Sweet-tea

After reading the comments here, decided to skip this episode. I thought I heard Braunwyn had a facelift during the break. I remember thinking she seemed a little young for a facelift. I wonder if her home looks smaller because some of the rooms have low ceilings. I noticed it last week.

That is just what Candiace said in an interview on Bravo. She said she was really concerned about her wig coming off and the scene living on forever in gifs, memes, etc. LOL

As someone who has been in recovery for over five years, this is simply not true. Alcoholics can stop drinking for years at a time. Some stay sober, some relapse. Staying sober for a certain time period doesn’t mean someone isn’t an alcoholic. In fact, this is a dangerous lie many alcoholics tell themselves before they truly recover (“If I can stay sober 30/60/90 days, a year, then I’m not an alcoholic.”) A big book of AA has a story about an alcoholic guy who was sober for 25 years, retired and starting drinking again. He was dead from alcoholism within a few years. So even though he stayed sober 25 years, he was still an alcoholic and his drinking killed him once he started again. Also, not all women who drink during pregnancy have babies with FAS. Yes, drinking greatly increases the risk. But it doesn’t always happen. Some of them are fortunate and their babies are born healthy. I’ve known plenty of alcoholic women in AA who admitted to drinking during pregnancy yet their babies did not have FAS. I’ve also known many women who stopped drinking completely while pregnant. Given the still very real stigma on alcoholism, I don’t see why Braunwyn would say she’s an alcoholic if she isn’t. I take her at her word and am glad she is sober now.

I still don’t understand why Bravo sat on this season so long. It has been nearly a year since filming. I would’ve enjoyed this more and found it more interesting and relevant if it aired much earlier. I’ve already grown tired of this beat-down storyline. I noticed Monique couldn’t be bothered to spell Candiace’s name correctly in her email. Was that shade or is she just lazy? As others have speculated, I think something else is going on with Ray and Karen. I wonder if there was more to the blue eyes story. He seems irritated and over her. Weird that they’d show Robyn saying she’s putting marriage on the back burner now and then a preview of Juan getting ready to propose.

Ditto what Kiki and Keywest said. We did see some scenes of her really drunk, flashing her boobs, slurring, etc. There was also footage left out such as the plane scene. Stopping drinking for pregnancies or any periods of times doesn’t mean someone isn’t an alcoholic. It’s what happens when you do drink, how you react to alcohol. It takes a lot to admit you’re an alcoholic. If she is saying that, I believe her.

We saw glimpses of B's drinking last season but it was hard to peg it as alcoholism because so many of these women drink heavily at times. Instead it was edited like she was just cutting loose. I wonder if producers were keeping it quiet as they did with Kim from BH? There are probably a lot of scenes viewers didn't see. It was kind of weird how they revealed it in the first episode. I could see it being a season long arc. In any case, I'm not a fan of hers. I don't find her interesting or authentic. I'm glad they didn't show her husband. I wonder if their marriage will last. Kelly did not look good in her THs. What happened to her hair? Actually, none of them looked great. I guess professional lighting really does make a difference. Surprised and confused they brought Emily back. Not buying the redemption story with her husband. Maybe he's just uncomfortable on camera, but he didn't act like he wanted to kiss her. The guy is awkward in general though, so maybe it has nothing to do with her. I like Shannon and her boyfriend seems great. Good for her!

And the false eyelashes are so obvious! Actually, just about all the women on this show wear them. Am I missing something? Is this the trend now? I don't have any friends who wear them. Can someone please help Gizelle find better wigs? That last one she had on was awful. Same goes for Karen with that blonde monstrosity.

The Bravo overview was good. Gosh, Gizelle and Robyn really went after Monique. Ashley and Karen didn't say much. I wish the host would've brought up the rumors being spread about Monique's marriage though, especially when Candiace was saying she has done absolutely nothing to cause Monique to dislike her. Didn't Candiace reportedly play a role in spreading the rumors or do I have this wrong?

No she didn't. She said Monique has been attacking her character.

Wow! I didn't know that about Chad. What a sicko! Colton needs therapy.

Candiace was on a podcast today describing her version of the winery incident. I posted it in the media thread.

Candiace gives her take on what happened, including saying she (Candiace) was "tipsy" but in a happy way. Also she wishes she hadn't engaged Monique. They haven't spoken at all since the incident. All the Monique stuff is in the first 10 or so minutes.

I heard that too. Also heard that Lisa, Erika, Kyle, Dorit and Garcelle are all coming back. Blogger said they all signed contracts in the past week. Sutton is reportedly coming back as a friend but may be promoted. They also named one new housewife. I can't remember her name but her husband is a studio executive. I really wanted Lisa, Kyle and Erika fired so I will not be watching next season!

I heard on a podcast that Erika has been offered “friend” role next season and is not interested. I haven’t heard anything about Lisa. I hope they both leave but will believe it when I see an announcement.

ITA! She is too unstable. I don't want to watch her get even worse. Dealing with women is hard enough for someone who isn't an addict/alcoholic. It reminds me of many of the scenes when Kim was drunk and/or high, but it wasn't discussed on the show because they were covering it up. It was frustrating as a viewer, because obviously Kim was out of it. Yet everyone talked around it! I remember one scene when she was actually crawling on the floor of a closet or something looking for drugs. There were others of cast members saying Kim seemed off or they were worried about her, etc., while I'm watching yelling at the TV, SHE IS DRUNK! She needs help and to be off this show! And one of the guys she "dated" was sketchy and seemed more like her dealer. Leave Heather alone!

Yes and this isn't really uncommon in marriages. There can be strain in the couple's relationship after the children leave home. I have several friends who actually divorced after many years of marriage after their children went to college. They could no longer really relate as a couple. Karen should try to find a way to get closer to Ray and make him feel he's important to her and not just someone on the back burner while she works on her various projects. Monique may not have been in a blackout but I still believe alcohol contributed to the fight, which may have stopped short of a physical altercation if they hadn't been drinking. I've seen it happen many times. A blogger posted an update showing a picture of Gizelle with her hand on Monique's shoulder. The blogger speculated that Gizelle pushed Monique and Monique thought Candiace had done it, thus prompting Monique to go nuts. I don't really believe this though.

At 8:22 she talks about Mauricio/Kyle rumor.

You can still be very affected by alcohol and not slurring your words. I’ve been around plenty of drunks who didn’t slur or stumble. Her judgment was impaired by the alcohol, which probably contributed to her attacking Candiace. She lost control of herself. Same with Candiace. If she was stone cold sober perhaps she wouldn’t have taunted Monique. There are many stages of impairment that come before you get really sloppy, such as someone has several drinks and thinks they’re fine to drive. Actually, they aren’t, but their impaired judgment tells them they’re fine. Others are lowered defenses, lack of a filter, reckless behavior, etc. If neither of them had been drinking, maybe the fight would never have happened. So many of the altercations on these HW shows are fueled by alcohol. That’s why Bravo keeps the liquor flowing. She also said she “blacked out.” It was probably just an excuse but could also mean she doesn’t remember everything that happened due to how much she had to drink. Someone can be in a blackout and others do not even know it. Whatever the reason, I thought Ray’s statement was hurtful and cold. I don’t blame Karen for crying. If he wanted to skirt around the “in love” question he could’ve said something like, “I love my wife dearly.” He didn’t. He sounded ambivalent and his body language was detached.

Agree. I think she’s using grief to justify her alcohol problem and bad behavior.

Yikes! Those pictures are scary. None of them look very good. I enjoy Sharrell’s updates too. She keeps saying Kathy Hilton is going to be on next season but I haven’t seen it confirmed. I can’t believe Brandi made her sons do that for her. So low!

I wonder if Chris and Monique watched this episode together and what their discussion was like after the show. Probably not good!

I saw Porsha’s attack on Kenya. It was bad but there were a few big differences to me: One, the attack didn’t seem to last as long. It may have been edited that way but it appeared shorter. Producers were able to break it up. Porsha didn’t have the death grip on Kenya that Monique had on Candiace. Two, Porsha was very remorseful and embarrassed right after. I remember her saying, “I can’t believe I did that” or something like that and crying. Conversely, Monique was calm, not remorseful and even tried to justify her behavior, both right after the incident and days later. Three, Porsha seemed hysterical and really emotional whereas Monique had an odd flat effect to their demeanor, which made her behavior even more chilling to me. Not saying emotional is better but it does suggest that she lost control in the heat of the moment. Perhaps it’s the same with Monique but her demeanor was psycho-scary to me. Four, Monique tried to run back to Candiace after she had been pulled off her. Also, Porsha was held accountable for her behavior at least immediately after. She wasn’t on the rest of the reunion shows and wasn’t a cast member at the start of the next season. (I’m watching old episodes on Hulu and haven’t seen past S7, EP1. She wasn’t on the opening credits for that one. She did appear as a friend. Maybe she comes back later. I don’t know.) Monique should be off this show. She is frightening to me. I would not want to film with her at all. And I can’t believe Candiace’s wig didn’t come off! Or is it a weave that’s sewn in? Perhaps that is why. Impressive! I fast-forwarded and missed Gizelle’s Dad’s comments. Will have to go back and watch.

100% agree. Monique was scary. The most striking thing about it to me was how dead-eyed and clam she seemed given the situation. She did not look like someone who had lost control. She looked cold, calculated and determined to get Candiace. I couldn’t believe she went running after her like that! She should be fired. This is ridiculous. And then not to be sorry at all! The way she talked about it really bothered me. Imagine if a man talked like that in explaining why he attacked someone? The person egged him on, so that justifies it? Come on. I wonder how much Monique had to drink too. I could see alcohol spurring her on. Candiace too in terms of the argument. Yes! I fast-forwarded through most of the Giselle stuff. No interest. I feel sorry for Karen. It would be hard to hear your husband say he’s not sure he’s in love with you.

She has beautiful hair! It’s so full. I wondered if it was all hers.