S07.E18: Reunion Part 1

[heatherchandler]

These women are not wealthy.  I know generational wealth is technically anything passed down from one generation to the next but there is a big difference between your mom having enough money to put a down payment on a townhouse and maybe leaving you a hundred thousand or so when she dies, and having actual wealth, like where no one in the family ever has to work again.  Candiace’s mom must have some money but not millions, not enough to pass down through the generations, allowing them to live comfortably without working.

Mia is living off her savings and whatever she is making on the show.  She doesn’t have enough to fund future generations, she doesn’t have enough to live in her rental!  She had to move.  Karen lost it all to the tax man.  Who even knows how much Michael actually has, he may have millions.  The boys may get it when he dies but Ashley is not getting anything more than her house.  Is he paying for the upkeep?  She will realize quickly how much it costs to run a house that expensive.

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by heatherchandler

[heatherchandler]

3 hours ago, spunky said:

Candiace said working was a requirement for her parents to pay for college, so she got a hostess job. She later got a promotion to a director's position, with Chris as her supervisor. Which was one of the reasons she turned him down when he first asked her out. 

As for her mother helping her, I don't know why some people are acting like she just sits at home while her mother pays her bills. Her first home was an investment property with her mom, which they then sold for more money. When she first came on the show she already had her hair business and her pagent consulting business. 

She also invests in real estate by purchasing, flipping, and selling houses in Atlanta, has a salon suite business with her family, but she keeps these businesses off of the show. 

Why would her mom make it a requirement to work during college?  That doesn’t make sense.  My parents paid for my college so that I wouldn’t have to work. 
 

I still don’t understand why she would be the hostess at a restaurant if she had viable businesses.  “Oh yes my hair business is very profitable, but no I don’t spend my working time on that, I go to my little-over-minimum-wage job as a hostess.”  Said no one ever.

Candiace invests in real estate?  She couldn’t even afford a townhouse without her mom paying the down payment.  Her salon suite business- is that her owning a salon suite and renting it out or is she paying for a chair?

[Chatty Cake]

17 minutes ago, drivethroo said:

Ashley is over 30 and still doesn't have a house in her name.  Ashley's momma is over 60 and doesn't have a house in her name.

Most of my white HS/college classmates got money from parents/grandparents to for their houses (if not an actual house). They are now doing the same with their children. Yet somehow something is wrong with Candiace for her parents doing the same thing, even as Ashley sat on the stage bragging her children will have their own homes by the time they are 30.

The only people "living above their means" on the cast are Mia, who had to leave her rental and Ashley, who is totally dependent upon the whims of Michael and who has admitted numerous times she CAN NOT afford the house she's living in and doesn't know what will happen if she can't meet the $13K mortgage every month. I'm curious to know how Candiace was "living above her means."

Mia is actually right. Michael & Ashley entered into the marriage contract under certain conditions, with Michael agreeing to take care of Ashley and her family in exchange for Ashley's sexual services.  Ashley then tried to flip the script and that's not what Michael was paying for.  Does Ashley have the right to change her mind about what kind of wife she wants to be? Yes.  Does Michael have to accept it? No and Ashley will really be out of luck when he finds a perky young 25 year old willing and ready to be his freak of the week and kicks Ashley to the curb.

I have fibroids.  My uterus is closing up shop. I have zero problem with the low blow because Gizelle seeks to deliver low blows to her castmates every season.  Which blow is lower? Your fibroid surgery or suggesting your castmate's baby is by another man on national television for kicks?

None of this matters because Chris (or any other person) is not responsible for Gizelle not enforcing her own boundaries and Robyn needs to learn to stop jumping in front of the gun and taking bullets for people who gladly sit back and watch her take the hit.

I'm going to attempt to explain this in a separate post.

Ashley's been "advertising" so that's why she's skimpy.

I think that's the career path her mother envisioned her to have but Candiace has always wanted an entertainment career and you can't go to Grammys, record music, audition, etc. if you are sitting in the office Monday-Friday, 9-5 every day.

GEB has been pretty consistent with this story. Gizelle told Robyn about the Chris encounter on the van and Robyn blew it off because it's Chris. 

I thought this was Ashley’s house?

I think it’s great that Ashley is moving on from Michael.

If Chris was drunk and yelling at Gizelle about how they treat his bratty wife, then Gizelle had every right to feel uncomfortable. Why was he talking to her anyway? Can’t the jerk fight her own battles?

 

[spunky]

10 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

Why would her mom make it a requirement to work during college?  That doesn’t make sense.  My parents paid for my college so that I wouldn’t have to work. 
 

I still don’t understand why she would be the hostess at a restaurant if she had viable businesses.  “Oh yes my hair business is very profitable, but no I don’t spend my working time on that, I go to my little-over-minimum-wage job as a hostess.”  Said no one ever.

Candiace invests in real estate?  She couldn’t even afford a townhouse without her mom paying the down payment.  Her salon suite business- is that her owning a salon suite and renting it out or is she paying for a chair?

She started her hair business after leaving the Obama administration as an intern. Dorothy for whatever reason wanted her to work, while she was in college.

She has two salon suite locations in the Atlanta area, where people rent suites from her. She said the townhouse was an investment property, which is why she was okay with Chris living with her and not contributing to the mortgage. However her new home was purchased from her and Chris' joint bank account.

She said on her podcast that she has two accounts that both her dad and step-father opened for her as a teen.  She uses those accounts for her business ventures. 

[Chatty Cake]

Why is Candiace coming for Gizelles uterus when she is spending thousands on in vitro? Is something wrong with her female parts too? You’d think the asshole would have some compassion but no. She goes for the low blow every time. Classless.

[Salacious Kitty]

The salon suites aren't a cheap venture to get up and running. I know of someone else who has a couple, and it's about 3-500k up front. Getting the sites prepped for like 20 individual suites that can run the gamut from hair to mani/pedi to massage is costly. 

[spunky]

1 minute ago, Chatty Cake said:

Why is Candiace coming for Gizelles uterus when she is spending thousands on in vitro? Is something wrong with her female parts too? You’d think the asshole would have some compassion but no. She goes for the low blow every time. Classless.

She said on her Chris' live that she was wrong for the uterus comment. She's also said multiple times on and off the show that she's doing IVF because she doesn't want children right now, but she's perfectly capable of getting pregnant naturally right now if she wanted to. She's freezing embryos so that she has a backup plan in case she can't get pregnant later on when she's ready.

[LaurelleJ]

1 hour ago, KristenR said:

Are we still sure this actually happened? When Robyn first said it on the show I believed her but maybe we need to double check on Patreon now.

Both Robyn and Gizelle have said this, although we know they lie. I haven't heard Candiace dispute it. 

 

2 minutes ago, spunky said:

She said on her Chris' live that she was wrong for the uterus comment. She's also said multiple times on and off the show that she's doing IVF because she doesn't want children right now, but she's perfectly capable of getting pregnant naturally right now if she wanted to. She's freezing embryos so that she has a backup plan in case she can't get pregnant later on when she's ready.

Yes I heard Candiace say she was wrong last night on the live. People on twitter are talking about how Candiace will be chastised for that but no one had a strong reaction when Phaedra said something similar to Cynthia about the same thing. 

[bosawks]

I would start believing in monogamy if I was banging Luke.

Banging Michael, eh, not so much…..

Edited February 20, 2023 by bosawks

[flummoxd]

Bosawks, it’s Luke you’re lusting after, right?

[drivethroo]

3 hours ago, spunky said:

Not every parent is like Todd over on RHOA who thinks that his child has to struggle, because he had to struggle. 

 

5 hours ago, amarante said:

I think Candiace was perfectly correct in terms of talking about generational wealth. It's only become a relatively recent goal for POC to think about building generational wealth.

 

53 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

These women are not wealthy.  I know generational wealth is technically anything passed down from one generation to the next but there is a big difference between your mom having enough money to put a down payment on a townhouse and maybe leaving you a hundred thousand or so when she dies, and having actual wealth, like where no one in the family ever has to work again.  Candiace’s mom must have some money but not millions, not enough to pass down through the generations, allowing them to live comfortably without working.

 

46 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

Why would her mom make it a requirement to work during college?  That doesn’t make sense.  My parents paid for my college so that I wouldn’t have to work. 

Generational wealth isn't "Dorothy has millions of dollars to allow Candiace and her children and children's grandchildren to live off of."

Generational wealth is the wealth one generation has that is passed down to the next.  The next generation is able to build on that and pass it to the next.  Generational wealth is "let me give you money for your down payment" or "let me pay for your college."  Many white Americans have either received this type of generational wealth or know personally people who have

Black Americans generally do NOT have any generational wealth to pass down to the next generation.  For most of this country's history black Americans WERE the generational wealth that was passed down to the next generation. This does not mean no black people own real estate but the majority of black Americans do NOT own any real estate.

The biggest generator of wealth in this country is real estate. The poorest white family's net worth is much higher than the average middle class black family. Why? Because the majority of white Americans (over 70%) own real estate. They can then use that equity (wealth) to give their children a leg up, which helps their children build their wealth a little faster, and then give THEIR children a leg up.

Why is Michael Darby so rich? Real estate.

What does this have to do with Candiace, Ashley and generational wealth?

Candiace's family was able to purchase real estate and make real estate investments, which made them quite comfortable. They were able to use that equity to send Candiace to college debt/loan free.  That gives Candiace a leg up from jump because the money she doesn't have to spend in loan payments can be spent on other things, like buying real estate or starting a business. Candiace's mother bought real estate for/with both of her daughters to give them a leg up. Neither Candiace or her sister will ever be dependent on their husband for a roof over their head. Dorothy did for her daughters what many white Americans do for their children every day. (Robyn will be in a similar position b/c at the end of the day, her parents are going to take care of her if they know the extent of her financial issues).

But what does this have to do with Ashley?

Ashley has NO generational wealth. Ashley has had to work since she was a teenager to put food in HER mother's mouth.  The only thing Ashley's supposed father gave her was a slammed door to the face.  Ashley will not be receiving anything from her mother, because her mother has nothing to give.  Ashley has nothing to leave her own children with.  She's dependent upon Michael for a roof over her head and a legacy for her children. I'm sorry but I see Michael as the type to leave his kids with nothing and claim they need to scratch & survive like he did.

The concept of generational wealth is foreign to many black people because the majority of black people are not, have never been and never will be the receipients of generational wealth.  Many black people see wealth coming in the forms of singing, dancing, rapping, balling and hustling.  Not trust funds and investments. Scratching and surviving is celebrated.  Getting things the "easy" way (generational wealth) is not. You're soft and weak if your mommy is giving you stuff.  This is why Todd of RHOA had such an issue with Kandi giving her daughter a new car* and money and prefers to make his own daughter scratch & survive even though Kandi wouldn't have a problem spreading the wealth to her too. Kandi works hard so her kids won't have to. That's generational wealth.

It's not as simple as "well buy real estate" or "work harder" or "go to college so you can get a higher paying job." because the people who were able to do that in 1973 (and their kids and grandkids) have numerous legs up over you who is starting today.

Ashley** will never respect Candiace as a woman because Candiace never had to scam, scheme or hustle to get her material things or real estate wealth.  Candiace's mother gave them to her.  Every last woman on that cast including Ashley is hustling and scheming so their children can reap the rewards of generational wealth. Ashley bragged when HER sons are 30, they will have their OWN houses in their OWN names.

How are they going to buy it? They're going to each buy $2 million dollars houses by the time they are 30? Will inheritances from Michael's estate be helping them buy these houses? Or will Michael's estate be buying them these houses outright? Isn't that the same generational wealth you look down on Candiace for? Ashley was so arrogant and silly she didn't catch that dirt from Candiace...

*Something tells me Todd will not have any problem with Kandi lavishing money and cars on his SON with Kandi

**Monique also didn't respect Candiace because Monique, like Ashley, hustled, schemed and scratched to get into her lifestyle

[bosawks]

15 minutes ago, flummoxd said:

Bosawks, it’s Luke you’re lusting after, right?

He’s my type.

Dumb as a stump but hot as Hades.

[heatherchandler]

41 minutes ago, drivethroo said:

 

 

 

Generational wealth isn't "Dorothy has millions of dollars to allow Candiace and her children and children's grandchildren to live off of."

Generational wealth is the wealth one generation has that is passed down to the next.  The next generation is able to build on that and pass it to the next.  Generational wealth is "let me give you money for your down payment" or "let me pay for your college."  Many white Americans have either received this type of generational wealth or know personally people who have

Black Americans generally do NOT have any generational wealth to pass down to the next generation.  For most of this country's history black Americans WERE the generational wealth that was passed down to the next generation. This does not mean no black people own real estate but the majority of black Americans do NOT own any real estate.

The biggest generator of wealth in this country is real estate. The poorest white family's net worth is much higher than the average middle class black family. Why? Because the majority of white Americans (over 70%) own real estate. They can then use that equity (wealth) to give their children a leg up, which helps their children build their wealth a little faster, and then give THEIR children a leg up.

Why is Michael Darby so rich? Real estate.

What does this have to do with Candiace, Ashley and generational wealth?

Candiace's family was able to purchase real estate and make real estate investments, which made them quite comfortable. They were able to use that equity to send Candiace to college debt/loan free.  That gives Candiace a leg up from jump because the money she doesn't have to spend in loan payments can be spent on other things, like buying real estate or starting a business. Candiace's mother bought real estate for/with both of her daughters to give them a leg up. Neither Candiace or her sister will ever be dependent on their husband for a roof over their head. Dorothy did for her daughters what many white Americans do for their children every day. (Robyn will be in a similar position b/c at the end of the day, her parents are going to take care of her if they know the extent of her financial issues).

But what does this have to do with Ashley?

Ashley has NO generational wealth. Ashley has had to work since she was a teenager to put food in HER mother's mouth.  The only thing Ashley's supposed father gave her was a slammed door to the face.  Ashley will not be receiving anything from her mother, because her mother has nothing to give.  Ashley has nothing to leave her own children with.  She's dependent upon Michael for a roof over her head and a legacy for her children. I'm sorry but I see Michael as the type to leave his kids with nothing and claim they need to scratch & survive like he did.

The concept of generational wealth is foreign to many black people because the majority of black people are not, have never been and never will be the receipients of generational wealth.  Many black people see wealth coming in the forms of singing, dancing, rapping, balling and hustling.  Not trust funds and investments. Scratching and surviving is celebrated.  Getting things the "easy" way (generational wealth) is not. You're soft and weak if your mommy is giving you stuff.  This is why Todd of RHOA had such an issue with Kandi giving her daughter a new car* and money and prefers to make his own daughter scratch & survive even though Kandi wouldn't have a problem spreading the wealth to her too. Kandi works hard so her kids won't have to. That's generational wealth.

It's not as simple as "well buy real estate" or "work harder" or "go to college so you can get a higher paying job." because the people who were able to do that in 1973 (and their kids and grandkids) have numerous legs up over you who is starting today.

Ashley** will never respect Candiace as a woman because Candiace never had to scam, scheme or hustle to get her material things or real estate wealth.  Candiace's mother gave them to her.  Every last woman on that cast including Ashley is hustling and scheming so their children can reap the rewards of generational wealth. Ashley bragged when HER sons are 30, they will have their OWN houses in their OWN names.

How are they going to buy it? They're going to each buy $2 million dollars houses by the time they are 30? Will inheritances from Michael's estate be helping them buy these houses? Or will Michael's estate be buying them these houses outright? Isn't that the same generational wealth you look down on Candiace for? Ashley was so arrogant and silly she didn't catch that dirt from Candiace...

*Something tells me Todd will not have any problem with Kandi lavishing money and cars on his SON with Kandi

**Monique also didn't respect Candiace because Monique, like Ashley, hustled, schemed and scratched to get into her lifestyle

I 100% get what you’re saying and inequality goes back to the beginning.  The haves keep themselves haves.  

I usually like Candiace but I feel like she uses her “status” of having her mom give her that leg up to push Ashley down and make sure she knows that just because she married money, she came from nothing.  
 

And I think that’s rich of Candiace, no pun intended because it’s not like she’s of-the-manor-born.  Her mom obviously has some money and is using it to help her daughters, but Candiace acts like she has billions.  They both worked at restaurants.  She owns a house, so does Ashley.  One got money from her mom the other from her husband.  Candiace is trying to use financial status to one-up Ashley and it’s disingenuous.
 

 

[goofygirl]

5 hours ago, spunky said:

What I gathered is that she originally wanted to be a political correspondent, hence her undergraduate degree in journalism.  Somewhere down the line she decided to focus on her true passion which is her entertainment career.  She's still doing things in the political realm.  She's working with Congress to create legislation requiring that health insurance companies cover fertility treatments, whether they're required or elective. She said on her and Chris' live last night that she spent $30,000 on the first round of IVF that did not take. 

Good luck with THAT Candiace!

[LaurelleJ]

I haven't wanted to get up on a soapbox and talk about how Ashley is doing us a disservice by acting like Candiace benefiting from generational wealth is a bad thing, while bragging that her own sons will benefit from it. @drivethroo did a great job wrapping it up.   I identify with Candiace in that regard, I was ablate graduate without student loans and have a good deal of generational wealth built-up, not in the form of houses though. It's not just strangers, it's your own family hating on you. They can't understand why your parents grew up the same way as their parents, however you benefit from generational wealth while they cannot. I know Ashley needs to keep up conflict with Candiace, but for the culture this is a bad stance to take.

[Keywestclubkid]

I’m confused, didn’t Ashly say she and Michael renegotiated their Prenup a couple years ago? I vividly have a memory of that being an storyline… And THIS was the renegotiation? Something smells off 

[Keywestclubkid]

found it ... 

[amarante]

5 hours ago, drivethroo said:

Ashley is over 30 and still doesn't have a house in her name.  Ashley's momma is over 60 and doesn't have a house in her name.

 

I don't disagree with your post at all. I didn't mean to imply that POC had just recently even *thought* of generational wealth as being desirable. I won't iterate your excellent summary of complex factors resulting in the huge divide between home ownership between POC and white folks because for most *ordinary* people home ownership is the biggest asset. Essentially it boils down to racism permeating every aspect organization with redlining of certain areas by banks in terms of even providing mortgages. There was a very recent case in which a black couple owned a very desirable home in the San Francisco area and it was appraised for a figure well below fair market value. They then "purged" the home of anything that might indicate that POC owned the home and had a white friend there for the appraisal and the home was appraised for two or three hundred THOUSAND dollars more.

There is a really wonderful book by Isabel Wilkerson called The Warmth of Other Suns which chronicles the migration of Southern Blacks to the North from 1915 and 1970 and how things might have been a great deal differently if racism in the North - of the de facto kind - hadn't been endemic. Recommend it as it is the kind of non-fiction that reads like a novel. 

What I meant is that I think that there is an educational movement occurring in institutions like black churches in which people are being taught educated as to the importance of basics like home ownership in terms of generational wealth and how that can provide a more stable future for their family and children. I watch House Hunters and many of the POC on the show talk specifically about generational wealth and what buying a home means to them.

Mia and Gordon are pretty much the antithesis of generation wealth. 😂😂 Last season Mia was bragging about renting their home and spending $65,000 to renovate it. Who in their right economic mind would spend that amount to renovate a rental. 

[howiveaddict]

12 minutes ago, amarante said:

f the POC on the show talk specifically about generational wealth and what buying a home means to them.

Mia and Gordon are pretty much the antithesis of generation wealth. 😂😂 Last season Mia was bragging about renting their home and spending $65,000 to renovate it. Who in their right economic mind would spend that amount to renovate a rental. 

I just figured that was another of Mia's lies.  Of course she stupid enough to do it.

[amarante]

6 hours ago, drivethroo said:

 

Ashley's been "advertising" so that's why she's skimpy.

 

Regarding Ashley's tasteless outfit, I don't know if you have seen the dresses worn by the Miami women for their reunion. They are sexy as hell without being blatantly vulgar like Ashley's. I also feel that way about the ridiculous cat suits that just remind me of cheap Halloween costumes when people dress as black cats.

This link contains closeups of all of the dresses.

https://www.allabouttrh.com/2023/02/03/photos-rhom-season-5-reunion-looks/

Yes some of these dresses are revealing but they are all have some element of style unlike the Potomac dresses which really were uniformly ugly.

I don't "love" all of the Miami dresses but Kiki's dress on the far left is certainly a far more interesting and less vulgar "advertisement" for the wares as is Guerdy's dress which is third from the right. 

Guerdy's dress

16 minutes ago, howiveaddict said:

I just figured that was another of Mia's lies.  Of course she stupid enough to do it.

With Mia she lies so incessantly that it is impossible to distinguish the lies from the truth because sometimes she will actually make a direct statement that is true - like finally admitting in the reunion that she had used open sex to entice Gordon and she still did it to keep him interested. I thought it was telling that it wasn't that she herself "enjoyed" the "swinging" lifestyle necessarily but it was just a tool in her repertoire like any other.

I am reminded of the cliche about lying - How do you know when Mia is lying - her mouth is moving. True for the most part.

Edited February 21, 2023 by amarante

[Boofish]

@drivethroo

4 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I 100% get what you’re saying and inequality goes back to the beginning.  The haves keep themselves haves.  

I usually like Candiace but I feel like she uses her “status” of having her mom give her that leg up to push Ashley down and make sure she knows that just because she married money, she came from nothing.  
 

And I think that’s rich of Candiace, no pun intended because it’s not like she’s of-the-manor-born.  Her mom obviously has some money and is using it to help her daughters, but Candiace acts like she has billions.  They both worked at restaurants.  She owns a house, so does Ashley.  One got money from her mom the other from her husband.  Candiace is trying to use financial status to one-up Ashley and it’s disingenuous.
 

 

The same Ashley that said she was the least accomplished and told her she didn't have to leave her momma house. Yeah that Hoe would never be free from my tongue. Play with the toys you purchased to keep ya husband happy bitch not me. Bottom line one momma pays rent and the other waxing kangaroo knob to pay her momma rent. They are not the same.

[drivethroo]

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Candiace is trying to use financial status to one-up Ashley and it’s disingenuous.

Ashley is the only cast member who pocket watches and one ups the other cast members:

• Laughing at Robyn only having $25 in the bank while letting the rest of the cast know she will be taking Michael for half
• Demanding Karen & Ray answer to her and Michael about how they could afford the home in Great Falls
• Looking down on Candiace because her mother bought her a home
• Trying to one up Wendy about her husband being more important than Wendy's
• Trying to lecture Candiace about the importance of finally becoming an adult and buying her own home when she herself does not own a home and has never bought a home on her own

Ashley's never had anything and it shows.  IMO Ashley decided to stunt on Candiace by buying a more-than-2 million house she could not afford because it burnt her up that Candiace had such a nice house. The joke will be on Ashley, though.

Candiace doesn't "one up" Ashley because 1) there's nothign to one up and 2) Candiace could remind Ashley if she wants to have that discussion about mothers buying stuff for their children they could go there.  I've said it plenty of times before, Ashley could NEVA say anything to me about what my mother buys me because I'd be reminding Ashley every day about her mom living under the EZ Pass express lanes on 495.

3 hours ago, amarante said:

Mia and Gordon are pretty much the antithesis of generation wealth. 😂😂 Last season Mia was bragging about renting their home and spending $65,000 to renovate it.

You can tell which cast members are living for the here and now (Mia, Ashley), the cast members in perpetual survival mode (Robyn*, Mia, Ashley) and the cast members who are thinking years out into the future (Wendy, Candiace, Gizelle, Karen).

3 hours ago, amarante said:

Regarding Ashley's tasteless outfit, I don't know if you have seen the dresses worn by the Miami women for their reunion. They are sexy as hell without being blatantly vulgar like Ashley's.

Ashley has been wearing skimpy clothes all season to prove she doesn't have a wide body and to advertise for a new mark. That wig she had on at the reunion didn't help either.

1 hour ago, Boofish said:

The same Ashley that said she was the least accomplished and told her she didn't have to leave her momma house.

Ashley doesn't have to leave her daddy's house either as long as she toes the line...

 

 

[Chatty Cake]

Ashley does need to get it together. She should have went for a house she can afford now. Her job of shit stirring won’t last forever. She looked ridiculous playing with her boobs on tv. I don’t think Michael will make it easy for her to date. 

[amarante]

I don't think that Ashley is revealing exactly what is going on in terms of the divorce finances.

I think the issue of home ownership doesn't really matter because I suspect that there is an agreement that Michael will have to pay for the home until at least the youngest child is a certain age because he is on the hook for major child support and the children will receive child support commensurate with his income. Her talking about the mortgage is just a form of humble bragging because she isn't going to be financially responsible for making sure the house is paid for - taxes are paid - utilities etc. for at least the next 20 years. 

That is why Michael effectively owns the new house through an LLC. If they had lived in a more traditional single family home like many married couples, it would not be odd for the wife to continue living in the home with the husband retaining some form of ownership in the home. 

On Family Karma there is a woman in this situation as her divorce settlement from her wealthy husband evidently provided for her being able to live in the large house until their daughter was graduated from college. And so when that time came she was forced to vacate during this season.

Obviously Michael Darby's wealth could be a fake but he is the principal and founder of Monument Realty which from its web page appears to be a profitable major company. 

[pasdetrois]

I laughed as I watched them all drag Ashley for not securing a better financial bag. Wendy and Gizelle are the only ones who have been steadily financially secure through their own efforts while the show has been on the air. The others have been tax deadbeats, spendthrifts or dependent on others' income.

And the polite little gasps and raised eyebrows as Ashley revealed her "paltry" settlement - what century are these housewives living in? I don't think any of them would land a huge settlement were they to divorce. Hell, Chris couldn't even pay child support.

The tossing about of "generational wealth" - said oh so casually, as if they've been saying it their entire lives - is a bit premature for this group.

Michael's empire is probably taking some financial hits because the commercial rental market in Arlington is way down, thanks to COVID and telework. Federal agencies and businesses are not clamoring to rent office space in Arlington and it's a bit of a crisis. But condo and townhouse sales are up. The county government is going to open up single-family zoning areas to multiple units (e.g., six unit buildings jammed between two single family homes), and there is already a feeding frenzy amongst developers. Foreign buyers are rushing in, so Michael will have competition if he pursues this new multi-housing market.

And the waters have parted - I agree with Andy's remarks about Victorian pearl-clutching. Gizelle was a woman at a professional work event when Chris approached her, not a 13-year-old virgin walking the dark streets. I think Chris has been trying to schmooze his way into more camera time, and it backfired when Gizelle flipped the narrative.

Andy's feeling the pressure to keep up with real time social media, so he abandoned the kid glove host persona and went after several of them.

Karen's odd facial tics were bizarre.

And finally, one of the CGI time stamps said "January 2023" while showing cherry blossoms and other spring flowers. Do the editors pay attention or just grab the nearest stock footage?

Edited February 21, 2023 by pasdetrois

[eXiled]

7 hours ago, drivethroo said:

Ashley has been wearing skimpy clothes all season to prove she doesn't have a wide body and to advertise for a new mark. That wig she had on at the reunion didn't help either.

Ashley doesn't have to leave her daddy's house either as long as she toes the line...

Advertise for a new mark? At the rate Ashley's going, she'll leave her next serious relationship with LESS than what she brought into it. If she's really gold-digging, sis is doing it wrong.

Though ... she seems so happy and self-satisfied that I wonder if a divorce is even going to happen. While not quite as much of a prevaricator as her sister in old-dick-sucking Mia is, Ashley ain't above lying. Ashley may just be smart enough to not discuss the terms of her divorce on television. After seeing various housewives get taken down by the IRS, that might be for the best. I would rather people think me broke instead of having my assets audited and siphoned off before I could trade my Forever 21 maxis for some Chanel.

Can't wait to see how it all shakes out. I was one of those who never believed Robyn and Juan would re-tie the knot, so what do I know? (Michael Darby must have himself a new boo somewhere, otherwise, that wedding would never have happened, y'all. You can't tell me old Gollum didn't have a private investigator on the Dixons trail, keeping him notified about Juan's every move.)

See the lengths we stoop to when we're unloved or aren't provided for when we're little? Ashley ain't the only one. Ashley, Mia, Bethenny, Ramona, and Kenya need their own "My Mother/Daddy Didn't Love Me" reality show; I'd watch that shit like it was my job. All of the named wives are hot messes. They'd eat each other alive.

[pasdetrois]

14 hours ago, bosawks said:

Dumb as a stump but hot as Hades.

"I like 'em big and stupid." (TM Julie Brown)

Quote

Ashley has been wearing skimpy clothes all season to prove she doesn't have a wide body and to advertise for a new mark.

How you got one is how you get another.

Quote

Her talking about the mortgage is just a form of humble bragging because she isn't going to be financially responsible for making sure the house is paid for - taxes are paid - utilities etc. for at least the next 20 years.

Agreed. I assume she's paying residential expenses and Michael is paying the mortgage, which is held by an LLC. If it's a $2M house, her real estate tax bill will be about $20K annually and climbing as Arlington's home property values skyrocket.

Edited February 21, 2023 by pasdetrois

[Yogisbooboo64]

The one remark that had me howling was Robbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb talking about a married man and a stranger in a hotel….dumbass pot, meet kettle!  Instead of firing her, for next season I’d decrease her pay and Gizzard’s EP title would be taken away.

As far as the fashions, IMO only Candiace looked good.  I wish Karen would stop with the blond hair as it isn’t flattering; I did like the long curly wig she wore when she came into the building to get made up.

[hottesthw]

On 2/20/2023 at 1:22 AM, Boofish said:

When Ashley said at 30, her kids will be paying for their own housing Candiace missed a perfect "like ya momma." 

Considering she (and her husband) have to be ok with being verbally humiliated publicly and physically assaulted by her own mother to ensure a future payday, Candice really should not be criticizing anyone’s “generational wealth”. 

[Rlb8031]

On 2/20/2023 at 9:46 AM, Chatty Cake said:

Also now they are paying for fancy egg retrievals when Chris already has more than one baby mama. I notice they didn’t do shit for his kids this recent season. 
If these were hard working folk, than sure mama can help financially. But these are able bodied wanna be celebs. Pathetic.

I am not at all a Candiace fan, but I don't think there is any evidence that this is true. Just because a child does not appear on the show, does not mean that they are being ignored by their parent. You don't know if 1) the kids decided not to participate in the show 2) the custodial parent decided not to allow the kids to participate in the show or 3) the kids filmed, but their interaction was edited out/was not used by the show.

And, Candiace had the hair business and Chris was working/has worked every season since they have been on the show. In fact, they argued about the fact that Chris was working 6-7 days a week and for extremely long hours. No signs that either of them don't work hard.

[Chatty Cake]

4 hours ago, Rlb8031 said:

I am not at all a Candiace fan, but I don't think there is any evidence that this is true. Just because a child does not appear on the show, does not mean that they are being ignored by their parent. You don't know if 1) the kids decided not to participate in the show 2) the custodial parent decided not to allow the kids to participate in the show or 3) the kids filmed, but their interaction was edited out/was not used by the show.

And, Candiace had the hair business and Chris was working/has worked every season since they have been on the show. In fact, they argued about the fact that Chris was working 6-7 days a week and for extremely long hours. No signs that either of them don't work hard.

I thought I had read something about the baby mama of his younger kids was upset with them. But maybe it was the older kid. 
He was working this recent season but it said on the finale he was no longer working. Before that it had been sporadic. One season he owned a restaurant. The next season nothing and then one season he was making cooking videos. He seems all over the place. 

[Chatty Cake]

5 hours ago, hottesthw said:

Considering she (and her husband) have to be ok with being verbally humiliated publicly and physically assaulted by her own mother to ensure a future payday, Candice really should not be criticizing anyone’s “generational wealth”. 

This is very true. First off, a man as old as Chris should be shelling out his own down payments but say Dorothy and Candiace had the townhouse before him, where was he living that he moved into a house she shared with her mama? And she’s always been rude to him and treats Candiace poorly too. Candiace has nothing to brag about. 

[pasdetrois]

15 hours ago, Chatty Cake said:

One season he owned a restaurant

I think Candiace misrepresented this situation, as she did multiple situations in her early seasons. I researched that restaurant's ownership and found no reference to Chris. I think he was simply one of the managers.

Also, there was one season where he "managed Candiace," meaning he walked around holding her purse while she fussed at him for not getting anything done.

There was flack about Chris' kids being on the show; the little girl looked distressed every time she was on camera. I think the adults agreed to leave the children off the show.

Edited February 22, 2023 by pasdetrois

[spunky]

2 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I think Candiace misrepresented this situation, as she did multiple situations in her early seasons. I researched that restaurant's ownership and found no reference to Chris. I think he was simply one of the managers.

Also, there was one season where he "managed Candiace," meaning he walked around holding her purse while she fussed at him for not getting anything done.

There was flack about Chris' kids being on the show; the little girl looked distressed every time she was on camera. I think the adults agreed to leave the children off the show.

To this day Chris still says that he owned the restaurant,  I think Candiace goes along with that story so that he doesn't come across as a liar. 

Chris said both children wanted to be on camera last season. Then the cameras came and his daughter froze. Hence Candiace saying "she's just shy", so that she could gently usher her away from the cameras.

[flummoxd]

Pasdetrois (voulez-vous dansez avec moi😉) - was Giselle really financially stable through her own efforts, prior to her Ho’wife gig?  Seems to me, it was the show that allowed her to move up (?) to her oddly designed, tackily decorated remodel, and before Andy, wasn’t she living off child support mainly?  Just curious ( plus I hate to give that destructive bitch undeserved praise.)  

[Rlb8031]

19 minutes ago, flummoxd said:

Pasdetrois (voulez-vous dansez avec moi😉) - was Giselle really financially stable through her own efforts, prior to her Ho’wife gig?  Seems to me, it was the show that allowed her to move up (?) to her oddly designed, tackily decorated remodel, and before Andy, wasn’t she living off child support mainly?  Just curious ( plus I hate to give that destructive bitch undeserved praise.)  

Gizelle worked for the NAACP prior to her HW gig. A very middle-income, middle management position which allowed her to live in the DC suburbs, but not a HW level of floss position at all. Off the show she got 1) her (short-lived) successful cosmetics line, 2) her podcast, 3) random acting and appearance gigs and 4) hosting that other (short-lived) Bravo chat show. 

[Glama]

I just started watching the latest episode, I wanted to wait for the subtitles.

I'm not able to watch WWHL, so I was happy to see the bit where Andy was grilling Robin about Juan! And I loved how Andy said that Chris was the scapegoat. 

I love the seating plan! 

Why is Ashley oiled up like a male stripper? It's very disturbing! 

I'm so sick of Ashley and Michael and the house and divorce. Go away. Wait what? You don't get no money no alimony? Worst and stupidest gold digger ever. 

Candiace put Ashley in her place re: someone paying for their houses. Nice job!

Now I'm off to read your comments!

[pasdetrois]

You may be right. That's why I couched my comment as "steadily financially secure through their own efforts while the show has been on the air." Giselle has been receiving income from the show and presumably discreet paid performances (local events). I don't know if she received any income from her makeup line, as it wasn't around for long. She has managed to put a roof over her family's heads, and given DC area property values, that property will escalate in value. I don't know if her podcast is earning any income yet.

I give credit where credit is due, although I dislike all of the housewives equally. I don't take anyone's side because I "like" them. I do think Gizelle's making fun of Ray in an earlier season was a nasty piece of business and out of line.

Crystal ball: I only have confidence in Gizelle and Wendy in terms of long-term financial stability. Candiace has her mother's support, but it comes at a price and also anything can happen. Just ask the baby boomers who lost approximately 20% of their retirement accounts about two years ago, funds that will never be recovered. Or an adult child with a wealthy but suddenly vengeful parent. Or anyone who has been through a costly divorce. Or had a terrible medical decline.

Edited February 22, 2023 by pasdetrois

[amarante]

I have on insight into Gizelle's specific finances but she would have been getting presumably a relatively amount of child support for her three children. There would be enough money from the church for her ex to be on the hook for a good amount since Gizelle had sole custody.

 

[byrd]

On 2/20/2023 at 8:13 AM, Chatty Cake said:

I hate to take Ashley’s side but she had a point. Candiace was well over 30 and her husbands probably near 50 and her mama was paying for her townhouse? Pretty sad.

Mia’s so full of crap. Why were they really outed of their own company? They must have been up to something. Also what’s with all the rentals? What posers.

Ok, so who was paying Ashely's mommas rent and funding her and her bum ass boyfriend's lifestyle? It was Michael Darby, so what is the difference ? 

[lasu]

I'm not sure why everyone acted so surprised that a CEO doesn't have complete control over a business.  I'm an EA to a CEO, and the Board of Directors is collectively her boss.  It's a very circular relationship, as she has a lot of say over recruiting people for the board, but she herself is NOT a member of the board.  She reports to them.  They hired and can fire her, do her employee evaluation, raises, and stuff like that.  FWIW, I don't think Mia was ever a real CEO, but what she was saying actually made some sort of sense for once.  Everyone else was being stupid.  There is still the very valid question of WHY this happened, but a BoD can absolutely cut out a CEO.

I still think Candiace won the season, but she might have lost the reunion.  I was dismayed at how much she looked like her mother, and that is no compliment.  I also hate when she goes too low (and I know everyone opinion of what is "too low" differs), so I'm glad she said she was wrong for the uterus comment.  She's absolutely smart enough to fire off deadly insults without going for that kind of thing.

I also hated her using "generational wealth" as a bit of an insult towards Ashley. I don't know Candiace's family's history, so perhaps she does have real generational wealth versus being the 1st generation to receive inherited wealth.  But two things:  first, generational wealth obviously has to start somewhere, but the reason it's such a topic is because of the CUMULITIVE effect.  The point of generational wealth is that it's a snowball.  I think it's likely that *I* benefit far more than Candiace from generational wealth, even though she has had more financial assistance than I will, and I won't inherit anything from my family.  But I'm also the first person in my family who will not have land handed to them in over 200 years (my family has been on the same land for that long).  Even though I will not receive any inheritance, I still benefit from generations of my family living on the same land, having power to make decisions, making connections, having generations of college educations, etc.  You can't wipe out the effects of "generational wealth" in one generation.

Second, regardless, "generational wealth" is by definition something you didn't earn, so it should never be used as either a social marker or detractor. Candiace did NOTHING to earn what she was given, and Ashley did NOTHING to deserve what she wasn't given.  Both of those situations happened because of their parents' choices, and neither should be given credit or penalized for decisions their parents made.  Candiace needs to understand that everything given to her is a privilege, and lording your privilege over those less fortunate is just not a good look.

Don't get me wrong - I don't have a thing in this world against parents helping their kids, regardless of age.  If anything, I wish I personally had more of that, lol!  And I like Candiace more than most, but I didn't like her using her privilege as a weapon.

[byrd]

On 2/20/2023 at 2:09 PM, Chatty Cake said:

I can’t see her holding her own in a political arena. She is too emotional and gets triggered and offended all the time.

Oh,  I definitely can see Candiace being a political correspondent, she would be great.  These women just bring out the smoke in her. 

[Arynm]

On 2/20/2023 at 8:59 AM, Chatty Cake said:

Candiace is as big an asshole as ever. Going in on Gizelles uterus and her female problems

This was not the burn she thinks it was, with the "dwindling uterus" As someone who has had a hysterectomy it is devastating even though I was done having children. To have that option totally taken away is tough.

Fuck Candiace for that read. I hope she doesn't have any female issues as she gets older.

[Chatty Cake]

3 hours ago, byrd said:

Ok, so who was paying Ashely's mommas rent and funding her and her bum ass boyfriend's lifestyle? It was Michael Darby, so what is the difference ? 

I have no idea who is paying Shelias rent. I thought Michael cut her off years ago.

 

1 hour ago, byrd said:

Oh,  I definitely can see Candiace being a political correspondent, she would be great.  These women just bring out the smoke in her. 

I don’t see it but I also don’t see her as a singer yet the woman is trying. 

10 minutes ago, Arynm said:

This was not the burn she thinks it was, with the "dwindling uterus" As someone who has had a hysterectomy it is devastating even though I was done having children. To have that option totally taken away is tough.

Fuck Candiace for that read. I hope she doesn't have any female issues as she gets older.

She’s absolutely disgusting. When she goes too far and it backfires she’s suddenly the victim and her dumb tissue squares come out. I’m guessing she has some issues since she’s freezing her shit. We know Chris has more than one baby mama and even a kid or two that doesn’t speak with him at all. Great daddy material. NOT!

Edited February 22, 2023 by Chatty Cake

[drivethroo]

10 hours ago, lasu said:

I also hated her using "generational wealth" as a bit of an insult towards Ashley.

If Ashley feels insulted, she should put her money where her mouth is, be a grown woman, turn those house keys over to Michael and go find a townhouse in Woodbridge or Alexandria she can afford with her BRAVO check. What we're not going to do is play the "poor victimized Ashley game" when she has the nastiest and vilest mouth on the cast bar none.

I wonder how Ashley paid for her new boob job? With her BRAVO check or with Michael's check?

Nobody on the cast is going to have Ashley's back on this generational wealth spat with Candiace because they all are either the Candiace in the situation or trying to be the Dorothy.  Not even Robyn jumped up to put on her cape for Ashley when Candiace was getting her together.

 

[Talented Tenth]

On 2/20/2023 at 8:59 AM, Chatty Cake said:

Candiace is as big an asshole as ever. Going in on Gizelles uterus and her female problems. This idiot isn’t even trying to get pregnant the normal way so she needs to shut her big hateful angry mouth. Such a pissy little drama queen. And Andy, her music career is not hot. I’ve never heard any of her crappy songs on the radio and have only heard what is force fed on the show. She’s a housewife singer at best. Her dumb song is on the same level as LuAnn or Melissa Gorga. 
No wonder Chris is DMing other women. Next!

What's worse: falsely accusing someone of sexual assault or saying someone has a dwindling uterus (which is true)?

[Chatty Cake]

I don’t think Candiace using the word generational was that great a dig. She’s mad cause her husband got clowned this season. She’s one to say  “what we’re not going to do “ but they did just that. Dragged Chris for much of the season.

[lasu]

8 hours ago, drivethroo said:

If Ashley feels insulted, she should put her money where her mouth is, be a grown woman, turn those house keys over to Michael and go find a townhouse in Woodbridge or Alexandria she can afford with her BRAVO check. What we're not going to do is play the "poor victimized Ashley game" when she has the nastiest and vilest mouth on the cast bar none.

This isn't at all what I said. I said it wasn't a good look for Candiace to use "generational wealth" as a bludgeon.  Ashley cannot "put her money where her mouth is" in regards to generational wealth, because she has absolutely no control over whether or not she was born into a family that has it.  However, that's not playing "poor victimized Ashley game."  It has nothing to do with Ashley, and everything to do with wanting to see Candiace do better.

Also, I thought that exchange between Gizelle and Andy was pretty funny, where she offered to sleep with him if he hadn't banged a woman by age 60.  It was also pretty funny how quickly he shut that idea down, lol.

[drivethroo]

1 hour ago, lasu said:

I said it wasn't a good look for Candiace to use "generational wealth" as a bludgeon. 

Let's not start at the end, let's start at the beginning. ASHLEY used Candiace's "generational wealth" as a bludgeon against CANDIACE.  Knowing this, it's silly to claim Candiace is using her generational wealth as a weapon against Ashley. Candiace absolutely SHOULD use her generational wealth as a bludgeon against Ashley, especially since Ashley decided to talk about what Candiace's mother shouldn't be doing for Candiace.

 

1 hour ago, lasu said:

Ashley cannot "put her money where her mouth is" in regards to generational wealth, because she has absolutely no control over whether or not she was born into a family that has it. 

Ashley absolutely can put her money where her mouth is.  Don't sit there and tell Candiace to be a grown up and pay her own way while begging Michael to buy her a house she cannot afford so she can stunt on Candiace. Ashley needs to be a grown woman and either buy the townhouse in Woodbridge she can afford or be a grown woman and get a lawyer to get her what's due from her marriage to Michael. She's doing neither. She's busy twerking on Tik Tok and getting bigger boobs so she can find another man to lay up under.

1 hour ago, lasu said:

However, that's not playing "poor victimized Ashley game." 

Saying "Oh Ashley doesn't have generational wealth, Candiace is being mean to her" is absolutely playing the "poor victimized Ashley" game.  Ashley is a very mean girl herself and 99% of her meanness is because she's pocketwatching somebody else's money. It's not Candiace's fault Sheila is a broke bum and Ashley needs to unpack the anger she has at having to be the parent to her mother and stop taking that out on Candiace.

 

[lasu]

12 minutes ago, drivethroo said:

Let's not start at the end, let's start at the beginning. ASHLEY used Candiace's "generational wealth" as a bludgeon against CANDIACE.  Knowing this, it's silly to claim Candiace is using her generational wealth as a weapon against Ashley. Candiace absolutely SHOULD use her generational wealth as a bludgeon against Ashley, especially since Ashley decided to talk about what Candiace's mother shouldn't be doing for Candiace.

No.  Candiace used the term "generational wealth" first, which is what I took issue with.  And regardless, using someone's privilege against them is not as bad as using someone's LACK of privilege against them.  Neither of them earned or didn't earn their privilege or lack there of - that's why it's called privilege. 

 

15 minutes ago, drivethroo said:

Ashley absolutely can put her money where her mouth is.  Don't sit there and tell Candiace to be a grown up and pay her own way while begging Michael to buy her a house she cannot afford so she can stunt on Candiace. Ashley needs to be a grown woman and either buy the townhouse in Woodbridge she can afford or be a grown woman and get a lawyer to get her what's due from her marriage to Michael. She's doing neither. She's busy twerking on Tik Tok and getting bigger boobs so she can find another man to lay up under.

No.  Ashley cannot put her money where her mouth is regarding generational wealth - which is what I said.  No matter what choices she makes, she will never be the recipient of generational wealth.  Taking money from Michael or not taking money from Michael makes absolutely no difference when it comes to receiving generational wealth.  Being on TikTok makes no difference in regards to generational wealth.  Getting with another man makes no difference when it comes to her receiving generational wealth.  There is literally NOTHING Ashley can do to change her status as someone who does or does not receive generational wealth.

 

17 minutes ago, drivethroo said:

Saying "Oh Ashley doesn't have generational wealth, Candiace is being mean to her" is absolutely playing the "poor victimized Ashley" game.  Ashley is a very mean girl herself and 99% of her meanness is because she's pocketwatching somebody else's money. It's not Candiace's fault Sheila is a broke bum and Ashley needs to unpack the anger she has at having to be the parent to her mother and stop taking that out on Candiace.

No.  Saying that Ashley doesn't have generational wealth is factual.  And it's my opinion that Candiace should stick to things she herself has EARNED as responses to Ashley.  I never said nor implied that I thought Candiace is responsible for Sheila's poor choices (what an odd take, tbh).  I've never said Candiace should be nicer to Ashley. I've also never said that Ashley is a nice girl who never did anything wrong.  But just because Ashley is a mean girl doesn't mean I can't want Candiace to continue to mature.  I can both like Candiace and have issues with parts of her behavior.