S18.E2: Rent and Reputations

[ZettaK]

Tamra and Shannon come face-to-face in a heated debate; Alexis shares details of her promised ring; Jenn's parents come to visit and help the kids adjust to Ryan's home.

First aired on 7/18/2024

[QQQQ]

Last week I didn't clock how ugly Gina's party dress is. It's like a sad beige sofa cushion.

[Stats Queen]

So far I’m loving Katie and her snark so far,

Alexis thinking Johnny J is a prize. Maybe better than her ex, but that’s a low bar.

Edited July 19 by Stats Queen

[RoseAllDay]

I’m liking Katie. A lot. Her shade on Alexis was 🤌.

Gina. Go back to Real Estate School.

[RoseAllDay]

I think Katie’s going to be the one to call them all on their bullshit, Alexis especially. I am here for it.

God, Gina is such a joke. She’s just playing at real estate, because it sounds cool. I guess. But there’s such a thing as confidentiality, dumbass, as well as making sure your clients are qualified to buy. She’s not going to Million Dollar Listing anytime soon.

EDIT: Jenn’s renting? Can’t keep up with this crap, LOL.

Edited July 19 by RoseAllDay

[Stats Queen]

What is Gina wearing in her feet at the open house? 
 

[Mr. Miner]

“Even Louis Vuitton makes mistakes”

[RoseAllDay]

Absolutely bizarre Ryan Reynolds commercial. Trying too hard to tie in the Wolverine with the Housewives.

[Baltimore Betty]

I remember Katie Ginella from Say Yes To The Dress, I liked her on that show, I expect to like her on this show too.

Gina's TH dress is so ugly and unflattering. Her real estate savvy may play better off camera, watching that fake showing was doing her no favors.

Emily's orange TH dress is ugly and unflattering as well.

John Janssen got new teeth ala Brooks.

Alexis is feeling Jovani about Johnny J. I think Alexis will double down on JJ no matter what, like dig her heels in and never admit to any issues that may arise with Johnny J, she will always say their relationship is perfect.

I feel like I am on the look out for Shannon's sobriety, watching every time she is on camera trying to determine if she is drunk or not.

 

 

 

 

[bosawks]

Imagine all of our surprise when Tamra declared she’s always going to choose herself and her own happiness.

Truly shocking.

[QQQQ]

Tamra's purple confessional dress is from the 1982 Best Little Whorehouse in Texas winter catalog.

Edited July 19 by QQQQ

[Baltimore Betty]

1 minute ago, QQQQ said:

Tamra's purple confessional dress is from the 1982 Best Little Whorehouse in Texas winter catalog.

I sort of liked it.

[RoseAllDay]

1 minute ago, bosawks said:

Imagine all of our surprise when Tamra declared she’s always going to choose herself and her own happiness.

Truly shocking.

I’m thinking there might be trouble on the horizon with Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Judge. Him wanting to move north and her wanting to stay in the OC? I can totally see him saying “Girl, bye.” How ironic that he’d be living near Ryan.

7 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

I remember Katie Ginella from Say Yes To The Dress, I liked her on that show, I expect to like her on this show too.

Gina's TH dress is so ugly and unflattering. Her real estate savvy may play better off camera, watching that fake showing was doing her no favors.

Emily's orange TH dress is ugly and unflattering as well.

John Janssen got new teeth ala Brooks.

Alexis is feeling Jovani about Johnny J. I think Alexis will double down on JJ no matter what, like dig her heels in and never admit to any issues that may arise with Johnny J, she will always say their relationship is perfect.

I feel like I am on the look out for Shannon's sobriety, watching every time she is on camera trying to determine if she is drunk or not.

 

 

 

 

Need dental work? Date an Orange County housewife.

[QQQQ]

7 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

I sort of liked it.

Jezebel 😂

[Stats Queen]

This episode is so entertaining and a much needed break from reality.

[JAYJAY1979]

Newbie Katie reminds me of Noella without being super extra (and  hopefully the previews of her calling out Dubrow aren't a lie).  

Katie > Gina

Jenn has so much baggage in her day to day life that even if she didn't have a backbone.. she still brings more to the table then Gina ever will.

 

Edited July 19 by JAYJAY1979

[For Cereals]

For all of Gina’s anger at Shannon for discussing her DUI, she’s got a lot to say about Jenn.  No empathy.  I don’t understand how Jenn is hurting her career.

[QQQQ]

Whoa, Gina. Remember when Shannon judged your ass and how that felt? I think the answer is no. 

[Emmeline]

I cannot stand Alexis.  She doesn’t need to throw how many times a day she’s having sex with Johnny “B” right in Shannon’s face.  Alexis is a low class piece of trash.

[RoseAllDay]

Where does Gina get off lecturing Jenn like that? Ryan Serhant on WWHL is right. Gina should not have let Jenn rent that place. That is negligence, AFAIC. I’ll go further and say it’s not a good idea for a friend to be another friend’s broker. Keep business and friendship separate.

Every week Gina gets more insufferable. It wasn’t too long ago that her life was a hot mess and she was living in that bandbox. casita. Now she’s Queen of the OC.

 

7 minutes ago, For Cereals said:

For all of Gina’s anger at Shannon for discussing her DUI, she’s got a lot to say about Jenn.  No empathy.  I don’t understand how Jenn is hurting her career.

Gina is hurting Gina’s “career”.

[Stats Queen]

13 minutes ago, Emmeline said:

I cannot stand Alexis.  She doesn’t need to throw how many times a day she’s having sex with Johnny “B” right in Shannon’s face.  Alexis is a low class piece of trash.

The way she’s acting, Jesus is not involved in her Jugs anymore.

[RoseAllDay]

13 minutes ago, Emmeline said:

I cannot stand Alexis.  She doesn’t need to throw how many times a day she’s having sex with Johnny “B” right in Shannon’s face.  Alexis is a low class piece of trash.

That was straight-up cruel, and Jeezus Juggs knew it and loved every minute of it. That was disgusting. I did like Heather’s look: “Welp, another party ruined.”

[ZettaK]

1 hour ago, QQQQ said:

Last week I didn't clock how ugly Gina's party dress is. It's like a sad beige sofa cushion.

I was going to comment on this. And about Alexis' party outfit, and confessional outfit....Most confessional outfits are ugly. 

1 hour ago, RoseAllDay said:

I think Katie’s going to be the one to call them all on their bullshit, Alexis especially. I am here for it.

God, Gina is such a joke. She’s just playing at real estate, because it sounds cool. I guess. But there’s such a thing as confidentiality, dumbass, as well as making sure your clients are qualified to buy. She’s not going to Million Dollar Listing anytime soon.

EDIT: Jenn’s renting? Can’t keep up with this crap, LOL.

Jenn is renting since she got separated. I'm not sure if she and her ex husband owned a house (I hope they did), but she never discussed it. As for the rental, she wanted something more expensive because she joined the show. 

Edited July 19 by ZettaK

[Pi237]

Gina’s really stomping around like she’s the world’s best real estate agent and Ms. Hot Shit like she came up from nothing and hustled? Lmao Being a loud mouth on tv is how she hustled.  The only one hurting her ‘career’ is herself. So unprofessional for an actual agent, but maybe a good audition tape to spin off into one of the endless reality shows about selling overpriced homes to rich people. I’m not into this new version of Gina. So, can one of those shows take her, please?  She obviously wants that good life, thinks her shit’s ice cream, and if I were Travis, I’d get ready to be single because he won’t be good enough for her when/if she starts making more money. 
 

Alexis bragging about getting sex with JJ twice in one day was so gross. That’s not the brag she thinks it is.

[ZettaK]

52 minutes ago, Stats Queen said:

This episode is so entertaining and a much needed break from reality.

The New Jersey, and other HWs should take a note.

Edited July 19 by ZettaK

[ZettaK]

56 minutes ago, For Cereals said:

For all of Gina’s anger at Shannon for discussing her DUI, she’s got a lot to say about Jenn.  No empathy.  I don’t understand how Jenn is hurting her career.

Gina couldn't sell the house she offered to Jenn to rent, and lost her commission. She also didn't ask her to have a credit check, as a favor because Jenn doesn't have a good credit history (she said her father had to sign to guarantee the rent payment), and then the rent was not paid, or paid fully, and this circulated in the area/real estate circles. I think that's why she mentioned the situation on tv, to explain. 

ETA: and because she wanted to create drama. I don't doubt she is genuinely angry though. 

Edited July 19 by ZettaK

[Palimelon]

Quote

Last week I didn't clock how ugly Gina's party dress is. It's like a sad beige sofa cushion.

So the dress represents Gina herself?

[ZettaK]

So, Jenn's Ryan doesn't work for some time, but "he sits around", and lives the good life according to Jenn. This fits the betting scandal. 

And she is now moving in with Ryan. If it doesn't work, she will have to return to Oklahoma! Well, I'm sure she thinks the show is employment, but this can be temporary. He enjoys the celebrity aspect too, judging by his social media. Jenn has new designer clothes, people to do her makeup and hair/glam, etc., but she can't pay her rent.

The Shannon/Alexis feud is going to be epic. 

Shannon is apologizing to everybody because she knows she has no allies in the group. 

Heather's original engagement ring was not always her favorite (wow!), but it is now. Who admits to that? 

Katie is great! 

Does this idiot, Alexis think she will marry Johnny D? I wouldn't leave the table if I were Shannon. 

So, Shannon admitted she said Tamra had a big ego.

1 hour ago, RoseAllDay said:

Where does Gina get off lecturing Jenn like that? Ryan Serhant on WWHL is right. Gina should not have let Jenn rent that place. That is negligence, AFAIC. I’ll go further and say it’s not a good idea for a friend to be another friend’s broker. Keep business and friendship separate.

Ryan Serhant was sitting right next to Jenn, he had to be diplomatic.

Edited July 19 by ZettaK

[ZettaK]

The Watch What Happens Live (online) audience said overwhelmingly that Gina had a right to be angry, they were on Gina's side, thought, again overwhelmingly that the Ryan, and Jenn relationship won't last, and that she shouldn't have a glam squad when she can't pay her rent. 

Jenn said nice things about Gina though. 

[dancingdreamer]

Gina forgets how her life was,  when she split with her ex, Travis  also stepped in and helped. I just can't  see Gina being  any good selling real estate. I've never  been a fan of hers,  and for a few seasons, I  hope she'd  be gone. 

I'm glad Heather and Shannon  made up, stay far away from Tamra, Shannon, she's two faced, and that won't  change.

I  am another vote for Katie,  she won't suffer fools for long. Alexis,  you're the fool. 

[bosawks]

27 minutes ago, dancingdreamer said:

I'm glad Heather and Shannon  made up, stay far away from Tamra, Shannon, she's two faced, and that won't  change.

I’ve said it before that I would rather be Heather’s sworn enemy than Tamra’s greatest friend.

[Baltimore Betty]

9 hours ago, RoseAllDay said:

I did like Heather’s look: “Welp, another party ruined.”

This reminds me of Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore Show, I am old), all of her parties ended in some disastrous way, every party ruined in very funny ways.

Has anyone else ever noticed that when a HW brings a plus one all of the non famous plus ones wind up gathered in one place while the HW's ricochet around the room, this is how I know they are not friends just someone to walk in to an event with, if they were friends they would be hovering around a HW that was getting piled on.

Gina screaming about how Jenn is ruining her real estate career is hilarious, like nobody has seen anything about Gina prior to Jenn having major financial issues, someone needs to tell Gina, "it's not all about you," as saying I hate but is very fitting in this case.  The only way I can see Jenn ruining Gina's career is if she talked shit about Gina which she has not done, it is an unfortunate situation, Gina should take the loss and learn a lesson, Jenn should not have asked for special treatment, lose lose situation, learn from it and move on.

Jenn moves in with Ryan, what happens now is she gets on her feet again then she moves out? I feel like the relationship is not coming first but finances are driving this relationship, it will not end well if money is the driving force of the their relationship.

Heather has a money machine filled with the cards with wishes the girls wrote down, that was odd but it gave Tamra a vehicle to act gross and perform.

Feeling Johnny J will film with Alexis because she won't embarrass him being drunk on camera, he may embarrass Alexis with his anger issues and drinking a bit too much himself but she will never dump him.  

 

 

[Palimelon]

Quote

Heather has a money machine filled with the cards with wishes

I'm sure at least a few of the HWs wish it was filled with actual money instead.

[SweetieDarling]

8 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Jenn moves in with Ryan, what happens now is she gets on her feet again then she moves out? I feel like the relationship is not coming first but finances are driving this relationship, it will not end well if money is the driving force of the their relationship.

Financial independence does not seem to be a priority for Jenn. If it were, I think she'd have picked up more yoga classes to teach or found another source of income to pay her bills, and perhaps move into a casita or sad little house until she can afford more. She either doesn't know what *Ryan does for a living or is covering for him -she didn't even use the infamous "he's an entrepreneur"  She's not curious about how  he makes the money to pay the bills on that fairly large house? She may be the dumbest HW yet

 

*Has there bee a respectable Ryan on any of these shows?

[Keywestclubkid]

knock me over with a feather but i'm about to defend Gina here and it blows my mind .. hahah

 

 

 

Jenn knew she couldn't afford that house her father knew she couldnt afford that house but still cosigned ... Jenn was in that house 4 months with NO JOB apparently and got evicted which means she paid AT MOST a  MONTHS rent on time .. Fault gina for a lot of shit but she knew to downsize and make it work she wasnt trying to impress anyone and we all tore her to shreds with living in a 2bed "condo" but guess what she didnt get evicted and her and her kids arnt homeless she knew what she had to do and sucked it up and did it  ...

 

Jenn is now  effecting her work and ability to take care of her kids by getting evicted... Now people and potential clients and other realtors  are gonna be like why do i wanna work with you your clients dont pay bills, but are busy getting professional hair and makeup and new wardrobes.. she is 100% right to be pissed.. get a fucking job and a house that you can afford then in the future you can get the Mcmansion IF you still feel the need to 'show off"

 

Jenn is used to using people and them being ok with it i mean she used her dad who is on the hook for that 20plus thousand back rent

[SweetieDarling]

27 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Feeling Johnny J will film with Alexis because she won't embarrass him being drunk on camera, he may embarrass Alexis with his anger issues and drinking a bit too much himself but she will never dump him.  

Did he film for this season? I cannot wait to see that shitshow go down if he did! Shannon will trip over herself trying to appear unbothered, and I'm really not sure at this point if Alexis or Johnny J will be more embarrassing. they both seem extremely thirsty. I predict she's going to defend and cover for him and his shitty behavior in the exact same ways that Shannon did, but with less tequila (probably)

I do love that the others roll their eyes when she tries to stand up for him and tells them they don't know him like she does

[Pi237]

Excellent points about the Gina situation. I was perhaps too hard on her. I still get an uppity air about her this season, and the screeching at Jenn in public were very unprofessional, but perfect for a reality tv star, of course. 

Loved the look of 'wtf?' On Shannon and new girls faces when Jenn said Ryan doesn't have a job and she couldn't really articulate what he used to do. She's either really Dim or dumb as a fox.  Probably used to getting by on pretty. 

[Palimelon]

Quote

I do love that the others roll their eyes when she tries to stand up for him and tells them they don't know him like she does

I mean, how well can you know a man unless he is filling up your love tank 4 to 6 times a day?

[oftentimes]

Ok, am I the only one dumb-founded by the fact that Ryan has never used his dishwasher?  😁

[Pi237]

1 minute ago, oftentimes said:

Ok, am I the only one dumb-founded by the fact that Ryan has never used his dishwasher?  😁

That house looked like they all just moved in, including Ryan. 

[SweetieDarling]

1 minute ago, oftentimes said:

Ok, am I the only one dumb-founded by the fact that Ryan has never used his dishwasher?  😁

I'm guessing he eats takeout on paper plates with plastic utensils, or goes out. 

[Keywestclubkid]

so eddie doesnt have a job for over a year and Tamra is fine with it but Jenn living with a man who doesn't have a "job" ( i mean he must do something hes paying his bills even if Jen isnt) is somehow "bad" and hes a loser am i getting this right

3 minutes ago, SweetieDarling said:

I'm guessing he eats takeout on paper plates with plastic utensils, or goes out. 

one person doing dishes really doesnt require you to use a dishwasher .. i mean its A plate a fork a cup and whatever i cooked with its a simple wash why would i leave it to sit till i had enough to run a dishwasher

[Baltimore Betty]

The unused dishwasher is interesting since Ryan has kids and with kids comes plenty of dishes.

Come to think of it, when I met my now husband all he had in his fridge was a case of water and a packet of cat food (yes he had a cat), he ate all his meals out and never went food shopping, I never checked if his dishwasher was ever used, side note he had the ugliest dishes and silverware, lol. 

The fact that Jenn could not quite articulate what Ryan's job is exactly makes me think of Chandler Bing, nobody knew what he did either, lol. 

 

[Pi237]

“It could mean promised in the eyes of the Lord” 🤣

 

 

 

[Pi237]

37 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

so eddie doesnt have a job for over a year and Tamra is fine with it but Jenn living with a man who doesn't have a "job" ( i mean he must do something hes paying his bills even if Jen isnt) 

He’s doing something-money laundering for illegal gambling. (Allegedly)

I guess I don’t fault Eddie as much since we’ve seen him working on and at their gym for years. Plus, they now have the edibles business. 
 

Ryan might be legit, and wrongly accused, but I doubt it. For Jenn’s kids’ sake, I hope he’s on the up & up. 

[lasu]

10 hours ago, ZettaK said:

Gina couldn't sell the house she offered to Jenn to rent, and lost her commission. She also didn't ask her to have a credit check, as a favor because Jenn doesn't have a good credit history (she said her father had to sign to guarantee the rent payment), and then the rent was not paid, or paid fully, and this circulated in the area/real estate circles. I think that's why she mentioned the situation on tv, to explain. 

This isn't quite right.  The rental house was never for sale (at least as far as this story goes).  Jenn moved in, thinking her ex was going to be paying a large portion of the rent and she was going to be paying a small portion of the rent.  She said that her ex then didn't get his financial in, and was not paying his portion of her rent.  I'm not sure if it was reasonable for her to be thinking her ex was going to being paying this - I'm unclear on if she just made this up in her head, or if she had concrete reason to think he would be paying this, and he fucked her over.  I wish I knew more about this, because I think it's vital in understanding what Jenn was thinking about being able to pay the rent when she moved in.

Gina claims she vouched for Jenn, and Jenn didn't have to get a credit check because of Gina.  This may be true, but Gina's vouching couldn't have been 100% because Jenn's father still cosigned.

Then, Jenn is evicted.

Another house (not the house Jenn rented) went on the market, and Gina had a chance to sell the house IF she could get another agent to share her clients.  That agent did not text Gina back, and Gina did not sell the house, losing a potential $50K.  It's unclear how Gina knows the only reason this agent didn't text her back is because of Jenn's eviction.  It's also unclear how she is certain she absolutely would have sold the house if only the agent texted her back.

Even if Gina is right, and the agent didn't text her back because of Jenn, Gina has a right to no longer be friends with Jenn, but Gina needs to understand she still showed poor professional judgment in vouching for someone whose financial and ability to pay on time were unknown to her.  Gina is further showing poor professional judgment by talking about a client publicly.  I wouldn't want to work with her as an agent or a client after this.

IMO, she's really reaching to say Jenn took $50k from her, and it's INSANE to say Jenn's coming for her business.  Even if you agree Jenn absolutely hurt Gina's business, I don't think anyone could say Jenn purposely is trying to undermine Gina.

I will say that I do absolutely think that Jenn (or her ex, depending on how all that went down) needs to pay the landlord for the back rent.

1 hour ago, Keywestclubkid said:

Jenn knew she couldn't afford that house her father knew she couldnt afford that house but still cosigned ... Jenn was in that house 4 months with NO JOB apparently and got evicted which means she paid AT MOST a  MONTHS rent on time .. Fault gina for a lot of shit but she knew to downsize and make it work she wasnt trying to impress anyone and we all tore her to shreds with living in a 2bed "condo" but guess what she didnt get evicted and her and her kids arnt homeless she knew what she had to do and sucked it up and did it  ...

I'm not sure they knew she couldn't afford it, if it was reasonable to think her ex was going to be paying a large portion, which he then didn't.  If she was supposed to be getting support from him and didn't, that's really her getting fucked over, not her fucking anyone else over.

1 hour ago, Pi237 said:

Loved the look of 'wtf?' On Shannon and new girls faces when Jenn said Ryan doesn't have a job and she couldn't really articulate what he used to do. She's either really Dim or dumb as a fox.  Probably used to getting by on pretty. 

Oooh, this looked a million times worse knowing what we know now.  I THINK at that time she thought he was just RICH and didn't have to work anymore (which fuck yeah, if I had enough money I would just live the dream too, too bad this one was a pipedream based on major illegal shenanigans).

Jenn is the living embodiment of why I worry for women who decide to opt out of the workplace.  I have 0% issue with someone not working, but the loss of independence is too scary for me.  Jenn is sooooo passive it makes me nuts, and I can't imagine living this way.

[Keywestclubkid]

16 minutes ago, lasu said:

 

I'm not sure they knew she couldn't afford it, if it was reasonable to think her ex was going to be paying a large portion, which he then didn't.  If she was supposed to be getting support from him and didn't, that's really her getting fucked over, not her fucking anyone else over.

 

this is a moot point she couldn't afford it and knew it .. she wasn't getting money from her EX way before this.. i mean wasn't that one of the reason she had to find a new place anyway? ... she knew he wasn't paying .. whose responsibility does that becomes then but hers .. she wasn't earning an income yet she had to tell the new people she was getting money from somewhere then she screws her dad with him cosigning .. she doesn't seem to want to go get a job but have her ex pay for shit ... she is the reason she is in this position at the end of the day ..

 

Her passing the buck is whats annoying me .. GET A JOB .. downsize and make sure you can cover your shit .. then go after him .. you don't play with imaginary money that you dont have when you have kids .. you budget you make sure they are clothed and fed and housed .. Gina downsized and made sure she was covered no matter what Travis did ... why cant Jenn get that .. why is it Gina is wrong for being mad that Jenn basically slapped the food out of her kids mouth by screwing her over here

Edited July 19 by Keywestclubkid

[lasu]

7 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

this is a moot point she couldnt afford it and knew it .. she wasnt getting money from her EX way before this ... she knew he wasnt paying .. whos responsibility does that becomes then but hers .. she wasnt earning an income .. she doesnt seem to want to go get a job but have her ex pay for shit ... she is the reason she is in this position at the end of the day ..

It's not a moot point at all.  If she was entitled to spousal/child support that her ex withheld, that's a major thing to note, ESPECIALLY because finances are so often used as a weapon.  We don't know enough here.  I *think* what happened is that her ex had agreed to pay X amount, and then was no longer working (at the job with her family) and then didn't pay HIS obligations, making it impossible for her to meet her obligations.

Again, this is the reason I wouldn't let myself get into this situation, because lots of women stay home and then get screwed over just like this situation.  

But again, it's definitely still not Jenn screwing over Gina.   It looks to me like Jenn got screwed over by her ex, which in turn caused...nah, I still don't think Jenn screwed over Gina.  Gina shouldn't have put her professional reputation on the line for a situation she wasn't sure of - that's poor professional judgment.  If you can say Jenn is in this position because of Jenn, then Gina is certainly in this position because of Gina.

[Keywestclubkid]

3 minutes ago, lasu said:

It's not a moot point at all.  If she was entitled to spousal/child support that her ex withheld, that's a major thing to note, ESPECIALLY because finances are so often used as a weapon.  We don't know enough here.  I *think* what happened is that her ex had agreed to pay X amount, and then was no longer working (at the job with her family) and then didn't pay HIS obligations, making it impossible for her to meet her obligations.

Again, this is the reason I wouldn't let myself get into this situation, because lots of women stay home and then get screwed over just like this situation.  

But again, it's definitely still not Jenn screwing over Gina.   It looks to me like Jenn got screwed over by her ex, which in turn caused...nah, I still don't think Jenn screwed over Gina.  Gina shouldn't have put her professional reputation on the line for a situation she wasn't sure of - that's poor professional judgment.  If you can say Jenn is in this position because of Jenn, then Gina is certainly in this position because of Gina.

it is a moot point cause she knew the money wouldn't be there .. if i was the landlord id go after he for willingly signing something that she KNEW she couldn't afford on her own .. fraud is what it is .. she was fraudulent  in knowing her ex wasn't paying her but still included that income in so she could get the rental ...

 

 

Edited July 19 by Keywestclubkid

[lasu]

6 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

it is a moot point cause she knew the money wouldnt be there ..

No.  She thought she was getting money from her ex.  Unless that's a lie, she didn't know the money wouldn't be there.  I also have no reason to think she would move her kids into a situation she KNEW was going to work out this way.  I think she went in with honest intentions - though I will absolutely agree her honest intentions seem VERY passive overall.