S11.E17: Puppet Strings And Tamra's Wings

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

The Ireland trip ends with a bus ride from hell; back in Orange County, the women try to make sense of their war on foreign soil; after months of diet and exercise, Tamra is ready to flaunt her body onstage at her long-awaited fitness competition.

[nexxie]

Good for Meghan for seeing through Heather's bullshit!

[VedaPierce]

Omg, Heather is the GROSSEST ONE! Lol lol! Just when I think they can't sink any lower, get any dirtier, Heather's viper tongue slips out and reveals her to be the slimy snake she's always been! She really is the puppet and the rest are the masters (tm Kelly)! Lol lol! I think she's been playing that dumbass Tamra all along, no wonder they're friends. When she was holding Meghan's face and telling her what to think---it really made me sick! Awful! I actually felt sorry for Meghan in that moment, pregnant and vulnerable on that bus full of harridans. Yuck!

Edited October 25, 2016 by VedaPierce

[VedaPierce]

And if anyone ever accused my husband of "beating the shit" out of me, my reaction would be, "what?? You're crazy! Yeah, right." Shannon's reaction is that of deep, deep hurt by a friend revealing a most private story to some peripheral bimbo. I believe Shannon told Vickie exactly what Vickie told Kelly. And Shannon is devasted. But that's the price of fame, and hey, at least Shannon got voted favorite housewife last year....it's all worth it, right?

Edited October 25, 2016 by VedaPierce

[tinaw]

As I watch this episode I can't help going back to when Vickie was telling her kids what a prize she is and how "I never start trouble".

If Vickie is the prize I'm out of this compitition

[Bronzedog]

My vote for the worst Housewife has to go to Vicki.  I don't see how anyone can ever trust her.  In hindsight she should have been honest about Brooks.  In hindsight she should have had Kelly's back.  Jesus!  As much as I hate Kelly, she was ambushed, IMO and in true Vicki fashion, Vicki is 100% protecting Vicki.  Kelly was totally miserable and Vicki was oblivious to that.  Vicki keeps saying how great the trip was. Then, when Kelly snaps and reveals the other wives secrets, it's info she got from Vicki that was told to Vicki in confidence.  Pretty sure if she didn't have money, even Brianna would have left Vicki years ago.  

[mbaywife123]

8 minutes ago, tinaw said:

As I watch this episode I can't help going back to when Vickie was telling her kids what a prize she is and how "I never start trouble".

If Vickie is the prize I'm out of this compitition

Vicki, the ultimate wonky nippled booby prize.

[Chicklet]

I'm guessing that Vic hasn't changed any since middle school.

[IKnowRight]

There are just some things you keep to yourself, regardless of whether you are friends or no longer friends with someone with whom you shared private information in trust.  I despise someone, for very good reason, someone that has hurt many people...however, several years later when that person hurts someone else, yet again, that is not a reason for me to reveal that dirt to them just to "get back" at someone.  What about the collateral damage?  I could easily stoop low and sink that person out of revenge, as this person was cruel to my child and many other people...but that just isn't right.  This is why I can't stand Vicki...well...one of several reasons.  She is just a horrible person, period.  Vicki should not have revealed whatever Shannon has shared with her, and she was just being cruel spreading gossip about Eddie.  Just wrong.

[tinaw]

2 minutes ago, mbaywife123 said:

Vicki, the ultimate wonky nippled booby prize.

Thats Gold Jerry. Gold!!

[mbaywife123]

6 minutes ago, Bronzedog said:

My vote for the worst Housewife has to go to Vicki.  I don't see how anyone can ever trust her.  In hindsight she should have been honest about Brooks.  In hindsight she should have had Kelly's back.  Jesus!  As much as I hate Kelly, she was ambushed, IMO and in true Vicki fashion, Vicki is 100% protecting Vicki.  Kelly was totally miserable and Vicki was oblivious to that.  Vicki keeps saying how great the trip was. Then, when Kelly snaps and reveals the other wives secrets, it's info she got from Vicki that was told to Vicki in confidence.  Pretty sure if she didn't have money, even Brianna would have left Vicki years ago.  

I did like how Bri tried to tell Vicki how self centered she is but the Vicki wall of denial was just too hard to overcome and she went right back into her ME mode.

[RHOSingapore]

I tuned in just in time for "The Competition….."  Why do I feel like I'm watching the adult version of Toddlers and Tiaras??  Well, after a long day at work, this was just the nightcap I needed….though I'm glad I didn't see the whole episode based on the info in the above thread….

[FlyingEgret]

My version of hell (hell!) is a non-ending loop of Vicki saying she was accused of something she didn't do

Favorite clip of the night: Tamra saying she's being judged on everything - including hair - while an assistant is brushing out her extensions in the background 

[Straycat80]

These women give me a headache! If Megan is such good friends with Kelly why wasn't Kelly mad at her for not defending her on the bus? Why was she only mad at Vicki for not defending her? I'm not on Vicki's side, I do believe she talked shit about both Shannon and Tamra because that's what she does.

It doesn't seem to matter anyway. Tamra seemed to forgive both Kelly and Vicki. Or not. This is why I have a headache, after having lunch with Kelly Tamra calls Shannon and talks smack about Vicki and Kelly getting Shannon all riled up again so at the next get together there will be another big fight. It gets old. 

[VedaPierce]

I just don't understand how they all can move past that bus ride and go to competitions together, then party at Shannon's....I don't get it! If I was any one of them on that bus, I would never want to see any other one of them again! Especially not at a PARTY! MAYBE at a funeral, where horrible hurts can be put aside....

That hideous black and white key hole cut out dress Tamra insists on wearing in EVERY talking head should be burned. Trashy Tamra never had any taste...

[100PercentPain]

"I never expected Kelly to blurt it out." Oh, Vicki. For someone who lied as often as she does, she is really terrible at it.

I love how she low key justified spilling shit about Shannon and Tamra's husbands by saying, "I didn't want to talk about my stuff last year either". Bitch, you made Brooks' non cancer your storyline and tried to use it to hawk crap. "I won't accept responsibility for the chaos." What the fuck else is new? Not accepting responsibility for things that are the direct result of her actions is Vicki's go to move. Even Brianna knows her mother is playing dirty. If Vicki isn't gone after this season, I am seriously done. I will even take trashy, racist Kelly over Vicki at this point. Fuck her to the moon and back. 

 

Y'all, it's no secret that I love me some Shannon and have been rooting for the Beadors. I don't think David "beat the shit out of" Shannon, but the arrest record is public knowledge and Shannon's furious, tearful reaction leads me to believe he has been physical with her in some way. Maybe it was a shove or he got in her face or something like that (which is still abuse and still wrong - but "beat the shit out of" wouldn't be an accurate description of that). 

 

Not surprised Tamra won. Congrats? Meh. 

 

I don't have the mental energy to really say much besides I really loathe Vicki, lol at Kelly's puppet master speech and thank goodness this will be over soon. Meghan is clearly over this shit, and if Vicki isn't gone next year I won't be far behind her. 

[Bronzedog]

Of course Tamra won the competition.  It would have been a little underwhelming if she came in 5th.

[ivygirl]

I wish I could tell Tamra that Christian forgiveness does NOT require that you HAVE to keep accepting someone's garbage over and over again. She'd be within her rights to say "Vicki, I forgive you, but you continue repeating the same hurtful behavior, and I need some time before I can fully embrace our friendship again." I get that part of this is driven by the show (in that they HAVE to interact), but on a personal level, she shouldn't feel as though she needs to put herself in Vicki's line of fire. She's not a positive influence. She's not family. She's a coworker. Do what you need to for "business" and move on.

In other news:

- Heather is definitely a Heather. Mean and catty. No need for *her* to get in Kelly's face like that.

- Shannon is striving to be gracious, which is admirable. 

- Vicki is awful. I did feel bad that she left Kelly out to dry just so that she could retain her spot on the show (I mean, "repair her relationships with the other women").

- Kelly, you can't spill secondhand secrets and expect people not to keep their distance. Geez. It doesn't matter that you heard them from someone else! That almost makes it worse! (And I won't get into that so-open-it-was-blurred getup you had on when Vicki came over.)

I wish Tamra all the best. I hope she gets back on and stays on her more positive path.

Edited October 25, 2016 by ivygirl

[ParadoxLost]

Trying to piece together what likely really went down here.

Seems like Heather and Shannon have been biding their time waiting for an opportunity to take Kelly down but Tamra was wanting to make nice.  Then Tamra gets pissed at Kelly in Ireland and she becomes the ring leader on getting Kelly to drink and make a scene (like the situation with Gretchen) and Shannon / Heather are fine with doing the dirty work.  So I think Kelly got it wrong (in more ways than one) on who the puppet master is. 

They were ganging up on Kelly and it was as vile as anything that Kelly has done to them.  They kind of lose the ability to play victim when they are hurling insults at someone at the top of their lungs.  How dare Kelly fight back.

I guess this is the horrible thing that Vicki did this season that Shannon and Tamra keep referring to in social media.  I was expecting something worse than Vicki gossiping with Kelly during a period when they openly hated each other.

Edited October 25, 2016 by ParadoxLost

[Chicklet]

Tamra does look good but she still is missing a belly button and I just cannot gloss over that one. She looks wonky.

[JAYJAY1979]

So thats what an adult toddlers and tiara show looks like.  The sheer anark factor of that is reward enough for sitting through thrn1st half of the episode.

Heather has always been evil...she just hid it better

[VedaPierce]

Hooray! Tamra wins Little Miss Grand Supreme, a set-up contest with 6 other contestants on some rented out soundstage. 

[ivygirl]

Just now, JAYJAY1979 said:

Heather has always been evil...she just hid it better

Agreed. But... HAS she hid it? She was terrible to Alexis, terrible to first season Shannon, terrible to the bow-eating girl. She's no screecher a la Vicki or Tamra, but she's def a mean snob (which, to your point, isn't as immediately obvious as someone who runs cancer scams or who nastily stirs the pot.

lol

[Cranky One]

5 minutes ago, VedaPierce said:

I just don't understand how they all can move past that bus ride and go to competitions together, then party at Shannon's....I don't get it! If I was any one of them on that bus, I would never want to see any other one of them again! Especially not at a PARTY! MAYBE at a funeral, where horrible hurts can be put aside....

That hideous black and white key hole cut out dress Tamra insists on wearing in EVERY talking head should be burned. Trashy Tamra never had any taste...

Probably because it's the end of the season party.

The woman that came in 2nd place should have won. She had way more definition than Tamara did. Hell, Mia the trainer would have won that competition just by being in the audience (and I remember her from way back in the day!).

[annewithaneee]

Oy, my brain hurts. This crew is basically done for me, though I'm sure by next year I'll get excited by the season previews and start watching again. 

It was bizarre and distressing to see how badly that fight got without any attempt to de-escalate by literally anyone. It was the one time Meghan could play the pregnancy card without being obnoxious. How hard would it have been to say 'hey, I'm in my first trimester over here, let's maybe dial it down several hundred notches'? Yeah, Vicki was looking out for her damn self, but I rolled my eyes hard when Meghan judged Vicki for it in a talking head. Meghan didn't need to understand the fight, or be 'friends' with Kelly, to try and stop that shrieking pile-on. 

The denouement afterwards was bizarre and fake. It was like everyone came down with an acute case of amnesia. Kelly doesn't bring up that (in her mind, and in all likelihood in reality) Shannon was deliberately trying to get as much alcohol in her by any means necessary? Vicki suddenly doesn't care that the second Kelly's feelings are hurt, Kelly tries to detonate all of Vicki's relationships as loudly and erratically as possible? 

This just isn't a very good cast/show anymore. I don't really buy any of them as friends; they're all scrambling for the moral high ground (ha!) and will fight dirty to try and force someone off the show, but when that doesn't work they begrudgingly give up the fight until it's time to reset the board for a new one. New York might be the last good Housewives standing, where the stakes seem real and they seem to genuinely care, in a "I love you but I don't have to like you" sort of way.

[VedaPierce]

20 minutes ago, RHOSingapore said:

I tuned in just in time for "The Competition….."  Why do I feel like I'm watching the adult version of Toddlers and Tiaras??  Well, after a long day at work, this was just the nightcap I needed….though I'm glad I didn't see the whole episode based on the info in the above thread….

Omg! Thought exact same thing! Maybe because it looked so cheesy.... Nothing looked like it was a National authentic event...I think there weren't more than 200 people in attendance, maybe 100?

[Mu Shu]

6 minutes ago, Chicklet said:

Tamra does look good but she still is missing a belly button and I just cannot gloss over that one. She looks wonky.

There is something called 3D tattooing that is done on mastectomy patients.  It looks amazingly real.  Tamra should look into that. I must say she does have a great butt, though.

Here come Meagan stirring shit with Heather.  She's a conniver too, just more low key about it, and still as boring as fuck.  Go away Meagan, and put some coconut oil on that dry ass mop on your head while you're at it.

Vicki just needs to be phased out.  She has nothing left to give, and not even 190 footballs to the head nor 300 falls on her ass accepting a fake award will change my mind.  Go to your Mexican timeshare in the town you think you're the mayor of and act all delusional there. Or anywhere really where I never see or hear you again.  Loathsome heifer. 

[islandgal140]

If one of the criteria was being judged on skin - Tamra most definitely should have lost. 

Edited October 25, 2016 by islandgal140

[Sai]

I'm glad Tamra won.  She worked really hard and she should be proud of herself.

[VedaPierce]

I believe anyone that goes on this reality show with dark secrets, WANTS them to be revealed subconsciously. Especially if they tell them to Vickie. Would ANYONE here EVER tell Vickie what we ate for lunch yesterday?? Let alone any kind of private family secret??

[Beaner]

13 minutes ago, VedaPierce said:

Hooray! Tamra wins Little Miss Grand Supreme, a set-up contest with 6 other contestants on some rented out soundstage. 

Exactly!  I'm kind of insulted that they think we're that stupid.

[VedaPierce]

18 minutes ago, Chicklet said:

Tamra does look good but she still is missing a belly button and I just cannot gloss over that one. She looks wonky.

She should at least glue on a rhinestone or something, make it look like a belly ring...so distracting. It's all I could look at...

[Mu Shu]

I knew a girl without a belly button.  We drew one on with an ink pen.  I'm surprised Tamra has never had surgery to at least give the impression of a naval.

[Sharon]

19 minutes ago, Chicklet said:

Tamra does look good but she still is missing a belly button and I just cannot gloss over that one. She looks wonky.

I'm new to this show.  What's up with Tamra's belly button?

[VedaPierce]

27 minutes ago, Straycat80 said:

These women give me a headache! If Megan is such good friends with Kelly why wasn't Kelly mad at her for not defending her on the bus? Why was she only mad at Vicki for not defending her? I'm not on Vicki's side, I do believe she talked shit about both Shannon and Tamra because that's what she does.

It doesn't seem to matter anyway. Tamra seemed to forgive both Kelly and Vicki. Or not. This is why I have a headache, after having lunch with Kelly Tamra calls Shannon and talks smack about Vicki and Kelly getting Shannon all riled up again so at the next get together there will be another big fight. It gets old. 

I thought so too at first, but I think now it's Tamar's way of ensuring that Vickie shows up to the last party. I think she gets a bonus for it. All she does is run around setting people up to get ripped apart. I can't get over that scen in Ireland at the last dinner when Kelly is refusing to drink, and the camera closes in on Tamra scratching her head while staring at her. She had a "great! NOW what??" look on her stupid face as she's was scratching her head. Such a cliche...

[chick binewski]

Oh dear. Heather looked very Danielle Staub on the bus.

Vicki had a point for the first 4 seconds of the episode, then she brought up Brooks' cancer. And Tamra & Shannon can't freak out about everything Kelly says then turn around and cite Kelly to freak out on Vicki. 

I don't want these shows to rip marriages apart and I don't blame Shannon for wanting to keep secrets, but David was released from jail on a $10K bond and was on probation for three years. Then he cheated on his wife. He's pretty hard to root for.

ETA: Tamra lifted weights and eliminated carbs. She's still screaming "f*ck you" in people's faces. Big transformation. Huge.

Edited October 25, 2016 by chick binewski
forgot how much Tamra bugs.

[njbchlover]

5 minutes ago, VedaPierce said:

She should at least glue on a rhinestone or something, make it look like a belly ring...so distracting. It's all I could look at...

It was hard not to notice, especially with the addtional ab contouring from that really, really bad spray tan.

But, I have to give Tamra credit - she is in amazing shape and worked hard to get there - good for her.  Plus, I'd kill for a butt like that.  

[zoeysmom]

Tamra had major surgery for an incarcerated hernia-she also has some sort of steel plate in her ab region.

Edited October 25, 2016 by zoeysmom

[TexasGal]

36 minutes ago, Straycat80 said:

These women give me a headache! If Megan is such good friends with Kelly why wasn't Kelly mad at her for not defending her on the bus? Why was she only mad at Vicki for not defending her? I'm not on Vicki's side, I do believe she talked shit about both Shannon and Tamra because that's what she does.

It doesn't seem to matter anyway. Tamra seemed to forgive both Kelly and Vicki. Or not. This is why I have a headache, after having lunch with Kelly Tamra calls Shannon and talks smack about Vicki and Kelly getting Shannon all riled up again so at the next get together there will be another big fight. It gets old. 

Tamra talking about Vicki to Shannon behind Vicki's back, after seemingly having forgiven Vicki, about how Vicki needs to stop talking about people behind their back.  I got a little dizzy there.  I wouldn't expect anything less from Jesus Jugs Jr.

So I guess Kelly's husband corrected her off camera in the whole puppet/puppet master stupidity, since she got it right when repeating it to Tamra.

[VedaPierce]

35 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

 

They were ganging up on Kelly and it was as vile as anything that Kelly has done to them.  They kind of lose the ability to play victim when they are hurling insults at someone at the top of their lungs.  How dare Kelly fight back.

 

I agree, but I actually think what Heather and Shannon did was worse because I expected more out of Heather and Shannon. I thought of them as having a modicum of intelligence. Kelly is a tree ape so I really don't listen to anything coming out of her face hole. 

Edited October 25, 2016 by VedaPierce

[Mu Shu]

8 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

Tamra had major surgery for an incarcerated hernia-she also has some sort of steel plate in her ab region.

Why would you have a steel plate in the abdominal region?  I thought you needed bone to anchor a steel plate.  Maybe she has mesh in that area?   Still, she should get a damn bebu tattooed on.  She would win more fake fitness completions with it.  It is skin, after all.

[zoeysmom]

4 minutes ago, Mu Shu said:

Why would you have a steel plate in the abdominal region?  I thought you needed bone to anchor a steel plate.  Maybe she has mesh in that area?   Still, she should get a damn bebu tattooed on.  She would win more fake fitness completions with it.  It is skin, after all.

I remember her saying after the surgery she truly has abs of steel. My guess is it some sort of steel mesh.

Edited October 25, 2016 by zoeysmom

[lunastartron]

Heather is and has always been morally deviant. Either she earnestly believes that Kelly was suffering from sort of mental health malady and STILL baited, bullied, and derided her as "trash" or she really enjoys exploiting mental illness as a weapon in her efforts to malign coworkers. Talk about "low, base bullshit." As bruited as she's been for incorrectly wielding an AP-level vocabulary, she's never been particularly intelligent when sloppily applying double standards to legitimize her sadism. Remember when she tripped over herself to paint Shannon as some sort of malevolent interloper for exhorting Vicki to disengage from Tamra after the Bali blowup? And what do we have in the opening seconds of this episode but Heather urging Shannon to pretend that she doesn't know Kelly?

I thought it was clear why Kelly held Vicki to a greater degree of culpability for defending her than Meghan. Firstly, Kelly has never alienated herself from the others on behalf of Meghan.  Secondly, Meghan has never privately lobbied against Tamra, Heather, or Shannon to Kelly. Similarly, she's always been completely transparent with Kelly regarding her perspective on Kelly's dynamic with the group at large. The conflict had nothing to do with Meghan and had she inserted herself into it, the only result would have been an escalation. She's got Heather on Hooked on Phonics and she has clearly explained to Kelly what she is willing and not willing to do in terms of supporting her. I see nothing but total maturity and composure in her conduct.

[VedaPierce]

28 minutes ago, islandgal140 said:

If one of the criteria was being judged on skin - Tamra most definitely should have lost. 

Omg! Thought same. No elasticity anymore :( she may be the hottest grandma in oc, but still, grandma. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We should all be so lucky one day :)

[Bronzedog]

Shannon and Tamra scheduled to be on WWHL now.

[zoeysmom]

Is anyone watching WWHL with Shannon and Tamra it starts NOW EDT.

[yogi2014L]

10 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

Is anyone watching WWHL with Shannon and Tamra it starts NOW EDT.

Tell us what they say!

Also big fail to Heather- her trying to take down Kelly backfired miserably

I get why Meg stayed quite on the bus - I did wish she would have pulled the pregnancy card for kellys sake- but  Pregnant, it was dark , surrounded by screaming banshees...probably an overwhelming situation and she probably felt safer disappearring in her seat. 

Next week will be a shit show. Also Vicki needs to tread carefully being in Shannons house- why the eff does she even want to go? the second shit starts to hit the fan I hope they leave. Its truly an ambush.

Edited October 25, 2016 by yogi2014L

[Straycat80]

9 minutes ago, Bronzedog said:

Shannon and Tamra scheduled to be on WWHL now.

Does Shannon look bloated? Or is it just my TV? 

[VedaPierce]

The editors played Heather's ghostly bus face over and over... They must really hate her. I think she came out looking really awful. Also the social media edition that came on right before the new episode aired tonight was pretty brutal against the three witches...the twitter pop ups mostly talked about the obvious set-up...

[Bronzedog]

Shannon does look a little bloated.  David didn't waste any time calling Vicki a pig. Not that he's wrong!  

Edited October 25, 2016 by Bronzedog