Real Housewives of Beverly Hills feels so far away, and yet like it happened just yesterday. This last season of RHOBH carried on the YEARS-long tradition of creating one storyline for the whole season, designed to humiliate ONE woman. Last year it was Lisa Vanderpump and puppy gate. The year before was Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave (which in hindsight, I don’t mind that one so much). The year before that was Erika Girardi and panty-gate. This year it was Denise Fu**ing Richards and an ALLEGED sexual encounter, with RHOBH’s self-proclaimed truth teller, Brandi Glanville.
Do you want to revisit any of those seasons? I don’t. Seasons that beat to death a single story are totally unenjoyable. Housewives works best, IMHO, when the show features a truly ensemble cast. Real Housewives of New York City, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City even seem to understand this implicitly. Plus, these series, along with New Jersey, Potomac, Dallas and yes, Orange County have women who are willing to show their lives. RHOBH doesn’t do either of these things and yet, it was the most-watched series in the franchise.