S08.E13: Steel Calzones

[Juneau Gal]

6 hours ago, Midnight Cheese said:

 

Don't forget about the time-savings involved in not having to tell people how wrong they are for interpreting a public figures actions in their own ways!

Wish I could give this about one million likes!!!!

[breezy424]

12 hours ago, Knuckles said:

So much this. She had the pre-op appointment and signed all the relevant legal paperwork when she had her breast enlargement surgery. She is not some lost little lamb who just wandered out from the woods. Interesting that her tear-fest was  interrupted by a spike in fury that her hated in-laws might see her child. I do wonder if Bravo is kicking in some money for Kevin as he is doing a nice turn in a supporting role in her drama. 

Spoiler

 

Apparently, she denies have breast enlargement according to the first look.  I don't think I'm giving anything away here.  She says to Carole that her C section was her only surgery.

I apologize to the mods and anyone else if this is overstepping.

 

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, breezy424 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Apparently, she denies have breast enlargement according to the first look.  I don't think I'm giving anything away here.  She says to Carole that her C section was her only surgery.

I apologize to the mods and anyone else if this is overstepping.

 

She is a lying liar who lies.

[HunterHunted]

2 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

Jules, according to Dorinda was released from the hospital earlier in the day.  She most likely had her prescriptions with her as filming can run long and she might not have wanted to be filmed while sedated and her pain medication in case things got too painful. 

As far as drugs in the pizza, I can't imagine production who is listening and viewing the tapes, would not have intervened if she actually put drugs in the calzone.  To see it and allow it would be a huge liability and I doubt they would let the self-proclaimed superstar go down on drugs in the calzone.  As far as the stainless steel I doubt anyone would have bitten straight away and risk their veneers.  It was a weird thing to do and they can talk about a joke gone south the rest of the season. 

You have far more faith in production than I do. Production has had many opportunities to step in across the franchises and failed to do so over and over again. They basically stayed out of it in the Kyle Kim limo fight. They didn't intervene when Kim was crawling around on the floor looking for pills. They didn't intervene when Rinna smashed a glass on the table and lunged towards Kim. They didn't intervene any of times when Sonja was blitzed out of her mind or when Ramona threw a glass at Kristen. They didn't intervene when Adriana decked Joanna. They've never intervened for any of the brawls on New Jersey. They barely intervened when Kim's dog was determined to eat everyone who came to her house. And I suspect that the only reason that they're intervening on Atlanta is because Kenya has a bad habit of calling the cops on her castmates and production didn't want half the cast to end up with assault charges by the end of the season.

If the Housewives contracts look anything like The Real World contracts and they probably do, then there is no liability for the production company or for Bravo. The Real World let Tonya Cooley get raped on camera and never stepped in. They even aired the footage leading up to it and after the rape. It took her 2 years of fighting to get a settlement. And if I'm remembering the details, she had to bring an action in some super duper weird way to even get any traction through the court system. 

[AnnaMayWong]

...Also, Didn't Bethenney have facial surgeries: EYE-LIFT(outer corners are not as droopy); super JAW-SHAVING and SCULPTING(jawline not as massive); ...

So, Bethenney never had to complete a Living Will or the like for the above⬆ (most probable) procedures ?❓

Edited July 4, 2016 by BookElitist

[WireWrap]

1 hour ago, HunterHunted said:

You have far more faith in production than I do. Production has had many opportunities to step in across the franchises and failed to do so over and over again. They basically stayed out of it in the Kyle Kim limo fight. They didn't intervene when Kim was crawling around on the floor looking for pills. They didn't intervene when Rinna smashed a glass on the table and lunged towards Kim. They didn't intervene any of times when Sonja was blitzed out of her mind or when Ramona threw a glass at Kristen. They didn't intervene when Adriana decked Joanna. They've never intervened for any of the brawls on New Jersey. They barely intervened when Kim's dog was determined to eat everyone who came to her house. And I suspect that the only reason that they're intervening on Atlanta is because Kenya has a bad habit of calling the cops on her castmates and production didn't want half the cast to end up with assault charges by the end of the season.

If the Housewives contracts look anything like The Real World contracts and they probably do, then there is no liability for the production company or for Bravo. The Real World let Tonya Cooley get raped on camera and never stepped in. They even aired the footage leading up to it and after the rape. It took her 2 years of fighting to get a settlement. And if I'm remembering the details, she had to bring an action in some super duper weird way to even get any traction through the court system. 

I don't think production needed to worry, they had Carole watching every move Jules made, every single thing she did to that calzone was seen by Carole. So, why didn't Carole alert the others that something was amiss with the calzone before it was finished cooking or at the very least, before anyone (Bethenny) took a bite?

[biakbiak]

No one took a bite of the calzone. You could easily see the dipping sauce container sticking out before Carole started cutting into it, it's also why he chef made his comment when he was delivering it.

[WireWrap]

10 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

No one took a bite of the calzone. You could easily see the dipping sauce container sticking out before Carole started cutting into it, it's also why he chef made his comment when he was delivering it.

I agree, it didn't look like anyone tasted it as it was uncut when Carole decided to show them what Jules put in it, despite Bethenny claiming she tried it.

[DelicateDee]

11 hours ago, pbutler111 said:

Sure.  The ratings would tank again and the show would be canceled, leaving a lot of people here with hours of time on their hands they would have otherwise spent trashing a woman they've seen on TV but don't actually know much about.  Winning!

THis a thousand times!  Not everybody HATES Bethenny or thinks the show is worse off because of her presence.  I've enjoyed a few seasons without her and barely tolerated others (the Aviva years - ugh).  

[DelicateDee]

36 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

No one took a bite of the calzone. You could easily see the dipping sauce container sticking out before Carole started cutting into it, it's also why he chef made his comment when he was delivering it.

I thought I saw B eat a bite of it??   

[WireWrap]

4 minutes ago, DelicateDee said:

I thought I saw B eat a bite of it??   

No, when Carole started slicing it, it was uncut. LOL

ETA....Why would Carole let Bethenny, or any of them, taste it, she saw what Jules did to it.

Edited July 4, 2016 by WireWrap

[KungFuBunny]

10 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

Jules, according to Dorinda was released from the hospital earlier in the day.  She most likely had her prescriptions with her as filming can run long and she might not have wanted to be filmed while sedated and her pain medication in case things got too painful. 

As far as drugs in the pizza, I can't imagine production who is listening and viewing the tapes, would not have intervened if she actually put drugs in the calzone.  To see it and allow it would be a huge liability and I doubt they would let the self-proclaimed superstar go down on drugs in the calzone.  As far as the stainless steel I doubt anyone would have bitten straight away and risk their veneers.  It was a weird thing to do and they can talk about a joke gone south the rest of the season. 

I don't think Jules is under the influence, I think when she gets stressed she redirects the conversation.  When she was in the Berkshires and had witnessed a good part of Luann getting reamed she decided to make it about her and her dad.  You would think she could have offered a empathetic comment. Her dad's condition had not changed since she first walked in and announced (and was ignored) about her father.  She is all about the me.

I don't think the calzone at the table is the same calzone the cook walked out to the table. He was smirking so he was in on what was in it. Jules walked away from the table for a time. I think she put it together in the kitchen. Whether or not production went in and listened I'll never know unless they air it then again we will get an "edited" version.  With Carole watching Jules and the ladies sitting so closely together, and the cook standing across the room - I don't see how he knew and none of the ladies didn't see - unless Jules doctored it in the kitchen off camera. It was not nice for Bethenny and Carole to talk about Jules (but this is what these ladies do). Bethenny talked to Ramona about Luanne and Luanne was within hearing distance. Jules was so hurt and fragile - then production even though they filmed it...didn't have to air it and Jules would be none the wiser.

[motorcitymom65]

The thing with Jules and her tonic is interesting. It is a huge deal that she has gotten this in Whole Foods. That is not easy. Good for her.  More interesting is that the Trademark is dated December 1st, 2015, which was just after filming began in November. You cannot apply or get a trademark for a beverage with just an idea. You have to have a product that is labeled and can be sampled, so she was in more than just the idea stage when she applied; she had a product that was in large part ready to go in December. Maybe she had really done all of this without talking with her husband, but it is more than a little hard for me to believe. The girl cannot make coffee, tea, or shower without the aid of a nanny. 

[NewDigs]

^^^ That must burn Bethy's ass.

She and Whole Foods parted ways.

Or more correctly, Whole Foods dumped her.

[motorcitymom65]

6 minutes ago, NewDigs said:

^^^ That must burn Bethy's ass.

She and Whole Foods parted ways.

Or more correctly, Whole Foods dumped her.

It was huge news in the industry when it happened 5 or so years ago. Whole Foods was going through a major transition at the time and looking much more closely at ingredients. The funny thing was, the news actually got her brand much more attention and she was able to get distribution in other retailers that hadn't known of her before. She got into Kroger right after this, and she will sell a ton more product at Kroger than she will at Whole Foods. 

[NewDigs]

^^^ That's sad.

Kroger: "Toxic Shmoxic. We see benjamins."

[WireWrap]

19 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

It was huge news in the industry when it happened 5 or so years ago. Whole Foods was going through a major transition at the time and looking much more closely at ingredients. The funny thing was, the news actually got her brand much more attention and she was able to get distribution in other retailers that hadn't known of her before. She got into Kroger right after this, and she will sell a ton more product at Kroger than she will at Whole Foods. 

Wouldn't anyone that paid attention to the media around WFs dumping SKG realize that Bethenny not only lied to WFs but to the buying public as well? She represented that her products were natural when in fact they were not. I would think that hurt her brand which is why she is now back on the HW show pushing her products all over the show.

[zoeysmom]

8 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

You have far more faith in production than I do. Production has had many opportunities to step in across the franchises and failed to do so over and over again. They basically stayed out of it in the Kyle Kim limo fight. They didn't intervene when Kim was crawling around on the floor looking for pills. They didn't intervene when Rinna smashed a glass on the table and lunged towards Kim. They didn't intervene any of times when Sonja was blitzed out of her mind or when Ramona threw a glass at Kristen. They didn't intervene when Adriana decked Joanna. They've never intervened for any of the brawls on New Jersey. They barely intervened when Kim's dog was determined to eat everyone who came to her house. And I suspect that the only reason that they're intervening on Atlanta is because Kenya has a bad habit of calling the cops on her castmates and production didn't want half the cast to end up with assault charges by the end of the season.

If the Housewives contracts look anything like The Real World contracts and they probably do, then there is no liability for the production company or for Bravo. The Real World let Tonya Cooley get raped on camera and never stepped in. They even aired the footage leading up to it and after the rape. It took her 2 years of fighting to get a settlement. And if I'm remembering the details, she had to bring an action in some super duper weird way to even get any traction through the court system. 

I would like to think if someone were putting drugs in the food, and attempting to feed it to others, there would be a duty to intervene.  There is a difference between an assault and intentionally tainting food.  Kim and Kyle's fight did not even rise to a solid punch, Kim looking for her own pills is something she has control over, the assaults are one thing, they are in the moment, baking drugs into food rises to a different level.  I don't know how they could have intervened before Rinna smashed the glass. 

Obviously these iron clad contracts aren't so iron clad.  It is hard to have a viable contract where a party is required to waive intentional torts of a third party.

[KungFuBunny]

39 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

The thing with Jules and her tonic is interesting. It is a huge deal that she has gotten this in Whole Foods. That is not easy. Good for her.  More interesting is that the Trademark is dated December 1st, 2015, which was just after filming began in November. You cannot apply or get a trademark for a beverage with just an idea. You have to have a product that is labeled and can be sampled, so she was in more than just the idea stage when she applied; she had a product that was in large part ready to go in December. Maybe she had really done all of this without talking with her husband, but it is more than a little hard for me to believe. The girl cannot make coffee, tea, or shower without the aid of a nanny. 

The fact that her product is on shelves already...says to me...this long process started at least a year before filming. Is the trademark approval date December 1st or is that the date of their application? I would believe it is the date it was approved and recognized...and that doesn't happen overnight. Bottling, labeling, logo, getting stores to carry it, shipping to said chains....all involve contracts with months of negotiations. I think Michael knew about this product and that's why he agreed with her choice to be a RH to bring some free publicity to the cleanse. I don't think he knew she would use the show as a platform to bash him...and I think as episodes aired and he saw - he filed for divorce. This is not to say they weren't having marital issues and he wasn't already planning to divorce her.

June 26, 2016 Daily News

A group of Whole Foods customers filed a class-action lawsuit Thursday against the high-end chain, arguing they paid extra for falsely labeled pre-packaged foods.

The suit filed in Bronx Supreme Court on behalf of Joseph Bassolino and others comes a day after the Daily News revealed a city probe of the food purveyor for overcharging customers since at least 2010.

Last fall, inspectors weighed 80 types of items at eight city Whole Foods locations and found every label was inaccurate, with many overcharging consumers, said the Department of Consumer Affairs.

[zoeysmom]

8 hours ago, biakbiak said:

She is a lying liar who lies.

So Bethenny claims the first implants were too big make her a D cup, so she had smaller ones put in.  Didn't she say at the bra party she was a 32 G.  Sorry but I think Bethenny's boobs look fake and silly.  She is a lying liar who lies.

[motorcitymom65]

32 minutes ago, WireWrap said:

Wouldn't anyone that paid attention to the media around WFs dumping SKG realize that Bethenny not only lied to WFs but to the buying public as well? She represented that her products were natural when in fact they were not. I would think that hurt her brand which is why she is now back on the HW show pushing her products all over the show.

It is so much more complex than that. What someone calls "natural" has varying degrees of accuracy. Actually, most products that called themselves "natural" a few years ago are no longer doing that.  I represent several brands that touted this claim and in almost every case we are/have removed the claim.  There are not clear standards for what is natural and what is not. For instance, there are many brands that are organic but manufactured in a can that contains BPA. In some instances folks become enraged and have accused these brands of being dishonest. In some cases lawsuits have followed. Actually, in many cases lawsuits have followed. In the industry, retailers wouldn't have a hard time with Beth or anyone else misrepresenting her brand as Natural, as it happens every single day to brands much bigger than hers, mainly because the standards are lax or nonexistent.  It is actually a confusing mess to say the least. Beth's brand was never a Whole Foods brand. She never got "global" distribution. She had very little distribution and did poorly there (she was only in one of the 11 regions). She had almost no business there to begin with, but the press got her huge recognition and introduced some retailers to her brand. Retailers that didn't care about her ingredients in the way WF does, (or a retailer like PCC - the gold standard as far as I am concerned - quoted in the article below). The biggest thing that ever happened to Beth and her brand was to gain distribution at Kroger (and their banner stores), which didn't happened until after the WF deal. 

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/1110/natural.html

Edited July 4, 2016 by motorcitymom65

[Knuckles]

13 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

There are not clear standards for what is natural and what is not.

Thank you for this post...really informative. Are there clear standards for what is carcinogenic...say, what levels of those ingredients are permitted? Or is it up to the retailers to decide? Is Beam held to any sort of standard? Nice to know that her booze product is as natural as her breasts. 

[zoeysmom]

I believe the issue with Frankel were her claims the drink had no preservatives.  http://pagesix.com/2015/01/12/bethenny-frankel-to-be-deposed-in-skinnygirl-case/  I have no idea if they still or ever used agave as the sweetener, but I do remember reading that Skinnygirl swill required preservatives to keep them shelf stable.  Bethenny was the one putting it out there the product was "all natural" and buttressed her claims with her natural chef moniker.  Next thing you know Beam went a different way and it was all about "drink like a lady". 

[Knuckles]

15 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

Bethenny was the one putting it out there the product was "all natural"

You want an all-natural product...get some Patron, some limes and some sugar. No preservatives or chemical additives needed. I've never understood this product anyways, as making a margarita is hardly time or labor intensive. 

17 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

"drink like a lady". 

If that's the direction Beam is going, then the scenes of a screaming, rampaging Beth should make them very happy. Girlfriend does not even need to be drinking to be lit up.

[pbutler111]

18 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

The ratings went up after Bethenny' first exit and they were down the first year she returned.  So I think Bethenny puts a little too  much stock in her being the ratings booster.  When they had her big episode with her meeting with her former step father last year-it was the lowest rated episode.  So maybe there is some truth to the too much Bethenny curse.

I've never heard Bethenny claim that she was a ratings booster.  Has she?

[WireWrap]

1 hour ago, motorcitymom65 said:

It is so much more complex than that. What someone calls "natural" has varying degrees of accuracy. Actually, most products that called themselves "natural" a few years ago are no longer doing that.  I represent several brands that touted this claim and in almost every case we are/have removed the claim.  There are not clear standards for what is natural and what is not. For instance, there are many brands that are organic but manufactured in a can that contains BPA. In some instances folks become enraged and have accused these brands of being dishonest. In some cases lawsuits have followed. Actually, in many cases lawsuits have followed. In the industry, retailers wouldn't have a hard time with Beth or anyone else misrepresenting her brand as Natural, as it happens every single day to brands much bigger than hers, mainly because the standards are lax or nonexistent.  It is actually a confusing mess to say the least. Beth's brand was never a Whole Foods brand. She never got "global" distribution. She had very little distribution and did poorly there (she was only in one of the 11 regions). She had almost no business there to begin with, but the press got her huge recognition and introduced some retailers to her brand. Retailers that didn't care about her ingredients in the way WF does, (or a retailer like PCC - the gold standard as far as I am concerned - quoted in the article below). The biggest thing that ever happened to Beth and her brand was to gain distribution at Kroger (and their banner stores), which didn't happened until after the WF deal. 

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/1110/natural.html

Oh, I have no problem believing that Retailers don't care about a manufactures claim but, as you noted by the lawsuits, buyers do care, which is/was my point to begin with.  Bethenny's SKG line, including her/Beam alcohol line isn't doing all that well, reports say that sales were/are down, which is why she is back on the show to push promote her SKG line, all of it.  Bottom line for a Retailer on any product is sales, if it isn't selling well enough, eventually they will drop the product(s) to make room for something similar that does sell and getting caught lying about her product will not help it sell IMO.

[zoeysmom]

27 minutes ago, Knuckles said:

You want an all-natural product...get some Patron, some limes and some sugar. No preservatives or chemical additives needed. I've never understood this product anyways, as making a margarita is hardly time or labor intensive. 

If that's the direction Beam is going, then the scenes of a screaming, rampaging Beth should make them very happy. Girlfriend does not even need to be drinking to be lit up.

Her original a skinny girl's margarita was Patron, a splash of triple sec and lime juice and sometimes club soda. Her Skinnygirl margarita is less booze and essentially Crystal Light.  So to keep the calorie count to 100 she is sacrificing booze.  That is why I found the alleged tequila mission in Mexico a farce.  Mix any liquor with Crystal Light and it doesn't matter how good or bad the booze.   

I agree about mixing a drink, I just don't find it all the labor intensive.  I guess cutting the limes is the challenge.

[pbutler111]

9 hours ago, BookElitist said:

...Also, Didn't Bethenney have facial surgeries: EYE-LIFT(outer corners are not as droopy); super JAW-SHAVING and SCULPTING(jawline not as massive); ...

So, Bethenney never had to complete a Living Will or the like for the above⬆ (most probable) procedures ?❓

Where did you get that Bethenny has facial surgeries??

[motorcitymom65]

2 hours ago, KungFuBunny said:

The fact that her product is on shelves already...says to me...this long process started at least a year before filming. Is the trademark approval date December 1st or is that the date of their application? I would believe it is the date it was approved and recognized...and that doesn't happen overnight. Bottling, labeling, logo, getting stores to carry it, shipping to said chains....all involve contracts with months of negotiations. I think Michael knew about this product and that's why he agreed with her choice to be a RH to bring some free publicity to the cleanse. I don't think he knew she would use the show as a platform to bash him...and I think as episodes aired and he saw - he filed for divorce. This is not to say they weren't having marital issues and he wasn't already planning to divorce her.

The timing is fascinating, and I just do not get the purpose in misleading us about some of these things.  No two cases are ever exacting the same, but for my latest clients I presented items in January for shelf placemnent in August. That is fairly typical of Whole Foods. They have a very rigid category review process which they are generally excellent about adhering to it.  She has had her product on the shelf since at least May. That means she was showing it to people last fall. Hard to believe her husband was in the dark about all of this. 

[zoeysmom]

48 minutes ago, pbutler111 said:

I've never heard Bethenny claim that she was a ratings booster.  Has she?

Yep.  http://www.inquisitr.com/3149800/did-bethenny-frankel-save-the-real-housewives-of-new-york-franchise/  See also several of her blogs.She also mentions ratings are up when behavior is being called out. 

[zoeysmom]

Bethenny now: 

[NewDigs]

58 minutes ago, pbutler111 said:

I've never heard Bethenny claim that she was a ratings booster.  Has she?

I figured it was implied in her defensive responses to criticisms of her behavior,

"The ratings are up!" is what I understood to be her defense.

52 minutes ago, pbutler111 said:

Where did you get that Bethenny has facial surgeries??

Speculation after seeing quite major jawline diminishment over the last year.

Botox? Or knife?

[motorcitymom65]

1 hour ago, WireWrap said:

Oh, I have no problem believing that Retailers don't care about a manufactures claim but, as you noted by the lawsuits, buyers do care, which is/was my point to begin with.  Bethenny's SKG line, including her/Beam alcohol line isn't doing all that well, reports say that sales were/are down, which is why she is back on the show to push promote her SKG line, all of it.  Bottom line for a Retailer on any product is sales, if it isn't selling well enough, eventually they will drop the product(s) to make room for something similar that does sell and getting caught lying about her product will not help it sell IMO.

The problem wth Beth's booze is that the stuff doesn't taste good. It has never tasted good, despite the tweaks that Beam has done over the the years. She can call it natural or not, doesn't change that fact. Consumers will not give two shits what she calls it if they like it. That particular ingredient she was in trouble at WF for was on the label. One of the biggest scandals in the food industry involved infant formula and accusations of "baby killing", and trust me when I say that people who liked their products bought them regardless. My point, and I am making it badly, is that's Beth's product did better after the stuff came out about it not being "natural". At that time, and for a few years after that, she had all the business she needed.  The sales did take a huge hit a few years ago, and I certainly believe that is why she came back. She had that kicker in her contract with them that she got a huge bonus if sales increased by a certain amount. Instead, they went down (I believe in 2014, but could be wrong). I haven't seen sales figures for her products for at least a couple of years, so it would be interesting to see how they are doing now. I was at Kroger the other day and noticed that they are stocking several new SG items. This was surprising to me. The wine guy told me her stuff is selling quite well. He could also be a huge liar. 

[JAYJAY1979]

11 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

You have far more faith in production than I do. Production has had many opportunities to step in across the franchises and failed to do so over and over again. They basically stayed out of it in the Kyle Kim limo fight. They didn't intervene when Kim was crawling around on the floor looking for pills. They didn't intervene when Rinna smashed a glass on the table and lunged towards Kim. They didn't intervene any of times when Sonja was blitzed out of her mind or when Ramona threw a glass at Kristen. They didn't intervene when Adriana decked Joanna. They've never intervened for any of the brawls on New Jersey. They barely intervened when Kim's dog was determined to eat everyone who came to her house. And I suspect that the only reason that they're intervening on Atlanta is because Kenya has a bad habit of calling the cops on her castmates and production didn't want half the cast to end up with assault charges by the end of the season.

If the Housewives contracts look anything like The Real World contracts and they probably do, then there is no liability for the production company or for Bravo. The Real World let Tonya Cooley get raped on camera and never stepped in. They even aired the footage leading up to it and after the rape. It took her 2 years of fighting to get a settlement. And if I'm remembering the details, she had to bring an action in some super duper weird way to even get any traction through the court system. 

Naked wasted anyone from RHOC wjere tamra gets Gretchen drunk to make her admit shes a liar then had her son try to make a pass at her.

The only reason I hear it didnt go farther was because Jeana was on production to step in.

[NewDigs]

12 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

The problem wth Beth's booze is that the stuff doesn't taste good. It has never tasted good, despite the tweaks that Beam has done over the the years. She can call it natural or not, doesn't change that fact. Consumers will not give two shits what she calls it if they like it. That particular ingredient she was in trouble at WF for was on the label. One of the biggest scandals in the food industry involved infant formula and accusations of "baby killing", and trust me when I say that people who liked their products bought them regardless. My point, and I am making it badly, is that's Beth's product did better after the stuff came out about it not being "natural". At that time, and for a few years after that, she had all the business she needed.  The sales did take a huge hit a few years ago, and I certainly believe that is why she came back. She had that kicker in her contract with them that she got a huge bonus if sales increased by a certain amount. Instead, they went down (I believe in 2014, but could be wrong). I haven't seen sales figures for her products for at least a couple of years, so it would be interesting to see how they are doing now. I was at Kroger the other day and noticed that they are stocking several new SG items. This was surprising to me. The wine guy told me her stuff is selling quite well. He could also be a huge liar. 

Took response to Bethy's thread.

[KungFuBunny]

1 hour ago, motorcitymom65 said:

The timing is fascinating, and I just do not get the purpose in misleading us about some of these things.  No two cases are ever exacting the same, but for my latest clients I presented items in January for shelf placemnent in August. That is fairly typical of Whole Foods. They have a very rigid category review process which they are generally excellent about adhering to it.  She has had her product on the shelf since at least May. That means she was showing it to people last fall. Hard to believe her husband was in the dark about all of this. 

For me what has been shown, Jules just came up with the idea recently and they decided to partner up and were at the beginning stages of of getting this to market. What was her purpose for implying that?

I also find the whole Jules injury thing confusing. The day of the dog wedding which Bethenny did not attend, Jules showed Sonja her injury pictures and told her they just took the catheter out that morning. She attends Carole's event - no more mention of the injury or pain. At the beginning of the pizza scene, Bethenny gives Jules a present because she missed her birthday. Jules also says I need to fill you in on what happenned to me last weekend. Someone posted that Dorinda said she was released from the hospital the day of the pizza event. Jules walked in slowly and told the pizza chef - I'm having comfort issues and wanted a towel or a 1000 napkins as a cushion and she made a production out of sitting down. Then Jules is in her kitchen complaining to Dorinda about what went down at the pizza place - no doughnut pillow in sight yet she squatted down to pet her dog and then sat like a frog on her kitchen chair. They often show scenes out of sequence...but it's all wacky.

Edited July 4, 2016 by KungFuBunny

[zoeysmom]

14 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

The problem wth Beth's booze is that the stuff doesn't taste good. It has never tasted good, despite the tweaks that Beam has done over the the years. She can call it natural or not, doesn't change that fact. Consumers will not give two shits what she calls it if they like it. That particular ingredient she was in trouble at WF for was on the label. One of the biggest scandals in the food industry involved infant formula and accusations of "baby killing", and trust me when I say that people who liked their products bought them regardless. My point, and I am making it badly, is that's Beth's product did better after the stuff came out about it not being "natural". At that time, and for a few years after that, she had all the business she needed.  The sales did take a huge hit a few years ago, and I certainly believe that is why she came back. She had that kicker in her contract with them that she got a huge bonus if sales increased by a certain amount. Instead, they went down (I believe in 2014, but could be wrong). I haven't seen sales figures for her products for at least a couple of years, so it would be interesting to see how they are doing now. I was at Kroger the other day and noticed that they are stocking several new SG items. This was surprising to me. The wine guy told me her stuff is selling quite well. He could also be a huge liar. 

Here is an example of Skinnygirl sales.  When it first came out the corner grocery store (part of large regional chain in California) had an end with four cases of SGM, week after week, the stack remained with maybe one or two bottles being purchased.  The only  other SG product I have  noticed at this chain store is the sweetener.   I went on the SG site and sure enough the chain was just listed as carrying the sweetener.  On the SG site, you can select a product and click and it tells you who carries it.  So now the SGM are on the bottom shelf with a couple of other pre-mixed cocktails.  I have a feeling her products are more popular on the east coast.  The other major has a couple of products but they kind of came and went.    

So whenever I see her launching a new product I am curious who is buying it?  Or in Bethenny's words, "who are your distributors?"

[politichick]

9 hours ago, DelicateDee said:

THis a thousand times!  Not everybody HATES Bethenny or thinks the show is worse off because of her presence.  I've enjoyed a few seasons without her and barely tolerated others (the Aviva years - ugh).  

Thank you! The vitriol expressed toward her is kind of frightening. It's a fucking TV show. The girl knows she can be a bitch and owns it. At Dorinida's house, she said that she couldn't believe how horrible she was behaving. Carole and Dorinda know she's a bitch, too, but they like her and think she's funny. They don't have to be up her butt because they aren't criticizing her. They accept their friend for who she is but i don't think either would tolerate it if she was rude to them.

On a lighter note: I can't stop thinking about Dorinda's multicolored cape. I want it!

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, politichick said:

Dorinida's house, she said that she couldn't believe how horrible she was behaving

Yet she tried to sneak out without saying goodbye and didn't apologize for her behavior.

[sasha206]

9 minutes ago, politichick said:

Thank you! The vitriol expressed toward her is kind of frightening. It's a fucking TV show. The girl knows she can be a bitch and owns it. At Dorinida's house, she said that she couldn't believe how horrible she was behaving. Carole and Dorinda know she's a bitch, too, but they like her and think she's funny. They don't have to be up her butt because they aren't criticizing her. They accept their friend for who she is but i don't think either would tolerate it if she was rude to them.

On a lighter note: I can't stop thinking about Dorinda's multicolored cape. I want it!

I guess for me, I don't think "owning" your misdeeds such as calling women whores, bullying someone with an eating disorder, etc.  absolves you from those misdeeds.  

1 hour ago, zoeysmom said:

Bethenny now: 

At the very least, she's had cheek implants.  I do believe after seeing befores-and-afters of others, the jaw reduction could be the result of botox, but she's had work done, no question.

[WireWrap]

20 minutes ago, politichick said:

Thank you! The vitriol expressed toward her is kind of frightening. It's a fucking TV show. The girl knows she can be a bitch and owns it. At Dorinida's house, she said that she couldn't believe how horrible she was behaving. Carole and Dorinda know she's a bitch, too, but they like her and think she's funny. They don't have to be up her butt because they aren't criticizing her. They accept their friend for who she is but i don't think either would tolerate it if she was rude to them.

On a lighter note: I can't stop thinking about Dorinda's multicolored cape. I want it!

Bethenny has gone after Dorinda about her/John's relationship a couple of times and she then invited Bethenny to her Berk's home but she excluded Sonja who has only supported Dorinda's/John's relationship. So.....Yea, Dorinda had no problem crawling up Bethenny's butt in order to get her sleepover past editing despite how Bethenny treated her.

ETA, as others pointed out, Bethenny did not apologize to Luann for the attack or the names she called her. And at no time did Bethenny admit that she was currently sleeping/in a relationship with a married man and that the guy was married to a friend of 20+years of hers. She "owns" her nasty behavior like it is some gold medal that we are supposed to admire/envy instead of being embarrassed by it and making changes in herself. In other words, she is proud of her nasty behavior and doesn't think she needs to change/grow/mature.

Edited July 4, 2016 by WireWrap

[zoeysmom]

52 minutes ago, WireWrap said:

Bethenny has gone after Dorinda about her/John's relationship a couple of times and she then invited Bethenny to her Berk's home but she excluded Sonja who has only supported Dorinda's/John's relationship. So.....Yea, Dorinda had no problem crawling up Bethenny's butt in order to get her sleepover past editing despite how Bethenny treated her.

ETA, as others pointed out, Bethenny did not apologize to Luann for the attack or the names she called her. And at no time did Bethenny admit that she was currently sleeping/in a relationship with a married man and that the guy was married to a friend of 20+years of hers. She "owns" her nasty behavior like it is some gold medal that we are supposed to admire/envy instead of being embarrassed by it and making changes in herself. In other words, she is proud of her nasty behavior and doesn't think she needs to change/grow/mature.

Bethenny reminds me of a six year old who poops his or her pants repeatedly without a medical issue. The kid knows better but continues to do it, ostracizes playmates but claims to "own it".  After Bethenny makes the mess , she then declares she owns it.  The idea in life is you are suppose to be adult enough to put a governor on the motor mouth and leave some thoughts to yourself.  There is an intent when she feels challenged or threatened she works very hard to demean people to the point it does not make a lot of sense for the person to still remain friendly with her.

One of the scenarios I have wondered about had Luann been at the pizza dinner, and commented on Ramona taking the plate, I am sure Bethenny's response would be Luann was playing the role of the Countess and etiquette and putting herself above the others. 

[WireWrap]

36 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

Bethenny reminds me of a six year old who poops his or her pants repeatedly without a medical issue. The kid knows better but continues to do it, ostracizes playmates but claims to "own it".  After Bethenny makes the mess , she then declares she owns it.  The idea in life is you are suppose to be adult enough to put a governor on the motor mouth and leave some thoughts to yourself.  There is an intent when she feels challenged or threatened she works very hard to demean people to the point it does not make a lot of sense for the person to still remain friendly with her.

One of the scenarios I have wondered about had Luann been at the pizza dinner, and commented on Ramona taking the plate, I am sure Bethenny's response would be Luann was playing the role of the Countess and etiquette and putting herself above the others. 

She doesn't just demean those that challenge her, she tries to eviscerate them so that they never try to challenge her again. No one, and I do mean NO. ONE., is allowed to have a differing opinion than hers, a different perspective than hers or to question her honesty/validity/integrity/motives at all. She is a bully on the show, an adult work place bully.

[film noire]

3 hours ago, politichick said:

Thank you! The vitriol expressed toward her is kind of frightening.

To me, screaming Trump supporters wearing Nazi symbols are frightening -- a (very funny) forum devoted to snarking on the RH franchise doesn't even make the list -- and if it ever does get genuinely frightening, I'm pretty sure the mods will step in and shut it down: )

That Bethenny photo is unsettling. She's erased all the interesting parts of her face -- things that gave her an offbeat prettiness -- she's slowly turning into Michael Jackson.  

And I agree with everyone up thread pointing out that Bethenny never owns a single damn thing. She insults people, mocks them, harangues them -- relentlessly -- and has never owned a moment of any of her crap. She's engaged in puritanical hypocrisy (when you're cheat-fucking the husband of a dear friend of 20+ years, sex with married men is hardly your hill to die on) and slut-shamed with the worst of them. She's become a parody of her former presence on the show, someone the old Bethenny would've taken down several notches with a quick witty comment and a  WTF shrug. Instead, we have this hollow, brittle woman spewing vicious bile all over her victim du jour, and then labeling it "hypocrisy-busting" instead of owning it as the debased behaviour it is. 

Edited July 4, 2016 by film noire

[DelicateDee]

2 hours ago, WireWrap said:

Bethenny has gone after Dorinda about her/John's relationship a couple of times and she then invited Bethenny to her Berk's home but she excluded Sonja who has only supported Dorinda's/John's relationship. So.....Yea, Dorinda had no problem crawling up Bethenny's butt in order to get her sleepover past editing despite how Bethenny treated her.

ETA, as others pointed out, Bethenny did not apologize to Luann for the attack or the names she called her. And at no time did Bethenny admit that she was currently sleeping/in a relationship with a married man and that the guy was married to a friend of 20+years of hers. She "owns" her nasty behavior like it is some gold medal that we are supposed to admire/envy instead of being embarrassed by it and making changes in herself. In other words, she is proud of her nasty behavior and doesn't think she needs to change/grow/mature.

I believe she did apologize to Luann.  But what about Ramona, who also has acted badly toward Lu with the statement about her sexual piccadilos and then slamming her with the Tom has a girlfriend thing when Lu was opening up to her on how happy she was, etc.. How come she's not hated with a thousand suns?  As another poster has pointed out, B doesn't come for you without provocation, but she has a sharp wit and a biting tongue so when she does, it stings.  I don't know, I just don't see this monstrous hideous person that others take her to be.   If I did, I probably wouldn't continue to watch the show.  I stopped looking at Atlanta HW because I can't take that big mouth, self important, I don't really need this gig (but I need this gig) Nene!

[Muffyn]

As to Jules' vulva injury, several years ago a friend was babysitting.  While reaching into an upper kitchen cabinet, she slipped and fell on a lower cabinet door causing a similar injury.  She was in excruciating pain.  She texted the parents and called her sister.  They all went to the hospital because she was bleeding and in a lot of pain.  So, similar to Jules.  She fell awkwardly, basically landing on her vulva, catching it on a hard object (windowsill vs. cabinet door). The other similarity is how many people treated her like she was overly dramatic and/or assumed she was lying about how she got hurt.   Fortunately she got good medical treatment.  She stayed in the hospital overnight as a precaution because of the risk of blood clots.  Sound s like  Jules did the same.  The doctor at one point pulled her sister out of the room and told her if she couldn't be supportive she should leave.  Her sister was nasty because she had been asked to help and didn't think it could be that bad. The kids parents were upset they had to come to the hospital to retrieve their children.  My friend's mother had joined them there and was watching the kids.  The parents apologized later when they saw all the blood in the kitchen that my friend, even while injured and waiting on her sister, had tried to clean up.  So while Jules' injury sounds weird, I feel for her.  It's a hell of a thing to have happen.

As far as her drugs, Adderall was the only one she said she took on an on-going basis.  The others were for a very painful injury.  Combining pain meds with drugs made her pretty damn goofy.  She's not the first person, nor will she be the last, to make that mistake. 

[NewDigs]

She has a sharp wit? That implies humor. Her rapier-like "wit" is closer to assaultive, imho.

When I find myself in provocative situations I've found it beneficial to not take the bait. And I don't blame others for my bad behavior. I was much younger than B when I realized it was better that way. For everyone.

[zoeysmom]

28 minutes ago, DelicateDee said:

I believe she did apologize to Luann.  But what about Ramona, who also has acted badly toward Lu with the statement about her sexual piccadilos and then slamming her with the Tom has a girlfriend thing when Lu was opening up to her on how happy she was, etc.. How come she's not hated with a thousand suns?  As another poster has pointed out, B doesn't come for you without provocation, but she has a sharp wit and a biting tongue so when she does, it stings.  I don't know, I just don't see this monstrous hideous person that others take her to be.   If I did, I probably wouldn't continue to watch the show.  I stopped looking at Atlanta HW because I can't take that big mouth, self important, I don't really need this gig (but I need this gig) Nene!

Bethenny did not apologize to Luann.  She was ready to go for round three when Luann developed a case of motor mouth and would not Bethenny burst her bubble.  Bethenny blames Luann for making her go there and the name calling.  There was no provocation.  Saying you are mentoring Sonja is not provocation.  The response Bethenny could not stand is when her joke fell flat about the blind leading the deaf.  Perhaps Bethenny should ask Luann about what she has heard instead of confronting her about things that are none of her business.  Carole and Adam are not Bethenny's concern, Tom who had dinner with Ramona is not Bethenny's concern, who Luann sleeps with is not Bethenny's concern.   Luann and Ramona don't like each other and Luann is not about to give Ramona a pass for her on-going bad behavior.  The only difference between Bethenny and Nene is Bethenny has more money.  The producers love it. 

[WireWrap]

42 minutes ago, DelicateDee said:

I believe she did apologize to Luann.  But what about Ramona, who also has acted badly toward Lu with the statement about her sexual piccadilos and then slamming her with the Tom has a girlfriend thing when Lu was opening up to her on how happy she was, etc.. How come she's not hated with a thousand suns?  As another poster has pointed out, B doesn't come for you without provocation, but she has a sharp wit and a biting tongue so when she does, it stings.  I don't know, I just don't see this monstrous hideous person that others take her to be.   If I did, I probably wouldn't continue to watch the show.  I stopped looking at Atlanta HW because I can't take that big mouth, self important, I don't really need this gig (but I need this gig) Nene!

No, she did not apologize to Luann at all. Also, Luann did nothing to "provoke" Bethenny, she didn't call Bethenny any name(s), say anything bad about her, try to shame/humiliate/embarrass her or try to get her so upset that she would leave. All of which, by the way, Bethenny did to Luann. The only thing Luann did was speak up for Sonja, who Bethenny was trying to freeze out of the show. Seriously, how dare Luann say nice things about someone Bethenny disapproves of, How. Dare. She! That is the only thing Luann did to set Bethenny off, who BTW, came into the house hunting for bear from the get go.

Luann has called Ramona out on her behavior but has acted like a good co-worker and hasn't tried to freeze her out like Bethenny did to Sonja and is now doing to Luann. And I don't like Ramona either but she isn't trying to force any of the others out of the show, only Bethenny is trying to do that.

There is very little difference between Nene and Bethenny IMO, very little. The only difference between them is that Bethenny has money where Nene is still scrambling to get hers. They both over talk the other HWs, they both call the others vile names, they both use second hand gossip as ammo to hurt others and they both try to freeze their intended targets out of filming, Oh, and neither is honest about their real lives.  Both are nasty, nasty women IMO.

LOL, Bethenny doesn't need this gig but she really, really does need this gig. After all she is back. Again, it is another example of how similar she/Nene really are. LOL That in itself is a scary reality, how similar Bethenny and Nene are, really scary.

[sasha206]

1 hour ago, DelicateDee said:

I believe she did apologize to Luann.  But what about Ramona, who also has acted badly toward Lu with the statement about her sexual piccadilos and then slamming her with the Tom has a girlfriend thing when Lu was opening up to her on how happy she was, etc.. How come she's not hated with a thousand suns?  As another poster has pointed out, B doesn't come for you without provocation, but she has a sharp wit and a biting tongue so when she does, it stings.  I don't know, I just don't see this monstrous hideous person that others take her to be.   If I did, I probably wouldn't continue to watch the show.  I stopped looking at Atlanta HW because I can't take that big mouth, self important, I don't really need this gig (but I need this gig) Nene!

Wait, what was it that Jules did to Bethenny before she ambushed her and her husband for their home choices, criticized her verbal skills, made snide comments with Carole while in her home, bullied her into admitting she has an eating disorder?  

As far as Ramona, she's not well loved here either.  But she's more of a caricature of a person and has never changed since the very first episode.  Bethenny, in contrast, has gone from the underdog into someone who lords her power over everyone.  She's someone for whom money didn't buy happiness.  She's someome who has morphed into a bitter pill of a person.  She's morphed into Jill Zarin, only worse.  That's probably the difference.

Edited July 4, 2016 by sasha206