S07.E11: Reunion Part 1

[PrincessPurrsALot]

It's a chance to rehash a 10 episode season that felt like an eternity.  

Original air date 2021.01.28

[IKnowRight]

So, from previews, we see Leva sitting next to Andy at the reunion.  Interesting.  The new girl gets the best seat?  Yup, Andy has designated her the star of the show. 🤮

[nexxie]

The preview shows rabid Madison going after Austen - since she’s the one who broke it off, her need to destroy him is insane.

[bosawks]

7 hours ago, nexxie said:

The preview shows rabid Madison going after Austen - since she’s the one who broke it off, her need to destroy him is insane.

I'm at the point where I think she's a combination of cocktails away from being an NBC Dateline episode.

Edited January 28, 2021 by bosawks

[TeeMo]

I am dying to know if we get any identifying details of the ex MLB star Craig accuses Madison of sleeping with in the preview .

[itsadryheat]

She sounds like one of those chicks that are ok until she hooks the guy-then the bunny boiler comes out.

[Emmeline]

I might have missed it but what is going on with Shep and Craig’s long hair.  Pringle looks good shaggy but not the other 2.  

[nexxie]

Good on Craig for calling Madison out as a sociopath.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Craig can drive me crazy but I appreciate the fact that he doesn't let Madison walk all over him. It clearly drives her crazy that she has no way of controlling him.

[goofygirl]

I really CANNOT stand Madison!!!  She's just such a beyotch.  Was old whatshisface who was married to Kristin Cavileri a MLB player or an NFL player??  She's all up in THAT too.

Sheppie, you're NEVER gonna be FINE with Madison.  She thinks she's the HBIC on this show and she's already admitted she has "folders" on EVERYONE on her magic phone.... Duh duh DUH! Ugh. Soooo skeery! NOT.

Edited January 29, 2021 by goofygirl

[Emmeline]

3 minutes ago, goofygirl said:

I really CANNOT stand Madison!!!  She's just such a beyotch.  Was old whatshisface who was married to Kristin Cavileri a MLB player or an NFL player??  She's all up in THAT too.

I read that too, he was a football player.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Jay Cutler played in the NFL, not Major League Baseball.

I can't stand Madison but I find Austen to be pretty unpleasant, too. They actually should stay together and spare two other people from getting caught up in their drama. 

[bosawks]

Austen and Madison are both acting like cornered feral chipmunks.

Maybe they are perfect together....

[CaliforniaLove]

I've read a lot of speculation that the ex-MLB player is A Rod, but he's not married, and really? Cheating on J-Lo with Madison?!

[goofygirl]

Leva sure throws that "bully" word around, doesn't she??  She now thinks MADISON is being bullied??? Seriously???

[SunnyBeBe]

So far, it’s Craig who appears to be crazy. What’s wrong with him?  He must have drawn the short straw.  He was wrong about the text and his girlfriend. Glad Madison brought the proof.  For all his smarts...Craig isn’t that sharp.  

[Legalbeagle421]

Oh lord, not Craig questioning whether Leva was actually discriminated against. 🥴🤦🏾‍♀️

[goofygirl]

Yep, Craigie really can really stir the turd in the punchbowl.  I'm impressed though; with his AND Austen's ability to sell their shit.  At least they WORK at something now.

[nexxie]

8 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So far, it’s Craig who appears to be crazy. What’s wrong with him?  He must have drawn the short straw.  He was wrong about the text and his girlfriend. Glad Madison brought the proof.  For all his smarts...Craig isn’t that sharp.  

Well, her apology was one of those “sorry if I upset you” things.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I don't think Craig was wrong about Madison. She did a mealy-mouthed "I'm sorry if you were hurt" thing, which is NOT a true apology, in my book. She didn't say "I was wrong, I take responsibility and I am sorry for the harm that I caused."

That being said, Craig is always aggro when it comes to reunions.

[Babyfoot]

Well, this has been fun. I’m torn between a root canal or a kidney transplant as a chaser for all this merriment. Maybe a flooded basement, too. Bring on the joy! 

[goofygirl]

What about a broken tailbone??? I'm about THERE. Thankfully, I'm drinking wine and I don't have to go to work tomorrow!

Pringle seems like he's about to go to sleep!

[bosawks]

Watching them talk about Cam having FOMO while watching this shit show was unintentionally hilarious. 

[Axie]

This just confirmed what I already thought.  They're all horrible people.

[SunnyBeBe]

I got a call and missed the end.....not much to miss I suppose.  
 

Wish I had a wine night.  Maybe, this show would seem better with an adult beverage. Lol

Do ANY of the cast really like each other?  Difficult to believe.  

[esco1822]

I do love that Madison got busted while “reading” her apology to Craig’s girlfriend. She lost her credibility right there. She’s a great liar though, she nearly pulled that off. If she faked that “receipt” I have no doubt she’s also faking the rest. Including Jay Cutler, who sucks. But really if she’s going after multiple professional athletes, it does seem to indicate her being something of a fame whore. I’d love it if her 15 minutes were up already.

[Lassus]

"I'm sorry if I upset you" is NOT ACTUALLY AN APOLOGY.

 

I kind of love that Craig is not backing down from Madison.

[goofygirl]

With wine,everything will be fine. LOL!!

[Lassus]

"I was drunk" is only going to work for so long, dipshit.

Shep is an idiot.  I've had enough of this dickhead.  

[Emmeline]

4 minutes ago, Lassus said:

"I was drunk" is only going to work for so long, dipshit.

Shep is an idiot.  I've had enough of this dickhead.  

So true!  Anything that ever made him attractive is long gone.  He is never going to change and I don’t think he will ever be faithful to anyone.  He’s a bum with mailbox money.

[AttackTurtle]

I’m not a fan of Kathryn at all and I sincerely think she decided to channel her inner “vicious beast” (not a kind loving pit bull), at the reunion when she looked around and realized that Leva and Madison were fully capable of filling any void left by Kathryn no longer being on the show.  Just looking at Kathryn’s current living situation, I have zero doubt that she needs this show financially more than any other member on the show.  I think her latest pregnancy test was likely a contrived storyline.  Madison is horrible, but Madison is bringing drama galore and is tight with Patricia; hence she likely has the approval of Producer Whitney.  

Craig was over the top at the reunion, but Craig’s never been good at keeping his feelings to himself. I think he genuinely doesn’t like Madison.
 

 

Edited January 29, 2021 by AttackTurtle

[njbchlover]

40 minutes ago, bosawks said:

Watching them talk about Cam having FOMO while watching this shit show was unintentionally hilarious. 

I don't know if Cam is having FOMO, but I know that I miss her and her witty narrations.  

[Axie]

I miss Cam on the show too but it's nice that at least one of them grew up and moved on.

[Lassus]

I actually think the conversation about Cameron was surprisingly pretty interesting.

[TeeMo]

Craig seemed like he was hopped up on something when he went after Madison out of the gate and then spent the last half of the reunion coming down from it. He was a slouched, disheveled mess by the time they started talking about Cam. 
 

Kathryn was also clearly on something and did an excellent job reminding me of how much I dislike her. 

[Haute Messe]

I am impressed with Craig being able to stand up to the unapologetic rabid pitbull that is Madison. She is such a dreadful bitch. 

I think I might like Leva a little bit better if she would stop talking or yelling over everybody. I can't stand these overbearing new people. 

It is clear that neither Shep nor Craig get their hair done by anyone. Not sure if they are just rocking the COVID cut, but it would not hurt them to book an appointment with Chelsea. Madison might scalp them.

Could Andy at least try to be a slightly more objective moderator? It is obvious who he sides with and it ruins these reunions. 

[MrsWitter]

Can y’all stop with the pit bull metaphors? Madison and Kathryn are NOTHING like a pit. They are sweet, loyal, loving dogs. Madison is NONE of those things and neither is Kathryn. Most pits have no desire to fight and are abused and forced to do so. They don’t relish conflict and I’m absolutely positive Madison does.
 

When Madison was reading her “apology” text, I just kept thinking of how Kimberly Friedmutter, the hypnotist on this week’s RHOSLC, would have handled her apology. (For those who don’t watch RHOSLC, the hypnotist kept interrupting a wretched housewife whenever she inserted a “but” or “if” after “I’m sorry.”). Of course Andy found Madison’s apology genuine. 🙄

Edited January 29, 2021 by MrsWitter
Added Kathryn

[bosawks]

6 hours ago, Lassus said:

"I was drunk" is only going to work for so long, dipshit.

Shep is an idiot.  I've had enough of this dickhead.  

Apparently even sober Shep isn’t capable of plainly stating it was a shitty thing to do.

[nexxie]

Hard to tell what Taylor sees in Shep besides the cash - that said, he does seem to be a somewhat better person with her.

[pasdetrois]

I didn't watch the season but turned in to the reunion for any Cam updates.

My impression is that Cam's lawyers got on the phone and threatened everyone to not make scandalous claims. Cam's not on the show any more so perhaps she had grounds. There was some eggshell-walking at the reunion. I wonder if Kathryn heard from Cam's lawyers after her mud-slinging episode was aired.

Speaking of, it appears Kathryn rediscovered her old friend Adderall (extreme weight loss in short time) and was high at the reunion.

So was Craig. He is confusing casual panache with sloppy drunken mess. And his hair looked like a toupee - it had that shiny plastic look and the edge along his neck seemed to pull away from his neck in the back- a tell-tale sign. There were continuity problems too. In one scene his hair is falling over his forehead, the camera cuts away, and when it returns to Craig his hair was pushed off his forehead.

Craig is bizarrely obsessed with other people's relationships. He's projecting his leftover fury from Naomie onto the other women on the show.

I wonder if Shep's parents threatened him financially if he doesn't clean up his act.

Madison will find a third-rate rich guy, enjoy some Instagram attention, and flame out into obscurity.

 

Edited January 29, 2021 by pasdetrois

[Sage47]

Didn’t Madison call Austen “a joke” in the treehouse? No Madison, you’re the joke. Famewhore sociopath uses some poor sap to get on a reality show and then posts bikini pix on Instagram daily while trying to snag Jay Cutler. Lolz! 

Her “apologies” to Craig’s GF were total BS. And Cohen bought it?!  I was ecstatic that Craig called her out for being a sociopath that cares about no one but herself. She is pure trash. 

There is more to the Cameran story and Shep knows what it is but can’t say. I still think “the rumor” is a big part of it.  Shep’s combover looked terrible. Was anyone really surprised he has cheated? It’s deeply in his DNA to be with tons of women.  Taylor almost seems more like his buddy sometimes so I can see her turning a blind eye. 

Danni, as per usual, got 3 seconds of screen time. This was her first reunion right? Remember another sociopathic move of Madison’s? When she blatantly went after Danni’s boyfriend WHILE dating Austen? But then I recall Danni apologizing to HER. 😳 That is what sadistic sociopaths do-gaslight you into thinking their evil is YOUR fault. 

Leva’s Republic stories were great! Pringle was a non-entity. 

[Lassus]

1 hour ago, pasdetrois said:

My impression is that Cam's lawyers got on the phone and threatened everyone to not make scandalous claims.

While I'll grant this is certainly possibly true, I think I prefer a more Occam's Razor reasoning. 

I'd imagine that Cam's husband - and let's think well of people and grant for argument that they actually have a relationship where they care about each other and said rumors are bitchy and untrue - reasoned that if this show is going to lead to more of these rumors that have already started, it would be bad for him and their relationship and their kids if she remained on the show, and asked for her to please no longer be involved.  Cameron may be a lot of things, but she has never actually seemed stupid, and the writing on the wall for full-time all-in REALITY TV lifestyle and relationships seems pretty clear.

(Also, there is always a lot of talk about lawyers, but defamation is actually very difficult to successfully sue for.)

Edited January 29, 2021 by Lassus

[bosawks]

I'll believe Pringle's 2 bourbon story only when he admits they were drunk to chase down a couple of Xanax.

[Pop Tart]

9 hours ago, TeeMo said:

Craig seemed like he was hopped up on something when he went after Madison out of the gate and then spent the last half of the reunion coming down from it. He was a slouched, disheveled mess by the time they started talking about Cam. 

On a recent WWHL Madison and Shep? (might have been Pringle) were on and Andy asked who was the drunkest at the reunion taping, it was Craig, who they said was trashed. But implication of the question would mean that several were intoxicated, though perhaps just Shep and Craig? The others seemed to be more or less themselves.

Madison has definitely let the attention go to her head in a very negative way. I'd mentioned on one of the HW show threads that many of the recent seasons have had someone go over the top in their behavior in order to grab the top spot after another cast member was ousted (Kary on Dallas trying for Leanne's spot, Dorinda on NY going for Bethany's, Braunwyn trying for Tamra's, etc.). And in each case they have wildly overshot the mark to the point where almost no one is left to want to film with them and they may be pushed out. That's how I've seen Madison's progression this year. Cam was out and Madison wanted that 'top dog' spot. And as with the others, she wildly overestimated her popularity and overacted her way almost off the show.

All that said, I do have to side eye the discussion when they're attacking her for having slept with this guy or that one. They have all had many, many hookups, one night stands, bar pickups, the list goes on. Shep admitted tonight that he cheated on Taylor and barely a blip of criticism about it. 

We've all noticed how skinny Danny has become, but boy, looking at her in that chair and how she took up only about a foot of space on it? 

Kathryn? I'm kind of glad she came out swinging. She's been so passive during the season, so okay? 

Leva? Hmmm, she'd mentioned on WWHL that she and Cam hadn't spoken since before the filming, and said it again here. I find that interesting, especially because her big beef with Kathryn at the beginning of the season was being offended on Cam's part. Very interested to know what caused the breakdown in that relationship?

Craig and the others made clear that the rumor about Cam's husband had been out there before the filming began. And Shep, who seems to be the only one who's spoken to her, said something like "she's got things going on" or things to deal with? So I have to think there is some big time bomb about to (or maybe already has) go off in Cam's life that she didn't want to happen on camera. One of them, Danni maybe?, said that Cam always wanted to control the narrative and that's 100% true from what we've always seen. She has been extremely limited in what she has actually shown on this "reality" show and in most seasons is only there to be a sounding board for the others, join in their events, etc. There has been nothing of her actual "real" life - aside from a couple of times she did things with her baby.

Clearly something was bubbling up for her and she had to quit. Craig said he'd talked to her one day and they were discussing looking forward to beginning filming the next day. Then the next day he hears that she has quit? Intriguing.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I don't think that the situation with Cameron is that complicated. There was a rumor going around that her husband was unfaithful, she knows how reality TV works and knows that said rumor was probably going to be on the show, and she decided it wasn't worth her time to be a part of it. Whether or not Kathryn originated the rumor - it sounds like she didn't - is immaterial to the fact that Cam knew it was out there. I don't think that there is anything deeper to it.

I also suspect that the reason why she stopped talking to Leva is that Cam probably wanted a clean break from the show. It sucks for Leva, in the sense that it doesn't seem like she did anything wrong, but it's like when you leave for a new job or transfer to a new school. At some point, you have to disconnect yourself from your old life and focus on the new one. 

I thought it was interesting that Shep felt so guilty about "cheating" on Taylor because from his description, he didn't really cheat on her. He had a hook up that involved kissing but nothing beyond that, and while I think that wasn't great and that he was right to apologize to Taylor about it, I think that doesn't really constitute cheating in my book. I think that if he had actually had sex with another woman, they would have had a different conversation - but I can imagine getting past that kind of a hook up with someone I care about, especially if it didn't happen again. 

[Sun-Bun]

9 hours ago, TeeMo said:

Craig seemed like he was hopped up on something when he went after Madison out of the gate and then spent the last half of the reunion coming down from it. He was a slouched, disheveled mess by the time they started talking about Cam. 
 

Kathryn was also clearly on something and did an excellent job reminding me of how much I dislike her. 

THIS. All of it! Craig & Kathryn obviously partook of some bumps and Addies backstage after a steady diet of them these past few months, because they both acted/looked like crazed psychos on that stage. Shep must’ve had a bit of the stash too, given how much twitchier he was than usual. 
Good lord...I thought they all looked like a hot mess except for Danni and Austen; Pringle was dressed fine but just looked confused and hungover, Madison was nearly swallowed up by that cheesy prom dress, and Leva was definitely channeling Mercedes from “Shahs of Sunset” with all that gaudiness.

9 minutes ago, Pop Tart said:

Clearly something was bubbling up for her and she had to quit. Craig said he'd talked to her one day and they were discussing looking forward to beginning filming the next day. Then the next day he hears that she has quit? Intriguing.

I’m guessing Cameron saw the writing on the wall perhaps after the producers had told her she’d have to show more of her REAL life this season, affair rumors included.
I’ve often wondered if she suffered/s from a bit of postpartum depression too; she seems to have gradually settled into motherhood now that her daughter is older, but I don’t really see the joy of it in her eyes or on her Instagram like I do with other new mothers.

Cam was very raw and real about how tough it was for her with a newborn and her struggles with breastfeeding/exhaustion. I honestly think she was perfectly content being ChildFree but she felt like she *had* to have a child in order to stay married to Jason.

14 minutes ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

I also suspect that the reason why she stopped talking to Leva is that Cam probably wanted a clean break from the show.

Definitely! No sense clinging too hard to the past and/or tempting FOMO; it’s onwards and upwards for Cameron! And like Shep said, she seems to be in a much better place outside of the show. I miss her, but I’m also glad she was wise enough to jump off this Titanic before it sinks.

[RedDelicious]

I thought part one seemed really disjointed from the season itself. My first reaction was - are these the same people we just watched for the last however many months?  I didn't sense any tension between Leva and Kathryn at all until the very end when the fireworks started.  Leva was actually sticking up for Kathryn at times. Except for the moments of Leva Explains it All, I found myself liking her.

I agree that both Craig and Kathryn are back on the Add and I know from friends using it that Adderall does crazy things when mixed with alcohol. Craig was unhinged and totally high. Whoa. It might not be fair, but Craig's pillow business still doesn't impress me much. At least Austen had to do real product development and customers would not buy his product and consume it if it was terrible. Craig is simply slapping some pillow squares together and capitalizing on his celebrity from the show. Good for him but they act like he did this grand thing and he really...didn't. If it weren't for Anne Heyward he'd still be in bed.

Pringle was wearing a lot of makeup. I thought his facial expressions and reactions were pretty funny so there was that. I couldn't care less about Shep and his big boy relationship. I was surprised how much younger he looked in the flashbacks with Danni. Oh Danni-girl. She looked so frail and sleep deprived. I'm sticking to my theory of epilepsy/epilepsy meds because she seems otherwise stable.

I don't have an opinion on Madison's storyline one way or another. To me she's just another attractive blonde reality television character clawing for position. I don't give a flying fig about her intimate partners and Craig/Austen yelling at her about it can pipe right down. I say you go girl. I think Austen can't accept that she's hotter than he is and can bag celebrities when all he gets is a couple of DMs and a rando with Cutler's ex who I think is as uninteresting and vapid as they come. Regarding her role on the show, I totally agree with your assessment Pop Tart. Did she really think she could go from friend-of to greek chorus in one season? The way she went about it was decidedly not a good look.

I agree that there was something going on with Cam but I don't think it was a cheating scandal or anything like that. She's talked about her issues with anxiety in the past and I wonder if her quitting abruptly had to do with producers dialing up her role in order to keep the show interesting. Again, totally agree with you Pop. Her ability and authority to control the narrative may have been limited by the producers intentions for the season and she ultimately didn't want to sign up for it. They *did scrap the first batch of Cam-less content for a total re-write and we've agreed that was the genesis of this season's absurdity.

I wonder if they originally wanted to skew towards more Covid related content and involve Jason's perspective and Cam as a mom caring for her child. As a critical front-liner I could see Jason (and Cam) putting the kibosh on that for very obvious reasons. Maybe she didn't want Palmer's potty training living in perpetuity (although she did post about it on Instagram). Who knows. And no one could really say that is the reason because it would make the showrunners look horrible for prioritizing the story line over the pandemic. I do wonder how not being on the show will affect Cam's social media influencing and I do think she might return at some point.

In conclusion, I loved the set decoration!  Each person had items near them or behind them that related to their character.  Except I couldn't really see some of them (Shep, Danni, Pringle).  But Madison had a Barbacide jar, Kathryn had a fashion mannequin, Austen had beer glasses and a wooden barrel, Craig had pillows and so on. Leva had tortoise shells on her table but I don't know what those were supposed to represent.

[Lassus]

 

46 minutes ago, Sun-Bun said:

Craig seemed like he was hopped up on something

 

47 minutes ago, Sun-Bun said:

Craig & Kathryn obviously partook of some bumps and Addies backstage after a steady diet of them these past few months, because they both acted/looked like crazed psychos on that stage.

 

34 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

Craig was unhinged and totally high.

This certainties are thrown around a lot, but I always think it's a real oversell.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

My whole thing about Madison and Craig/Natalie was that it was pretty gross that she kept insisting that either Craig or Austen must be SO. UPSET. that Natalie had slept with Austen before dating Craig. It was basically a classic case of slut-shaming on Madison's part, and like she just couldn't believe that Craig doesn't seem to really care all that much. I have to agree with Shep that it is pretty admirable on Craig's part that he accepts that Natalie has a past prior to their relationship and isn't bothered by it. But Madison really kept pushing the idea that it is somehow shameful.

Which is why her non-apology to Natalie is pretty much bullshit, in my view. Because if she was truly apologetic, she wouldn't keep pushing the idea that this is somehow some big scandal. Madison is still out there trying to slut-shame Natalie, and it's a pretty disgusting thing for a grown woman to do. 

[RedDelicious]

If Craig didn't freely admit to being an Adderall user/abuser in the past I might think otherwise, but since we know he has a history of it, and his behavior last night was a stark difference to the other cast members (except for Kathryn), I think it is a safe assumption. I've seen it, many of us have seen it; Adderall and alcohol does not mix and it really makes a person's emotions explode. He blew his lid right out of the gates.

Edited January 29, 2021 by RedDelicious