S09.E20: Reunion Part 1

[motorcitymom65]

5 minutes ago, KungFuBunny said:

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

I agree, which is why I think it all depends on how ugly this gets. Lu won't want to hurl too many accusations at him because he could open up the vault. Better to say they married too quickly, didn't know each other well enough, didn't want the same things. Or just blame everyone else and their constant chatter for the failure. 

[LIMOM]

6 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. 

Apparently, he was busted again.

while, Luann was at Jill's charity event, he was spotted at a bar with a woman.

She had to call it quit at this point, imo because, he simply did not respect her whatsoever.

She hoped for the best and it went left real quick.

Plus if he was an asshole to her kids, forget it. His dick is not that special.

[WireWrap]

43 minutes ago, LIMOM said:

Apparently, he was busted again.

while, Luann was at Jill's charity event, he was spotted at a bar with a woman.

She had to call it quit at this point, imo because, he simply did not respect her whatsoever.

She hoped for the best and it went left real quick.

Plus if he was an asshole to her kids, forget it. His dick is not that special.

I think that time and finding out about him de-mic'ing at the season finale to talk with Missy were the final nails in that marriage. I think they fought a lot during the marriage because he wanted her to quit the show because he saw the show as the problem for all the scrutiny he was under, not his questionable behavior.  Luann didn't want to quit and saw his behavior as the bigger problem. Neither was going to change their mind, hence the divorce. 

[SCS]

2 hours ago, WireWrap said:

I I think they fought a lot during the marriage because he wanted her to quit the show because he saw the show as the problem for all the scrutiny he was under, not his questionable behavior.  Luann didn't want to quit and saw his behavior as the bigger problem. Neither was going to change their mind, hence the divorce. 

 

But we never saw or read or heard anything that indicated Tom in any way wanted Lu to quit the show. He entered into the relationship, such as it was, with someone who had established herself as a D-levelebrity.  To your second point: Of course, she didn't want to quit -- HWs is her identity and she likes the money and bennies it generates, ergo she will never give up her apple voluntarily, IMO.

[nexxie]

Jeez, what do all these women see in Tom?! Are they really so desperate?

[smores]

So my husband has this friend who got married and I looked at him and said that I thought things wouldn't last, because the wife was quite a bit younger and had gone right from high school to living with this guy while in college to being married.  She is now married to someone else.  Another friend of his had cheated in every relationship he'd ever had, including on the person he was marrying in the 3 times they'd been together.  They are also no longer together, and when they were marrying, both of us had doubts about how long it would last.  Yet another friend, well, his wife is batshit crazy, and even her husband thinks so.  I can't see this one lasting, based on her behavior, but, he's currently giving it a good try.  I say all this because in none of those cases was I actively rooting for the marriage to fail, I was just looking around and observing that there were issues that I saw from the outside and I thought it would be challenging for the two people to be married.  

I think this is where most of the women were with Tom.  (Ramona, not as much)  They heard the rumors, the rumblings, they could see the issues from the outside and when you do, you kind of say to yourself, huh, not so sure this is gonna make it.  Since Luann is on tv, it adds a whole extra layer of stuff to it, but, this kind of thing happens everyday to normal people.  It's just that in our cases, I look at my husband and say what I'm thinking, or he tells me about how the guy has cheated on everyone, so he doesn't see how he's not going to do it now, etc.  With Luann, there are cameras involved and a large viewing audience.

[rehoboth]

6 hours ago, KungFuBunny said:

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)

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

This divorce has to be about the money.  There is nothing - n o t h i n g - that he didn't know about her and she didn't know about him, character-wise, before the wedding.  Lu is an open  book to all us howives fans - she's self-absorbed, she loves to party (Sorry Noel Mommy's going out again - see you tomorrow), she likes to be married but loves new men in her life, etc...  And Tom is a real Howife fan.  He certainly knew all these things about her if not from the show than from the inbred society of the UES of NYC. The same goes for Luann.  If she didn't know Tom's character through years of his dating the entire UES, then she knew it from aforementioned Howives who explicitly told her about his shady character.

We may never know the monetary details unlike their respective morals which have been UES fodder for decades but my bet is something gone wrong in that area.  Follow the money.

[WireWrap]

1 hour ago, SCS said:

 

But we never saw or read or heard anything that indicated Tom in any way wanted Lu to quit the show. He entered into the relationship, such as it was, with someone who had established herself as a D-levelebrity.  To your second point: Of course, she didn't want to quit -- HWs is her identity and she likes the money and bennies it generates, ergo she will never give up her apple voluntarily, IMO.

We also haven't read/heard anything that indicated that he married to inherit money or because Luann thought he was wealthy or he thought she was wealthy either, it is all speculation by all of us because Luann never reveals personal info of this nature. All we know is that Luann said they fought and that they couldn't get past the fighting and are now divorcing. LOL

[SCS]

1 hour ago, WireWrap said:

We also haven't read/heard anything that indicated that he married to inherit money or because Luann thought he was wealthy or he thought she was wealthy either, it is all speculation by all of us because Luann never reveals personal info of this nature. All we know is that Luann said they fought and that they couldn't get past the fighting and are now divorcing. LOL

 

But that's not all we know. To the first bolded: We know from watching and reading that Lu was thrilled to bits to marry a penthou-- sorry, to marry a man with a penthouse. And a condo in West Pum Beach. And the yacht thing, too, of course. So maybe Lu never said the words "I think he is wealthy" but she definitely babbled on about what he could bankroll. Whether or not that's talking about his perceived wealth is for interpretation. To the second bolded: I think Lu reveals lots of personal info -- for example we know she bailed on her live-in to take up with the Count, we know she likes to share a good strong drink with pirates and foliage, we know that extra row of teeth make her a popular dame, hell, we know she and one of her cuddles were um, acquainted with crabs back in the Italy days. But going back to your comment upthread --

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I think they fought a lot during the marriage because he wanted her to quit the show because he saw the show as the problem for all the scrutiny he was under

-- Tom seemed fine with her (and his) time in the spotlight. Maybe he just didn't like her all that much once the deal was done.

[jumper sage]

I saw the price tag on Ramona shoe!  How tacky!  Your know everyone on the crew saw it and just let it happen.

Edited August 24, 2017 by jumper sage

[WireWrap]

51 minutes ago, SCS said:

 

But that's not all we know. To the first bolded: We know from watching and reading that Lu was thrilled to bits to marry a penthou-- sorry, to marry a man with a penthouse. And a condo in West Pum Beach. And the yacht thing, too, of course. So maybe Lu never said the words "I think he is wealthy" but she definitely babbled on about what he could bankroll. Whether or not that's talking about his perceived wealth is for interpretation. To the second bolded: I think Lu reveals lots of personal info -- for example we know she bailed on her live-in to take up with the Count, we know she likes to share a good strong drink with pirates and foliage, we know that extra row of teeth make her a popular dame, hell, we know she and one of her cuddles were um, acquainted with crabs back in the Italy days. But going back to your comment upthread --

-- Tom seemed fine with her (and his) time in the spotlight. Maybe he just didn't like her all that much once the deal was done.

She was thrilled to marry Tom, not his penthouse/WPB house! Good grief, they try to show all the HWs houses/apartments on all the HW shows and that was where Luann was living after they married, it made sense for them to show it. Luann owns her own Hamptons beach house, which is actually on the water and Tom doesn't own a "yacht", that was rented but Luann owns her own boat that she keeps at her dock at her H house. If Luann really wanted to marry for money, she would have set her sights on Harry, who is set to inherit big time from his elderly parents. LOL 
Tom and Luann lived together for almost a year before they married, I am sure he knew her well enough by then. 

[SCS]

1 hour ago, WireWrap said:

She was thrilled to marry Tom, not his penthouse/WPB house! Good grief, they try to show all the HWs houses/apartments on all the HW shows and that was where Luann was living after they married, it made sense for them to show it. Luann owns her own Hamptons beach house, which is actually on the water and Tom doesn't own a "yacht", that was rented but Luann owns her own boat that she keeps at her dock at her H house.  LOL 
 

 

I know the yacht was rented. We all know the yacht was rented. The fact that it was rented didn't stop Lu's major *squeee!!!* before the party. On the rented yacht. That remained berthed in the deliciously paludal Florida air. 

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If Luann really wanted to marry for money, she would have set her sights on Harry, who is set to inherit big time from his elderly parents.LOL

IMO,  she wanted a man who hadn't already been had by many of the women she -- O, wait, never mind, carry on with a big LOL.

 

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I am sure he knew her well enough by then.

Well, clearly not.

[RedheadZombie]

12 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. 

Lu was the one who used the word, "affair", and I just don't see her considering a kiss an affair.

[BBHN]

Quote

I know the yacht was rented. We all know the yacht was rented. The fact that it was rented didn't stop Lu's major *squeee!!!* before the party. On the rented yacht. That remained berthed in the deliciously paludal Florida air. 

A (rented) yacht in (West) Palm Beach! Whoppee!

[Celia Rubenstein]

1 minute ago, BBHN said:

A (rented) yacht in (West) Palm Beach! Whoppee!

That never left the dock, snort.

Even Alex and Simon eventually left the dock after they kicked all the guests off their rented yacht. 

[Mrs peel]

21 hours ago, nexxie said:

Jeez, what do all these women see in Tom?! Are they really so desperate?

http://observer.com/2013/06/dating-tips-for-uptown-divorcees/

Someone on the old site once mentioned Richard Kirshenbaum, who writes a column on the rich for the NY Observer.  He's very funny.  This article is about how UES divorcees need to be "realistic" about the next guy.

Yeah, sadly Tom might be a catch (though obviously he won't stay caught).

[nexxie]

15 minutes ago, Mrs peel said:

http://observer.com/2013/06/dating-tips-for-uptown-divorcees/

Someone on the old site once mentioned Richard Kirshenbaum, who writes a column on the rich for the NY Observer.  He's very funny.  This article is about how UES divorcees need to be "realistic" about the next guy.

Yeah, sadly Tom might be a catch (though obviously he won't stay caught).

"As one recently divorced hedge funder told me: "Being married to a smart, opinionated woman is work! Now I just want tits on a stick, a blonde wig and someone to tell me I’m great when I get home.""

YIKES!

[Mrs peel]

34 minutes ago, nexxie said:

"As one recently divorced hedge funder told me: "Being married to a smart, opinionated woman is work! Now I just want tits on a stick, a blonde wig and someone to tell me I’m great when I get home.""

YIKES!

He's a good writer, I bought his book (which includes a bunch of the columns) on Amazon.  It's pretty funny.  I don't know the UES enough to figure out who anyone is, sadly.

He has another column about how the new divorce is no divorce.  People just live separate lives, saves on litigation costs and, for at least one of the husbands, gives him an out when a girlfriend wants to get married. 

For those who were debating whether Dorinda does drugs, he has another column on the drug use on the UES, including drug dealers who make house calls.

Edited August 24, 2017 by Mrs peel

[jumper sage]

@Mrs peel thanks for the article and the author.  Am off to search for his books and other writings.

[Mrs peel]

5 hours ago, jumper sage said:

@Mrs peel thanks for the article and the author.  Am off to search for his books and other writings.

No problem, heck someone else in the boards turned me into him.  The book is on Amazon, pretty cheap on kindle as I recall.  I think it's called "Isn't that Rich?  Life among the 1%".   I think all the articles can be accessed on the newspaper website.  And hey, this relates to the reunion, as the owner of the paper is Jared kushner.

[HunterHunted]

On 8/23/2017 at 4:23 PM, nexxie said:

Jeez, what do all these women see in Tom?! Are they really so desperate?

On 8/24/2017 at 1:36 PM, Mrs peel said:

http://observer.com/2013/06/dating-tips-for-uptown-divorcees/

Someone on the old site once mentioned Richard Kirshenbaum, who writes a column on the rich for the NY Observer.  He's very funny.  This article is about how UES divorcees need to be "realistic" about the next guy.

Yeah, sadly Tom might be a catch (though obviously he won't stay caught).

 

This reminded of this article from a couple of years ago. Kelly Bensimon was quoted in the piece talking about the most eligible bachelor in NYC. He was newly single and everyone was desperately trying to catch him.

Quote

I know a lot of people are enthusiastic that he is single,” says unattached socialite Kelly Bensimon, who compares Lauder to Aristotle Onassis. “He’s well-bred, well-fed and well-read. He’s iconic. It’s rare when a Mr. Lauder is single.”

He is a billionaire. He's also in his 80s.

http://pagesix.com/2014/01/23/meet-nycs-hottest-bachelor/

I think these are the realities of New York and the Upper East Side.

Edited August 25, 2017 by HunterHunted

[Yours Truly]

On 8/21/2017 at 6:24 PM, Celia Rubenstein said:

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

I didn't say it was entertaining I said I was in awe. I mean it's so intriguing to watch nature  in action. Shocking on so many different levels how enjoyable some people find in hating someone so much that they take pleasure in twisting the knife. To me that's all sorts of mind boggling and let's face it the easiest snack to enjoy while not being able to look away is popcorn.. LOL 

On 8/21/2017 at 6:22 PM, BBHN said:

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

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.

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

I wouldn't be glad to learn anything like that about anyone. Oh well different strokes and all that.. ??

Edited August 28, 2017 by Yours Truly

[BBHN]

Quote

I would be glad to learn anything like that about anyone. Oh well different strokes and all that.. ??

Yeah, when you see the bullshit for what it really is, it is enlightening.

[Yours Truly]

On 8/23/2017 at 8:44 AM, 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).
 

Absolve seems like a very strong word to use. At the end of the day why on earth do two people need to be absolved for their own relationship not working out and to who? That seems very odd to me but then again it does describe how most of the cast treated lu. As if she constantly needed to make amends for speaking highly of her own relationship cause in some bizarro universe that's some sort of crime...??? Even if it was loaded with a bunch of land-minds one doesn't need absolution for presenting a more positive narrative of their marriage. 

That lu always has to answer to someone OR ELSE is one of the most distasteful staples of this franchisee for me. 

And the pleasure these women take in it is another displeasure.

yuck.

Edited August 28, 2017 by Yours Truly

[motorcitymom65]

31 minutes ago, Yours Truly said:

That lu always has to answer to someone OR ELSE is one of the most distasteful staples of this franchisee for me. 

 

Or else what? When has another woman demanded that she come clean about something "or else"? 

[Celia Rubenstein]

19 minutes ago, Yours Truly said:

I didn't say it was entertaining I said I was in awe. I mean it's so intriguing to watch nature  in action. Shocking on so many different levels how enjoyable some people find in hating someone so much that they take pleasure in twisting the knife. .. LOL 

In awe, entertained, intrigued, whatever ... I myself found it boring and tiresome. Just more of the same Andy Cohen-esque misogynistic crap view of women in which we are all catty, jealous vipers who can't stand to see someone else happy and do nothing but hiss at each other and, as you say, twist knives in each other all day long. The way women are portrayed on this show has so little similarity to the women I know in real life that it sometimes feels like I am watching a show about life on another planet. I don't find that aspect of the show intriguing at all. 

 

Quote

To me that's all sorts of mind boggling and let's face it the easiest snack to enjoy while not being able to look away is popcorn

The only thing about it that is mind-boggling to me is that more people don't see it for what it is and find it offensive.  Or at least take it as the joke it is. 

I mean, let's take Ramona ... putting out feelers and digging up dirt on her "friend's" fiance, going so far as to start including the fiance's ex to events just to screw with Luann ... in the real world, Ramona would be excoriated by the women in her social circle for such cruel antics.  But is's just par for the course on this show.  Women behaving like shrews and harpies makes for better TV in the opinion of the powers that be at Bravo. It's a shame because some people do take it as reality and find it to be a fascinating reveal of female nature. But I think a person might as well be watching The Flintstones and taking it as a realistic view of what life was like in the Stone Age as watching this show and thinking it says anything at all about the nature of modern American women. It has that little to do with real women, imo.  YMMV

[BBHN]

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Absolve seems like a very strong word to use

But oh so appropriate when one is trying to blame the break-up of the marriage on everyone BUT the two people who are responsible, ie, Tom and Luann.

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As if she constantly needed to make amends for speaking highly of her own relationship cause in some bizarro universe that's some sort of crime

It isn't, but at least make sure the relationship lives up to all the hype you are spreading about it.

Quote

Even if it was loaded with a bunch of land-minds one doesn't need absolution for presenting a more positive narrative of their marriage. 

You can throw pearls and lipstick on swine as much as you want...at the end of the say, it is still going say "oink oink".

Quote

That lu always has to answer to someone OR ELSE is one of the most distasteful staples of this franchisee for me. 

Who is this someone? And what is the OR ELSE? Luann isn't being tasked to answer to anyone...just to be honest.

Quote

And the pleasure these women take in it is another displeasure.

The only one that I thought to take some sort of pleasure was Ramona.

Quote

But I think a person might as well be watching The Flintstones and taking it as a realistic view of what life was like in the Stone Age

Well, thanks for ruining that for me, Celia.

Edited August 28, 2017 by BBHN

[Yours Truly]

45 minutes ago, motorcitymom65 said:

Or else what? When has another woman demanded that she come clean about something "or else"? 

Or else they end up digging.... making accusations, yelling at her, barking at her, pretty much raking her over the coals.

Thats what I mean.

[Yours Truly]

19 minutes ago, BBHN said:

But oh so appropriate when one is trying to blame the break-up of the marriage on everyone BUT the two people who are responsible, ie, Tom and Luann.

It isn't, but at least make sure the relationship lives up to all the hype you are spreading about it.

You can throw pearls and lipstick on swine as much as you want...at the end of the say, it is still going say "oink oink".

Who is this someone? And what is the OR ELSE? Luann isn't being tasked to answer to anyone...just to be honest.

The only one that I thought to take some sort of pleasure was Ramona.

Well, thanks for ruining that for me, Celia.

Did lu blame anyone? I personally think outside factors outside of what they as a couple were comfortable had an affect but has lu run around and blamed the cast? 

Makes sure it lives up to the hype or else.....??? 

To the amusement of some I guess. 

Not being tasked???? All they ever do is ask lu question after question after question after question. Needing explanations official statements about the status of her relationship. I think that was the bulk of her interaction with the cast and Andy  these last two seasons or am I imagining all that? 

Edited August 28, 2017 by Yours Truly

[BBHN]

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Did lu blame anyone? I personally think outside factors outside of what they as a couple were comfortable had an affect but has lu run around and blamed the cast? 

I was talking about on here, how people were blaming the media, the blogs, the HWs, the public scrutiny of it all! for the demise of Lu and Tom's marriage. People were absolving Lu and Tom for the failure of their sham marriage by throwing the blame around to others.

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Makes sure it lives up to the hype or else.....??? 

I dunno, quit talking about it so much? Or at least stop trying to make it sound like it was the greatest love story in the history of time.

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All they ever do is ask lu question after question after question after question. Needing explanations official statements about the status of her relationship

Well, when you see someone going ahead and marrying a guy who is rumored to be cheating on them - and in one instance, there is actual photographic evidence of said cheating - your curiosity about the relationship will be piqued. Especially when that someone keeps going on and on and on and on and on about how perfect the marriage is, and how everyone else is just a jealous shrew...

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I think that was the bulk of her interaction with the cast and Andy  these last two seasons or am I imagining all that? 

I guess that was all she had going on in her life.

[Celia Rubenstein]

8 minutes ago, Yours Truly said:

All they ever do is ask lu question after question after question after question. Needing explanations official statements about the status of her relationship. I think that was the bulk of her interaction with the cast and Andy  these last two seasons or am I imagining all that? 

Buy WHY is Luann always being singled out to explain things about her relationship?

Could it be because she is the biggest bullshitter this show has ever seen?  And people are a wee bit tired of humoring her the way they did early on when everyone knew she had an open marriage but no one called her on it?  And they have no patience listening to her go on and on now, talking about her fabulous relationship with her "Rose" when they know suspect he is a cheating cad with no money who uses one woman after another? 

Luann essentially invited people to discuss her relationship by bringing it up constantly and making it a subject for discussion ... you can't mention your great happiness in every other sentence and expect people to just bite their tongues every single time if they think what you are saying is a hot steaming load of delusion.  Especially if YOU KNOW everyone else thinks your relationship is a doomed joke.  She brought it on herself.  

[hoodooznoodooz]

Does anyone else laugh, when Ramona is explaining her rather recent boob job, she says, "Most women get their boobs done when they're in their 30s..." Andy is nodding and asks, "Is that what most women do?" And he seems so earnest and just curious; there is not a hint of snark or ridicule. I laugh every time I watch that.