Everyone knows I’ve been the ultimate Real Housewives fan for far too many years.
I can quote the one liners, I have my favorite women that I cheer for and then there are the women that I love to hate.
No matter the housewife, I love everything.
But I just haven’t been into the shows as much as I used to lately.
Over the years, women have come and gone at Housewives, as Bravo and Andy Cohen aren’t afraid to show a cast member the door, regardless of their popularity.
The last drop came when Dorinda Medley was put on hiatus from The Real Housewives of New York City.
I tried watching the show without her and I quickly realized that it just wasn’t what it used to be.
The fans of the show felt the same way and the ratings plummeted because we just couldn’t go on without Dorinda.
A piece was missing.
So when I saw my favorite housewife open the doors to her beloved home at Blue Stone Manor in the Berkshires, Massachusetts for a group of fan favorites for The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club, I decided to do it something no other show has made me do. . .
I signed up for Peacock!
No matter the housewife, I love everything. But I just haven’t been into the shows as much as I used to lately. (Left to right) Jill Zarin, Taylor Armstrong, Tamra Judge, Vicki Gunvalson, Phaedra Parks, Brandi Glanville and Dorinda Medley
Watching my favorite housewife open the doors to her beloved home at Blue Stone Manor in the Berkshires, Massachusetts (above) to a group of fan favorites for The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club.
Not just regular Peacock, I now pay $9.99 a month for Peacock Premium Plus. No ads, just my favorite housewives.
So, with my in-and-out Wi-Fi service in rural Arizona (where I currently live and visit family), I entered my credit card information and hoped for the best.
To give non-reality television viewers a little context, the Bravo universe and all things Real Housewives is a pop culture phenomenon that has engulfed American culture for nearly two decades.
There’s no one who can deny the insane impact that both Bravo and its creator and maestro Andy Cohen have had on the way we consume reality entertainment.
We’re entertained by a cornucopia of problematic, wealthy, messy, nuanced, real, over the top and – mostly – wonderful women who choose to share their lives with us on this medium.
But like all things that have been around for over a decade, they run their course and lose their shock and entertainment value.
I’m far from the first person to sanely criticize some of the older shows in the franchise.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is the perfect example of this.
The last straw came when Dorinda Medley (above) was put on hiatus from The Real Housewives of New York City
In a scene on last week’s episode, the women were seen eating lasagna at dinner in their pajamas. (Left to right)) Brandi Glanville, Vicki Gunvalson, Phaedra Parks, Taylor Armstrong
Former actress Heather Dubrow’s return seemed like a great idea at the time.
But when the show aired, it just didn’t work.
The entire season was like QVC-on-steroids for whatever product Heather was promoting.
She was always very aware of the cameras and used them to her utmost advantage.
It was exhausting and not the authentic, messy escapism I’m looking for.
I don’t blame Heather — she’s just a symptom of a larger problem that has plagued many major Housewives franchises.
Everything on TV is about being real, especially the Housewives shows.
We want our housewives to show up, be themselves, open up their homes, share their lifestyles and problems, and of course cause a bit of drama.
Give us – the viewer – the ups and downs and we’ll be there for you week in and week out.
What we don’t want is endless product promotions, bright talks, fake storylines, or too much glam.
Each of these women is a legend in the Bravo universe, and their antics drive bravoholics (the ultimate Bravo fans) like me absolutely wild. (Left to right) Brandi Glanville, Vicki Gunvalson, Jill Zarin, Phaedra Parks, Dorinda Medley, Tamra Judge, Eva Marcille, Taylor Armstrong
Real Housewives of New York City alum Dorinda Medley opened the doors to her Berkshire estate, Blue Stone Manor
Be real and be messy.
This brings me back to why I love The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club. It’s so wonderful and delicious to watch the “ex-wives” who got fired from Bravo are back.
Each of these women is a legend in the Bravo universe, and their antics drive bravoholics (the ultimate Bravo fans) like me absolutely wild.
The cast, led by the legendary Dorinda, is real, funny, irreverent and flawed, just like good reality TV stars are.
In fact, this show gives me everything the Real Housewives of Dubai couldn’t deliver.
I had really high hopes for Dubai, but a few episodes later both the chemistry between the women and the confusion as to why we should care about their stories are missing.
Of course I will continue to monitor, but so far it is not what I had hoped for as a housewife connoisseur.
On the other hand, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club offers you everything, and I mean everything, you are looking for in quality reality TV entertainment.
The ex-housewives who join Dorinda at her home in The Berkshires, Massachusetts deliver.
They are raw and ready for a fight.
When they’re not screaming, they’re crying or laughing. . . while I was getting a pedicure outside by Dorinda’s pool.
Honestly, I wish I had been invited to take part.
In a scene on last week’s episode, the women were seen eating lasagna at dinner in their pajamas.
Perfection.
These women are classic reality legends for a reason, and as the kids say, they got the job done. (Left to right) Eva Marcille, Taylor Armstrong, Jill Zarin, Brandi Glanville and Dorinda Medley
It made me miss those women on my TV way more than I expected.
These women are classic reality legends for a reason, and as the kids say, they got the job done.
So much happens in each scene that you will laugh and cringe, I couldn’t even begin to recap each episode as there is just so much fun and drama to consume.
The ex-wives are legends for a reason.
They just know how to convey the drama and emotion while still rooting you as a human with them.
Phaedra Parks in particular is a standout part of The Atlanta Housewives.
As a lawyer and mother of two, Phaedra truly is one of the funniest women to have starred on a reality show in television history.
Bravo and Andy Cohen would be mad if they didn’t bring her back to the Atlanta franchise, where she will be missed dearly.
However, she has to apologize profusely and fix it with Kandi first (Atlanta superfans know what I’m talking about!)
While I’m more than happy to pay for Peacock and stream it in my spare time, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Ex-Wives Club deserves a permanent slot on Bravo’s cable channel ASAP.
And to Dorinda Medley, thank you for making it beautiful, you’ve made TV fun again.
When can I join you at Blue Stone Manor?