S07.E10: Pop Of Crazy

[Giselle]

While watching Kristen and Bethany's interaction together and hearing Kristen complain this episode all that came to mind was...

 

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt

[Giselle]

Well, what I find interesting, passing Sonja's townhouse every day on my way to the subway station on 63rd Street, is that from the street view, it doesn't look any different from the other townhouses on the block -- other than being much, much, much smaller.  BUT no other townhouse on the block has any windows open in this hot humid disgusting weather, let alone ALL windows open.  Yeppers, poor, poor Sonja must have no air conditioning.  And in this stinko weather that must really suck.  Oh what a luxe life you lead now, Sonja.  

 

 

 

Sonja would tell everyone that her facialist recommended leaving the windows open, that the heat causes her to sweat out toxins and the humidity moisturizes the skin.  It's a natural 24 hour sauna.

[msblossom]

Well, what I find interesting, passing Sonja's townhouse every day on my way to the subway station on 63rd Street, is that from the street view, it doesn't look any different from the other townhouses on the block -- other than being much, much, much smaller.  BUT no other townhouse on the block has any windows open in this hot humid disgusting weather, let alone ALL windows open.  Yeppers, poor, poor Sonja must have no air conditioning.  And in this stinko weather that must really suck.  Oh what a luxe life you lead now, Sonja.  

 

[snip]

What I wanna know Scoobs, is, have you ever seen Sonja or the other HWs entering or exiting her townhouse?

[zoeysmom]

I totally respect this girls hustle but this is something I keep reading and it bugs the crap out of me. From when she came on the scene, Bethenny's business skills included schlepping her products from event to event, festival to festival, buying space in supermarkets to give out samples. And then there's the auditions for any reality tv show she could get on for more exposure. All good examples of her hustle. But the actual business part of her "empire" is all controlled by actual business people (many who I believe have been proven to be her awful daddy's friends). She's had partners that have handled her business since day 1. I remember in early season that guy that she met with that was telling her she was going to some outside event or something. And she went where he sent her. And like it or not she depended upon her husband to talk to other business people on the phone for her at times . I don't see Bethenny as some big business mogul that everyone else does I guess is my point. Is she shameless in her endless product placement? Sure, no argument there. Did Jim Beam dial her direct number and she then negotiate a million dollar deal herself? Not so much. I'm sure once the cameras left she sat back and watched the real business people conduct business in her "summit".

I didn't take Kristin comment as an insult. I found her complimentary of Bethenny and wanting to learn how she went from a muffin to current day success. Bethenny just can't recognize a compliment if it bit her in the face.

Bethenny hired an agent and the agent introduced her to David Kanbar, who had experience with Skyy Vodka, selling a 50% interest for over 200 million to Campari.  Her agent later sued her for  $100 million for failure to give him his fair share.  She is smart she lets others do the heavy living.    So I think Bethenny weighs her options and has her team weigh in.  The blenders seem to be a bust.

 

Bethenny has done the make up, (it is discontinued), shapewear (is it still sold in stores?), energy bars and drinks (still available), but after Jim Beam she was able to negotiate with her business manager for licensing deals with Con Agra and Arizona Tea.  The possibilities are endless.  As I said earlier who knows when American Tobacco will be in the mix. 

Edited June 11, 2015 by zoeysmom

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

I'm wondering how Bethenny is going to market vodka and 3 olives as the new SkinnyGirl drink.

As a full meal and a cocktail all in 1, of course! :-) #skinnygirl

[KungFuBunny]

I'm wondering how Bethenny is going to market vodka and 3 olives as the new SkinnyGirl drink.

 

It's all in the packaging.

Picture a Test Tube - with a screw on top. On the test tube itself is the Skinny Girl Logo...at bottom of tube are the 3 olives and rest of tube is filled with vodka.

Only 40 calories....easy and convenient for all busy ladies on the go...toss them in the freezer...and in the morning throw a couple in your purse.

 

Shhhh.....Don't tell Kim Richards

[SFoster21]

Well, what I find interesting, passing Sonja's townhouse every day on my way to the subway station on 63rd Street, is that from the street view, it doesn't look any different from the other townhouses on the block -- other than being much, much, much smaller. BUT no other townhouse on the block has any windows open in this hot humid disgusting weather, let alone ALL windows open. Yeppers, poor, poor Sonja must have no air conditioning. And in this stinko weather that must really suck. Oh what a luxe life you lead now, Sonja.

Er, and just where are those Sonja clothes? Is Bethenny still sooooo concerned about giving her Skinny Girl advice? Btw, SkinnyGirl advice is pretty much nothing but a bunch of hot air, littered with zillions of promos for SkinnyGirl products. Real helpful to Sonja, eh?

OK, so ratings are still meh. Not in-the-toilet horrible, but kinda stinky for a Housewives show. This ep had 1.23 mil viewers. So from week-to-week, Bethenny is clearly not making a diff in driving up ratings. Uh-oh.

Eileen Davidson was allegedly paid a large sum for BH. Ratings didn't change. World won't end

either way.

[ScoobieDoobs]

What I wanna know Scoobs, is, have you ever seen Sonja or the other HWs entering or exiting her townhouse?

 

Only once, but keep in mind I only pass by on my way to work around 9 & after work, around 6.  Those are times Sonja would either be sleeping or doing who knows what.  The block Sonja's townhouse is on is def not one where you'd walk slowly or stand around.  It would be noticed -- and not in a good way.  Besides, any cars going down that block pass thru scary quickly & people walking on the narrow sidewalks walk by quickly.  It's a surprisingly busy block.  And right across from Sonja's townhouse is a construction site, on the corner of Third Ave. & 63rd Street.  The noise coming from there is awful.  

 

Man, Sonja's living conditions must really suck now.  No air conditioning in this hot shitty weather & noise up to the wazoo at all hours.  Yikers!  But still, if she can hold on tight, the townhouse will be worth a lot, in spite of sitting right on top of that crazy busy garage.

 

Anyhoo, I did see Sonja once, coming out of the townhouse, with 2 very young kids, a boy & a girl.  I recognized the boy as the intern we've seen a few times this season.  I don't remember the girl, except she had dark hair & looked no more than 19 or so.  I think it was back in January (maybe at the time of filming & there were no cams around).  The boy was carrying an open laptop & she had on that "vampire" outfit she wore to the Berkshires.  Yeah, it was that outfit.  Hard to forget that thing.  I did a double-take -- something we New Yorkers never do -- cuz we've seen everything.  But that outfit?  Oh my goodness.  Even stranger to see in person -- and in the crappy New York winter weather.  Oy, Sonja.

 

But I thought it was interesting how this thing of having these kids living with her is apparently not just for the show.  They really seem to be around her.  WTF?  I noticed these "interns" had a very different attitude than Bethenny's miserable-looking assistants/slaves.  Oh those poor, poor, poor girls ALWAYS look sooooo miserable.  Oh those poor girls -- how I feel for them, having to endure being tortured all day by Bethenny.  I've had some shitty jobs but never anything that bad.  No, Sonja's "interns" looked kinda happy & eager to help her. Go figure.  Maybe she treats them well in spite of not actually paying them.

Edited June 11, 2015 by ScoobieDoobs

[RedHawk]

Yeppers, poor, poor Sonja must have no air conditioning.  And in this stinko weather that must really suck.

 

 

And STINK! The mildew must be out of control, and once it gets into fabric, books, etc., they have that icky sweet smell. Sonja always strikes me as so attractive and then I am constantly reminded of how pitiful her life really is.

 

What I wanna know Scoobs, is, have you ever seen Sonja or the other HWs entering or exiting her townhouse?

 

And what I want to know, Scoobs (may I call you Scoobs?), is if you've seen any of Sonja's 15 interns swarming the townhouse. How do they stand working there? And my opinion has long been that some of them pay her a small amount of cash (+ a few hours work on her blog or whatever) for a room and shared bathroom/kitchen/laundry facilities. 

[RedHawk]

Thanks for answering, Scoobs! 

 

But still, if she can hold on tight, the townhouse will be worth a lot, in spite of sitting right on top of that crazy busy garage.

 

 

True. Which that reminds me, did anyone besides me hear in the promotion for next week's show that Sonja said something like, "I'm getting ready to pay off my judgement"? I think we'd have heard about that in the tabloids. 

As for the seemingly happy interns, I can see Sonja being fun to work for, not a nasty and demanding person like Beth. Also, as goes with my theory, perhaps some of them live rent-free in her townhouse and they're happy to give her some hours of computer work and indulgence of her behavior in return for decent housing in Manhattan. Now it may not be so great with no A/C, but I've lived through Virginia and North Carolina summers with no air conditioning, only ceiling fans and a rotating floor fan. It wasn't great but I survived.

 

Edited to add: I don't know anything about real estate, but it seems to me that the longer Sonja owns that place the worse shape it's going to be in due to lack of heat and A/C, leaks, no maintenance, etc. IMO she'd be a lot smarter to sell it now and move to a place she can really afford, but I know there are huge complications, one being that she does not live in the real world where she has to accept that she is no longer Lady Morgan.

Edited June 11, 2015 by RedHawk

[Grneyedldy]

Isn't Three Olives already a flavored vodka brand?  LOL

 

Unless she can figure out a way to make olives and a vodka that are calorie-free, I think you got her, there!!  

 

Well, maybe she'll start a new brand...."Dirty Skinny girl Martinis".    :-)

 

ETA:  Apparently, she has already done it - with "naked vodka" and other flavors:

 

http://skinnygirlcocktails.com/the-cocktails/vodka-with-natural-flavors

Grr the site won't open on my iPad. I'm going to take your word for it. Seems the word on the street is Bethenny will be marketing it as a meal replacement.

[archer1267]

Is there a difference between stevia and SG sweetener?

[ZaldamoWilder]

No, that's NOT the impression I got at all of those slimy-looking characters around Sonja, who keep saying they're "in talks" when asked where the Sonja clothes are gonna be distributed.  Sonja has no dough to give anyone, let alone those creeps.  They must have made some deal with Sonja to use her name & appear on the show (for promotional purposes) & that's probably all she could afford to do.

 

Um, here's an eye-opener for you on Sonja's situation.  I just passed Sonja's townhouse once again.  It was 85 today & humid as fuck.  And yet she had ALL of her windows wide open.  When I got back home to my place (a few blocks away), I was blasting my air conditioner.  Um, so why in the fuckety fuck would Sonja have all her windows wide open in this disgusting weather?  Maybe cuz she can't afford air conditioning, just as she can't afford heat or hot water?

 

 

Kristen's approach was all wrong, BUT Bethenny was absolutely wrong to just walk away from her.  Here's the thing -- she's not just walking away from some irritating anonymous person trying to engage her on the street.  That's something probably every New Yorker does every day.  No.  This is someone she works with -- who she is paid to interact with.  

 

What Bethenny did to Kristen speaks volumes.  As I've said in threads for previous eps, Bethenny is running this show.  If she wants to interact, she will.  If she doesn't feel like it, she won't.  Yup, Satan Andy is letting her get away with this bullshit.

 

I mean, seriously, can anyone imagine treating a co-worker this way?  Yes, it was unbelievably rude & nasty & just downright thoughtless & cruel.  In most work environments this behavior (of Bethenny's) would simply NOT be tolerated.  But Bethenny & Satan Andy must think it's cute & charming & entertaining to treat the pretty gal like crap & make her look like a fool.  And Kristen didn't exactly make it difficult for this to happen.

 

I'm finding Bethenny very, very difficult to watch this season.  And it's interesting she mentions in her Bravo blog (as she did in her last one also) she won't be crying anymore this season.  Oh except we see in the previews she's crying her head off yet again in the next ep.  I bet she's mentioning the crying is gonna stop cuz she had her assistants/slaves plugged into comments on the show & got that viewers have mostly lost patience with her non-stop crying.

 

Including tears over meatballs, that was honestly one of the most bizarre reactions I've ever seen.  I didn't have a problem at all with Kristen's approach, yeah she's a little shaking leaf with it but she addresses B directly, the minute she hears what was said, while both sources are in the same room.  I didn't even really see Kristen's style as at all combative and if Bethenney was any real parts of "I may not be a housewife but I am real" - she would've, should have told that girl you're right, I made an offhanded comment about you based on my own ignorance and I was wrong for that, I'm sorry.  That having been said I don't want to see you more often than my shadow but you're absolutely right, I was being jerky, sars. 

 

Why this particular discussion sent her over the edge is stumping me.  She has encountered and dispensed many more interactions than this that actually do meet the standard of hostility.   Kristen?  Girl you walked off on Kristen?  ::snatchesapple::  At first I thought ok maybe she felt like she was being attacked after dealing with Luann and all but even then Luann didn't turn up until B got all twitchy and outside voicey.  I tend towards liking Bethenny but girl come on now.  Go somewhere with this shit, take a nap and decide if you can or cannot pull it together for 4 hours a night. 

 

Yeah she is running the show.  Andy doesn't have a spare fuck to give about how the other HWs feel about that so I guess we better build us a bridge and get over it for the rest of the season. 

 

Now if one of you would be so kind as to fetch my sateen robe, I have some dirty martinis to order.

[RedHawk]

Seems the word on the street is Bethenny will be marketing it as a meal replacement.

Oh, I love to hear the word on the street!

So I checked out the site and was surprised and thrilled (not that I'd buy it, mind you) to see the Bethenny has a Pinot Grigio! What does Ramona think of that?

Edited June 11, 2015 by RedHawk

[Mrs peel]

I'm not sure how far this Pop of Colors nail Polish will go. Whatever happened to her fitness video?

I thought she was just the model for the fitness video. 

 

Now, if her fashion blog is a success, she should be wearing a matching nail polish with each photo, complete with naming the color and link to buy.  It's all marketing.  That's why Bethenny wore a white/red dress to her yearly branding meeting, painted the door red to the Hamptons house.  That's why Ramona drags around a bottle of Pinot everywhere she goes (well, in her case she may be drinking it too, or have it in case Sonja needs a hit).  Good marketing.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Mrs peel

[KungFuBunny]

A general post about ratings

 

I don't see RHNY disappearing anytime soon. It is one of their flagship shows. Even if ratings go below 500,000...I predict executives will try different things for a few seasons to try to bring viewership back up. Bravo is making bank - after every 10 minutes of show there are 8 commercials....they are already making a profit from the advertisers alone.

 

Bravo also puts more importance on Social Media...such as Facebook, Twitter, Message boards. Twitter is the most important....some of you may remember years ago it was Andy Cohen/Bravo - that started Talk Bubble with RHNY. They were at the forefront of using Twitter to promote a show...it was interactive and live while the episode was airing. They really helped prompt the "trending" & "hashtag" craze. Facebook replaced their message boards as it is much easier to manage and less labor intensive. They use reports from these social media platforms to gauge interest.

 

Bravo was also the first to make bank on the HW's hocking their stuff. Product placement in the episode is not free....Bravo is getting paid. As for Bethenny and her Skinny Girl Product...none of us know what was negotiated in her contract. I wonder how much Jim Beam paid Bravo for x minutes of airtime for their liquor for the season. The other stuff that Bethenny still owns...I wonder if she agreed to pay Bravo x% of sales profit from original air date to one month after reunion or what she worked out.

 

Paying Bethenny 1 million for a season is nothing to Bravo..she has already earned her salary by the looks of this message board alone. The majority of posts are about her whether you like or dislike her. The thread just about Bethenny is double the pages of the other cast members.Twitter and Facebook mirror the same polarizing interest.

 

If I were Kristen, I would not have worn 2 different color shoes in Atlantic City. I would have gone out bare foot and walked around hand extended with every hand/foot digit painted a different color nail polish. I would have set up a girls manicure/pedicure day...and had each cast member get their nails done in one of her colors....and who cares if Bethenny did not show up to that event....their are 70 other digits available. As for Heather I would have stapled Yummy Tummy packaging all over that hoop skirt  monstrosity. Luanne's gets a pass - one statement necklace from her is enough.

 

 

 

 

[Trooper York]

The word on the street is that Bethenny advised Sonja to trademark an acronym for her clothing line.

 

POS.

[KungFuBunny]

The word on the street is that Bethenny advised Sonja to trademark an acronym for her clothing line.

 

POS.

Giggling uncontrollably here

[zoeysmom]

Thanks for answering, Scoobs! 

 

True. Which that reminds me, did anyone besides me hear in the promotion for next week's show that Sonja said something like, "I'm getting ready to pay off my judgement"? I think we'd have heard about that in the tabloids. 

As for the seemingly happy interns, I can see Sonja being fun to work for, not a nasty and demanding person like Beth. Also, as goes with my theory, perhaps some of them live rent-free in her townhouse and they're happy to give her some hours of computer work and indulgence of her behavior in return for decent housing in Manhattan. Now it may not be so great with no A/C, but I've lived through Virginia and North Carolina summers with no air conditioning, only ceiling fans and a rotating floor fan. It wasn't great but I survived.

 

Edited to add: I don't know anything about real estate, but it seems to me that the longer Sonja owns that place the worse shape it's going to be in due to lack of heat and A/C, leaks, no maintenance, etc. IMO she'd be a lot smarter to sell it now and move to a place she can really afford, but I know there are huge complications, one being that she does not live in the real world where she has to accept that she is no longer Lady Morgan.

Sonja sold off some property(ies) and I guess she figured she had the judgment covered. Old man Morgn turned around and sued the BK estate so she is back in the same quagmire. The old man needs to settle the divorce.

Edited June 11, 2015 by zoeysmom

[Crikey]

 

If I were Kristen, I would not have worn 2 different color shoes in Atlantic City. I would have gone out bare foot and walked around hand extended with every hand/foot digit painted a different color nail polish. I would have set up a girls manicure/pedicure day...and had each cast member get their nails done in one of her colors....and who cares if Bethenny did not show up to that event....their are 70 other digits available. As for Heather I would have stapled Yummy Tummy packaging all over that hoop skirt  monstrosity. Luanne's gets a pass - one statement necklace from her is enough.

LOL  Great visual!

I see Ramoaner in one of those beer hats, a bottle of Ramoaner on each side of her head, straw coming down (at least it would keep her mouth busy)  and a belt with two holsters , holding a bottle of Pinot on each hip.

[KungFuBunny]

LOL  Great visual!

I see Ramoaner in one of those beer hats, a bottle of Ramoaner on each side of her head, straw coming down (at least it would keep her mouth busy)  and a belt with two holsters , holding a bottle of Pinot on each hip.

For Ramona don't forget to slather TruRenewal Face Cream (like a noxema face mask) and TruFaith jewelry - wrists, neck and ear.

[Straycat80]

I don't know if anyone mention this yet, if so mods can delete...

Did anyone notice Carole in the background when she arrived at the Restraunt to meet, B., Ramona and Dorinda? She trudged/staggered in walking like a football player in full gear and stared down those four young guys at their table like she was going to jump all of them.

And is it just me or do her buck teeth look buckier this season? I know when you get older sometimes your face thins out. Maybe that's why her teeth are starting to look like they are taking up half her face.

[Trooper York]

Well she had just risen out of her coffin and was looking to feed since the sun was down and she could walk the streets looking for sustenance. 

 

That is why her fangs were distended.

[shoegal]

I have always liked Kristen but I'm starting to understand the smart/pretty joke. She just came off as dumb and nothing but fluff IMO....and I went into a Ricky's location today and nary a Pop of Color was to be found!

I also walked by Sonja's townhouse. A couple of windows were cracked open about 4 inches. I think the interns just need a little fresh air, you know Sonja does have gas.

[kassa]

Did anyone notice Carole in the background when she arrived at the Restraunt to meet, B., Ramona and Dorinda? She trudged/staggered in walking like a football player in full gear and stared down those four young guys at their table like she was going to jump all of them.

 

 

I did, and I watched it a couple of times.  I decided those were production guys and she was going to speak to them, then realized it would ruin the "take" and kept walking.  Who knows how long she had been kept outside while Ramona and Bethenny were talking.  

[ScoobieDoobs]

Oy, she's still saying "Get off my jock"?  Please stop with that.  Altho it does remind me of this-

 

[LotusFlower]

^^^^^ LOVE!!!

[Giselle]

I popped over to see Kristen's nail polish line. You really can't see the colors well because rather than give the buyer color splotches to have a sense of what the colors are you get a photo of the bottle and have to look through the glass bottle and the logo to see the distorted color.

 

http://www.rickysnyc.com/nails/pop-of-color.html

[Mya Stone]

The only time I will ever allow you to discuss the word thug is when referring to Bone Thugs N Harmony. 

So stop it. 

[swimmingwithsnarks]

I don't know why it took me so long to think of this, but given how tightly Bethenny is wound, how close her emotions are to the surface and how quickly she angers, I worry about Bryn. Not sure how much time Bethenny actually spends with her, despite her determination to "spend every minute with her," or words very close to that. But however much time they have together, Bryn must be exposed to Mommy's irrational behavior and screeching voice. In addition, if Bryn is a normal child, she will do things that test her mother. I seriously worry about Bethenny flying off what little handle she has left and losing it in front of her child, even directing her anger at her daughter. Scary.

[mwell345]

 

But I thought it was interesting how this thing of having these kids living with her is apparently not just for the show.  They really seem to be around her.  WTF?  I noticed these "interns" had a very different attitude than Bethenny's miserable-looking assistants/slaves.  Oh those poor, poor, poor girls ALWAYS look sooooo miserable.  Oh those poor girls -- how I feel for them, having to endure being tortured all day by Bethenny.  I've had some shitty jobs but never anything that bad.  No, Sonja's "interns" looked kinda happy & eager to help her. Go figure.  Maybe she treats them well in spite of not actually paying them.

 

There's got to be a world of difference between working for Sonja and working for Bethenny.  I too, remember B's miserable assistants - there was one girl especially who always seemed unhappy. I can't imagine what working for Bethenny would be like between her abrasiveness and her neediness and her general unhappiness.

 

Sonja, on the other hand, may not pay them, but I bet those interns have a blast working for her!!!!!

[Mya Stone]

Oh, hey, me again - also chill it with the personal attack posts. You want to argue? Take it to PM. 

[jaync]

Is there a difference between stevia and SG sweetener?

SG has a pop of crack?

[Bronzedog]

Heather is just trying to be the strap on Bethenny's jock.

[KungFuBunny]

I popped over to see Kristen's nail polish line. You really can't see the colors well because rather than give the buyer color splotches to have a sense of what the colors are you get a photo of the bottle and have to look through the glass bottle and the logo to see the distorted color.

 

http://www.rickysnyc.com/nails/pop-of-color.html

It's a Pop Of A Crappy Ad Campaign.

 

Look at the photo again...Kristen's face, neck, collar, hands....the skin shown is NOT the same tone. I guess they didn't put any money aside in the budget for photoshopping/airbrushing. What is also painfully obvious is that those are not Kristen's hands...the hand model is holding her hands up from underneath.

Edited June 11, 2015 by KungFuBunny

[Duke2801]

Oy, she's still saying "Get off my jock"?  Please stop with that.  Altho it does remind me of this-

 

 

I've watched this at least 5 times and I laugh every. damn. time.  That woman has Ramona's inflections and crazy eyes down cold!

[Giselle]

I'll give Kristen credit. It's more than we have ever gotten from Lady Morgan.

[Crikey]

Mya, I could not resist googling Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and got a smile out of their names.  Krazyzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-n-Bone.  My name would be Ohhhh-My-Bones  ;)

[Crikey]

Heather is just trying to be the strap on Bethenny's jock.

LOL

Then Heather does need to lighten up, Bethy's jock is tooooo darn tight already  ;)

[KungFuBunny]

Are we seeing a ton of Skinny Girl stuff this episode (and this season) because Bravo gets a cut of SG? Don't the contracts specify that Bravo gets a cut of business endeavors started by HWs? Am I misremembering?

ETA: Oops, just went back and read KungFuBunny's post. I'm dumb. Sorry.

Bravo knows how to bring in the gravy...this is the scenario I imagine for each HW hocking something....you are going to pay us (random number $50,000) for us to place your product on our show OR we get X% of the sales profit from this time period to this time period....whichever number comes in higher is what our take is.

 

I think this is why some of the HW product has not been featured anymore....they don't want or can not afford to pay Bravo.

 

It was a lucrative endeavor for Bethenny and Teresa - hence all of those book signings they aired. Now think to Luanne's book....never featured on the show...but a little blip on WWHL.

[RedHawk]

I'll give Kristen credit. It's more than we have ever gotten from Lady Morgan.

Lady Morgan doesn't have a husband to set her up in a line of business, so I give Kristen very minimal credit.

[BeachyMum]

I really loved the dynamic between all the ladies BEFORE Beth came to the Berkshires.  I had never seen Ramona so playful until this season and it was refreshing.

 

As soon as B came in so did the mean spirited jabs.  Ramona did not have an issue with any of the ladies(except B first episode) and now she is talking trash about Heather with Beth.  It comes off as the women are scared of Beth and kiss her butt. Who was Beth to tell Carole to be quiet and quit defending Heather?  Then her dismissive attitude towards Lu, Kristen and Heather is gross.  I don't think she realizes that she is in fact a D-List celeb and fame is fleeting.   The show is not the same and it use to be one of my favorites :(

[ScoobieDoobs]

Paying Bethenny 1 million for a season is nothing to Bravo..she has already earned her salary by the looks of this message board alone.

 

Well, no, I don't agree.  Bravo is merely a tiny part of NBC/Universal & budgets for the casts of Bravo shows are notoriously quite small,  It is a very big deal she is getting the million dollar salary.  Other than Nene & maybe Vicki, nobody on Bravo makes anywhere near that -- not even Moaner.  

 

Behind the scenes, I'm certain they're following the ratings very closely.  That's just the business of TV.  Advertisers don't make buying decisions on commercial time, based on social media.  It is still irrelevant to those decisions.  They're based on ratings.  And it's all about advertisers buying commercial time.  And the higher the ratings, the more they can charge for the commercial time.  Social media plays absolutely no part in the business aspect of this.

 

Even if ratings go below 500,000...I predict executives will try different things for a few seasons to try to bring viewership back up.

 

 

 

If ratings fell below 600 thou, the show would def not be renewed.  But it could be re-worked.  Anyhoo, that's not what is going on.  Ratings aren't terrible, just so-so.  I don't know what that means,  But it'll be interesting to see if they leave the show as is or make changes.  Make no mistake, Bethenny was brought in with the notion her presence would boost ratings.  Her presence hasn't made a difference at all in ratings.  So does that mean Bravo will boot off Bethenny?  Could be.  It's only halfway thru the season so it's kinda hard to tell what's gonna happen.

[phoenix780]

One thing came up last night that makes me rethink my perspective on Bethenney's volatility: she said "Happy Holidays" to someone.  The holidays heighten shit for a lot of us, I can imagine in her situation it was even worse- they'd have to negotiate who the kid would be with, Jason has stable parents so maybe that came up as a reason he should get more time (I'm not saying that's what happened, but to my mind it fills in the gaps about why she went to visit her stepfather).  And it's that time of year when we're all told it's about being happy and being with family, so if you're neither it's like you're somehow broken, which...it's destabilizing.  Or at least it has been for me, when I've been alone on Thanksgiving or whatever because I can't afford to travel to see my family at that time.

 

Point is- I wonder what she'd have been like if this were all filmed at a different time of year.  Same goes for all of them, actually, but they're not as vividly crazy as she seems to be, imho.

 

And as far as her business savvy (or lack thereof)- even if her only skill is latching onto people and working connections, that's exactly what Sonja needs to be doing.  So, in that sense I think she's a perfect mentor/role model.  She also wasn't vain enough to name the brand after herself, which is something else Sonja could learn, I think.  

[ScoobieDoobs]

Are we seeing a ton of Skinny Girl stuff this episode (and this season) because Bravo gets a cut of SG?

 

I think Andy may have mentioned somewhere that in the contracts now for the Housewives there is a "Bethenny clause", which specifically states Bravo gets a share of anything promoted.  I'm wondering if the deal Satan Andy cut with Bethenny included how much time they'll give her to promote her shit -- and how she can do it.

 

I mean, up to this point she's been kinda indirect in promoting specific SkinnyGirl products.  Believe it or not, I'm actually kinda interested in the wide breadth of SG products.  She could hawk her SG shit & I'll watch.  I may snark on it (um, no doubt I will), but I'll watch.

[Misslindsey]

 

 

I popped over to see Kristen's nail polish line. You really can't see the colors well because rather than give the buyer color splotches to have a sense of what the colors are you get a photo of the bottle and have to look through the glass bottle and the logo to see the distorted color.

http://www.rickysnyc...p-of-color.html

Sigh, of course Kristen has a nail polish called "I'm Pretty". 

[Trooper York]

She also has a polish the color of Josh's raw pimply skin called "Douchetastic."

[motorcitymom65]

I really loved the dynamic between all the ladies BEFORE Beth came to the Berkshires.  I had never seen Ramona so playful until this season and it was refreshing.

 

As soon as B came in so did the mean spirited jabs.  Ramona did not have an issue with any of the ladies(except B first episode) and now she is talking trash about Heather with Beth.  It comes off as the women are scared of Beth and kiss her butt. Who was Beth to tell Carole to be quiet and quit defending Heather?  Then her dismissive attitude towards Lu, Kristen and Heather is gross.  I don't think she realizes that she is in fact a D-List celeb and fame is fleeting.   The show is not the same and it use to be one of my favorites :(

Ramona will always throw you under the bus for an opportunity to bond. Lu has that part right. She did the same thing with Beth at her birthday party when Beth mocked Heather for the horrendous sin of saying "hi mama". Ramona said something about how Heather was trying to be cool and "doesn't she know she is white". Ugh. Last year she did it to Heather again when she was trying to bond with Kristen, this time by trash talking Jon. That is just what she does. I have no idea why any of them put up with it, but for the most part they seem to just accept this about her.

[LotusFlower]

I'll give Kristen credit. It's more than we have ever gotten from Lady Morgan.

That's a great point. Sonja is all talk. No toaster oven. No toaster oven cookbook. No fashion line. No "affordable luxury" items. Nothing. All talk.

[archer1267]

after Jim Beam she was able to negotiate with her business manager for licensing deals with Con Agra and Arizona Tea.  The possibilities are endless

 

Kelly was spot-on when she said that it was brilliant of Bethenny to come up with the name SkinnyGirl and it's true. Forget what she's selling - most women will gravitate towards something that they believe will make them thin(ner). (On the other end of the spectrum, I will NEVER buy one of the "Fat Girl" products from Bliss. What marketing genius thought women would be attracted to a product that sounds like a playground taunt?)

 

I know "skinny" is a charged word and not without negative connotations, but it's still a trait that many women aspire to (as opposed to "Fat Girl"). So much about branding involves psychology and getting into people's heads, and on that front, Bethenny did bowl a strike.