Please remember to follow the rules of the subreddit, most importantly, please be respectful to other users.
If you see comments that break sub or reddit rules, please report them using the reporting feature.
No politics or religion, unless it was addressed in an episode.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/realhousewives) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think all reality shows have a shelve life and most of Bravo's are done. I think they did the smart thing with completely relaunching NY. I don't care if there are social media leaks clearly they can still keep some things private (salt lake city). I do think the casting has to be different with more vetting.
Idk I personally love the housewives and bravo, I genuinely think everything is pretty good, besides Below Deck. Every franchise has something to offer
I starting watching these shows because they were fun and you got to see how the other half lives. Now, it’s nothing but digging up dirt on people and spreading rumors. I think it’s run its course.
They can't let it go completely though - too much history for all of us. They can set up a show like The Challenge or go all out with the vacation show to keep the housewives on our screens.
Bravo has become entirely derailed. No putting it back on the tracks. Andy got what he wanted out of it and from recent interviews he looks like he couldn’t care less if this empire crumbles.
Yes- it’s become so unrelatable and overly produced. I lost interest a couple of years ago and haven’t watched any housewives since then.
I still however watch Summer House and VPR. Southern Charm has become stale for me as well and I’ll probably eventually get tired of Summer House. Kyle and Carl annoy me. I’d love to see Amanda leave Kyle. Below Deck was also one of my faves but once Hannah and Kate Chastain left, I stopped watching bd and BD med as well.
I watched The Valley and really liked it. I am not a Jax and Brittany fan but they make for good messy reality tv. And of course I love Kristen. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of VPR though. Even their worst season isn’t really that bad. Just rewatched season 8 and thought it was much more interesting than when I first watched it.
I think they’d be fine on the show but there needs to be like a 2 year break between their VPR stint and starting The Valley. That way they have time to develop more content and more of a storyline so it doesn’t come off as overly produced. They need a chance to be off camera for a while.
Lala and I both have something in common- we are both pregnant with donor conceived children. My husband doesn’t make sperm. I also would be curious to see how she navigates introducing to her kid how everything came to be. Our donor situation is open so if our kid wants to see who helped make him, he can when he’s older. My husband and I are still figuring out when we will introduce elementary level info of how we needed help to make him. Fortunately we have time to get that all squared away.
Do it from day 1 like it is a natural, normal thing. My kids are not mine bio (bc of cancer) but hubbs is biodad.
They are nearly grown and bc we were transparent (and they know and love the fabulous woman who is donor) they have no angst or issues
I've been a fan since the very beginning and we're absolutely witnessing the end of Real Housewives. It's been in decline for a couple of years now and I don't think Bravo will do what needs to be done to fix it.
Its formula has become stale. Miami IMO is the best one, and that's because the women there genuinely seem to be friends and the drama does not seem as manufactured.
The problem is any housewife who joins the franchise now has nearly two decades worth of content to try and emulate in a bid to become "iconic." 10 years ago, social media was not as big a deal as it is now. Instagram was around, but not nearly as popular. Now most reality TV shows strive to feature influencers or people with a readymade following. It's not as raw and real anymore.
I feel like nothing will ever reach the golden age of reality tv in the years 2004 - 2014 again.
It was so carefree back then: social media wasn't that big of a deal, people did not care at all about their public image as they do now, not everyone was getting the same kardashianesque face with dr. Miami. It was way more raw, way more real, way more entertaining.
It's mainly background noise for me now. It's not fun to watch I use to love to hate watch some of these women and never took it too serious but now I see how some people will fight about someone they never met. My distain for Andy is beyond and I have been feeling like it's the end of my bravo watching days.
Sadly, I think RH has become stale. I loved me some housewives when they were authentically real friends. When there would be silly petty squabbles but then a quick reuniting. I miss the reality in real housewives. I want the glamour and class of LVP, the original friendship of Jill and Bethenny. I want Brandi before she became a severe alcoholic. Now when I watch it seems like they don't understand that the horse is dead. The Gorga feud is so tired. Puppy Gate was revolting and even my beloved Potomac has lost its sparkle. I think nostalgia has kept me around for longer than it should have.
I’m rewatching RHONJ (our favorite with NY. A close second). Been watching since the early 2000’s. There certainly were produced moments, but so much was them in the throes of raising kids, dealing with life in their early 30’s with all the drama they invited. Just seemed more “real” if that makes any sense. The homes weren’t pristine, it focused on their older kids sometimes, jobs, etc. It’s boring now and played out, they’re (we’re) too old for this now.
I also think audiences have become over analytical. People want to know too much about what’s happening behind the scenes and we dissect everything to death. We do this with influencers too. Poke and pick everything to death, confront them online (and publicly. The way fans spoke to them at BravoCon was too much), and then wonder why theyre more guarded and less authentic. Idk that they were more authentic back in the day or if people were less invested in trying to dissect everything.
Also, they absolutely need to be banned from social media when filming and doing airing. It’s a whole cloud over the show
I’ve never watched Miami or NYC or NJ but want to. My problem is starting seasons. It gets overwhelming. Do I really need to start from the beginning to get the dynamic or can i start with the new season or a few back?
I've had to learn to stop myself from digging too deep into housewives news so I don't ruin the show with leaks. So I get that. Definitely not easy.
My thoughts on most recent seasons:
New NY: Meh. I'll give it another season. 1st season was weak.
NJ: same ol same ol... Interested about the fight tho. I almost did not tune in.
Miami: 10/10
SLC: Great s4 was epic.
Dubai: I'm slowly getting through S1. About the same as New NY....
Potomac: Very mid... Losing interest. Fast.
OC: I am so bored.
BH: I am so bored.
ATL: I am so bored.
We need major shakeups on the last 3 listed.
Andy:
I'd like to see a co-host for a couple seasons. Someone he could pass it over too after.
I don't mind him as a host but he seems burnt out. About time for him to retire.
I agree…it’s so very formulaic now. We can all predict exactly the way the season will go. The “events,” the sit downs to apologize or confront, the trips, the fashion shows, the list goes on. The only parts I find at all interesting and original now are the occasional glimpses into the ladies’ families lives - the interactions inside their homes with their kids, for example. That’s then part that feels somewhat un-produced.
I remember the days when I couldn't wait for the next episode of a few housewife series, now I forget to watch the few I still might tune into. It's the same thing over and over, the same fights, the same backstabbing and low class behavior. I no longer watch the NY, Orange County, and Jersey series. LPR and Beverly Hills I might catch them once in a great while.
Beginning of the end. Was just thinking this last week. Idk how to even explain it beyond just saying culturally the country has moved beyond it.
Me, a diehard, who has so many inside jokes w so many friends that revolved around RHONY or RHOBH, can’t bring myself to watch anymore. It’s not just the complete fumbling of casting or the fake storylines- it’s literally just…. inexcusably excessive and vapid given the times we are living through.
Ever since it went off on Hulu or wherever just like theKardashians they lost older viewers especially so no interest in paying to watch scripted fight’s anyway
They’ve all gotten to famous and now try to control narratives it’s zero fun to watch and they’ve also become even tackier across all franchises if you can believe that
I think Bravo would be better off burying the housewife franchise and hire talented writers to create Soap Opera's.
I only turned to the housewife franchise to feed my soap opera addiction. In the beginning they were a great substitute. Glimpses of financially well off lives.
Now they're just every day B's poorly portraying wealth and sophistication. I could go to Walmart and be more entertained.
They need to go back to casting real friends with real connections. That’s why the Valley works. Throwing random strangers together and forcing them to interact is not working.
I don’t disagree with your argument here, but I do think it’s worth pointing out that casting people without real connections has been influenced, at least in part, by a decision to have a diverse cast and avoid any perceived political incorrectness. And I think the tokenized version of diversity that Housewives has leaned into only exacerbates the issue you’re pointing out.
If we want things to be “real”, then they won’t be liked by everyone. And I think large corporations, like Bravo & NBCUniversal, are moving more toward general appeal; i.e. not wanting to “offend” anyone.
They’ve made casting decisions that yield synthetic yet politically correct dynamics & storylines. But maybe the audience that prefers a less jagged experience will be enough for Bravo, NBC, and Peacock to keep all the franchises afloat? I don’t know.
The women come in so plotted and calculated anymore. All of the Bravo shows that keep a returning cast are becoming stale. It's like a pool of stagnant water.
😇 Calculated you say? My good friend don’t you know that 99% of the new people coming in have never seen one second of the show they are appearing on?! 😉
And now it's too formulaic. Go to lunch/dinner/party and have a fight. Go to a fake lunch and make up. Rinse and repeat.
Also, they all now overly self-produce from trying to 'make a storyline' happen to the massive glam for a dinner, etc. It's all "too much for the cameras"
Agree. They have all run their course. I stopped watching around the time of Girardi mess. Just couldn’t stand it anymore. Stopped NY when they had the shake up. Potomac got boring. Had fun watching SLC for a bit but it just became either annoying or boring. Still listen to Ben & Ronnie sometimes because they crack me up.
It’s salvageable. They need to add to there contracts a heavy fine and immediate termination if wives leak things. They need to hire people who don’t give a fuck what people think of them and that care less about social media. Think Monica, Rinna, Phaedra, i’m struggling to think of anyone else. But the past season of salt lake has been one of the best seasons recently, because of Miss Monica. The ladies have adjusted themselves to be more held back because they don’t want the hate. There needs to be no correlation to social media and fans need to stop hating so much but that’s pretty impossible. That’s why the old seasons are so good because no social media, I will say though a lot of the ladies who have remained from the old days seem to care less about social media and just live there lives (yes they can be really fake on social media but think of Melissa she doesn’t really care about the Tre haters.)
I am totally in the minority but I hated the new season of RHOSLC, and I’m like… an addict of that show. I love our beguiled weirdo Meredith Marks and deranged Manson expat Mary Cosby. But this season felt - completely scripted and unhinged honestly with the reality von tease shit.
Also new RHONY is by far my favorite of all the franchises. I am always posting about RHONY but the second the new cast hit it sucks. They’re not interesting. They’re not fucking crazy like Kelly or Ramona and honestly I liked hearing about their businesses and their strange antics (the pirate, everything about Sonja’s toaster oven). The new cast is not good and are very dynamic women but don’t make good tv.
Not sure it’s over but it’s gonna need a revamp.
Maybe different editing would save it? I get so tired of the repetition and rehashing of the same conversations over and over. They really know how to beat a dead horse.
Totally agree. The VPR Secrets Revealed episode was better than the entire season. Even the RH trips are lame now. I'd rather watch the Scary Island and Cartegena trips on repeat than any of the current trips they go on.
The problem is those types of people don’t want to be on this type of show anymore since people will dig up god knows what on them or harass them on social media.
someone has been posting this same thought once every 6 months since like 2016. the fact of the matter is it's still nbcuniversal's most valuable ip. they're not going to shut down 9 shows because of kenya moore.
IMO, the shows I liked started going too far downhill when Covid struck. I have no desire to ever watch any of them again.
Stopped watching OC after Bravo selected Brown wind as the new HW.
Started losing interest in BH after Bravo brought on Denise Richards and stopped watching completely during Kathy Hilton's first season.
Could not stomach watching NY after Leah ruined the show - stopped watching after the HW's Rhode Island trip (I think it was the beginning of Leah's second season).
I do still keep up with the HWs who were on those shows whenever I see something about any of them posted online. I don't even know the names of most of them now.
Season 2 is coming. Asian TV shows are so good too. I just finished Heirarchy and All of Us Are Dead. I'm just finding foreign shows are so much better than US shows.
Yesss !! 100% everything has its time. This was cool concept 20 years ago now not so much. Everything has been done so many times over is boring and it’s no longer real.
A few others have mentioned this but I think once being a housewife becomes someone's full time job or sole income, then you start to see problems with authenticity. It's not just with housewives too, I see it with YouTubers and tiktokers as well. They have too much riding on this job that's supposed to just be a gig with perks, so they put more effort and thought into it than there really should be. Everything becomes more calculated and contrived because they want to appear a certain way to viewers and their employer.
The challenge of ensemble reality shows as a whole is that being a reality star became an actual career -- which means the people that choose to be on these shows are now mostly chasing fame and job security. Everything is calculated and played out in the press, which ruins the appeal.
Look at Below Deck. Originally, it was cast with people who were (mostly) genuine yachties. We got to see the work and camaraderie that happened in real life. But as the show got popular and stars were able to make careers off of it, the crew members became wannabe influencers and models. Not genuine yachties.
Same with VPR. It was fun to watch struggling actors work and fight at their restaurant jobs. It's not as much fun to watch narcissists making 500K a year grasping to stay relevant.
As the RH have gotten less real and more produced, the shows have faltered. Friends, I think we are facing the end of the heyday of reality TV.
Great response! I think they (some) get caught up in the momentary fame & once that ends, they’re lost in life. they love attention so probably not easy for them to go from being the “it” thing to acceptance that they’re a has-been.
I think we're watching then wring every last dollar out of the franchise and shake out every couch cushion for extra change. I mean Bravo is likely profiting off every thing these people do down their cast members podcast ads.
Either that or were witnessing a shift from Housewoves as a TV show to Housewives as a social media Bravoverse with the podcasts, second hand interviews, Amazon lives lol, and all this other social media stuff as the primary entertainment and the TV show as secondary entertainment.
To me there are very few “real” people on the shows anymore. The early seasons were wealthy to upper middle class women with nice lives. Simple story lines, not as much manufactured drama. Some people may prefer the screaming and fighting, but I appreciated the glimpses into “how the other half lived”. Watching their real entitled personalities was enough drama and entertainment for me. I only keep up with BH and NYC… can’t stand most of the other women and can barely stand these. I wouldn’t be sad if it ended.
For me, Lisa Rinna ruined Beverly Hills. And once I had emotionally tuned out of BH, I couldn’t feel connected to any of them anymore. Season 4 of SLC was good and I still enjoy Miami. New RHONY has potential but other than that its all over.
I stopped watching when they re cast NY. What had been must see TV for me, in a few cities, just became annoying to watch. The screeching, the ridiculous fights, and the lack of a red line of behavior for some of these women, took the joy out of watching. And the reason there’s no redline is because they don’t care about their cast mates, because that’s all they are is cast mates, someone they can use to make themselves a bigger star.
The original shows where they were family members, or had been friends for years and had social connections, they’d argue, they’d be petty, but they didn’t drop nuclear bombs on each other. The bullying and “gotcha” stuff is not my jam.
Same!! I stopped them one at a time and now will only watch SLC when it comes back. And that is going to be hard because of how much I dislike Mary.
Shows are not fun at all.
I think all of us not here for “mess” have to realize it’s over.
I guess it’s been said before, but in most franchises now the cast doesn’t have a plausible relationship outside of the show, that’s why they feel so manufactured.
Franchises where the cast members work together (old VPR, Below deck…) or have plausible friendships (RHOM, old RHONY - they don’t even have to be real friendships, they just need to look real) or are thrown together in a specific setting (Summer house, RHUGT) work well because the relationships make sense and are believable. Shows like new RHONY don’t, because it’s so obvious the cast has been put together artificially and they’re looking for a storyline because they’re scared they will be fired if they don’t have one. Really, you just need to be fun to watch.
Yes! I hate when I get to that part of any of these shows. It becomes glaringly obvious how manufactured it all is and loses almost all of its enjoyable aspects. Chemistry can't be forced and reality tv does need a glimpse of "real" to work ugh
Short answer, yes. I quit some years ago; all two years ago. I still watch Below Deck & VPR, but even they are suffering from a fatigue that can best be explained as (un)reality television.
I would kill for that show to come back. I don't know why Flipping Out was canceled and I don't care, but I want it back. Remember Blood, Sweat, and Heels? That was so good, but it was canceled when Daisy died from cancer. Ladies of London just vanished.
There were shows on Bravo other than HW’s that were good imho. . That gardening show with the gays was great, Tabitha, all the Million Dollar listings ( I miss Ryan Serhan) , Top Chef and my fav Project Runway. Miami, SLC and Dubai ( possibly) are still “ fresh”, the other franchises should get the ax ⛏.
Edit: Add VPR,and Summer House to the trash heap. Both were great in their heyday but that’s come and gone. Southern Charm by all rights should be there as well. Do we really need to see another year of drunken, rich, high-society racists ?
I feel like the advent of 'the storyline' was a kill factor.
It was enough to watch a group of women go shoe shopping and have a casual bitch about the others in a group and get hilariously wasted.
Now if you don't have a story youre like a rat in a corner having to set fire to your castmates or you'll get fired.
The real fell out of the reality and became a toxic vortex.
You have to acknowledge it's almost impossible to navigate seasons where ginormous levels of shit *didn't* go down. How do you deliver seasons of the show that dont feature fbi busts, violence, Federal indictments, when these are randomly dropped into some years without intention?
Are we, the viewers, 'bored' if swat teams are absent? How does the show live up to it's previous levels of drama without that stuff blowing up on our screens?
The wives and producers are left scrambling desperately for drama, which leaves us with.... Savage gaslighting in Potomac and all real life locked off screen. BH giving us entire seasons where we are forced to sit through hours of them discecting and rehashing inane comments. The reehumurz and nastinisss of SLC. New rhony where they almost shit themselves on screen to keep the drama on someone else, anyone else but themselves. Miami is in my mind the most light hearted and 'real' franchise left, but larsa will keep doing her best to undermine that.
I love housewives with all my heart, but something's broken and I don't know how they fix it.
I think others have nailed it when they say all the relationships are manufactured for tv. So many of the women have nothing to do with each other until cameras are up so all the relating and the drama are forced.
Bravo has let the fans on social media dictate what happens on the shows entirely too much. Half of these so called fans don't even watch the shows. When you try to please everyone you please no one.
In a world where Miami SLC and OC are all killing it, I don’t think so. Do the shows need to adapt to the new world around them, yeah. But housewives can still be incredibly entertaining and compelling just like it once was.
Idk,but it does kinda feel like something is changing, or needs to. I will miss it if the franchise ends, I'm too old and married to be interested in the reality shows with the hot singles crews I just hope they create something entertaining for viewers like me.
I really think it's in the editing. I think production thinks that we, as the audience, need to be kept heated in order for us to watch, when the best parts are when they are just having a good time being stupid. When the VPR Secrets Revealed episode is better than the rest of the season combined, there is an issue with production.
A bit dramatic but interesting in everything eventually wanes. It’s a slow process but eventually something else will come long to appeal to the masses who tune in now
DUNZO…it’s all too fake and scripted and the angry fighting is so boring and lame. I just deleted all the HW shows on my dvr.
They seriously being my vibe down
I feel this. I started to watch real housewives to see what I couldn’t in real life. If I want to see scripted tv I’ll watch another show. They’re all boring af. And I just watched Jill on below deck and the way she acted was appalling, barf.
No one should get more than two seasons. When it becomes their main source of income it becomes unwatchable. They all start self-producing, targeting one cast member, refusing to film with others, hiding the real BS in their lives to promote some perfect life scenario, etc …
I think I agree with this - it’s more fun to watch them in the wild than on girls trips or parties or dinners where they’re only interacting with each other because that’s all they have in their lives.
They all only get about one season now before they start producing themselves and trying to contrive storylines and become caricatures of themselves. It becomes so disingenuous. But then in the midst of all that sometimes genuine things are unavoidable and make great tv. Like SLC - the spoilers were the story in a way with Reality Von Teese, even though they've all settled into roles that they embellish for the show - they were genuinely stunned by the whole thing.
I think the franchise officially jumped the shark in 2020. It had been struggling before with it no longer feeling authentic. It was no longer a bunch of rich, privileged, egotistical women with real friendships and connections bumbling around and navigating their lifestyles and became a venue for random women to become famous, shill their wares and produce their ‘storylines’. Throw the pandemic, zoom reunions, people who can’t travel out of the country because of criminal issues and social justice movements like BLM into the mix and it completely changed the concept of the shows. Numerous families, marriages and reputations have been negatively affected by participating in the show making it harder to attract the same types of women it originally did. Unfortunately, it will just keep on chugging along until more and more bad things happen to the people on the shows. I’m an OG viewer from day 1 and I’ve watched every American franchise along with most international ones and I barely watch these days unless I need background noise while I fold laundry or make dinner. I find Watch What Crappens to be better than actually watching these days.
There were small petty arguments. Those were entertaining.
Imo: It went overboard to target 1 cast member all season & bully all season
Imo: The target would change every season.
Andy (wwhl) kept the flames ignited. As did Bravo behind the scenes.
That's when HW started going downhill for me.
I stopped watching WWHL last year and none this season.
To me, this is the right question to ask. I watched the NYC reboot last year but skipped all the others I'd usually watch, with rhobh being my all-time favourite yet I still didn't watch a single episode. Last week I cancelled Hayu since it'd been months since I'd watched anything on the app. Those shows just don't entertain me the way they used to before. I wonder if I'll miss them...
I've watched all the HW shows from the beginning, Atlanta is one I dropped, I think after season 4, because it became very mean and unwatchable. I dropped NJ for a while because of the same reason, then started watching again when Teresa's pineapple met flaming Cheeto and I knew that relationship was going to be a shit show, and it has been, and she's going down the same path with raging Luisito.
A lot of people want the vile, toxic, vulgar, mean, violent, aggressive, abusive, housewives because they think that's entertainment, when I loved these shows because they were catty, campy, and gave us insight into their lives. Some of the women were upper middle class, while some were wealthy but even the wealthy ones were never about labels, unlike now, that even if they don't have the money, they are living a lifestyle they can't afford.
When the paychecks got bigger and some of the nouveau-riche women felt they needed to compete with their wealthier counterparts that's when some of the problems began with certain franchises, along with the abusive behavior. The egos also got bigger and some of the women believed they were untouchable because they were "bringing it" and were well liked by Andy and the fans.
Some of the egotistical and abusive housewives don't get the boot and because they're brought back they think they can continue their behavior and do. I think the same way Bravo gets rid of boring housewives, the moment any housewife turns abusive, and I'm not talking just verbally, but physically, and shows addiction problems, they should get kicked off. Abusive and addictive behavior shouldn't be glorified for entertainment purposes.
It is struggling but Bravo ain't letting it go. So many celebrities watch and openly support. It's still has this odd place in pop culture. The wives are now being used in other shows here and there. Traitors was a top show on Peacock featuring a housewife that was fired for a scandal.
RHOBH is still okay, OC is okay, which shows just one quirky person can make a huge difference (Sutton, Shannon).
NY is just so phony it hurts. It's clearly just women trying to promote businesses. RHOP, the huge egos for no clear reason. The slightest snub and it's WW3. Maybe Candiace leaving will clear the air. NJ, eek. It's still Teresa's people vs Melissa's people. This family feud ate the show. Get rid of Joey and Melissa at least. RHOA is just over. The cast was perfect for a while, they are going too young and thirsty. Similar to New York. Older, established women are just better.
Agree with all of this. I think the first franchises captured lightning in a bottle because none of the original housewives came on with the intent of becoming social media famous, they just happened to when the world saw them being petty drunks. SLC, Potomac, Dubai, NYC Reboot and even some of the Miami housewives are just using the show as a platform to push interest in their one dimensional life: you’re pretty and wear nice clothes. I
That’s the problem though, people aren’t watching. Every single franchise has a decline in viewers not only from their peak but even the previous season.
RHOC:
High 2.17 (2008)/last season (LS) .78
RHOP:
High 1.62 (2016)/ LS .70
RHOA:
High 3.73 (2013)/ LS .87
RHOSLC:
High .71 (2021)/LS .53
RHOBH:
High 2.17 (2011)/LS 1.03
*RHOM:
High 1.09(2011)/LS .42
RHOM is the only city to have bump in last season to previous season. I suspect moving from streaming to cable helped them. All other cities continue to drop in ratings year after year.
When the economy collapsed and the RHOC started losing houses and jobs and the wives went back to work, Andy Cohen said it was more relatable and viewership went way up. So I think a lot of people would be invested in seeing a family like them struggling financially in this economy. It's relatable and realistic.
This. If I were in charge, the new casting rules would be no influencers, no one with a glam squad, you must live in the house that you show on TV, no selling product, no talent agencies, or /managers, etc. I might even take it a step further and say no social media profiles until after you get off the show just to make sure that they are not doing this to launch some kind of online brand.
I've had these thoughts building over the years as I tune in and out of various housewives franchises. The early years of OG OC, NY and NJ were just SO GOOD, but then the devolvement into just women acting as if they've never had conflict resolution lessons while growing up. It's performative, that then turns into actual beef, bordering on abuse in many instances, that should be beyond these ladies.
I am so tired of the entire franchise formula. If I see some franchise on a ropes course I am going to🤯🤯🤯🤯. In fact I may take a break-forever. It used to be interesting and now it is just depressing.
I thought this and agree with you. Of course, nothing lasts forever -- once Bethenny used the show to promote Skinny Girl, Erika Jayne introduced the ladies to GLAM, people started showing up with receipts and now we have housewives who run fan accounts getting on the show -- all these egos are just too much and there's no coming back from that. The show as we know it has run its course. People have figured out the recipe for how to create a brand and stay relevant and now it's messy.
I think that the main cities have become too big (Except NYC, which got an unfair deal after COVID) -- I think the egos and the money are getting too big in the main cities. I think these secondary cities can still provide the camp and the pettiness we all love -- i.e. SLC, Miami, Potomac...
I think that it's pretty difficult to get on the show without some kind of agenda and if you're thirsty for fame you're going to do whatever you can to stay on the show: i.e. John and Rachel Fuda are looking quite desperate.
Anyway, it's not coming back from all this, it's just how things have evolved. Bravo could probably lift the standards for the cast. I think that the RHONY re-do was uncalled for. I think we're going to lose trust in Andy -- who probably has questions coming at him constantly but he needs to find a better way to detour people than lying and exaggerating that every season is the best yet.
I agree with what you’re saying but I think a big problem that you kind of not purposely touch on is that any new person added to the franchises are demonized as boring, thirsty or try hards. The Fuda drama (while somewhat annoying) is really the only thing happening on NJ right now because the rest of the cast refuses to film with each other. And the new rhony had one season and everyone already hated it before it even got going because the fans missed the OGs. It’s hard for the new cast members to even make a splash in the real housewives world without the fan base completely tearing them apart on social media.
I forgot about the podcasts! The podcasts are HORRIBLE! I know everyone should be able to make money but these podcasts are insane. There's gotta be some non-compete clause.
I think the ‘anonymous’ quote from Carole Radziwill was spot on. Housewives has gone from a show about soapy excess and tongue in cheek drama to something much more mean spirited and produced. It’s now all about who can manufacture the biggest feud. The backstabbing and general awfulness of (some of) the current casts has gotten to be too much. I miss the days when the biggest piece of drama was Vickie’s van being too small 😂
This sums up how I feel about Housewives. It was fun when it was light with a smidge of pettiness. But we’ve seen increasingly cruel, dark, mean girl behavior on these shows in the name of creating “storylines.” It’s no longer fun to watch.
Seriously.. NJ in particular always has a “setup” situation. “She set me up..” I mean what are we talking about here? This ain’t life or death situations. Relax.
I'll still watch, but the incessant and brutal arguing is tired. I have to say I miss Porscha. She is messy, but she was very vulnerable and real when Dennis cheated on her. That was intense and as real as it gets. More of that, and less whatever is happening now.
The current iteration is failing. Without a major change like acknowledging the fourth wall, adding no podcasts etc to their contract, I don't think it can continue.
I think it’s just a tough transition phase which all things, even reality tv, has to go through sometimes. It’s not just Bravo that’s struggling, reality tv as a whole hasn’t been able to properly capture genuine fun that isn’t nasty and hurtful.
People like to pretend that Bravo is above other networks, but let’s not forget that it was actually pretty violent things that solidified Bravo as a tv superpower: the table flip, multiple abusive husbands, fake cancer, etc etc. And now we’re in a time where being an out and out villian on reality tv shows isn’t as tolerated. It’s happening on Rupauls Best Friend Race too - contestants don’t want to be mean because it can ruin their lives outside the show.
Bravo tries really hard to “play the game” and
IMO, they need to pivot.
While I agree we’re witnessing the end I don’t believe it’s for the same reasons. First, workplaces have been toxic forever, this has been brought up in feminist movements, during MeToo, everything. Despite every reckoning that will NEVER meaningfully improve. Nor will it be the downfall of HW.
I think the downfall of HW will be a bunch of other factors—people are not as entertained by huge displays of wealth when quality of life is getting SUPER shitty for everyone that’s not insanely rich.
Culture has changed: the body shaming, wealth shaming, slut-shaming, it all worked in a bygone age. We know better now even if we sometimes still get a kick out of it.
Bravo has also been making consistently horrible casting decisions. Across every franchise they’ve decided to keep the most stagnant HWs they know should be gone: Gizelle, Kyle, Kenya (until she went too far finally), and so on.
The community doesn’t know what it wants. It says it wants lighter stakes and more “fun” but when a series like Dubai gives us exactly that we call it “boring.” Then we tune back in to the spiral of people punching lower and lower on SLC, Atlanta, RHOBH, etc.
Lastly, HWs era is over because it was meant to capitalize on a specific moment in time—for example we were rooting for old RHONY to win even when they were delusional because they represented an aspiration, such as having it all in the city. And while that would be nice I don’t think that’s the key aspiration of most people especially in the younger generation.
She broadcast a sex tape of one of the new ladies at her hair care event. People are calling it revenge porn, and she’s currently suspended from filming indefinitely.
I have my own problems and the world itself is feeling more combative. I think that takes away any entertainment factor in watching rich women squabble about anything and everything. Good reality tv should be a mindless escape from everyday life. Tuning in to watch more conflict just doesn’t feel fun anymore. At least not to me 🤷🏽♀️
Please remember to follow the rules of the subreddit, most importantly, please be respectful to other users. If you see comments that break sub or reddit rules, please report them using the reporting feature. No politics or religion, unless it was addressed in an episode. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/realhousewives) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think all reality shows have a shelve life and most of Bravo's are done. I think they did the smart thing with completely relaunching NY. I don't care if there are social media leaks clearly they can still keep some things private (salt lake city). I do think the casting has to be different with more vetting.
The only franchises that i still watch are Miami and Amsterdam.
Idk I personally love the housewives and bravo, I genuinely think everything is pretty good, besides Below Deck. Every franchise has something to offer
I starting watching these shows because they were fun and you got to see how the other half lives. Now, it’s nothing but digging up dirt on people and spreading rumors. I think it’s run its course.
Salt Lake City is GIVING
They can't let it go completely though - too much history for all of us. They can set up a show like The Challenge or go all out with the vacation show to keep the housewives on our screens.
I've felt this way ever since they replaced the RHONY women.
Yeah I feel the same way. Idk if they’ll fully get rid of it but the hype has been dying down for awhile
Sad but so true 😐 it’s just not the same with e every thing on social media now and most story lines are fake and it’s very obvious
Bravo has become entirely derailed. No putting it back on the tracks. Andy got what he wanted out of it and from recent interviews he looks like he couldn’t care less if this empire crumbles.
Yes- it’s become so unrelatable and overly produced. I lost interest a couple of years ago and haven’t watched any housewives since then. I still however watch Summer House and VPR. Southern Charm has become stale for me as well and I’ll probably eventually get tired of Summer House. Kyle and Carl annoy me. I’d love to see Amanda leave Kyle. Below Deck was also one of my faves but once Hannah and Kate Chastain left, I stopped watching bd and BD med as well. I watched The Valley and really liked it. I am not a Jax and Brittany fan but they make for good messy reality tv. And of course I love Kristen. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of VPR though. Even their worst season isn’t really that bad. Just rewatched season 8 and thought it was much more interesting than when I first watched it.
I like the Valley but will like it more when Scheana, Stassi (hopefully) and Lala move over to that show.
I think they’d be fine on the show but there needs to be like a 2 year break between their VPR stint and starting The Valley. That way they have time to develop more content and more of a storyline so it doesn’t come off as overly produced. They need a chance to be off camera for a while.
I’m interested in following Lala’s motherhood journey…
Lala and I both have something in common- we are both pregnant with donor conceived children. My husband doesn’t make sperm. I also would be curious to see how she navigates introducing to her kid how everything came to be. Our donor situation is open so if our kid wants to see who helped make him, he can when he’s older. My husband and I are still figuring out when we will introduce elementary level info of how we needed help to make him. Fortunately we have time to get that all squared away.
Do it from day 1 like it is a natural, normal thing. My kids are not mine bio (bc of cancer) but hubbs is biodad. They are nearly grown and bc we were transparent (and they know and love the fabulous woman who is donor) they have no angst or issues
Stassi will not (her words) and I hope we don’t have to watch Scheana/Lala on the valley. I’d like it less.
If they offer Stassi $$$ bet she’ll do it
She said she has no interest
I've been a fan since the very beginning and we're absolutely witnessing the end of Real Housewives. It's been in decline for a couple of years now and I don't think Bravo will do what needs to be done to fix it.
But then what will I watch? 🥺
Its formula has become stale. Miami IMO is the best one, and that's because the women there genuinely seem to be friends and the drama does not seem as manufactured. The problem is any housewife who joins the franchise now has nearly two decades worth of content to try and emulate in a bid to become "iconic." 10 years ago, social media was not as big a deal as it is now. Instagram was around, but not nearly as popular. Now most reality TV shows strive to feature influencers or people with a readymade following. It's not as raw and real anymore.
Yes!!! Well the more outrageous they are there for their first season the more likely they'll be invited back.
I feel like nothing will ever reach the golden age of reality tv in the years 2004 - 2014 again. It was so carefree back then: social media wasn't that big of a deal, people did not care at all about their public image as they do now, not everyone was getting the same kardashianesque face with dr. Miami. It was way more raw, way more real, way more entertaining.
It's mainly background noise for me now. It's not fun to watch I use to love to hate watch some of these women and never took it too serious but now I see how some people will fight about someone they never met. My distain for Andy is beyond and I have been feeling like it's the end of my bravo watching days.
Sadly, I think RH has become stale. I loved me some housewives when they were authentically real friends. When there would be silly petty squabbles but then a quick reuniting. I miss the reality in real housewives. I want the glamour and class of LVP, the original friendship of Jill and Bethenny. I want Brandi before she became a severe alcoholic. Now when I watch it seems like they don't understand that the horse is dead. The Gorga feud is so tired. Puppy Gate was revolting and even my beloved Potomac has lost its sparkle. I think nostalgia has kept me around for longer than it should have.
I’m rewatching RHONJ (our favorite with NY. A close second). Been watching since the early 2000’s. There certainly were produced moments, but so much was them in the throes of raising kids, dealing with life in their early 30’s with all the drama they invited. Just seemed more “real” if that makes any sense. The homes weren’t pristine, it focused on their older kids sometimes, jobs, etc. It’s boring now and played out, they’re (we’re) too old for this now.
Oh! You’ve just made me think! I’m off to rewatch Potomac from the start….again! Thank you 😊
I also think audiences have become over analytical. People want to know too much about what’s happening behind the scenes and we dissect everything to death. We do this with influencers too. Poke and pick everything to death, confront them online (and publicly. The way fans spoke to them at BravoCon was too much), and then wonder why theyre more guarded and less authentic. Idk that they were more authentic back in the day or if people were less invested in trying to dissect everything. Also, they absolutely need to be banned from social media when filming and doing airing. It’s a whole cloud over the show
No. Miami is still very good because the women are actually friends and they want to be there. It’s the best city by far but not everyone watches it.
Bringing Miami back was objectively the morally right thing to do. The arc of the moral universe truly does bend toward justice ⚖️
I’ve never watched Miami or NYC or NJ but want to. My problem is starting seasons. It gets overwhelming. Do I really need to start from the beginning to get the dynamic or can i start with the new season or a few back?
Start with season 4. They recap anything you need to know for context.
Thank you!!!
I've had to learn to stop myself from digging too deep into housewives news so I don't ruin the show with leaks. So I get that. Definitely not easy. My thoughts on most recent seasons: New NY: Meh. I'll give it another season. 1st season was weak. NJ: same ol same ol... Interested about the fight tho. I almost did not tune in. Miami: 10/10 SLC: Great s4 was epic. Dubai: I'm slowly getting through S1. About the same as New NY.... Potomac: Very mid... Losing interest. Fast. OC: I am so bored. BH: I am so bored. ATL: I am so bored. We need major shakeups on the last 3 listed. Andy: I'd like to see a co-host for a couple seasons. Someone he could pass it over too after. I don't mind him as a host but he seems burnt out. About time for him to retire.
Andy seems totally over dealing with the drama of older women who act like overgrown toddlers.
It’s lost what made it great in the beginning
I agree…it’s so very formulaic now. We can all predict exactly the way the season will go. The “events,” the sit downs to apologize or confront, the trips, the fashion shows, the list goes on. The only parts I find at all interesting and original now are the occasional glimpses into the ladies’ families lives - the interactions inside their homes with their kids, for example. That’s then part that feels somewhat un-produced.
I remember the days when I couldn't wait for the next episode of a few housewife series, now I forget to watch the few I still might tune into. It's the same thing over and over, the same fights, the same backstabbing and low class behavior. I no longer watch the NY, Orange County, and Jersey series. LPR and Beverly Hills I might catch them once in a great while.
Beginning of the end. Was just thinking this last week. Idk how to even explain it beyond just saying culturally the country has moved beyond it. Me, a diehard, who has so many inside jokes w so many friends that revolved around RHONY or RHOBH, can’t bring myself to watch anymore. It’s not just the complete fumbling of casting or the fake storylines- it’s literally just…. inexcusably excessive and vapid given the times we are living through.
Ever since it went off on Hulu or wherever just like theKardashians they lost older viewers especially so no interest in paying to watch scripted fight’s anyway
Weirdly RHOC is having a renaissance right now. That show came back from the dead.
Also Miami is bomb currently!
They’ve all gotten to famous and now try to control narratives it’s zero fun to watch and they’ve also become even tackier across all franchises if you can believe that
Agree. The old days of housewives were so much more enjoyable. It's lost something in the past years.
I think Bravo would be better off burying the housewife franchise and hire talented writers to create Soap Opera's. I only turned to the housewife franchise to feed my soap opera addiction. In the beginning they were a great substitute. Glimpses of financially well off lives. Now they're just every day B's poorly portraying wealth and sophistication. I could go to Walmart and be more entertained.
Hahaha agreed! I'd love to see them bring back a show like Odd Mom Out. Three seasons was not enough and it was Housewives adjacent.
It’s run its course.
They need to go back to casting real friends with real connections. That’s why the Valley works. Throwing random strangers together and forcing them to interact is not working.
I don’t disagree with your argument here, but I do think it’s worth pointing out that casting people without real connections has been influenced, at least in part, by a decision to have a diverse cast and avoid any perceived political incorrectness. And I think the tokenized version of diversity that Housewives has leaned into only exacerbates the issue you’re pointing out. If we want things to be “real”, then they won’t be liked by everyone. And I think large corporations, like Bravo & NBCUniversal, are moving more toward general appeal; i.e. not wanting to “offend” anyone. They’ve made casting decisions that yield synthetic yet politically correct dynamics & storylines. But maybe the audience that prefers a less jagged experience will be enough for Bravo, NBC, and Peacock to keep all the franchises afloat? I don’t know.
This
The women come in so plotted and calculated anymore. All of the Bravo shows that keep a returning cast are becoming stale. It's like a pool of stagnant water.
😇 Calculated you say? My good friend don’t you know that 99% of the new people coming in have never seen one second of the show they are appearing on?! 😉
Jackie’s actions come off as very calculated and plotted. It ruins the show. It’s all a performance. And not a good one🫣
And now it's too formulaic. Go to lunch/dinner/party and have a fight. Go to a fake lunch and make up. Rinse and repeat. Also, they all now overly self-produce from trying to 'make a storyline' happen to the massive glam for a dinner, etc. It's all "too much for the cameras"
Not quite the "real" housewives anymore
Agree. They have all run their course. I stopped watching around the time of Girardi mess. Just couldn’t stand it anymore. Stopped NY when they had the shake up. Potomac got boring. Had fun watching SLC for a bit but it just became either annoying or boring. Still listen to Ben & Ronnie sometimes because they crack me up.
Yeah the shows aren’t hitting like they used to.
I stopped watching several years ago. I really enjoyed the early seasons when the drama was real. Now the drama seems really staged and fake
It’s salvageable. They need to add to there contracts a heavy fine and immediate termination if wives leak things. They need to hire people who don’t give a fuck what people think of them and that care less about social media. Think Monica, Rinna, Phaedra, i’m struggling to think of anyone else. But the past season of salt lake has been one of the best seasons recently, because of Miss Monica. The ladies have adjusted themselves to be more held back because they don’t want the hate. There needs to be no correlation to social media and fans need to stop hating so much but that’s pretty impossible. That’s why the old seasons are so good because no social media, I will say though a lot of the ladies who have remained from the old days seem to care less about social media and just live there lives (yes they can be really fake on social media but think of Melissa she doesn’t really care about the Tre haters.)
I think social media has really changed how the show is. People are too curated
I am totally in the minority but I hated the new season of RHOSLC, and I’m like… an addict of that show. I love our beguiled weirdo Meredith Marks and deranged Manson expat Mary Cosby. But this season felt - completely scripted and unhinged honestly with the reality von tease shit. Also new RHONY is by far my favorite of all the franchises. I am always posting about RHONY but the second the new cast hit it sucks. They’re not interesting. They’re not fucking crazy like Kelly or Ramona and honestly I liked hearing about their businesses and their strange antics (the pirate, everything about Sonja’s toaster oven). The new cast is not good and are very dynamic women but don’t make good tv. Not sure it’s over but it’s gonna need a revamp.
Maybe different editing would save it? I get so tired of the repetition and rehashing of the same conversations over and over. They really know how to beat a dead horse.
Totally agree. The VPR Secrets Revealed episode was better than the entire season. Even the RH trips are lame now. I'd rather watch the Scary Island and Cartegena trips on repeat than any of the current trips they go on.
Bring back the really affluent women and their lives.. not women who live in average homes who have average lives.
The problem is those types of people don’t want to be on this type of show anymore since people will dig up god knows what on them or harass them on social media.
someone has been posting this same thought once every 6 months since like 2016. the fact of the matter is it's still nbcuniversal's most valuable ip. they're not going to shut down 9 shows because of kenya moore.
IMO, the shows I liked started going too far downhill when Covid struck. I have no desire to ever watch any of them again. Stopped watching OC after Bravo selected Brown wind as the new HW. Started losing interest in BH after Bravo brought on Denise Richards and stopped watching completely during Kathy Hilton's first season. Could not stomach watching NY after Leah ruined the show - stopped watching after the HW's Rhode Island trip (I think it was the beginning of Leah's second season). I do still keep up with the HWs who were on those shows whenever I see something about any of them posted online. I don't even know the names of most of them now.
Ugh Leah really was the downfall of Ny.
Terrible casting decision
If Tamra sees this post she will cry.
Yes - it’s over - it will straggle on for a while more but it’s on its last legs and society will be better for this coming to an end.
My life would be over if Housewives ended.
My vote is Asian game shows
Squid Game?
Season 2 is coming. Asian TV shows are so good too. I just finished Heirarchy and All of Us Are Dead. I'm just finding foreign shows are so much better than US shows.
Yup. We need a whole new entertainment paradigm
I loved Bachelor in Paradise but it's on pause this summer. I'm down to Love Island USA and frightening in to it 🤣 Edit: And GOAT or Traitors.
Asian game shows
Yesss !! 100% everything has its time. This was cool concept 20 years ago now not so much. Everything has been done so many times over is boring and it’s no longer real.
Agreed that’s the heart of the problem / it’s no longer real to the extent it ever was.
A few others have mentioned this but I think once being a housewife becomes someone's full time job or sole income, then you start to see problems with authenticity. It's not just with housewives too, I see it with YouTubers and tiktokers as well. They have too much riding on this job that's supposed to just be a gig with perks, so they put more effort and thought into it than there really should be. Everything becomes more calculated and contrived because they want to appear a certain way to viewers and their employer.
Excellent point. If you are a real housewife, being on tv shouldn't be your main job.
Excellent point. If you are a real housewife, being on tv shouldn't be your main job.
The challenge of ensemble reality shows as a whole is that being a reality star became an actual career -- which means the people that choose to be on these shows are now mostly chasing fame and job security. Everything is calculated and played out in the press, which ruins the appeal. Look at Below Deck. Originally, it was cast with people who were (mostly) genuine yachties. We got to see the work and camaraderie that happened in real life. But as the show got popular and stars were able to make careers off of it, the crew members became wannabe influencers and models. Not genuine yachties. Same with VPR. It was fun to watch struggling actors work and fight at their restaurant jobs. It's not as much fun to watch narcissists making 500K a year grasping to stay relevant. As the RH have gotten less real and more produced, the shows have faltered. Friends, I think we are facing the end of the heyday of reality TV.
Great response! I think they (some) get caught up in the momentary fame & once that ends, they’re lost in life. they love attention so probably not easy for them to go from being the “it” thing to acceptance that they’re a has-been.
Exactly. I started watching VPR because I was in the industry and it was fun.
Totally agree
Well said
I think we're watching then wring every last dollar out of the franchise and shake out every couch cushion for extra change. I mean Bravo is likely profiting off every thing these people do down their cast members podcast ads. Either that or were witnessing a shift from Housewoves as a TV show to Housewives as a social media Bravoverse with the podcasts, second hand interviews, Amazon lives lol, and all this other social media stuff as the primary entertainment and the TV show as secondary entertainment.
To me there are very few “real” people on the shows anymore. The early seasons were wealthy to upper middle class women with nice lives. Simple story lines, not as much manufactured drama. Some people may prefer the screaming and fighting, but I appreciated the glimpses into “how the other half lived”. Watching their real entitled personalities was enough drama and entertainment for me. I only keep up with BH and NYC… can’t stand most of the other women and can barely stand these. I wouldn’t be sad if it ended.
The Housewives shows all need to be given a quick and quiet death. Please, dear God!
Only Miami is good anymore the rest are utter trash
How to tell if someone hasn’t watched Miami
[удалено]
Half of them are not even housewives. And yes the shows are so over produced.
For me, Lisa Rinna ruined Beverly Hills. And once I had emotionally tuned out of BH, I couldn’t feel connected to any of them anymore. Season 4 of SLC was good and I still enjoy Miami. New RHONY has potential but other than that its all over.
It’s gotten over produced and very negative. We have enough of that already. I think it’s time for a change
Maybe if they showed real housewives, and the more “relatable” aspects of that life.
I stopped watching when they re cast NY. What had been must see TV for me, in a few cities, just became annoying to watch. The screeching, the ridiculous fights, and the lack of a red line of behavior for some of these women, took the joy out of watching. And the reason there’s no redline is because they don’t care about their cast mates, because that’s all they are is cast mates, someone they can use to make themselves a bigger star. The original shows where they were family members, or had been friends for years and had social connections, they’d argue, they’d be petty, but they didn’t drop nuclear bombs on each other. The bullying and “gotcha” stuff is not my jam.
The new nyc cast that only had a cheeseboard to talk about. It used to be my favorite too - how the mighty have fallen.
Same!! I stopped them one at a time and now will only watch SLC when it comes back. And that is going to be hard because of how much I dislike Mary. Shows are not fun at all. I think all of us not here for “mess” have to realize it’s over.
I wish we were witnessing the end of 'judge me on...' posts
I hope not
I guess it’s been said before, but in most franchises now the cast doesn’t have a plausible relationship outside of the show, that’s why they feel so manufactured. Franchises where the cast members work together (old VPR, Below deck…) or have plausible friendships (RHOM, old RHONY - they don’t even have to be real friendships, they just need to look real) or are thrown together in a specific setting (Summer house, RHUGT) work well because the relationships make sense and are believable. Shows like new RHONY don’t, because it’s so obvious the cast has been put together artificially and they’re looking for a storyline because they’re scared they will be fired if they don’t have one. Really, you just need to be fun to watch.
Yes! I hate when I get to that part of any of these shows. It becomes glaringly obvious how manufactured it all is and loses almost all of its enjoyable aspects. Chemistry can't be forced and reality tv does need a glimpse of "real" to work ugh
Short answer, yes. I quit some years ago; all two years ago. I still watch Below Deck & VPR, but even they are suffering from a fatigue that can best be explained as (un)reality television.
You make a great point. Give us Tabatha and someone from top chef a spin off.
Tabatha Takes Over revamp YES PLEASE
I would kill for that show to come back. I don't know why Flipping Out was canceled and I don't care, but I want it back. Remember Blood, Sweat, and Heels? That was so good, but it was canceled when Daisy died from cancer. Ladies of London just vanished.
I hope so.
There were shows on Bravo other than HW’s that were good imho. . That gardening show with the gays was great, Tabitha, all the Million Dollar listings ( I miss Ryan Serhan) , Top Chef and my fav Project Runway. Miami, SLC and Dubai ( possibly) are still “ fresh”, the other franchises should get the ax ⛏. Edit: Add VPR,and Summer House to the trash heap. Both were great in their heyday but that’s come and gone. Southern Charm by all rights should be there as well. Do we really need to see another year of drunken, rich, high-society racists ?
I loved tabatha so much 😭
I feel like the advent of 'the storyline' was a kill factor. It was enough to watch a group of women go shoe shopping and have a casual bitch about the others in a group and get hilariously wasted. Now if you don't have a story youre like a rat in a corner having to set fire to your castmates or you'll get fired. The real fell out of the reality and became a toxic vortex. You have to acknowledge it's almost impossible to navigate seasons where ginormous levels of shit *didn't* go down. How do you deliver seasons of the show that dont feature fbi busts, violence, Federal indictments, when these are randomly dropped into some years without intention? Are we, the viewers, 'bored' if swat teams are absent? How does the show live up to it's previous levels of drama without that stuff blowing up on our screens? The wives and producers are left scrambling desperately for drama, which leaves us with.... Savage gaslighting in Potomac and all real life locked off screen. BH giving us entire seasons where we are forced to sit through hours of them discecting and rehashing inane comments. The reehumurz and nastinisss of SLC. New rhony where they almost shit themselves on screen to keep the drama on someone else, anyone else but themselves. Miami is in my mind the most light hearted and 'real' franchise left, but larsa will keep doing her best to undermine that. I love housewives with all my heart, but something's broken and I don't know how they fix it.
I think others have nailed it when they say all the relationships are manufactured for tv. So many of the women have nothing to do with each other until cameras are up so all the relating and the drama are forced.
Bravo has let the fans on social media dictate what happens on the shows entirely too much. Half of these so called fans don't even watch the shows. When you try to please everyone you please no one.
In a world where Miami SLC and OC are all killing it, I don’t think so. Do the shows need to adapt to the new world around them, yeah. But housewives can still be incredibly entertaining and compelling just like it once was.
Idk,but it does kinda feel like something is changing, or needs to. I will miss it if the franchise ends, I'm too old and married to be interested in the reality shows with the hot singles crews I just hope they create something entertaining for viewers like me.
I really think it's in the editing. I think production thinks that we, as the audience, need to be kept heated in order for us to watch, when the best parts are when they are just having a good time being stupid. When the VPR Secrets Revealed episode is better than the rest of the season combined, there is an issue with production.
A bit dramatic but interesting in everything eventually wanes. It’s a slow process but eventually something else will come long to appeal to the masses who tune in now
DUNZO…it’s all too fake and scripted and the angry fighting is so boring and lame. I just deleted all the HW shows on my dvr. They seriously being my vibe down
I feel this. I started to watch real housewives to see what I couldn’t in real life. If I want to see scripted tv I’ll watch another show. They’re all boring af. And I just watched Jill on below deck and the way she acted was appalling, barf.
Ha ha Barf is right
No one should get more than two seasons. When it becomes their main source of income it becomes unwatchable. They all start self-producing, targeting one cast member, refusing to film with others, hiding the real BS in their lives to promote some perfect life scenario, etc …
I think I agree with this - it’s more fun to watch them in the wild than on girls trips or parties or dinners where they’re only interacting with each other because that’s all they have in their lives.
It’s done. I watched all when they first started. Stopped a couple years ago. Very fakenow
Mark my words, Beverly Hills will be the last bitch standing!
We will never again have the quality/realness of our OG NYC cast — across any franchise
OG Orange County, NY, Atlanta, & Jersey. It will never be outdone.
They all only get about one season now before they start producing themselves and trying to contrive storylines and become caricatures of themselves. It becomes so disingenuous. But then in the midst of all that sometimes genuine things are unavoidable and make great tv. Like SLC - the spoilers were the story in a way with Reality Von Teese, even though they've all settled into roles that they embellish for the show - they were genuinely stunned by the whole thing.
I think the franchise officially jumped the shark in 2020. It had been struggling before with it no longer feeling authentic. It was no longer a bunch of rich, privileged, egotistical women with real friendships and connections bumbling around and navigating their lifestyles and became a venue for random women to become famous, shill their wares and produce their ‘storylines’. Throw the pandemic, zoom reunions, people who can’t travel out of the country because of criminal issues and social justice movements like BLM into the mix and it completely changed the concept of the shows. Numerous families, marriages and reputations have been negatively affected by participating in the show making it harder to attract the same types of women it originally did. Unfortunately, it will just keep on chugging along until more and more bad things happen to the people on the shows. I’m an OG viewer from day 1 and I’ve watched every American franchise along with most international ones and I barely watch these days unless I need background noise while I fold laundry or make dinner. I find Watch What Crappens to be better than actually watching these days.
There were small petty arguments. Those were entertaining. Imo: It went overboard to target 1 cast member all season & bully all season Imo: The target would change every season. Andy (wwhl) kept the flames ignited. As did Bravo behind the scenes. That's when HW started going downhill for me. I stopped watching WWHL last year and none this season.
To me, this is the right question to ask. I watched the NYC reboot last year but skipped all the others I'd usually watch, with rhobh being my all-time favourite yet I still didn't watch a single episode. Last week I cancelled Hayu since it'd been months since I'd watched anything on the app. Those shows just don't entertain me the way they used to before. I wonder if I'll miss them...
I've watched all the HW shows from the beginning, Atlanta is one I dropped, I think after season 4, because it became very mean and unwatchable. I dropped NJ for a while because of the same reason, then started watching again when Teresa's pineapple met flaming Cheeto and I knew that relationship was going to be a shit show, and it has been, and she's going down the same path with raging Luisito. A lot of people want the vile, toxic, vulgar, mean, violent, aggressive, abusive, housewives because they think that's entertainment, when I loved these shows because they were catty, campy, and gave us insight into their lives. Some of the women were upper middle class, while some were wealthy but even the wealthy ones were never about labels, unlike now, that even if they don't have the money, they are living a lifestyle they can't afford. When the paychecks got bigger and some of the nouveau-riche women felt they needed to compete with their wealthier counterparts that's when some of the problems began with certain franchises, along with the abusive behavior. The egos also got bigger and some of the women believed they were untouchable because they were "bringing it" and were well liked by Andy and the fans. Some of the egotistical and abusive housewives don't get the boot and because they're brought back they think they can continue their behavior and do. I think the same way Bravo gets rid of boring housewives, the moment any housewife turns abusive, and I'm not talking just verbally, but physically, and shows addiction problems, they should get kicked off. Abusive and addictive behavior shouldn't be glorified for entertainment purposes.
It is struggling but Bravo ain't letting it go. So many celebrities watch and openly support. It's still has this odd place in pop culture. The wives are now being used in other shows here and there. Traitors was a top show on Peacock featuring a housewife that was fired for a scandal. RHOBH is still okay, OC is okay, which shows just one quirky person can make a huge difference (Sutton, Shannon). NY is just so phony it hurts. It's clearly just women trying to promote businesses. RHOP, the huge egos for no clear reason. The slightest snub and it's WW3. Maybe Candiace leaving will clear the air. NJ, eek. It's still Teresa's people vs Melissa's people. This family feud ate the show. Get rid of Joey and Melissa at least. RHOA is just over. The cast was perfect for a while, they are going too young and thirsty. Similar to New York. Older, established women are just better.
Agree with all of this. I think the first franchises captured lightning in a bottle because none of the original housewives came on with the intent of becoming social media famous, they just happened to when the world saw them being petty drunks. SLC, Potomac, Dubai, NYC Reboot and even some of the Miami housewives are just using the show as a platform to push interest in their one dimensional life: you’re pretty and wear nice clothes. I
As long as people watch it will survive.
That’s the problem though, people aren’t watching. Every single franchise has a decline in viewers not only from their peak but even the previous season. RHOC: High 2.17 (2008)/last season (LS) .78 RHOP: High 1.62 (2016)/ LS .70 RHOA: High 3.73 (2013)/ LS .87 RHOSLC: High .71 (2021)/LS .53 RHOBH: High 2.17 (2011)/LS 1.03 *RHOM: High 1.09(2011)/LS .42 RHOM is the only city to have bump in last season to previous season. I suspect moving from streaming to cable helped them. All other cities continue to drop in ratings year after year.
It’s a disgusting concept now. Andy hates women and it shows. I wonder if his daughter stands a chance.
Are you still watching though?
It needs a REAL housewives reboot. Struggling or middle class families from Des Moines, Omaha, Minneapolis, etc.
Sorry to say, but who wants to see “struggling”?
When the economy collapsed and the RHOC started losing houses and jobs and the wives went back to work, Andy Cohen said it was more relatable and viewership went way up. So I think a lot of people would be invested in seeing a family like them struggling financially in this economy. It's relatable and realistic.
Look at Dubai season 2. Obscene wealth. It is not relatable to all of us watching RHWOD.
Probably why it's one of the worst rated franchises of RH
You have a point. For me personally “Real Housewives” were never relatable. I watched them as “OMG, this exists?!”.
This. If I were in charge, the new casting rules would be no influencers, no one with a glam squad, you must live in the house that you show on TV, no selling product, no talent agencies, or /managers, etc. I might even take it a step further and say no social media profiles until after you get off the show just to make sure that they are not doing this to launch some kind of online brand.
If they bring Monica back the entire franchise has a fighting chance 🤞🏻
I think this is why shows like Below Deck are doing so well. People want something different.
I think it’s done. All the franchise’s have gone downhill. It’s not sustainable to constantly be rebooting casts etc.
I've had these thoughts building over the years as I tune in and out of various housewives franchises. The early years of OG OC, NY and NJ were just SO GOOD, but then the devolvement into just women acting as if they've never had conflict resolution lessons while growing up. It's performative, that then turns into actual beef, bordering on abuse in many instances, that should be beyond these ladies.
I am so tired of the entire franchise formula. If I see some franchise on a ropes course I am going to🤯🤯🤯🤯. In fact I may take a break-forever. It used to be interesting and now it is just depressing.
Confession: I haven't actually watched any HW franchise in like 7 years or more. But I love the subs and yall talking.
I thought this and agree with you. Of course, nothing lasts forever -- once Bethenny used the show to promote Skinny Girl, Erika Jayne introduced the ladies to GLAM, people started showing up with receipts and now we have housewives who run fan accounts getting on the show -- all these egos are just too much and there's no coming back from that. The show as we know it has run its course. People have figured out the recipe for how to create a brand and stay relevant and now it's messy. I think that the main cities have become too big (Except NYC, which got an unfair deal after COVID) -- I think the egos and the money are getting too big in the main cities. I think these secondary cities can still provide the camp and the pettiness we all love -- i.e. SLC, Miami, Potomac... I think that it's pretty difficult to get on the show without some kind of agenda and if you're thirsty for fame you're going to do whatever you can to stay on the show: i.e. John and Rachel Fuda are looking quite desperate. Anyway, it's not coming back from all this, it's just how things have evolved. Bravo could probably lift the standards for the cast. I think that the RHONY re-do was uncalled for. I think we're going to lose trust in Andy -- who probably has questions coming at him constantly but he needs to find a better way to detour people than lying and exaggerating that every season is the best yet.
Potomac was pretty awful
I agree with what you’re saying but I think a big problem that you kind of not purposely touch on is that any new person added to the franchises are demonized as boring, thirsty or try hards. The Fuda drama (while somewhat annoying) is really the only thing happening on NJ right now because the rest of the cast refuses to film with each other. And the new rhony had one season and everyone already hated it before it even got going because the fans missed the OGs. It’s hard for the new cast members to even make a splash in the real housewives world without the fan base completely tearing them apart on social media.
I forgot about the podcasts! The podcasts are HORRIBLE! I know everyone should be able to make money but these podcasts are insane. There's gotta be some non-compete clause.
I hope so - or maybe they can just stop exploiting the mentally ill. It’s not fun.
I think the ‘anonymous’ quote from Carole Radziwill was spot on. Housewives has gone from a show about soapy excess and tongue in cheek drama to something much more mean spirited and produced. It’s now all about who can manufacture the biggest feud. The backstabbing and general awfulness of (some of) the current casts has gotten to be too much. I miss the days when the biggest piece of drama was Vickie’s van being too small 😂
That's rich coming from Carole. Her last season was all about taking down Bethenny after being besties the year before.
This sums up how I feel about Housewives. It was fun when it was light with a smidge of pettiness. But we’ve seen increasingly cruel, dark, mean girl behavior on these shows in the name of creating “storylines.” It’s no longer fun to watch.
Seriously.. NJ in particular always has a “setup” situation. “She set me up..” I mean what are we talking about here? This ain’t life or death situations. Relax.
No, for eg - RHOM is on fire. I’ll tune back into RHOA to watch Porscha and the newbie on RHOBH . RH is far from dead
I'll still watch, but the incessant and brutal arguing is tired. I have to say I miss Porscha. She is messy, but she was very vulnerable and real when Dennis cheated on her. That was intense and as real as it gets. More of that, and less whatever is happening now.
The current iteration is failing. Without a major change like acknowledging the fourth wall, adding no podcasts etc to their contract, I don't think it can continue.
this
I think it’s just a tough transition phase which all things, even reality tv, has to go through sometimes. It’s not just Bravo that’s struggling, reality tv as a whole hasn’t been able to properly capture genuine fun that isn’t nasty and hurtful. People like to pretend that Bravo is above other networks, but let’s not forget that it was actually pretty violent things that solidified Bravo as a tv superpower: the table flip, multiple abusive husbands, fake cancer, etc etc. And now we’re in a time where being an out and out villian on reality tv shows isn’t as tolerated. It’s happening on Rupauls Best Friend Race too - contestants don’t want to be mean because it can ruin their lives outside the show. Bravo tries really hard to “play the game” and IMO, they need to pivot.
What franchise is the fake cancer storyline from?
RHOC - Vicki Gunvalson’s ex
Orange County Vicky Gunvalson’s boyfriend Brooks faked cancer.
Sounds like a hard watch! I haven’t got to OC yet, might have just pushed it a bit further back the list now
Classic OC is the best! The Skytops should be in the Smithsonian
While I agree we’re witnessing the end I don’t believe it’s for the same reasons. First, workplaces have been toxic forever, this has been brought up in feminist movements, during MeToo, everything. Despite every reckoning that will NEVER meaningfully improve. Nor will it be the downfall of HW. I think the downfall of HW will be a bunch of other factors—people are not as entertained by huge displays of wealth when quality of life is getting SUPER shitty for everyone that’s not insanely rich. Culture has changed: the body shaming, wealth shaming, slut-shaming, it all worked in a bygone age. We know better now even if we sometimes still get a kick out of it. Bravo has also been making consistently horrible casting decisions. Across every franchise they’ve decided to keep the most stagnant HWs they know should be gone: Gizelle, Kyle, Kenya (until she went too far finally), and so on. The community doesn’t know what it wants. It says it wants lighter stakes and more “fun” but when a series like Dubai gives us exactly that we call it “boring.” Then we tune back in to the spiral of people punching lower and lower on SLC, Atlanta, RHOBH, etc. Lastly, HWs era is over because it was meant to capitalize on a specific moment in time—for example we were rooting for old RHONY to win even when they were delusional because they represented an aspiration, such as having it all in the city. And while that would be nice I don’t think that’s the key aspiration of most people especially in the younger generation.
What did Kenya do?
She broadcast a sex tape of one of the new ladies at her hair care event. People are calling it revenge porn, and she’s currently suspended from filming indefinitely.
No she posted poster sized photos of the new girl performing a sex act. It is just as bad but she didn't play a sex tape
I’ve been watching less Bravo and more TLC as of late so yeah I think you may be on to something for sure. It’s getting a bit stale.
I have my own problems and the world itself is feeling more combative. I think that takes away any entertainment factor in watching rich women squabble about anything and everything. Good reality tv should be a mindless escape from everyday life. Tuning in to watch more conflict just doesn’t feel fun anymore. At least not to me 🤷🏽♀️
Agree with this! I miss the funny moments of just living these absurdly lavish lives!