S12.E09: Hurricane Leah

[TzuShih]

On 5/28/2020 at 9:48 PM, nexxie said:

Another wasted dinner in another gorgeous setting. Bravo’s business model - hiring women with personality orders and/or addictions - worked double with Leah. Seems really exploitative in this case.

Admittedly, I am not privy to any 'behind the scenes' of Bravo's & Andy Cohen's casting for their "Housewives" series.  I've only watched RHONY - (as a NY-er, it's fer shure a guilty pleasure) --  BUT I have taken great offence this season at the show's 'toying' with Leah's real life...and her (confessed) fight to stay sober.  Bravo has taken a vulnerable  woman with a pre-teen daughter and made her a "star" in her very own real-life disaster. (Maybe she was able to keep these episodes 'unseen' by her daughter, but surely the pre-teen's friends haven't miss a week!)  I've read that Andy Cohen has been fighting the accusation of "misogynist" for the last couple of years.  I'll now take it further and say his desire to humiliate women (and in some cases, it seems, destroy their very selves) has finally turned me off as a viewer.  Yes, Andy, you've ultimately shocked me and BORED me, and I only wish you'd stay around to pick up the pieces of those women whose lives you & Bravo have wrecked.  (And NO! - their bits of 'star-time' on What Happens Live does NOT make it all better.)

[ShawnaLanne]

9 minutes ago, TzuShih said:

Admittedly, I am not privy to any 'behind the scenes' of Bravo's & Andy Cohen's casting for their "Housewives" series.  I've only watched RHONY - (as a NY-er, it's fer shure a guilty pleasure) --  BUT I have taken great offence this season at the show's 'toying' with Leah's real life...and her (confessed) fight to stay sober.  Bravo has taken a vulnerable  woman with a pre-teen daughter and made her a "star" in her very own real-life disaster. (Maybe she was able to keep these episodes 'unseen' by her daughter, but surely the pre-teen's friends haven't miss a week!)  I've read that Andy Cohen has been fighting the accusation of "misogynist" for the last couple of years.  I'll now take it further and say his desire to humiliate women (and in some cases, it seems, destroy their very selves) has finally turned me off as a viewer.  Yes, Andy, you've ultimately shocked me and BORED me, and I only wish you'd stay around to pick up the pieces of those women whose lives you & Bravo have wrecked.  (And NO! - their bits of 'star-time' on What Happens Live does NOT make it all better.)

I agree Bravo is evil and disgusting. But what is happening with Leah is on Leah. Period. 

[pieinmyeye]

On 5/29/2020 at 7:12 AM, Angel pie said:

She was acting just like a 2 year old needing a nap. Wouldn't it have been fun to see Bethany react to her tantrum?

Oh, how I wish!

[howiveaddict]

 

Count me in on one who likes Elyse. She seems to be the voice of reason on this show.  Loved her imitation.

I would love to have Betheny reacting to Leah's tantrum.  I have never seen an adult act like that in my life.  '

Off topic, but I couldn't believe Anderson Cooper and Satan Andy both didn't know Florida was in two time zones.  Especially Anderson since he is a news reporter.  And he graduated from Yale.

[chewycandy]

On 5/29/2020 at 7:30 PM, Silver Bells said:

They all came from nothing.  A nurse, a hostess, a realtor, Ramoaner was poor before marrying, Bethenny was dirt poor until she worked hard then became a business woman.

Didn’t Ramona buy her Hamptons house before marrying? And Beth went to private boarding schools and such...her father was a renowned horse trainer. 
 

Tinsley literally got out of the car with her own pillows when she went to stay at Sonja’s townhouse in her first season. So rude of Lu to tell her she was a child for bringing them. 
 

Not interested at all in seeing Sarah McSweeney next week...because we’ve seen her already. lol, I’m agreeing with Ramona :0

Just now, chewycandy said:

Edited May 31, 2020 by chewycandy

[Diane Mars]

Regarding Leah, I really think that this article, posted earlier, is a must-read, as it give more "sense" to what we saw : https://hypebae.com/2016/8/leah-mcsweeney-bipolar-mental-health

My ex-neighbour (the flat under mine) was suffering of the same mental illness. She told me that the most difficult thing is to stay ON your meds, because she was SO missing the "up" period, that, sometimes, she went off of them and... I knew it, because she was euphoric for a few days, and, after that, I witnessed kinda same scenes that we were served during this episode. [ETA : and yes, like Leah, she also did drugs, went to rehab, mental illness facilities, etc...]

And I'll add that the other HW are probably aware of her condition, and that explain why there were kinda... stoic (?) + that can also explain why Leah WANTED her sister here (as a support ? once again, read the link, because, for me, it all ties together)

Edited May 31, 2020 by Diane Mars

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Diane Mars said:

Regarding Leah, I really think that this article, posted earlier, is a must-read, as it give more "sense" to what we saw

That explains a lot, as many of us felt that it wasn't simply the booze making her act that way.  Being on this show isn't good for her.  I hope she makes it through the rest of the season in tact.  I wish her the best.  

[Hangin Out]

10 hours ago, JD5166 said:

I just watched this shitshow a second time, why? I do not know. I was not AS freaked out by Leah this time because part of me think she she was faking it....her behavior was still despicable. I also told my fiend if I ever behave that way to stage an intervention, because I know I’ve certainly acted up while drunk, just HOPEFULLY not as bad as Leah!!

I like Elise, and her moment with the construction workers certainly hit home for me! I hated the cat calling, until it stopped. LOL also she’s too reasonable, I guess we know why she’s not received her Apple. She’s absolutely right about Leah’s behavior, men like crazy in bed but they aren’t going to marry them. 

Hahaha ...I could just picture her crazy in bed.  She’d probably scare the hell outof the guy tearing the whole room up like a wild animal, lol.  I’ll bet her daughters father is in fear of her with the child.  Some people just go to sleep when drunk, some belittle like Dorinda, but this one goes absolutely ape shit.

[Hangin Out]

16 hours ago, Sheenieb said:

Exactly. Dorinda doesn't like Tinsley for... reasons. Tinsley needs to treat Dorinda like the co-worker she is and ignore her. None of this trying to reason with her bullshit. She tried twice, she was rejected twice. Time to call it.

I think Leah was legitimately drunk, but she was also putting on at times. She got that trashed after a double shot of vodka? Girl, please. She was embarrassing, and I hope Bravo paid the staff nicely for putting up with those antics. If it were me, I would've ate my lobster and ignored Leah. Let her perform for those who need the entertainment.

I was surprised that they ate outside considering how cold it was. Ramona had on a heavy-ass jacket, so their food must've gotten cold quickly.

Neither Leah or Pita guy are winners, but her going from 0 to 100 on him was all sorts of crazy. Reminds me of the nonsense she pulled with Michael Che.

It's a shame that everyone on the show is scared of Dorinda. I remember when she went to Puerto Rico with Bethenny, got drunk, and embarrassed herself at dinner with Bethenney's colleague. Beth called her a drunk, but she walked it back the next day. She should've stood tall and stood by what she said. This is why Dorinda continues to behave the way she does. They all enable her shitty behavior because they're scared of her.

Well, then they should just ignore her.  Maybe then she will realize she’s doing something wrong.   What is wrong with these women.  Dorinda says vile things to Tinsley, and they go and hug and kiss Dorinda like she is right to say those things.  Unless it’s all scripted.  Whichever it is, it’s disgusting to watch.  A perfectly nice girl getting beaten down by a vile woman who wants to be young again, JUST LIKE TINSLEY.  Young and beautiful and RICH.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Silver Bells

[Midnight Cheese]

I rewatched and didn’t see any tears on Leah’s face, but she was so obnoxious, entitled, disruptive, flinty and defensive. Just awful. Her dry-eyed performance made it worse, ultimately.

Elyse said some facially reasonable things - and has a spot-on Dorinda impersonation tucked into one of her dozen Canadian tuxedo pockets - but she is IMO a much more awkward fit than Barbara with this crew. She doesn’t seem funny and she seems very worried about how she comes across, which is interesting or funny if you see the coverage she’s received in Page 6. And I’m sorrrrrey (Ben Mandelker’s Ramona voice) but her style is terrible! That 90s prom dress in her confessionals! She’s shacked up with some bigly criminal financiers, why am I seeing Mandees on my tv?

There is nothing interesting about LuAnn as a cast mate - again just IMO. I don’t find her funny or charming and I’d wish she’d shut the fuck up about Dimsdale’s voice, with her bitchy baritone and Jovani and fuck marry kill inanity. So boring. Chick is boring.

I don’t want to see Ramona lose bowel control next week and I wish Leah wasn’t already sharing that publicly. So unnecessary. I also think Avery needs to check herself if she’s making slick tweets, however justified she feels. I’d hope all the wives not named Zolciak-Biermann would do everything possible to keep their kids, including their grown kids, from making any comment ever in public about this kind of crap..

It is perhaps hardest to watch Dorinda thinking she’s slick with her treatment of Tinsley and her eagerness to see Leah detonate. It’s pathetic and though now expected, is still disappointing. 

Does Sonja know we don’t technically hibernate like bears, so that stuffing everyone’s lobster into herself won’t keep her full and satisfied unt 2021? Hm.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Midnight Cheese

[Hangin Out]

Watching for the second time.  Dorinda on the talking heads says what’s wrong with everyone in detail.  All negative things.  Doesn’t she realize that she is all these bad things that she is saying about the others?  I’d rather have ten of Leah than one of Dorinda who’s always preaching about the others.  Also, she should get rid of all those stretch pants she always wears.  Just threw that in.

 

[Baltimore Betty]

Interesting that Leah referred to her latest guy as "Pita Chip,"  I have been rewatching 30 Rock and Liz Lemon referred to some guy she dated as Pita Chip.  Is that thing we call guys or something?  

[Emmeline]

Dorinda is so profound:

”I eat what I think.  I think what I live.”

 

[sasha206]

On 5/31/2020 at 11:56 AM, Baltimore Betty said:

Interesting that Leah referred to her latest guy as "Pita Chip,"  I have been rewatching 30 Rock and Liz Lemon referred to some guy she dated as Pita Chip.  Is that thing we call guys or something?  

Ha, I think he owns a pita chip business!

Oh, he's also Jewish.  Last episode she talked about she can't help it.  She loves Jews.  [Her words, not mine!]

Edited June 4, 2020 by sasha206

[Chicklet]

Leah is just another flavor of Dorinda. Her barely concealed aggression and inability to ever color inside the lines is pretty disturbing. It's not freeing to scream and run around screeching like a banshee, it's petulant child behavior. And I still think she was half-drunk and half-pretend drunk in Newport.

And Midnight Cheese thank you for bringing up Elyse (I can't be bothered to figure out how she spells that) who really has had some questionable relationships with really bad dudes. Not sure she's a role model for anyone. Maybe she doesn't scream or get roaring drunk, but that's the only thing in her favor. I have to wonder what her financial situation really is like. 

[Kiki777]

1 hour ago, Emmeline said:

Dorinda is so profound:

”I eat what I think.  I think what I live.”

 

And basically, she is saving she lives alcohol.  Heh.

[goofygirl]

"I am, therefore.... I AM AN ASS!" - Dorinda Medley 2020

[CharlizeCat]

It's pretty telling when somebody talks about how she often wakes up feeling, "Guilty, ashamed and embarrassed," like Dorinda did in one of her THs. Anybody who has a moderate responsible relationship with alcohol wouldn't be making a statement like that. 

I'll bet she frantically checks her SM feeds every morning to see what types of drunken posts or tweets she's made or texts she's sent.

I can't add anything more to what everybody has said about Leah's behavior. Un-f***-ing  believable!  Part of me thinks that Leah is trying to fill Bethenny's shoes with the meltdowns and tantrums, but she's set the volume to like 1,000 and I don't ever recall B being that drunk and out of control. Out of control, yes, but nothing near Leah's level.

Ramona didn't seem so drunk that she was blacked out, whereas, Leah was. I think that the girls took Ramona saying she "blocked it out," put their own validating spin on in and ran with it.

 

 

 

 

[Pondlass1]

I guess the bar has to drop lower so Bravo ratings can rise higher, but this show is becoming no fun to watch. I preferred the olden days when I could giggle as they ran about like squealing schoolgirls desperate to tag the best room in the hotel. 

There has to be fights and drama... I get it.  But not ALL THE TIME surely? It’s exhausting.

I don’t think Leah was overly drunk during sister-gate or even tiki-gate ... where she managed a perfect coordinated dive into the pool.  I do believe she has mental issues which affect her self control. Maybe one or two drinks set her off? But falling into the bushes drunk she was not.  I like falling into the bushes drunk...what I don’t like is nasty bullying drunk a la Leah and her gangsta pal Dorinda.

 

[Sweet-tea]

Quote

The most abnormal thing about this all was how normally everyone was taking this.  This is beyond the theatre of the absurd.  I don’t think placating her was the answer.  Let her leave!  What, is she going to shut down production singlehandedly and the cameras are going to leave?  I felt like I was taking crazy pills when they didn’t take the first opportunity they had to get rid of her.  

Definitely broke the fourth wall for me, because if this wasn't being filmed for a TV show it wouldn't have continued. Her behavior wouldn't have been tolerated for long. 

Quote

Gee, I can't imagine why Leah's mom would be upset she has started drinking again.  Yikes.

ITA!

Quote

Leah is a disaster, but having her meltdown start with the ongoing (temporary, I assume) Dorinda/Tinsley makeup conversation while Lu tries to summon everyone back to the table is cracking me up.

It stuck me more as Tinsley’s desperate, pathetic attempt to kiss up to Dorinda to get her to like her (includiing begging for a hug, yuck) than a make-up conversation. It was difficult to watch. I wish Tinsley had more self-respect.

Quote

If Dorinda wasn't such a narcissist, she would recognize that admitting that she's woken up "many times" feeling horrible after a night of drinking means she has a problem. But no, she sees it as a badge of honor.  

Exactly. She doesn’t want to admit she has a drinking problem. She defends Leah because acknowledging Leah's drinking problem would make her think about her own issue. Dorinda's "judgment-free zone" comment was laughable and transparent. 

Also, the manipulative behavior I've seen from Dorinda and Leah (and sometimes from Sonja too) is classic alcoholic behavior. 

I watch several of the Housewives shows. Many of the women drink too much on occasion, but there are more people on NYC with serious alcohol problems than I've seen on the other shows. It's not entertaining to watch this. It's sad. It makes me question Andy Cohen's agenda. This is playing like exploitation to me. 

I've been watching the first three seasons of NJ and have been struck by how tame the drinking from the women is compared to the last few seasons of NYC (although Joe G was frequently hammered). Same applies to S1 and S2 of Potomac. 

 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Sweet-tea

[LibertarianSlut]

6 hours ago, sasha206 said:

Ha, I think he owns a pita chip business!

Oh, he's also Jewish.  Last episode she talked about she can't help it.  She loves Jews.  

Oh, and let’s not forget Leah telling her sister a mile a minute how she doesn’t like hot guys, she likes ugly guys.  

If that were coming from anyone but Leah, I would get what she was saying.  I don’t know about loving ugly guys per se, but I think a lot of guys who think they are great looking seem to think they can do whatever they want, which isn’t appealing to me.  In season two (?), Bethenny told Jill that good looking guys have fewer issues than non-good looking guys, because the non-good looking guys never got attention in their youth, and now they have a chip on their shoulders and are trying to prove something and Jill laughed and said she had been out of the dating game so long that she never observed these things. Fair enough.  At least it was a cogent exchange of ideas.  

Leah’s rapid-fire, pressured speech, nonstop talking about Pita Guy to the point that I literally couldn’t understand her words makes me want to disagree with everything she said, even if I kind of got what she was saying.  

I also think the way Leah speaks when she’s sober is reminiscent of the way Bethenny acted when she came back to the show.  I was just watching Bethenny’s birthday episode in season seven, and she was pushing fun (!!!) so aggressively, that it was nauseating. Everyone!  Must!  Dance!  On!  The!  Table!  And Bethenny literally couldn’t finish her sentences because so much was going on in her brain that she was talking over herself.  At one point my husband heard it and he was like, “What??”  So, every time I am tempted to say things were better under Bethenny, I watch one of her re-appearance episodes and I’m disabused of that thought.  

[Hangin Out]

2 hours ago, Sweet-tea said:

 

  Quote

The most abnormal thing about this all was how normally everyone was taking this.  This is beyond the theatre of the absurd.  I don’t think placating her was the answer.  Let her leave!  What, is she going to shut down production singlehandedly and the cameras are going to leave?  I felt like I was taking crazy pills when they didn’t take the first opportunity they had to get rid of her.  

Definitely broke the fourth wall for me, because if this wasn't being filmed for a TV show it wouldn't have continued. Her behavior wouldn't have been tolerated for long. 

  Quote

Gee, I can't imagine why Leah's mom would be upset she has started drinking again.  Yikes.

ITA!

  Quote

Leah is a disaster, but having her meltdown start with the ongoing (temporary, I assume) Dorinda/Tinsley makeup conversation while Lu tries to summon everyone back to the table is cracking me up.

It stuck me more as Tinsley’s desperate, pathetic attempt to kiss up to Dorinda to get her to like her (includiing begging for a hug, yuck) than a make-up conversation. It was difficult to watch. I wish Tinsley had more self-respect.

 

 

That scene killed me.  Tinsley begging for a kiss from her abuser.  Sometimes in life there will be a person that will try to abuse you with words.  She still has a lot to learn at 43.  Ignoring Dorinda would be best.  Tinsley is still a child.

[LibertarianSlut]

13 hours ago, Diane Mars said:

Regarding Leah, I really think that this article, posted earlier, is a must-read, as it give more "sense" to what we saw : https://hypebae.com/2016/8/leah-mcsweeney-bipolar-mental-health

Ugh, if I didn’t hate her before reading this navel-gazing garbage, I hate her now.  I can completely understand why her mom is drawing a strong boundary now.  I also noted that she said she did a lot of drugs as a teen, and she seemed to imply that there was at least a possibility the drug use predated the mental illness.

I don’t know very much about mental health, but how was what Leah is describing bipolar II and not bipolar I?

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, Silver Bells said:

She still has a lot to learn at 43.  Ignoring Dorinda would be best.  Tinsley is still a child.

I don't think she's a child.  I see her as someone who has a very difficult time standing up for herself.  If you've been a doormat your whole life, it's very hard to get past your own self-esteem issues and make your voice heard.  Tinsley has practically groveled at Dorinda's feet, and Dorinda is still an ass to her.  She's simply not worth the effort.  I hope that Tinsley will ignore her from this point on too.  

[TzuShih]

13 hours ago, Diane Mars said:

Regarding Leah, I really think that this article, posted earlier, is a must-read, as it give more "sense" to what we saw : https://hypebae.com/2016/8/leah-mcsweeney-bipolar-mental-health

My ex-neighbour (the flat under mine) was suffering of the same mental illness. She told me that the most difficult thing is to stay ON your meds, because she was SO missing the "up" period, that, sometimes, she went off of them and... I knew it, because she was euphoric for a few days, and, after that, I witnessed kinda same scenes that we were served during this episode. [ETA : and yes, like Leah, she also did drugs, went to rehab, mental illness facilities, etc...]

And I'll add that the other HW are probably aware of her condition, and that explain why there were kinda... stoic (?) + that can also explain why Leah WANTED her sister here (as a support ? once again, read the link, because, for me, it all ties together)

Thanks so much Diane Mars for uncovering this explanation/confession shared by Leah, 4 years ago, re her Bipolar condition.  This definitely helps to better understand her erratic behavior. I know Depression, and I also have a close friend who was diagnosed with a Bipolar disorder. That manic energy is such a 'high' and, apparently, those dealing with this altered 'brain chemistry' find it hard when medication eliminates that ability to 'soar.'  The downside, the Depression, is what ultimately drives them to seek medical intervention.  It's not unknown for people at that stage to commit suicide.  My mother had a friend who'd dealt with manic depression all of her life (before the disorder was even recognized)....and she finally took her life in her 60's.  As so often happens, her friends were shocked -- "but she was so happy, so funny" -- most of them unaware that she 'popped up' in their lives only when she was manic.

Thanks again, Diane, for 'tying some loose ends together' re Leah's behavior. (And I still hold the producers at least somewhat responsible for putting a woman struggling with both mood disorders and alcohol in the midst of a show that gets its ratings from women, plied weekly, with drunken party after party after party after party...

[Anonysaurus]

2 hours ago, LibertarianSlut said:

So, every time I am tempted to say things were better under Bethenny, I watch one of her re-appearance episodes and I’m disabused of that thought.  

Agree with this so hard. Everyone saying B would keep Leah in check -- uh, no, not really. She didn't keep KKB in check on Scary Island (surprisingly enough, that ended up being Sonja) and has been down in the gutter with Sonja, Ramona, and Luann multiple times. It's just rose-colored glasses with the B love, I think.

[JD5166]

This is from next week so I’m making it a spoiler: 

 

Spoiler

The guy in the restaurant giving the side eye with his white sweater tied around his shoulders holding a martini is my most favorite character ever to appear. Lol

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by JD5166

[Diane Mars]

7 hours ago, TzuShih said:

Thanks so much Diane Mars for uncovering this explanation/confession shared by Leah, 4 years ago, re her Bipolar condition.  This definitely helps to better understand her erratic behavior. I know Depression, and I also have a close friend who was diagnosed with a Bipolar disorder. That manic energy is such a 'high' and, apparently, those dealing with this altered 'brain chemistry' find it hard when medication eliminates that ability to 'soar.'  The downside, the Depression, is what ultimately drives them to seek medical intervention.  It's not unknown for people at that stage to commit suicide.  My mother had a friend who'd dealt with manic depression all of her life (before the disorder was even recognized)....and she finally took her life in her 60's.  As so often happens, her friends were shocked -- "but she was so happy, so funny" -- most of them unaware that she 'popped up' in their lives only when she was manic.

Thanks again, Diane, for 'tying some loose ends together' re Leah's behavior. (And I still hold the producers at least somewhat responsible for putting a woman struggling with both mood disorders and alcohol in the midst of a show that gets its ratings from women, plied weekly, with drunken party after party after party after party...

Thanks. But I am not the original poster of this link. I don't remember who it was, hence the reason I haven't mentioned its name, but I read it and I really thought it was important to repost it, because a lot of people didn't noticed it at first.

[Kerrey92]

My problem with Leah, and it's similar to the problem I had with Bethenney, is that she sucks the energy out of every room she's in and makes EVERYTHING about her.  She is exhausting and I am not really enjoying her which is a bummer because I really wanted to like her!

She should be embarrassed by her behavior at the dinner.  Not because she was out of control drunk because she was but because she was so manipulative.  Anger, tears, threatening to leave..it was all a big ploy to make people bend to her way.  She's a grown ass woman and that was awful.

I do love the drunken antics of the other Housewives.  They can be quite amusing.  This lady isn't amusing!

[sasha206]

I obviously need to read the article, but I find Leah to be the person that is always looking/acting for something that makes her seem "complex."  Some people think "complex" equals "interesting."   She also seems to want to be "gansta" as well.  

[CharlizeCat]

I am curious to see how Leah behaves if/when her sister shows up with the getting shit-faced and acting out.  And ITA that is was totally rude of her to want to bring a guest along. 

[geauxaway]

28 minutes ago, CharlizeCat said:

I am curious to see how Leah behaves if/when her sister shows up with the getting shit-faced and acting out.  And ITA that is was totally rude of her to want to bring a guest along. 

I am too, but I don’t have much faith considering how her sister is defending her on Twitter.  

[The Ringo Kidd]

Will Sonja molest Leah’s sister too?

[Diane Mars]

1 hour ago, geauxaway said:

I am too, but I don’t have much faith considering how her sister is defending her on Twitter.  

Read the article. It really gives another way to read what happened.

[ladle]

I realize this is like the least important thing happening in the world right now, but I’m just getting to this episode now and it was fucking rude of Leah to keep pushing to bring her sister on Ramona’s trip. 

[Hangin Out]

On 5/31/2020 at 12:07 AM, chewycandy said:

went to private boarding schools and such...her father was a renowned horse trainer. 

Ramona worked and bought her own house before marrying.  Bethenny went out on her own in the city and could barely pay her rent until she sold cupcakes and went on from there.  There were times when she was close with her parents and then not close.

[mostlylurking]

I think it’s very normal to bring your own pillow when going somewhere.  I don’t bring sheets, but my face isn’t laying on the sheets. Plus my pillow is way more comfy than hotel/ other people’s pillows.
Dorinda didn’t deserve an apology from Tinsley but it just reiterated that Tinsley is in a completely different class than these other bitches. 
Completely over Leah. She’s a crazy destructive drunk. She tried to act all street when she’s actually a rich kid from Connecticut. Nothing about her feels authentic at all. 

[Otherkate]

The combo of Leah + Dorinda is sucking the oxygen out of this show. 

I understand that Leah may have some mental health issues, but I don't want to see any of it play out. The world is so messed up and I need this show to be an escape, not to depress the ever loving fuck out of me. NYC has always been the funniest of the franchises, mostly due to actual wit and that is pretty much entirely gone this year. I've tossed Vanderpump already and am close to doing the same here. Who needs it.

[Happy Camper]

13 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

I think it’s very normal to bring your own pillow when going somewhere.

I do as well. I don't want to drool on a strange pillow.

[OldButHappy]

On 5/31/2020 at 9:56 AM, Silver Bells said:

They all enable her shitty behavior because they're scared of her.

IMHO, I think that, more than being scared of Dorinda, they are scared of looking at their own alcohol dependence and scared of being the "hated housewife".  Leaving Dorinda to it maintains a status quo and allows them to continue their own  bad behaviors without being in the spotlight.

On 5/31/2020 at 8:46 PM, TzuShih said:

As so often happens, her friends were shocked -- "but she was so happy, so funny" -- most of them unaware that she 'popped up' in their lives only when she was manic.

I used to be surprised at how many business leader types were bipolar. Same idea -they could be very charismatic and convincing when up, and their staff could keep the plates spinning during the down times.

Leah should not be on this show.  Viewing her terrible behavior will be excruciating for her when she hits a low period. Fuck you Andy Cohen.

[mostlylurking]

On 5/29/2020 at 10:10 AM, AttackTurtle said:

I don’t think Elyse is thirsty.  I think at the time of filming, she was likely under consideration to be added as a housewife.  I don’t see her adding more/less than anyone else. 

So far I like Elyse.  I like that they are not ramming her down our throats a la Babs last year.  

 

[ladle]

I don't like that Elyse gets her own talking heads, but at least they're not as annoying as the ones featuring the bozo husbands on the other franchises.  

[tvfanatic13]

2 hours ago, ladle said:

I don't like that Elyse gets her own talking heads, but at least they're not as annoying as the ones featuring the bozo husbands on the other franchises.  

“Friends of” generally do get some THs. 

[Stats Queen]

21 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

“Friends of” generally do get some THs. 

And she may have been a potential RH or a friend of. Sometimes that’s not determined for a while. 
Some RH husbands have way too many talking heads (looking at you Joe Gorga - and I don’t like looking at him).

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, Stats Queen said:

And she may have been a potential RH or a friend of.

She says she wasn’t a potential HW but the producers just kept inviting her to events.

[Happy Camper]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

She says she wasn’t a potential HW but the producers just kept inviting her to events.

Hopefully not anymore.

[Kdawg82]

15 hours ago, mostlylurking said:

So far I like Elyse.  I like that they are not ramming her down our throats a la Babs last year.  

You said it, friend!!!!

X 1,000,000

[Keywestclubkid]

On 5/30/2020 at 10:08 PM, TzuShih said:

Admittedly, I am not privy to any 'behind the scenes' of Bravo's & Andy Cohen's casting for their "Housewives" series.  I've only watched RHONY - (as a NY-er, it's fer shure a guilty pleasure) --  BUT I have taken great offence this season at the show's 'toying' with Leah's real life...and her (confessed) fight to stay sober.  Bravo has taken a vulnerable  woman with a pre-teen daughter and made her a "star" in her very own real-life disaster. (Maybe she was able to keep these episodes 'unseen' by her daughter, but surely the pre-teen's friends haven't miss a week!)  I've read that Andy Cohen has been fighting the accusation of "misogynist" for the last couple of years.  I'll now take it further and say his desire to humiliate women (and in some cases, it seems, destroy their very selves) has finally turned me off as a viewer.  Yes, Andy, you've ultimately shocked me and BORED me, and I only wish you'd stay around to pick up the pieces of those women whose lives you & Bravo have wrecked.  (And NO! - their bits of 'star-time' on What Happens Live does NOT make it all better.)

Yes i think Andy should take more "accountability" with who he hires for these shows however we has fans also perpetuate this by watching and commenting ... even bad press is still good press any click is still a click ...

[JakeyJokes]

On 5/31/2020 at 6:21 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

I don’t know very much about mental health, but how was what Leah is describing bipolar II and not bipolar I?

You’re not wrong. A main criteria of Bipolar I is that the mania is so destructive that hospitalization is REQUIRED, whereas Bipolar II is more rapid of a cycle and consists of hypomania as opposed to mania. A person with hypomania might think of the trip to Spain as a great idea but could possibly be talked out of it; a person with mania is already on their way to the airport, and might have borrowed your car without asking. 

I was diagnosed with Bipolar II last year and some of what Leah writes makes sense, especially the dread of knowing that the other side is coming, but I saw a lot of myself more last season when Sonja was a mess in Miami — it’s not being the star of the show, you just think everyone is on your same wavelength and you don’t understand why your friends are yelling “You’re EXHAUSTING!” because it is 2 AM already, and then you’re crying the next day because something triggered a genuine emotion (like Sonja after the AA meetings — I think that was real and not for camera, but she wasn’t good at articulating her feelings, probably because it was a lot of different ones, and Lu was being an asshole). Leah is not doing herself any favors on social media, but my heart went out to her in those early episodes. There’s a self-awareness that is still there.

I wonder if producers kept inviting Elyse because Bethenny left last minute and one of her strongest suits (and Carole’s) was being able to be the Greek chorus in the talking heads. Dorinda could do this in her earlier seasons.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by JakeyJokes

[Hangin Out]

On 6/1/2020 at 2:00 PM, Diane Mars said:

Read the article. It really gives another way to read what happened.

Sonja is probably not kissing men lately, so she’s going overboard with the girls. What the hell is that?  It’s uncomfortable to watch all this kissing and molesting the others in the name of friendship.  What is wrong with her?  Sonja and her vibrators .. and now feeling up her co workers.  Disgusting.  It’s not funny either.  She has to calm down.  Geeze.   The Countless too.  Always looking for sex where she can find it.  Preferably younger guys too.  Now Jacques here again.  Bet she’ll sleep with him again, even tho he has a girlfriend or fiancé?