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Oh they totally can -- and, same! The richest guy in my town growing up drove an ancient pickup truck. But, people who are trying to sell expensive things typically dress the part. It's not the fact that's he's wealthy that is surprising to me but the fact that he's in luxury sales.

Jenn doesn't seem like a bad person or anything, but I don't care about her storyline, and her boyfriend is Red Flags 'R Us. MVP award to the editor or production assistant who went back and found the actual Sears Catalog photo to match Heather and Terry's shot from Disneyland. If Tamra and Eddie's sex life becomes any more of a storyline, I'm going on strike. I still have PTSD from bathtubgate.

"I hate to see this big, giant division." SHUT YOUR FACE, TAMRA.

Heather and Terry's realtor does not look like a man who sells multimillion-dollar properties.

The scene with Ubah in her home where she says she needs something to eat and goes into the kitchen … were they actually filming her? Unmasked, with Covid?? I really hope she was somehow filming herself or it was a reshoot, because otherwise I feel terrible for whomever in production got that job. Erin is holding on to that apple HARD. Yikes. And it seems like her sister is grasping for an apple herself! Brynn can be annoying but she (and the other women) seemed genuinely confused as to how this suddenly became a Big Thing when Erin has laughed at similar jokes in the past.

She said she’d specifically select a “girl embryo” for IVF.

Marshawn was an original cast member, right? So I assume he was in the same alliance as Portia, as all of the OGs seem pretty tight. The show seemed to be putting too much weight on Cat's decision. I couldn't believe how few of them knew the order of the planets! Was nobody else forced to learn "My Very Educated Mother Served Us Nine [Pizzas]" in school?

I don't disagree in general, but I found the moment with Shannon and the bread to be oddly relatable. I've definitely had the experience of ordering something healthy only to then indulge in something less healthy because someone else ordered it (Your kids' leftover chicken tenders anyone? Just me?? Okay, I'll see myself out...) That look of abject horror in Shannon's eyes when Emily ordered the bread, because she knew she would splurge! I thought it was a funny moment in an otherwise shitshow of an episode. I had the same thought...

Honestly that’s the content that keeps me coming back to this show.

The worst part of all of this is that Tamra, the woman who brought allllll of this Shannon/John stuff in front of the camera, seems like she's about to escape yet again with her hands clean. Plus the airing of Shannon saying, "John's kid hates me but this can't be on TV." Ice cold, producers, ice cold. (And I don't blame them!)

I've been watching this show since its inception, during which time there's been a lot of morally ambiguous content, so maybe I should be numb to it by now. But something about watching Jenn grill her kid about his birth mother really felt icky and didn't sit right with me.

Well, that was an interesting fourth-wall drop... Not sure I have much to say about it except that Shannon truly is her own worst enemy.

For those interested in NYC preschool admissions, I highly recommend the documentary Nursery University.

What aspect of my post is this in response to?

I agree with all of this! From what we saw, Abe seemed to be smiling and laughing. He didn't look uncomfortable to me. One could argue that it's possible he was uncomfortable and just smiled and laughed because he didn't want to cause a scene. And personally, I wouldn't joke around with my friend's husband the way Brynn did unless it was a super close friend and I was 100% sure everyone would be laughing along. In the real world, if Abe was really offended, this could be solved by Erin discreetly pulling Brynn aside at some point and telling her it makes Abe uncomfortable when Brynn acts this way toward him. That said, unless Abe or Erin had previously stated their issues with this behavior, I don't think it's "disrespectful"! She's "hitting on" him while at his vow renewal and while being filmed-- it couldn't be any more obviously a joke. Earlier in the evening, Erin herself was even joking about Brynn hitting on her family members (her dad, her brother)! Come to think of it, didn't Brynn flirt with Abe while they were on the phone in the Hamptons, too? I seem to recall Erin saying, jokingly, "There she goes, flirting with Abe" [paraphrasing]. It was treated lightly by all. Nobody seemed to see it as a capital offense. Also, interesting that what Brynn did was "disrespectful" but Jenna grabbing Erin's (a married woman's!) butt was totally fine. This makes me think Erin and hubby are just grasping at story lines.

I think they were saying that the kitchen at Nobu (the sushi restaurant around the corner they were talking about going to) closed at 10. They still probably would have been more conspicuous than the other talkers, since they have a film crew around them. I assumed it was pot. She mentioned being high and that she was wearing the sunglasses because her eyes were red. Say what you will about Jill Zarin but she is a nurturer (overly so, in a suffocating sense, but nonetheless...). She would absolutely make sure people are well-fed and comfortable at her events.

I did wonder if the $63K was for both of them. EDIT: NM, just looked at the link someone else posted and that appears to be for one child.

Well said. Were the producers so irritated that they had to sit through this whole event that they retaliated by forcing us as viewers to sit through it? I thought Brynn was pretty clearly being playful toward Abe and I honestly would've found it funny if I were in Erin's shoes. That said, Erin didn't witness it firsthand -- she only knows about it through Abe, who called it "disrespectful," so I can't blame her for being upset, if she thinks it was more serious than it was. If I were Erin, I would be annoyed by Brynn's general rudeness about the party. EDITED: Typo.

My husband and I loved the first season (rare to find a series we agree on!) and burned through it in like three days. I'm disappointed the second season isn't available in the US! Funny though, the episode with the thieves was the one we both enjoyed the least. It just seemed too... over-the-top/slapstick/hammy? I think the same plot with the stealing done just a bit more subtly could have been hilarious. Just a matter of opinion, I guess, but I do love the show! Additional thoughts: The actress who plays Roz reminds me a little of Christine from Sister Wives. Do they ever say what the relationship between the two Grubers is?? (At one point, they clarify they're not married.) Are they brother and sister? Also, do they ever say why exactly Roz has been suspended, or are we just left to wonder? It's been days and I still giggle randomly thinking about that promotional video with the animated doves. That, and the scene with the Sadrigals performing to "prove" that Roz hadn't violated her suspension. That was perfection.

As others have suggested, I feel like this show needs some tinkering with. First, the contestants need some reason to actually want to stay there, like a monetary prize. Also, it's never clear to me what will happen if they don't complete the missions. In missions like the last one, I get that they just wouldn't rescue the dog and then the base commander would be up for elimination. But in the past there have been missions that are supposedly life or death -- e.g. where they literally wouldn't have food or oxygen f they didn't complete it -- what if they hadn't? I'm also not sure what's to prevent this show from becoming 100% a social game. In the end, the missions almost seem incidental, as people will be voting along alliance lines. Like maybe "the Hab"/production could decide who's in the bottom 3 based on their performances in the mission and then the contestants could vote. Or maybe there's some way to "earn" immunity by being the mission's MVP. I agree that the show was fun at first but it's kind of losing its luster (and I actually find most of the contestants likeable and interesting!).

I agree that the whole tree-decorating "event" debacle, including the call the women made to Jenna, reeked of producer intervention from start to finish. And I'm disappointed! Obviously I'm not naïve enough to believe that this show is 100% "real" but, in my opinion, it's at its best when the women are just riffing on each other and the drama emerges more organically.

I actually agree with you, and based on their talking heads, it seems like the women on the show do too! A few of them have now said that it's not that Jessel's a bad person -- it's just that she lacks self-awareness and then doubles down while confronted on it. Honestly, this is what makes her good TV. I don't get an evil and conniving vibe from her. I get awkward and insecure. And, I actually feel for her a little bit. I can be socially awkward too. Then again, I don't work in PR! I keep that shit in academia where it belongs.

Finances are always a house of cards with the RHW, so who knows! Interesting that we haven't seen Brynn's apartment yet, I don't think? But I do think that, even if Brynn is wealthy now, your points about her overcompensating/deflecting could still be valid. She could still have imposter syndrome due to her background, regardless of how successful she has become. Man, I hope that stuff is insured and her building has great security. It's not quite Lisa Rinna Versace-in-a-garage level bad, but I do cringe seeing that stuff out there on TV, laid out like a roadmap for thieves. I had almost forgotten about that! When Jessel mentioned that she's in PR, I nearly fell out of my chair. Girl, you have to have some sense of how you're coming across!! Maybe it's like that proverb about the cobblers' children going shoeless...

At least there aren't 27 different Joes (I'm lookin' at you, RHONJ!) I had assumed that Jenna remembered that she had a conflict but didn't remember exactly what it was, which is why she called it an "event." But I also like the theory that she was using "event" as code for "different filming obligation." I also buy the theory that Brynn -- and to a lesser extent, Sai -- has an underlying annoyance that Jenna may have a better contract/higher salary, which explains why she's always comparing herself to Jenna in terms of how Jenna is able to "get away with" things.

I'm still enjoying the show! I feel like the women are a really nice mix of personalities, and Jessel's lack of self-awareness makes for great TV. I also appreciate that the "cackling hags" plot point seems to have been dropped after 1.5 episodes, whereas in any other franchise it would have been a season-long arc. I like Ubah's personality and she can be really funny, but she seems more like a Friend Of, at this point. Does it technically count as a "vow renewal" if you didn't say your vows the first time? Because, if so... Erin, you in danger, girl.