The Real Housewives Of D.C. - General Discussion

[NotChristine]

Bravo is currently airing a marathon of DC.

The Salahis were truly delusional.

[DallasDiva243]

I just started watching and am curious if Linda was so concerned about Michaele (however she spells it) weight, then why not just talk to her about it! I know- rational thinking and it’s the housewives so I’m expecting way too much! I’m also curious to see how the dynamic between stacie and cat will be! On to the second episode! Hope more people join in!!

[LibertarianSlut]

6 hours ago, DallasDiva243 said:

I just started watching and am curious if Linda was so concerned about Michaele (however she spells it) weight, then why not just talk to her about it! I know- rational thinking and it’s the housewives so I’m expecting way too much! I’m also curious to see how the dynamic between stacie and cat will be! On to the second episode! Hope more people join in!!

Why didn’t anyone want to talk to Michaele about anything, is what I’m wondering.  Is she crazy?  Yes.  Is she dangerous?  Highly doubtful.  They agreed to film with her, so...it sucks because no one will ever know if this franchise could have survived if the ladies were willing to interact. 

I’m so glad there’s a place to talk about this!  

This was a really good franchise, and I’m so sad it died.  It’s so much better than Potomac! The women seem smarter than the women on other franchises, and more proper.  They’re sort of what Potomac wishes it was.  

I understand that Michaele was completely off her rocker and fake.  I never really minded her from the safety of my TV screen, but I see where that might take a toll on her co-stars.  I mean, I’m not going to say I don’t take joy in the fake Redskins cheerleader saying, “I’m the prettiest, I’m the hottest, I’m Miss D.C.”  That’s kind of awesome in the balls it takes to say that and mean it, and I’m here for that on my Housewife shows.  

Then I understand that Cat’s marriage imploded pretty much as the season wrapped, and it seemed like she had a lot of problems, so maybe she wouldn’t have wanted to return to the show either.  She was hard to understand and she didn’t bring a great home, and she was kind of a delusional bitch too.  At one point she said that her husband “Charles has bored Obama senseless with chat about me,” so Michaele wasn’t the only one on the cast who talked what was in all likelihood bullshit. 

But, regardless of those two, why couldn’t it go on with Stacie, Mary and Lynda and then just cast some women they know?  They had such better real estate than the ladies of Potomac.  They’re more interesting, there were more connections, etc.  It is like a city mouse vs country mouse kind of thing.  

I only caught the end of the season, and Bravo generally doesn’t rebroadcast the reunions for some reason, so I’m bummed, but for the three episodes I have, it’s really fun.  Maybe it was too good to be true.  Women this high profile (I’m speaking mostly about Stacie and Lynda) probably don’t want to be on reality TV, and maybe it was too much to ask for Bravo to do a major cast shake-up after only one season.  The only franchise that did that was Miami, and look what happened to Miami.  Although I loved Miami.  The next time they play a marathon of that, hopefully I’ll be home from work and we can chat about that too.  

I might need y’all’s help starting a thread about Miami.  I am so impressed and happy that this is here.  Hopefully it’ll catch on.  I still have the finale to watch, so if anything hits me, I’ll be back to yak about the impressions they made on me lol. 

[DallasDiva243]

4 minutes ago, LibertarianSlut said:

Why didn’t anyone want to talk to Michaele about anything, is what I’m wondering.  Is she crazy?  Yes.  Is she dangerous?  Highly doubtful.  They agreed to film with her, so...it sucks because no one will ever know if this franchise could have survived if the ladies were willing to interact. 

I’m so glad there’s a place to talk about this!  

This was a really good franchise, and I’m so sad it died.  It’s so much better than Potomac! The women seem smarter than the women on other franchises, and more proper.  They’re sort of what Potomac wishes it was.  

I understand that Michaele was completely off her rocker and fake.  I never really minded her from the safety of my TV screen, but I see where that might take a toll on her co-stars.  I mean, I’m not going to say I don’t take joy in the fake Redskins cheerleader saying, “I’m the prettiest, I’m the hottest, I’m Miss D.C.”  That’s kind of awesome in the balls it takes to say that and mean it, and I’m here for that on my Housewife shows.  

Then I understand that Cat’s marriage imploded pretty much as the season wrapped, and it seemed like she had a lot of problems, so maybe she wouldn’t have wanted to return to the show either.  She was hard to understand and she didn’t bring a great home, and she was kind of a delusional bitch too.  At one point she said that her husband “Charles has bored Obama senseless with chat about me,” so Michaele wasn’t the only one on the cast who talked what was in all likelihood bullshit. 

But, regardless of those two, why couldn’t it go on with Stacie, Mary and Lynda and then just cast some women they know?  They had such better real estate than the ladies of Potomac.  They’re more interesting, there were more connections, etc.  It is like a city mouse vs country mouse kind of thing.  

I only caught the end of the season, and Bravo generally doesn’t rebroadcast the reunions for some reason, so I’m bummed, but for the three episodes I have, it’s really fun.  Maybe it was too good to be true.  Women this high profile (I’m speaking mostly about Stacie and Lynda) probably don’t want to be on reality TV, and maybe it was too much to ask for Bravo to do a major cast shake-up after only one season.  The only franchise that did that was Miami, and look what happened to Miami.  Although I loved Miami.  The next time they play a marathon of that, hopefully I’ll be home from work and we can chat about that too.  

I might need y’all’s help starting a thread about Miami.  I am so impressed and happy that this is here.  Hopefully it’ll catch on.  I still have the finale to watch, so if anything hits me, I’ll be back to yak about the impressions they made on me lol. 

This is the first time watching the DC ladies! I only had time to watch the first two so I’ll be ready to comment at a later date. I would also love to have the Miami thread! So many things I would like to say in that one!!

[Sun-Bun]

9 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

I only caught the end of the season, and Bravo generally doesn’t rebroadcast the reunions for some reason, so I’m bummed, but for the three episodes I have, it’s really fun.  Maybe it was too good to be true.  Women this high profile (I’m speaking mostly about Stacie and Lynda) probably don’t want to be on reality TV, and maybe it was too much to ask for Bravo to do a major cast shake-up after only one season.

I’m so bummed I wasn’t able to rewatch this show yesterday—I actually watched the entire RHofDC season back when it aired because of The Salahi’s, aka “The White House Crashers”—that was some crazy ballsy shit for a random couple to so brazenly crash a White House event like that, and for Bravo to actually feature those folks on a high profile reality platform like that was just as ballsy.

I honestly doubt that would happen on Bravo today, so that was just an awesomely messy time capsule that I’m surprised Bravo dared to re-air; part of the reason it was so swiftly cancelled was not only the lower ratings, but the stain The Salahi’s left on the show after so brazenly displaying what total con artists they obviously were.

 

And weren’t The Salahi’s fascinating in all their shameless scamming?! Talk about total sociopaths; they were almost a perfect match in all their social-climbing delusions of grandeur, like unlawful versions of Alex & Simon from RHofNYC. The way Taraq(or whatever his weird name was) would “buy” Michaele all those pricy goodies at a time somehow, inviting themselves on a random trip to Paris with one of the other ladies, completely refusing to pay for/promote that random social event/party that their gay friend was heading after they’d repeatedly promised to cohost, the hella awkward cast trip to Taraq’s shady-looking vineyard he either did or didn’t own(it was a really weird trip that spanned several episodes)...I know they had a seriously messy divorce soon afterwards(didn’t she accuse him of abuse?) and Michaele somehow then hastily remarried some guy in a Z-list British pop band or something...

Oh god, and how could we forget the cringeworthy scene of Michaele claiming to be a former Redskins cheerleader before crashing a Redskins cheerleader reunion event and pathetically trying to learn a cheer?! That was the kind of pure, delightful insanity/scamming you typically don’t see Real Housewives pull.

And Michaele did look sickly, scary skinny...she genuinely seemed unhealthy in so many ways, so I can see why the other Housewives wondered about her physical/mental/financial health. Add to that how she seemed SO phoney, always putting on this happy-go-lucky cocktail party vibe at all times...she was as nutty as Kelly Bensimon with the crazy “Hiiiiiiii!” party greetings that Bethenny used to make fun of on RHofNYC. I guess I saw quite a few parallels between that series and this one; the casts just had/have a more intelligent overall core.

 

The other RHof DC were so intelligent and well-spoken though that it was a damned shame that their own stories/status were so overlooked thanks to Michaele’s crazy antics.

And Kat was such a hoot, even if she had some uncomfortable moments as well—I remember her being completely uncomfortable at an all-black family gathering one of the other ladies hosted and I was so appalled at how obvious she was about it. But I did appreciate her otherwise liberal/firmly left Democratic stance, and the scene where she totally decimated some idiot republican lobbyist lady she met as they discussed politics. It was so damned refreshing to see Real Housewives who gave a shit about politics; now and then you used to see it on RHofNYC(not so much now that Carole left).

 

And I don’t even think this series got a reunion? I honestly don’t remember one airing, or if there was one, it was maybe one episode at best. I wish they’d at least given this series another shot like Miami got; I think current RH audiences are far more open to watching other cities than they used to be. 
 

 

Edited May 23, 2020 by Sun-Bun

[LibertarianSlut]

7 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

And I don’t even think this series got a reunion? I honestly don’t remember one airing, or if there was one, it was maybe one episode at best.

There was a reunion, and it was two parts!  Stacie got stuck sitting next to Michaele lol, and they brought out the husbands, which was good.  I’m sorry we both missed it!  If I can find it streaming anywhere, I’ll post it.  

As far as the politics, I was glad they got into some intense discussions, but I was overall put off by how there seemed to be only one “correct” viewpoint and it appeared that Stacie and Jason got railroaded into toeing the party line, which is everything I’m against.  

Wow, I just watched the finale, and I have such a different perspective of what I thought I was going to have!  The Salahis didn’t crash the White House, OMG.  They were allowed into the party at every step of the way.  If someone was to be blamed, it was the security, Secret Service, whomever’s job it was to keep people without invitations out.  They were never a threat to the country.  The threat to the country was the fact that the White House was just letting people in, good golly!  I don’t know who leaked it to the press that this happened (Bravo?), but the Salahis may have done the White House a favor by showing them how woefully inadequate its security was.  They were like secret shoppers.  

The fact that they weren’t charged with anything, but just scolded in front of Congress was probably the most disgusting thing.  If they committed a crime, put them before a jury.  If the government can’t sort its shit out, that’s on the government IMO.  This all felt very un-American; like it was happening in a banana republic of some sort.  

The other women (save Stacie) appeared very jealous and ugly.  They were gleefully cackling when Tareq and Michaela were being questioned on C-SPAN, and Lynda said that Michaele needed to take out her extensions, wipe off her makeup and get a job.  

Why can’t a woman have hair extensions and wear makeup and have a job?  I think this was a case of a shorter, pear-shaped woman in her fifties who had her sights set on a tall, thin, beautiful blonde in her forties.  Michaela was crazy; I said this in my first post, but I just don’t see how Michaela was hurting Lynda.  Screw Lynda.  Freaking busybody.  And screw Cat for being awful to the Salahis in Stacie and Jason’s home when they specifically asked her not to.  

I think Stacie and Jason were very good and very kind to the Salahis in their home, and managed to ask pointed questions.  They didn’t get anywhere, but they also came away from the show looking very dignified and like people who don’t kick you when you’re down.  I would want to be their friends.  After this last episode, I can’t really say that about too many other people on the show. 

I still think there should have had subsequent seasons.  I still would have watched (and probably enjoyed) the women.  Maybe they should have just fired everyone and built up a new franchise around Stacie. I just think that, as crazy as Michaela was, the mistake of Lynda, Cat, and Mary was to stoop to her level in various ways.  Mary made sure it never left our collective consciousness that Michaela had been working at a Trish McEvoy at sometime in the nineties.  Is that somehow scandalous?  She said it like Michaela had been hooking on the corner.  The fact that Mary “I don’t make money, I spend money” Amons thought this was something to share at every turn says more to me about Mary than it does Michaela or anyone else.

I love their tag-teaming bullshit.  If Michaela has a job, she is ridiculed by Mary.  If Michaela doesn’t have a job, she is ridiculed by Lynda.  With friends like these...

Last time I watched this, when it first aired, I felt the same way I do now, but in the ten years that have passed, I told myself that I had gotten it mixed up.  But ten years later, I’m still not quite sure what happened, but there is no evidence that the Salahis crashed any gates and I think they made for a really strange target (not by their co-stars, in this instance, but by the government).  I would have liked to see more of the hearings on C-SPAN, and not just the people who held what appeared to be Bravo’s viewpoint.  I have a feeling there was a lot more to that story.  I love Mary’s outrage that people who hadn’t been doing their jobs may have lost their jobs.  That tends to be how it works, Mare.

[laffytaffy997]

On 5/23/2020 at 8:29 AM, Sun-Bun said:

...I know they had a seriously messy divorce soon afterwards(didn’t she accuse him of abuse?) and Michaele somehow then hastily remarried some guy in a Z-list British pop band or something...

She actually married Neal Schon, the guitarist from Journey

[DallasDiva243]

I finally finished the season! Just a few thoughts: 

Stacie is the only one I truly liked all the way through the series. She was genuine and smart and gorgeous and didn’t fall into the mean girl behavior that Mary, Cat and Lynda tried to pull her in to. I loved her story of being adopted and trying to find her biological father and am so happy for her that she was able to connect with him! Her husband was so supportive and had some of the best one liners! 
 

Mary was kind of a non-entity during this season to me. Her main plot line was being annoyed with her daughter for stealing her clothes and locking her closet door. I did feel she wanted to be friends with her daughter instead of a mom and hated the conversation with her husband and daughter where she basically said she was going to enable her daughter because her family was so supportive when she was young and pregnant. Her husband was right when asking what her plan was and trying to figure out her future. 
 

Lynda had some really good moments but then she would turn into the worst mean girl. Gloating that she was going to have security throw Michaele out if she tried to come to her party was the worst. And the hate watch of the trial with her, Mary and Cat really was unnecessary. They showed fake concern for Michaele and then just turned their backs on her. I understand what Michaele and her husband did was wrong and I really didn’t like them on the show but Stacie was the only one who was there for her. 
 

Cat was so obnoxious. I could not listen to her voice. It just grated on my nerves and I found myself wanting to ff through her segments. I felt she complained about every event and would make some nasty comment and then act like the victim when someone called her out. 
 

Michaele was the one I wanted to like and was so great in the beginning. I don’t know what was true or false with her and her annoying husband. I liked her when she was not around him. I’m curious if anyone has any information on her being a “fake cheerleader”. That whole story line surprised me because she seemed to know the girls. Maybe I’m naive?? I did think her dress for the White House dinner was beautiful!! 
 

So to complete this- I wish there would have been more seasons. Get rid of Cat and Michaele for sure. I could honestly do without Mary as well. I liked Lynda enough and felt she brought some great ideas and energy to the show but cut down on the mean girl side! Stacie was the shining star and I would have loved to see the family reunion!!!!

[Hiyo]

Quote

The way Taraq(or whatever his weird name was)

His name wasn't weird, his father was Arab. Our names are weird now? Ffs...

This show definitely deserved another chance. My "What they should have done for season 2" plan would have been dump Michaele, demote Cat to a "Friend of" (as much as I ended up enjoying her, I felt she would work out better in that role), bring in two new HWs, and go from there.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Hiyo

[AKA...CJ86]

On 5/23/2020 at 1:49 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

The other women (save Stacie) appeared very jealous and ugly.  They were gleefully cackling when Tareq and Michaela were being questioned on C-SPAN, and Lynda said that Michaele needed to take out her extensions, wipe off her makeup and get a job.  

Why can’t a woman have hair extensions and wear makeup and have a job?  I think this was a case of a shorter, pear-shaped woman in her fifties who had her sights set on a tall, thin, beautiful blonde in her forties.  Michaela was crazy; I said this in my first post, but I just don’t see how Michaela was hurting Lynda.  Screw Lynda.  Freaking busybody.  And screw Cat for being awful to the Salahis in Stacie and Jason’s home when they specifically asked her not to.  

Lynda had a lot of vitriol towards the Salahis. I always liked her, still do, but I'm glad she said she handled the Salahis wrong (especially her glee watching their interview).

I do recall though, and this was years ago (but a few years after the season aired), but it was said in a blog somewhere, it seemed like Lynda and Michaele may have been friends at some point, but she was also involved in one of the functions (I want to say it was their Polo Cup?) the Salahis ran that ran into many issues.

And if I can find it, I'll link it, but the videos are probably a few years back, but a youtuber did a mini-reunion with the housewives (minus Michaele and Kat). It was a nice catch up.

Still one of my favorites even though I didn't get to see it until after it aired.

Edited November 18, 2021 by AKA...CJ86

[Arynm]

I watched this when it first came out and now that it is streaming on Peacock I am having a nice binge. I am about halfway through and I think I hate most of these ladies.

Cat is absolutely horrible, she has nothing nice to say about anyone or anything, she should not be treating her 11 year old daughter as her confidante. She is a classic can dish it out but can't take it.

Lynda is ok, but get her around Cat and Mary and she turns into the worst version of herself. I think she is a bit jealous of Michaele.

Mary looks like she is always drunk and the whole coddling her daughter Lolly who is freeloading and stealing her stuff is giving total pushover vibes. I kept getting the feeling that Lolly was taking her stuff and selling it, there were some hints in there. I also didn't understand the Lolly and the stolen polo cups stuff? There were pics on facebook with her in the stuff? That kind of just died so I was left wondering.

Michaele. I don't even know where to tart with her. She seems like a fun bubbly lady, but she can get her point across and tell the other ladies when she has something to say. I think Tareq is the grifter and Michaele is along for the ride. She sure dumped him quick when she could and traded up. Looks like she is happy now so good for her.

Stacie was mostly great but her stance on marriage is only between a man and a women aged terribly. I was surprised she took that stand on camera, maybe it was based on religion. I wonder if they still feel that way?

Stacie is the only one that is still married and you can tell that they are the only ones that really like each other even as the show was filming.

Can't wait to see the state dinner episode, I thought they were invited by the Ambassador to India that was why she was dressed in a Sari. The Secret service messed up royally.

ETA: The best housewife hands down was Paul. He was the classiest, most human of them all. He is the only one who realized that Michaele is his friend and didn't drop her because of this and had a little compassion. He is a class act.

Edited April 23 by Arynm

[pasdetrois]

Recently the Washington Post had an article about the demise of RHoDC. Andy Cohen claimed that he fought hard for a second season, but the Salahi transgressions at the White House dominated the show and media too much. The reporter also made the comment that many posters have made in these forums: the dominant business in DC is politics and government and the DC elite are loath to go on camera and make fools of themselves. (I know, the joke could write itself.)

I have wondered if, in its efforts to shore up the Housewives brand, Bravo would revisit DC. Could be it's too similar and too close to "Potomac." (Whic)h isn't about Potomac)

Edited April 26 by pasdetrois

[heatherchandler]

On 4/23/2024 at 11:01 AM, Arynm said:

I watched this when it first came out and now that it is streaming on Peacock I am having a nice binge. I am about halfway through and I think I hate most of these ladies.

 

I hate them ALL!

Watching this again since it’s on peacock.. Honestly as slimy as Michaele and Tarik are, they didn’t do anything illegal to get into the party at the White House.  Like @LibertarianSlut pointed out, they kept getting let in!  The security people were not very good at their jobs.

 

[Palimelon]

Quote

I have wondered if, in its efforts to shore up the Housewives brand, Bravo would revisit DC. Could be it's too similar and too close to "Potomac." (Whic)h isn't about Potomac)

I think Potomac is pretty much the reboot of this show in all but name.