Kyle Richards: Pantene Poster Girl

[Lisin]

Full disclosure, Watcher in the Woods was my favourite movie growing up (not to mention Halloween) so it's hard for me to be objective with her. Also her hair is amazing.

[SPLAIN]

I like that she has layered her hair a bit and changed the color. Very nice.

[Lura]

Now, if she'd only cut it.  I'd love to see Kyle in a cute little bob, something akin to Jennifer Aniston, instead of that old-fashioned, down-to-the-waist 3rd grader look.  I shudder to think, though, what would happen when she reached for her hair every ten seconds to give it a pet, and it wasn't there.  She seems to need that rug there to keep her hands busy when she isn't pointing her index finger at people.  .

[izabella]

I've always disliked Kyle, from the beginning, and my opinion of her hasn't improved.  To me, she gives off mean-girl, high school clique vibes, the one who always needs to be the center of attention and have lots of girls to cackle with as they make fun of other people.  That cackling about Brandi when she first showed up with the cast, and then Game Night solidified my impression. 

 

I also wish she would hire a real stylist.  She's not the least bit fat, but she's short with big boobs, and picks clothes that do not fit her well and do not flatter her figure.  It drives me nuts how she always looks uncomfortable in evening clothes, and dresses like the Golden Girls the rest of the time in those caftan blouses.

[izabella]

A little too much cleavage, but yes, that's an example of how she could look much better than she often does.  That dress showed off her narrow waist, and gave her long line.  Plus, with her hair pulled back and the extra height at the crown, she also looks a bit taller and leaner.  Her hair drags her down a little when she leaves it loose.  

[Lura]

I agree with you about Kyle, Izabella.  To me, she is a back-stabbing, camera-hogging, vicious mean girl with the maturity of a 7th grader.  When I saw how mean-spirited she could be at Game Night, that's when she turned me off.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mozelle]

I like Kyle. I don't find her to be any more "mean" than Lisa who has the luxury of her British accent to make everything she says sound absolutely, positively "witty" (when really her "wit" rivals that of a sixth grade boy, and when she's not doing the sixth grade boy form of "wit" she's being quite catty). As for Kyle's hair, a bob would be absolutely atrocious on her. She wore a bobbed wig at Taylor's Roaring Twenties party in season one, and it aged her significantly. 

[motorcitymom65]

I think Kyle can be a mean girl, but I think they all can. Anyone who believes that their life is interesting enough to be beamed into my living room must have a touch of narcissism, and narcissists can have an underbelly of mean running through them, IMO.

I think that Kyle's reputation as a mean girl was largely based on Game Night. Sure there are other, lesser examples, but I think many folks attribute this one episode to largely defining her character. I hated the way she behaved that night too and was appalled. The more interesting thing to me was always the fact that Lisa wasn't there, and said in her blog at the time that things probably would have been different had she been there. She seemed to imply that she wouldn't have tolerated such behavior. I wasn't sure, but largely bought that narrative because I loved Lisa. After seeing season 4, I now doubt that things would have been much different at all. Lisa sat by and watched Brandi be equally hateful to Joyce on several occasions, sometimes laughing right along. She did this while having nothing personally against Joyce. Contrast that to how she felt about Brandi when she first joined because of the whole Cedric deal, and I cannot imagine there is any reason to believe Lisa wouldn't have been on the side of the mean girls on Game Night.

[Mozelle]

I think Kyle can be a mean girl, but I think they all can. Anyone who believes that their life is interesting enough to be beamed into my living room must have a touch of narcissism, and narcissists can have an underbelly of mean running through them, IMO.

I think that Kyle's reputation as a mean girl was largely based on Game Night. Sure there are other, lesser examples, but I think many folks attribute this one episode to largely defining her character. I hated the way she behaved that night too and was appalled. The more interesting thing to me was always the fact that Lisa wasn't there, and said in her blog at the time that things probably would have been different had she been there. She seemed to imply that she wouldn't have tolerated such behavior. I wasn't sure, but largely bought that narrative because I loved Lisa. After seeing season 4, I now doubt that things would have been much different at all. Lisa sat by and watched Brandi be equally hateful to Joyce on several occasions, sometimes laughing right along. She did this while having nothing personally against Joyce. Contrast that to how she felt about Brandi when she first joined because of the whole Cedric deal, and I cannot imagine there is any reason to believe Lisa wouldn't have been on the side of the mean girls on Game Night.

 

This has been my thought on the matter for a long while, and it was proven when the episodes aired this season where Lisa very much backed a lot of what Brandi did. Lisa managed to play it in the blogs like she had no clue (despite Adrienne saying otherwise the following day that Brandi felt attacked and that she left feeling really bad) and that maybe things would have been different if she'd been there. 

 

As you said, Lisa had nothing personal against Joyce and sat by idly, laughing, when Brandi said or did anything to Joyce. This was how Lisa behaved when she had no wariness or ire toward Joyce. Can you imagine how she would have been at game night given Brandi's connection to Cedric (even if it turned out the connection was actually quite tenuous)?

[cooksdelight]

I just saw a photo of Kyle partying it up with Melissa Gorga in Las Vegas. And she was wearing this weird pattern mini dress. Looked drunk off her ass. LOL

http://www.enstarz.com/articles/41791/20140719/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-season-5-kyle-richards-parties-with-rhonj-cast-member-melissa-gorga-in-las-vegas-ready-for-some-fun-video.htm

[JerseyGirl]

Is Kyle a castmate on the next season of RHBH?  This article says that while filming has begun for RHBH, Kyle is spending time vacationing.

 

While she is relaxing abroad, the rest of the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills cast has appeared to be shooting scenes for the upcoming season in California.
Castmates Lisa Rinna and Lisa Vanderpump were seen in Palm Springs on Wednesday.
Vanderpump was honoured with a star on the city's Walk of Stars where Rinna joined her at the event.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2712774/Kyle-Richards-shares-photos-luxurious-European-family-vacation-Instagram.html#ixzz39929CVlr
 

[Mozelle]

I think they're allowed to vacation even during filming. I only have RHONY to go on, of course, because Ramona, Mario, and Avery. They went to Kenya, I believe, and went on Safari during filming last summer.

[Persnickety1]

The title of this thread made me recall something from the beginning of last season, when Joyce was introduced and Lisa was hellbent on snarking on Kyle nonstop right out of the season gate.

 

BACKGROUND:  The previous seasons much attention had been called to Kyle's hair, Kyle had stated she used plain old Pantene from the drug store, and a bunch of fans were suggesting she do a Pantene commercial.  Lots of fanfare about her hair and Pantene on forums and her social media.

 

FAST FORWARD:  The first time Lisa meets Joyce, with Kyle standing right there, Lisa marvels over Joyce's hair and says, "Oh, dear, you should be a PANTENE MODEL!"

 

I slapped my knee and giggled like a school girl over that little sneaker-snark by Lisa.  She knew damned good and well Kyle, the housewife with the most talked about hair, was standing right there, used Pantene, and had fans urging her to do a Pantene commercial.

 

It stands out in my mind just because while it seemed like a compliment to JOYCE, in reality it was a huge snark to KYLE.  It was very well played.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Persnickety1

[cooksdelight]

Why hasn't Kyle done a Pantene commercial, anyone know? Kenya Moore, ATL, has done them.

[Lisin]

@cooksdelight sadly I think it's because they haven't asked her to, I remember around Christmas a few years ago Bravo did some dumb special where Kyle talked about her favorite things and she said a million times that she used Pantene and would love to do a commercial for them. Also, I just realized I misspelled Pantene in the topic title. Doh! Fixing now!

[motorcitymom65]

Is Kyle a castmate on the next season of RHBH?  This article says that while filming has begun for RHBH, Kyle is spending time vacationing.

 

While she is relaxing abroad, the rest of the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills cast has appeared to be shooting scenes for the upcoming season in California.

Castmates Lisa Rinna and Lisa Vanderpump were seen in Palm Springs on Wednesday.

Vanderpump was honoured with a star on the city's Walk of Stars where Rinna joined her at the event.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2712774/Kyle-Richards-shares-photos-luxurious-European-family-vacation-Instagram.html#ixzz39929CVlr

 

Kyle is coming back.  She announced it on Twitter a month or so ago.  Not that it was big news. Bravo sent her to the Up Fronts in May, and since they only send a few gals, it was clear she would be back when they did that (they also sent Yo and Kim, which again gave away the fact that they would be back).  Also, they have already filmed her "White Party" this year, which is where I believe we will first get a glimpse of Lisa R. 

[vrocotamy]

I like Kyle. I don't find her to be any more "mean" than Lisa who has the luxury of her British accent to make everything she says sound absolutely, positively "witty" (when really her "wit" rivals that of a sixth grade boy, and when she's not doing the sixth grade boy form of "wit" she's being quite catty). As for Kyle's hair, a bob would be absolutely atrocious on her. She wore a bobbed wig at Taylor's Roaring Twenties party in season one, and it aged her significantly. 

 

I don't think Kyle is mean per se. She's less mean-spirited than, say, Lisa. Underneath her self-deprecating, lightly witty exterior, she's severely judgmental, deeply insecure, and quite self-serving, with varying degrees of subtlety. She's heavily invested in maintaining the perception that her morality, capacities, marriage, child-rearing skills, and general way of life are superior to those of other cast members. I'm a bit biased in my judgement of Kyle because I have a good friend, similar to Kyle in sense of humor, body type, and birth order, who has some of Kyle's bad qualities (but has great qualities, of course, that Kyle lacks.) I think that Kyle is kind as long as you don't threaten her fragile self-worth (note her treatment of Camille in Season 1 and Brandi in Season 2...) To Kyle, this show is the break at true celebrity that she never got as a child/teen star in the '70s and '80s. On some level, she treats it like an acting job. She's compulsively attention-seeking and obsessed by fame; I can't get over the hypocrisy of her calling out Brandi's sole claim to fame as her divorce from Eddie Cibrian when her fame, prior to RHOBH, depended on being Kim Richards' sister and the aunt of Nicky and Paris Hilton.* But she's not a good enough actress for her true resentments not to boil up from "endearingly" self-deprecating exterior.

 

*Not to place Brandi above Kyle! They're different evils.

Edited October 14, 2014 by vrocotamy

[cooksdelight]

When someone mentions Kyle, all I think of are her gaudy caftans, swinging her ponytail like a helicopter blade and doing splits to entertain people. And her BFF Faye. Shudder....

[Mozelle]

I don't think Kyle is mean per se. She's less mean-spirited than, say, Lisa. Underneath her self-deprecating, lightly witty exterior, she's severely judgmental, deeply insecure, and quite self-serving, with varying degrees of subtlety. She's heavily invested in maintaining the perception that her morality, capacities, marriage, child-rearing skills, and general way of life are superior to those of other cast members. I'm a bit biased in my judgement of Kyle because I have a good friend, similar to Kyle in sense of humor, body type, and birth order, who has some of Kyle's bad qualities (but has great qualities, of course, that Kyle lacks.) I think that Kyle is kind as long as you don't threaten her fragile self-worth (note her treatment of Camille in Season 1 and Brandi in Season 2...) To Kyle, this show is the break at true celebrity that she never got as a child/teen star in the '70s and '80s. On some level, she treats it like an acting job. She's compulsively attention-seeking and obsessed by fame; I can't get over the hypocrisy of her calling out Brandi's sole claim to fame as her divorce from Eddie Cibrian when her fame, prior to RHOBH, depended on being Kim Richards' sister and the aunt of Nicky and Paris Hilton.* But she's not a good enough actress for her true resentments not to boil up from "endearingly" self-deprecating exterior.

 

*Not to place Brandi above Kyle! They're different evils.

 

This is an interesting take, but I have disagreements. For one, I don't know of any person who would continue to remain kind if they feel that someone is attacking who they are. From what I've seen over the season, Kyle is proud of the life she's maintained with her husband. That was evident in season one when Allison (most certainly at the behest of Camille) decided to poke at Kyle's marriage. Expectation of "grinning and bearing it" because of...I'm not sure what just always seem unrealistic to me. 

 

This then leads me into my next point--"[Kyle's] treatment of Camille." I'm having a hard time with that because it sort of places Camille in this position of being a victim to Kyle, which I don't think was ever the case. The Camille of season two was a PR-constructed version of herself. I think what they showed in season one was quite close to how Camille was (and likely still is. Floating around the internet is a recorded phone conversation that she had with the mother of her now ex-boyfriend's son in which Camille threatened to desecrate (gotta love Camille's malapropisms!) the woman because the woman was suing the boyfriend). It said a lot to me that because she got into a disagreement with Kyle, Camille's idea was to threaten Mauricio's business. 

 

As for her treatment of Brandi, I know I've said my peace way back on TWoP, but the tl;dr version is that I think much of Kyle's initial reaction to Brandi was a lot about showing loyalty to Lisa (because of the supposed Cedric-Brandi BFF-dom).

 

Lastly, I don't know. Of all the women in this franchise, I'd say that Lisa Vanderpump is the most obsessed by fame. She, like clockwork, knows just how to present her side like she's so hurt and devastated because she has a need to be "fan favorite," and will cultivate it by putting on the put upon act.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Mozelle

[vrocotamy]

I don't substantially disagree with anything you said in reply to my post, actually, even if I have a different take on Kyle overall. I don't think Allison Dubois' treatment of Kyle can be excused because of Kyle's negative qualities. This would be as true if she actually knew Kyle as if she didn't. It was quite malicious. I also agree that Kyle seems to be a good mother and spouse and has a right to be proud of that. I just think she feels the need to shove it in everyone's face all the time!

 

As for Camille...I don't think Camille was Kyle's victim (or vice versa.) I think the "real Camille" is probably a composite of the qualities we saw in Season 1 and Seasons 2-3. The thread between the two Camilles is a very tenuous grasp on reality, an inability to gauge how she's seen by others, a high degree of vacuity, and an evaluation of herself wholly based on her relation to rich men. Parts of Kyle's descriptors of Camille in the New York dinner fight were probably quite accurate. Camille and Kyle (who is hyper-vigilant in terms of evaluating herself in relation to others) made a perfect storm. Not to excuse (temporarily) firing Mauricio, but I think Camille saw her only advantage over Kyle as economic. Kyle is far wittier, better-spoken, and socially adaptable than Camille, who, prior to her divorce, was literally divorced from reality. She was unaccustomed to contradiction because of her substantial wealth, and seemed to spend all her time in the cloistered world of her properties. I think Camille really thought Kyle insulted her in the un-filmed conversation that set their conflict in motion. Kyle did not actually say what Camille accused her of saying, but the truly delusional Camille read (or perhaps misread) the implications of Kyle's tone and believed Kyle actually said what she had only seemed to imply. I don't remember exactly, but Kyle had already likely judged Camille as a man-stealing, spoiled, malicious tramp based on a combination of Camille's dubious statements and Kyle's suppressed anxiety around Camille's body, wealth, and proximity to Mauricio. Therefore, Kyle couldn't just write off Camille as pathetic and felt the need to engage her in an argument. Of course, Camille didn't help that by insisting that her account of events was true and by actively aggravating the situation. Adding further heat to the fire, Camille was probably threatened from the get-go by Kyle's superior social skills and better marriage. Kyle and Camille was a case of match meeting gasoline. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the two have actually become quite good friends since Camille left the cast. Kyle ultimately gravitates towards messes like Taylor and Camille, because their sorry states confirm her superiority.

 

As for relative degrees of fame-obsessed...I think comparing the women on the show in terms of narcissism or fame obsession is bound to be a case of six of one, a half dozen of the other. Lisa's been the most strategic and skillful (and therefore the most successful) in pushing herself towards fame, undoubtedly. But, I really think Kyle's organization of RHOBH started from her desire to finally get a piece of the media fame she felt entitled to - or at least the external validation given to Kim by her child-teen celebrity status and two marriages into serious wealth, or to Kathy by marrying a Hilton and spawning Paris and Hilton. Kyle finally wanted to succeed in terms of the perverse standards set up by "Big Kathy", her Mama-Rose like mother.

Edited October 15, 2014 by vrocotamy

[vrocotamy]

I just finished watching the last part of Season 3 and I do have to say my opinion of Kyle improved dramatically as a consequence. She comes off as pretty much the only reasonable one. Either she learned to let things go after audience feedback to Season 2...or figured out better how to present herself to production better. The smarter housewives do that to foreclose the possibility of a bad edit.

Edited October 15, 2014 by vrocotamy

[motorcitymom65]

 

 

As for her treatment of Brandi, I know I've said my peace way back on TWoP, but the tl;dr version is that I think much of Kyle's initial reaction to Brandi was a lot about showing loyalty to Lisa (because of the supposed Cedric-Brandi BFF-dom).

 

I agree and think it is an important point, because at the end of the day this drove so much of the drama in S3 and really even in S4.  I think that the issue with Brandi and Lisa, specifically Lisa's displeasure about Brandi being on the show and the fact that she didn't want to film with her, was the reason for the tension between Lisa and Kyle during the S2 reunion. Kyle didn't treat Brandi with much warmth initially because she was showing some loyalty to Lisa. Kyle got a ton of viewer backlash over the Game Night deal, while Lisa took zero heat about anything because she was staying far away from Brandi. By the time the reunion rolled around the reaction from the fans was crystal clear - Brandi was good and Kyle was bad. Lisa, per usual, although we didn't really know it at that point, was going to follow the fans. She had cozied up to Brandi and I think that Kyle was all kinds of pissed about the way the whole deal went down. They both admitted to having a big argument right before the reunion, but neither one has ever said what it was about. That pretty much set the stage for so much of the drama that has followed. 

 

I think that Lisa and Kyle are similar in many ways.  I do think there is a genuine friendship between the two of them. Their body language just screams that they really care about each other when they are together.  I do think however that while Kyle has a ton of faults, that she doesn't play to the audience in the same way that Lisa does, maybe because she isn't smart enough to do it, or just doesn't possess the ability to pull it off. If Kyle had been good at the game she would have come back into S3 and sucked up to the new fan favorite, Brandi, but she didn't.  She would have written off Taylor, who the vast majority of fans couldn't stand. She certainly wouldn't have taken Adrienne's side in the whole fake lawsuit deal, but she did. This is something that Lisa on the other hand, is really, really good at. 

Edited October 16, 2014 by motorcitymom65

[MatildaMoody]

[snip] Kyle got a ton of viewer backlash over the Game Night deal, while Lisa took zero heat about anything because she was staying far away from Brandi. By the time the reunion rolled around the reaction from the fans was crystal clear - Brandi was good and Kyle was bad. Lisa, per usual, although we didn't really know it at that point, was going to follow the fans. She had cozied up to Brandi and I think that Kyle was all kinds of pissed about the way the whole deal went down. They both admitted to having a big argument right before the reunion, but neither one has ever said what it was about. That pretty much set the stage for so much of the drama that has followed. 

 

I think that Lisa and Kyle are similar in many ways.  I do think there is a genuine friendship between the two of them. Their body language just screams that they really care about each other when they are together.  [snip]

 

I see this differently. Lisa told Kyle to leave the whole Brandi thing alone and to just be civil at Kyle's charity event - long before Game Night (most likely because she was savvy enough to see that taking the high road would play better to the fans). That was before either of them could have any idea what fan reaction would be. I mean, Kyle seemed to think that the fans would side with her and Kim on Game Night because of the whole "doing meth in the bathroom" comment. There was no way that could have been a deciding factor for whether or not Lisa would befriend Brandi for her fan status. Lisa was defending Kyle to Adrienne in the debriefing get together after Game Night. There was no way either of them saw the backlash coming during filming.

 

In spite of herself, Lisa started to like Brandi as she got to know her on the Hawaii trip. She still kept her distance, but she also started giving her a chance. None of that had to do with fan reaction because fan reaction didn't come until after the season wrapped and episodes started to air.

 

I do think the reunion was a turning point, because I believe that Lisa felt that she was being attacked on all sides. I think she was especially hurt by Kyle joining in. She defended Kyle the previous season, especially at the reunion when it was suggested that Kyle was a bully towards Kim, and Kyle had gotten major backlash for outing Kim as an alcoholic.

 

But, at the second reunion, Brandi seemed to be the only person who was there for Lisa. So, it made sense that she would start to get to know Brandi and actually befriend her. And since both Kyle and Lisa did admit to an offscreen argument, I don't think the fallout between Kyle and Lisa was about Brandi. I also don't think that Lisa's initial befriending of Brandi had to do with strategy. I think it was hubris.

 

Lisa thought of Brandi in the same way she thought of the endless number of animals and ne'er do wells that she wants to take in and take care of. Brandi might as well have been an alopecia-ridden puppy for the way Lisa took to her and tried to "fix" her and her life. I think that Lisa thought of Brandi like she did Scheana, or Cedric. It wasn't really altruism or even friendship. It was just that she had the opportunity to play the benevolent house mother who knew what was best. And it worked. I mean, would Brandi's book have done nearly as well as it did if she didn't have Lisa's backing?

 

I do agree that Lisa and Kyle do seem to have a real friendship and miss each other. I also see a lot of similarities between Kyle and Lisa. Kyle stayed supportive of Taylor the same way Lisa stayed supportive of Brandi. And make no mistake, even though Brandi got a surge of popularity when she and Lisa were BFF's she had just as much backlash from people who thought she was just plain trashy and completely wrong for RHBH as Taylor did for being a con artist before Brandi and Lisa fell out.

 

I do think that Kyle had some issues with Lisa becoming such a fan favorite after their first season. In Kyle's mind this was her gig and she invited Lisa along for the ride. It's probably why she needled Lisa about being "jelly" in that first season. So, after that, Kyle had to be more than a little miffed that she was getting backlash for outing Kim while Lisa was getting nothing but love from the fans.

 

I think that both Kyle and Lisa are good for the show. I don't believe I could watch if either of them were off. I also think they work best as friends rather than adversaries. But, I do think they are both vindictive when it comes to the other because they are now essentially competing to be the queen bee of the show.

[motorcitymom65]

I see this differently. Lisa told Kyle to leave the whole Brandi thing alone and to just be civil at Kyle's charity event - long before Game Night (most likely because she was savvy enough to see that taking the high road would play better to the fans). That was before either of them could have any idea what fan reaction would be. I mean, Kyle seemed to think that the fans would side with her and Kim on Game Night because of the whole "doing meth in the bathroom" comment. There was no way that could have been a deciding factor for whether or not Lisa would befriend Brandi for her fan status. Lisa was defending Kyle to Adrienne in the debriefing get together after Game Night. There was no way either of them saw the backlash coming during filming.

 

In spite of herself, Lisa started to like Brandi as she got to know her on the Hawaii trip. She still kept her distance, but she also started giving her a chance. None of that had to do with fan reaction because fan reaction didn't come until after the season wrapped and episodes started to air.

 

I do think the reunion was a turning point, because I believe that Lisa felt that she was being attacked on all sides. I think she was especially hurt by Kyle joining in. She defended Kyle the previous season, especially at the reunion when it was suggested that Kyle was a bully towards Kim, and Kyle had gotten major backlash for outing Kim as an alcoholic.

 

But, at the second reunion, Brandi seemed to be the only person who was there for Lisa. So, it made sense that she would start to get to know Brandi and actually befriend her. And since both Kyle and Lisa did admit to an offscreen argument, I don't think the fallout between Kyle and Lisa was about Brandi. I also don't think that Lisa's initial befriending of Brandi had to do with strategy. I think it was hubris.

 

Lisa thought of Brandi in the same way she thought of the endless number of animals and ne'er do wells that she wants to take in and take care of. Brandi might as well have been an alopecia-ridden puppy for the way Lisa took to her and tried to "fix" her and her life. I think that Lisa thought of Brandi like she did Scheana, or Cedric. It wasn't really altruism or even friendship. It was just that she had the opportunity to play the benevolent house mother who knew what was best. And it worked. I mean, would Brandi's book have done nearly as well as it did if she didn't have Lisa's backing?

 

I do agree that Lisa and Kyle do seem to have a real friendship and miss each other. I also see a lot of similarities between Kyle and Lisa. Kyle stayed supportive of Taylor the same way Lisa stayed supportive of Brandi. And make no mistake, even though Brandi got a surge of popularity when she and Lisa were BFF's she had just as much backlash from people who thought she was just plain trashy and completely wrong for RHBH as Taylor did for being a con artist before Brandi and Lisa fell out.

 

I do think that Kyle had some issues with Lisa becoming such a fan favorite after their first season. In Kyle's mind this was her gig and she invited Lisa along for the ride. It's probably why she needled Lisa about being "jelly" in that first season. So, after that, Kyle had to be more than a little miffed that she was getting backlash for outing Kim while Lisa was getting nothing but love from the fans.

 

I think that both Kyle and Lisa are good for the show. I don't believe I could watch if either of them were off. I also think they work best as friends rather than adversaries. But, I do think they are both vindictive when it comes to the other because they are now essentially competing to be the queen bee of the show.

Great comments. I agree with a lot of what you say. I have had my issues with Kyle, and absolutely with Lisa, but I absolutely agree that they are good for the show. As much as my regard for Lisa fell last season, I am not sure I would watch if she were not on the show. 

 

My feelings about the S2 reunion are that Lisa was very clear on how the fans felt about Kyle and Brandi when the reunion was filmed.  The season was pretty much over at that point and the blogs told the story. Kyle was the most hated HW at that time. I think that Brandi saw the writing on the wall.  Lisa wasn't filming with her for the most part. Regardless of what Lisa might have told Kyle initially about letting the stuff with Cedric go, that wasn't the reality of the situation. We learned when Lisa was packing for the Hawaii trip that she had asked Kyle not to invite Brandi. Lisa said that she didn't want to be with her, but that Kyle had refused, saying that she wanted to get to know Brandi better, and make up for the things that had gone down between them. Lisa made it clear she didn't like this. To me this negated any idea that Lisa wasn't letting Kyle in on how she felt about Brandi, and had probably been doing so all along. As Lisa said, despite herself she came to like Brandi on that trip, which was always very ironic to me. If Kyle had listened to Lisa, perhaps their alliance wouldn't have been born, at least not to the extent that it was. Either way Lisa said in a blog last year that she didn't become friends with Brandi on that trip, but that she just enjoyed her company. She said that they didn't talk for the most part after that at all (there was the one interaction at Lisa's opening when Cedric showed up)  until they were getting ready for the reunion, which was months later.

 

I think Brandi was desperate to find a way to get close to Lisa. She would never reach the level of fan favorite she wanted if Lisa wasn't filming with her. Lisa was the key to the whole deal. Certainly being on Adrienne's side would do her no favors. Again, by the time the S2 reunion was filmed it was clear that the audience felt no love for Adrienne with regard to her issues with Lisa. Brandi went to Lisa with the shit that Adrienne had been saying about her. What I have never understood is why Lisa didn't question Brandi's intentions. True Brandi was showing some form of loyalty to Lisa (who she had no relationship with), but in doing so she was throwing Adrienne under the bus. Since loyalty seems to be the most important thing in the world to Lisa, why didn't she question what Brandi was doing to Adrienne? Why wasn't she more suspect of her? 

 

I will always believe - until both ladies tell me otherwise - that Brandi told Lisa the stuff Adrienne was saying about her and that Lisa told Kyle all about it. They were close and both have said they talked every morning. Hard to believe that Lisa didn't share any of this with Kyle.  I think Kyle had a WTF moment. Why was Lisa suddenly listening to Brandi? Someone she had said that she didn't trust? Someone she didn't want to be around? I think they argued about this relationship. I also believe that Lisa wanted for Kyle to take her side over Adrienne's and that Kyle refused. I think that Lisa knew when she went on that stage that Kyle wasn't going to back her up because it had already been discussed. Their body language right from the beginning of the reunion told the story that harsh words had been exchanged and feelings were hurt. Kyle has said many times that Brandi was the wedge between them and I think this is exactly what she is referring too. 

 

IMO both Kyle and Lisa were wrong and not the best of friends to each other.  I think that Lisa does pay attention to what the fans think more than she should, but I also think that Kyle has not always given Lisa what she wants in the friendship, which is to defend her and back her up. I think that Lisa is completely over the top about this, but a good friend listens to what the other person needs and tries to accommodate them, even when they don't agree.

 

I am hoping to see them back as friends this season. I think that both Lisa and Kyle are better when they are together.  

[FozzyBear]

Watching the Paris episodes. OH MY GOD! The Richard sisters are such emotional black holes. Both of them suck all the air out of a room. You just can't ever love them, agree with them, support them, be there for them enough. I can't handle either Kim or Kyle. Just not my type of girls.

[Higgins]

T me, the only haircut more unflattering than a bob is a bob with heavy bangs. No bob for Kyle IMO Just a few inches removed with long chin long side bang and layering from there down.

[FozzyBear]

I may not be able to stand listening to her talk, but I'll admit that Kyle is stunning. I actually think she's the prettiest of all the BH girls and may be the prettiest of all the RH (I'd go Cynthia from ATL and Luanne from NYC). The hair doesn't bug me much. It's healthy and shinny. I personally would trim it up a bit, but I don't think it looks bad.

[zoeysmom]

I saw Kyle and Mauricio one night arriving at Craig's.  Kyle is very, very tiny, she has great skin and her hair is very shiny-not greasy shiny like Teresa Giudice was this year at the WWHL interview and the Reunion.  Her hair doesn't bother me and I think what works against her in having layers is she would end up having porn hair.  I must say I spent more time checking out Mauricio-the cameras don't do him justice.  He is very handsome.  He and Kyle seemed genuinely affectionate towards one another.  Kyle had a knee length dress on and she has muscular calves.

 

The one thing I have always admired about Kyle is she is inclusive-she invites everyone to all of her events (with the exception of Carlton to Puerto Rico last year).  She opens up her home be it in the process  of being remodeled and her parties look like they are fun.  I can do with out the splits, and the helicopter hair move but I think Kyle is trying to have some fun. 

 

I like Lisa and Kyle when they are together-they are actually enjoyable to watch.  I always hoped Ken would come around and realize what a total ass he was in being to Mauricio and Paul over the Adrienne lawsuit/letter that never happened.  Choosing Brandi over the guys-bad move.  The attacks  on Mauricio's character were just unacceptable and the mocking of Paul really made Ken out to be a little man.  In spite of those attacks Kyle was still open to maintaining a relationship with Lisa.

 

Finally, the infamous Bobby Fisher comment I always have to remind myself that the whole Lisa disliking Brandi was just Tom Foolery-Lisa wanted Brandi on the show and knew about Scheana and her relationship with Eddie Cibrian.  All mere players in a way to kick off her spin-off.  Here are a few comments by Cedric:  http://www.realitytea.com/2014/02/24/cedric-martinez-releases-statement-regarding-lisa-vanderpumps-lies-and-deportation-status/  And finally these e-mails where the whole Cedric crashing the SUR opening is debunked http://www.realitytea.com/2012/01/17/rhobhs-cedric-martinez-fires-back-at-lisa-vanderpump-show-proves-he-was-invitied-to-her-party/  The e-mail is at the end of the story.  So I do understand why Kyle is dubious of Lisa's intentions.

 

I am hoping this is a good season for Kyle and Brandi's last season

[thewhiteowl]

I think the only ones who should be dubious about anyone's intention is the audience. If anyone has convinced the audience that she is displaying a real emotion then she is a better actress than I give her credit for. BH was the first "reality show" I ever watched and I was naïve then. Now I know it's a mostly scripted mess a la 90210 but much cheaper to produce, write and direct. The hook is fooling the audience into thinking they are watching something real and getting them invested in the characters these women play.  Lisa's intentions are no more dubious than Kyle's IMO which is to make a popular show.

[zoeysmom]

I think the only ones who should be dubious about anyone's intention is the audience. If anyone has convinced the audience that she is displaying a real emotion then she is a better actress than I give her credit for. BH was the first "reality show" I ever watched and I was naïve then. Now I know it's a mostly scripted mess a la 90210 but much cheaper to produce, write and direct. The hook is fooling the audience into thinking they are watching something real and getting them invested in the characters these women play.  Lisa's intentions are no more dubious than Kyle's IMO which is to make a popular show.

Like you I hadn't really watched a candid reality show until the RH.  I do think they spend an inordinate amount of time scripting the scenes and am still left with the impression that only some of the "actors" are getting the script.  Clearly it did not work out well for Jill Zarin when she decided to write her own script a fight with Bethenny (against the advice of the producers and Andy), Tamra Barney claiming Vicki did nothing all season forcing her to amp up the drama and she ended up getting caught in a assortment of lies.  I thought the Cedric story was funny, only because Lisa knew and did her best to feign surprise and Cedric had conditioned his appearance on only agreeing to speak with a RH once evicted, not the likes of a Bernie.  Even the unwanted have their conditions.

[vrocotamy]

Like you I hadn't really watched a candid reality show until the RH.  I do think they spend an inordinate amount of time scripting the scenes and am still left with the impression that only some of the "actors" are getting the script.  Clearly it did not work out well for Jill Zarin when she decided to write her own script a fight with Bethenny (against the advice of the producers and Andy), Tamra Barney claiming Vicki did nothing all season forcing her to amp up the drama and she ended up getting caught in a assortment of lies.  I thought the Cedric story was funny, only because Lisa knew and did her best to feign surprise and Cedric had conditioned his appearance on only agreeing to speak with a RH once evicted, not the likes of a Bernie.  Even the unwanted have their conditions.

I think Lisa spends more time than the others trying to develop the show's course through an assortment of on-screen and off-screen machinations, with or without production's involvement, and always to her own ends - to the building of a fanbase strong enough to sell her ancillary ventures, in TV, publishing, dining, and now flatware. Kyle is invested in the show's success and popularity more than her personal popularity, even if those two are often intertwined.

[thewhiteowl]

I think Lisa spends more time than the others trying to develop the show's course through an assortment of on-screen and off-screen machinations, with or without production's involvement, and always to her own ends - to the building of a fanbase strong enough to sell her ancillary ventures, in TV, publishing, dining, and now flatware. Kyle is invested in the show's success and popularity more than her personal popularity, even if those two are often intertwined.

 

 If that's true then good on Lisa. It makes her a better business woman than the rest.

[vrocotamy]

 If that's true then good on Lisa. It makes her a better business woman than the rest.

 

Well, yes. It's also a reason the rest of the cast came to resent Lisa, probably, as the rest of the RHONJ cast did Teresa. I've thought of Lisa as a smarter Teresa since I began watching RHOBH. In the most pertinent example, the real reason Adrienne didn't like Lisa (and tried to get Brandi and Camille to "turn" on her at the Season 2 reunion) was that Lisa took screen time away from the Palms, a struggling Maloof family investment (not property) at that point, by having her daughter's bachelorette party at Hard Rock, which is the Palms' competitor in Las Vegas. Adrienne's only reason to be on the show, one can surmise, was to promote the Maloof family's investments (the Sacramento Kings and the Palms, primarily) and Adrienne's individual business ventures; her family was having lots of recession-related business problems at the time the show began. If you look at Lisa's Twitter, etc., she (and her publicist) are more dedicated to (or better at) cultivating an avid fanbase than the other cast members. Lisa's dialogue in Season 4 - in terms of what made the cut - very transparently conveyed drama-provoking instructions from production. It's possible the other women do this, and production just didn't air it, because the storyline for Season 4 ended up being Lisa being manipulative. But I think Lisa is intelligent and has helped "produce" the show - one imagines producers sensed she was too savvy and intelligent to be manipulated like, say, Taylor - because it benefits her in the long run. 

 

My theory for why Kyle is on RHOBH (and formed RHOBH) is that she's an actor, and therefore she likes starring on a successful TV show. She was a successful child actor (if not a "star") and has had moderate success as a TV performer since 1998 or so, most notably in a recurring role on ER. She probably realistically figured that RHOBH was the best acting job she'd get, and wouldn't hurt her career doing "scripted" acting either.

Edited November 16, 2014 by vrocotamy

[WireWrap]

I saw Kyle and Mauricio one night arriving at Craig's.  Kyle is very, very tiny, she has great skin and her hair is very shiny-not greasy shiny like Teresa Giudice was this year at the WWHL interview and the Reunion.  Her hair doesn't bother me and I think what works against her in having layers is she would end up having porn hair.  I must say I spent more time checking out Mauricio-the cameras don't do him justice.  He is very handsome.  He and Kyle seemed genuinely affectionate towards one another.  Kyle had a knee length dress on and she has muscular calves.

 

The one thing I have always admired about Kyle is she is inclusive-she invites everyone to all of her events (with the exception of Carlton to Puerto Rico last year).  She opens up her home be it in the process  of being remodeled and her parties look like they are fun.  I can do with out the splits, and the helicopter hair move but I think Kyle is trying to have some fun. 

 

I like Lisa and Kyle when they are together-they are actually enjoyable to watch.  I always hoped Ken would come around and realize what a total ass he was in being to Mauricio and Paul over the Adrienne lawsuit/letter that never happened.  Choosing Brandi over the guys-bad move.  The attacks  on Mauricio's character were just unacceptable and the mocking of Paul really made Ken out to be a little man.  In spite of those attacks Kyle was still open to maintaining a relationship with Lisa.

 

Finally, the infamous Bobby Fisher comment I always have to remind myself that the whole Lisa disliking Brandi was just Tom Foolery-Lisa wanted Brandi on the show and knew about Scheana and her relationship with Eddie Cibrian.  All mere players in a way to kick off her spin-off.  Here are a few comments by Cedric:  http://www.realitytea.com/2014/02/24/cedric-martinez-releases-statement-regarding-lisa-vanderpumps-lies-and-deportation-status/  And finally these e-mails where the whole Cedric crashing the SUR opening is debunked http://www.realitytea.com/2012/01/17/rhobhs-cedric-martinez-fires-back-at-lisa-vanderpump-show-proves-he-was-invitied-to-her-party/  The e-mail is at the end of the story.  So I do understand why Kyle is dubious of Lisa's intentions.

 

I am hoping this is a good season for Kyle and Brandi's last season

I fully believe that the HWs get paid more when they allow their private homes to be filmed and then having all or most of the other women in attendance guarantees that it makes to air and not end up on the cutting room floor. IMO, Kyle having the most number of parties at her home has nothing to do with her being fun but is more about the $$$$!

 

Cedric has changed his story about how Brandi got on the show several times. I do not believe that Lisa had anything to do with her getting hired and the producers used Cedric as her cover story for joining the show, not Lisa although she went along with it. Brandi got hired using her maiden name, not her ex husbands name so there would be no way Lisa would know that Brandi Glanville was Eddie Cibrian's ex, if she even knew the name of Scheana married lover.

 

I think Lisa spends more time than the others trying to develop the show's course through an assortment of on-screen and off-screen machinations, with or without production's involvement, and always to her own ends - to the building of a fanbase strong enough to sell her ancillary ventures, in TV, publishing, dining, and now flatware. Kyle is invested in the show's success and popularity more than her personal popularity, even if those two are often intertwined.

Kyle has her own ventures, not just Lisa. That Kyle is slow on the uptake is a reflection of her lesser intelligence and not that she is more concerned with the shows popularity. That would be important for ALL of the HWs, not just Kyle! lol

 

Well, yes. It's also a reason the rest of the cast came to resent Lisa, probably, as the rest of the RHONJ cast did Teresa. I've thought of Lisa as a smarter Teresa since I began watching RHOBH. In the most pertinent example, the real reason Adrienne didn't like Lisa (and tried to get Brandi and Camille to "turn" on her at the Season 2 reunion) was that Lisa took screen time away from the Palms, a struggling Maloof family investment (not property) at that point, by having her daughter's bachelorette party at Hard Rock, which is the Palms' competitor in Las Vegas. Adrienne's only reason to be on the show, one can surmise, was to promote the Maloof family's investments (the Sacramento Kings and the Palms, primarily) and Adrienne's individual business ventures; her family was having lots of recession-related business problems at the time the show began. If you look at Lisa's Twitter, etc., she (and her publicist) are more dedicated to (or better at) cultivating an avid fanbase than the other cast members. Lisa's dialogue in Season 4 - in terms of what made the cut - very transparently conveyed drama-provoking instructions from production. It's possible the other women do this, and production just didn't air it, because the storyline for Season 4 ended up being Lisa being manipulative. But I think Lisa is intelligent and has helped "produce" the show - one imagines producers sensed she was too savvy and intelligent to be manipulated like, say, Taylor - because it benefits her in the long run. 

 

My theory for why Kyle is on RHOBH (and formed RHOBH) is that she's an actor, and therefore she likes starring on a successful TV show. She was a successful child actor (if not a "star") and has had moderate success as a TV performer since 1998 or so, most notably in a recurring role on ER. She probably realistically figured that RHOBH was the best acting job she'd get, and wouldn't hurt her career doing "scripted" acting either.

IMO, Kyle realized that she would be nothing more than a minor D level "guest star" that would appear once every few years on any TV show and that her once star status was long gone and unlikely to return given it's current status. That she joined the HW stable in hopes of re-launching her career, which it has done in small doses.

 

As for Lisa not using Adrienne's Palms for the party, that was Adrienne's fault for never offering it to Lisa. She waited until after the other arrangements were made then had a hissy fit because of her own stupidity.

 

Kyle is very active on Twitter, just as active as Lisa. And IMO, Lisa does what the producers want her to do, just like the rest of them do, including Kyle. They ALL get a bad edit when it suits the producers, even the more intelligent ones. LOL

[zoeysmom]

Of all the RH to launch a business the two who have reaped the most success have been Bethenny and Kyle's husband Mauricio.  His company is incredibly successful and Kyle's RH famedom  has worked very well to increase The Agency's presence.  Mauricio was the number one relator (as an individual) in California in 2012.  I give equal praise to both couples the Todds and the Umanskys for their business successes and high profiles and the way they took the opportunities provided by RHOBH.

 

I think Kyle has the parties because like Nene and Jill she was the anchor housewife.  Lisa when given the chance did the NFI to Adrienne which indicated to me she was a bit of a grudge holder.  Again a great storyline for Lisa because she got to say repeatedly that Adrienne had assassinated her character to the point of tedium.  I will be interested to see how Lisa handles Brandi this year because I do believe Brandi repeatedly insulted the Todds last year and much of it was pretty unforgivable.

 

I do not believe for one minute that Cedric and Brandi ever met in Europe during their modeling careers as Cedric is a bit younger than Brandi and Brandi has pretty much conceded the same.  Brandi Glanville was all over the press before being on RHOBH about Eddie cheating on her with LeAnn Rimes.  There is just no way anyone in the business would be unaware who Brandi-least of all the cast of RHOBH.  Having a waitress working for you as she made tabloid headlines would be pretty inescapable http://starcasm.net/archives/184566.  I don't blame Lisa for capitalizing on it because it did give her a spin-off which enjoys incredible success. 

 

Then there was this infamous story-before Brandi was hired-it is pretty clear that even using her maiden name her fame back then was the jilted ex of Eddie Cibrian, this story ran before filming began with Brandi http://starcasm.net/archives/84221. 

 

Even though not a star, I do believe Kyle's infrequent guest appearances helped her husband's career and she had the added bonus of working with George Clooney.  Maurico's business relationship with the Todd's definitely helped Lisa's non-existent career. 

[WireWrap]

Of all the RH to launch a business the two who have reaped the most success have been Bethenny and Kyle's husband Mauricio.  His company is incredibly successful and Kyle's RH famedom  has worked very well to increase The Agency's presence.  Mauricio was the number one relator (as an individual) in California in 2012.  I give equal praise to both couples the Todds and the Umanskys for their business successes and high profiles and the way they took the opportunities provided by RHOBH.

 

I think Kyle has the parties because like Nene and Jill she was the anchor housewife.  Lisa when given the chance did the NFI to Adrienne which indicated to me she was a bit of a grudge holder.  Again a great storyline for Lisa because she got to say repeatedly that Adrienne had assassinated her character to the point of tedium.  I will be interested to see how Lisa handles Brandi this year because I do believe Brandi repeatedly insulted the Todds last year and much of it was pretty unforgivable.

 

I do not believe for one minute that Cedric and Brandi ever met in Europe during their modeling careers as Cedric is a bit younger than Brandi and Brandi has pretty much conceded the same.  Brandi Glanville was all over the press before being on RHOBH about Eddie cheating on her with LeAnn Rimes.  There is just no way anyone in the business would be unaware who Brandi-least of all the cast of RHOBH.  Having a waitress working for you as she made tabloid headlines would be pretty inescapable http://starcasm.net/archives/184566.  I don't blame Lisa for capitalizing on it because it did give her a spin-off which enjoys incredible success. 

 

Then there was this infamous story-before Brandi was hired-it is pretty clear that even using her maiden name her fame back then was the jilted ex of Eddie Cibrian, this story ran before filming began with Brandi http://starcasm.net/archives/84221. 

 

Even though not a star, I do believe Kyle's infrequent guest appearances helped her husband's career and she had the added bonus of working with George Clooney.  Maurico's business relationship with the Todd's definitely helped Lisa's non-existent career. 

I think Mauricio owes his success to his BIL much more than Bravo, I am sure the show has both helped and hurt his business depending on how viewers feel about Kyle and I am not sure he would liked to be compared to Bethenny or any other HW. LOL

 

The HWs get paid MORE to allow Bravo to film in their houses and it is Bravo that pays for the party itself, not the HW most of the time. LOL There was always a bit of competition between Lisa and Adrienne from the get go. They have both been guilty of smack talking each other and the BP was already planned when Adrienne had her fit. She expected Lisa to come and ask her to host it so that she could be shown on camera bestowing a great favor upon Lisa and Pandora. Adrienne blew that  one. LOL

 

In her 1st book, Brandi tells how she got on the show and it had nothing to do with Lisa, Cedric or even Adrienne. A producer saw a photo that was taken of her holding Adrienne's little dog and called her. She had only met Adrienne that 1 time and new no one else on the show. The Cedric story was a ruse the producers came up with to give her some tie to another HW, the story of her knowing Adrienne through their son's school was also a production lie. In photos about the cheating scandal that broke after Scheana went public, referred to Brandi as Brandi Cibrian, or the EC's wife Brandi. Also IMO, no one forced Brandi to meet with Scheana, she volunteered because she wanted the camera time and the viewer sympathy/support, not because she was doing something for her show friend Lisa. LOL

 

Kyle recommended Lisa to Bravo because of the size of Lisa's house and wallet/bank account, the same with Adrienne and Camille. She also recommended Taylor and Kim, both who were/are living a lie and desperately needed the money/paycheck.

[quinn]

Adrienne recommended Taylor.

[WireWrap]

Adrienne recommended Taylor.

Adrienne did, not Kyle?  LOL The twists that happen behind the scenes on these shows! LOL

[vrocotamy]

Of all the RH to launch a business the two who have reaped the most success have been Bethenny and Kyle's husband Mauricio.  His company is incredibly successful and Kyle's RH famedom  has worked very well to increase The Agency's presence.  Mauricio was the number one relator (as an individual) in California in 2012.  I give equal praise to both couples the Todds and the Umanskys for their business successes and high profiles and the way they took the opportunities provided by RHOBH.

 

I think Kyle has the parties because like Nene and Jill she was the anchor housewife.  Lisa when given the chance did the NFI to Adrienne which indicated to me she was a bit of a grudge holder.  Again a great storyline for Lisa because she got to say repeatedly that Adrienne had assassinated her character to the point of tedium.  I will be interested to see how Lisa handles Brandi this year because I do believe Brandi repeatedly insulted the Todds last year and much of it was pretty unforgivable.

 

I do not believe for one minute that Cedric and Brandi ever met in Europe during their modeling careers as Cedric is a bit younger than Brandi and Brandi has pretty much conceded the same.  Brandi Glanville was all over the press before being on RHOBH about Eddie cheating on her with LeAnn Rimes.  There is just no way anyone in the business would be unaware who Brandi-least of all the cast of RHOBH.  Having a waitress working for you as she made tabloid headlines would be pretty inescapable http://starcasm.net/archives/184566.  I don't blame Lisa for capitalizing on it because it did give her a spin-off which enjoys incredible success. 

 

Then there was this infamous story-before Brandi was hired-it is pretty clear that even using her maiden name her fame back then was the jilted ex of Eddie Cibrian, this story ran before filming began with Brandi http://starcasm.net/archives/84221. 

 

Even though not a star, I do believe Kyle's infrequent guest appearances helped her husband's career and she had the added bonus of working with George Clooney.  Maurico's business relationship with the Todd's definitely helped Lisa's non-existent career. 

 

I don't know if I'd attribute Mauricio's extraordinary business success to RHOBH, although the high profile given to his activities by the show probably helped him launch his own agency. It seems a lot of negative talk (as much as positive talk, from Camille and Kyle) has occurred around Mauricio's activities as a realtor, and I can only think of once that they've showcased a Mauricio Umansky property that wasn't also a cast member's house: the time he showed Camille the downtown Los Angeles condominium.

 

I hadn't thought of the angle for Kyle's continued appearances from 1998-2011 or so on TV as helping Mauricio to gain entertainment industry contacts, but it is certainly possible. I've assumed that Kyle, like many actors, has a relatively uncomplicated desire to be in front of a camera, and that she enjoys acting, even if it's not financially necessary for her. Even if it's a supporting appearance on a soap opera or TV movie, it's rewarding (and fun) for her. I don't think Kyle ever hoped  to become a "star" of stage and screen from RHOBH; I think she enjoys her acting on the show as end into itself (as point of reference, see her tearful apparition at Taylor's limousine at the White Party in Season 2.) Realistically speaking, RHOBH is the biggest starring role she'll get. Kyle does have her own venture - the boutique she's the proprietor of (and which I'd assume is an investment shared with the Florida parent company) - but I'm not sure she had that in mind during the first season.

 

There was a long hiatus in Kyle's acting activity, from 1990 to 1998; she appeared in a few slasher movies around 1990 and then began TV appearances in 1998. Is that when she married Mauricio and started having babies with him? That may have given her the financial security to pursue acting again as a part-time career. She's certainly done better in the second phase of her career than Carlton Gebbia (a.k.a. Carlton Elizabeth) did in her direct-to-Blockbuster/quasi-soft porn acting career back in the '90s. Lisa is a trained actress (I don't know about classically trained ;)), but her career as an actress was a no-starter. She appeared on Baywatch Nights in the mid-'90s and was a British synth pop "video babe" for bands like ABC and Naked Eyes around 1983. Lisa married Ken young (in 1982, when she would have been 21) and was presumably his partner in their restaurant/nightclub business, which was quite successful (but probably quite tacky in its specifics.) As the lawsuit against Lisa by Karina Bustillos revealed, the Todds' financial house is not in order, at least regarding her restaurants; Villa Blanca and SUR at least were operating at a pretty substantial loss. Lisa's probably pulling a lot of her cash flow now from the ancillary ventures she launched after RHOBH.*

 

*Not that the Todds don't have money. I'll always assume the Todds lived outside of the UK, first in France and then the US, like many wealthy Britons, to protect their money from the tax man. 

Edited November 16, 2014 by vrocotamy

[motorcitymom65]

I fully believe that the HWs get paid more when they allow their private homes to be filmed and then having all or most of the other women in attendance guarantees that it makes to air and not end up on the cutting room floor. IMO, Kyle having the most number of parties at her home has nothing to do with her being fun but is more about the $$$$!

 

Cedric has changed his story about how Brandi got on the show several times. I do not believe that Lisa had anything to do with her getting hired and the producers used Cedric as her cover story for joining the show, not Lisa although she went along with it. Brandi got hired using her maiden name, not her ex husbands name so there would be no way Lisa would know that Brandi Glanville was Eddie Cibrian's ex, if she even knew the name of Scheana married lover.

 

Kyle has her own ventures, not just Lisa. That Kyle is slow on the uptake is a reflection of her lesser intelligence and not that she is more concerned with the shows popularity. That would be important for ALL of the HWs, not just Kyle! lol

 

Kyle is very active on Twitter, just as active as Lisa. And IMO, Lisa does what the producers want her to do, just like the rest of them do, including Kyle. They ALL get a bad edit when it suits the producers, even the more intelligent ones. LOL

I don't know if the HW's get paid more or not for showing their homes, but nothing would surprise me.  I do agree that the whole idea is to get as many members of the cast at whatever event you host.  You will be much more likely to have the event shown on TV, hence more camera time for that HW. That was why both Yo and Kim made such a fuss out of the fact that Lisa didn't show up at their events last season. 

 

IMO Kyle is the Welcome Wagon of the BH Franchise. I have no idea if this is part of her actual personality, or if this is the role she has been asked to play on the show by production. You can generally count on Kyle to be the one to film with the newbies. I don't think I ever remember Lisa doing any filming with a new gal except at the requisite party where they are generally introduced. I associate this with Kyle more than with her willingness to have parties or show off her home. I would imagine that if you add up all the hours we have spent in a HW's home, Lisa would win that challenge all day long. Hell, we have probably spent more time in her closet than all the other ladies homes combined, which is fine with me. I love this show for the house porn. 

 

Kyle is very active on Twitter, but I would argue all day long that no HW uses Twitter in the fashion that Lisa does. This could easily speak to the notion that Lisa is just a better business woman, and I would certainly agree with that. She spent S4 constantly bemoaning what was happening to her on the show. There was little lightness in Lisa's Tweets. It was all about how hard it was to be betrayed, to have people turn on you. Would she be able to carry on or not? How much could one person be expected to endure? It went on and on in a manner I have never seen any HW do during a season before. She even got to the point where she would Tweet reminders to watch VPR, but she never reminded anyone to watch the BH show. When people would Tweet that they weren't sure they could watch her be treated so horribly anymore and that they might have to quit watching the show, she would go on and on with things like "I understand you not wanting to watch the show anymore. It has become too dark" (I am paraphrasing). I remember that the two (or more) weeks when VPR beat the HW show in the ratings, Lisa Tweeted this out, kind of mocking the HW show and the fact that they got beat by her other show.  She seemed to become not only a critic of the drama, but a critic of the show itself.  Sure, Kyle is on there, but I have never seen her use the medium week after week to illicit sympathy and sway public opinion the way Lisa did. 

 

The most interesting thing about last season and the accusations that Lisa made for months against the other ladies in her blogs, on Twitter, and in interview after interview, is the way that Lisa felt about something that Kyle had said after the S3 reunion. The way that S4 began was with Lisa coming over to Kyle's house to talk about SUR catering an event for Kyle (as if this would ever actually happen). The entire conversation about the tabloids (that eventually led to the Mauricio conversation) began because Lisa said that she was disappointed in an interview that Kyle had given and she wanted to ask her about it. An interviewer had asked Kyle if she thought she had been ganged up on by Yo, Lisa and Brandi at the S3 reunion.  Lisa asked Kyle if she had really said that "yes" she had been ganged up on? Kyle replied that she had said she "felt" ganged up on. Lisa said she didn't like that accusation and Kyle said that was how it felt.  It was one interview that Kyle made. One time. She hadn't gone on and on about it in Twitter, in her blogs, or anywhere else, but Lisa didn't appreciate it. Fast forward through the season and you had Lisa playing the victim in every possible medium for a good part of the season. It is interesting to me that she didn't like it when Kyle was doing it but she made it her full-time job.  

Edited November 16, 2014 by motorcitymom65

[zoeysmom]

I don't know if the HW's get paid more or not for showing their homes, but nothing would surprise me.  I do agree that the whole idea is to get as many members of the cast at whatever event you host.  You will be much more likely to have the event shown on TV, hence more camera time for that HW. That was why both Yo and Kim made such a fuss out of the fact that Lisa didn't show up at their events last season. 

 

IMO Kyle is the Welcome Wagon of the BH Franchise. I have no idea if this is part of her actual personality, or if this is the role she has been asked to play on the show by production. You can generally count on Kyle to be the one to film with the newbies. I don't think I ever remember Lisa doing any filming with a new gal except at the requisite party where they are generally introduced. I associate this with Kyle more than with her willingness to have parties or show off her home. I would imagine that if you add up all the hours we have spent in a HW's home, Lisa would win that challenge all day long. Hell, we have probably spent more time in her closet than all the other ladies homes combined, which is fine with me. I love this show for the house porn. 

 

Kyle is very active on Twitter, but I would argue all day long that no HW uses Twitter in the fashion that Lisa does. This could easily speak to the notion that Lisa is just a better business woman, and I would certainly agree with that. She spent S4 constantly bemoaning what was happening to her on the show. There was little lightness in Lisa's Tweets. It was all about how hard it was to be betrayed, to have people turn on you. Would she be able to carry on or not? How much could one person be expected to endure? It went on and on in a manner I have never seen any HW do during a season before. She even got to the point where she would Tweet reminders to watch VPR, but she never reminded anyone to watch the BH show. When people would Tweet that they weren't sure they could watch her be treated so horribly anymore and that they might have to quit watching the show, she would go on and on with things like "I understand you not wanting to watch the show anymore. It has become too dark" (I am paraphrasing). I remember that the two (or more) weeks when VPR beat the HW show in the ratings, Lisa Tweeted this out, kind of mocking the HW show and the fact that they got beat by her other show.  She seemed to become not only a critic of the drama, but a critic of the show itself.  Sure, Kyle is on there, but I have never seen her use the medium week after week to illicit sympathy and sway public opinion the way Lisa did. 

 

The most interesting thing about last season and the accusations that Lisa made for months against the other ladies in her blogs, on Twitter, and in interview after interview, is the way that Lisa felt about something that Kyle had said after the S3 reunion. The way that S4 began was with Lisa coming over to Kyle's house to talk about SUR catering an event for Kyle (as if this would ever actually happen). The entire conversation about the tabloids (that eventually led to the Mauricio conversation) began because Lisa said that she was disappointed in an interview that Kyle had given and she wanted to ask her about it. An interviewer had asked Kyle if she thought she had been ganged up on by Yo, Lisa and Brandi at the S3 reunion.  Lisa asked Kyle if she had really said that "yes" she had been ganged up on? Kyle replied that she had said she "felt" ganged up on. Lisa said she didn't like that accusation and Kyle said that was how it felt.  It was one interview that Kyle made. One time. She hadn't gone on and on about it in Twitter, in her blogs, or anywhere else, but Lisa didn't appreciate it. Fast forward through the season and you had Lisa playing the victim in every possible medium for a good part of the season. It is interesting to me that she didn't like it when Kyle was doing it but she made it her full-time job.  

No one forced Lisa to come back and she did.  Now there are two new ladies for her to befriend.  Since the season starts out with a Lisa/Kyle sitdown I hope this is the last we see of Lisa demanding apologies.

 

Lisa needs to be more loyal to RHOBH-I think her promoting her show constantly leads to some of the strife on the show.  I don't expect great rating for RHOBH this year because it is in the Tuesday night death slot.  At least this year BH isn't the lead in to Vanderpump Rules.

[jinjer]

 

Since the season starts out with a Lisa/Kyle sitdown I hope this is the last we see of Lisa demanding apologies.

I want the smart, sassy Lisa back who wouldn't give a shit if these women said they're sorry or not.  She's too busy being fabulous to care.

[PhilMarlowe2]

Well, judging from one of those tabloid videos posted here of the women in Amsterdam, don't hold your breath. It's hard to hear clearly, but it's basically Lisa going on and on about some slight Brandi has made, and you can hear Brandi saying, "I didn't mean to hurt you, we were honestly just joking around, I've said I am sorry so many times, what more can I do?" Then, after Brandi is gone, you can hear Lisa lecturing Yolanda that she (Yolanda) she should be taking a stronger stance with Brandi and telling her to apologize, and you can hear Yolanda also saying something like, "I did tell her, what more can I do?" It seems like both both Brandi and Yolanda are over whatever Lisa is on about. I have this feeling Lisa might overplay the victim card this season and it might really bite her in the ass. You can also see potential for that in the trailer when Lisa says to Kyle, "You are feeling how I felt last year," and Kyle is all, "This isn't about you, Lisa!"

[zoeysmom]

Well, judging from one of those tabloid videos posted here of the women in Amsterdam, don't hold your breath. It's hard to hear clearly, but it's basically Lisa going on and on about some slight Brandi has made, and you can hear Brandi saying, "I didn't mean to hurt you, we were honestly just joking around, I've said I am sorry so many times, what more can I do?" Then, after Brandi is gone, you can hear Lisa lecturing Yolanda that she (Yolanda) she should be taking a stronger stance with Brandi and telling her to apologize, and you can hear Yolanda also saying something like, "I did tell her, what more can I do?" It seems like both both Brandi and Yolanda are over whatever Lisa is on about. I have this feeling Lisa might overplay the victim card this season and it might really bite her in the ass. You can also see potential for that in the trailer when Lisa says to Kyle, "You are feeling how I felt last year," and Kyle is all, "This isn't about you, Lisa!"

I have never quite understood why Lisa thought the entire last season was the anti-Lisa season.  At the beginning of the season it was about Lisa rounding up Yolanda and Brandi and disparaging and isolating Kyle-a continuation from the previous season.  She was mean to Joyce both in Palm Springs and at her SUR dinner and it wasn't until Joyce called her out of her idiotic support of Brandi. I think Lisa got steamed when the Richards found her faint a bit fake.  It was not really until Puerto Rico-when Lisa's high jinx caught up with her and she basically retreated into the open arms of Carlton. (Bleech).  Before Puerto Rico Kyle tried to talk to Lisa and Lisa dismissed her.  Had Kim not interfered in Puerto Rico both on the beach and at the dinner table I think Lisa would have had to face the music.  Even at the finale she claimed everyone was coming for her.  In reality she owed the others an apology.  They had been supportive of her epic fail of a go at DWTS and her spin-off Vanderpump Rules to the point the rest of the cast was being upstaged.  Although petty, RHOBH should be about the entire cast not Lisa and her dreck of a show.

 

Anyone attempting to get an apology out of Lisa is such a gut wrenching experience that by the time Lisa admits to anything-the other party(ies) is/are drained.  We are only two episodes in and Lisa has the sympathy violins playing overtime.  I noticed she still goes after Kyle in her talking heads, Ken still makes his smart-ass comments towards Kyle and then they wonder why they are met with caution.  The interesting dynamic to me this season will be Kyle and Yolanda.  At the end of last season they were seen going out to lunch and having mani-pedis.  I am wondering if there was any further bonding or if Brandi put a stop to it..

[quinn]

From the S05.E04: Livin' La Vida Housewife thread, posting here because my comment is about more than what happened on the episode:

I found myself more or less liking Kyle by the end of last year. She had clearly been humbled by her experiences in Season 2 and was generally giving everyone a fair chance. I even felt a soft spot for her horrible jokes. But I have lost all respect her in the way that she has completely dropped all the issues she had with Lisa last season. Their restaurant "reconciliation" was ridiculous. Kyle had beef with Lisa last year - she was seriously pissed at the reunion - and now, it's just, "Okay, let's move on." Lisa never took responsibility for anything. And yet Kyle is so happy to just sweep it under the rug and go back to laughing like old friends? It just seems really superficial and disingenuous. I can't stand Brandi for the most part, but at least she is not pretending to move on with Lisa.

I think this is them accepting each other for who they are. Neither of them are much for taking responsibility for things they may have said or done that were hurtful to the other. So, it would make sense that if they truly do want to move on, they have to stop demanding apologies from each other, because it would be an exercise is frustration and futility.

Lisa doesn't admit that she is wrong and neither does Kyle. So they have to decide what it is they truly hope to accomplish when dealing with each other. What they truly want to accomplish is for them to move on. Since neither is willing to give, their restaurant makeup session actually makes a great deal of sense to me.

Didn't Lisa apologize for a few misdeeds last reunion to Kyle? Calling Mauricio an opportunist and a couple of other things. When asked what she wanted from Kyle Lisa said, "nothing." So I don't really think Lisa can claim she has a beef with Kyle. I didn't really see where Kyle did anything earth shattering to Lisa last year. My beef with Lisa is she claims she doesn't talk about the other women behind their backs-but she does with Ken and in her talking heads.

Lisa claims there is no reason to try and work things out in the off season because she wants it on camera. Lisa shows a certain lack of sincerity to me. Lisa first love is obviously Vanderpump Rules this show is wardrobe money for Giggy and the maid staff.

I don't think that Kyle was all that worked up about the magazines by the time the reunion rolled around. At the reunion what Kyle seemed to want from Lisa more than an apology or anything else was a pound of flesh, and she got it and, while I don't think that they friendship is deep and abiding, I think that they are on a better footing this season than last in large part because Kyle got her pound of flesh at the season 4 reunion.

I lost respect for Kyle in season 4 because at the season 3 reunion, Lisa did not say just nasty stuff about Kyle and her husband, but nasty things that were false! Then season 4 comes around and in what was presumably their first scene together, Lisa brings up the cheating story, although in fairness to Lisa Kyle opened the door on that one, but Lisa showed her true colors with her "elephant in the room" talking head. And then from there you have the luncheon at Carlton's where Brandi, Yolanda and Lisa discuss the tabloid rumors - again Lisa tipped her hand when she jumped in and made the "where there's smoke, there's fire" comment. After that Kyle got together with Lisa to do a joint birthday party for their husbands. It was not until that snake Brandi got into her ear that Kyle let her resentments towards Lisa come to the surface.

I am a Lisa detractor but I don't think that the "Lisa does not apologize" tag applies to the degree it's being presented by some of her co-stars, or it's a case of pot meet kettle. Are Lisa's apologies qualified, phony and calculated, yeah. Brandi apologies are mostly motivated by her not wanting to deal with her own agita or be an outcast, but it's a matter of time before she does something vile. Kyle will apologize and "make amends" which probably works if things are on a equal footing which is what happened with her and Camille, and is the current situation with Lisa, but when Kyle apologizes and/or moves forward just to keep the peace, which is part of the dynamic with Kim and also my take on what happened after the season 3 reunion and during season 4 with Lisa, she's just a powder keg waiting to blow.

My assessment is that going into the show that while Kyle and Lisa may have known each other for a few years, they were at best only a step or two above being Hollywood friends. Being on the show destroyed their superficial friendship and what is now in place is cordiality and a willingness to be in each other's lives, not out of friendship, rather Kyle and Lisa play nice with each other because it's a requirement for them keeping a job that they both love.

Edited December 15, 2014 by quinn

[PhilMarlowe2]

I am a Lisa detractor but I don't think that the "Lisa does not apologize" tag applies to the degree it's being presented by some of her co-stars, or it's a case of pot meet kettle. Are Lisa's apologies qualified, phony and calculated, yeah.

 

I guess that is the thing for me. I am aware that Lisa "technically" apologized for certain matters - but it was basically because Andy  backed her into a corner and pulled it out of her - and, even then, it was basically, "well, I'm sorry if my words were misconstrued" rather than real ownership of her overall shitty behavior. And, on top of it, Lisa has since come out complaining that Andy was "too hard" on her at the reunion (what a joke!). I was re-watching some of the S4 reunion the other day and I had forgotten how much Kyle was reading Lisa the riot act. And she was actually dead on in her assessments: I am thinking in particular here of how Kyle called Lisa out for revising history in her blogs, how Lisa was originally on her side during the Carlton/birthday dinner debacle, but then, once things in PR shook down, Lisa suddenly started implying it was actually all Kyle's fault in her blogs. At the reunion, Lisa tried to pretend that she didn't "remember" blaming Kyle for the fight in her blog, and Kyle did not let her get away with that piece of bullshit. But did Lisa ever actually acknowledge Kyle's point? Apologize for it? No. Again, she may have conceded certain technical points ("Okay, maybe I shouldn't have made that joke in front of Portia"), but she took no overall responsibility for her 1-2 punch of stirring the pot and then playing the victim. And that's why I have now lost so much respect for Kyle. How can she just let all that go? As  said in my previous post, it just seems so disingenuous. Kyle knows that Lisa is full of shit - and if she (Kyle) plays along with it, then she is equally full of shit. I actually liked Kyle better when she had a backbone and was standing up to Lisa.

Edited December 15, 2014 by PhilMarlowe2

[jinjer]

Kyle knows Lisa won because she played the victim and fans and Andy begged her to come back, so Kyle too has to drop it.  Plus, to bring it back up reminds everyone that Mauricio was accused of hiring transvestite hookers.  The Agency doesn't need that back on the air.

 

I do agree with your whole sentiment that Kyle shouldn't have let it drop so easily.  I don't think she cares for Lisa that much.  I don't think Lisa likes her either and hasn't since Kyle insulted her with the Preys on the Weak and the Bobby Fisher comments.  Who would?  They aren't really friends anymore.

[CatMomma]

Kyle knows Lisa won because she played the victim and fans and Andy begged her to come back, so Kyle too has to drop it.  Plus, to bring it back up reminds everyone that Mauricio was accused of hiring transvestite hookers.  The Agency doesn't need that back on the air.

 

I do agree with your whole sentiment that Kyle shouldn't have let it drop so easily.  I don't think she cares for Lisa that much.  I don't think Lisa likes her either and hasn't since Kyle insulted her with the Preys on the Weak and the Bobby Fisher comments.  Who would?  They aren't really friends anymore.

 

I just don't have a lot of sympathy when it comes to Kyle.  I don't remember Lisa saying anything all that negative about Kyle prior to Kyle's "preys on the weak" and Bobby Fisher comments. In fact, Lisa was Kyle's strongest defender at the season 1 reunion. I also had a really hard time with Kyle remaining silent while Taylor and her husband accused Lisa of leaking nasty stories to the tabloids.  Kyle seemed to want it both ways. On one hand, she went after Brandi to defend poor Lisa, yet remained silent (and sometimes contributed) when other members of the cast trashed her.

 

Both Kyle and Lisa have no problem playing the victim.  Lisa just does it better.  I think Kyle's behavior in season 2 turned a lot of people off, so by default, viewers took Lisa's side  Neither trusts the other, but for the good of the show, they will play nice.

[motorcitymom65]

 I actually liked Kyle better when she had a backbone and was standing up to Lisa.

I am a Kyle fan, but in general I completely agree with this. Not just with Lisa, but in every situation, Kyle is better when she is standing up for herself, or whatever it is she believes.  For the most part, this is what I like about Kyle. She has never played to the fans, IMO, like a lot of the other gals have. Certainly Camille was a completely different person in S2, and Lisa read every word posted for her in the comments section of the Bravo Blogs and used those words as her narrative. I like that Kyle doesn't do that. She never turned against Taylor (I completely disagree that turning her away from the White Party was disloyal in it's context) even when she was being pretty much torn apart by the fans of the show. She continued to support and praise Faye, and posted picture after picture of her on Twitter when fans were out for her ass in a huge way. She supported Adrienne over Brandi, when Brandi was the beloved star of the show and Adrienne was detested for daring to take on Lisa. She has always done things her own way, and I dig this in a gal. I do think, however, that she was taken aback by the Lisa Love that exists. Lisa, Yo and Brandi certainly "came after" Kyle at the S3 reunion in as much of a way as any of the gals came after Lisa in S4. Yet there was absolutely no compassion for Kyle. She was mocked and Lisa was loved. Even though what Lisa said about Mauricio and his business ethics was completely below-the-belt, there was no recognition of this fact among a lot of fans at the time. I would read both TWoP and the Bravo Blogs in complete disbelief at the time because folks saw no reason for Lisa to not say such things. It was almost sinful to criticize Lisa. Then at the reunion last year, Lisa is able to play the victim in such a way as to make one shake their head. What in the world was so bad about what she went through? Had she ever watched a reunion before? They generally get a lot worse than that. Just ask Teresa G, Danielle, Vickie, Tamra, Alexis, Kenya or Kyle. What happened to Lisa was just short of a love song in comparison, yet she played the victim and it worked. It worked like crazy.

 

It worked so much so that the most amazing part of the reunion ended up being that old fart - Ken - wondering out on the reunion stage and just completely making a liar out of his wife and everything that she had been saying.  He admitted to exactly what Brandi had accused them of - that they distanced themselves from Brandi off camera because of some "things" she had done off camera.  Of course, some "things" is code for "we don't want to hang out with people who cannot properly tuck in their tampon string when out in public", but no one was going to say that.  I couldn't believe that this wasn't made to be a bigger deal. Lisa said at least 3 times prior to Ken's admission that she had been nothing but a good friend to Brandi, and that she had never distanced herself from her. Then Ken admits it and no one really gives two shits. That they didn't jump all over her says they are better people than I am. She was so caught and no one followed up.  At all. 

 

I think Kyle is just tired, and I think she really does want to be friends with Lisa. I think she has seen the writing on the wall.  She is not going to win against Lisa. Lisa is better at this game than Kyle is. If she wants a friendship, and for some reason she does, she is going to have to let some things go. 

 

The fun part will be watching Kyle go up against Brandi. Kyle has been so careful there after Game Night, even though all of her instincts about Brandi were right. I am going to love seeing the gloves come off here.  

[PhilMarlowe2]

I guess I just don't understand why Kyle and Lisa even want to be friends with each other at this point. They both clearly hold so much resentment towards the other and neither is getting the contrition that she wants. I guess it's worth swallowing all the hurt and anger because they share a few laughs over bad double entendres made at Lisa's terrible restaurants? Okay, have at it, girls! Their definition of friendship is clearly different than mine.

Edited December 15, 2014 by PhilMarlowe2