There’s an unfortunate trend with Real Housewives shows that is frustrating the franchise’s longtime fans. While fans love these shows for the feuds and drama, the cast singling out and piling on one cast member is hard to watch. From the Real Housewives of Orange County to Miami, these pile ons always backfire. Here’s why cast pile ons are ultimately ruinous for Real Housewives series.
Why cast pile ons are bad for Real Housewives series
The most recent Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion was hard to watch. Fans felt that Garcelle Beauvais was singled out. And understood why she refused to take the cast picture after filming. Garcelle ultimately left the show. And she unfollowed almost all her co-stars on social media.
Alas, the trend of Real Housewives cast pile ons continued. No matter which city, these ganging up storylines are received negatively by viewers and recappers. The word “bullying” gets thrown around a lot on Real Housewives. But when multiple cast members repeatedly go after one person who has little to no allies in the cast, it’s hard not to think of bullying.
These pile ons aren’t fun to watch. They don’t make for juicy drama. Frankly, when it becomes the biggest storyline of a season, it gets repetitive, boring, and frustrating. Sometimes, it appears that certain cast members joined in a pile on because they had no material for a storyline of their own.
Also, there is always backlash. People love to root for an underdog. Time and time again, the other cast members expect the audience will be on their side. Only to be shocked when the person they singled out has more support than ever.
And it must be said, most of these pile ons center on women of color. For instance, Katie Ginella is the only nonwhite cast member on RHOC. It’s hard not to be suspicious of the other cast members’ biases when they go after her so hard. Especially since Gretchen Rossi and Jennifer Pedranti were also accused of mocking Asian people in a social media video.
Speaking of Katie, let’s look at recent pile ons on two currently airing Real Housewives series.
Katie Ginella is singled out on Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19
Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 was the most acclaimed and talked about RHOC season in years. But Season 19 is a chore. The Housewives, including a returning Gretchen, seriously miscalculated by piling on Katie Ginella.
Katie is unquestionably held to a higher standard than her co-stars. And what makes it harder to watch is that Jennifer, who was her friend last year, abandoned Katie. On a Viall Files appearance, Katie even said that Jennifer didn’t apologize for the offensive video. Viewers turned hard against Jennifer after supporting her last year. Meanwhile, Tamra Judge is getting praise for recently supporting Katie. Surely, Tamra realized who the viewers sympathize with.
Because, even though she failed the lie detector test, viewers are on Katie’s side. Also, still convinced she could be telling the truth. Even if she did lie, the difference between how she was treated compared to Gretchen, who also lied, was stark.
Despite this rough year, Katie said she would like to return next season. Viewers agree, and hope she gets the chance to have a year without the cast ganging up on her.
Real Housewives of Miami Season 7 featured two pile ons
Meanwhile, Real Housewives of Miami Season 7 features two cast pile ons.
First, Guerdy Abraira. This season, Guerdy had no support when Julia Lemigova threw a glass of water on her and broke their truce. Instead, Guerdy was deemed the problem because she retaliated.
However, Guerdy has more support from viewers than ever. And Alexia Nepola said she wished she would’ve stood up for her more. However, others continue to throw shade. Guerdy posted literal receipts she didn’t regift a cocktail maker to Marysol Patton. Instead of apologizing for the regifting allegations, Marysol blocked Guerdy and regifted it herself to Larsa Pippen.
Then, Lisa Hochstein. Some found it hard to root for Lisa last season. By comparison, more people are on her side in Season 7. Lisa has her flaws, like her frequent tardiness. But the pile ons and complete lack of empathy for what she’s going through makes viewers more sympathetic to her. It’s not a coincidence that Lisa and Guerdy are closer than ever.
Right now, RHOM can still be enjoyable to watch. Unlike RHOC, there are plenty of other fun storylines. Such as Alexia and newbie Stephanie Shojaee’s feud. However, let’s hope the cast stops the pile ons in the upcoming Season 8.
Real Housewives of Orange County and Real Housewives of Miami are available to stream on Peacock and on Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE THAT CAST PILE ONS ARE RUINING THE REAL HOUSEWIVES? WHY OR WHY NOT?
