Bethenny Frankel: Skinny Girl

[zoeysmom]

1 hour ago, jinjer said:

Predatory Lenders. 

One woman was loaned $10,000.00 against her settlement a year later she had $40,000.00 deducted from her settlement against her loan.

There is a reason Congress is holding hearings on this subject.

1 hour ago, islandgal140 said:

LOL!!

You know for some strange reason I thought that Shields family lived in FL, which was baffling to me because divorce is relatively easy there (as I understand it. I avoid family law like the plague). Well it appears that they are NY based. If Jill and Dennis did indeed legally separate and have a separation agreement filed with the court, they would have to wait 1 year while living separate and apart before filing for divorce under NY law.  Which if he was still living in the family home due to back surgery makes me go hmm... So I wonder if they are separated formally under NY divorce law or just separated because they say so. NY also has fault and no fault divorce, along with legal separation as a grounds. No fault seems pretty streamlined in that you just have to show that your marriage has been  irretrievably broken for 6 months. You don't even have to be separated for 6 months, just allege a broken marriage for at least that long and have all your financial shit hammered out - like spousal and child support, division of property, custody etc. So I do wonder what is going on and what's the hold up. 

Yeah I thought about the one year separation thing.  I am not sure the benefit to filing for separation is.

So come November or so we will see if the Shields go forward with their divorce.

My guess is there was no pre-nup.  So if he is as wealthy as Bethenny claims he will be half as wealthy when the dust settles.

[ElDosEquis]

O L D.

Beffy, you are getting old.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL........

[KnotsLanding]

On the subject of Bethenny's power and potential secret position as EP, I think it's unspoken and I blame the other women not Bethenny. Since she came back to the show (and especially Luann as she lobbied to be on this season) everybody was desperately kissing her ass and tip-toeing around Bethenny because of her brand and success and a desire to be around her. The only one who didn't really care was Heather because she already has her own empire. When it came to this season Bethenny gets a lot of flack for not including Sonja, but they obviously can't break the fourth wall and admit Sonja and Luann didn't have contracts and nobody knew how much they'd feature on this season. Also, even if Bethenny did say she didn't want Sonja say at the Berkshires, they don't have to listen to that. They have the power to ice Bethenny out just as she does to them. They don't because they don't want to go against her and they want to be around her. 

I'll never believe as poorly as she was edited the past two seasons that she is in control. She said herself she has been a disaster both seasons. I strongly believe the ONLY people making her a producer are the other cast members who are afraid to go against her.

[ScoobieDoobs]

She is coming off so poorly to me.  I really wonder what viewer reaction is to her right about now.

I find it hard to believe she is a producer, mainly because at the reunion she isn't coming off well at all.  Nor did she on WWHL either.

The background stuff on Shields listed above?  He looks like a shady/shifty character to me.  Just a hunch.  Her story about calling Jill Shields for her approval sounds fishy, but might have some truth to it.  Look, plenty of people either never divorce & lead separate lives or put off divorce.  It's not a big deal & it's people's own business to do what they want.  Where it gets muddy is when Bethenny lies about what's going on.  Maybe he doesn't wanna be straight about it.  But he has no choice if he wants to be with her.  Her life (and anyone in her life) is gonna get scrutinized.  It's just the way it is.  That rough character she was going with last year was able to avoid much scrutiny.  Bethenny won't be able to get away with that shit again.  Not with Twitter around.

On 9/7/2016 at 9:57 AM, islandgal140 said:

This assumes that production thought the Berkshires was a bad look for Bethenny and I am not so sure that is the case. I can well believe that when taped and edited, they thought this would be a plus in the Bethenny column. Before it aired, Bethenny and Andy seemed to be bragging that this was going to be the disassembling, dismantling of the Countess. I kid you not. I believe one of those words were actually used. Andy was creaming himself online. I do think there was some degree of confidence (despite B's unhinged demeanor throughout) that she would have if not a significant amount of audience support at least split the vote 50/50. Although I wouldn't doubt B was more confident with majority audience support.  Again, I think this was supposed to be seen as the voice of reason, the choir finally, finally taking the Countess off her pedestal.  Too bad both of the premises were wrong. Bethenny hasn't been the choir since she came back and the Countess hasn't been on the pedestal for a while and she had built up some significant goodwill the last 2 seasons, especially the season she was a 'friend of'.  So.... I think all this was a big, HUGE miscalculation on the part of production, Bethenny and Andy who both seem taken aback at the level of vitriol being leveled at B.

Well, in the "war" between Lu & Bethenny, The Frankelstein monster came off far, far, far worse.  What was Lu's biggest "crime"?  Lying to us & being a hypocrite?  Ho-hum, isn't that shit everywhere -- in Housewives shows & all across TV now & just in life in general?  Bethenny OTOH, with her slut-shaming & name-calling & intense rage-filled screeching rants & her general cruelty?  Yikes!  Uh, no competition there.  In terms of horribleness & hideous to watch, I'd say the Frankelstein monster comes off as the winner -- and certainly in terms of being the most nasty, & cruel character on Bravo now, if that was her & Satan Andy's intention.

I think Satan Andy is NOT always a good judge when it comes to what viewers will find entertaining & what will be seen as relentless cruelty -- which is ALL we've seen from Bethenny this season.  Honestly, I don't get it.  Wouldn't it be so much more appealing to morph Bethenny (even if she's merely putting on a phony persona that really isn't who she is now) into someone laidback & funny & enjoying her success & wealthy lifestyle?  Seriously, why show her ONLY being so cruel & mean & nasty?  I'm not at all getting the motivation behind this.  Is Satan Andy so out of touch with what audiences want?  Maybe he isn't.  Ratings are decent, after all.  But I hate it.  Reminds me of how out of touch he was throwing that misogynist crap of Aviva's father.  Satan Andy was pretty pissed at the negative feedback, but he acknowledged it quickly & her father was barely seen after.

So are we over-examining everything Bethenny says now?  I don't think so.  We're merely noticing how ridiculously thoughtless & cruel EVERYTHING she says now is.  So from Satan Andy's POV, is that a good thing?  We're noticing what she's saying, so is that a good thing?  Shrugging.  Maybe it is -- if you go by the thinking that any publicity is good publicity.  The prob is Bethenny is such a hateful character now -- almost to a cartoonish degree, like a Mr. Burns.  Except there's nothing even remotely humorous or ironic about Bethenny.  She's just evil & joyless & not fun at all, just scary to watch, with her terrifying rage.  So what do you end up with -- with Bethenny as she is now?  Well, to me, an extremely unpleasant person to watch -- and with her front & center, a show I no longer enjoy.  This is what Satan Andy wants?  Guess we'll see how ratings go.  I'm ready to check out.

Edited September 8, 2016 by ScoobieDoobs

[mwell345]

22 minutes ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

Well, in the "war" between Lu & Bethenny, The Frankelstein monster came off far, far, far worse.  What was Lu's biggest "crime"?  Lying to us & being a hypocrite?  Ho-hum, isn't that shit everywhere -- in Housewives shows & all across TV now & just in life in general?  Bethenny OTOH, with her slut-shaming & name-calling & intense rage-filled screeching terrifying rants & her general cruelty?  Yikes!  Uh, no competition there.  In terms of horribleness & hideous to watch, I'd say the Frankelstein monster comes off as the winner -- if that was her & Satan Andy's intention.

I think Satan Andy is NOT always a good judge when it comes to what viewers will find entertaining & what will be seen as relentless cruelty -- which is ALL we've seen from Bethenny this season.  Honestly, I don't get it.  Wouldn't it be so much easier to morph Bethenny (even if she's merely putting on a phony persona that really isn't who she is now) as someone laidback & funny & enjoying her success & wealthy lifestyle?  Seriously, why show her ONLY being so cruel & mean & nasty?  I mean, I'm not at all getting the motivation behind this.  Is Satan Andy so out of touch with what audiences want?  Maybe he isn't.  Ratings are decent, after all.  But I hate it.  Reminds me of how out of touch he was throwing that misogynist crap of Aviva's father.  Satan Andy was pretty pissed at the negative feedback, but he acknowledged it quickly & her father was barely seen after.

So are we over-examining everything Bethenny says now?  I don't think so.  We're merely noticing how ridiculously thoughtless & cruel EVERYTHING she says now is.  So from Satan Andy's POV, is that a good thing?  We're noticing what she's saying, so is that a good thing?  Shrugging.  Maybe it is -- if you go by the thinking that any publicity is good publicity.  The prob is Bethenny is such a hateful character now -- almost to a cartoonish degree, like a Mr. Burns.  Except there's nothing even remotely humorous or funny about Bethenny.  She's just evil & joyless & not fun at all, just scary to watch with her terrifying & her intense rants & rages.  So what do you end up with -- with Bethenny as she is now?  Well, to me, an extremely unpleasant person to watch -- and with her front & center, a show I no longer enjoy.  This is what Satan Andy wants?  Guess we'll see how ratings go.  I'm ready to check out.

Bold is mine.

I think he is out of touch.  I also think Andy was thinking back to season 1 or 2 Bethenny where the majority of viewers found her unassuming, able to poke fun at herself along with others.   The thing is, there was balance to Bethenny that season - the show had an ensemble cast where each of the women for the most part were given equal time.  (And there was Kelly.)

I think Andy finds Bethenny witty and amusing on a personal level,  and thought the viewers would too, and the viewers would especially love to see her call the others out on their "hypocritical" behavior.    But it misfired.  One reason was there was no balance to her viciousness and bitterness.  Had she toned it down, and had it not been All Bethenny All The Time, it might (stress might) have worked out better.  And the other miscalculation is that the viewers usually take the side of the underdog, not the mean girl.  (If he learned anything from the "NJ cast vs. Teresa Attempted Takedown" , it should have been that). No one wants to identify with with the bully. No one likes the mean girl.  Add to that the fact that she never was able to really rattle LuAnn the way she wanted to.    When the Mean Girl is  going after someone who doesn't return fire, she looks even worse.

I can't remember when I've seen this much negativity directed towards one HW.   Not even Brandi.  Read any article, any blog and the comments are overwhelmingly negative to Bethenny.   It has to be giving Bravo/Andy some pause. 

It will be interesting to see what happens next season. My guess is she won't be back, even though she has a year on her contract.  I think there will be some BS story about how she doesn't have time for it, blah, blah, blah, or maybe Andy will dangle something else in front of her. I'm not sure what that could be through because I don't believe she could carry her own show after this season, having alienated the majority of viewers.   I mean, she's not even someone that you'd watch because you love to hate her.  She's cringeworthy.  

[ScoobieDoobs]

The thing is, I actually think she & Satan Andy could turn this around, if she made some effort to tone down the relentless nastiness & cruelty.  Could it be she just refuses to do that?  Maybe she's now way too bitter & angry & mostly humorless & extremely un-self-aware to EVER go back to ANYTHING even remotely resembling the seasons 1 & 2 Bethenny, who was so enjoyable.  And her ego now is sooooo crazily out of control that she probably wouldn't stoop to faking a nicey-nice fun persona, right?  Well, if the Frankelstein monster, as she is now, is all ya got to work with, Satan Andy, all I can say is -- yeesh, blech, yuck & good luck to ya, but I don't wanna watch this monster anymore.

[Showthyme]

It is a terrible idea for Bethenny to meetup with her mother in front of the cameras or in front of Bryn. These reunions rarely go well. (Kenya Moore, many adoptees). Bethenny needs to come from a place of forgiveness. There is no point in either side berating one another after all of these years. I don't care to watch anymore of these reunions. They should be done in private to give both sides a chance to make peace and reconcile. 

[ScoobieDoobs]

Reality Tea says Bethenny has a deal to move on-

http://www.realitytea.com/2016/09/07/official-jules-wainstein-not-returning-real-housewives-new-york/

Makes sense, given how she doesn't seem to give a crap how awful & horrible & nasty & cruel she is on the show now.

[mwell345]

1 hour ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

The thing is, I actually think she & Satan Andy could turn this around, if she made some effort to tone down the relentless nastiness & cruelty.  Could it be she just refuses to do that?  Maybe she's now way too bitter & angry & mostly humorless & extremely un-self-aware to EVER go back to ANYTHING even remotely resembling the seasons 1 & 2 Bethenny, who was so enjoyable.  And her ego now is sooooo crazily out of control that she probably wouldn't stoop to faking a nicey-nice fun persona, right?  Well, if the Frankelstein monster, as she is now, is all ya got to work with, Satan Andy, all I can say is -- yeesh, blech, yuck & good luck to ya, but I don't wanna watch this monster anymore.

Camille Grammer turned it around (we've discussed this before) - but Bethenny is not Camille - her ego, lack of self awareness - I don't think she'll ever humble herself enough to turn it around. I wonder about her PR people - maybe they just "come from a place of Yes".  Is no one telling her to stop?

She is very, very angry about something.  Maybe the divorce, maybe something else - but this viciousness is coming from someplace inside her.  It's not just the everyday drama-making HW stuff.  

Even at the reunion - after she's had a chance to see how she came across on screen all season long -  I thought that would be the beginning of her attempted redemption, but she kept it up - the Jewish comment was deplorable.  Something is wrong with her personality.

Last night on WWHL she said about LuAnn: "I think her despicable and tragic behavior speaks for itself"

She could have been talking about herself. 

1 hour ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

Reality Tea says Bethenny has a deal to move on-

http://www.realitytea.com/2016/09/07/official-jules-wainstein-not-returning-real-housewives-new-york/

Makes sense, given how she doesn't seem to give a crap how awful & horrible & nasty & cruel she is on the show now.

Wonder if that is the Shark Tank clone I've heard about.  Wonder if it will be on Bravo?

I hope it's true. 

[ElDosEquis]

10 hours ago, mwell345 said:

The thing is, I don't understand the level of anger.  Yes, I get being sensitive to being accused of dating a married man.  Deny it and move on.  Say something like " I can see why you might think that, but he was separated/divorced when we started dating etc."  But no, we get the dramatic phone call, oh and now she says she almost asked Andy for a lie detector test.

She became unglued and protested way too much and with such fury that she just put fuel on the fire.

She left herself wide open for that anyway and my sense is she knew it was coming so why get all unhinged? 

All season long, she said horrible things about LuAnn (whose children I might add are old enough to watch the show) - Luann was an F-doll, who slept with every man in Manhattan - on and on - did LuAnn lose it at all?  No.

But accuse Bethenny of dating a married man?  She goes ballistic. 

That, like her age, are fights she has no control over.

It exposes her hypocrisy and kicks out the ladder from underneath her.

Damn, it must hurt to land on concrete.

[NewDigs]

2 hours ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

The thing is, I actually think she & Satan Andy could turn this around, if she made some effort to tone down the relentless nastiness & cruelty.  Could it be she just refuses to do that?  Maybe she's now way too bitter & angry & mostly humorless & extremely un-self-aware to EVER go back to ANYTHING even remotely resembling the seasons 1 & 2 Bethenny, who was so enjoyable.  And her ego now is sooooo crazily out of control that she probably wouldn't stoop to faking a nicey-nice fun persona, right?  Well, if the Frankelstein monster, as she is now, is all ya got to work with, Satan Andy, all I can say is -- yeesh, blech, yuck & good luck to ya, but I don't wanna watch this monster anymore.

I think they must be absolutely tone deaf. I can see B doubling down on Nasty.

1 minute ago, ElDosEquis said:

That, like her age, are fights she has no control over.

It exposes her hypocrisy and kicks out the ladder from underneath her.

Damn, it must hurt to land on concrete.

One can hope.

But, does she really feel anything?

[Lady Grump]

39 minutes ago, mwell345 said:

Camille Grammer turned it around (we've discussed this before) - but Bethenny is not Camille - her ego, lack of self awareness - I don't think she'll ever humble herself enough to turn it around. I wonder about her PR people - maybe they just "come from a place of Yes".  Is no one telling her to stop?

Even at the reunion - after she's had a chance to see how she came across on screen all season long -  I thought that would be the beginning of her attempted redemption, but she kept it up - the Jewish comment was deplorable.  Something is wrong with her personality.

Agreed.

IMO, one of the reason's Camille's about face worked so well was because she started her redemption arc on the reunion. Camille's first reunion she was reviled going into it, and she did a stand-up-and-applauds PR job, as she was able to "take it" without getting crazy, and yes, laughed at herself.

Edited September 8, 2016 by Lady Grump

[WireWrap]

2 hours ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

The thing is, I actually think she & Satan Andy could turn this around, if she made some effort to tone down the relentless nastiness & cruelty.  Could it be she just refuses to do that?  Maybe she's now way too bitter & angry & mostly humorless & extremely un-self-aware to EVER go back to ANYTHING even remotely resembling the seasons 1 & 2 Bethenny, who was so enjoyable.  And her ego now is sooooo crazily out of control that she probably wouldn't stoop to faking a nicey-nice fun persona, right?  Well, if the Frankelstein monster, as she is now, is all ya got to work with, Satan Andy, all I can say is -- yeesh, blech, yuck & good luck to ya, but I don't wanna watch this monster anymore.

The reason it worked in season1 - 2 was that Bethenny had Jill as balance. Carole isn't a strong personality and Bethenny needs another strong HW to balance her out, something she is never going to allow now.

[WireWrap]

2 hours ago, Showthyme said:

It is a terrible idea for Bethenny to meetup with her mother in front of the cameras or in front of Bryn. These reunions rarely go well. (Kenya Moore, many adoptees). Bethenny needs to come from a place of forgiveness. There is no point in either side berating one another after all of these years. I don't care to watch anymore of these reunions. They should be done in private to give both sides a chance to make peace and reconcile. 

You mean like meeting up with her former step father on camera after not talking to him in 20 years. The man who beat her mother in front of her but she sits down with him on the show last season and says that she wants Bryn to meet him (which has yet to happen BTW). She only does these things on camera because there is no sincere desire to repair relationships, it is all for viewer sympathy/support and nothing more , at least IMO.

2 hours ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

Reality Tea says Bethenny has a deal to move on-

http://www.realitytea.com/2016/09/07/official-jules-wainstein-not-returning-real-housewives-new-york/

Makes sense, given how she doesn't seem to give a crap how awful & horrible & nasty & cruel she is on the show now.

Not long after the reunion was filmed, Bethenny was saying that she wasn't sure she wanted to come back next season in numerous interviews she gave. Then after a few weeks later, she clarified herself and said that she will be back next season. She may not return for the following season but she will be back next season. She is already setting up her storyline for next year, her reconnecting with her wolf mother at the behest of her poor sweet daughter. LOL

[HunterHunted]

1 hour ago, Lady Grump said:

Agreed.

IMO, one of the reason's Camille's about face worked so well was because she started her redemption arc on the reunion. Camille's first reunion she was reviled going into it, and she did a stand-up-and-applauds PR job, as she was able to "take it" without getting crazy, and yes, laughed at herself.

In addition, Camille's redemption was basically built into her entire season 1 storyline. She begins the series haughty and superior because she was married to Kelsey Grammer. She and Kyle have that "why would they film you without Kelsey" fight and we begin to see the cracks in Camille's veneer. By the end of the season, we see Camille humbled by the dissolution of her marriage. Camille would have to be an imbecile to not realize that the only reason that people put up with her being an obnoxious asshole was because of Kelsey's money and fame.

Additionally, Camille, unlike Bethenny, has twenty years of playing second fiddle in her marriage. Her hard work to get and keep Kelsey clean and sober was in part to make sure the family earner could still earn. Bethenny doesn't have that because she's the earner. It's her charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and terribleness that have made her successful and famous. How do you explain to her that she may not have changed, but her circumstances have and what might have been endearing when she was struggling now comes across as nasty and vicious.

It's like Donald Trump and the apprentice. After a couple of seasons with regular people, it just became an unpleasant show to watch as he berated and humiliated people who were really hoping that it would improve their career prospects. As an all celebrity show, the same shit isn't nearly as off putting. It's just a dozen somewhat rich and somewhat famous individuals making each other miserable on television.

[sasha206]

12 hours ago, mwell345 said:

The thing is, I don't understand the level of anger.  Yes, I get being sensitive to being accused of dating a married man.  Deny it and move on.  Say something like " I can see why you might think that, but he was separated/divorced when we started dating etc."  But no, we get the dramatic phone call, oh and now she says she almost asked Andy for a lie detector testShe became unglued and protested way too much and with such fury that she just put fuel on the fire.

She left herself wide open for that anyway and my sense is she knew it was coming so why get all unhinged? 

All season long, she said horrible things about LuAnn (whose children I might add are old enough to watch the show) - Luann was an F-doll, who slept with every man in Manhattan - on and on - did LuAnn lose it at all?  No.

But accuse Bethenny of dating a married man?  She goes ballistic. 

That's exactly right.

Someone who actually had an ounce of self-awareness might realize that calling someone a slut and a whore *might* make you subject to more scrutiny for your own morality.

I totally get defending yourself against a charge that is untrue.  But the rage, the antics, and then the pettiness of "I can say anything I want" is more reminiscent of a petulant child than a successful, together woman.

[breezy424]

Bethenny's mother side of the story of talking to Bryn.  This is before the reunion when Beth brings it up again:

http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/bethenny-frankel-mom-bernadette-birk-tells-all/

[Atwood]

8 hours ago, mwell345 said:

I can't remember when I've seen this much negativity directed towards one HW.   Not even Brandi.  Read any article, any blog and the comments are overwhelmingly negative to Bethenny.   It has to be giving Bravo/Andy some pause. 

I wonder about this. It's definitely true for a lot of places on the internet, but not all. For example, the Watch What Crappens podcast did a poll around the first episode of the reunion and the majority of their listeners were in Bethenny's camp, not Luann's. (Though to be fair, after her rabid whining about Jules being Bad Jew in part 2 I would imagine that would be a bit lower... That's where she lost me.)

I don't think that Andy or Bravo really care if Bethenny is likable or not, they care about the ratings. I've seen several people here argue that the show is unwatchable because of Bethenny, that she's turning viewers off, that they're going to stop watching if she stays on the show because it's become disgusting, etc. But a) they're still here, and b) the ratings for the show has broken the previous trend and steadily been climbing upwards since the middle of last season. That's a pretty big deal considering the effect that new media has had on television watching. 

The main argument here when this is brought up seems to be that the ratings are going up in spite of B. The thing is, you can't have it both ways when it comes to that: if she's completely taken over the show and it's now essentially the Bethenny-show with supporting characters, then it stands to reason that people enjoy watching her. Even if it's to hate-watch. 

[motorcitymom65]

5 hours ago, Atwood said:

I wonder about this. It's definitely true for a lot of places on the internet, but not all. For example, the Watch What Crappens podcast did a poll around the first episode of the reunion and the majority of their listeners were in Bethenny's camp, not Luann's. (Though to be fair, after her rabid whining about Jules being Bad Jew in part 2 I would imagine that would be a bit lower... That's where she lost me.)

I don't think that Andy or Bravo really care if Bethenny is likable or not, they care about the ratings. I've seen several people here argue that the show is unwatchable because of Bethenny, that she's turning viewers off, that they're going to stop watching if she stays on the show because it's become disgusting, etc. But a) they're still here, and b) the ratings for the show has broken the previous trend and steadily been climbing upwards since the middle of last season. That's a pretty big deal considering the effect that new media has had on television watching. 

The main argument here when this is brought up seems to be that the ratings are going up in spite of B. The thing is, you can't have it both ways when it comes to that: if she's completely taken over the show and it's now essentially the Bethenny-show with supporting characters, then it stands to reason that people enjoy watching her. Even if it's to hate-watch. 

Yes to this. Beth was brought in to fix the ratings and that is it. Maybe she came on for her business, but Bravo paid her that huge paycheck because they thought the ratings would be better. They are. Not season 4 great, but much better than they have been since then. I am convinced she was given a big fat bonus if the ratings improved, and that she never intended to make this a permanent gig. Folks seemed to hate what Beth did to Lu, but the ratings for that particular episode were fantastic. Without Beth and the others making a thing out of Lu's boyfriend, that wouldn't have been much of a story. Without Beth talking about Jules ED that would have hardly been a story at all. She ramped up the drama all over the place, and it doesn't much matter if folks like her or not if the ratings are good. 

[LIMOM]

I agree that she more than earned that check.

However she also brought the franchise at the same level as the Basket ball wives. Her comments on strangling LuAnn was a new low for the New York City Crew.

I guess she felt that her brand can take the heat. 

Edited September 9, 2016 by LIMOM

[jinjer]

Bethenny's redemption was built in too, just like Camille's.  All she had to say was that the stress of a 4 year divorce had gotten to her, she was not herself, and she apologizes for the way she acted in transferring the stress and and anxiety of the divorce onto her castmates. She lost her sense of judgment and regrets some of the things she said and the decisions she made. Done. End of story.  I think she is too proud to admit she made some mistakes. She did double down by going to the bad Jew route. WTF.

[sasha206]

4 hours ago, motorcitymom65 said:

Yes to this. Beth was brought in to fix the ratings and that is it. Maybe she came on for her business, but Bravo paid her that huge paycheck because they thought the ratings would be better. They are. Not season 4 great, but much better than they have been since then. I am convinced she was given a big fat bonus if the ratings improved, and that she never intended to make this a permanent gig. Folks seemed to hate what Beth did to Lu, but the ratings for that particular episode were fantastic. Without Beth and the others making a thing out of Lu's boyfriend, that wouldn't have been much of a story. Without Beth talking about Jules ED that would have hardly been a story at all. She ramped up the drama all over the place, and it doesn't much matter if folks like her or not if the ratings are good. 

Confession:  I am someone who loved Bethenny first couple of seasons.  I don't love her now.  But I would probably be disappointed if she didn't come back for another season so I can love to hate her and hope that she gets put in her place!

I just personally can't understand how her actions are good for her brand.  

[mwell345]

4 hours ago, LIMOM said:

However she also brought the franchise at the same level as the Basket ball wives. Her comments on strangling LuAnn was a new low for the New York City Crew.

As were her comments to John implying that he did drugs, her comments about the NY franchise and cocaine.

She crossed the line more than once.  If that's what Bravo wanted, and that's the low they wanted the show to sink too, they got it.

[mwell345]

35 minutes ago, jinjer said:

Bethenny's redemption was built in too, just like Camille's.  All she had to say was that the stress of a 4 year divorce had gotten to her, she was not herself, and she apologizes for the way she acted in transferring the stress and and anxiety of the divorce onto her castmates. She lost her sense of judgment and regrets some of the things she said and the decisions she made. Done. End of story.  I think she is too proud to admit she made some mistakes. She did double down by going to the bad Jew route. WTF.

I expected her to do that at the reunion, in much the same way Camille did.  (Honestly, Camille must have great advisers because she turned the perception of her around completely).  I actually thought that Andy might show a reel of Bethenny's most horrid moments and then she could launch into her tearful apology and blame those nasty fibroids, that awful Hoppy family, the stress of being a millionaire and lest we forget, the rabid wolves that raised her.

Instead she just continued down the same path, and even added to it by going after Jules - who did nothing this season to her.  

[sasha206]

24 minutes ago, mwell345 said:

I expected her to do that at the reunion, in much the same way Camille did.  (Honestly, Camille must have great advisers because she turned the perception of her around completely).  I actually thought that Andy might show a reel of Bethenny's most horrid moments and then she could launch into her tearful apology and blame those nasty fibroids, that awful Hoppy family, the stress of being a millionaire and lest we forget, the rabid wolves that raised her.

Instead she just continued down the same path, and even added to it by going after Jules - who did nothing this season to her.  

I agree.

Imagine how this would've gone down if she had just apologized to LuAnn for slut shaming.  Instead, she fucked all of Manhattan.  And if Lu decided to go for the adultery charge, if she had laughed it off and said, "um, no" instead of having the daughter on speed dial.  Or if she had simply apologized to Jules for demeaning her all year.  

But I think that she has convinced herself that she is beloved to the masses b/c she gives zero fucks.  However, the pendulum will swing the other way if she continues to give zero fucks in her own actions and words but gives a multitude of fucks when those actions and words are turned on her.

[zoeysmom]

9 hours ago, Atwood said:

I wonder about this. It's definitely true for a lot of places on the internet, but not all. For example, the Watch What Crappens podcast did a poll around the first episode of the reunion and the majority of their listeners were in Bethenny's camp, not Luann's. (Though to be fair, after her rabid whining about Jules being Bad Jew in part 2 I would imagine that would be a bit lower... That's where she lost me.)

I don't think that Andy or Bravo really care if Bethenny is likable or not, they care about the ratings. I've seen several people here argue that the show is unwatchable because of Bethenny, that she's turning viewers off, that they're going to stop watching if she stays on the show because it's become disgusting, etc. But a) they're still here, and b) the ratings for the show has broken the previous trend and steadily been climbing upwards since the middle of last season. That's a pretty big deal considering the effect that new media has had on television watching. 

The main argument here when this is brought up seems to be that the ratings are going up in spite of B. The thing is, you can't have it both ways when it comes to that: if she's completely taken over the show and it's now essentially the Bethenny-show with supporting characters, then it stands to reason that people enjoy watching her. Even if it's to hate-watch. 

To me it is what do you want to be known for?  Bethenny could have been a great brand ambassador for Skinnygirl, she doesn't have to "light it up", she doesn't have to give unsolicited advice, she doesn't have to take every comment as a personal affront.  Look at LVP from RHOBH, it matters to her what people think of her personally, she truly gets hurt when others call her names.  Granted she has an exploitive mess of a show in Vanderpump Rules, bottom line she wants people to like her and she does bring in ratings on two shows.  She doesn't have to scream profanities, name call to get her point across and she is also protecting her brand.  When Brandi brought too much darkness and rancor to the show she was let go.  As long as Bethnny lives she will always have more money than most of the world but she is rapidly proving, that money can't buy happiness, respect, adulation, and well, class.  (Ducking, ducking.)

22 minutes ago, sasha206 said:

I agree.

Imagine how this would've gone down if she had just apologized to LuAnn for slut shaming.  Instead, she fucked all of Manhattan.  And if Lu decided to go for the adultery charge, if she had laughed it off and said, "um, no" instead of having the daughter on speed dial.  Or if she had simply apologized to Jules for demeaning her all year.  

But I think that she has convinced herself that she is beloved to the masses b/c she gives zero fucks.  However, the pendulum will swing the other way if she continues to give zero fucks in her own actions and words but gives a multitude of fucks when those actions and words are turned on her.

If she gives zero fucks about everything, complete with T-Shirts and mugs for sale with the saying, why should anyone care about her.  I feel the same way about Erika Jayne.  If you give zero fucks, have conversations with people on camera about others, why do you care and why should I care, since you give zero fucks.

[glowbug]

I liked Bethenny during seasons one and two. I also liked Jill those two seasons with the exception of the reunions (Jill always came off poorly during the reunions which is why I had an inkling that she was getting a good edit). Then season three happened and I ended up disliking both of them. I didn't watch Bethenny's solo show but I did catch parts of a couple episodes and she came off very poorly to me. But what really decided me against her was her behavior related to her divorce. The way she went after Jason was wrong. He is the father of her child. Her daughter may one day read about and/or see her mother disparaging her father in the public arena because those articles and interviews are forever preserved on the Internet. In my professional life I was once caught in the middle of a custody battle as an advocate for the child and it was one of the most heartbreaking cases I ever saw. One of the worst things a parent can do during or after a divorce is disparage the other parent to the child (or in a forum where the child might be exposed to it). It puts the child a in a position where they have to choose between their parents, both of whom they love, and the psychological effects on the child are devastating. This is why I'm critical of any housewife who has done this no matter how much they were wronged by their spouses. This includes Camille and Brandi. I wouldn't have an issue with it if there were no children involved, at least in Camille's case (Brandi went overkill and I'm not sure Jason deserved the vitriol Bethenny spewed at him—maybe he does but from what I've seen it doesn't seem justified), but there are children involved and it isn't fair to them. 

But getting back to the current season, all of Bethenny's nastiness has been astounding. Her behavior only succeeded in making her look bad and making Luann and Jules into a sympathetic figures, which I doubt she wanted. It just shows her complete lack of self awareness. She can't see that it was wrong to make Jules' eating disorder all about her and make unflattering comments about her weight, or that it was wrong to call both Jules and Dorinda stupid and be dismissive of the former, or that it was wrong to viciously attack Luann in a slut shaming tirade complete with name calling and hypocrisy. She has a very warped sense of reality and I'm glad I don't live in her head. 

[Castina]

"What I represent to women is to love yourself, be empowered, go out and get it and I think this season surprised me so much just looking around and seeing women try to take down my business or claim that it was theirs. I was just perplexed and kind of a bit disenchanted with the representation of women on our show."

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/bethenny-frankel-talks-luann-de-lesseps-feud-rhony-drama-w438934

I kid you not, that actually came out of the star of this threads mouth!  

All I will add is that I am certain B's minions read the various boards to keep up to date on how to spin things so when any of you get to this post can you take a break from trying to sell Jules a vowel and buy Bethenny a f**king clue.  Won't even touch upon the part where she calls Luann a cockroach because WOW, just WOW.  

[Knuckles]

3 minutes ago, Castina said:

"What I represent to women is to love yourself,

Assuming that Bethy wrote or spoke this line herself...could she be any more divorced from her own reality? Just watching her on Reunion 1 &2, it is so clear that this is an angry, resentful woman, ever on attack mode, prone to black-out rampages and hints of physical violence.  "Love yourself"??...this woman appears not to have any center, but is constantly engaged in fending off perceived slights, eagerly looking for any weakness in those around her to ridicule, mock or attack. 

Truly, love has nothing to do with this woman.

[Castina]

Oh she actually spoke it.. There is video evidence in the link I posted.  Just blows my mind the level of delusional she has.

[LIMOM]

First, she called Luann a snake and now a cockroach.

Yes, b is about love alright

[zoeysmom]

18 minutes ago, Knuckles said:

Assuming that Bethy wrote or spoke this line herself...could she be any more divorced from her own reality? Just watching her on Reunion 1 &2, it is so clear that this is an angry, resentful woman, ever on attack mode, prone to black-out rampages and hints of physical violence.  "Love yourself"??...this woman appears not to have any center, but is constantly engaged in fending off perceived slights, eagerly looking for any weakness in those around her to ridicule, mock or attack. 

Truly, love has nothing to do with this woman.

I believe Bethenny has no concept what empowering means.  One who empowers doesn't discriminate within the group they are empowering if they disagree with their beliefs.

9 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

First, she called Luann a snake and now a cockroach.

Yes, b is about love alright

There is a way to get the same message across without the slur-she could have simply called Luann a survivor.  A member of the group of women she claims to empower.

[NewDigs]

From @Castina's link

"“She is like a cockroach. She is going to do anything to survive. And you can’t blame a cockroach for what it does,” the A Place of Yes author quips to Us. “It’s part of life. You’re not gonna live in New York and not see them. They’re here to survive and it could be a nuclear bomb and they will crawl right out.""

Wow, is right.

The header:

Bethenny Frankel Talks Feud With Luann de Lesseps: ‘She Is Like a Cockroach’

And this is what US calls her slurs, "Calling it like she sees it!"

Is the media up her ass too?

[Castina]

At least US Magazine is up her ass.  She probably has a deal with them for gossip. 

[glowbug]

Bethenny's message to women is love yourself...unless you are a slut whore plastic fuckdoll, or have an eating disorder, or are proud of being Jewish and/or Asian, or aren't in 100% agreement with Bethenny. Seriously, she is delusional. 

Edited September 10, 2016 by glowbug

[ScoobieDoobs]

1 hour ago, NewDigs said:

From @Castina's link

"“She is like a cockroach. She is going to do anything to survive. And you can’t blame a cockroach for what it does,” the A Place of Yes author quips to Us. “It’s part of life. You’re not gonna live in New York and not see them. They’re here to survive and it could be a nuclear bomb and they will crawl right out.""

Wow, is right.

The header:

Bethenny Frankel Talks Feud With Luann de Lesseps: ‘She Is Like a Cockroach’

And this is what US calls her slurs, "Calling it like she sees it!"

Is the media up her ass too?

Cockroach?  Cockroach?  Ugh.  What other hideous names can you come up with, Bethenny?  She is just so gross now in her hatefulness.  I really hope SG sales tank & the tide turns against her as she deserves.

[zoeysmom]

Bethenny needs to get off the delusional train of Luann is trying to credit for her business.  We all know the engineer of that train was David Kanbar, her 50% partner in the Skinnygirl cocktail line.  Either Sonja was a threat to her business or she wasn't.  She needs to start thinking in terms of rising above, instead of what makes the next press cycle.

[NewDigs]

3 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

Here is her assistant Max's take on how inappropriate Bethenny was in her treatment of Max.  Tasks included underwear shopping for her and packing her thong underwear.   http://www.realitytea.com/2011/03/21/preview-bethenny-ever-after-plus-assistant-max-speaks-out-defends-himself/

So it is just another day in Bethenny's hypocrite hell.

I love the way Max said it wasn't as if Bethenny was Cameron Diaz.

I wasn't posting back in 2011 and know that Realitytea is not always reliable but this story about BEA rings true.

"And now the RumorFix is reporting that Bethenny is well aware of the backlash and feels she is being portrayed as “mean” on the show. She is reportedly now demanding producers re-edit episodes of her show to portray her in a better light.

Sources reveal that Bethenny is upset that some blogs are calling her out on her alleged bad behavior. The Jewish Journal referred to her as being “mean, selfish, and narcissistic.”

It seems Bethenny is not only the star of her show but also the executive producer though she hadn’t really exercised any control until now. “Bethenny is making producers re-cut all the shows to make her nicer — even the shows that have already aired. You will notice the rerun is different,” says the source."

I guess she's not watching her latest run at RHoNY. 

Oh! Silly me. That's right, zero-fucks, y'all!

2 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

Bethenny needs to get off the delusional train of Luann is trying to credit for her business.  We all know the engineer of that train was David Kanbar, her 50% partner in the Skinnygirl cocktail line.  Either Sonja was a threat to her business or she wasn't.  She needs to start thinking in terms of rising above, instead of what makes the next press cycle.

I wonder if she's delusional enough to think this blame-game will distract from her  atrocious behavior.

[NewDigs]

1 hour ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

snipped

And speaking of Betheliar, it still gives me a chuckle how she's now throwing out those bullshit denials of surgery, as she did on WWHL.  Of course, Satan Andy didn't counter her much because he's terrified of her.  I dont blame him.  Counter her & you could get choked.  OK, so she really wants us to believe her jaw has gotten smaller because she's been shooting up with Botox?  I guess you think we're morons, eh, Betheliar?  What's the big deal, hun?  You're sooooo "brutally honest".  Why not admit to us you had your jaw shaved down, along with yet another (really terrible) nose job?  Yup, another day & yet more lies thrown at us by Betheliar.

Hey, is there actually a chance (please, please, oh please) Betheliar, the ruthless dictator, could be leaving the show?  Really?  Will the sun finally shine again?  Could her reign of terror finally, finally, finally end?

She's looking, imho, kinda' rough. Almost Jokerish.

Careful, Bethy! You're face might freeze like that.

And her jaw looks bigger. If she botoxes anything she should do those scowl lines.

Wonder if US picked the "good" shot.

[Knuckles]

Careful, Bethy! You're face might freeze like that.

 

There is an alarming number of women on the UES who have that look...the pinched nose, elevated eyebrows, and incongruously full cheeks. It is almost a tribal look for a segment of the over 40 crowd. It does wonders to erase any individuality from a face. 

And really, she can't compete with Constance Zimmer...who owns that haircut. 

[glowlights]

On 9/8/2016 at 9:19 PM, breezy424 said:

Bethenny's mother side of the story of talking to Bryn.  This is before the reunion when Beth brings it up again:

http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/bethenny-frankel-mom-bernadette-birk-tells-all/

Why on earth is she blabbing to Radar Online about her granddaughter? Gawd. These people.

I hope the Hoppy family is a good influence in Bryn's life because the Frankel side is a shitshow.

[sasha206]

The bangs are absolutely awful.  She has big faeatures -- eyes, cheekbones -- the bangs make her facial area look all smushed together and the big features look odd.  

[sasha206]

And Beth's falsies tip on WWHL was a hoot.   Who does she think she's fooling?

[NewDigs]

37 minutes ago, sasha206 said:

And Beth's falsies tip on WWHL was a hoot.   Who does she think she's fooling?

I don't have the strength right now for WWHL. Please tell me she's not trying to say her bolt-ons are her own. I mean, we saw them at Jill's pool and I haven't noted much improvement since.

[ScoobieDoobs]

1 hour ago, NewDigs said:

She's looking, imho, kinda' rough. Almost Jokerish.

Careful, Bethy! You're face might freeze like that.

And her jaw looks bigger. If she botoxes anything she should do those scowl lines.

Wonder if US picked the "good" shot.

Man, you skeered me!  And it's not even Halloween either.  Yeah, I think she's just getting the face she's earned after years of (if not ED's) -- er, let's say "issues with food".  Carole's having the same prob with her mug.  What do they say about eventually choosing your ass or your face?  Bethenny missed out on both.  What's with the hair there?  Some stylist went crazy with a flat iron.

Her jaw does look kinda big there, but it's definitely smaller than it was years ago.

Edited September 10, 2016 by ScoobieDoobs

[Knuckles]

17 minutes ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

What's with the hair there?

On Unreal, the satire on reality shows, the actress Constance Zimmer wears her hair like that...and totally rocks the look. On Bethy, it is merely unfortunate.

[ScoobieDoobs]

1 hour ago, sasha206 said:

And Beth's falsies tip on WWHL was a hoot.   Who does she think she's fooling?

What was the tip?

[zoeysmom]

1 hour ago, NewDigs said:

I don't have the strength right now for WWHL. Please tell me she's not trying to say her bolt-ons are her own. I mean, we saw them at Jill's pool and I haven't noted much improvement since.

Well of course it is not her fault she has implants.  The first time Andy asked about them. . . she would not give a straight answer.  it was a breast lift which apparently in the operating room, the ceiling collapsed and two implants ended up in her chest.  Then it was they went too big with the implants and now it is her famous G size cup,   

[WireWrap]

20 minutes ago, ScoobieDoobs said:

What was the tip?

Bethenny eyes slant downward on the outside of each eye and according to her, her makeup person told her to get long lashes and curl them upward to give her an eye lift without surgery! LOL Now, if she could just explain why her eyebrows sit higher on her forehead than they did a few years ago with surgery! LOL

[ScoobieDoobs]

8 minutes ago, WireWrap said:

Bethenny eyes slant downward on the outside of each eye and according to her, her makeup person told her to get long lashes and curl them upward to give her an eye lift without surgery! LOL Now, if she could just explain why her eyebrows sit higher on her forehead than they did a few years ago with surgery! LOL

Wait, what?  Doesn't every woman & girl over 12 (and drag queen worth her salt in high heels) curl their eyelashes upward?  And this is a tip how?  Please.  You shaved your massive jaw down & got a crappy nose job.  Fess up, & stop feeding us this silly bullshit.