The Real Housewives Blog: August 2016

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Heather Dubrow Explains Wanting To Distance Herself From Kelly Dodd

It's safe to say Kelly Dodd hasn't made the best first impression on fellow Real Housewives of Orange County star Heather Dubrow.

After an explosive battle with Shannon Beador at her '70s party and a foul-mouthed sushi dinner that left Dubrow fleeing in tears, Dodd's built a reputation for herself that's less-than-stellar in the Dubrow's eyes.

Sitting down with Dodd and Tamra Judge at the end of Monday's episode, Dubrow laid it all out on the table.

"I feel like we were getting along really well," she said of their friendship. "But that sushi dinner? I've just never been involved in something like that. The screaming and vulgarity? I felt like I was suffocating and I had to leave."

Dodd was quick to defend herself. "I was kind of shocked that you got so upset at me because I wasn't talking to you," she said. "It was a nightmare, and I'm really ashamed of myself, quite honestly.

But as Dubrow explained in a separate interview, Dodd's regret was not enough.

"I think it's great that Kelly's showing remorse and she's ashamed of her behavior. But the last two times I have been with Kelly, she has acted in a way that I think is not acceptable. So what possible guarantee do I have that it's not going to happen again?" she confessed.

Ramona Singer Promises 'Off the Rails' Bethenny Frankel at 'RHONY' Reunion

ETOnline.com:

The Real Housewives of New York has finished what might’ve been its most explosive season ever, and from health scares to infidelity, all the drama will be revisited during the show’s three-part reunion special, premiering Aug. 31 on Bravo. Ramona Singer tells ET, “There were so many bombshells [at the reunion], my head was spinning. It took me two weeks to recover.”

The reunion was taped in mid-July and the ladies took to social media shortly thereafter. On Snapchat, Sonja Morgan said she was “hardly able to speak” after the taping. It’s unclear whether her silence was the result of shock or physical exhaustion; Singer says the cast arrived at 6 a.m. and didn’t wrap until 9:30 p.m., with just a one-hour break during the “grueling” day.

Bethenny Frankel had a fever that day, but Singer says that didn’t stop her from bringing the heat. “For not feeling well, she really went off the rails,” Singer says. Frankel tells ET this was her most difficult reunion ever for the show. “I didn’t enjoy it at all,” she says. “Last year, we all went to dinner afterwards. This year ended differently.”

Frankel says she’s always lived honestly on the show, and argues some of the other ladies don’t do the same. “You have 50 percent of the cast that has a whole taboo, police line, do-not-cross section of their life that is not discussed on camera and never has been,” she says. “For legal issues and liability issues, Bravo doesn't need to bring it up. It's a difficult line to ride and that may be why I don't come back.”

At the reunion, the Skinnygirl mogul accuses new cast member Jules Wainstein, who is splitting from husband Michael after photos of him with an alleged mistress surfaced online, of planning to get divorced before the season even began. But Luann de Lesseps tells ET she doesn’t buy that theory. “I think Jules came into the show very much married,” she says. “They looked very much together. I was surprised, like everybody else, to hear.”

Of course, de Lesseps’ fast engagement to Tom D’Agostino, Jr., and his kiss with another woman just days after will be a major topic of the reunion. For Singer, whose split from longtime husband Mario was chronicled on the show after he had an affair, the news of D’Agostino’s infidelity brought up memories. On the season finale, Singer revealed she discovered Mario’s affair through the press. “With my divorce … it was bittersweet because I really did care for him very much but we grew apart,” she says. “I mean he wants to live in Florida full time. Can you see me living in Boca full time? Not meant to be.”

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Teresa Giudice & Jacqueline Laurita's Yo-Yoing Relationship Continues

EOnline.com:

Boy, they really teased us in the promo for this week's new episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, didn't they?

What seemed poised to be another round of battle in what we've been led to believe is the season of Teresa Giudice vs. Jacqueline Laurita was actually a relatively peaceful weekend getaway that saw the pair communicating, apologizing, and reminiscing about better times. And that phone call Teresa made to Joe Giudice begging him to come and get her? It was all a prank. Tricky, Bravo. Very tricky.

Despite some initial awkwardness upon Jacqueline's arrival with Teresa remaining planted on the couch, forcing Jacqueline to come to her, things ran very smoothly. There was even hugging and offers to be there for one another when times get tough in the future. Of course, having seen the trailer for the entire season, we know this ceasefire between the two frenemies is bound to come to an end at some point. But for now, all's well that ends well. Even if it is a little boring. (Seriously. We want the fireworks. Enough playing nice. It's time to play not nice, as Teresa would say.)

We have to talk, for a second, about Siggy Flicker and her incessant meddling. She clearly means well, but she's trying to force this relationship to get back on track way too hard. Our patience for her constant whispering with Melissa Gorga and Dolores Catania, as well as her weird celebration of Teresa being nice on the first night, is starting to wear thin. It's no wonder Jacqueline snapped in the final moments of the episode when she thought she caught Melissa and Dolores talking in hushed tones about her yet again. We probably would've too. We get that being a relationship expert is her thing, but she'd do well to rein it in just a little.

While we brace ourselves for Teresa and Jacqueline's friendship to sour yet again, we'll leave you with one final thought: May the ongoing saga of Joe Gorga trying (and failing) to cook food for his kids never end. Because it's hysterical.

Lisa Vanderpump Blasts Brandi Glanville as a 'Liar' Over Claims Mohamed Hadid Cheated on his ex Yolanda Foster with Joanna Krupa

DailyMail.com:

Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump and Yolanda Foster's ex-husband, Mohamed Hadid, have blasted Brandi Glanville's allegations in an ongoing court battle she has with fellow former Housewife, Joanna Krupa.

Vanderpump and Hadid denied ever telling Glanville that Krupa was having an affair with Hadid, and they claim to have never said that Krupa's private parts smelled.

Previously, Glanville claimed that Vanderpump and Hadid - who have been friends for more than ten years - told her at Vanderpump's home that Hadid had been cheating on Foster with Krupa during a two-year affair.

Glanville and Krupa's court battle first kicked off in January 2015 after Glanville mentioned the alleged affair in an interview with Andy Cohen and spoke about the smell of Krupa's private parts.

Krupa first sued Glanville in Miami Court, accusing her of slander and emotional distress demanding monetary damages for the damage she did to her reputation.

Since then, Hadid has said that Krupa had zero to do with his marriage to Yolanda ending.

On August 18, Krupa filed court documents to amend her complaint to seek punitive damages from Glanville, revealing that both Vanderpump, Yolanda Foster and Mohamed Hadid all said Glanville's allegations are not true.

Krupa said that the three key witnesses deny the story Glanville claims as her defense.

Hadid said that he never informed Glanville of an affair between him and Krupa, and that he never made comments about Krupa's private parts. Vanderpump also says she never had a conversation with Glanville.

Krupa claimed that Glanville changed her story several times.

She hopes to amend her complaint to seek punitive damages, which under Florida law allows a jury to award her up to $2million in damages.

Monday, August 29, 2016

Sonja Morgan Accuses Dorinda Medley of Doing Drugs During 'RHONY' Reunion

USWeekly.com:

Yep, she went there. Sonja Morgan alleges that her costar Dorinda Medley does drugs in a preview for the dramatic Real Housewives of New York City season 8 reunion, which airs Wednesday, September 7.

In the nearly two-minute teaser above, Medley, 51, expresses her disappointment at being accused of having an issue with substance abuse: “Why are you insinuating that you know I do drugs? That’s a horrible thing.”
Without hesitation, the Tipsy Girl founder, 52, fires back, “Everybody knows you do drugs!”

Prior to sitting down with the ladies of RHONY, Morgan opened up to Bravo head honcho Andy Cohen backstage (as seen in the sneak peek) about feeling the urge to go in on her castmates. “I have dirt on all the girls. I just hope I don’t go there,” the reality personality — who joined the hit series in the third season, which originally aired in 2010 — explains. “But I’m starting to, after all these years, have resentment.”

Siggy Flicker Opens Up on the Importance of Family Traditions

Inquisitr.com:

Siggy Flicker may be a new housewife on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but fans are starting to learn more about this outspoken relationship expert. Even though Siggy helps other people with their relationships, it sounds like Flicker needs to focus on her own relationships.

Over the past couple of episodes, fans have seen how Siggy is learning more about her children, and on this week’s episode, she opened up about the importance of keeping traditions and values alive in her home. What exactly does she want to do in her home in New Jersey that her children can continue with?

According to a new Bravo report, Siggy Flicker is now revealing that she wants to keep the traditions alive in her New Jersey home, but she has been so busy with her career and her life that she hasn’t been able to keep those traditions alive. Siggy got emotional when talking to her family about the traditions because she wants to keep them alive, especially when it comes to her children. And as it turns out, Michael has some fun traditions they can keep going.

“In this week’s episode I mentioned that after my divorce, I let a lot of my family’s traditions slide and put them on the backburner after meeting Michael. Although Michael is half-Jewish, we’ve really concentrated on his Italian heritage. Sadly, Michael lost both of his parents –- his mom to cancer when he was 16, and his hero, his father, to Lou Gehrig’s Disease nine years ago this month. I’ve worked with Michael to keep his family’s traditions going, especially the ones he holds dearest to his heart: Christmas, cooking and Sunday pasta dinner. Michael makes the BEST lasagna and takes pleasure in making 65 meatballs for seven people,” Siggy Flicker reveals on her Bravo blog for The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Of course, Flicker has already struggled a bit to communicate with her young daughter. As fans have learned over the past couple of weeks on the show, her daughter has already been suspended a few times over using her cell phone during school hours. Siggy decided to remove her daughter’s phone until she was able to understand what she had done wrong, and it sounds like it was a great idea because she revealed that they had made progress in their relationship. And maybe removing cell phones during dinners could become a new tradition for the family.

“I’ve realized lately that I’ve been so busy making sure that Michael’s traditions were kept alive, I’ve let some of my family’s traditions slide. As everyone gets older, the time we all spend together is decreasing, and I figured there’s no better way to make the family closer again than by bringing back some of our family traditions. Kiddush is a great place to start! Putting the phones down for a couple hours was tough at first for all but so worth it,” Siggy Flicker points out on her Bravo blog.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Tamra Judge Can't Keep Her Mouth Shut Following Heather Dubrow and Kelly Dodd's Dinner Party Blow Up

People.com:

Things might be going from bad to worse on The Real Housewives of Orange County.

Following an explosive blow up between Heather Dubrow and Kelly Dodd at Meghan King Edmonds' sushi dinner party, fellow Housewife Tamra Judge might be serving up another platter of drama for the duo.

In a clip of Monday's upcoming episode on Entertainment Tonight, Dubrow and Dodd sit down at dinner to discuss the verbal punches that they each threw at the party.

"That wasn't your party. That wasn't your place," Dodd tells Dubrow in response to her being asked to leave the party by the mother of four.

"When you start calling people the C-word and dumb f---s and start screaming in the middle of a restaurant, you lose all right to say what people can and cannot say back," Dubrow, 47, replies in defense.

While the duo attempt to clear the air, a silent Judge watches – until Dodd brings up the gossip that Judge shared with Vicki Gunvalson about what Dubrow said.

"And then Vicki told me that, 'Oh, she doesn't want you to hang around her children,' " Dodd says to Dubrow.

"That's not true," Dubrow responds. "I didn't say that."

The clip then cuts to Judge's confessional: "Yes, she has. But did she say it to Vicki? No. I said that to Vicki."

Looking back at last Monday's episode, viewers watch as Dubrow tells Judge that she doesn't want her children around Dodd, which Judge then shares with Gunvalson.

"Why can't I just keep my mouth shut?" Judge, 48, confesses.

Gina Liano Forced To Quit 'Celebrity Apprentice' Due to Stomach Bug

2paragraphs.com:

In The Real Housewives of Melbourne episode ‘Bye Bye Byron,’ it's Gamble Breaux's big day. She asks her best friend Gina Liano to be the celebrant, to marry her and her fiance, Dr. Rick Wolfe. Gina agrees but the night before the wedding she skips out of Gamble's party in order to watch herself on another reality TV show, Celebrity Apprentice.

When grilled by Chyka Keebaugh and Janet Roach, Gina at first says she didn't leave the party to watch herself on TV but to celebrate the birthday of her son Miles, in her hotel room, where the TV was on. "Even if I did," says Gina, what business is it of Chyka and Janet? Maybe Gina knew it was going to be one of her last episodes on Celebrity Apprentice. During the fourth episode, Gina was forced to quit Celebrity Apprentice due to a stomach bug for which she had to be hospitalized. The Real Housewives of Melbourne airs Fridays at 9pm on Bravo.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Ramona Singer Says Luann de Lesseps Was Too Quick to Forgive Fiancee Tom For Cheating

BuddyTV.com:

Luann de Lesseps is standing by fiance Tom D'Agostino, Jr. even after learning about his indiscretion just days after proposing to her. Just like most viewers who were baffled by the Countess' decision to move on with her engagement, co-star Ramona Singer thinks de Lesseps forgave too fast.

"I think she should have given him the cold shoulder longer than one night," Singer told Entertainment Tonight. "In fact, I don't think she even gave him the cold shoulder one night."

"I said this to Luann on the reunion ... this is with anybody in life ... if someone can't tell the truth, that's a red flag," she added. "If he couldn't tell the truth about his relationships with Sonya and me, that's a red flag and that makes me nervous. That makes me nervous for Luann ... I just find it beyond baffling that he couldn't tell the truth about his relationships."

According to Singer, who was romantically involved with D'Agostino in the past, D'Agostino lied to de Lesseps about how many times he went out on dates with her.

"I said to Luann, 'I want you to know, they are asking me the question when I get into the interview chair, like, how many times did you date Tom?'" Singer said of the discussions she had with de Lesseps during the season off camera. "I said, 'I want you to know I said six times,' and she said, 'Why did you lie? It was only once.'"

"I am not lying," she insisted. "He lied to her and I don't understand why. There is no reason to lie."

As revealed in the season 8 finale, de Lesseps is still determined to marry D'Agostino.

"I'm not going to let a silly kiss ruin the rest of our lives," she told ET. "This is the most exciting time of my life, getting married again after all this time. I am thrilled. I am not going to let what has happened on the show ruin the most exciting time of my life."

Lauri Peterson's Son Josh Faces Additional Criminal Charges

OCRegister.com:

The son of a former star on “The Real Housewives of Orange County” is facing nearly a dozen new criminal charges linked to an attempted-murder case.

Joshua Waring, 27, the troubled son of former reality TV personality Lauri Peterson, was initially charged in June with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a 35-year-old man in the lower torso in Costa Mesa.

Two other victims, a man and a woman, were standing nearby but not hit, prompting prosecutors to file two additional attempted-murder charges.

Waring refused to come out of his jail cell for his first court appearance, but in July he appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show.

This month, prosecutors filed nine new felony charges related to the case, including discharging a firearm at a home, assault, battery, reckless driving and resisting arrest.

Waring has denied the new allegations and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 28. His attorney, Ray Chen, could not be reached for comment.

After the alleged shootings, Waring led police on a chase in a stolen BMW, authorities said. After getting into a traffic accident, he took off on foot near Fourth and Terminal streets in Santa Ana and tried to hide in a store before surrendering, authorities said.

A resident of San Juan Capistrano, Waring has a history of mostly drug-related charges. He has been arrested in the past on suspicion of assault and spousal battery and has several cases pending in Orange County Superior Court.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Dorinda Medley Claims Luann de Lesseps' Fiancé Tom Asked Her to Help Cover Up His Indiscretion

People.com:

Luann de Lesseps went through an emotional journey on Wednesday's season 8 finale of the The Real Housewives of New York City.

After finally learning from Bethenny Frankel that her fiancé Tom D'Agostino, Jr. kissed another woman at the Regency Hotel, the 51-year-old Countess appeared to hit all of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

But while de Lesseps eventually agreed to forgive her beau of his indiscretion – and still plans on walking down the aisle with D'Agostino, Jr. this winter – she may have nearly ran over fellow Housewife Dorinda Medley on her road to happiness.

According to Medley, de Lesseps and D'Agostino, Jr. called her days after returning from their Florida vacation – begging her to help clear D'Agostino, Jr.'s soiled name amongst the cast.

Medley recounted the call to Ramona Singer, explaining how D'Agostino, Jr. told her he planned to bring two waiters from the Regency over for an on-camera meeting so she could then "take a bullet for Luann and bring it to the rest of the girls and make it right."

"I don't care if he brings over the waiter, the bartender, the President of the United States – I'm not going to represent them, lie for them, or be part of this," Medley told viewers. "I'm out."

Medley told D'Agostino, Jr. that she wouldn't participate in the cover up: "I said, 'Here's the problem, Tom – you can bring the whole of the Regency over to my apartment. You can pay them all to say what they want. But there's a smoking gun: the pictures!"

His response was unexpected.

"He said 'If you're not doing that, you're not coming to the wedding and you're not going to be friends with Luann anymore.' And slammed the phone down on me," she described.

The move did not sit well with Singer, who quickly called D'Agostino, Jr. "an a------."

RELATED: Tom's A Good Man

Carlton Gebbia Has Been Separated From Husband David For A Year

People.com:

Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Carlton Gebbia has separated from her husband, David, a source close to the reality star confirms to PEOPLE.

"Carlton and her husband have recently separated but are living together under the same roof for the wellness of their children," the source tells PEOPLE of the couple, who have been married for 18 years.

News of the couple's separation, which was first reported by Entertainment Tonight, comes days after the mother of three was temporarily hospitalized on Friday following an allergic reaction. (According to the source, she was released within hours and returned to work the next day.)

The Bravo personality appeared on RHOBH season 4, which featured her relationship with husband David and her role as mom to Destiny, Mysteri and Cross.

Gebbia, who grew up in England and South Africa prior to moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting, previously described her husband to Bravo as "truly [my] soul-mate."

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Bethenny Frankel Is Banned from Luann de Lesseps' Upcoming Wedding

People.com:

Looks like Bethenny Frankel's New Year's Eve plans just opened up.

After sparring with Luann de Lesseps throughout most of this season of The Real Housewives of New York City, the 45-year-old Skinnygirl mogul is officially off the guest list for de Lesseps' upcoming New Year's Eve nuptials to financé Tom D'Agostino, Jr.

"It's hard to invite people that tried to do you harm," de Lesseps exclusively tells PEOPLE of inviting Frankel to her wedding.

The 51-year-old Countess previously told PEOPLE she'd wait to decide which of her fellow Housewives would receive invites until after the season 8 reunion. But after its explosive filming, it looks like Frankel will be nowhere to be found among the 250 expected guests.

Perhaps presenting de Lesseps with evidence of D'Agostino, Jr.'s infidelity was the wrong decision for Frankel. The pictures – which showed D'Agostino, Jr. kissing a former Playboy model at New York's Regency Hotel the day before his engagement party – caused an emotional scene during the Housewives' Florida vacation.

"It was disgusting," de Lesseps says of Frankel's actions. "Her handling of the situation – and I go over this at the reunion – was terrible."

LuAnn de Lesseps has always been dense and aloof...more like super dense and super aloof. But she'll be a total idiot if she goes through with this wedding. I mean, I haven't been a fan of Bethenny this season, as at some point or another she's been more than vicious towards each of the other 'Housewives' (except for maybe Ramona and Carole). But what woman in their right mind wouldn't want to know that their fiancee was making out with another woman for an hour the night before their engagement party? And it's not like Bethenny went out of her way to get the news that Tom cheated...it literally fell in her lap--then too is the fact that this sleazebag dated Ramona and slept with Sonja on and off for like decade. If LuAnn is stupid enough to marry this guy, good luck to her, but I'm willing to take bets on how long it lasts. As for Bethenny being dis-invited from the wedding? I'll be shocked if she loses an ounce of sleep over it.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Ramona Singer Says Luann de Lesseps Forgave Fiance's Cheating Too Fast

KIm Zolciak Documents Reunion with Husband Kroy Biermann After Week-Long Separation

People.com:

Kim Zolciak-Biermann is a happy, happy wife this week, because she got to see her husband.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum, 38, used Snapchat to document her reunion with her NFL player husband Kroy Biermann, 30, on Tuesday.

The pair have been separated by distance for the past week after the former Atlanta Falcons player signed with the Buffalo Bills and flew to Rochester, NY, for training camp – a separation that has been taking an emotional toll on the reality star.

Zolciak-Biermann chronicled her visit to the Empire State via Snapchat and upon landing the Don't Be Tardy star happily told fans that she felt "like a kid in a candy store" and couldn't wait to get her hands on her hubby.

"I'm obsessed with my husband," she said in one clip. "I love my husband ... he just makes me so happy I feel so blessed. He's so happy here in Buffalo."

Once she arrived, Zolciak-Biermann told fans that the pair were spending the evening at a "little restaurant," where they wound up indulging in good food and wine at a place on the canal.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Bethenny Frankel Doesn't Regret Confronting Luann de Lesseps: 'I Would Do Everything Exactly the Same Way Again'

People.com:

It certainly wasn't easy for Bethenny Frankel to decide to tell Luann de Lesseps her fiancé allegedly cheated on her, but she doesn't regret doing it.

"I'm coming from a place of girl-to-girl," Frankel, 45, told PEOPLE Wednesday at an exclusive viewing of The Real Housewives of New York City to launch her latest Skinnygirl watermelon-lime margarita. "I'm coming from a place of girl code – that you tell another girl."

"I do not pretend to be good friends with LuAnn, I don't pretend to be anything to anybody," she said. "I [was] a woman on an engagement weekend – I chose to go on that weekend, and I would do everything exactly the same way again."

On Wednesday night's episode, Frankel finally decided to come clean to de Lesseps, 51, that someone saw her fiancé, Tom D'Agostino, Jr., allegedly making out with a Playboy model at New York's Regency Hotel the day before her engagement party.

"I genuinely did not know what to do," Frankel told PEOPLE. "LuAnn is an interesting character: LuAnn has said that she had an open marriage – I know that she and her [ex-husband, Count Alexandre de Lesseps] were not faithful to one another – so I didn't know if that was some kind of rule about relationships. I know she spent time modeling in Europe, I don't know if she's having a stereotypical European relationship [with D'Agostino, Jr.] – I did not know what to do."

"I did not know the answer to, 'Would you want to know?' which is a question every woman asks their girlfriend: 'Would you want to know? Should I tell you?' " Frankel added.

Frankel went on to explain that if de Lesseps and D'Agostino, Jr. had been married for years and had kids, she might have kept the information to herself "because it would be a lot more history and 'not my business' situation – but this was a one-week engagement, this was the eve of the engagement party that I found this out."

"I had a picture dated and timestamped, and I thought, 'How could I not tell her? How am I going to sit around here and not tell her?' " Frankel continued. "I chose to let the weekend play out and not just dump this on everybody at the beginning so we'd all be sobbing the whole weekend. But I was very upset ... I didn't expect to be so upset."

Shannon Beador Has Renewal Ceremony with Cheating Husband David

EOnline.com:

Damn, David Beador came through tonight.

We'll never forget the emotional hell he put his poor Real Housewives of Orange County wife Shannon Beador through when his year-long extra-marital affair was revealed (and we're pretty sure she won't either), but his one-man reenactment of the climax of a romantic comedy certainly scored the man plenty of points. This is a guy who set out to prove to his wife and children (as well as the viewing public) that he's back in it for the long haul. And he mostly succeeded. And we've got to say—we were almost as overwhelmed as Shannon was while watching his never-ending display.

Shannon's non-stop day of romance began when David called her two days ahead of her birthday to sing to her and tell her that she had to be out of the house in 20 minutes for an overnight stay at a "special place." No time to sit at home and dwell on Kelly Dodd's "see you next Tuesday" shenanigans when there's an entire life's worth of homeopathy to stuff into a suitcase for an overnight trip. Never change, Shannon. Never change.

David's steady stream of surprises felt like one of those clubs Stefon was always talking about on Weekend Update. (Where my SNL fans at?!) And by that, we mean it had everything.

Drive down the coast to the very same hotel you got married at a decade-and-a-half prior? Check.

A quickie before the next surprise while a cameraman stood just outside the bedroom? Check.

A cocktail party with all of your closest friends and co-stars—and Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis and Jenni Pulos, inexplicably? Check.

An unexplained retreat to your suite while your friends hear talk about a second venue? Check.

A vow renewal ceremony complete with a surprise appearance from your three daughters? Check.

A joke from noted comedian Jeff Lewis about Vicki Gunvalson's presence being the next surprise? Check.

A four-day getaway to Cabo in the morning? Check.

Like we said, it had everything.

How David planned all of this without Shannon catching wise is beyond us. This has to have taken a lot of work. But then again, we guess he is pretty good at keeping secrets. (Low-hanging fruit, we know. Sorry. We couldn't resist.)

After last week's histrionics, was this the most thrilling episode? Not really. But it was a sweet hour—and sometimes that's OK too.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Porsha Williams Recovering from Health Scare, May Have a New Boyfriend

OKmagazine.com:

Porsha Williams may still be recovering from her shocking medical scare. But her latest health drama hasn’t kept her from showing her rumored new boyfriend a little Instagram love!

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star took to her Instagram on Wednesday to post a photo of herself grinning with her mystery man!

The guy has made several appearances on her Instagram page.

And the two even enjoyed a fun date at a go kart racing track over the summer!

Williams, who passed out in a mall parking lot recently, has remained mum on the status of the duo’s relationship.

And with the dating scandals she faced during RHOA’s Season 8, some of her fans are questioning the details of her new guy.

Is Jacqueline Laurita the Real Villain of 'Real Housewives of New Jersey'?

Jezebel.com:

While the Dreaded Milania remains spectacular and glorious, her brilliant evil is shadowed by another far worse creature. Not Joe the Ogre, but worse still—Jacqueline Laurita, otherwise known as Error, a horrible beast with the torso of a woman and lower body of a snake that dwells in a cave in Franklin Lakes, subsisting off the pain and misfortune of those around her.

In the beginning, Jacqueline seemed sweet—an innocent little puppy forced between her sisters-in-law and the increasingly crazy Danielle Staub—but as time went on, she revealed her true manipulative self by allegedly driving a wedge between Caroline and Dina Manzo (let’s not forget that this is the same innocent puppy who once punched Caroline in the face) and slowly but surely revealing the full extent of her derangement.

Jacqueline, as she demonstrates more and more through every episode, is an expert manipulator, far more skilled than she’s ever been credited for. Knowing this now, it makes much more sense that she spawned a demon like Ashlee. Speaking of, remember when Ashlee (then “Ashley”) called her mom immature and said that she acted like she was in 8th grade? Turns out, she—despite being awful herself—was very right! Jacqueline—as we saw during last week’s conversation with Teresa—IS immature and DOES act like an 8th grader. An 8th grader with Kafkaesque plastic surgery, but still, you get the point.

As Jacqueline wraps her tale around more people, painfully strangling the life out of them, it’s time we look for solutions. My suggestion: Unleash the Dreaded Milania on her. It will be like Batman Vs. Superman, except I’ll actually watch it.

I'm no Teresa Giudice fan, but when Jacqueline picked up that phone to call Joe Gorga in the midst of that argument the two had a couple of weeks ago, it just reminded me of how manipulative and evil Jacqueline can be. And from putting her hands on Caroline early on in her marriage to husband Chris to constantly getting in-between Chris and his sister Dina's relationship to her evil spawn of a daughter Ashley to just never admitting that she's wrong, Jacqueline just may be the real villain of 'RHONJ'.

RELATED: Jacqueline Laurita: The Telephone Game Never Works

Monday, August 22, 2016

Tamra Judge Talks Struggles Merging Christian Faith with Bad Behavior on Reality Show

ChristianDaily.com:

"Real Housewives of Orange County" (RHOC) star Tamra Judge finds it difficult to merge her bad behavior on the reality show and her Christian faith in real life.

In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, Tamra Judge shared how big a struggle it has been for her to be a good Christian and spice up the "RHOC" set with a lot of drama. The reality star admitted that the things that the producers of the show want her to do may not be what God wants her to do, Reality Tea details.

"When I deal with certain situations I look at it as, 'What would a Christian do? What would God want me to do?'" said Judge in the interview. "And it's not what maybe the producers would want me to do."

The "RHOC" star also shared that her "faith journey" and her newfound fitness have helped elevate her self-esteem but have also altered her ability to stir drama. She said the person she is now is not the same person who started out in the show.

In addition, Judge acknowledged that a lot of things in her life were messed up including her friendship with co-star Vicki Gunvalson and her problems with her children. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Online, the reality star revealed that she has not seen her 17-year-old daughter Sidney Barney in two years.

Judge shared that she never lost custody of her kids and is not having a custody battle despite the reports about it. She shared how Barney told her one day that she did not want to live with her mother anymore because the latter "ruined" her father's life. Since that day, her daughter never spoke to her again.

Tamra Judge thinks so much has happened in her life and that she has now become a "softer person" than before. She has been divorced, married, and baptized on "RHOC," and she now reportedly prefers to remove herself from all the drama.

Sonja Morgan Talks 'Difficult People' Cameo, Feuding with Bethenny Frankel and $3,000 Hamilton Tickets

Vulture.com:

On The Real Housewives of New York City, Sonja Morgan has started a toaster-oven business, launched a clothing line, and shopped her own brand of Prosecco. But no one has seen her work as an actress. Until now! Julie Klausner — who used to recap the Real Housewives on this very site — drafted Morgan and Countess Luann de Lesseps to play themselves in her Hulu sitcom, Difficult People. In this week's episode, the women get embroiled in a feud that is mediated by Julie’s mother (Andrea Martin) after she becomes a shrink on Bravo’s payroll.

We caught up with Morgan to talk about her cameo and all of the controversies she’s endured on her day job this season.

I was so excited to see you on Difficult People!
Our episode has Lin-Manuel Miranda in it, so I’m going to get all kinds of new intellectual followers on my Twitter and my Instagram.

Have you seen Hamilton?
No, it was $3,000 a ticket last I heard. I date guys my age now, so maybe they can afford a ticket at $1,000. $3,000 is steep. At that price, you have to sleep with them on the first date. The three-date rule is different. This is the first date.

I don’t know, it’s a really good show. It might be worth it.
$3,000 is like a night at the Hotel du Cap. You have to sleep with the guy. I’m not doing it.

How did you end up with a cameo on Difficult People?
Well, I’m old friends with Julie Klausner and she loves the Countess Luann. Loves her. Billy Eichner was on Watch What Happens Live with Luann, and Julie wanted her on. Luann was my roommate before she got engaged to my lover, and she said, “Can you have Sonja on too?” and Julie said, “Sure!” So we went on and did a little skit.

Was it different filming a scripted show, compared to Real Housewives?
It’s pretty similar. It’s delivery, really. It’s how you deliver your thought. I did this before. I was a model and I did some acting. I really enjoyed it. It’s different because they have a preconceived idea of what they want and you just have to deliver it. I haven’t seen it yet. Probably I’ll blink and my part will be over, but it won’t be a waste of time, because Lin-Manuel is in our episode.

I saw the episode. You and Luann are exactly like you are on the Real Housewives, so you’re very good at playing yourself.
That’s easy. We didn’t even have to do anything! But they did want us to do it a certain way. What did you think of Luann and I as Felix and Oscar this season, as the odd couple roommates?

I loved you two as roommates. But I didn’t like they way she treated you at her engagement party when you disagreed about Tom [Luann’s fiancé and Sonja’s former lover].
You know how Luann gets when it comes to men. I always say that I won’t let a man come between us. When we were living together, you got to see another side to her. She was more open about dating and I thought that was refreshing. Then as soon as there is a man, forget it. She gets like that. I wasn’t thinking of Tom in that way. I thought of him as a drinking buddy, dinner date, have sex after 11 p.m. and leave by 7 a.m. kind of guy.

A lot of Vulture commenters think you were upset because Tom decided to marry Luann and not you.
I think that Tom just needed to tell the truth. Tom said to Luann that he was seeing me. I knew the group knew and it was going to come out. I knew there was no getting around it. To be polite, I said we were friends with benefits. I don’t expect the man to do that. The man has to make a woman feel special. He should have said, “We were really good friends and we had something special, but then I fell for Lu.” That would have made us both feel special. That’s why I made the comments about the murky yellow diamond and stuff. I wasn’t mad at her. I was mad at him.

Are you two good now?
Yes, I will never let a guy come between us. I want to be friends with him, too. You can’t be a tomcat and a lying cat. You have to tell the truth.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Real Housewives of Melbourne Still Not Approved for 4th Season

DailyMail.com:

The fourth season of Real Housewives Of Melbourne has yet to be announced, prompting rumours of a cancellation.

But the Australian reality TV show is nonetheless proving to be a success with audiences in the US.

RHOM posted its second highest ratings score ever in the States last Wednesday, and star Gina Liano took to Instagram to celebrate.

'Great news... RHOM new time slot and the ratings are up in the USA. Thanks Bravo xxx,' the 50-year-old barrister wrote.

She expressed her gratitude towards the fans, writing: 'Thanks to everyone who tuned in. Hope you enjoyed the madness.'

Meanwhile, RHOM fans from across North America paid tribute to Gina in the comments section.

On follower wrote: 'We want more More MORE RHOM!'

Another said: 'I watch you ladies every week here in NYC!'

'Melbourne has become my favorite (Real Housewives) franchise,' wrote a fan. 'You ladies manage to bring the drama AND the class!'

According to LA Late, the ratings spike was thanks to Gamble Breaux's drama-filled wedding to Dr. Rick Wolfe.

The episode featured the couple tying the knot in a lavish beachside ceremony in Byron Bay, New South Wales.

Over 60 guests attended the nuptials - including co-stars Janet Roach, Gina Liano, Pettifleur Berenger, Chyka Keebaugh, Jackie Gilles, and Lydia Schiavello.

Yolanda Foster Wants To Join 'The Real Housewives of New York'?

TheHollywoodGossip.com:

She may have parted ways with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but that doesn't mean she's done with reality TV.

Yolanda Foster reportedly wants to be cast on The Real Housewives of New York, a gig that would allow her to be in the same city as her two daughters, models Bella and Gigi Hadid.

Sources tell Life & Style that Foster has said she "desperately wants" to join the franchise, and “is a huge fan of the NYC ladies.”

Yes, but are the ladies - Sonja Morgan, Ramona Singer, LuAnn de Lesseps, Carole Radziwill, Jules Wainstein, Dorinda Medley and Bethenny Frankel - ready to add a Beverly Hills gal to their squad?

This would be the first time a cast member from one franchise joins another full-time, and it has the potential to draw in Foster's fans.

"She’s been in talks with Bravo for a few weeks about making the transition from Beverly Hills,” the source said of Foster.

Producers, however, are said to be concerned about whether or not she'll fit in.

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Jeana Keough Says Her Family Inspired The Entire 'Real Housewives' Franchise

HuffPo.com:

"Real Housewives" was once a single series focused on women in one particular community, but the production has since spiraled into a nationwide franchise, following the lives of affluent women in various parts of the U.S. And the whole thing started, according to one cast member, with her family.

Jeana Keough was one of the leading women featured on the debut series, “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” As Keough tells “Oprah: Where Are They Now?”, the original concept for the show focused on her.

“The producer, Scott Dunlop, wrote the show about my family,” Keough says. “He was my next-door neighbor.”

Keough and Dunlop lived in the exclusive gated community of Coto De Caza, about 60 miles away from downtown Los Angeles.

“When he started pitching the idea, he filmed us and sent it to Bravo,” Keough says. “They said, ‘Yeah, we like it, but let’s see some other families.’”

Other women were brought in, and “The Real Housewives of Orange County” became a hit, which Keough attributes to timing.

“Back then, the writers’ strike was on, so we became hugely successful for lack of anything else on TV,” she says.

However, not everyone was a fan of the show. Keogh’s neighbors in Coto De Caza were some of its most outspoken critics.

“The show was a huge disappointment to Coto,” Keough says. “They were afraid it was going to make them look stupid. They were boycotting and having big news conferences at the club about, ‘Let’s stop this filming. It’s disruptive. Our children are all going to be kidnapped.’”

Eventually, though, Keough says that sentiment shifted.

“Four or five years later, these same people are saying, ‘Oh, my God, I traveled to Japan and the conversation stopped when they heard we lived in Coto De Caza.’ It was like the buzz word,” she says. “Wherever we went, we were treated like princesses.”

Keough reveals more about her “Real Housewives” experience on “Oprah: Where Are They Now?”, airing Saturday, Aug. 20, at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.

NeNe Leakes Owes Almost $830,000 in Taxes

People.com:

NeNe Leakes has found herself in some financial hot water.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, 48, owes a total of $824,366.01 in back taxes for the year 2014, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The reality star, whose real name is Linnethia Monique Leakes, was hit with a federal tax lien on July 22 in a Georgia court.

According to the documents, the IRS has made a demand for payment of the liability, but it remains unpaid. As a result, Leakes' assets and properties may begin to be seized in order to collect on her debt.

In 2014, in addition to starring as a regular cast member on Bravo's RHOA, Leakes also competed on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

That same year, she also launched the Nene Leakes Collection for the Home Shopping Network.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Melissa Gorga Takes Jacqueline Laurita to Task for Calling Her Husband

EOnline.com:

With one simple phone call it seems Jacqueline Laurita has set up not one, but two feuds for the new season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. You'll recall Jacqueline called Joe Gorga, brother to Teresa Giudice and husband to Melissa Gorga, when Teresa was visiting her house and rehashing drama from many seasons past.

Seems Melissa isn't too pleased Jacqueline dialed up her man.

"I've always loved you, I've always felt like you've been a good friend to me, but I'm f—king pissed you called my husband," she tells Jacqueline at a sit down lunch. Do good things ever come out of a sit down?

In the exclusive video below, Melissa tells Jacqueline Joe never said she was a bad friend to Teresa. "Listen to me, we're friends. Even if he said that about you, call me," Melissa says.

"He's my friend too. You don't need to be his voice…I went right to the source," Jacqeline says.

Yikes.

The fingers start wagging when Jacqueline brings up all the things she did to try and mend the fences between Joe and Teresa. "I was so good to your family," she says.

You've seen the teasers, you know things don't end well here and become hunky-dory.

"I think that my relationship totally changes this season, with her, completely. And it was pretty shocking and I think she tried to be hurtful in certain situations," Melissa previously revealed to us about her relationship with Jacqueline that takes another turn. "I think Vermont is big turning point. When we go away on the girls' trip, it was a big turning point for me, for my and Jacqueline's relationship. It took my rose-colored glasses off and it was like really seeing someone in front of me that I didn't see before."

Kelly Dodd Admits To 'Anger Management Problems'

From Kelly's Bravo blog:

In case you are wondering, Jolie did not and will not ever watch last night's episode. My believing that Shannon set me up and my response to Nina and Jaci's "neutrocious" (yes, I said that) lies will be revisited at the reunion, so Jolie probably will not be watching that either. I also asked the parents of Jolie's friends to please refrain from having their children watch the episode. The atrocious things that were said about me and my inappropriate responses, hopefully will never get back to "Shnuks" aka Jolie. I am so thankful that Jolie is still out of school for the summer while this episode is aired.

Losing my temper at the dinner party for Meghan was almost completely inexcusable. I acted like a raving lunatic. I admit I was wrong in many ways. I was embarrassed by my hysterical rants. I embarrassed my family and everybody involved. I want to apologize again here to Shannon and Tamra for the horrible names I called them. Of course they were in no way true or deserved. I also want to apologize to Meghan for ruining her special night. Clearly, I offended Heather's delicate sensibilities, so I apologize to her for that too.

The show is called REAL Housewives. It's real when I said I have anger management problems. My faults were on full display in this week's episode. This was me at my worst.

For someone to get irate there usually has to be a triggering event. For me, it was the fact that I believe Shannon set me up by giving Jaci and Nina a forum to spread vicious lies about my character. I have written about the set up in my blog now for the past few weeks. So, I am not going to restate the facts again here. Shannon denied it again at Kitiyama and continues to deny it to this day. In the '70s episode she fabricated some cock-and-bull story about Nina having some reason to attack me. At the sushi dinner, Shannon denied that Nina said "I don't need to suck anybody's dick to pay my bills" when she was sitting right there next to Nina on the couch, heard her say it, and told Nina she was keeping it real.

Shannon said I attacked her three times. On Heather's boat party I was joking with her about USC. Go back and watch it. I fist-bumped her to let her know it was a joke. So that strike doesn't count. At the '70s party I believe she set me up. So she initiated it. When I offered an olive branch to try to reconcile over lunch, she never admitted the truth, never apologized, and was equally guilty of yelling at me. We were both in the wrong. At Kitiyama, I was clearly in the wrong. So, by my count that's one strike.

Personally, why Meghan even brought up the Shannon/Kelly sit-down at the dinner party is a head scratcher. And Heather crying and having a breakdown in the car afterwards...ok, really?!?

RELATED: 'Real Housewife' Kelly Dodd seeks $6.25 million for glammed-up O.C. home

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Phaedra Parks 'Bomb' Suspect/Friend Ordered to Keep His Distance

TMZ.com:

It doesn't matter if Phaedra Parks is longtime pals with the guy accused of threatening her with a bomb ... a judge says he still has to stay away from her.

Terence Cook, best known as the rapper, Drama ... was released on a $25,000 bond last week with strict conditions while he's out of jail -- including not coming within 200 yards of Phaedra, her office or her crew. He also has to wear an ankle monitor, and get a mental evaluation.

The tight leash comes after Phaedra told TMZ ... Drama is an old friend and former client of hers, and the whole "bomb" incident was a huge misunderstanding. She says Drama was dropping off his mixtape, not a bomb.

As we reported, he was arrested back in July for the alleged bomb threat at Phaedra's office.

Phaedra told us she was trying to help Drama get legal assistance. We've reached out to her, but no word back yet.

Bethenny Frankel is 'Distancing' Herself from 'Real Housewives of New York': 'I Left it Behind'

ETOnline.com:

In 2014, after three seasons away from The Real Housewives of New York, Bethenny Frankel returned. Since then, the Bravo staple has seen ratings rise, but will Bethenny be back with her signature snark for season nine? When I sat down with her on Aug. 12, Frankel said she’s been “distancing herself from the show.”

“It was a long year,” she said. “It's definitely work. … This is just a summer of freedom. … I'm glad that the audience is enjoying [the show], but I left it behind.”

Frankel says she's spent time with close pal and co-star Carole Radziwill this summer, but hasn't seen much of the other women. Her demeanor when discussing RHONY seemed much more somber than it was just weeks before, when I spoke with her at her New York City apartment in late June. In that interview, the Skinnygirl creator said she didn’t know for sure if she’d return, but made it seem likely.

“I think so,” she said at the time. “I'm really glad I came back. I'm really proud of the show this season and I really do care about and respect most of the women that are on this show.”

Her hesitance now seems to be stemming largely from the volatile RHONY reunion taping in July. Frankel told me it was the most difficult reunion she’s ever filmed. “It was very, very negative and I didn’t enjoy it at all,” she said. “Something very dramatic happened … that questioned my integrity. If someone questions my business or my integrity I take it really seriously.”

“I live my life honestly,” she said. “You have 50 percent of the cast that has a whole taboo, police line, ‘do not cross’ section of their life that is not discussed on camera and never has been. For legal issues and liability issues, Bravo doesn't need to bring it up and it’s a difficult line to ride, and that may be why I don't come back.”

Frankel said she’s plenty busy with her production company, radio show and, of course, Skinnygirl brands. “I'm doing what I want to do and definitely making some changes in my personal and professional life, and deciding kind of how to line up all the pieces on the board in the fall,” she said. “I have a lot of different businesses and business decisions to make.”

Her latest Skinnygirl product is the Watermelon Lime Margarita. “It’s great for parties,” she said. “I wanted to just come up with the next fun drink and I think that watermelon is amazing.”

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Jacqueline and Chris Laurita Still Owes $338K In Taxes Amid Bankruptcy Case

RadarOnline.com:

Jacqueline Laurita admitted she’s slowly crawling out of debt on The Real Housewives of New Jersey but RadarOnline.com can reveal that she’s still nearly $340,000 in debt!

A clerk at the New Jersey State Judiciary confirmed to Radar exclusively that Laurita, 46, owes $338, 337.05 in state taxes. The original lien was filed on January 10, 2013.

As Radar previously reported, Laurita and her husband Chris were also slapped with a $85,127 federal tax lien. The couple was able to pay off a $9,851 lien earlier this year, and their $78,857 lien in 2011.

Her husband’s bankruptcy case regarding his now-defunct Signature Apparel clothing company is still ongoing. The most recent ruling in the case took place on August 4, 2016.

Frenemy Teresa Giudice brought up Laurita’s financial woes on the latest episode of the Bravo show — prompting Laurita to explain her poor financials again.

“We had a child diagnosed with autism as well as other unexpected expenses, and we had a lot to maintain,” the mom-of-three wrote in her Bravotv.com blog.

“The difference in income took a few years to catch up to us,” she explained. “The last couple of years were very difficult to juggle everything. We cut back where we could. We have some catching up to do, but we never gave up. We have been working hard, and we are well on our way.”

“Teresa trying to bring up my husband’s legal issues involving his old company that was forced into a corporate bankruptcy in comparison to her and Joe‘s criminal case was totally ludicrous to me,” she slammed.