreading the email story to Heather. Production turns the heat from Tamra to Heather. Shannon reacts. Chaos ensues.

I think the entire confrontation was created by production misinforming Shannon and Heather about the purpose of the scene at the Dubrow house. I think that production told Shannon the scene was for her to confront Heather about her "gossiping" about the Bedor marriage and to confirm Tamra was the source of Heather's info. But, rather than tell Heather the same thing and give her a chance to prepare her response, production told her Shannon was coming over to apologize for "yelling" at her. (Hence the "I thought you were coming to apologize to me.") Not only did they prevent Heather from having a scripted response, they fed the hostility by making each woman think that the other woman flipped the script on her. I also think a lot of these phrases people are hung up on are planted in these women's heads by production (i.e. "How do you feel about Heather 'kicking you out?'" or "how did you feel when Shannon was 'yelling' at you in the restaurant and at her house?"). Then the phrases stick in subsequent dialogue.