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S03.E01: Your Amygdala Is Showing


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3 minutes ago, Jel said:

I think the thing that strikes me as the most odd is that, according to the People story, the adoption agency was "trying to find a home" (sort of implies some difficulty) for the baby. As far as I know, there's never a shortage of homes, just a shortage of infants available for adoption.  And Brandi said they weren't even looking to adopt, so they weren't even waiting at all. She just got a "do you want a baby boy?" call from Stephanie. 

Of course the main thing is that it worked out well for the baby, he ended up in a loving family, and that's the goal.  But if that's the whole story, it seems a little unorthodox, to say the least.

I'm definitely glad the baby found a loving home, but I agree that it seems weird. Friends of ours back west adopted from other friends they knew, who were going through a rough time. They still had to go through allllll the red tape. Home visits. Tons of paper work, etc. 

Here's what I'm confused about (and I'm admit I know little about adoption) - the article says that the teen parents immediately turned the baby over to the state. So would the government then place the child in an adoption agency? Why was it a private adoption agency trying to place the baby and not social services? What DOES the state typically do if a baby is born and the parents haven't already lined up adoptive parents. I guess I'm just confused over the cross-over between the state and this adoption agency. 

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3 hours ago, Jel said:

I think the thing that strikes me as the most odd is that, according to the People story, the adoption agency was "trying to find a home" (sort of implies some difficulty) for the baby. As far as I know, there's never a shortage of homes, just a shortage of infants available for adoption.  And Brandi said they weren't even looking to adopt, so they weren't even waiting at all. She just got a "do you want a baby boy?" call from Stephanie. 

Of course the main thing is that it worked out well for the baby, he ended up in a loving family, and that's the goal.  But if that's the whole story, it seems a little unorthodox, to say the least.

There could be tons of reason why the child was hard to place is it completely healthy? Didn't they do a study where it was harder to place redheaded children and sperm banks are turning away guys with red hair because of lack of demand for the red head gene? I'm just throwing out ridiculous things because the rumors that are now being thrown out are just has ridiculous oh he cheated on her and they adopted the baby or its a black market baby lol come on they are on a reality tv show they know 1000000% if that were true it would be drug up if he cheated or they adopted the baby illegally it would be all over the place in 2.4secs  ...There is no way even in the state of Texas they just gave them the baby with no home visit or some red tape ....

Edited by Keywestclubkid
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24 minutes ago, CrinkleCutCat said:

Ps what the heck is an Amygdala?

Seems like I might be able to blame all manner of things on it....

It's part of the limbic system, associated with coding, storing and recalling fear.  It's a physical thing, an area in the brain (not her "mind" as LeeAnne put it, but whatever)  

There's a psychiatrist who does shows on PBS, Dr. Amen I think is his name, who talks a lot about the brain. Maybe she saw one of his shows.

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10 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

There could be tons of reason why the child was hard to place is it completely healthy? Didn't they do a study where it was harder to place redheaded children and sperm banks are turning away guys with red hair because of lack of demand for the red head gene? I'm just throwing out ridiculous things because the rumors that are now being thrown out are just has ridiculous oh he cheated on her and they adopted the baby or its a black market baby lol come on they are on a reality tv show they know 1000000% if that were true it would be drug up if he cheated or they adopted the baby illegally it would be all over the place in 2.4secs  ...

I don't know about the sperm bank thing, but that would be different anyway. That's a situation where a woman picks certain physical attributes and then let's nature take it from there. Not really much different than choosing a partner based on looks.

Adoption has a lot of legal, social, ethical things tied up with it. The state (government) is charged with a responsibility to act in the interests of the child, and in that way, to find the best home for the baby. They use home studies, health studies, background checks, assess financial suitability etc to do that. Or they should, at the very least. Without that it gets into a very scary grey area, and I'll just leave it at that.

I cannot say I have heard of a study about babies with red hair being harder to place. For me, if a potential adoptive parent would not want a child based on something as trivial as hair color, I'd take them off my suitability as an adoptive parent list. Way too shallow.

As for the affair rumors, meh, I wouldn't worry about that. The internet is gonna internet. Ignore.

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I'm thinking that the baby was initially placed with Brandi and Brian as a foster child after some preliminary investigation of their suitability. Then the court process begins to make the adoption official. When they started filming they might not even have been all the way through that process but it's just easier to say "we adopted" than to explain all of that. I don't know how things work in Texas so I am basing this on Ohio law and could very well be wrong. 

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Adoption laws are so wildly all over the place, depending on what state the adoption takes place.  It does seem weird that Brandi got the baby so quickly, but she seems like a loving parent to all of her kids.  But the one reason the baby might not have been easy to place right away is probably because he was in the NICU for a while.  Some people don't have the bandwith to take on emotional investment of something happening to the child in the hospital after they've been waiting years to adopt and dealing with infertility, and it was fortunate for Brandi to be able to take the child (and have the resources for the hospital bills associated with a premature baby).

The best thing of this episode was Rich, riding in the car with LeeAnne, quoting back to her the "they're just hands" line and her eyeroll.  It seemed organic and not in the "drive the catch phrase into the ground" a la Dorinda.

I kinda did like all the shit Dee was talking about D'andra, mostly because I find D'andra tedious and a try-hard.  She wore me out last season bitching about not taking over the cosmetic company.  If she had any sense (and was as accomplished as she claims to be) she would have realized she was in the grips of a sunken cost fallacy situation and bailed years ago to go work somewhere else.

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Shallow posting on the looks of these women:

Stephanie: I used to think she was so beautiful.  But the fillers in her face are swallowing up her eyes and she is looking awful.

LeeAnne:  She's a natural beauty.  Wish she would lighten up her hair, cut some of it off and tone down the makeup.  

D'Andra:  Another that desperately needs to cut her hair.  Shoulder length would look nice on her; also lighten it up a little.  Get rid of those god-awful false eyelashes.

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I’m happy for Brandi and her family- they do seem like devoted parents. The adoption seems atypical- there are usually long waiting lists for newborns and roads of red tape involved . I think I would feel funny about showing my adoption journey on tv- what if the biological family of the baby saw him on the show and changed their minds or harassed them for money?! 

I hope little Bruin is healthy- when babies are born prematurely it can be a waiting game to see if there are any deficits. 

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47 minutes ago, Lizzing said:

The best thing of this episode was Rich, riding in the car with LeeAnne, quoting back to her the "they're just hands" line and her eyeroll.  It seemed organic and not in the "drive the catch phrase into the ground" a la Dorinda.

That was funny! He seems like a cool guy. He also said he likes all the HW's. What the hell is doing with batshit LeeAnne? She must be a 24/7 handful. 

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Is Stephanie trying to have a baby?  I heard her say something about surrogate on the previews?  Maybe she was in line for a baby adoption and when it was a boy - thought nah I don't want another one - and recommended Brandi instead.  If it is private adoption maybe they don't need a lot of structure and lead time. Either that or it's actually the biological kid of her hubby...which would be unreal. 

Edited by jenifaohjenny
typo
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50 minutes ago, jenifaohjenny said:

baby?  I heard her say something about surrogate on the previews?

It could be a red herring because I know she threw a surprise shower for Brandy where the baby was a surprise but last year she did say she wanted a girl so who knows.

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2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I do wonder what D’Andre’s anniversary party would have been like if it wasn’t a filmed event. It did seem over the top for a four year anniversary but she’s rich.

Some of these RH parties are so weird that I think they must be producer-inspired or in their contracts.  Every HW has to have an "event" each season, so this is what D'Andre chose!

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3 hours ago, jenifaohjenny said:

Is Stephanie trying to have a baby?  I heard her say something about surrogate on the previews?  Maybe she was in line for a baby adoption and when it was a boy - thought nah I don't want another one - and recommended Brandi instead.  If it is private adoption maybe they don't need a lot of structure and lead time. Either that or it's actually the biological kid of her hubby...which would be unreal. 

There is something fishy about how fast Brandi got the baby and it has red hair...hmmm.

I have a friend who adopted, went thru a lot of paper work, home visits, etc...it was even recommended that she stay off of social media till everything is settled.  There were so many hoops to jump thru including a 2 week stay in S. Dakota (that is where the baby was born) after the birth.  It was incredibly expensive and time consuming and gut wrenching but it was legal.

So we are supposed to believe that a friend of a friend says come on down and get this baby and that's it?  Like it was a litter of puppies, free to a good home?  

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17 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

There is something fishy about how fast Brandi got the baby and it has red hair...hmmm.

I have a friend who adopted, went thru a lot of paper work, home visits, etc...it was even recommended that she stay off of social media till everything is settled.  There were so many hoops to jump thru including a 2 week stay in S. Dakota (that is where the baby was born) after the birth.  It was incredibly expensive and time consuming and gut wrenching but it was legal.

So we are supposed to believe that a friend of a friend says come on down and get this baby and that's it?  Like it was a litter of puppies, free to a good home?  

But that wasn’t it.  They had home visits and all that and it was a closed private adoption which normally goes much much faster then going through public adoptions. So yes in a private adoption Stephanie was probably offered the boy she has 2 sons already just like Brandi had 2 daughters and wanted a daughter of her own and knew Brandi wanted a son so got them into contact. It’s Not like Brandi stole the baby from another couple or anything everything seems to be 100 % legal. Rich people adopt kids like that all the time I mean it sucks for all the kids in public adoption agencies but it does cut out a lot of the red tape. 

Edited by Keywestclubkid
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Sorry to harp on this is just sad to me personally that something so beautiful has an adoption is being drug through the mud like they did something shady and wrong. It has to be 100% up to snuff especially with them being on a national television show I’m just saying 

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9 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

But that wasn’t it.  They had home visits and all that and it was a closed private adoption which normally goes much much faster then going through public adoptions. So yes in a private adoption Stephanie was probably offered the boy she has 2 sons already just like Brandi had 2 daughters and wanted a daughter of her own and knew Brandi wanted a son so got them into contact what’s wrong with that? Not like Brandi stole the baby from another couple or anything everything seems to be 100 % legal. Rich people adopt kids like that all the time I mean it sucks for all the kids in public adoption agencies but it does cut out a lot of the red tape. 

I did not see the behind the scenes stuff till after I posted...good for them adopting.  

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24 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

Sorry to harp on this is just sad to me personally that something so beautiful has an adoption is being drug through the mud like they did something shady and wrong. It has to be 100% up to snuff especially with them being on a national television show I’m just saying 

 If it wasn't 100% legal you know LeeAnne would be getting her claws in to it and digging for the truth. She and Brandi are not in a good place so what better than to drag Brandi through the mud with how this adoption took place. Yes, I do believe LeeAnne is that low of a snake. 

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7 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

 If it wasn't 100% legal you know LeeAnne would be getting her claws in to it and digging for the truth. She and Brandi are not in a good place so what better than to drag Brandi through the mud with how this adoption took place. Yes, I do believe LeeAnne is that low of a snake. 

Lord baby Jesus could you imagine she would be hiring private eyes and blasting all over social media lol but why god why do I love me some crazy Leanne so much? Lol

Edited by Keywestclubkid
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27 minutes ago, Jenhavins said:

We did a closed adoption through the State of Texas and although we went through a private agency, we opted to also go through a New Beginnings program at the agency where the private agencies work with the state to place children.  We got a call 1 week after we started the process and newborn and his 1 year old sister were placed in our home one week later.  They rushed us through the process to become foster parents and placed the kids in our home.  We had visits once a month for 6 months and then the kids were ours.  We were originally told it could take 2 to 3 years.  it took one week.  We did all the paperwork while they were in our home and the required parenting classes.

I'm just saying if the state or a caseworker finds a forever home for a newborn/child where parental rights are terminated, the state can work with you and move mountains to get those children in the adoptive home.  the swiftness does not surprise me at all, especially in Texas.

Did you plan to have two? Very cool that those babies were kept together - how old are they now?

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I just finished re-watching several seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race, and so my eyes are accustomed to seeing gorgeous faces beat for the gods, so, during the scene where Leeanne and Carey were having coffee, my mind wandered and I was like, "Oh, Leeanne already did her makeup for the maxi challenge. The other one better hurry or she might have to lipsynch for her life. Why isn't the Werk Room pink?" And then I remembered I wasn't watching drag queens. That was some straight-up day drag. Trixie Mattel uses a lighter hand. In one of Stephanie's talking heads I was like, "She's giving us lioness, Barbie-doll, Branson hooker realness!" D'Andra's mom looks like the episode where they bring in the straight guys for the queens to drag up. I kept expecting her to complain about her tuck. 

I think babies who spend time - especially that much time - in the NICU are harder to place. I actually think it's sweet that Brandi didn't even seem to consider it to be an obstacle or a "con" when making the decision. And I don't think it was an "instant" adoption - it seems like they went through some sort of process. Adoptions can get wacky. As long as everyone is happy, cheers. Good on ya, love it up. :) 

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Medically fragile infants are harder to place and may have more stringent requirements for the adoptive. 

OMG, what if the baby’s biological family recognized him on the show? 

The timeline videos of the entire process is on Bravo.com and is worth a watch! I wonder if being on a reality show has any impact on the process? 

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10 minutes ago, Jenhavins said:

No.... we just wanted 1, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.  They are 7 and 8 now.  Everyone wanted the little girl (family members) but nobody wanted siblings 10 1/2 months apart.  

 Lots of IVF and FETs beforehand and decided to get off that train.  Best decision we ever made. 

Such a great story - thanks for sharing!

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58 minutes ago, Jenhavins said:

No.... we just wanted 1, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.  They are 7 and 8 now.  Everyone wanted the little girl (family members) but nobody wanted siblings 10 1/2 months apart.  

 Lots of IVF and FETs beforehand and decided to get off that train.  Best decision we ever made. 

I'm very happy for you!  Thanks for explaining your process, too -- I've also only been aware of the long, drawn-out adoptions.

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2 minutes ago, yourmomiseasy said:

It appears someone told Kameron's kid how cute it was when she said awkward in response to her mom's dog food ramblings last season.

Ha, agreed.  That did not sound like a genuine response from the kid.  Like Kameron gave the bat signal for the kid to say the magic words.

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3 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

Sorry to harp on this is just sad to me personally that something so beautiful has an adoption is being drug through the mud like they did something shady and wrong. It has to be 100% up to snuff especially with them being on a national television show I’m just saying 

Well isn’t that like what we do here...snark and examine shit? YMMV. they are putting themselves out there on TV.  There’s been crazy things hid from the public so I would not doubt anything. I just don’t 100% think it went down they way they are saying...but they know they were about to film and had to say something. 

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27 minutes ago, sasha206 said:

Ha, agreed.  That did not sound like a genuine response from the kid.  Like Kameron gave the bat signal for the kid to say the magic words.

Or she just heard how funny/cute/etc she was so she's going to repeat it over and over.  Kids are like that.  

 

BTW, yay for Dallas starting because I just decided I can't watch OC, so I had a trash sized hole in my viewing schedule.

Edited by yourmomiseasy
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It was sweet how excited Stephanie was for Brandi and how much she wanted to be apart of the baby’s life. I don’t think it was weird that she hadn’t met the baby yet. He had only been there for two weeks. After having my kid, I no longer rush to see babies ASAP because it can be soooo hard at first. 

I really disliked how Court was talking to Kam. It would have been fine to frame it as “Sparkle Dog is not sustainable” but instead he was manipulating the kids into saying she was spending too much time away from them. I’m sure she still spends plenty of time with them. 

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Everyone I know who has adopted has had to keep the new child's face off of social media until the adoption has officially gone through.  So, I was surprised to see that the baby was shown on camera right away (I guess by this time maybe it's official?)  I'm just used to seeing FB pics with stickers over little faces, or pics taken with a baby's face obscured, etc.  

D'Andra and LeeAnne both need a haircut.  In her talking head, I can't figure out what is going on with the black and purple fringe flowing over LeeAnne's shoulder.  Is it her hair? Is it part of her outfit? I want to cut it through the screen regardless, but, I can't figure it out.  

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I had a really good friend that I was super close to who had been struggling to conceive for years.  She would tell me all about her problems conceiving and I would suggest different options, such as surrogacy or adopting, but she never seemed interested.  Lo and behold, on the day of my Christmas party 3 years ago, she doesn't show even though she had RSVP'd and no one knew where she was.

It turns out that while she was crying on my shoulder about not being able to conceive, she and her husband signed up with an adoption agency (that another of my friends works at) and 2 months after signing up, they got the call and had to fly out to pick up the baby.  The whole thing happened super fast and was a surprise to everyone; she hadn't told anyone.  The point is, just because Brandi is not telling us that she and Brian signed up with an an adoption agency prior, doesn't mean that they didn't.  They could have already been screened, done the classes, etc. and were just waiting for the call.

 

Quote

I really disliked how Court was talking to Kam. It would have been fine to frame it as “Sparkle Dog is not sustainable” but instead he was manipulating the kids into saying she was spending too much time away from them. I’m sure she still spends plenty of time with them. 

I don't know what it is about these house husbands but they are awful.  This guy is no different than Shane from RHOC.  Personally, no amount of wealth and comfort is worth being married to an insecure ass like Court with a Napolean comlex or a rat faced ass like Shane who is losing his hair.  At least the less wealthy men on these shows (i.e. Rich and Jeremy) seem nice and supportive.  Also better looking.

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I was shocked I tell ya, shocked when D'Andra walked in to her kitchen in the morning with family there and she had no make up on! I have never seen such a drastic difference in a woman. She is really naturally pretty and looked 15 yrs younger. Not saying she shouldn't wear makeup but she needs to tone it wayyyyyy down. I think her hair was up in a messy bun or ponytail or something. Adorable. She needs a complete makeover and so does Elvira Crystal Gayle LeeAnne.

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10 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

I was shocked I tell ya, shocked when D'Andra walked in to her kitchen in the morning with family there and she had no make up on! I have never seen such a drastic difference in a woman. She is really naturally pretty and looked 15 yrs younger. Not saying she shouldn't wear makeup but she needs to tone it wayyyyyy down. I think her hair was up in a messy bun or ponytail or something. Adorable. She needs a complete makeover and so does Elvira Crystal Gayle LeeAnne.

Agreed! I think she and Leeanne are stunning with much less makeup. Especially the freaking fake eyelashes. I can’t. 

Sparkle Dog is one of the dumbest things, ever. That she can keep a straight face while talking about it is amazing. 

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This franchise is my least favorite, of the one's that I watch, and I wasn't even looking forward to it, but I really enjoyed it and was surprised by how fast it flew by! I loved the Carey and Leanne makeup scene. I think Carey was probably told that if she didn't get along with Leanne this season her future on the show was in jeopardy. I think it reminds me of Bethenny and Carole on NYC, and although it's not quite the same, when Teresa wasn't playing along with the, "Caroline is so wise and fixed all of my problems with me and my brother, " it didn't help Caroline's future in selling books and hosting radio advice programs.

I'm invested in Leanne's redemption arc, and I'm curious why her position on the cast photo has been nudged over by Brandi: That could mean it's a good thing for Leanne, that she gets her anger under control and doesn't create a lot of drama. 

I find the placement of all of the women in the picture interesting: Stephanie and Kameron are in the back, so their storylines are probably going to be boring.  Carey is next to Leanne! Don't they usually put friends next to each other? Does that mean Leanne and Carey are buddies now? I'd really like that.

I am so sick of Kameron's stupid narrative of, "I play the Dumb Blonde role, but I'm actually really smart. I could've had a master's degree but I chose to comply with my wealthy husband's family's antiquated views on being a stay-at-home-mom and housewife. " Not cute, Kam, not impressed either. It's grosse and it's stupid.  If you want to be an entrepreneur, be an entrepreneur.  If you want us to believe that you're smart, show us that you're smart. *yawn* 

Edited by HadleyFields
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I love Dee. As a character, not a person. Ripping on D’Andra’s relationships? Omg! Poor D’Andra!

i wonder why they only see Koen once a  year. I wonder what’s up with the other son.

i thought Kam looked really pretty at the party.

Edited by iloveit
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12 hours ago, sasha206 said:

Ha, agreed.  That did not sound like a genuine response from the kid.  Like Kameron gave the bat signal for the kid to say the magic words.

Yep, the kid sounded like he had been coached by the producer, it was an unnatural response from a child who generally does not have that kind of thought process at that age.  

Kam's husband seems like he does not think highly of his wife's brain power but I have to admit he was right about her not making swag for her dog food line until the brand has a higher profile. I wonder if she could get in to a Petco or the like if she did an appearance and handed out samples or signed on to do a pet expo.  Who knows, maybe even sponsor a local dog show.

LeAnne is nuts, plain and simple, no amount of meditation or yoga will fix crazy, she can stop blaming her amygdala or uvula or her medulla oblongata, girl is nuts.  

Are we betting on the under/over on when we see LeAnne break a wine glass in anger and yell in someone's face?  My guess is episode 5.

Bruin? Really?

Plastic surgery nurse...cool that she runs the laser lab, I bet she is really good at it and all the injectables.  Why do I think we will see yet another HW getting lasered in her lady business on TV?

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1 hour ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Bruin? Really?

 

is that really different then naming your child Copilot or Apple or whatever weird name celbs give their kids?  if the Kardashians can have their kids names all start with a K whats wrong with Brandi having kids with all B's? in the grand scheme of things its not that horrible 

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6 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

is that really different then naming your child Copilot or Apple or whatever weird name celbs give their kids?  if the Kardashians can have their kids names all start with a K whats wrong with Brandi having kids with all B's? in the grand scheme of things its not that horrible 

Bruin means brown in Dutch (says Google), I think Bear would have been cute.

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12 hours ago, Jel said:

Am I the only one who likes Kameron? She's Elle Woods come to life for me.

I like moments from her.

1.  She stood up to Brandi and the dildo in the moment.  #metoo BRANDI.

2.  This is why we use plastic. 

She doesn't grate on my nerves like Cary though!

Why is Rich wearing an eyepatch?  I need an answer people!

ARGGGGGGGGGG!

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1 hour ago, dosodog said:

Why is Rich wearing an eyepatch?  I need an answer people!

ARGGGGGGGGGG!

I just snooped his twitter a bit, there is a recent picture of him with a fan and he is not wearing the eye patch.  There is stuff posted from the May time frame where he was wearing it, and if we aren't being shown wonky timelines D'Andra's anniversary party was in March (per realitytea).  He had surgery on his eye last season, right?  That made him have to retire from DPD?  Maybe he had to have a follow up surgery and wear the patch for a period of time?

Edited by TexasGal
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