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Also from Eileen's blog: "Kyle's mixer was such a great idea. I have single friends who are gay (can't say "my gays" when I don't refer to my heterosexual friends as "my heteros," LOL!). God knows we needed a little levity after my poker party debacle. Kyle was a gracious and lovely hostess, who was clearly excited to be getting all of our gays (oh, whatever) together and, who knows, maybe make a love connection. That happiness flew out the window when Kim walked into the party with Brandi,..." I am so going to miss Eileen when she's gone.

Yeah I disagree too that Brandi is the only thing that makes RHOBH interesting. Eileen isn't just "sedate", we've seen her being goofy with her husband, learning to paddleboard and in her THs. LisaR is a natural extrovert. I find LisaV's schtick boring but I can see she serves a purpose as a representative of a certain BH lifestyle, as does Kyle. Kyle is important as an anchor HW because her story is more accessible than the other women's -- not everyone can be a glamourous actress or British restaurant owner, but there are plenty of SAHMs with husbands with normal jobs like real estate. Her lifestyle is just on a different level, and that's interesting (to me) to see. Kim had a purpose in season 1, and IMO was arguably the best "get" on the show initially, because she had the name recognition. But at this point the show doesn't need her, in fact does quite well when she doesn't show up. Sorry not sorry Kim. You blew it. Yolanda is not as interesting as she thinks she is, but she does represent a certain strata of BH; but there are others who would probably be more authentic and interesting. Brandi brings nothing to the party that I don't consider trifling, unpleasant, and boring in its banality. In fact she makes me unwilling to watch the show at all. And despite her blog, I wouldn't be all surprised to find there's footage on the cutting room floor of LisaR telling her to her face that she needs rehab. I don't need to watch driveway brawls and catfights to be entertained. I would like to see house porn, amazing vacations, fashion, parties, a light sprinkling of family stuff, behind-the-scenes this and that, and the occasional scripted silliness, with genuine reactions and relationship development. Are you napping? Have I bored you all? Heh.

I can buy that initially Brandi was brought on to be the sexy firecracker who was going to stir things up in the franchise, but to me she has crossed so many lines into the vulgar that I can't believe she still has any value to the franchise. Her almost immediate antipathy towards Eileen -- at the very first she tried to suck up, but every meeting since then has been a shitshow that Brandi instigates. Bravo paid a LOT of money to get Eileen, I can't believe they wanted their marquee HW pissed off (although now that I think about it maybe that's Brandi's plan, to make the experience so uncomfortable for Eileen that she doesn't do another season, thereby saving her own spot in the show?). I do love how, in heels, Eileen also towers over Brandi, the only other HW to do so. But in her zeal to be the foul-mouthed truth cannon she's coming across as the turd in the crystal punchbowl, making it ever more obvious she doesn't fit in with these women or this show. And if she fancies herself a female Howard Stern...oh honey. And runforcover: Kim's Sad Dopey Eyebrows is my new fantasy band name, ha!

The show doesn't need more than one Eileen; the one they have is working out very nicely, IMO. One thing I also appreciate is how well-written her blog is. Clear, specific, detailed. I don't mind the stream-of-consciousness rants of the other blogs or even LisaV's regurgitation of the OED but I found Eileen's so much easier to read.

I was kind of thrown by how bad Brandi's hair looked at the jewelry party. A rat's nest in the back, and downright greasy in the front. I seriously hope Kim is downgraded or fired next season. Her addiction, which is mined for drama over and over again (not just by the sisters, but I see you Bravo, with those extended clips and swooping in with the closeups) is just so exhausting. I for one would like to see Kyle without her being defined by her relationship with her sister, which is a no-win for her, particularly with how it plays out on camera. She is never going to "out" her sister on camera again -- good thing others are being more blunt. And Kim -that dead-eyed stare in the previews -- ugh. Plus, rosacea or sun damage? What is going in with Kim's skin? With Eileen and LisaR we've gotten a glimpse of what the show could be, and it could be fun! Imagine that, a HW franchise that's fun and not cringeworthy. It's like a shimmering dream just out of reach, given that I don't know if Eileen is going to sign up for another go-round of this ridiculousness. It was interesting to see Eileen and LisaV together, I was curious what their dynamic would be but I thought they were well-matched! Although it was funny to see Eileen literally holding her hair back while nary a strand moved from LisaV's mane. Denise Richards...she has potential but frankly she has baggage (rumors) that could take the level of discourse back down to Brandi level, so I don't know...

Several of the threads have ongoing discussions about the husbands in the franchise; I wonder if there's interest in a dedicated thread? My take: Ken: I am not a fan. Not only is he cranky and rude ("if I see another Fatburger" -- you know perfectly well the Fatburgers are in the family, Ken, shut it.) I think he is basically an old school, self-made working class bloke, who Lisa has tried to dress up as being to the manor born, but it is fake. He blows her cover. Harry: I was wondering how much we'd see of Mr. Hamlin, but I've liked it so far. His basic attitude seems to be, "Lisa's gonna Lisa" and since I like LisaR that reflects well on him. Vince: Erm. I mean I give him credit for snagging Eileen but so far I'm not too impressed. He also seems a little bit disengaged, like he puts in an appearance but he's not interested in being centerstage. Mauricio: Have always thought that he and Kyle make a good couple. I believe that they're into each other and would be into each other. And they seem to have the same priorities re: family, which makes them even more solid as a couple. I don't know anything about the infidelity rumors but my uninformed opinion is that they're just that, but it's not surprising that they would come up, given that he's attractive and successful. David: So boring. I admit I tend to mute Yolanda scenes so I don't have a grip on his deal. Although I do think he's distant, which freaks the hell out of her. It runs counter to the narrative she's trying to sell. But that just might be his personality on camera, not everyone is an extrovert. He's got enough going on that he doesn't need some trifling show to bolster his self image. Yolanda.

The fact that Brandi is still slagging on Kyle with impunity tells me that her BFF Kim is either implicitly or explicitly encouraging it -- so my previous attempt at empathizing with Kim's situation has completely dissolved. If Kim is going to value her relationship with this drunk heifer over that of her sister, so be it. AFAIK that's Kyle's get out of jail free card.

At first I didn't understand why both Eileen and Lisa were cast, but now that I've seen their personalities and how they're interacting with the other Hwives it makes more sense. Lisa is naturally more effusive (sometime too much so) but she's also comfortable with herself, can laugh at herself, and is capable of talking about the other wives without it sounding malicious or vindictive. She's been pretty blunt about Kim's state but it hasn't had a nasty edge. I'm sure Kim is really going after her because she still thinks Lisa texted something other than "Kim's not feeling well" to Kyle on poker night. Infidelity is an easy low blow. No originality. Frankly even if LisaR blows up at Kim primarily for airtime/to keep a spot on the show, I don't care. I hope she channels her DOOL mom and uses some old school soap opera dialogue when she does it. Kim is only going to cower and cry anyway.

Eileen is my kind of people. But I'm worried that she's going to witness this season of messiness, quietly collect her 750k and elect not to return next season. PS Rinna should get hazard pay for that limo ride.

Every time I read that Brandi is claiming "the truth will come out this season," I reflexively turn into Whitney Houston and think, "show me the receipts!" Although I mean in this case the real receipts: Kim's rent or mortgage payments. The car insurance. Rehab stints. Any utilities. Hospital bills that she can't afford the copay (because I doubt she works enough to qualify for SAG benefits). Any and all expenses that Kim has incurred that her family has taken care of during her decades-old addiction. We've talked a lot about the psychological and mental toll of all this (and I don't at all discount their importance, believe me) but there is a financial cost as well. And this internal family culture of shielding Kim has also resulted in a longterm financial burden. If Brandi really is Kim's champion, let her take on ALL the responsibilities that Kim's allegedly negligent family has been shouldering for 30-odd years.

Ha! You're probably right, it's something just that basic. And Brandi is nothing if not basic.

Can someone clarify what Kyle did to Brandi to "justify" this whipsaw hatred? One episode they're hiking together, and the next thing I know Brandi is attacking her. (And don't tell me it's concern for Kim.). In Brandi's tortured mind, does she think tearing down Kyle will endear her to Lisa V?!

I agree that Kyle possibly plays into Kim's addiction drama in co-dependent or unproductive ways, but I also think she's damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. People are always going to have an opinion, judge her, etc-- she's still living down the limo episode. Kim can be as FUBAR as she wants, but god help KYLE if she says it out loud. I would not be at all surprised if she totally hedges on saying the words. Breaking out of the pattern of shielding Kim seems to be a hard habit to break, and it's something that Kim herself has reinforced in Kyle that she should. IMO. I suspect things might have played out differently if things hadn't been moving so fast, only giving Kyle time to react and not think through the best way to deal with things. Someone mentioned upthread that when you're drunk you don't know you're sloppy, and that certainly seems to apply to Kim - her blog shows no shame or embarrassment about being such a rude houseguest. If Kim were sober maybe she'd realize that Brandi is not her friend, and is not to be trusted. I firmly believe that as soon as Kim is of no use to her, Brandi will "out" Kim's secrets to get herself more attention.

Hmm. Well I guess I could see that in the moment Brandi thought she was being protective of Kim...I admit it's hard for me to give her the benefit of the doubt so I'll admit bias there! I just think she's very cunning, and when Kyle and then Kim popped up I'm sure (speculating) the production crew scrambled too, so there would be additional indications that something might happen (Bravo hopes). And it's the kind of action Brandi likes, so seeing her wade into chaos looked like same-old to me. Anyway I'm sure that's how Brandi rationalizes it, but still as I mentioned in a previous post, I think she's a piss-poor long range planner because this "take Kyle down" storyline is a dead end. I dread the reunion.

For me the key here is your second paragraph - I do not believe for one second that Brandi cares about Kim in a deep and meaningful way. I cannot extend her that benefit of the doubt. Maybe in her alcohol-soaked haze she realized that things were going to get ugly and was trying to protect Kim from that, but I don't believe it was because she cared about Kim, it was because she knew things were going to start popping with Kyle and that would guarantee airtime. I see you, Brandi.

Random thoughts: The thing about the Brandi/Kim...thing, whatever it is, is I don't see the point. Like, what is the endgame here? Sure, Kim gets to air all her imagined grievances and lash out at her sister. Brandi gets whatever thrill she gets out of being in the press, being a "truth cannon"/bitchy slag. But how does this further their careers on the show? Brandi has latched on to Kim to give herself a storyline, and her choice is to break up two sisters? What the hell kind of ambition is that? It won't work, they're always going to be related. And no one is going to want to keep watching that. But she's run out of other Hwives to film with. Does she think she's going to get a spinoff? Seriously? She's making herself less and less desirable to this franchise with this BS. I can see, with her addiction, that Kim is an a self-destructive spiral. But I'm not related to her, and even understanding her addiction I think she's a lying liar who lies and Kyle should cut her off. In fact I would love it if Kyle's next storyline would be that she has cut off contact with Kim and is maybe taking a class at UCLA. I'm sure a lot of people would consider that boring but I'd rather watch that than feel the stress of watching a show like that one. It's unfortunate that after all these years Kyle is so reactive to Kim's antics, but that seems to be an aspect of her personality, for better or worse. She needs a break. Is it true that Kyle has tied her participation on the show to them keeping Kim? I wonder what Bravo would do if Kyle decided she couldn't keep doing the show. Or if they're ready and have been ready to drop Kim, but haven't because of that proviso?

Ah, thanks that makes sense. I just associate pain meds with chronic pain, but yeah coughing can be a bitch. (Not that I believe Kim but whatever.)

Okay in her blog Kim claims she was in pain from having bronchitis and pneumonia. What kind of pain do you feel from respiratory illnesses? She also twists Kyle's "embarassed" comment into being about her, instead of being about being a lame poker player. So, pretty much everything everyone has assumed about her response to the whole thing would be.

I haven't watched the ep yet -- I find it's better for my blood pressure to read this board first -- but it's funny to me that people are always complaining about how fake reality shows are, and then when they show something "real", i.e. sending kids off to college, that's deemed "boring." Looking forward to seeing Rinna's lip exercises! She had a funny tweet the other day, talking about getting the "death stare" from Jessica Lange at the Golden Globes.

I was pretty relieved when her sparkage moment with Johnny happened; hopefully this will derail the Finn/Alicia "chemistry" which IMO has been lacking all season. They had better chemistry when they weren't even thinking about having chemistry, last season. Then this season with the heavy-handed, portentous looks -- which IIRC were spurred by Alicia being mad at Peter -- it just wasn't jelling for me. But the Johnny thing - get that, girl. I actually am wondering if Peter is going to be the one to just say fuck it, let's divorce, and make a public announcement off the cuff, as is his wont. Their reconciliation has lost its luster, to say the least, and at least Ramona was an appropriate partner for him. In fact I hope he does and it leaves Alicia flatfooted, because she can be pretty insufferably smug about their relationship and that whole thing about both of them living separate lives doing what they want, only on the down-down low, was never going to work anyway. Prady wins, Peter says see ya...what does the Good Wife do then?

I suspect that LisaR and especially Eileen's tenure on the show is being watched carefully; if they can get through the season without showing their asses (metaphorically) it may seem like a better bet for other stars who have reservations because of the shitshows that have gone down on the other franchises. I think the key is being self-aware but not self-important and having a decent sense of humor about what "celebrity" means. LisaR seems willing to go along with the joke that is her; that will make her very useful, if not for drama, then for lulz. And already Eileen's cool is deflating Brandi's...thing, whatever it is. I just wonder who (secretly) has wanted to be on the show but is hesitant to look too eager. Part of me is dying for some scatty Old Hollywood grande dame like Zsa Zsa to give LisaV a run for her money, dahling. (Zsa Zsa is not doing too well, I think, although her sketchy husband would probably be all for it). And re: soap actors/Dirty Soap: I guess they should aim for someone a little younger but my god if they get that freaking Farah Fath I will implode.

I keep reading that Yolanda hoped to use the show as a springboard for her own lifestyle show? Yeah, no. I feel like how she comes across and how she thinks she comes across are two extremely different things. Seeing her petty bitching and grandiose "little-people"-type statements (Amalfi is for plebes) make her even less relatable than Martha S, IMO. And I like Martha and her stiffness and labored humor. There's nothing about Yolanda I would want to emulate. It also reminds me of one of the wives in the Melbourne series, who wrote a book on how to have it all and keep it organized, the gist of which was, have five nannies and three housekeepers (paraphrasing). I just don't get what kind of show Yolanda has in mind. A reboot of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? I gave in and Googled her and found out she's only been married to David for a few years -- since 2011. Makes her romantic overtures seem that much more of a sad flail, IMO.

I wish Eileen had refused the necklace if only because you know Brandi is THAT.GIRL who will follow her around and complain that she's not wearing it every time she sees her. ETA: I think Alexia is going to college in Arizona, so no, not an hour away. Not far by plane, sure, but she's not going down the road on the 405.

Oh, Victoria Rowell would definitely be interesting! I don't know if she had much interaction with Eileen on Restless but she has a reputation for being, um, feisty and some people there don't have very nice things to say. I do like it, though, when there is a genuine connection, if not relationship, between the women because it makes the get-togethers seem slightly more organic. Like, it's not out of the realm of possibility that these two people would know each other or eat food together. Do you think Kyle would stay with the show if Kim were to be let go? I wonder. I like her but I know she's a lightning rod for criticism. Kim I don't need to watch, it feels like we're watching and waiting to see her stumble and that bothers me. Not fun. Someone mentioned LaToya Jackson in a previous thread and boy, that might be tipping a little too far into the crazy but I'd watch it! ;)

IMO what Eddie gets from LeAnn, aside from financial security, is access and exposure. If they do a red carpet, not only will they get photographed, it will probably be published somewhere. Plus swag, hospitality suites - it wouldn't surprise me if he gets comped clothes for public appearances. And keeping in the public eye is key in Hollywood. He's a handsome man so he's got that going for him, but it's out of sight out of mind here -- unless you're married to someone famous. Brandi will never be able to offer him that to the extent that LeAnn can.