S09.E20: Reunion Part 1

[mostlylurking]

On 8/17/2017 at 11:17 PM, ButterQueen said:

You have to be smart to graduate from a good college

Yes you have to have some sense to graduate but you don't have to be a super intellectual.  I had to take two physics courses for my undergrad degree and I was ripping my hair out (not literally which is another B pet peeve of mine) and my professor told me to lighten up because "C's get degrees".  Now I had to maintain a B average because I was enrolled in a specific Bachelor's to Masters program, but the point was just focus on graduating.  No one who matters is ever going to ask you for your GPA, they just want to know you have a degree.  I know plenty of people who graduate college and are very successful in the field of their choosing.  They are good at what they do and props for that, but I wouldn't consider them to have above average intelligence.  I would put B in this category as well.

On 8/18/2017 at 1:34 PM, ZaldamoWilder said:

She was loud and wrong ha!

The worst combination!!  Lol.

[Celia Rubenstein]

3 hours ago, Yours Truly said:

Well thank goodness she did. What else would quench the viewers thirst? Andy got his ratings and the public got the blood they were craving. Reality shows at their best I guess. 

I don't think the viewers were thirsting for blood as much as some just wanted a reasonable explanation of why these two people were so determined to marry despite Tom's obviously proclivity to wander.  Why was Luann so desperate to be the wife of a man who was a demonstrated cheat, despite her protests about not wanting an open relationship ever again? 

I don't think their divorce has really provided an answer.  Rather than reality shows at their finest, I think it was a big ol' reality show fail.

[byrd]

I know I will be slammed for this comment:
I feel sorry for Romana, she such a loss soul.
Romana needs her husband, she may never completely recover from the loss of her marriage.
Everything about her reflects that loss, and she needs it for completion, she can talk a good game but her behavior says otherwise: LuAnn is the same way, searching for love in the wrong place. These women identify themselves through their husbands , without the male , the don't seem to know who they are.. sad...

[Yours Truly]

2 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I don't think the viewers were thirsting for blood as much as some just wanted a reasonable explanation of why these two people were so determined to marry despite Tom's obviously proclivity to wander.  Why was Luann so desperate to be the wife of a man who was a demonstrated cheat, despite her protests about not wanting an open relationship ever again? 

I don't think their divorce has really provided an answer.  Rather than reality shows at their finest, I think it was a big ol' reality show fail.

Yeah but when that "reasonable explanation" doesn't present itself is when it goes from inquiring minds want to know to vultures circling the wounded animal... These women practically sprouted wings LOL! Ita very interesting, like watching National Geographic's or better yet it's like watching Lord of Flies.. ??

[BBHN]

Nah, it's just watching women smelling the bullshit and calling someone out for it.

[Yours Truly]

1 hour ago, BBHN said:

Nah, it's just watching women smelling the bullshit and calling someone out for it.

For u maybe but the whole ordeal has me eating popcorn in amazement and in awe. Like ummm seriously? Put your wings, claws and beaks away ladies. All that money and the only meal they can get their hands on is the diseased state of Lu and Toms marriage? LMAO! All that was needed was some Fava beans and a bottle of Chianti... 

LOL!!! 

[BBHN]

Quote

For u maybe

I'd imagine for a whole lot of people, actually.

Quote

All that money and the only meal they can get their hands on is the diseased state of Lu and Toms marriage?

Nah, they had tons of other stuff going on. Glad they were able to recognize how sad and pathetic the marriage was, even before it happened.

Quote

All that was needed was some Fava beans and a bottle of Chianti... 

It would have been a waste of Fava beans and nice Chianti...

[Celia Rubenstein]

16 minutes ago, Yours Truly said:

For u maybe but the whole ordeal has me eating popcorn in amazement and in awe. Like ummm seriously? Put your wings, claws and beaks away ladies. All that money and the only meal they can get their hands on is the diseased state of Lu and Toms marriage? LMAO! All that was needed was some Fava beans and a bottle of Chianti... 

LOL!!! 

I thought the spectacle you found so entertaining was the most tedious aspect of the whole story line.  I was much more interested in the actual dynamics of the Tom/Luann relationship and much less so in the reactions of the other women to it.  Watching birds feast on a diseased carcass is not my idea of popcorn-worthy entertainment, lol

Edited August 21, 2017 by Celia Rubenstein

[Duke2801]

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 2:47 PM, film noire said:

Years of fighting your hair's natural state can kill the curl. Olaplex might return it (it did mine, to a certain degree, but my hair was never as wild as Frankel's, so not sure it would repair her hair).

And I'd like to see the look on her before deciding it wouldn't suit her - when it's a woman's natural hair state, I think lots of older women look great with a healthy mane of (real) hair. Minnie Driver, Kidman (when she lets it go natural) and I love McDowell with touches of grey:

 

 

I think the volume can be very flattering, softening & framing an older face better than a too sleek mane. (And -- not for nothing - if your hair is still that thick and curly and healthy, let it fly! In the era of draggly hair extensions, the real thing is a plus.)

Andi McDowell is gorgeous no matter what color. length or texture her hair is - but that is an image somebody photoshopped just to show how she might look if she went grey.

Bethenny looks to me like she has wavy/frizzy hair that can be worn curly with some effort - but it's probably easier to just straighten it.   

[KungFuBunny]

4 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I don't think the viewers were thirsting for blood as much as some just wanted a reasonable explanation of why these two people were so determined to marry despite Tom's obviously proclivity to wander.  Why was Luann so desperate to be the wife of a man who was a demonstrated cheat, despite her protests about not wanting an open relationship ever again? 

I don't think their divorce has really provided an answer.  Rather than reality shows at their finest, I think it was a big ol' reality show fail.

I see it as Luann wanted to go through with the wedding no matter what. She had plenty of time to change her mind (10 months) but she FROG MARCHED him down the aisle.

Tom has been engaged before - 2 times he mentioned - this was brought up by Carole on the borrowed yacht. His lip lock didn't get Luann to drop the wedding.

I still think the reason he filed and Luann did not contest comes down to money. Both were led to believe the other had money. When it was discovered neither had access to much, Tom filed. Luann would have fought or at least CONTESTED if Tom had any wealth.

Luann did gain something from the engagement/wedding ceremony - she was suddenly being interviewed by more "reputable" entities. Prior to this story line, she was lucky if she was mentioned in The National Enquirer. With the engagement/wedding she was suddenly being interviewed by E, Entertainment Tonight, Extra - she never got this even when she was married to The Count.

As Ramona would say "Let's Face It!" Before this, Luann was not being interviewed for her new single release of Chic Cest La Vie, or her partnership with Evine, or her book. And boy oh was she an idiot for NOT taking advantage of those interviews to plug any of her business ventures.

[grisgris]

Thoughts on the reunion  ...

I have only watched RHoBH reunions and I think I accidentally saw an Orange Co. once out of boredom (don't watch OC.) I was amazed by how sedate it was and in comparison (pretty low bar) how calm and polite everybody seemed.  I honestly was disappointed (and a bit bored.) Will Carole and Tinsley get the grilling next week? I don't recall Tinsley saying a word other than hello at the opening and it looked like she was trying a few times to chime in but was talked/shouted over. You gotta be loud and proud with this bunch, Nellie Olsen.

I thought everybody was terribly overdressed except Dorinda and Tinsley (had low expectations for her anyway.) I kind of liked Beth's extensions but that dress was wearing her not the other way around. Good Lord, it's not the freakin' Golden Globe awards and speaking of, was Ramona auditioning for a job to hand out Emmys or GGs next year?  I just finished Ramona's book and I might post about it on her thread. In her book, she stated that when she had her breasts done that she kept them at a 34C and all she did was "add a little fullness" on top. Right. She also said that her plastic surgeon (a woman who I guess does all of R's procedures) tried to talk Ramona out of it in that she didn't need it.  Anyway, the gold dress and the sun goddess JLo-inspired makeup and spray tan looked OK but overkill. She didn't look as awful as I was expecting.

Geez ... did the tanning salon turn up the volume to "11" on Dorinda? I liked her dress though, but her makeup was too heavy. It really made her hair look very artificial in color.

I didn't like Luann's dress. Those tacky blue rhinestones ruined it. She looks great in simply-cut body-con dresses and without the unnecessary embellishments she would have been head and shoulders the best-dressed.

I almost felt sorry for Luann picking her way through the minefield of questions.  I guess what I wonder is if Tom clearly isn't marriage material, then why did he propose to Luann in the first place? Did she pressure him?

I didn't mind Bethenney taking the lead.  Andy isn't the best host of those shows. He tends to let things drag on and on without either reining people in or changing the subject.

Hope part 2 is more entertaining.

[hoodooznoodooz]

1 hour ago, KungFuBunny said:

 

Luann did gain something from the engagement/wedding ceremony - she was suddenly being interviewed by more "reputable" entities. Prior to this story line, she was lucky if she was mentioned in The National Enquirer. With the engagement/wedding she was suddenly being interviewed by E, Entertainment Tonight, Extra - she never got this even when she was married to The Count.

 

So do you think the more reputable entities will continue to interview her? Because I wonder if most of them think the whole thing now looks very sad and desperate.

I really think Lu lives in the moment. She doesn't dwell on the past, but she doesn't look too far into the future either. 

A year or two from now, will she be telling everyone that Tom and she are still very good friends? Will she invite him to her next wedding?

[motorcitymom65]

18 hours ago, Yours Truly said:

Yeah but when that "reasonable explanation" doesn't present itself is when it goes from inquiring minds want to know to vultures circling the wounded animal... These women practically sprouted wings LOL! Ita very interesting, like watching National Geographic's or better yet it's like watching Lord of Flies.. ??

I just didn't see this at all. I think they were pretty subdued on the whole thing. I mean, it was going to come up. It was going to be questioned and analyzed to an extent, but no one seemed to gleeful about it at all. Honestly, I think they are all weary of talking about Lu and her silly wedding. 

Edited August 22, 2017 by motorcitymom65

[ZaldamoWilder]

On 8/20/2017 at 8:32 PM, Jel said:

Personally, I think the problem Lu had with Tom was the frequent make out sessions he had with other women, especially in public.   

(And that's assuming it was actually a love-based marriage, which I now seriously doubt. )

^^ reminds me of a tv show (movie?) I was watching.  When one of the characters was asked why she and her husband split up, she said it was a personality issue, I couldn't seem to get along with all the other women he was sleeping with.   

 

On 8/21/2017 at 6:34 AM, LIMOM said:

In all fairness, Tom was not in it either. Even the very liberal LuAnn could not stomach the ever present Missy, imo.

It is one thing to know that you are both open to sexcapades from time to time, it is another to see your partner with the same person, over and over again.

Lu was embarrassed by Tom and he could not care enough to act like a married man, Imo or at the very least be discreet.

He acted like an ugly frat dude, not the life she thought she had signed for.

Girl, all this, right here?  Is how I stay salty with Luanne.  Indiscreet ugly frat dude is exactly whom he was the night they met, all during their courtship and the day following their engagement.    I don't even know if he was even any good at hiding his dirt because when did he try to?   Lu is seasoned enough to know that marriage is a thread puller, so expecting demonstrated, but more importantly, repeated behavior to change is some young girl shit.   

I'm also firmly in the camp of the women not having anything to do with the divorce.  The pressure they applied in the form of truths corroborated by pictures, witnesses and his own admission is something they knocked off when she said, ya'll think I don't know.  I know and I've decided to move forward regardless.    Hell, WE knew Tom wasn't husband material.   I get why Game of Thrones notes are sent by bird lol.  Killing the messenger may make you feel better but at the end of the day, it doesn't change the message.    Say all that to say the marriage she signed up for is the one she got.

[crgirl412]

16 hours ago, grisgris said:

Thoughts on the reunion  ...

I have only watched RHoBH reunions and I think I accidentally saw an Orange Co. once out of boredom (don't watch OC.) I was amazed by how sedate it was and in comparison (pretty low bar) how calm and polite everybody seemed.  I honestly was disappointed (and a bit bored.) Will Carole and Tinsley get the grilling next week? I don't recall Tinsley saying a word other than hello at the opening and it looked like she was trying a few times to chime in but was talked/shouted over. You gotta be loud and proud with this bunch, Nellie Olsen.

I thought everybody was terribly overdressed except Dorinda and Tinsley (had low expectations for her anyway.) I kind of liked Beth's extensions but that dress was wearing her not the other way around. Good Lord, it's not the freakin' Golden Globe awards and speaking of, was Ramona auditioning for a job to hand out Emmys or GGs next year?  I just finished Ramona's book and I might post about it on her thread. In her book, she stated that when she had her breasts done that she kept them at a 34C and all she did was "add a little fullness" on top. Right. She also said that her plastic surgeon (a woman who I guess does all of R's procedures) tried to talk Ramona out of it in that she didn't need it.  Anyway, the gold dress and the sun goddess JLo-inspired makeup and spray tan looked OK but overkill. She didn't look as awful as I was expecting.

Geez ... did the tanning salon turn up the volume to "11" on Dorinda? I liked her dress though, but her makeup was too heavy. It really made her hair look very artificial in color.

I didn't like Luann's dress. Those tacky blue rhinestones ruined it. She looks great in simply-cut body-con dresses and without the unnecessary embellishments she would have been head and shoulders the best-dressed.

I almost felt sorry for Luann picking her way through the minefield of questions.  I guess what I wonder is if Tom clearly isn't marriage material, then why did he propose to Luann in the first place? Did she pressure him?

I didn't mind Bethenney taking the lead.  Andy isn't the best host of those shows. He tends to let things drag on and on without either reining people in or changing the subject.

Hope part 2 is more entertaining.

There has been screaming and walking off set during NY reunions BUT out of NY, OC, BH, ATL and NJ it is the most sedate.    

[eXiled]

I've attempted to watch the OC on Hulu. I got through three episodes each season and then I'd skip to the reunion episodes. During Season 3 or 4 I jumped to the "Naked Wasted" episode I read so much about because I figured it would be juicy. I thought it was a snooze. I stopped there.

I know it's the highest rated after ATL, but I find the OC broads to be boring. Also, other than Jeana in the first few seasons, I could barely tell them apart. She was the only one I felt anything for. Dead-eyed, monotone Lauri's utter disregard for her children as she searched for her next score husband fascinated me, though.

Topic? I wonder what Ramona's approach will be to Luann's divorce woes next season. Will she pretend to be empathetic? Or will she do the "I told ya so" dance? She's hated Luann from the very first season. I know she relishes the Countess's misery.

[Mrs peel]

On ‎8‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 10:30 PM, diadochokinesis said:

My personal belief is that it was based off (on Lu's end) on her desire for companionship.  I don't believe it was about love. She just saw someone that she liked hanging out, possibly had great sex with, and just decided to marry him. I have no clue what his motivation was.

During the first 10 minutes or so, she flips her shoe up towards the camera and it is a big white sticker on the bottom of the shoe. 

Jackie O - "the first time you marry for love, the second time for money, the third time for companionship."

Once you see the sticker, you can't unsee the sticker!  How did she not take that off?????

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/20/2017 at 2:22 PM, bagger said:

I forget her name but the pretty Puerto Rican woman who wore ice skating dress said that they brought several dresses and they were told which to wear.

Aah, thank you.  I knew there was some element of lack of choice in the dress the wear to the reunion. 

[JakeyJokes]

Tinsley and Luann barely interacted this season, yet Tinsley seemed most comfortable going after Luann during the Tom convo. I loved that Bethenny was not having any of the bullshit.

Luann: Well, I'm still friends with Jacques.

Bethenny: YOU DON'T MAKE OUT WITH JACQUES!

[eXiled]

6 minutes ago, JakeyJokes said:

Tinsley and Luann barely interacted this season, yet Tinsley seemed most comfortable going after Luann during the Tom convo. I loved that Bethenny was not having any of the bullshit.

Luann: Well, I'm still friends with Jacques.

Bethenny: YOU DON'T MAKE OUT WITH JACQUES!

Bethenny doesn't know that to be true, does she? I mean, it reads like most of the women (including the viewing audience) are looking at Lu and Tom from the standard relationship POV. We may believe that Lu might go along with open relationships simply to keep her man happy. Yet . . . after watching her machinations with the pirate, it's never occurred to me that Lu would be that against an open arrangement. She might like to play too.

Lu is just better at being discreet (pirate notwithstanding). Tom gave absolutely not one single solitary fuck about discretion. That, to me, was one of the problems in the marriage. I never believed Lu was sitting at home crying while Tom was catting around on her. Girlfriend was at Beautique getting her life with a bartender/actor who was too young and too broke to be anything but the Countess's chew toy for the night.

That was fine with her. Except . . . the other howives and the audience weren't supposed to know about it.

[eurekagirl mOo]

I just have to say I've been since since the TWOP days. I have NEVER gotten 29 likes or had my box turn pink. Until today. I way more excited than I probably should be but THANKS GUYS!!!!!

[eXiled]

7 minutes ago, eurekagirl mOo said:

I just have to say I've been since since the TWOP days. I have NEVER gotten 29 likes or had my box turn pink. Until today. I way more excited than I probably should be but THANKS GUYS!!!!!

Ain't it the greatest?

[motorcitymom65]

On 8/20/2017 at 10:23 AM, Yours Truly said:

I personally think that Lu and Tom's marriage had an original path that got derailed by all the outing, tarnishing and judging.  I fully believe that they were bombarded with this rumor that rumor, snickers, whispers and pearl clutching constantly. I'm pretty sure most of it had no basis and the rest was within their original understanding of each other and what their marriage would be. I think Lu realized that she and Tom wouldn't ever be able to stay in that marriage without all of the finger pointing and harrassment from outsiders. I really believe that Lu and Tom had agreed on what kind of marriage they would have and didn't expect to have such watchful eyes and eager "truth tellers" ready to pounce every other day with "evidenence" and speculation about Tom's whereabouts, whoabouts and whatabouts about town. Lu realized that they would always be on everyone's radar and probably realized that whatever they may have outlined with each other wouldn't play out because too many people were "on the case" and they would constantly be required to explain this that and the other to prying eyes and eager to hurt "truth tellers". I feel bad that Lu's authenticity is always under the microscope to this degree. I don't blame her for throwing in the towel. How many times can you ask people to just leave your business alone without being heard?

I don't believe any of this to be the case because there was a ton of scrutiny before the marriage, but if it were true, why not just say it? Just say, "we really love each other but the pressure of the constant scrutiny is too much. We don't want to live a life that is constantly questioned, probed and analyzed". Sure folks would snark, but that sounds far better than what she said, which was:

"It was impossible. We were having problems and we tried really hard to fix things, and we finally came to the conclusion it was just not going to work."

I mean, that just sounds dumb. And made up. How hard could they have tried to fix things? They got married in January and filed for divorce 8 months later. Unless things had been impossible from the day of the wedding until the day of the divorce filing, how hard and how long could they have been trying? But that is the thing. You never know the truth with Lu, because she is never going to really tell the truth. She is always going to say the thing that she thinks folks find palatable because she is so concerned with how things appear. She does this to herself. 

[eurekagirl mOo]

Yes it is the greatest!!! Thanks to this board I've had one on one contact with someone from Syfy! (Face off) In my darkest days I had no one to talk too and I was so lonesome. I'd get up in the morning, make some coffee, pull up the boards and get to see what everyone else thought about my favorite shows. It made me feel...connected. And I needed that. I've shared a lot over the years, mostly because ya'll don't really know me! But it was truly a life saver for me. Ya'll don't know how much your words matter to those that are ill, housebound, or just lonely. 

I have a full life now, plenty of friends, and a great job. But I will always love the boards!!!!!

[Celia Rubenstein]

25 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

But that is the thing. You never know the truth with Lu, because she is never going to really tell the truth. She is always going to say the thing that she thinks folks find palatable because she is so concerned with how things appear. She does this to herself. 

I fully expect Luann to revisit her cover story explanation for the divorce once she has had a little time to gauge public response to her first set of remarks.  She will adjust her story accordingly, elaborating on exactly what their "problems" were once she decides what type of problems leave her looking best.  It's really a matter of what version of the "truth" she decides will be best received.   She is probably reading these boards right now, trying to decide lol

One thing I know we won't be hearing is that one of them married the other for money and left after learning there was little money to be had.  That would look terrible, lol. I doubt she will admit she was cheated on again.  That's too humiliating.  And no way will we ever hear Luann admit she was desperate for a husband because she doesn't know how to live without a man, or that it was all just bullshit from the get-go because she desperately needed a storyline.  Those things are too likely to be true to ever be spoken of in public. 

I think she will come up with something fairly sympathetic (yet not overly pathetic) that will allow her to look innocent but not like a total fool - something like she just couldn't get her kids to warm up to Tom and it was all just too much with the pressure of being in the public eye, which Tom was not used to.  Something that suggests it was not really anyone's fault, they were in love and wanted to make it work, but it was simply not meant to be. 

[motorcitymom65]

5 minutes ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I fully expect Luann to revisit her cover story explanation for the divorce once she has had a little time to gauge public response to her first set of remarks.  She will adjust her story accordingly, elaborating on exactly what their "problems" were once she decides what type of problems leave her looking best.  It's really a matter of what version of the "truth" she decides will be best received.   She is probably reading these boards right now, trying to decide lol

One thing I know we won't be hearing is that one of them married the other for money and left after learning there was little money to be had.  That would look terrible, lol. I doubt she will admit she was cheated on again.  That's too humiliating.  And no way will we ever hear Luann admit she was desperate for a husband because she doesn't know how to live without a man, or that it was all just bullshit from the get-go because she desperately needed a storyline.  Those things are too likely to be true to ever be spoken of in public. 

I think she will come up with something fairly sympathetic (yet not overly pathetic) that will allow her to look innocent but not like a total fool - something like she just couldn't get her kids to warm up to Tom and it was all just too much with the pressure of being in the public eye, which Tom was not used to.  Something that suggests it was not really anyone's fault, they were in love and wanted to make it work, but it was simply not meant to be. 

My guess is she has assembled a focus group already to see what plays the best. 

I agree it will never be about money, because she would sound pathetic, and like maybe she was just interested because of the money. She can't say he cheated because then everyone else would have been right. At the end of the day, it will be whatever makes for the best storyline. 

[Celia Rubenstein]

21 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

At the end of the day, it will be whatever makes for the best storyline. 

What would make for a great storyline would be a bitter, drawn out divorce that she is WILLING TO DISCUSS on the show.  After the frustration of listening to Bethenny and Ramona semi-discuss their divorces, being either unwilling or unable to really get into the details, I'm ready to hear someone spill their guts! 

Are you listening, Luann? 

[WireWrap]

3 hours ago, motorcitymom65 said:

I don't believe any of this to be the case because there was a ton of scrutiny before the marriage, but if it were true, why not just say it? Just say, "we really love each other but the pressure of the constant scrutiny is too much. We don't want to live a life that is constantly questioned, probed and analyzed". Sure folks would snark, but that sounds far better than what she said, which was:

"It was impossible. We were having problems and we tried really hard to fix things, and we finally came to the conclusion it was just not going to work."

I mean, that just sounds dumb. And made up. How hard could they have tried to fix things? They got married in January and filed for divorce 8 months later. Unless things had been impossible from the day of the wedding until the day of the divorce filing, how hard and how long could they have been trying? But that is the thing. You never know the truth with Lu, because she is never going to really tell the truth. She is always going to say the thing that she thinks folks find palatable because she is so concerned with how things appear. She does this to herself. 

IMO, her statement and yours are pretty much the same, just that yours goes into detail, something Luann has never done. And I also believe that the scrutiny they were under after the wedding was more than Tom bargained for. I really believe that Luann/Tom thought it would stop after their I do's but it only increased, which led to them fighting all the time and ultimately, the end of the marriage.

[ShawnaLanne]

On 8/21/2017 at 2:37 PM, byrd said:

I know I will be slammed for this comment:
I feel sorry for Romana, she such a loss soul.
Romana needs her husband, she may never completely recover from the loss of her marriage.
Everything about her reflects that loss, and she needs it for completion, she can talk a good game but her behavior says otherwise: LuAnn is the same way, searching for love in the wrong place. These women identify themselves through their husbands , without the male , the don't seem to know who they are.. sad...

I don't think you're wrong and I do have compassion for her....  But,  she was horrible when she was married. If she'd only own her sadness and fear I'd be able to stand her better. 

Edited August 23, 2017 by ShawnaLanne

[motorcitymom65]

10 hours ago, WireWrap said:

IMO, her statement and yours are pretty much the same, just that yours goes into detail, something Luann has never done. And I also believe that the scrutiny they were under after the wedding was more than Tom bargained for. I really believe that Luann/Tom thought it would stop after their I do's but it only increased, which led to them fighting all the time and ultimately, the end of the marriage.

Well, then they are really stupid if they thought the scrutiny would be over after the marriage after so much publicity before the marriage. When they are on a reality TV show. I would assume that I am not alone in knowing folks that made marriages that others thought doomed. It is hardly the practice for folks to just stop looking and wondering after the vows have been taken. Lu just made a really bad marriage and IMO that is the real truth. 

[WireWrap]

25 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

Well, then they are really stupid if they thought the scrutiny would be over after the marriage after so much publicity before the marriage. When they are on a reality TV show. I would assume that I am not alone in knowing folks that made marriages that others thought doomed. It is hardly the practice for folks to just stop looking and wondering after the vows have been taken. Lu just made a really bad marriage and IMO that is the real truth. 

I doubt that the people you personally know are in the public spotlight like the HWs/SO are. LOL As for them underestimating how much scrutiny Tom would get after the wedding, I don't think there has been any other HW to face the likes of it before on any HW show for them to make an informed decision. I also don't think anyone thought Ramona would go to the lengths she did in calling his friends across the country to dig up second hand info/dirt on him after the wedding or invite his ex gf (Missy) to filmed events either. I can't think of any HW that got married after she joined the show that has had this level of people wanting their marriage to publically fail before by fellow cast members, ex gf/bf or the viewers, not 1. That has to be overwhelming to even the most secure couples, let alone 1 that had a rather rocky start like Luann/Tom did.  And really, there was only 1 incident, Tom/the Regency/tonsil hockey, that caused all this speculation/scrutiny to begin with. 

[BBHN]

Quote

And really, there was only 1 incident, Tom/the Regency/tonsil hockey, that caused all this speculation/scrutiny to begin with. 

That we know of...

To me, this all seems a way to absolve Luann and Tom of not just the failure of the marriage, but also to absolve them of the ridiculous relationship to begin with.

Blame the media! Blame the other HWs! Blame the bloggers! Blame the PTV posters! Blame everyone but Tom and Luann.

Just don't blame them for rushing into a marriage neither of them was ready for, or that he couldn't keep his cheating discreet if it was an open marriage (or not cheat at all if it wasn't open, etc).
 

[motorcitymom65]

10 minutes ago, BBHN said:

That we know of...

To me, this all seems a way to absolve Luann and Tom of not just the failure of the marriage, but also to absolve them of the ridiculous relationship to begin with.

Blame the media! Blame the other HWs! Blame the bloggers! Blame the PTV posters! Blame everyone but Tom and Luann.

Just don't blame them for rushing into a marriage neither of them was ready for, or that he couldn't keep his cheating discreet if it was an open marriage (or not cheat at all if it wasn't open, etc).
 

Exactly. Blame everyone except the parties involved. Maybe they should pull a Shannon and blame Vicki. Makes about as much sense IMO. 

[WireWrap]

47 minutes ago, BBHN said:

That we know of...

To me, this all seems a way to absolve Luann and Tom of not just the failure of the marriage, but also to absolve them of the ridiculous relationship to begin with.

Blame the media! Blame the other HWs! Blame the bloggers! Blame the PTV posters! Blame everyone but Tom and Luann.

Just don't blame them for rushing into a marriage neither of them was ready for, or that he couldn't keep his cheating discreet if it was an open marriage (or not cheat at all if it wasn't open, etc).
 

With all the media scrutiny they have gotten these past month had there been anything else, cheating/flirting/more tonsil hockey, it would have been reported on in the gossip rags/tabloids/blog sites or by Ramona IMO. LOL

Of course both Luann and Tom have blame/responsibility in this, being that they got married so quickly and/or that neither thought this through, but I don't think most people's marriages would survive very long with this type of scrutiny, so Yes, I do think this played a big part in the marriage ending.  

Again, as for whether or not he cheated, I suspect that would have been made public or will be soon enough, it's not like he has shown discretion before and I do believe that Luann went into this wanting/expecting a monogamous marriage, not an open one. Who knows, maybe Tom decided that he just couldn't commit to only 1 woman for the rest of his life, some guys are like that no matter who their wife is. I doubt that we will ever know the full story, Luann does like to keep this sort of information private, as do a few other HWs and that is her right. No 1 HW shares every little thing, with the exception of over sharing Shannon (OC) that is. LOL

[Higgins]

I went to high school with Missy Poole LOL !! What a trip!

[KungFuBunny]

On 8/21/2017 at 8:47 PM, hoodooznoodooz said:

So do you think the more reputable entities will continue to interview her? Because I wonder if most of them think the whole thing now looks very sad and desperate.

I really think Lu lives in the moment. She doesn't dwell on the past, but she doesn't look too far into the future either. 

A year or two from now, will she be telling everyone that Tom and she are still very good friends? Will she invite him to her next wedding?

Luann is on a very slippery slope.

I do see Tom demanding money for his appearances on the show for 2 years from Luann. If she pays him then I see the divorce going through with no ripples and Luann can continue in her lie about how much they still love each other - sort of like what she did with The Count.

If Luann doesn't pay up, I can see Tom writing a tell-all about their 'relationship". Then the more reputable entities will be clamoring Luann for a response.

Their on screen relationship, engagement, marriage, divorce did nothing to his extracurricular activities. It's not like any of those things affected Tom's ability to connect with other women. I also don't think it did any damage to his business.

He allegedly preys on older rich women to fund his lifestyle. He believed Luann had wealth and it's the only reason he went through with the marriage. I think she thought the same of him - that he had money and she would forgive all of his indiscretions if she got to live a certain lifestyle.

[KungFuBunny]

13 hours ago, WireWrap said:

IMO, her statement and yours are pretty much the same, just that yours goes into detail, something Luann has never done. And I also believe that the scrutiny they were under after the wedding was more than Tom bargained for. I really believe that Luann/Tom thought it would stop after their I do's but it only increased, which led to them fighting all the time and ultimately, the end of the marriage.

Sorry ww I meant to quote motorcitymom

Edited August 23, 2017 by KungFuBunny

[KungFuBunny]

16 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I fully expect Luann to revisit her cover story explanation for the divorce once she has had a little time to gauge public response to her first set of remarks.  She will adjust her story accordingly, elaborating on exactly what their "problems" were once she decides what type of problems leave her looking best.  It's really a matter of what version of the "truth" she decides will be best received.   She is probably reading these boards right now, trying to decide lol

One thing I know we won't be hearing is that one of them married the other for money and left after learning there was little money to be had.  That would look terrible, lol. I doubt she will admit she was cheated on again.  That's too humiliating.  And no way will we ever hear Luann admit she was desperate for a husband because she doesn't know how to live without a man, or that it was all just bullshit from the get-go because she desperately needed a storyline.  Those things are too likely to be true to ever be spoken of in public. 

I think she will come up with something fairly sympathetic (yet not overly pathetic) that will allow her to look innocent but not like a total fool - something like she just couldn't get her kids to warm up to Tom and it was all just too much with the pressure of being in the public eye, which Tom was not used to.  Something that suggests it was not really anyone's fault, they were in love and wanted to make it work, but it was simply not meant to be. 

I still think it will play out depending on how TOM plays it.

What is to prevent him from writing a tell all book for some coins?

I also believe Tom was VERY conscious of the cameras and mics and did all those unflattering things on purpose.

[WireWrap]

5 minutes ago, KungFuBunny said:

It's actually less. They married on December 31, 2016 (His birthday, New Years Eve and their wedding date) and he filed August 3rd or 5th, 2017. It's 7 months and less than a week.

Now they were living together since the engagement in February 2016. So for those 10 months before the wedding - they didn't see it was impossible already yet still decided to marry?

What? I'm not sure of what you are responding to in my post. LOL What is "less"? 

[motorcitymom65]

2 hours ago, WireWrap said:

I doubt that the people you personally know are in the public spotlight like the HWs/SO are. LOL As for them underestimating how much scrutiny Tom would get after the wedding, I don't think there has been any other HW to face the likes of it before on any HW show for them to make an informed decision. I also don't think anyone thought Ramona would go to the lengths she did in calling his friends across the country to dig up second hand info/dirt on him after the wedding or invite his ex gf (Missy) to filmed events either. I can't think of any HW that got married after she joined the show that has had this level of people wanting their marriage to publically fail before by fellow cast members, ex gf/bf or the viewers, not 1. That has to be overwhelming to even the most secure couples, let alone 1 that had a rather rocky start like Luann/Tom did.  And really, there was only 1 incident, Tom/the Regency/tonsil hockey, that caused all this speculation/scrutiny to begin with. 

Well, no, but they weren't under a major public spotlight before, because they weren't semi-famous people. My point is that it remains fairly consistent, as it did for Lu and Tom. I believe it was ZM who posted the number of articles before they were married and the ones after (but before they filed for divorce) and there were more before than after. 

I think saying that the HW's wanted the marriage to publicly fail is lumping them all in with Ramona. She is the one who was inviting (supposedly - I have no idea if it was her or production) Missy to things. For the most part, the conversation about Lu and the big fat mistake she was making was all before the wedding. I didn't hear much after the wedding. Sure, you had Dorinda telling her to stop bragging about her great marriage, but I don't remember anyone sitting around with her trying to make her see reality after the vows were exchanged. They just seemed to roll with it all. I don't even recall that much media stuff until the slap heard round the world got reported. And many didn't believe that there was trouble in paradise then. And there was. 

[WireWrap]

Just now, KungFuBunny said:

I still think it will play out depending on how TOM plays it.

What is to prevent him from writing a tell all book for some coins?

I also believe Tom was VERY conscious of the cameras and mics and did all those unflattering things on purpose.

Tom would have had to sign a contract and according to Alex, they can't write a tell all, otherwise it would have been done long ago by any number of former HWs/SO's or even a FOH that didn't like how they were portrayed on the show. Bravo knows to protect themselves from anyone pulling the curtain back exposing the 4th wall antics. 

[KungFuBunny]

17 hours ago, motorcitymom65 said:

I don't believe any of this to be the case because there was a ton of scrutiny before the marriage, but if it were true, why not just say it? Just say, "we really love each other but the pressure of the constant scrutiny is too much. We don't want to live a life that is constantly questioned, probed and analyzed". Sure folks would snark, but that sounds far better than what she said, which was:

"It was impossible. We were having problems and we tried really hard to fix things, and we finally came to the conclusion it was just not going to work."

I mean, that just sounds dumb. And made up. How hard could they have tried to fix things? They got married in January and filed for divorce 8 months later. Unless things had been impossible from the day of the wedding until the day of the divorce filing, how hard and how long could they have been trying? But that is the thing. You never know the truth with Lu, because she is never going to really tell the truth. She is always going to say the thing that she thinks folks find palatable because she is so concerned with how things appear. She does this to herself. 

It's actually less. They married on December 31, 2016 (His birthday, New Years Eve and their wedding date) and he filed August 3rd or 5th, 2017. It's 7 months and less than a week.

Now they were living together since the engagement in February 2016. So for those 10 months before the wedding - they didn't see it was impossible already yet still decided to marry?

[motorcitymom65]

5 minutes ago, WireWrap said:

Tom would have had to sign a contract and according to Alex, they can't write a tell all, otherwise it would have been done long ago by any number of former HWs/SO's or even a FOH that didn't like how they were portrayed on the show. Bravo knows to protect themselves from anyone pulling the curtain back exposing the 4th wall antics. 

He wouldn't have to reveal 4th wall antics. He could just dish on Lu. I cannot imagine there is any Bravo contract that stops him from selling dirt about his wife. Just because no one has done it can't mean that he does not own the type of character that would allow him to do something like that. We've also not seen a dude remove his mic while talking to his ex-girlfriend on camera while his wife was 20 feet away. He did that which certainly means he could do something else. 

Edited August 23, 2017 by motorcitymom65

[WireWrap]

1 minute ago, motorcitymom65 said:

Well, no, but they weren't under a major public spotlight before, because they weren't semi-famous people. My point is that it remains fairly consistent, as it did for Lu and Tom. I believe it was ZM who posted the number of articles before they were married and the ones after (but before they filed for divorce) and there were more before than after. 

I think saying that the HW's wanted the marriage to publicly fail is lumping them all in with Ramona. She is the one who was inviting (supposedly - I have no idea if it was her or production) Missy to things. For the most part, the conversation about Lu and the big fat mistake she was making was all before the wedding. I didn't hear much after the wedding. Sure, you had Dorinda telling her to stop bragging about her great marriage, but I don't remember anyone sitting around with her trying to make her see reality after the vows were exchanged. They just seemed to roll with it all. I don't even recall that much media stuff until the slap heard round the world got reported. And many didn't believe that there was trouble in paradise then. And there was. 

There were comments/digs made about their marriage by Bethenny, Carole, Sonja and Ramona after the wedding, not just Ramona. It was only the last few episodes that Luann's/Tom's marriage was fodder for the show this season. There were reports of Tom going to bars without Luann as well as reports of him talking to other women when Luann wasn't present. 

Yes, Ramona wanted the marriage to fail as did a sizable number of viewers, more than any other HW IMO. 

[KungFuBunny]

2 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

He wouldn't have to reveal 4th wall antics. He could just dish on Lu. I cannot imagine there is any Bravo contract that stops him from selling dirt about his wife. Just because no one has done it can't mean that he does not own the type of character that would allow him to do something like that. We've also not seen a dude remove his mic while talking to his ex-girlfriend on camera while his wife was 20 feet away. He did that which certainly means he could do something else. 

Exactly, I wasn't talking about Bravo show behind the scenes stuff. I was talking about the state of their relationship from beginning to end. That has nothing to do with the RHONY show.

[WireWrap]

1 minute ago, motorcitymom65 said:

He wouldn't have to reveal 4th wall antics. He could just dish on Lu. I cannot imagine there is any Bravo contract that stops him from selling dirt about his wife. Just because no one has done it can't mean that he does not own the type of character that would allow him to do something like that. We've also not seen a dude remove his mic while talking to his ex-girlfriend on camera while his wife was 20 feet away. He did that which certainly means he could do something else. 

I don't think he could write such a book without talking about the show, it played a big part in their relationship from early on through to the end. Also, I don't see Tom as the famewhore that others seem to do, I just don't. I think he fell in love/lust (your choice) with Luann despite her being on the show and found out that he couldn't be the husband she wanted/needed and by that I mean that he couldn't be with just 1 woman for any length of time. 

[motorcitymom65]

3 minutes ago, WireWrap said:

There were comments/digs made about their marriage by Bethenny, Carole, Sonja and Ramona after the wedding, not just Ramona. It was only the last few episodes that Luann's/Tom's marriage was fodder for the show this season. There were reports of Tom going to bars without Luann as well as reports of him talking to other women when Luann wasn't present. 

Yes, Ramona wanted the marriage to fail as did a sizable number of viewers, more than any other HW IMO. 

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I didn't want their marriage to fail, I just believed that it would. Because, well, it was kind of evident from the beginning that it would. 

[motorcitymom65]

3 minutes ago, KungFuBunny said:

Exactly, I wasn't talking about Bravo show behind the scenes stuff. I was talking about the state of their relationship from beginning to end. That has nothing to do with the RHONY show.

Yep. There might be all kinds of good stuff he could reveal. And since I believe now and believed from the beginning that he is a dick, he could do it if it meant that he could extend his small time fame or make a buck. Probably all depends on how ugly this thing gets. Might not get ugly at all and they remain friends (if they are actually still friends and care about each other). For starters, he could clear up their first meeting. The allegation being that Lu introduced herself with something like "it's my turn". Would be interesting to know if that were in fact true, since it goes to what Lu did know about the others before the fact. 

But then, since I think he was probably in on this whole deal from the beginning - the fake storyline - more than likely he will just slink away as per their agreement from the start. 

[BBHN]

Quote

With all the media scrutiny they have gotten these past month had there been anything else, cheating/flirting/more tonsil hockey, it would have been reported on in the gossip rags/tabloids/blog sites or by Ramona IMO. LOL

Or not. Not everything that happens will get caught on tape. None of us expected them to get a divorce, as the state of their crumbling marriage wasn't reported on, either. Of course, maybe we should have just listened to Mizrahi.

Quote

but I don't think most people's marriages would survive very long with this type of scrutiny, so Yes, I do think this played a big part in the marriage ending.  

Nope. Marriages don't fall apart because of media scrutiny. If Tom and Luann were happuly married, the media scrutiny would have had zero effect on their marriage. Keep the blame where it should be.

Quote

I do believe that Luann went into this wanting/expecting a monogamous marriage, not an open one. Who knows, maybe Tom decided that he just couldn't commit to only 1 woman for the rest of his life, some guys are like that no matter who their wife is.

Too bad they didn't have a 10 month engagement to sort all of that out...

Quote

I think saying that the HW's wanted the marriage to publicly fail is lumping them all in with Ramona. She is the one who was inviting (supposedly - I have no idea if it was her or production) Missy to things. For the most part, the conversation about Lu and the big fat mistake she was making was all before the wedding. I didn't hear much after the wedding. Sure, you had Dorinda telling her to stop bragging about her great marriage, but I don't remember anyone sitting around with her trying to make her see reality after the vows were exchanged. They just seemed to roll with it all. I don't even recall that much media stuff until the slap heard round the world got reported. And many didn't believe that there was trouble in paradise then. And there was. 

This.

Quote

Yes, Ramona wanted the marriage to fail as did a sizable number of viewers, more than any other HW IMO. 

Which has nothing to do with their marriage imploding.

[KungFuBunny]

45 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I didn't want their marriage to fail, I just believed that it would. Because, well, it was kind of evident from the beginning that it would. 

I may be in the minority, but I don't think Ramona wanted their marriage to fail. She just wanted to be on the I told you so train.

I also see nothing wrong with inviting Missy to events on the show, after all SONJA is a regular HW cast member and she is on every episode. Sonja is the one who never stopped making comments about Tom. Even this season after Luann and Tom were already married, Sonja continued to do press and made snide comments on the show. Example on her pubic hair zap session...what does she do...she says why didn't Tom tell me it was the in thing to do (being bare down south) This implies that Sonja and Tom had a recent hookup. There was no reason for her to not say Frenchie as that who was on the show as her "lover". Having Sonja on every week making comments whether they were in her TH shots or on the show happened more often than the 3 events Missy was at (The bar with Ramona, Ramona's apt party and Tinsley's fuck you party)

37 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

Yep. There might be all kinds of good stuff he could reveal. And since I believe now and believed from the beginning that he is a dick, he could do it if it meant that he could extend his small time fame or make a buck. Probably all depends on how ugly this thing gets. Might not get ugly at all and they remain friends (if they are actually still friends and care about each other). For starters, he could clear up their first meeting. The allegation being that Lu introduced herself with something like "it's my turn". Would be interesting to know if that were in fact true, since it goes to what Lu did know about the others before the fact. 

But then, since I think he was probably in on this whole deal from the beginning - the fake storyline - more than likely he will just slink away as per their agreement from the start. 

Yeah but what was in it for him from the beginning - money. If she doesn't pay him, all bets are off.