S08.E05: Birthday Bashing

[Brooke0707]

I think Bethenny needs to be off the show. I feel like there is a underlying fear of getting kicked off the show that motivates how all of the women act with her and it protects Bethenny from having the housewives be real with her.

[anonymiss]

4 hours ago, Brooke0707 said:

I think Bethenny needs to be off the show. I feel like there is a underlying fear of getting kicked off the show that motivates how all of the women act with her and it protects Bethenny from having the housewives be real with her.

Yep, if anything breaks the fourth wall, it's this.

[ichbin]

Jules simply doesn't fit in with these women.   She's too young.   She doesn't appear to have anything going on beyond young kids and husband.  The rest of the women, with the exception of Bethenny, are beyond that period of life.   Bethenny, although she is also younger,  is a different type of person who doesn't seem to place as much emphasis on the age thing in her interactions.   

Between the comments about the women being elderly, her old money, comparing house sizes, and snide comment about Bethenny not having a man....I hope Jules is another one season member of the cast.   Too much bitchiness too soon.

[Gaily]

I apologize if this has been covered before but I am in love with Bethenny's dog, Cookie. The dog is just adorable and I would be happy to see more of her. I am glad that we don't see her daughter, Brin. As Trooper  York pointed out, either Bethenny or Jason are shielding their little girl from the reality show drama and I think that is very healthy.  Oh and Cookie for President!

On another note, what is going on with Sonja's makeup?  Normally I find her very lovely but her face is super shiny, the bronzer looks like it was applied with a cement trowel and her lips look gray.  She is also wearing overly prim clothing from Ralph Lauren's schoolmarm collection from 1984. Not digging it.  While Ramona looks great (she either has a fabulous dermatologist or the fountain of youth has been drained into her Pinot Grigio bottles), her makeup is awfully heavy. Wearing false eyelashes during the daytime only works for Liza Minnelli and Miss Piggy.

I know that there is a big debate about Carole's looks -- I think she's quite good looking in an exotic way.  Loved seeing her badges from ABC News.  And she and Jules have really mastered a soft daytime makeup -- very natural and flattering in the daylight.

Think Bethenny is crushing it in the wardrobe department.  She looks great in every scene. Love her or hate her, girlfriend looks fabulous and this is the best she has ever looked -- especially when you compare it to the flashbacks we see of her in 2010.

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

Bethenny didn't come off as horrible as the last ep but the guy holding an umbrella over her head to walk 6 feet into the restaurant to meet Jules when it was barely raining said it all.

That's been done, bitch, and better, by Akeem in Coming to America with the rose petal bearers. And everybody loves Akeem. 

Edited May 6, 2016 by Alonzo Mosely FBI

[Beden]

Quote

Are you that desperate for a buck? Especially since you supposedly made tens of millions on Skinnygirl?  Sorry but I just don't get it. 

With respect, I think I do. I have a cousin, raised in Darien Ct...for those who may not know, that's close to and pretty much on a par with Greenwich Ct in terms of serious $. Her mom was divorced, got almost zilch from the ex and so supported herself and the kids by opening a catering business--cooking was what she did best. Kind friends word of mouth made her business an initial success--to her credit she kept it going for decades. Cuz grew up the poor kid in a rich town (everything's relative, they never missed a meal and traveled all over). Today her retired, successful, lawyer hub has a very nice retirement and she's still working as a highly placed, well paid government appointee. Super rich? No, but they're doing just fine and beyond and she worries about every penny, constantly talks money, sales,saving a buck.

It's common--if you grow up with issues, you may never get past them. Bethenny grew up (or so we're to believe) as a neglected waif; she still sees herself that way so needs to be the best, smartest, most successful, richest bitch in the room and won't let anyone forget she did it all by herself and everyone else is out to get her, her money, her daughter. Nothing is ever enough and never will be. She cuts down other people before they can cut her, she attacks before she gets attacked; her abrasive personality keeps people at bay and so she maintains they're jealous or whatever and confirms her superiority. I'd also guess that she's scared to death it may all disappear one of these days.

I can't stand her, wouldn't want to have to sit through a meal with her but find her sad.

[eurekagirl mOo]

Bethanny doesn't bother me.New York businesswomen are rarely the warm and cuddly type. Girl didn't get rich by batting her eyelashes she got rich by being a shrewd businesswoman. And the rich stay rich by not spending there money.

Uh Jules? You were already a bitch when you referred to the others as "elderly", you didn't need to add your "old" money...because your not! Your greasy little husband made his bucks in porn......And your having a bigger house just makes you an idiot, not better. Who the hell wants to live in a mall? I'll take Bethannys house (either one) any day .

[RHJunkie]

I think Jules thinks she's not rude or bitchy because she's not making her mean comments to their faces. I did like her raw moment of talking about her past eating disorder and how it's something that will forever make her conscious. Though I did notice in Bethenny's TH, she said that she was happy and touched that Jules made herself so vulnerable to her and admitted that she has an eating disorder...as in present tense. She needs to be careful with her words because it can likely invite an argument if she repeats to anyone just as she said it in her TH.

Carole's cheerleader schtick is beyond annoying. If there's an independent, intelligent woman still under there, I'd like for her to make an appearance.

Ramona's mouth and that loose switch between her brain and mouth can make her dangerous to be around. Ramona's conversation with Sonja was so selfish. First, she made it a point to tell Sonja why she wasn't invited to Bethenny's party. If she wants to address Sonja's drinking, she doesn't need to bring anyone else into it in order to do so. I'm glad Bethenny addressed with Ramona and said that's not why. Also, when you're addressing a friend's drinking problem, it doesn't sound like it's coming from a selfless place when you also mention that you've distanced yourself from said friend because of what it might do to their reputation. Best best friend ever Ramona.

I like that Luann was vulnerable with Bethenny because she seemed really sincere and I think that's part of the reason she's so hardcore with the partying, drinking and men. She longs for honest companionship but she also needs to realize that it's just as much up to her to be a good friend to others as she wants others to be to her. Luann needs to rebuild a trust with Bethenny if she wants a friendship.

I liked that Dorinda was pretty fair about Bethenny at the dinner with Jules and Carole. It was a nice contrast to Carole's ass kissing. I know Carole wants to bring attention to her also behaving badly but like typical follower behaviour, she was whispering, encouraging Bethenny and she let Bethenny's loud mouth do the talking. Add in the extra stuff about the house commentary and of course Bethenny comes across looking as the HBIC.

[JAYJAY1979]

After the horrible way Luann and Jill excluded Alex especially in season 4 when both were horrible to Alex....I think karma is finally punishing luann.  I feel bad when anyone feels excluded...but she had no trouble doing that when she was on top.  Proves that power corrupts. 

 

Also, the one flaw last season and this season has is that no one is truly going up against Bethenny.  

Nene was top dog on Atlanta..but Kim, Sheree, Kenya, Kandi, heck even phaedra and Cynthiana went up against her and got some good digs against her.

Vicki and tamra have had digs on the OC...heck even stuck up Heather had lydia and Shannon stepping up against her.

I think someone needs to step up to Bethenny.  if the women are unsure how to do so, watch how Erika on RHOBH effortlessly handled her...by just not reacting (her TH's against Bethenny were funny)

[deltaburkefan]

I like what Carole said in her blog about Jules's old/new money comment. You can find her wedding announcement easily and her and Michael's bios certainly don't read "old money" to me. Maybe she just thinks "old money" means Michael has been rich longer than Bethenny. 

Edited May 6, 2016 by deltaburkefan

[Neurochick]

I think the issue with all these women is that the push their stuff onto other people.  LuAnn felt uncomfortable with Carole dating Adam, maybe that's because LuAnn has a son.  I have a friend whose son was dating an older woman and she hated it, she was so happy when they broke up and he married someone younger.  LuAnn should have told Carole the reason she felt uncomfortable was because of HER feelings, not that there was anything wrong with Carole.

Bethenny is great for pushing her shit on others too.  I think she came from a very fucked up, dysfunctional family and maybe John reminds her of family members.  Instead of turning on him, Bethenny should have asked why John was getting to her, that maybe when she sees he and Dorinda, they remind her of her parents or other family members. 

Ramona was cool with Sonja partying because back then Ramona was a "respectable married woman."  It was fine to have a friend who got drunk often.  But now that Ramona is dating, she's trying to look good, she doesn't want Sonja messing with "her" reputation.  What I didn't get was, wasn't it a few seasons ago when people thought Ramona was a drunk?  Maybe that's why she doesn't want to deal with Sonja.

I kind of get why Andy Cohen probably likes Bethenny.  Bethenny is a person who will put everything out there.  When she was on Housewives, there was a scene when she thought she was pregnant, she pulled out a pregnancy test and went in the bathroom to sit on the toilet and pee on the stick.  The camera was right outside the bathroom, and I thought, "shit if I actually hear her peeing, I'm turning off the TV, that's too much."  Bethenny was willing to go that far, probably because she knew it would help her brand. I've always felt that was the reason she had a child and got married.  She knew she'd be more relateable if she did that, and it worked.  I also wonder, if that's true, if that's why her ex husband is so pissed, because he realized he was used, he was just a pawn in her game.  Andy likes Bethenny because he knows she'd give everything for the show, hold nothing back, that's why Andy also likes Nene Leaks.  People complain about both Bethenny and Nene, but last season the ATL houswives were a snooze, until Nene showed up and maybe that's why Bethenny's back on Housewives, to shake things up and get people watching and talking about the show.

[izabella]

1 hour ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

After the horrible way Luann and Jill excluded Alex especially in season 4 when both were horrible to Alex....I think karma is finally punishing luann.  I feel bad when anyone feels excluded...but she had no trouble doing that when she was on top.  Proves that power corrupts. 

Thanks for reminding me.  My hate for Lu was at its high point then, and you're right.  Karma is on her ass now.  However, she's engaged to some guy now, so she'll be back on top lording it over the single ladies soon enough.  Ramona's head should have exploded when she heard about that.

Quote

I kind of get why Andy Cohen probably likes Bethenny.  Bethenny is a person who will put everything out there.

Neurochick, I agree that Bethy is ready and willing to be crude on camera and put that out there.  But she hid a lot last season, like the boyfriend she was dating while pretending to be so single, so sad for the show.  She never got called out on it, but she is definitely not putting it all out there on camera.  She gets to pick and choose.

[HunterHunted]

Neurochick, you make a very good point about John reminding Bethenny of her family. When Bethenny met with her stepfather last season, she said that he and her mom were always drinking, doing drugs, fighting, and making up by having very loud sex. I think when Bethenny saw that Dorinda didn't break up with John after the bra party fight, it just hit all of her issues with her mom and step dad and she doubled down her dislike.

[eXiled]

2 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

After the horrible way Luann and Jill excluded Alex especially in season 4 when both were horrible to Alex....I think karma is finally punishing luann.  I feel bad when anyone feels excluded...but she had no trouble doing that when she was on top.  Proves that power corrupts. 

 

Also, the one flaw last season and this season has is that no one is truly going up against Bethenny.  

Nene was top dog on Atlanta..but Kim, Sheree, Kenya, Kandi, heck even phaedra and Cynthiana went up against her and got some good digs against her.

Vicki and tamra have had digs on the OC...heck even stuck up Heather had lydia and Shannon stepping up against her.

I think someone needs to step up to Bethenny.  if the women are unsure how to do so, watch how Erika on RHOBH effortlessly handled her...by just not reacting (her TH's against Bethenny were funny)

Luann "played for the wrong team!" (TM NeNe Leakes).

The Countess, ever the social climber, backed Jill, a woman similar to herself--married well, concerned with image and the social scene. Luann thought very little of unmarried comparatively poor Bethenny, and had no problem with letting Bethenny know it. While Kelly voiced her disdain (I'm up here, you're down there), Luann let her dismissiveness and exasperation do the talking for her. How was Luann to know that Jill would be banished from the franchise, Kelly eased out for mental health reasons, and that Bethenny would become the richest housewife by far, ALL without even having to marry an older rich dude to get her life?

Bethenny, a Scorpion, will never forget how uncool the Countess was when the SkinnyGirl was at her lowest. I sure wouldn't. And while Bethenny may always be coldly polite, the operative word is COLDLY. Unless Bethenny has a change of heart, she will continue her ruthless politeness toward the pressed, messy, and obsessed Countess. That's how you treat people who only equate your value to money, marriage, weight, real estate, class, etc. Beth has danced on my last nerve since her triumphant return, but I do not disagree with her treatment of Luann. 

Squirm, Countess! Dance for that money!

And I nominate Ramona to be the one to step to Bethenny. If Ramona lands a suitable man and feels secure, she'll be right back to feeling herself again. Her "honest" (and inappropriate) assessments about Beth's lonely, miserable, empty life can make Beth cry without even Ramona even trying.

Edited May 6, 2016 by eXiled
moar . . .

[RHJunkie]

59 minutes ago, eXiled said:

Luann "played for the wrong team!" (TM NeNe Leakes).

The Countess, ever the social climber, backed Jill, a woman similar to herself--married well, concerned with image and the social scene. Luann thought very little of unmarried comparatively poor Bethenny, and had no problem with letting Bethenny know it. While Kelly voiced her disdain (I'm up here, you're down there), Luann let her dismissiveness and exasperation do the talking for her. How was Luann to know that Jill would be banished from the franchise, Kelly eased out for mental health reasons, and that Bethenny would become the richest housewife by far, ALL without even having to marry an older rich dude to get her life?

Bethenny, a Scorpion, will never forget how uncool the Countess was when the SkinnyGirl was at her lowest. I sure wouldn't. And while Bethenny may always be coldly polite, the operative word is COLDLY. Unless Bethenny has a change of heart, she will continue her ruthless politeness toward the pressed, messy, and obsessed Countess. That's how you treat people who only equate your value to money, marriage, weight, real estate, class, etc. Beth has danced on my last nerve since her triumphant return, but I do not disagree with her treatment of Luann. 

Squirm, Countess! Dance for that money!

And I nominate Ramona to be the one to step to Bethenny. If Ramona lands a suitable man and feels secure, she'll be right back to feeling herself again. Her "honest" (and inappropriate) assessments about Beth's lonely, miserable, empty life can make Beth cry without even Ramona even trying.

I know people can't stand Bethenny but she doesn't bother me that much. She's a motor mouth that has to have an opinion on everything it's also refreshing that for the most part, Bethenny is aware of a lot of faults and will readily admit it. It's often hard to remember that she does this because just as quickly as she offers an apology, she's right back to the doing the same thing. It's like she can't help herself. I don't think she's often malicious but even innocent bad behaviour has its limits before it starts grating on your last nerve.

With all that said, I agree that Bethenny has the right to be cautious of Luann and depending on how Luann upholds her comments about wanting a real friendship with Bethenny, we'll see if there's been any growth with Bethenny when it comes to forgiving and receiving people. Despite her history with Luann, I was surprised by how quickly she was able to acknowledge Luann's apology and consider Luann's intentions to be something different than what she normally perceives of her. I think that's a small step forward for Bethenny.

Bethenny and Ramona are alike in a lot of ways - though I'm not sure Ramona sees her weaknesses as actual weaknesses. I think Bethenny has a way projecting a 'trust me, I know better than you' attitude while Ramona projects an attitude that often seems like shaming someone so it's harder to believe that her intentions are always innocent.

[jinjer]

12 hours ago, breezy424 said:

The funny (ironic, whatever) part of this is that in her blog she does a 180 on Ro's friends at Ro's birthday party in her blog.  She made some pretty catty statements about the same women last year.   But in her blog this year the woman are ok.

The reality is that the RHNY has become Bethenny Starting Over.  Everyone else are just bit players.  Background noise for Beth to 'comment' about.  For instance, 'Beth' is the only one who comes to the realization  that Jules has/had an eating disorder.  Wow Beth, you have so much more insight than the rest of the cast and viewers.  Like no one else noticed that Jules is stupid skinny and there may well be something else going on.  Yeah, thanks Beth.  Cause the rest of the  world doesn't see this.  Give me a break. 

I give Beth a lot of credit for the sucess of the Skinnygirl alcohol line.  The truth is she hasn't done much of anything since that and that sales of her alcohol are are on a downward trend .  Licensing the name hasn't proven to be anything in comparison.  She pretty much shows this with her meeting of her crew about coming up with ideas.  

Is it me or the decorating of her Hampton home different from last year?  Oh, wait, she made a deal with TJ Max for the decorations.  Geez, you made a deal on how to decorate your home?  Are you that desperate for a buck? Especially since you supposedly made tens of millions on Skinnygirl?  Sorry but I just don't get it.  I wonder if we'll have more sessions with Dr. Amador this season.

First about the UES women - loved the comment about them being stuck in the freezer and pulled out unchanged a year later.  I thought the same thing.

And I did wonder why the decorating was so cluttered and kitschy.  It didn't smack of Bethenny's clean lines and uncluttered look. It was a paid advertisement.

[hoodooznoodooz]

I don't hate Carole.  But I think it is kind of sad that she needs to ask Adam, "How much will you miss Baby and I (sic)?" and "How do I look?" while FaceTiming. 

And am I awful for concluding, after seeing all of those photos of her (journalist badges, I guess), that she was never that pretty?

[eXiled]

2 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I don't hate Carole.  But I think it is kind of sad that she needs to ask Adam, "How much will you miss Baby and I (sic)?" and "How do I look?" while FaceTiming. 

And am I awful for concluding, after seeing all of those photos of her (journalist badges, I guess), that she was never that pretty?

That's one of my problems with Carole this last season. I actually enjoyed that she is the type of woman who LIKES and admires herself, that she finds far more attractive (IMO) than she is. Too many of us have been conditioned to hate ourselves because of whatever flaw, ya know? Yet I thought her self-love came with self-awareness. I was wrong.

I don't know what she sees when she looks in the mirror, but the majority of people--including Adam--ain't seeing it. A poster once called her a Simpsons character, and ever since that post, I can't un-see it when I look at her.

All that said, I'm not about looks-shaming because, despite plastic surgery and cosmetics, most of us must deal with the package we were born in. I just dislike that Carole believes being 98 lbs (half of which is hair extensions) means she's hot enough to insult the looks of others. She is not.

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

3 hours ago, Neurochick said:

 

Bethenny is great for pushing her shit on others too.  I think she came from a very fucked up, dysfunctional family and maybe John reminds her of family members.  Instead of turning on him, Bethenny should have asked why John was getting to her, that maybe when she sees he and Dorinda, they remind her of her parents or other family members. 

 

This! If B paid you half the money she paid Dr. No Socks Amador for your insight, you could fly all of us on a pp for a fun weekend to Scary Island.  

"Hiiii." (BF as Foghorn "hi" JZ)

2 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Neurochick, you make a very good point about John reminding Bethenny of her family. When Bethenny met with her stepfather last season, she said that he and her mom were always drinking, doing drugs, fighting, and making up by having very loud sex. I think when Bethenny saw that Dorinda didn't break up with John after the bra party fight, it just hit all of her issues with her mom and step dad and she doubled down her dislike.

This too! ;-) 

[Sun-Bun]

20 hours ago, jinjer said:

 

Carole - well you're just a big asshole now with the all the self-awareness of a 7th grader.  Hello? Rent the movie He's Just Not That Into You. I think Carole's stock has probably fallen the most out of all these HWs.

Agreed, even I'm just not that into Carole as much this season, and I consider myself quite a fan of hers!

Mean-girling with Bethenny and desperately latching onto her boy-toy Adam isn't a good look on her at all---what happened to the self-assured "Cool Carole", the hip and happily unattached girl about town? 

I was just cringing for her during that Skype scene in her bedroom, her excitedly calling a definitely disinterested Adam and practically begging him to flatter her---homeboy could've cared less about her random call and it showed. Like damn, could he have at least faked some enthusiasm a bit harder before rushing her off the phone?

And THAT is why I could never date cute younger dudes...most of them seem to have that similar air of dude-brah indifference that drives my sappy romantic self batty---hey, Dorinda's dumpy dude John may not exactly be a smooth operator, but at least he adores Dor and isn't afraid to fully express his feelings for her.

I'm also saddened to see the sudden downfall of Lu after her triumphant previous season; she really seems a bit lost and down on her luck so far, especially having to bunk with Sonja, of all folks. Of course my sympathy for her wavered after I saw her completely half-ass her birthday gift to Ramona at Ramona's own birthday luncheon while gifting Bethenny with a far more awesome belated birthday gift right under Ramona's nose!

Speaking of Ramona, I hate those ridiculous hair extensions she's wearing this season...one thing I always liked about her and most of the other NYC Housewives was the fact that they mostly rock sensibly realistic hairstyles and not those ridiculously long fake locks the HW's do on so many of the other franchises, and damned if Moaner had to ruin that and done bought herself some extra hair! Maybe Dor, Bethenny, and Countess can stage a sensible hair-tervention on her, since they all rock some seriously cute short haircuts that truly flatter them. Although all will be forgiven in my book if we can at least get some frantic scenes of Moaner's odd desperation to never get her hair wet, complete with the ubiquitous curler in her bangs.

[Umbelina]

2 hours ago, eXiled said:

Bethenny, a Scorpion, will never forget how uncool the Countess was when the SkinnyGirl was at her lowest. I sure wouldn't. And while Bethenny may always be coldly polite, the operative word is COLDLY. Unless Bethenny has a change of heart, she will continue her ruthless politeness toward the pressed, messy, and obsessed Countess. That's how you treat people who only equate your value to money, marriage, weight, real estate, class, etc. Beth has danced on my last nerve since her triumphant return, but I do not disagree with her treatment of Luann. 

Squirm, Countess! Dance for that money!

 

Now you made me want to see her astrology chart, and wow, it's a doozy.  http://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Bethenny_Frankel 

Mostly because of the overall pattern, which is kind of rare, the "fan"  or "kite" pattern.  This page may or may not get into that aspect, I honestly didn't read it, but computers can only do so much with charts, but that really jumped out at me.  OK, a tiny bit more, the "handle" of her fan pattern is in the 2nd house, the house of possessions, not just physical possession, but our feelings, emotions, memories as well.  http://www.astrology.com/article/houses-second.html 

So, for Bethenny, even though most of her planets are in one tight group, the "handle" is all by itself in that 2nd house, imagine a kite flying, but it's flying while being anchored way down in that second house.  What's more, Saturn is in that house.  Which, yeah, explains quite a bit.  I've never seen this pattern in real life, though I've read about it.

 

I'm completely out of practice with this, at frankly, I don't care enough about her to delve into it much more than my initial impressions, and also quite wary about revealing I know anything at all about it, so...going back into hiding...

However, if you are interested in the subject, this is kind of a "wow."

Edited May 6, 2016 by Umbelina

[shoegal]

27 minutes ago, eXiled said:

That's one of my problems with Carole this last season. I actually enjoyed that she is the type of woman who LIKES and admires herself, that she finds far more attractive (IMO) than she is. Too many of us have been conditioned to hate ourselves because of whatever flaw, ya know? Yet I thought her self-love came with self-awareness. I was wrong.

I don't know what she sees when she looks in the mirror, but the majority of people--including Adam--ain't seeing it. A poster once called her a Simpsons character, and ever since that post, I can't un-see it when I look at her.

All that said, I'm not about looks-shaming because, despite plastic surgery and cosmetics, most of us must deal with the package we were born in. I just dislike that Carole believes being 98 lbs (half of which is hair extensions) means she's hot enough to insult the looks of others. She is not.

So Carole should realize that's she's too ugly to talk about the way anyone else looks?  That does seem a little looks-shaming to me.  For all the negative comments Carole gets about her looks, I can't imagine that they are all coming from supermodels. 

[eXiled]

4 minutes ago, shoegal said:

So Carole should realize that's she's too ugly to talk about the way anyone else looks?  That does seem a little looks-shaming to me.  For all the negative comments Carole gets about her looks, I can't imagine that they are all coming from supermodels. 

Not at all. It's just that I was surprised about how she talked about Dorinda's boyfriend. Carole doesn't believe she's ugly, and I think that's great. It's one of her better qualities, IMO. :-)

[janie2002]

Carole def looks like Mr. Burns sister to me, always has. I figure she must be beautiful in person by the way all the RHONY always clam she is hot. I always thought Sarah Jessica Parker was ugly, until I saw her at Nordstroms doing a show signing, in person I though she was stunning!

[ghoulina]

6 hours ago, RHJunkie said:

I think Jules thinks she's not rude or bitchy because she's not making her mean comments to their faces.

This is what I mentioned in my original post. B has snarky THs too, but she will straight up tell you what she thinks about you. Jules has been nice to everyone so far, but she has said some nasty stuff in her THs, and not all of it was aimed solely at B, or retaliation for the latter's rude behavior. 

 

6 hours ago, RHJunkie said:

Though I did notice in Bethenny's TH, she said that she was happy and touched that Jules made herself so vulnerable to her and admitted that she has an eating disorder...as in present tense. She needs to be careful with her words because it can likely invite an argument if she repeats to anyone just as she said it in her TH.

Jules actually referred to her ED in the present tense on WWHL as well, which I found odd. Maybe she looks at it like it's something she's always going to deal with, so it kind of still IS in her present life?

 

5 hours ago, deltaburkefan said:

 

I like what Carole said in her blog about Jules's old/new money comment. You can find her wedding announcement easily and her and Michael's bios certainly don't read "old money" to me. Maybe she just thinks "old money" means Michael has been rich longer than Bethenny. 

 

I will admit I am not knowledgeable at all about the differences, what either term means, etc. I mean, I have a general impression, but I could be wrong. I have basically NO money, so yea. LOL, but anyhow, my point - Jules said something about it on WWHL that made me think she meant that people with "old money" don't talk about it or flash it around, and people with "new money" do - and that's what she thought B was doing. Talking about her money and flashing it around. 

 

3 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

 

Neurochick, you make a very good point about John reminding Bethenny of her family. When Bethenny met with her stepfather last season, she said that he and her mom were always drinking, doing drugs, fighting, and making up by having very loud sex. I think when Bethenny saw that Dorinda didn't break up with John after the bra party fight, it just hit all of her issues with her mom and step dad and she doubled down her dislike.

 

Yes, this actually makes a lot of sense, and might better explain why Bethenny seemed SO disappointed when Dorinda didn't follow through on ending things with John. B does project her issues onto other people, absolutely. She admitted to Jules that's why she was freaking out about their long term construction project, because it would drive HER nuts. 

[jaync]

I totally missed Beth's JonBenét Ramsey comment. What an idiot.

Someone needs to give her a muzzle. Slap a Skinnygirl logo on it, and the bitch might actually wear it.

[ancslove]

Jules said on the show that eating disorders are never truly cured.  The other Housewives currently seem to think that Jules is a bit (or a lot, according to B) dim but very nice.  I'm morbidly interested in the Reunion and later episodes/next season, once they see all Jules' THs.  

I appreciated that Bethenny not only apologized directly to Jules for being mean and catty (I thought the part about making Jules feel uncomfortable in her own home was at least sincere), but was also willing to repeat that mea culpa later with Carole and (I think) Ramona.  Bethenny probably won't change her behavior, but she recognizes it.  And I understand that to some people, recognizing said bitchiness but not doing anything to fix it is worse than ignorance.  

[archer1267]

Quote

After the horrible way Luann and Jill excluded Alex especially in season 4 when both were horrible to Alex....I think karma is finally punishing luann

LuAnn in Countess mode was fairly insufferable, and it's funny to think of how the woman who wouldn't be seen drinking beer from a bottle is practically begging for an invitation to a party from someone other than the hostess. (How many levels of gauche is that??) I thought she was set up for a nice, comfortable life after her divorce, but maybe the fallout after Jacques left her unmoored, and maybe the Hamptons year-round became too isolating once Noel left the house for college.

I need to say, though, that LuAnn's "Herman Munster shoes" putdown to Alex was one of my favorite scenes ever.

[DelicateDee]

6 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

After the horrible way Luann and Jill excluded Alex especially in season 4 when both were horrible to Alex....I think karma is finally punishing luann.  I feel bad when anyone feels excluded...but she had no trouble doing that when she was on top.  Proves that power corrupts. 

 

Also, the one flaw last season and this season has is that no one is truly going up against Bethenny.  

Nene was top dog on Atlanta..but Kim, Sheree, Kenya, Kandi, heck even phaedra and Cynthiana went up against her and got some good digs against her.

Vicki and tamra have had digs on the OC...heck even stuck up Heather had lydia and Shannon stepping up against her.

I think someone needs to step up to Bethenny.  if the women are unsure how to do so, watch how Erika on RHOBH effortlessly handled her...by just not reacting (her TH's against Bethenny were funny)

 

Why does someone need to step up to Bethenny?  Other than John, has she gotten in someone's face?  (Although in this instance, John got in hers 1st).  I'm reading all these posts about mean, nasty, arrogant , queen been Bethenny, but I just don't see what you all are seeing.  The house comment wasn't nasty, just an observation and a little unsolicited advice about dragging a remodel out for 7 years!  In all likelihood, one would lose money on constant redo's and resale if so much is put into a project, especially if it's not in a prime location.  Unless you plan on never selling the place and from my observations, rich folks are always selling their beautiful homes for more beautiful homes.  Also, her and Carole talking under their breath about Jules not eating was another observation between 2 friends.  They weren't being mean to Jules as their jibes where just between the two of them.  I've enjoyed moments like that with my besties.  It's what close friends sometimes do, right or wrong.  Face it, snarking on people is what spices up a friendship as long as it doesn't go any further to cause hurt.  The same thing about her comments on Jules weight.  Who wouldn't, upon meeting a friend's friend who appears to be abnormally skinny, wouldn't say something to that affect with their close friend.  This is what close friends do sometime.  Unfortunately, as flawed humans, we don't always act in pristine ways.  As it turns out, Beth was right on about that.

On another note,  didn't Ramona open up a sports bar last season with a male partner?  Has it been mentioned at all thus far?  I'm curious as to what is happening to that endeavor?  This and LuAnns situation is perplexing to me.  Why is LuAnn having to stay at Sonja's house?  Didn't she have a place in the city last year?  And what happened with her apartment  hunting just an episode or so ago?  Why hasn't she signed a lease yet?  Maybe it's due to the editing and I missed something, but have these issued been addressed?  Please excuse the slew of questions, but I find that I miss a lot of statements they make because the editing of the scenes gets so jumpy sometimes.

[abbottrabbit]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

Jules actually referred to her ED in the present tense on WWHL as well, which I found odd. Maybe she looks at it like it's something she's always going to deal with, so it kind of still IS in her present life?

This is a really healthy way to think about EDs -- they're something like alcoholism or drug addiction. You may recover from spells of them; you may be able to control them even for your entire life, but they're never cured or gone, and it's incredibly easy to fall back in. 

[Umbelina]

I honestly think Luann ran out of child support money when the last offspring turned 18.

So, she is desperate, or was, maybe not so much anymore since she's got an engagement ring on her finger.

[sasha206]

I think Carole looks better than ever and she is attractive. And it's great that she feels attractive.  My problem with Carole is I don't think she views herself as the age she really is.  And it clouds her vision when she talks about the other women.  She's made ageist comments about Ramona dating as if she's her boyfriend's age.  I'm not saying she needs to act her chronological age; but I think she looks silly when she makes snide comments about the age of others   And it's not helping that she's acting like a teenager in love as well.   I wouldn't be surprised if the cool vibe about her that Adam was initially attracted to that now seems to be coming off as desperation is really wearing thin on him.  I'm sure when he got involved with a much older woman, he was thinking it would be one of those great fun flings; not a long-term commitment.  

[zoeysmom]

13 hours ago, ichbin said:

Jules simply doesn't fit in with these women.   She's too young.   She doesn't appear to have anything going on beyond young kids and husband.  The rest of the women, with the exception of Bethenny, are beyond that period of life.   Bethenny, although she is also younger,  is a different type of person who doesn't seem to place as much emphasis on the age thing in her interactions.   

Between the comments about the women being elderly, her old money, comparing house sizes, and snide comment about Bethenny not having a man....I hope Jules is another one season member of the cast.   Too much bitchiness too soon.

I found Jules to be defensive and rightfully so.  Right off the bat she was called out on her weight, her husband, her parenting and her vacation home.  She seems to get a ringside seat to the various battles.  I am more interested to see what side she comes down on as the season progresses.

Bethenny wrote a book about how she sucks in relationships.  I guess if she is going to reveal it to the world and cash a check for it she should be able to handle the obvious.  it is a strange vibe this year, the coupled women seem to have defend their choice to be in committed relationships. 

[TheFinalRose]

Has Bethenney apologized on Twitter yet for the JonBenet Ramsey comment? Because as the mother of a young, fair haired little girl herself I would expect her to have some empathy for the horrible, brutal death JonBenet suffered, and not just use her as content for a one-liner.  It was cold and I hope she gets heat for it.

Carole looked the opposite of her cool-hip chick persona in those ABC news id's they showed. I do think she's regressing, but back to what, I do not know.

As a naturally underweight person for a great deal of my life (but not anymore, haha) I avoid commenting on people's body weight. It is unpleasant to have your weight commented on constantly. HOWEVER, I was never on tv so that being said Jules' legs in those jeans scared me as she was walking into the manicure place. I can't imagine how she looks in real life if she scares me on tv.

I actually felt sorry for LuAnne.  Bethenney obviously waited until the cameras were rolling to whine about Lu texting her to come to the BevHills Ho-wives party. You could just see the realization dawning on Lu's face that Bethenney had saved that bit and was sticking it to her on camera for the fun of it.  It surprised me that Lu looked hurt, she must be feeling really vulnerable because usually she's more teflon.  

[Almost 3000]

5 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

Speaking of Ramona, I hate those ridiculous hair extensions she's wearing this season...one thing I always liked about her and most of the other NYC Housewives was the fact that they mostly rock sensibly realistic hairstyles and not those ridiculously long fake locks the HW's do on so many of the other franchises, and damned if Moaner had to ruin that and done bought herself some extra hair!

I always liked the natural look of finger raked hair the NY & London wives usually have. Its been kind of a thing for the last few years in fashion that some call rich girl hair. Any length healthy, shiny, run your fingers through it and flip to the side hair is always best.

[Midnight Cheese]

I thought Ramona's set of her 50 closest girlfriends looked, as a group, somewhat scary.  Made me sad.   Aging is fucking rough but dammit those Dr. Sharon Giese, Dr. Terry Dubrow procedures don't really come close to working if 'looking younger' is the goal.  In that crowd, based on their dress and makeup and hairstyles, Carole and LuAnn (probably closest in age to Ramona's friends) looked so incredible; Jules and Beth are much younger of course than Ramona's bistro bitches. 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

The Real Housewives of New York City Try, For Once, Being Real With One Another

Jules opens up about her past, LuAnn lets down her guard, and Ramona gives Sonja a much-needed, unheeded reality check.

[breezy424]

Hey, I wish I had Lu's arms and body.  Just sayin.  Lu looks great.  She just doesn't look in the face as good as she has in the past. 

As for her voice, it's not all that different from the past.  Is it from smoking?  I don't (do any of us) know how much she smokes.  It can be just as much from drinking.  Then again, she sounded fine at Ro's birthday party (at least to me).  Heck, she's always had a deep voice.  Some people do.  And many (ok, a lot of) people don't automatically have a deep voice from smoking or drinking.  Anyway, I'm not going to judge because I don't know.

[Vicky8675309]

13 hours ago, TheFinalRose said:

Has Bethenney apologized on Twitter yet for the JonBenet Ramsey comment? Because as the mother of a young, fair haired little girl herself I would expect her to have some empathy for the horrible, brutal death JonBenet suffered, and not just use her as content for a one-liner.  It was cold and I hope she gets heat for it.

Carole looked the opposite of her cool-hip chick persona in those ABC news id's they showed. I do think she's regressing, but back to what, I do not know.

As a naturally underweight person for a great deal of my life (but not anymore, haha) I avoid commenting on people's body weight. It is unpleasant to have your weight commented on constantly. HOWEVER, I was never on tv so that being said Jules' legs in those jeans scared me as she was walking into the manicure place. I can't imagine how she looks in real life if she scares me on tv.

I actually felt sorry for LuAnne.  Bethenney obviously waited until the cameras were rolling to whine about Lu texting her to come to the BevHills Ho-wives party. You could just see the realization dawning on Lu's face that Bethenney had saved that bit and was sticking it to her on camera for the fun of it.  It surprised me that Lu looked hurt, she must be feeling really vulnerable because usually she's more teflon.  

 

I suggest you don't watch the episode of Broad City where a JonBenet Ramsey bennie baby (toy) is part of the storyline. It's a hilarious show but I guess it would offend some.

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

IDK about the voice but it's deep, and I wouldn't put it past Andy to edit her low voice in between the 2 highest pitched HW taglines to emphasize it. It sounds hungover to me, but could be cigs, a cold, anything. 

Remember when Brenda Walsh got caught up in the 90210 BH documentary on the tabloid show "Back Story"? And Brenda thought she was the cat's ass smoking cigarettes with her friend the reporter and in the end the editors and management exploited everything she said to their benefit? Andy does this more and more and I hate what's happening to all of the RH franchises. 

Edited May 7, 2016 by Alonzo Mosely FBI

[goofygirl]

I'm just kind of disappointed that it's basically been "The Bethenny Show" and everyone else is just in her world. Ugh.  And is it me or does Sonja look a little different this year than last?

[ButterQueen]

I'm watching season 1 again.  Ten minutes in and Ramona finds out, from another woman, that Mario doesn't wear his wedding ring.  Oh that karma is a bitch.  

[zoeysmom]

5 hours ago, Vicky8675309 said:

 

I suggest you don't watch the episode of Broad City where a JonBenet Ramsey bennie baby (toy) is part of the storyline. It's a hilarious show but I guess it would offend some.

Law & Order SVU aired the other day and they referenced the child who was in child pageants as Jon Benet.  I am quite certain they were not trying to be insensitive.  I took Bethenny's reference to mean a child with an overly involved wardrobe.  I don't think she was suggesting anything else or that many cared about the reference.  When references are made to child beauty pageants is their any other name in the common lexicon other than Jon Benet? 

[ElDosEquis]

It's NOT carol's face that makes her ugly, it's her nasty ass attitude, the same with Meth-enny. When I meet woman, talk to her and she turns out to be an asshole because her personality is bad/mean/nasty,?  She could take me home, cook me stake and be able to do situps on a ceiling light fixture, I'd still think she was an ugly witch. NOT saying this because I am Bob Bitchin' - just making an observation about how ugly people are inside and how that percolates to the surface and colors the way you view them.

[Vicky8675309]

2 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

Law & Order SVU aired the other day and they referenced the child who was in child pageants as Jon Benet.  I am quite certain they were not trying to be insensitive.  I took Bethenny's reference to mean a child with an overly involved wardrobe.  I don't think she was suggesting anything else or that many cared about the reference.  When references are made to child beauty pageants is their any other name in the common lexicon other than Jon Benet? 

Isn't Jon Benet going to be the topic of American Crime Story (or whatever the name of the show that did the OJ trial)? Maybe I just imagined it since I have heard references to her 3 times in the past month (I binged Broad City, watch L&O:SVU and now Bethenny mentioned her name)....or is it only bg that shows up if you say her name three times!

[Lisin]

12 minutes ago, Vicky8675309 said:

Isn't Jon Benet going to be the topic of American Crime Story (or whatever the name of the show that did the OJ trial)? Maybe I just imagined it since I have heard references to her 3 times in the past month (I binged Broad City, watch L&O:SVU and now Bethenny mentioned her name)....or is it only bg that shows up if you say her name three times!

The new ACS season is Hurricane Katrina I think, but you're not crazy, CBS ordered it's own true crime series and it's going to be Jon Benet centered.

[Gaily]

Well this is interesting and sad at the same time. An article on how the Housewives use and shame their husbands and boyfriends.

http://pagesix.com/2016/05/07/how-the-housewives-use-abuse-and-publicly-shame-their-men/?_ga=1.46087332.1032332601.1454492440

[sasha206]

25 minutes ago, Gaily said:

Well this is interesting and sad at the same time. An article on how the Housewives use and shame their husbands and boyfriends.

http://pagesix.com/2016/05/07/how-the-housewives-use-abuse-and-publicly-shame-their-men/?_ga=1.46087332.1032332601.1454492440

It's an interesting article, but I would quibble with the way they made it sound like (1) Grammer's marriage croubled b/c of the show and (2) Russell Armstrong was driven to suicide b/c of the show.   Grammer's marriage was over before the show aired, I'm convinced and Armstrong's finances were a house of cards.  I'm sure being labeled as an abuser didn't help, but he was a troubled man.  In fact, I sincerely doubt that the show had anything to do with the actual divorces -- maybe hastened an already broken marriage.

I'm sure these women didn't sign up for the show without consulting their husbands.  And some of the reality show husbands chose not to be involved in any way.  So if they decide to take a prime role on the show, they are fame whores just like their wives.  

[Kiss my mutt]

I'm kind of losing respect for Carole because she's losing respect for herself.  Grasping at compliments and asking Adam directly to tell her she's pretty and if he's going to miss her are desperate. She never would have done this before.  Maybe she figures this is her last hurrah with a hot 20 something and she wants to make it last. 

I am okay with Jules because she's okay being vulnerable. I think the reason bethenney said she's courageous admitting an eating disorder is because she'd never do it!  I do think from what I've seen her parenting skills are going to make things harder not only now but in the future. She seems to give up and give in. I know others don't agree with criticizing/commenting on this because we only see snippets but that's all we have to go in with everyone. I'm not stuck in this opinion and hopefully she'll prove me wrong but she's kind of wimpy with everyone.  She looks really old to me.  When I first saw that she was going to be on this show I thought for sure she was in her mid forties.

Luann looks terrible.  Very sallow and puffy and a pretty pronounced smokers voice.  She looks like she reeks and I've never thought she was particularly pretty. I started to feel sorry for her but then I remember how much of a beast she was and a shitty mother. 

I would not miss Ramona or Sonja if they left. I like dorinda but not all of her choices.  She seems like her heart is in the right place.

The best line of the season so far is when bethenney said she has an ugly mug after being complimented for not having cellulite.  Truer words have never been spoken.

[halkatla]

Dorinda is loud, stupid and annoying, but she´s miraculously turned into the voice of reason this season. I´ve always liked everyone in the New York show, but this year they´re just not working for me. I don´t think I can forgive Bethenny for the Jon-Benet remark, it´s just too weird and she´s been too over the top since the season started, it´s all just too much and I hate the way she´s acting towards the other "housewives". What´s up with her trying to control their lives and excluding them from events? It´s ruining the show! Carole is way beyond annoying. She´s always had this way of trying to be the cool, hip girl who´s on the popular team, and I find it obnoxious. I must re-iterate that I´ve always loved/liked them both, until now. Ramona just isn´t Ramona anymore (maybe it´s the fumes from Bethenny´s ass) and Luann isn´t doing anything fun or cool. I´ve always liked her for her special blend of snobbish-ness and slutty-ness, so I´m optimistic that she´ll turn it around soon. Sonja needs to bring both old and crazy Sonja soon, I guess I really miss her.

 

I´m totally against teams on these shows but I wonder if Dorinda, Luann and Sonja could save the show by becoming a drunk, party team and really annoying the hell out of Bethenny and Carole. There´s no way Ramona would stay away if that happened.

Edited May 7, 2016 by halkatla