S07.E13: Sonja Island

[Rahul]

It has been nice to see that Heather, while taking her time picking up on Bethy's cues, finally has so I cannot agree that 'Heather never picks up on cues and signals'  Some take more than a few times, IMO.

Heather did not pick up on the social cues by herself. She is either extremely obtuse or blinded by her own agenda which renders her incapable of understanding the other person's perspective. It was only when the others pulled her aside and told her to back off that she conceded.

[Neerbeena]

Loved the "don't go against the family...no one goes against the family!" That remark had me rolling out of my chair.

 

This is the Bettheny I love, with her fast-talking quick wit.  I also thought it was hysterical when they all decided not to talk about Sonya any more and anyone who did needed to cough up a 100 bucks-- not five minutes goes by and Heather brings up Sonya.  

 

I agree that Ramona has a very good figure for her age but I think her bikinis are a little too teeny-tiny and not age-appropriate.  But more power to her for being confident enough to prance around in her tiny bikini and high heels.

[barbedwire]

Isn't Heather the one who was asked by Bethenny not to call her "Beth" and then Heath said "I call everyone by a shortened name.  I call LuAnn 'Lu""  She was asked not to and had to defend herself.  So much for picking up on clues.

[slitz]

Heather did not pick up on the social cues by herself. She is either extremely obtuse or blinded by her own agenda which renders her incapable of understanding the other person's perspective. It was only when the others pulled her aside and told her to back off that she conceded.

 

Only that's not what we saw...unless I pulled a Sonja and blacked out and missed some scenes.  I could be remembering this wrong but wasn't it at Dorinda's Berkshires home, when Bethenny went over and hugged Heather and that's when Heather told her that she'd just wait for Bethenny to come to her.  Heather then said basically the same thing at Ramona's party at her restaurant, that Heather would let Bethenny come to her.  I don't recall seeing any of the women pull Heather aside and tell her to back off.  Again, I could be remembering this incorrectly.  I try to block out all the shenanigans afterwards.  Dwelling on it too much gives me indigestion.  ;)

[Crikey]

Isn't Heather the one who was asked by Bethenny not to call her "Beth" and then Heath said "I call everyone by a shortened name.  I call LuAnn 'Lu""  She was asked not to and had to defend herself.  So much for picking up on clues.

Has Heather ever called her Beth again?

[atir]

Just a bit of a correction...Dorinda did/does have money of her own. Yes, she married well (2nd husband), but she's a businesswoman.

[motorcitymom65]

Has Heather ever called her Beth again?

No, she never did. And Beth never asked her to not call her that in the first place. When she did call her Beth that one time, Beth said something nasty about shortening her name. Heather apologized and said she wouldn't call her that anymore if she didn't want her to. She asked if she would prefer "B" as others (including her boss Andy and the network she works for) called her. Beth said to forget it, that she actually didn't really care that much about what she called her. The point was clear, however, that she didn't want to be called Beth, and as far as I am aware, Heather has never called her that again. My favorite part was when Beth claimed that no one had ever shortened her name like that before, and then in the next episode we heard her Stepfather call her that. Truly tits on an ant. Beth didn't give two shits about what Heather called her, she was just irritated at Heather in general, which she has pretty much admitted at this point. 

[Crikey]

Heather did not pick up on the social cues by herself. She is either extremely obtuse or blinded by her own agenda which renders her incapable of understanding the other person's perspective. It was only when the others pulled her aside and told her to back off that she conceded.

I thought Heather mentioned, to Bethy right after the blowup in the Berkshires that she, Heather, would wait for Bethy to come to her. 

Did I miss a scene (possible) where the others told her to back off before Heather told Bethy she would back off and wait until Bethy was ready to interact with her?

 

edited to add:  slitz just read your post, that is how I remembered it, also.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Crikey

[Rahul]

Only that's not what we saw...unless I pulled a Sonja and blacked out and missed some scenes.  I could be remembering this wrong but wasn't it at Dorinda's Berkshires home, when Bethenny went over and hugged Heather and that's when Heather told her that she'd just wait for Bethenny to come to her.  

Heather did say she would let Bethenny come to her...but only after she was physically rebuffed and rebuked when reaching for Bethenny's hand. Heather ignored the clear verbal and social cues she was given not to fuss over Bethenny any further. IIRC, the some of the other women were chiming in at the table for Heather to just let it go.

This discussion makes me nauseated as well and yet somehow I find myself getting sucked back in over and over agai.n.

[motorcitymom65]

Heather did say she would let Bethenny come to her...but only after she was physically rebuffed and rebuked when reaching for Bethenny's hand. Heather ignored the clear verbal and social cues she was given not to fuss over Bethenny any further. IIRC, the some of the other women were chiming in at the table for Heather to just let it go.

This discussion makes me nauseated as well and yet somehow I find myself getting sucked back in over and over agai.n.

I honestly do not remember - prior to that dinner - any clear verbal or social cues that Beth gave her to not fuss over her. On every instance I saw them together, Beth was nasty towards Heather for bringing up party invites, reasons Ramona is bat-shit crazy, or discussion of her custody issues. I don't remember any time when Heather was seen to have been "fussing" over Beth before she offered to give her a meatball. As far as I am aware, the only social cue that Beth ever gave off was that she would prefer for Heather to not speak. At all. Ever. About anything. She didn't seem to like it when Heather spoke about anything. Not a gig on MSNBC, not about naming of companies, not about custody. not about another persons hurt feelings. If anyone can make me understand how any of this is the same as Heather "fussing" over Beth, I would love to understand. I read it all the time so I must be missing something. I guess that means that I too would have missed these obvious social cues Beth was sending out to not fuss over her. 

 

I don't think that the reactions of the other women had anything to do with what went down between the two of them, or of Heather telling Beth that she would give her space. I think it was the fact that Beth just finally said it out loud. 

[ladle]

I didn't think Kristen was upset or went on about it, she just said why did you have to call my attention to it right when I was literally standing underneath you so I reflexively looked up and than she just talked about how she was all waxed down there and someone said she was a different generation and than Dorinda said a doctor told her she should keep a little something down there. Why Lu wasn't wearing a swim suit is the weird thing to me.

Then she proceeded to do a talking head in which she made dramatic and grotesque gagging faces about it.  I guess I should probably give her the benefit of the doubt that the editing monkeys were at work and that maybe she was reacting to something totally unrelated, like bitter coffee, but.... but I won't.  Because I just don't like her.  And, look, I'm not saying that she should delight in viewing Luann's cooze and go write a poem about it.  Just that it's a little weird that it would be so disgusting to her.  

 

Assuming PhD stands for "Phuck'Dup," then that would be a yes.

 

 

Seriously, though-- and I know we can ask this about basically anything Sonja says but... what the fuck was she even talking about?  Does Sonja even have an undergraduate degree?  (Not a big deal if she doesn't, but if she's going to then rant about somebody "not having the education"...).  I remember from Scary Island, Bethenny saying she attended culinary school...

[KungFuBunny]

LOL

To be fair, I would be a little scared seeing  Sonja's and/or Lu's lady parts.  Who knows what might fall out of them.

I don't know if the cupcake shop owners did an inventory or if  that cupcake/dildo thingy went home with Sonja and, as I have mentioned before, a pirate's eye patch might still be lodged in an unnamed European royalty's front (or back) door.

I prefer not seeing evidence ;)

SOL

 

If I had to choose which hoo hah I'd rather see...I'd go with Luanne.

 

With Sonja..I'd be afraid all of those lost interns might fall out....Pickles! Pickles! Pickles!

[Rahul]

I honestly do not remember - prior to that dinner - any clear verbal or social cues that Beth gave her to not fuss over her. On every instance I saw them together, Beth was nasty towards Heather for bringing up party invites, reasons Ramona is bat-shit crazy, or discussion of her custody issues. I don't remember any time when Heather was seen to have been "fussing" over Beth before she offered to give her a meatball. As far as I am aware, the only social cue that Beth ever gave off was that she would prefer for Heather to not speak. At all. Ever. About anything. She didn't seem to like it when Heather spoke about anything. Not a gig on MSNBC, not about naming of companies, not about custody. not about another persons hurt feelings. If anyone can make me understand how any of this is the same as Heather "fussing" over Beth, I would love to understand. I read it all the time so I must be missing something. I guess that means that I too would have missed these obvious social cues Beth was sending out to not fuss over her.

 

At least you seem to have picked up on the fact that Bethenny was irritated by Heather probing into Bethenny's personal affairs like her custody arrangement. Heather was too daft to realize that her inquiries felt like she was trying to broach a private matter to Bethenny.

 

This was the first time that Heather fussed over Bethenny. However, why on earth would someone who realized their questions are usually met with an unwelcome response ever attempt to fuss over someone? Answer: Because they are either incapable of understanding that they annoy the heck out of that person, or they don't care and do whatever the hell they want to. Both those scenarios describe "I can say whatever I want to fucking say" Heather.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Rahul

[DrSparkles]

Phew. When Lu came out of the water, topless?! I was like one of those bug-eyed cartoon characters!

GODDAMN, get it Luann!!!!!

[pbutler111]

My favorite part was when Beth claimed that no one had ever shortened her name like that before, and then in the next episode we heard her Stepfather call her that. Truly tits on an ant. Beth didn't give two shits about what Heather called her, she was just irritated at Heather in general, which she has pretty much admitted at this point.

 

I don't think one thing necessarily follows the other.  If I run into someone who knew me as a child, they would probably call me Patty, and I wouldn't blink any eye.  But if someone who first met me as an adult, especially very recently, were to call me anything other than Patricia, I'd find it very weird and would let them know I don't like it.  People who knew you when you were a kid tend to get passes on things like that.

[WireWrap]

Heather did not pick up on the social cues by herself. She is either extremely obtuse or blinded by her own agenda which renders her incapable of understanding the other person's perspective. It was only when the others pulled her aside and told her to back off that she conceded.

When Heather and Bethenny had the massage on last nights episode, Heather said that is how she thought things would be between them because they were fine when they first met and Bethenny agreed with her. IMO, Heather was throw off because they did get along initially but Bethenny had other ideas for the show relationship. As for the "custody conversation" at Carole's, Bethenny was the 1 that brought up the subject, Heather was only saying what she thought was supportive. Bethenny NEVER told Heather to back off or to ignore her except in TH segments that were filmed AFTER the season was already done.

 

This is the Bettheny I love, with her fast-talking quick wit.  I also thought it was hysterical when they all decided not to talk about Sonya any more and anyone who did needed to cough up a 100 bucks-- not five minutes goes by and Heather brings up Sonya.  

 

I agree that Ramona has a very good figure for her age but I think her bikinis are a little too teeny-tiny and not age-appropriate.  But more power to her for being confident enough to prance around in her tiny bikini and high heels.

Heather mentioned her 3 times and LuAnn did at least 1 time as well. LOL I am pretty sure the rest did as well, Sonja was talked about on the boat by all of them.

[motorcitymom65]

At least you seem to have picked up on the fact that Bethenny was irritated by Heather probing into Bethenny's personal affairs like her custody arrangement. Heather was too daft to realize that her inquiries felt like she was trying to broach a private matter to Bethenny.

 

This was the first time that Heather fussed over Bethenny. However, why on earth would someone who realized their questions are usually met with an unwelcome response ever attempt to fuss over someone? Answer: Because they are either incapable of understanding that they annoy the heck out of that person, or they don't care and do whatever the hell they want to. Both those scenarios describe "I can say whatever I want to fucking say" Heather.

I only realize it because of Beth's TH. There was nothing in the conversation to indicate that Beth was bothered by it. She was actively engaged in the conversation. See, there is nothing that Beth ever said or did prior to the meatball incident that Heather failed to grasp. Once Beth communicated her wants Heather was on board. I fail to see how any blame falls on Heather. Beth has admitted to being a bitch to Heather.

[mwell345]

 

Ramona forever and ever is ridiculous. She quite fancies herself smart. In business, she is (I assume), but I couldn't imagine trying to have a conversation with her. She's all about trying out these terms she's unfamiliar with solely because she thinks they make her sound smart. Carole for the win in giving the words Ramona was looking for (not "post trauma syndrome," hon; "post traumatic stress disorder"). Which leads me to yet another quiet Carole moment when she added that she suffered from it after Anthony died. I can't even begin to imagine. I'm 35 now, and she was 36* when she became a widow. That's heavy.

*Edited for a correction: Wikipedia says that Carole was still 35 when Anthony died. He died 10 days before her 36th birthday.

 

He died shortly after JFK Jr and his wife.  I remember reading (perhaps in her book) that, because they all knew Anthony was dying, John and Caroline had promised to be there for her. The 4 of them were very close.  So, right before she lost her husband, she lost the 2 people whose support she was counting on to help her get through it.

 

On a lighter note, I know I am not alone in loving LuAnn this season.  She seems so at ease, so above the fray (for the most part)- she seems happy and liberated and fun.  In season 1,she was "The Countess", now she's "LuAnn"!

 

If I had to vacation with any of these women, the only one I would happily pick would be LuAnn.

[izabella]

Seriously, though-- and I know we can ask this about basically anything Sonja says but... what the fuck was she even talking about?  Does Sonja even have an undergraduate degree?  (Not a big deal if she doesn't, but if she's going to then rant about somebody "not having the education"...).  I remember from Scary Island, Bethenny saying she attended culinary school...

 

I believe Sonja meant the kind of education you get while married to a very wealthy man from a well-known family, or a Count.  Sonja thinks she has a degree in "Lady Morgan" and Bethenny's social experience simply cannot compare which is why she's all uncool. 

What is wrong with Ramona, seriously? She definitely does have a case of the crazy eyes (could just be hyperthyroidism at work, who knows) and she does have a rapidfire, s****** way about her (head jerking and facial expressions). Not trying to play arm chair psychologist but this is the first season I've watched in a while and I don't remember her being this bad. Maybe I blocked it out back then.

 

Ramona has always been twitchy and awkward like that.

 

Edited July 2, 2015 by izabella

[SweetieDarling]

And, what the hell are scrambled eggs a la Francaise, anyway??  

An excuse to walk down to the beach and find out what's going on.

 

 

What was Heather's excuse for popping up out of nowhere? 

[WireWrap]

An excuse to walk down to the beach and find out what's going on.

 

 

What was Heather's excuse for popping up out of nowhere? 

I would think hearing Sonja scream at the others would make most of them find out if something was/is wrong! It would me! LOL

Edited July 2, 2015 by WireWrap

[The Evil One]

Maybe their pre-existing friendship results in Dorinda having higher expectations for Heather? I was surprised by the whole exchange and it seemed oddly out of character for Dorinda given that she usually seems like more of a peacemaker. Now if Ramona did it, I wouldn't bat an eyelash.

I think Ramona looks great though those implants look a little big on her to me. As for the bikinis, it's not that she doesn't have the body for it, but the cuts and colors of the suits look so cheap on her (I'm sure they're not cheap!) It just seems like there have to be options that would make her look more sophisticated instead of a contestant in a bikini contest circa 1987.

Edited July 2, 2015 by The Evil One

[Gam2]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the educational backgrounds of these women? I could find out for myself but I'm challenged when it comes to computers/researching these kinds of things. I know LuAnne has a nursing degree (an LPN rather than an RN as far as I know which is a huge difference). Thanks, y'all.

[bichonblitz]

I like that more of Dorinda's douchy side has come out.  Finally, on camera and not just in her over-the-top descriptions in her blogs.

 

 

 

She was douchy when she appeared on WWHL a month or so ago. Snarky and condescending. I was disappointed because I really liked her at first. 

Edited July 2, 2015 by bichonblitz

[missy jo]

I think Moaner's boob job looked kinda obvious this ep, but still pretty good.

 

 

I think it's amazing! Whereas Beth is a skeleton with bolt-on's I can't really see Ramona's implants. What's the secret? What's her cup size? I need to know these things!

 

A bully is looking for an easy day, and Heather has been not been an easy day for TBA (The Bullying Anorexic).

 

 

I agree. I think that Beth went after Heather, then thought better of it.* It's a much better look for her to concern-troll Sonja and commiserate with Ramona about Mario.

 

*I also still believe in my conspiracy theory about the editors' ret-conning Beth into becoming more likable after she got a negative reaction the first few episodes.

 

ETA: slitz

 

Something I noticed last night....those were new Bethenny THs.  Her hairstyle is different in them compared to the others we've seen already this season, and we haven't seen that top before now either.  I wonder if these are now the ones they went back to film after the season started?

 

 

I think they're new as well, and shot so that Beth can say she's cool with Heather. Her facial fillers are a tad different in the new THs compared to the older ones.

Edited July 2, 2015 by missy jo

[bichonblitz]

That WAS hilariously awful. And she continued on, "I tell them - I know!" Mwahahaha, Ramona's biggest fan is Ramona.

I can not imagine what being married to Ramona must be like.  I think Mario checked out of that marriage a long time ago and by that I mean he must have learned to tune her out because that woman is exhausting. Could anybody really live with her? Not that I'm a Mario fan, he's a slimeball, but still.

Edited July 2, 2015 by bichonblitz

[ottergirl]

From Heather's blog - she seems to have reached equilibrium, if not friendship, with Bethenny in real time:

 

 

Rooming with my Radz and Bethenny has been great. Sharing a space and this time together has really helped to give me a better understanding of Bethenny. She may pop at times, but she moves on and doesn’t hold a grudge, which is how I can be too. I think we have come to a final agreement that we find each other annoying, but that it’s not going to stop us from trying to find common ground. And one of them is being able to laugh together. Whatever issues Bethenny had with me seem to be over, and hopefully we’ve moved on.

 

But on the Dorinda front....

 

 

Dorinda and I have never had a fight before. Although, I find her to be exceptionally judgmental and even mean on Twitter as of late. We met last summer and had an easy and enjoyable relationship. But when we were hanging out it wasn't with this group, and although they did have a history, Dorinda didn't seem to spend a whole lot of time with them. But now it seems she has a clique. Whatever. #LamestFightInRHWHistory!

 

To me, she sounds kind of over it.  I think this season has just not been much fun for Heather.  She was shut down and shut out for Bethenny, and just when she was getting that situation resolved, there was a big blowup with Luann (who she thought to be a real friend) and Dorinda (with whom she had no issues at all).  And I think the post-filming, pre-reunion twitter and social media wars have not been fun for her.  During Meatball-Gate week, she was absolutely flamed on twitter, with real hatred.  And now to see her castmates doing the same thing.  

 

I wonder if Heather is feeling a bit done.  More than almost anyone else, I don't think she has the need to be a reality star.  I actually believe her when she says that as a person, she wasn't interested in doing the show - but as an entrepreneur starting a business, and as a parent wanting to raise awareness and money for liver disease, she signed on. I also remember when the new girls joined the show that the entire pitch - and this was the pitch to them as well - was "a new new york", less toxic, more focused on real women.  I think that would have been a great show; but I also think that when one of the new women was Aviva (who started off seeming so normal), and when you still have Ramona and Sonja on board, it was never going to work.  It's just a disconnect.  And I think now the dynamics have shifted so much, Heather is perhaps not finding it as rewarding any more.  

 

I don't want her to leave the show - she's the one I relate to most, which is silly, because I am the opposite of a fashion girl, currently wearing shorts from Wal-Mart and flip flops that I got at CVS the other day because I couldn't stand to walk ONE MORE STEP in heels.  But I wouldn't be surprised if she did.  That's a loss to the franchise, in my opinion.

 

Of course, I could VERY WELL be wrong.  But she just doesn't sound like she's enjoying it any more.  And I don't think any normal person could tolerate the sort of abuse that people sign up for to be on these shows.  I know I couldn't.  It's just one reason of 27,000 I could never be a Housewife.  (Wal-Mart shorts and CVS flip flops being two of the other ones.)

 

(edited for typo)

Edited July 2, 2015 by ottergirl

[missy jo]

I could be remembering this wrong but wasn't it at Dorinda's Berkshires home, when Bethenny went over and hugged Heather and that's when Heather told her that she'd just wait for Bethenny to come to her.  Heather then said basically the same thing at Ramona's party at her restaurant, that Heather would let Bethenny come to her.  I don't recall seeing any of the women pull Heather aside and tell her to back off.

 

 

I also noticed in this episode, after Beth came out to dinner after she had been yelling at Sonja, that everyone was asking her about it and Heather said, "Give her a minute!" Heather told the other girls to back off of "B" and give her time to regroup before grilling her about the Sonja conversation.

 

Also - cosign to motorcitymom65's entire post on the topic.

Edited July 2, 2015 by missy jo

[WireWrap]

Maybe their pre-existing friendship results in Dorinda having higher expectations for Heather? I was surprised by the whole exchange and it seemed oddly out of character for Dorinda given that she usually seems like more of a peacemaker. Now if Ramona did it, I wouldn't bat an eyelash.

I think Ramona looks great though those implants look a little big on her to me. As for the bikinis, it's not that she doesn't have the body for it, but the cuts and colors of the suits look so cheap on her (I'm sure they're not cheap!) It just seems like there have to be options that would make her look more sophisticated instead of a contestant in a bikini contest circa 1987.

IMO, what we see of Heather is really who she is. She does not come across as fake like Ramona, Sonja or LuAnn do. When you see the show, with a few exceptions so far (the wheelchair lawyer story/the restaurant customer/how she treats John), and read Dorinda's blog you get an impression that she is just a regular woman, then when you read her tweets, there is a real disconnect between the 2 personas. IMO, the twitter persona is the real Dorinda and it shows that she is more akin to Ramona/Sonja than anyone realized. JMO

[Lone Wolf]

One must never drop the F-bomb (especially in Europe, heaven forbid!) because the children might pick it up (as opposed to Lu's children finding out she banged a pirate stranger and that Dorinda's child will see her dropping more F-bombs than Kristen has given blowies to Joshie)

 

 

 

 

 

Or talking about said blowies on national TV, or having your ta-ta's out on national TV (I'm "cyanide-ing" you respectively, Heather, Countess, and Kristen).  I guess soon they'll be telling their therapy-bound children when they they come home crying from merciless classmate teasing, "Mommy's ego was more important than your emotional well-being, my special little snowflake."

 

But what I really dropped in to say is, Andy Cohen missed a cross-promo opportunity - he should have put these head cases on the latest version of the Below Deck yacht and the casts could have a reality whore-off.  Imagine, the crew doing whatever it takes to get tips, including stirring up shit and taking sides...drinking and resultant debauchery between male deckhands and cougars...Bethenny insults the chef's cooking....an underwearless LuAnn leaves a snail trail that no amount of cleaning can erase and hilarity ensues.  The mind boggles at the possibiltes.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Lone Wolf

[StevieRocks]

But what I really dropped in to say is, Andy Cohen missed a cross-promo opportunity - he should have put these head cases on the latest version of the Below Deck yacht and the casts could have a reality whore-off.  Imagine, the crew doing whatever it takes to get tips, including stirring up shit and taking sides...drinking and resultant debauchery between male deckhands and cougars...Bethenny insults the chef's cooking....an underwearless LuAnn leaves a snail trail that no amount of cleaning can erase and hilarity ensues.  The mind boggles at the possibiltes.

Bwah!

[njbchlover]

I laughed more in this episode than in any current scripted network TV sitcom with its corny canned laughter.   It was hysterical watching the women plan the ice bucket dunk on Ramona.

I agree....and, Ramona was a very good sport about it all, although I doubt she would have been as good a sport if her phone was still in her hand and had gotten ruined.  

That kind of made me wonder about a possible warning to Ramona by either Carole or production.  

[RedheadZombie]

I also noticed in this episode, after Beth came out to dinner after she had been yelling at Sonja, that everyone was asking her about it and Heather said, "Give her a minute!" Heather told the other girls to back off of "B" and give her time to regroup before grilling her about the Sonja conversation.

Also - cosign to motorcitymom65's entire post on the topic.

.

Which B rewarded by telling Heather to shut up in French.

[HumblePi]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the educational backgrounds of these women? I could find out for myself but I'm challenged when it comes to computers/researching these kinds of things. I know LuAnne has a nursing degree (an LPN rather than an RN as far as I know which is a huge difference). Thanks, y'all.

cast ranked by net worth. Luann is at the bottom of the pile when it comes to net worth.

http://www.bustle.com/articles/76296-the-real-housewives-of-new-york-cast-ranked-by-net-worth-because-money-cant-buy-you

[WireWrap]

.

Which B rewarded by telling Heather to shut up in French.

Oh, WAIT a minute, I think LuAnn believes that Europeans don't swear/say the F word, so there can't be a French word for it to begin with! LOL

[njbchlover]

On my 5th time to watch the episode. That means I'm going to have to clean like hell around 4pm to cover my time for the day before everyone gets home! :)

I've added cruising on the yacht for a day to my fantasy bucket list. (who am I kidding, I'd like just an hour)

I'm entertained by all their jewelry choices. I love the timeless diamond earrings Bethany wears, that I believe were a gift from Jason. (Gosh was that an awkward episode of BEA) The gold with orange earrings that Ramona wore looked um cheapish. The orange center piece looked plastic. After doing a search I found a website with the goods they wear.

http://www.bigblondehair.com/real-housewives/rhony/

Do you think the employee filming Sonja doing the lunges in her wedges was dying laughing inside?!?

Breaking News for Heather...Bethany was still insulting her by saying she was born annoying. Bethany followed up by calling herself a bitch but I think she considers that a complement.

LuAnn's 'drinking necklace' reminded me of when she made a comment to Alex "even Louis Vuitton can make a mistake now and then".

Loved the "don't go against the family...no one goes against the family!" That remark had me rolling out of my chair.

 

Thanks for the link to that blog site....it's great!!  

I loved, loved, loved the gold lace-y looking earrings Ramona wore with the MK crochet dress - nice to see where to buy them, but I am sooo not paying that price for costume jewelry!!!  

[BlackMamba]

The ratings was 1.267/540000

http://www.tv-recaps-reviews.com/2015/07/tuesday-cable-ratings-june-30.html?m=1

[njbchlover]

Those uncharacteristically disproportionate responses from Sonja and Dorinda are undoubtedly fueled by behind-the-scenes producer instigation. Perhaps most of her insightful talking heads had not yet been filmed, so Dorinda was under pressure to bring some outrageous element of drama?

 

I really hate all this artificial producer intervention. Don't these people understand their viewers are savvy enough to pick up on it?

 

 

Heather never picks up on cues and signals. That is precisely why she accosted Bethenny at the dinner table in the Berkshires despite being told in no uncertain terms that B no longer wanted to engage her.

 

Sonja may consider herself Lady of the manor, but in what world does she hold a superior education to Bethenny? Didn't she do 2 years at some fashion trade school and get an associates degree or something?

 

Sonja, I think likes to re-write her own past, although I don't know about her formal education.  I think she really believes that she was "to the manor born", as it were.

 

Bethenny attended a private boarding school in Florida, which I am sure was more "upper class" than Sonja's primary education in the small upstate town she grew up in.  But, I believe that Bethenny did not attend a formal college/university - didn't she go to a culinary institute, or something like that?

 

Having said that, if Sonja's associates' degree is from a fashion trade school, isn't that the same as Theresa Guidice's degree?  Wonder if Sonja thinks that she and Theresa are intellectual equals??

[njbchlover]

It's not as bad as her job, err, I mean, her wifely duty she brags about performing on her gross, abusive husband. JMHO.

 

I cannot imagine that Josh was overly thrilled to hear his wife say that about him!!  Wonder if he guilted her into another one after he watched the show last night?  

She did say last year that giving him a b.j. was a good way to get new jewelry (or something to that effect).  

 

Just trashy to throw your sex life out there for the world to hear, imo.

[BettyPoz]

So, there's a longer clip on Bravo. Dorinda is a hot ass mess in it. She's pretty much Slurry McSlurriton, Mayor of Slursville, population: 1. Additionally, she's got crumbs on her mouth as she's shouting across the table at Heather. The whole thing seemed predicated on LuAnn talking about Heather cussing and saying that Heather wouldn't want her daughter, Ella, to cuss. Heather's like, Yeah, my mom didn't care if I cussed. I won't care if Ella does as well. Then LuAnn is talking about how she'd hate for Victoria to be in Europe and cussing, and...really? Girl, bye. They cuss in Europe. There are even--gasp!--profane words in French!

 

It's such a weird thing for LuAnn to put her countess hat on for. I mean, all things considered. Anyway, Dorinda, I guess, decides to defend LuAnn's castigation of Heather's cussing and that's where she (Dorinda) totally goes off the farm.

 

 

Dorinda is preemptively trying to grab the narrative. I have to think that's what's going on. It's the same tactic that LuAnn used. Neither could be sure what would air, so they attack from an offensive position, which works for some folks.

WOW! THat clip was insane!!  Can't wait to see Dorinda and Lu defend themselves next week because wow.

 

That's an interesting point.  I was thinking the opposite this morning - remembering the Slutty Pirate trip, which is when Ramona finally warmed to Heather, after disliking her quite a bit in the early days, as well as when Heather and Carole really cemented their friendship.  And thinking that Bethenny seems to be coming around to Heather too.  I thought, hm, maybe Heather is someone you need to warm up to, she comes on too strong at first.

 

But you're right also.  The Kristen/Heather fight seemed to be a short-term fight - if anything, they were closer afterwards, and they're closer than ever now - but it certainly seems to be the unraveling of Dorinda and Heather.  And Luann and Heather blow up here too.

 

In her blog for this week, Kristen sheds a tiny bit more light on the Dorinda/Heather fight. She said that her car - which seemed to include her, Ramonja and Dorinda - thought that the other car - Heather, Carole, Luann, Bethenny - was ignoring them, and they all got upset.  She said it was a huge misunderstanding that for some reason escalated with Dorinda towards Heather.  She also said that Dorinda clearly has rising issues with Heather in general.

 

I've noted that as well.  Dorinda has been coming for Heather all season on Twitter, for minor offenses, but always the same theme - she thinks Heather is bossy and controlling.  In Heather's first scene of the season, you see her and Carole walking towards the door of a restaurant, and Heather says "This way, Razzy," and on twitter, Dorinda said "Heather bossing Carole around as usual."  I remember noticing that in the moment, thinking, wow, you REALLY have to work to take offense at one friend pointing out to another friend which way the door is.  It's been that way all season - Dorinda is jumping all over Heather for being bossy or controlling.  Which she can be - but Dorinda is being kind of crazy about it.

 

Meanwhile, Heather truly seems to think that she and Dorinda are friends.  My guess is that Heather grates on Dorinda's nerves, but doesn't know it, isn't picking up the signals, and when Dorinda blows, it will make no sense to Heather at all, but Dorinda will think it's entirely justified.  I get that.  

 

But I still can't co-sign on the twitter wars.  That just makes me think way less of Dorinda all the way around.  

I do recall when they were getting ready to go to dinner Ramona and maybe Sonja and/or Dorinda were standing by the door sort of hesitating because the rest of the women weren't coming - or they were making drinks. Anyway! I heard Heather mutter something about "yeah, I'm not going to go sit in a car for an hour again".  So maybe knowing that Ramona and Sonja are such slow pokes they let them go first and then for some reason the Heather car beat the Ramona car to the restaurant.

 

OK…this is the second time Dorinda has said "back that up" or "back that shit up" in a moment of anger. I've never heard that expression before and usually UrbanDictionary.com helps this old lady with new lingo, but not in this case. 

 

So…what does it mean?

Yeah - she loves that expression doesn't she?  She said it AGAIN in the preview clip on Bravo!  When she said it on the way into the restaurant it almost sounded like she meant they could go look at the tape to see who said what!

[sasha206]

Then she proceeded to do a talking head in which she made dramatic and grotesque gagging faces about it.  I guess I should probably give her the benefit of the doubt that the editing monkeys were at work and that maybe she was reacting to something totally unrelated, like bitter coffee, but.... but I won't.  Because I just don't like her.  And, look, I'm not saying that she should delight in viewing Luann's cooze and go write a poem about it.  Just that it's a little weird that it would be so disgusting to her. 

 

 

Especially when she counts Brandi Glanville as one of her best friends.

 

This is one of the reasons why I will never like Kristen.  Those "I'm positively aghast" faces she makes.  

[sasha206]

You state this as a fact.  Is this known for sure?  I'm not saying that it's not true, but I'm curious, cuz if it is a weave, it looks very natural & really good.  But it does make sense.  Something is definitely goin' on with her hair, that she goes so crazy if it even gets the slightest, teeny tiniest bit wet.  Notice how she covered it quickly with a hat, after they dumped the bucket of ice & water on her.  But she didn't seem to get completely soaked.  It only seemed to get a bit wet.  And I wonder if she woulda been so good-humored afterward if she didn't have a hat to quickly cover up her wet hair.

 

Hmmmm, the deep mystery of Moaner's hair.  C'mon, Satan Andy, get on this & out her about it at the reunion.

I'm with you.  I don't think it's a weave.  I think she, like many women, don't want to get the hair they just styled wet.  I see it at the pool ALL.THE.TIME.

[ScoobieDoobs]

I know a ton of women who just don't want the natural texture of their hair to be seen publicly. Maybe that's Moaner too?  When Moaner was at the beach, her hair looked frizzy & out-of-control wavy -- not her usual sleek look at all.  

[njbchlover]

When Heather and Bethenny had the massage on last nights episode, Heather said that is how she thought things would be between them because they were fine when they first met and Bethenny agreed with her. IMO, Heather was throw off because they did get along initially but Bethenny had other ideas for the show relationship. As for the "custody conversation" at Carole's, Bethenny was the 1 that brought up the subject, Heather was only saying what she thought was supportive. Bethenny NEVER told Heather to back off or to ignore her except in TH segments that were filmed AFTER the season was already done.

 

Heather mentioned her 3 times and LuAnn did at least 1 time as well. LOL I am pretty sure the rest did as well, Sonja was talked about on the boat by all of them.

 

I guess "Dress for Success" (the charity they picked to donate the "non-Sonja talk" penalty money) will get a decent check from these ladies!!!  

 

That is a good question for the reunion - how much did they wind up donating?

[Rahul]

When Heather and Bethenny had the massage on last nights episode, Heather said that is how she thought things would be between them because they were fine when they first met and Bethenny agreed with her. IMO, Heather was throw off because they did get along initially but Bethenny had other ideas for the show relationship. As for the "custody conversation" at Carole's, Bethenny was the 1 that brought up the subject, Heather was only saying what she thought was supportive. Bethenny NEVER told Heather to back off or to ignore her except in TH segments that were filmed AFTER the season was already done.

I don't think Bethenny ever took a liking to Heather. They seemed to be well and dandy for the first few minutes until Heather made that remark about Bethenny owing LuAnn a fancy car for helping her with Skinny Girl.

I have engaged with family members in conversations I'd rather not have when cornered at gettogethers. It happens sometimes when you don't want to be disrespectful. Heather is not astute enough to be attuned to subtler changes in another person's vocal tone and body language to pick up on it.

 

I only realize it because of Beth's TH. There was nothing in the conversation to indicate that Beth was bothered by it. She was actively engaged in the conversation. See, there is nothing that Beth ever said or did prior to the meatball incident that Heather failed to grasp. Once Beth communicated her wants Heather was on board. I fail to see how any blame falls on Heather. Beth has admitted to being a bitch to Heather.

Bethenny can play her feelings close to the vest. If there was any indication that she was uncomfortable, Heather wouldn't have noticed it anyway.

On a lighter note, I know I am not alone in loving LuAnn this season. She seems so at ease, so above the fray (for the most part)- she seems happy and liberated and fun. In season 1,she was "The Countess", now she's "LuAnn"!

If I had to vacation with any of these women, the only one I would happily pick would be LuAnn.

LuAnn would probably be fine to vacation with until 10pm hit and she begins her nightly routine of trolling for cock.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the educational backgrounds of these women? I could find out for myself but I'm challenged when it comes to computers/researching these kinds of things. I know LuAnne has a nursing degree (an LPN rather than an RN as far as I know which is a huge difference). Thanks, y'all.

According to this website, Bethenny graduated with a BA in psychology and communications from NYU. Other online sources seem to corroborate that Bethenny has a bachelor's degree at the very least. Ramona Singer has a two-year degree from FIT. This article doesn't actually establish that she graduated with a BA in business, but it seems she may have pursued it? Sonja Morgan's CV is a little more nebulous. Sources only say that she was "working towards" a bachelor's in marketing but there's no mention of her actually graduating.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Rahul

[njbchlover]

 

On a lighter note, I know I am not alone in loving LuAnn this season.  She seems so at ease, so above the fray (for the most part)- she seems happy and liberated and fun.  In season 1,she was "The Countess", now she's "LuAnn"!

 

If I had to vacation with any of these women, the only one I would happily pick would be LuAnn.

 

I agree - I really like this Luann.

 

However, if I ever did vacation with her, we would have to have separate bedrooms or hotel rooms - I really don't prefer to have a parade of pirates, Premier's friends, Italian boytoys, etc., wandering into my space at night!    ;-)

[The Evil One]

IMO, what we see of Heather is really who she is. She does not come across as fake like Ramona, Sonja or LuAnn do. When you see the show, with a few exceptions so far (the wheelchair lawyer story/the restaurant customer/how she treats John), and read Dorinda's blog you get an impression that she is just a regular woman, then when you read her tweets, there is a real disconnect between the 2 personas. IMO, the twitter persona is the real Dorinda and it shows that she is more akin to Ramona/Sonja than anyone realized. JMO

I didn't mean to imply that Heather had done anything wrong. I agree that Heather, to me, comes across as very much "what you see is what you get." When they did the "coming up..." Before commercials and showed a clip of the argument outside the restaurant, honestly, given that Heather is blunt, I thought perhaps she had said something and Dorinda took it the wrong way. So I when the scene played out, I was honestly surprised that Dorinda made such a fuss over nothing and I thought Heather did nothing wrong (aside from the apparent crime of not reading Dorinda's mind about the proper etiquette of walking into a restaurant!)

Between that, her reaction to Heather's apology and the scenes for next week, Dorinda seems to have a different side to her that is much harder than what we have seen. I was simply spit-balling that Heather somehow became the target of her wrath because they were close before. She may be struggling with the group crazy on the trip and rather than use Heather as a life raft, she wants to pull her under too. I'm not sure I articulated myself any better than I did before, but thought I'd try!

[njbchlover]

Maybe their pre-existing friendship results in Dorinda having higher expectations for Heather? I was surprised by the whole exchange and it seemed oddly out of character for Dorinda given that she usually seems like more of a peacemaker. Now if Ramona did it, I wouldn't bat an eyelash.

I think Ramona looks great though those implants look a little big on her to me. As for the bikinis, it's not that she doesn't have the body for it, but the cuts and colors of the suits look so cheap on her (I'm sure they're not cheap!) It just seems like there have to be options that would make her look more sophisticated instead of a contestant in a bikini contest circa 1987.

 

I think it is a combination of the breast lift/implants and Ramona working out like crazy.  She has built up her pectoral muscles, imo, which can increase the overall dimensions of the breasts.  

They do seem to be kind of awkward, though - maybe I'm just used to seeing her with a smaller chest/breast area?  

[sasha206]

This came up at the reunion a few years ago in relation to her phone call during thr Pirate deal. A viewer had submitted a comment that they were surprised her French was so bad. She admitted that it was spotty.

 

It probably is spotty but I'd love to be fluent in a second language.

[biakbiak]

I don't think Bethenny ever took a liking to Heather. They seemed to be well and dandy for the first few minutes until Heather made that remark about Bethenny owing LuAnn a fancy car for helping her with Skinny Girl.

I am.pretty certain that Heather was referencing when.they first met each other when she did her show and Bethanny agreed it was.different than because of what she is going through now which I found funny because at the time she was going through the divorce and custody hadn't been settled.