Jextella

I am probably wrong, but I don't see any of these 3 stooping as low as podcasting with Bethenny Frankel, annoying reality tv star and business one-hit wonder. She got Mark Cuban only because of Shark Tank connections but she either has him conned or he knows more about her business successes than the rest of us.

Thanks for clarifying. I too, would love to see Alex and Simon back! Or even a show of their own. I'm super smitten with Simon - as a person ... not physically :). My only requirement, if I could choose, would be for Alex to stop coloring her hair - or at least get it professionally done with a foil or something. The contrast between her dark roots and stringy orange hair does her absolutely no favors.

OMG. I'm doing a rewatch through early seasons. I'm ALMOST at the Scary Island episode. I'm reserving final judgement until after I get through season 4 which is the final season for Jill and Kelly, but for now....I have come to the exact same conclusions. Kelly actually has it together and she definately had Bethenny's number from Day 1, and I agree that is why Bethenny tore into her. Near as I can tell, Kelly made two mistakes when starting the show. She thought she could be a cool, free-spirited girl-about-town kind of chick but that sort of backfired when she started showing up for things late, etc. In addition, she is a really poor communicator. Her points were spot-on...but she doesn't have the communication skills to articulate them well. She's alot like Ramona in that regard. If you truly listen to what they say and understand where they're coming from, they actually make sense. Given their horrible deliveries, it's just hard to see. And, Kelly explained the "I'm up here, you're down here" line several episodes later....I think it was when they were planning the Brooklyn fashion show with Alex. She meant it as more of a moral compass kind of thing - not a socioeconomic status thing - which is definately how it came off - unfortunately for Kelly. I actually really like Kelly on the re-watch. And, she's a very good mother. I also like Alex and Simon a ton. Alex humbled as seasons went on and we see the real Simon starting to emerge arouns season 2. He is just a playful guy who likes to have fun and doesn't take things too seriously. I also REALLY like Season 1 and 2 Ramona and Luann. Ramona is the same Ramona we see today. When Sonja comes on the scene, she says in one of her talking heads that if you think Ramona is crazy now, you should have seen her back in the day (when they were in their 20's). And, Luann is also the same. She's played peace maker since the very beginning to large degree. She's got a great spirit which I really like and is constantly telling Ramona to "be nice". I feel Luann has been essential to the show because without her, it would turn into endless cat fights like we see in other cities. The "Luann glue" has been really important, and it's a big part of RHONY's high entertainment value (to my tastes anyway). As to Jill and Bethenny, both are uber competitive. Bethenny just happened to have won. I feel both used their castmates to advance their stories in very calculated ways. I even think I picked up on a nugget of evil with Bethenny and Jason. I think she sort of "trapped" him with the pregnancy and more. Both Jill and Bethenny are really needy and desperate for the spotlight. It was clear as day from the very beginning. Jill's demise was letting the sore-loser in her get the best of her. Bethenny was, and continues to be, psychotic. She will do anything to advance herself and she doesn't care who she hurts along the way - including Jason, and by extension, their daughter. It's disturbing to watch, actually. Ramona nailed it on their walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. "You have no friends. You have Jason, but you'll probably mess that up too." Seriously....Ramona is spot on with nearly everything she says, although I'm convinced she has some sort of physical/mental condition that makes her not be able to control herself when she speaks. She has energy galore and I think it might be wrapped up in that somehow. Same for Kelly.

I think it came out of the exchange with Ashton that he only worked a boat a few times. It was clear it was not a regular gig. What did Sandy due in between? This is so irritating. If Sandy doesn't work boats full time when not filming, why was it such a big deal that Hannah do it? Sandy's Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/captain-sandy-yawn-41b68110/ Lee's Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/capt-lee-rosbach-25286912/

The poster said Lee was the captain of smaller boats and was known is known as Captain Crunch because he can't dock. He's playing a role for tv - as most of them are. If I'm not mistaken, Kate, Hannah, Lee or Sandy work boats regularly when not filming. I think Sandy might be the only one actively practicing - although Bugsy and Malia I believe are still active.

I just don't mind Mark with what I've seen in The Vow and read in various articles. I think it's the Vulture article that talks about some wanting to find meaning. My sense is that Mark, given what he's said about his upbringing and sensitivity, might not have a solid foundation from which to approach and navigate life. He seems to want someone to tell him what to think and do because he can't do it for himself. That's my sense, anyway...and based on very limited info. I'd actually like to learn more about his participation. As to India not having a relationship with him, I feel its sort of a pot-meet-kettle situation. Mark did bad stuff to others, but so did India. It sounds like many in leadership roles did as well. Perhaps India or some of her friends were recipients of some of Mark's misdeeds and so she sees him as someone who harmed her in retrospect. But, even if that's the case, those she harmed would have the same response to her. Another thing about Mark is that he started questioning Keith about both the men's group and the women's group before learning of the branding if I'm not mistaken (I could be), but we've seen Nippy and the guy from Mexico turn ONLY when they learned of the branding. We don't see them question other aspects of Keith's methods the way Mark does.

Found this on Twitter

I love both of these posts. They are spot on in every way. The Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes analogy is a great one, although I feel Elizabeth was truly nutty and believed her own mythology whereas I don't think Keith would buy what Keith built and sold. He's more of a con man. ------------ Has anyone been tracking the evolution of NXIVM teachings? It seems to have undergone many changes - or perhaps just different uses??? Here is the progression that I've picked up on so far: 1) Self-help - to help individuals find direction/purpose/clarity 2) Executive training - to boost productivity 3) Human relationship enhancement, e.g. male and female dynamics 4) Political solution, e.g. as we saw starting to take root in Mexico It's interesting that this thing grew from a micro- to macro-level application.

I don't follow Yolanda family news much, but for what it's worth, I like the name.

I actually really like the show, and I'm kinda not embarrassed to say as much. The kids - all of them, even the two older girls - are so cute and fun to watch, and I especially like that the family does seem to be really happy. I love Tracy the chef, too.

I'm rewatching the first few seasons - at least through Scary Island. Ramona uttered Ramonaisms since the very beginning, "kadooz" being one of them. I really LOVE season 1&2 Ramona and Luann - but especially Ramona. She really does seem like a nice person at the core, and I'm convinced she has some sort of physical issue that makes her spew things out. She has energy galore, and I wonder if it's wrapped up in that somehow. Anyway, I can see why they hung on to Ramona and Luann for so long. They are reality tv GOLD. Meanwhile, I was curious about Jill vs. Bethenny and have decided that both were playing their participation on the show HARD. While Luann and Ramona seem like they were along for the fun of it at the start, Jill and Bethenny came out of the gate with the intention of securing fame and fortune (Lu and Ramona quickly learned this lesson too, though). I think Bethenny threw the first punch in her battle with Jill by not bringing up sponsorship signage at a planning meeting for Jill's charity event and then plastering a wall behind the bar with Skinny Girl stuff. But, I think Jill was mostly pissed off that Bethenny seemed to be winning the PR war in general. They were/are two peas in a pod. I also see why Jill will likely never be back. Everything is a competition with her, and that's not good in an ensemble format. I have a new lease on Alex and Simon - well, Simon, anyway. He's actually really casual, fun-loving and playful, and I really like him. Alex is the pretentious one, but in her defense, I don't think she is self-aware enough to see this about herself. My favorite scene of all the RH cities of all time is Ramona dancing with Simon at Jill's charity event. It was the final scene of season 2. It was hysterical but mostly fun - and touching in a way....as if they both accepted the eccentricities of the other.

I'm not sure if I'm going to watch. I want to wait to see what everyone has to say about Hannah. Did she come off well?

Thank you for sharing this!

Voice of 1, but Mark, Sarah, and Bonnie are vicitims in the same sense as all the rest. They bought into a philosophy they thought was designed to help people. No more, no less. To their credit, they left when the light bulb went on that it was no good. I also think it was very brave for all those involved in the show to come forward and make the docuseries. - and for a variety of reasons. For example, they exposed themselves to the world as essentially cult followers. As Nippy, or Tippi, or whatever the hell his name is said, it's embarrassing. And, they also risked opening themselves up to lawsuits - endless lawsuits - like those who left earlier went through and in some cases continue to go through. Those participating in this show will have a challenging time rebuilding their lives, and they knew that going in to film this thing.

Why is Edward is estranged from his family? I must have missed it!