SwordQueen

I agree. The Real Housewives franchises have become the fast food of television -- quantity over quality, greasy, overly processed, and often leaves you with heartburn, stomach cramps and a feeling of regret, afterwards. I will say though, that I won't hate on Andy for his LVP love, because that spawned VPR and I am forever grateful. Lisa has been staying out of the fray so far this season so I'm eager to see how she responds to the slap, tonight. I hope it's worth having to sit through another temper tantrum of Brandi's. Mondrianyone, I am so getting on of those! My TV thanks you!

mwell345, I'm yes-ing and seal-clapping to your post, the same way I did to becauseisaidso's post over in the previous episode thread. BRAVO has screwed themselves with this season. They had a chance to bring this franchise back around from the mess they created in S4 but they didn't take it. Andy needs to stop giving preferential treatment to his own "Dream Team" of assholes, whiners, users, criminals, and childhood or breakout "Stahs". This is why we can't have anything nice.

Yes! I'm seal-clapping to your post. I would love to see a show like that. I didn't like last season, it just felt like a clusterfuck of stupidity. And the new HW were given weird edits and became adversaries to the old HW too quickly. So, when I heard that Rinna and Davidson would be joining the cast, I was thrilled, as both a soap fan and as a viewer who was tired of the usual bullshit. But then we got the usual bullshit. I won't complain if Kyle is back next season if, if Kim and Brandi are gone. My dislike for the HW are by degree. Thought Kyle was obnoxious as hell, straight out of the gate in S1, but then Camille and Taylor happened. S2 had the trifecta of Taylor, Brandi and Kim. Missed S3 but in S4, Brandi happened, a lot. And S5 had me od'ing on my Brandi and Kim hate. So because of the others, Kyle got pushed down on the list of people to complain about. I'm curious if Kyle comes back in S6 without Kim or Brandi, if she would bug me to the same degree again as she had in S1. I'm hoping she will have grown some between this season and filming for next season, but I'm not holding my breath.

LOL I think, though, that I'd rather hate on Brandi for the things that she can control, like her bad plastic surgery, which ironically enough, makes her look older and less attractive, imo. I don't dislike plastic surgery, but Brandi confuses me, because she looked younger before she had all crap done. If youth were really so important to her, I'd think she'd try to retain her natural beauty for as long as possible and not drink excessively or get too much sun and generally take care of herself. She is looking like Adrienne more and more and Adrienne is in her 50's, correct? Instead of bashing Eileen, she should be asking her for beauty tips, like any women who was not a jealous hosebeast would, if they liked/admired something about another person.

I'm going to go ahead and say that I don't doubt that Brandi herself has cheated while in a relationship or had sex with non-single men before. She's protests too much for me to believe otherwise and with all her bragging of "blackout sex", who knows who she was banging. I do think it's funny that Kim's marriages and affairs have never gotten the "Brandi Treatment". I mean the Richards girls were pretty much bred to snag rich husbands, so wouldn't that make her BFF Kimmie and her sister Kathy, in her eyes, prostitutes as well, because they did, indeed, bag some rich men? It's also funny that Kim won't stand up for Kyle and Mauricio regarding Brandi trying to insult and hurt them by throwing out cheating accusations, when she herself is an actual cheater(won't speculate on K & M because I have no idea) and probably wouldn't like "her business" being talked about on camera. I would love it if BFF Brandi trotted that little gem out, when shit hits the fan with them.

When Taylor Armstrong shows more class, decorum, and grace than you have -- as Whoopie says in Ghost "Kim, you in danger, girl."

I'm only watching tonight so I can keep up with the board. lol I'm so sick of these people and their stupid problems. All of their closets, refrigerators, homes, landscaped yards, and clothes can't make up for the bullshit anymore. Does this mean I can scoff at Brandi and her rejuvenated-yet-still-aging vagina because I'm younger than her? Oh, please, oh please, oh please? ; ) If she says anything even remotely ageist at the reunion, I'm going to throw something at my television. My poor TV always feels the brunt of my rage with these bitches.

It's healthy and all her own? lol Kim's failed the drug test. Brandi leases hers. I think they're jelly.

Thank you, Zoeysmom, for all of the info. I can't keep names, dads, and dates straight with any of the Richards kids. Has Kim ever talked about John Colette and his death? I imagine it had a big impact on her but I wonder if and how it contributed to her substance abuse problem.

It tastes like turtles and 100% pain*. *Is that equivalent to 80 Proof?

I'm trying to understand this. Is Kim working on herself and her addictions and is trying to heal and it's Kyle who is preventing her from succeeding? By being on the show with Kim or in general? How so?

Jokes are supposed to be funny, Brandi, you suck at that. I hope she gets heckled right out of the studio, at the reunion. I'm sure Brandi gets away with all of the bullshit she pulls because she's a pretty woman, whose entire shtick consists of being drunkenly crazy and just, oh so cute* about it. If she were more unattractive or a man, she'd have been arrested, blacklisted, or have her teeth knocked out long ago. *Barf

Eh, she's a young, 20-something year old woman. Is there any other way for her to be?* LOL I wouldn't expect her to react in the same manner as a, what, 50-something year old man. *And I can make fun of this, now that I'm into my 30's and I no longer resemble that remark, mostly. Not as often anymore at least.

Hold up, Brandi actually said that Eileen has some gray hair and that's why she doesn't like it?! What the actual fuck is wrong with this woman? I mean, really, there's got to be a list, somewhere, of all the things wrong with this snatch. A long list. I missed her saying this, obviously. lol

Thank you for asking this, because it runs through my head quite often. lol When they (Lisa v, Lisa R, Eileen, Kyle) talk about themselves and share pieces of their lives -- they're being fake/long suffering. When they talk about the bullshit on the show (Brandi and Kim) -- they're being bullies/boring/fake/fame whores/yadda. So, what are they supposed to be doing? If BRAVO got rid of the bullshit, I'd be happy watching the other HW talk about themselves while showing us pieces of their lives. I don't really expect this show to be "real" in the everyday, normal life, way. I know it's a cleaned up, glammed up version of themselves and their lives and I know most of these HoWives are pretty self-focused and fame whorish already, with being on TV and all, and I'm ok with that. I just don't like bullshit. IMO of course. lol

lol Agree. I wish someone, anyone would just tell Brandi straight out, "Oh, we hear you, honey, and that's the reason we don't like you. You're annoying and full of shit.". The HW really need to stop giving in to Brandi and fighting/arguing with her. This is why Eileen rocks, because she's the most straightforward of them all. Brandi is like a child and like with children, the HW need to tell her how it is, calmly, directly, and repeatedly. They try to reason and explain and you just can't with her because she'll isolate something they've said and twist it until the rest of the HW are angry, crying, and raging. They need some kind of Brandi Mantra to repeat it until she shuts the fuck up. Eileen needs to school them all in how to speak to Brandi, where there's no rebuttal, no excuse, nothing left for her to say.

Agreed. The slap seemed "soap opera fake" or was just too vague in the previews for me to even attempt to form an opinion on it at that point. It wasn't even the slap that made me angry for LVP. It was everything leading up to the slap and everything after. It was the repeated attempts by LVP to remove herself from the situation and Brandi blocking her. That felt like such a violation to me, not just physically, but emotionally. Brandi was holding LVP emotionally hostage, in that moment. I can't imagine my reaction to seeing that footage, if it were my own mother. I would be seething. Especially since Brandi had been a thorn in LVP's side for over a year now and had already done things to hurt her. It's one thing for me to talk shit or complain about my mother. It's an entirely different thing for anyone, anyone else, to do the same. It's just the way it is. I know my mother's not perfect, I'm sure Pandy has her own issues with her mother at times, but it's obvious to me that she loves her mother very much and they have a close relationship. I don't think there's anything wrong in her defense of her mother even if there is a little hyperbole in it. I have seen nothing on my screen with LVP that would warrant or justify that treatment of her, so I can imagine Pandy feeling the same, only more passionately, obviously.

Kim feeling that she must be protected and others feeding into that only helps her continue to be a victim of herself and of life. I know, but I guess what I am trying to say is that if she doesn't have any moments of clarity then she needs real, long-term psychiatric care and not to star on a reality TV show that makes its money off drama. I was in a long term relationship with someone who has BP1 and has auditory/visual hallucinations, delusions of grandeur, and paranoia among several other issues and even he wasn't out of touch with reality 100% of the time that he wasn't able to take some responsibility for himself. I guess the way I see it, his conscious couldn't stop his disorders from causing him to lose it and abuse me, but it did cause him to feel remorse for it when he was medicated or clear enough to realize what he was doing. I have never seen her, on camera, actually take ownership of her actions or seem even the tiniest bit remorseful and what we're seeing now is her supposedly "sober". This is how she behaves "sober" and her being an alcoholic and perhaps having an anxiety disorder is all we have been told she suffers from, so I'm forming my opinion based on that. Like with Brandi, all of the behavior they display on the show is not caused by just an anxiety disorder and to have it seem that way does so much injustice to those who do suffer because anxiety most likely doesn't cause someone to be mean, spiteful, hateful, selfish, drunk, etc. I guess I just don't understand why there are excuses constantly being made for Kim's behavior that removes all responsibility she has for herself. My opinion, but I just think Kim is selfish and mean and she doesn't see or care that she's selfish and mean. That may have to do with whatever illness(es) she has, and we have no idea other than substance abuse, what they could be, if anything, but it could also just be a part of her personality. Either way, I have no interest in watching her abuse everyone around her, so if she stays on the show for next season, I'm out. I agree. I don't think she has a lot of these issues. Any paranoia, delusions and hallucinations she may have (no evidence she has these) could come from the drugs she's currently using or ones she has used in the past. Also, part of it is that people are talking about her and one of those people is her BFF Brandi. So she's not paranoid in that, but misinformed and petty. And I think you're exactly right, she doesn't want to be called out about her non-sobriety and she's deflecting that by distracting and scaring people with threats and spitefulness. eurekagirl mOo, I'm so glad you were able to receive help at the facilities you were in. My experiences have not been as great, and one place was very understaffed and was not really equipped to help anyone long term, so the whole thing felt like a wash in the end.

I agree and that's pretty much what I said, however, even people who are generally assholes can have moments of conscience or people that they won't betray. And sure those traits can be symptoms of a few mental illnesses, but not always or probably most of the time. It's really more the "Oh, this person is person is acting crazy or like an ass. They must be mentally ill." mentality that bothers me the most, I think. Not saying that anyone is doing that here. People can be mentally ill and/or disabled and be assholes and they might have little to do with one another. I don't disagree with you that Kim exhibits some delusional behavior. However unless she's delusional all of the time, then I'd think she'd have some semblance of right and wrong and some remorse for her actions, otherwise, she really shouldn't be on a TV show like this if she is unable to control her behavior at all. This is why I think she's just a nasty person on top of any illnesses she may have because I don't really see much humanity in her and I can usually find it in just about anyone. I have more experience than I'd like with people who have delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and narcissism, and it's imperative that they are in therapy and properly medicated and monitored. Not only for the benefit of themselves, but for the people in their lives who are affected daily. For me and this is just my opinion, any way you slice it, Kim is not a healthy person, and is not interested in helping herself -- instead choosing to place the burden of responsibility on the shoulders' of others. Because of the latter opinion, I find it hard to give her my sympathy and definitely not my empathy because I know what many of these illnesses are like myself and I've also put energy and care into others IRL who are like Kim and don't strive to help themselves, and it's been nothing but a waste and an energy suck. Anyway, I was very bored while on the treadmill so I thought about this some more. Going back to what I was saying about Kim’s self-serving love, Kingsley is the perfect example. Is Kim doing what is best for the people around her who are being exposed to Kinsley? Is Kim doing what’s best for Kingsley? No. Kim is doing what is best for Kim. Kim loves Kingsley and that’s all that matters. She fails to understand or care that part of loving someone or something sometimes means doing what is best for them even if it means that it’s not what you want for them and for yourself -- even if it comes down to not being in their life. Her family is going to have to pry that dog from Kim’s cold, dead hands. Actually, that’s probably the only way Kim would get rid of him. I have a feel that as soon as he “betrays” Kim, he’s out. Kim likes that Kingsley is so devoted to her. He obviously makes Kim feel certain ways about herself. I haven’t read about those bites in detail but I’m betting that Kim not only blamed the other person but used Kingsley’s devotion to her as an excuse. He was just “protecting her”, and I think she loves that. She loves that someone, something is willing to be vicious in order to love and protect her no matter what, including attacking those she claims to care for. Does this sound familiar to anyone else? Brandi? Brandi has compared herself to a Chihuahua before (and as I chi owner I’m offended on their behalf) and chis are known to often be one-person dogs, who are fiercely protective of their owners. I think Kim gets that same satisfaction from seeing Brandi “protect” her from Kyle or anyone else, that she gets from Kingsley. Not that I think that Brandi a victim of Kim like Kingsley is, but we all know Brandi is willing to go there (be vicious and attack), and I think they serve similar purposes for Kim. I also think that is why Brandi is becoming resentful of Kim – Kim doesn’t care that Brandi has further destroyed relationships for her*. Other posters have noticed some of Brandi’s facial expressions on this trip and how it appears that she is starting to realize that Kim doesn’t give a fuck about her in the long run and now she’s left at the “losers table” all alone. IMO and all. *Obviously Brandi has her own agenda for her own fun/benefit and hurts the women in ways that have nothing to do with Kim. I’m talking about when she’s specifically sticking up for Kim and attacking Kyle on Kim’s behalf like she was on the boat and Kim was still crying and whining over herself.

OMG AnnA, hilarious! You're amazing at this. Those bitches have never looked better.

Good examples of what I was referring to. I would just hate to see Kim's (and Brandi's) behavior excused as being caused by illness(es), because having a mental illness doesn't mean that a person is going to be thoughtless, rude, uncaring, spiteful, unsympathetic, etc. Mental disorders can definitely cause people to act in unhealthy and hurtful ways, in the moment, for periods of time, or if psychosis occurs, but that doesn't always mean that they feel no remorse or can't recognize how their behavior effects others even when it was done while they weren't in control of themselves at the time. It's possible to recognize how your disorder affects behavior (which can't always be controlled while it's happening) while still accepting responsibility (doing something about it, when able). Kim's personality plays into her behavior quite a bit, imo. Maybe it is because of years of drinking and drugging, and parts of her brain are permanently damaged. But then she shouldn't be on a show like this and forced to interact with other people if she truly is incapable of controlling her behavior and has no sense of reality. Same with Brandi. It's not fair to the others, because if Kim can't be held to the same standards of responsibility and then turns around and hurts one of them, how are the HW to respond? it puts them in a position to either allow her hurtful behavior towards them or to criticize her for it and then they will be seen as bullies because "Kim can't help it". It's a bad situation all around. I was thinking more about Kim's interpersonal relationships and I want to post my thoughts on that in a bit when I can have more time to type it all out.

I don't believe Kim took Monty in because of the drugs. I think the stress of the reality of his illness and the easy access to drugs was too much for her and she's not working a program and hasn't built a community of support to fall back on when she needs it. It's not that I think Kim is incapable of loving people. It's that her love is self-serving. From what I've observed over the years, Kim loves people who give her good feelings about herself. When she talks about those that she loves, it's about how they make her feel about herself, not necessarily qualities those people possess that she loves, admires or how she is able to bring positivity into their lives. This is the reason I think she flips on Kyle so much. When Kyle challenges her on her relapses and her attitude, or holds expectations for Kim that Kim doesn't like, Kyle is no longer making Kim feel good about herself. So, therefore Kyle is not being "loving" or "supportive" towards Kim, which is a betrayal, in her mind. To love Kim and to be loved by Kim is conditional on how good you make her feel. That is why there isn't ever "enough" for Kim. Kim needs a continuous supply of love, attention, support, and approval in order to love and feel loved. It's very one-sided and not very stable because no one can give that much to one person without burning themselves out, which also means no more supply. She's an exhausting person to be around and I feel drained just from watching her on TV. From knowing people like her in real life, I know how utterly exhausting it is to have to continuously give and give. Mine does, as well. ; )

Agreed. And I've known a lot of people with mental health issues, in hospitals/group therapy and in every day life, and a pretty much everyone I've known, save for a select few (whom I have cut all contact with because, like Kim, they were toxic people), have been all-around decent human beings, with a conscious and a caring heart, even as they, themselves, struggle with various degrees of insecurity/self-loathing. Just as with Brandi's "anxiety" excuse that she trots out to explain her pill popping, drunken, rude behavior, I find it misleading and a disservice to lay Kim's terrible, awful personality at the feet of mental health issues. She probably does have mental health issues alongside the substance abuse. Very, very common. Don't think I've ever known anyone who hasn't dealt with both. But Kim is also a nasty, malignant person who treats other people terribly. Those things shouldn't be conflated and confused, imo, ymmv. I say all of this because this conflation can cause a misunderstanding about mental health disorders, where people think that those who suffer are always going to be hurtful and toxic to other people because of their disorder, when most people with mental health disorders are non-violent and caring individuals.

These women have an uncanny ability to go from looking fresh and on point to looking like their husbands dressed them, from one day to the next. It's so bizarre. lol I'm not sure I can even address them individually since all of it, alllll of it, is wrong. Agree and the way I see it is like this: Kim and Lisa R. were going toe to toe with each other. Both had the freedom and the opportunity to leave, and both chose to stay and escalate the situation. If two people want to throw down, physically or verbally, then that's their right and their problem. No one was chasing after the other, no one was holding the other down. There was no actual physical contact between the two. With Brandi and Lisa V, Lisa was trying to get away. Lisa was trying not to engage or escalate with Brandi. Brandi was not only blocking Lisa from moving away from her, but was physically restraining her. Brandi tried to kiss Lisa and actually succeeded in hitting her. This was not two women "roughhousing" or being "playful" or even just plain fighting. This was one person assaulting another person while they were trying to escape. It doesn't matter how drunk Brandi was or how light the slap was. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks (including me). It was not OK with Lisa. Brandi had no right and no permission to put her hands or any other body part on Lisa. I don't think (and I haven't seen anyone else say this) that this was the worst thing a person could do (on the scale of horrible things a person could do to another), nor do I think Lisa either under or over reacted to it. But it wasn't OK with Lisa and that's enough for me. To me, these situations are not even close to being similar. And while I may side with Lisa R. over Kim, because I feel Kim was more in the wrong, I know that both were responsible for their part of the fight. However, Brandi was 100% wrong and 100% responsible for restraining a fleeing women and putting her hands on her. I was actually even more weirded out by Brandi trying to forcefully kiss Lisa than the slap, itself. But maybe that's just because Brandi keeps moving closer and closer to skin-suit territory with her. She needs to just go ahead and buy a Real Doll and name her Lisa so her transformation from Trailer Trash Brandi to Bat Shit Brandi will be complete. And also, then she'll have someone to film with who won't mind how drunk she gets. Creepy silver lining. lol Okay, I lied up there. I'm going say something about their outfits. Eileen looks like cray-cray Susan Banks impersonating the usually fabulous Eileen Davidson. Lisa needs to wear her dresses shorter so she shows more leg. The high-waist, low hemline, huge platform heels look isn't doing her any favors. I don't even know what Kyle is wearing. Yo looks like a stewardess (don't ask me what I mean, I don't know). Kim is Kim.

She definitely said it in front of Eileen and Lisa R. I think she also alluded to it as well after the mixer and she and Kim were on the sofa talking. She has really tried to drive a wedge between Kim and Kyle and now it's coming back to bite her in the ass. This makes me excited for the reunion so I can watch the HW eviscerate Brandi and her treacherous, backstabbing ways. Whew, I'm glad that's resolved. I thought she had on a matching white coat, too, which I also loved. I just remember that she and Kyle looked fantastic on the boat. Best I've seen them look in awhile. I saw blue/black on the dress. lol