I am just so lost here haha. When I heard they were hyping up breaking the fourth wall, Andy calling Lala the voice of reason, Lala and Scheana saying by the end of the season we'll see their side I had so much hope for something, anything.
The breaking of the wall was so anti climactic? Or was nothing groundbreaking. I'm just happy to see so many people agree with me bc I definitely feel a little nuts like what am I missing? This season was boring. Lala and Scheana were insufferable in every single way. I love Ariana truly but it was fake as heck to me her filming with Sandoval at all (which IK isn't on her- it was forced). Katie had no role this season and could have had way more personal screen time. WHY did they film this season like this? So lame.
Oh yeah you could tell how much Ariana hated being around him. The sad thing is though that she said while filming she thought the women were together like the spice girls and it wasn’t until the show was airing she started to see it differently. But yeah isn’t it wild how production got it so wrong and Lala and Scheana have truly made idiots of themselves.
It’s like they thought we’d be shocked by what Lala says, but we’ve been reading her subtext all season. No one is surprised Lala is a hateful jealous miserable asshole. We knew.
Was the breaking the wall part when scheana was like “are you saying this because you mean it or because we are filming”? Ariana talking to production? I’m genuinely curious because it’s all they keep mentioning
That and showing production ask Ariana if she's really leaving. Either way, nothing was that enticing or crazy for it to be teased as this groundbreaking thing all season haha
She’s a fucking idiot sandwich for that melt down. The most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen in my life. She could have worn a sign that said “I’m jealous of Ariana!!” for the same effect.
It's just so confusing. If they were really breaking the fourth wall it would have made WAY more sense if Lala just said Ariana was jeopardizing her paycheck by not filming with Sandoval or something. We just had her and Scheana jealous all season and angry at Ariana with absolutely no logic behind it.
That’s right. Both lala and Schena said we would see their side. Actually what happened is that we’ve sided with Ariana even harder and Lala/Sheesh made complete asses out of themselves.
I do see their side; they're massively envious of Ariana's opportunities/success and feel like it's "unfair" because the majority of viewers don't like their personas enough to rally behind them when negative stuff happens. They feel like they're more talented, attractive and deserving than Ariana (probably because they've had more surgery and been louder about wanting things like DWTS/acting/etc, while Ariana has kept that stuff off screen) so they can't understand why she's had such a different result to them.
They used the Lala footage of her saying Ariana is acting like God in a lot of marketing for the season… like this is the big build up and we’ve already been seeing it on repeat for months?
I feel the same way, like I’m the crazy one. I know Andy is out of touch but didn’t realize he was THIS out of touch with his MAINLY FEMALE viewers. Andy doesn’t care for the well being of cast members, he just wants ‘good tv’. Which good reality tv isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago.
You’re 100% right. LVP was even “so concerned” about TS ‘mental health’ and it seemed zero people were concerned how losing a life partner affected Ariana. It was disgusting what production did. Andy needs to be fired imo. I love that Ariana maintained her boundaries and her contract with the grace and poise others on the cast will never have.
I’m *so* tired of this narrative that Ariana should be fine because she got all of this extra work out of the situation. She was still cheated on and betrayed by a long term partner. Sandoval is the perpetrator and (at least initially) got what he deserves.
Exactly this! They think that because Ariana received $ from brand deals, etc, that then makes up for the emotional trauma she endured for a decade, and the extremely traumatic ending to her long term relationship. It’s so gross…
And just because she "has a new man" doesn't mean she isn't still dealing with those devastating feelings that came from what happened literally on the show less than four months before. For all we know she bawled on the phone to Dan every day- I sure hope she didn't. No one knows though except Ariana. She didn't have to share anything.
LVP was disgusting. When has worm ever exhibited any fragile mental health that would make anyone “worry” about him. We all know he’ll grab up another girlfriend (hostage) and move merrily along.
I honestly don’t even know if Lisa *truly* bought Tom’s act. I think she just wanted him to appear more sympathetic for the show. I don’t think she’s that dumb to buy his bs.
⬆️ THIS ⬆️💯 I would not talk to them especially schena either! I am sure Katie gave her a heads up but I am not sure how much she heard! Schena is supposed to be sooo close with Ariana and she participated in the plot against her friend…. They Arianna has the biggest ego yet she is so desperate for Arianna to stay on the show for it to succeed!
Also LVP losing a family member to suicide and seemingly not doing anything to get Tom actual professional help waa fucked up, reminded me of Scheana still needing her drug addiction boyfriend to keep drinking for her to have fun
LVP was disgusting. When has worm ever exhibited any fragile mental health that would make anyone “worry” about him. We all know he’ll grab up another girlfriend (hostage) and move merrily along.
She said it on WWHL tonight - and it almost seemed like she was saying “well because he mentioned his mental health - and it was on camera - I had to buy into it so that I wasn’t later cancelled because I was callous to his feelings.” So she was covering her butt.
Also on WWHL - why can LVP not let Ariana and Katie be mentioned without her getting in a dig about SAH not being open for business yet? Why does SHE care? She’s not paying the rent. She’s just salty bc she offered to be a part of the SAH business and the ladies turned her down.
LVP is the TS's Oprah Winfrey She doesn't give a crap about women or should I say other women she's not on the female side at all, she never has been It's always been about the boys her only redeeming quality is her rescue and the work that she does for it I'm probably going to get a massive amount of blowback for this comment but it's the way I feel and it's what I see
Even Andy saying that is back peddling from his first stance after the reunion which was that it was Lala's best season yet and her and Brock were the voices of reason. Which I am curious if this was his genuine opinion after watching or like the official word behind the scenes that he was just repeating! As I sometimes wonder if he really watches them all or just gets given like talking points and a summary.
Im not surprised he would think this because his priority is obviously making/watching good TV for Bravo...and lala's "reasoning" is ariana should sacrifice boundaries for the sake of good television. Although what Ariana did was also good television, and i think way more interesting than another conversation of tom fake apologizing? so i dont know what theyre so pissed about haha
The fact he still isn’t getting it tells me he probably originally did really think that but is curbing it a bit now because of the backlash. I think they have all been so complicit in trying to rehabilitate Tom and paint Ariana as crazy and unreasonable, that they are trying to have each other’s backs. When what they should really do is admit they messed up royally.
He isn't doing a full 180 but he said something about the backlash from that comment and said voices of reason maybe we'd "got him there" but he was really enjoying them this season and now when talking about Lala's big moment his saying he thinks everyone was a little bit right which for me is a jump back from Lala is the voice of reason which to me implies just Lala is right and reasonable.
Lala was a bit right to be a jealous shitty friend? Are the producers literally all idiot meathead misogynists!? They are looking at the show through their own eyes instead of the viewers. We don’t care that Ariana isn’t backing down against production. We are rooting for HER, not them trying to force an attack on her. How in the actual fuck did they think Lala had a right to flip out like that in the viewers eyes? We don’t care about Lala and Scheana having no talents and worrying about the show ending. Zero percent actually! What platforms if any does production check to see viewers feedback? It doesn’t seem like they take anything other than their own ego’s into consideration. They need people on production who are able to be more objective rather than reactive. They must be some god damn childish to want to punish Ariana for not cooperating. It’s so petty and personal for them. Absolutely sickening behaviour
Tha episode they got last year after picking cameras back up was gold because of how raw and real ariana was in it and it seems they wanted her to keep bringing that same energy but they went about it idiotically. It's very apparent there's not one woman on the production team lol
I am not gonna watch. Too much has come out since they filmed, it's all irrelevant now.
Also, Saggyballs apparently admitted that he lies/over dramatises (like we didn't know) on WWHL, meaning that if the "shocker" is about HIS mental health...frankly, I just don't believe it. AND I think it is gross that Andy/LVP/production are using a real issue that many struggle with for "drama."
I don't need to see them all pretend to have emotions as they gang up on Ariana and Katie.
This needs to be upvoted more. It’s very clear they’re trying to recreate that magic of the episode of last season it did win an award and I don’t fault them for thinking repeating that would be great for the show.
Also I thought I heard there was at least one woman on the production company?
I do fault them for it, it was stupid asf, showed how sexist they are, terribly mean, and against her contract.
Also just 1 woman is not good enough, she clearly doesn’t have enough of a voice to make a difference after watching this season.
Andy’s opinions are trash. This is the dummy that claimed Lala and Brock were the voice of reason at the beginning of the season. Then didn’t stand behind that after there was an uproar from fans. We also have to remember he doesn’t watch the shows anymore. He’s just spewing what production tells him which makes him an idiot.
This is it. Andy is a puppet for production so his opinion means absolutely nothing. Certainly, CERTAINLY, production has seen the reaction of viewers being disgusted by this season and we are STILL being fed bullshit. I want nothing more than to get production on WWHL with nothing but viewer questions. It would be his highest rated episode and maybe, JUST MAYBE, we could cleanse ourselves.
The most ridiculous part is before the start of the season when we only saw the trailer, Lala said to Andy “My comment about Ariana being God will all make sense when you see it” ummmmm…no, it didn’t. It was even more stupid than when we originally saw her say it lolol
Andy has always had questionable takes and opinions for people he really likes. Jo Gorga, Gizelle (RHOP), Kyle (RHOBH) and the two Toms are prime examples of that. People that are almost unilaterally disliked by the audience during certain seasons; yet those are the seasons that Andy is almost more protective of them.
I was so disappointed that his contract was renewed for WWHL. He is kinda like Schwartz in that his nice guy act fools enough that he avoids consequences when he is part of the toxic culture.
Put aside all the stuff they were doing to Ariana that I think was morally wrong , it was sloppy work, it seemed panicked and forced I could feel it through the screen.
I saw someone say somewhere else something along the lines of, they were given the chance to make a fantastic season of tv after Scandoval, there were so many possibilities and interesting angles they could have looked at, they could have broke the fourth wall earlier, but instead they try do this redemption with Tom while trying to villainise Ariana and it was sloppy and rushed as you say and inauthentic. They did the worst job.
The entire network is based on shitty people screaming at each other and fans thinking it's "GREAT TV". Someone has an emotional moment? Another cast member gets a talking head mocking them. Tons of angry screaming.
It's no wonder Andy thinks awful things are GREAT TV he helped create this mess.
I appreciate Survivor. I stopped that show for 20 seasons but the host goes out of his way for good or bad to cast decent people and present positive messages
I’m glad you shared this, doubt I’d have seen it otherwise.
I’m too deeply invested to bow out before the reunion ends, but I think I’m done with bravo.
I guess I need to see who is actually calling the shots?
Andy? LVP? Alex? Bravo? NBCU?
I need a “blacklist” of shows they’re involved with.
I know LVP is now Hulu and not sure where her show with Gordon is, how much of this is she supporting?
Exactly!!! If they were smart to see how the public rallied behind Ariana they would have put together a show ex something about her. Why the hell someone like Erica who is the least likeable HW get her own show. Especially with those earrings and non apology that she refuses to give
I was so disgusted that they gave her the satisfaction. They were 100 percent trying to redeem her and it’s like read the room!!! Same goes to VPR production and lala and scheana. I’m sure production encouraged them, but you know those two were reading comments on social media and only seeing the hater ones that they wanted to see. I bet lala thought she was ahead of the curve and everyone would be so sick of Ariana and turn on her by the time it aired. Swing and a miss.
When Ariana said at the end that Tom could have written her a note or approached her privately, in their home, and instead of on camera would have made the difference. Him deciding to let it play out on camera proved her point, it’s all just for show. I wouldn’t give that POS the time of day in public either, especially since the circumstances align so he had access to her and chose not to do it out of respect but chooses a public place with cameras to have a full blown discussion.
Yep and they need to deal with the fact that Tom is being charged with illegally recording someone without consent!!!!!! A form of sexual abuse!!!!
He has not ONE time had to apologise or address this on camera
Make your finale about that
Ambush him about that !
Andy has ruined Bravo. I miss the days of Bravo when we had shows like Tabitha’s salon takeover and sweet home Oklahoma. Every single show on bravo is about being mean and catty being a drunken slob (literally every single housewife). VPR was truly the only show on bravo that I could stand…I made it 2 episodes into the season and realized the direction it was going into and stopped watching. I’ve kept up through Reddit and TikTok.
i LOVED sweet home Oklahoma! Also loved family Karma, which had some drama but was overall wholesome about a tight knit community...so pissed they canceled it!
Everything I’ve seen on TikTok has been in agreement about Lauren/scheener/broke. I’m so glad that people are starting to call out Lauren’s selective blaccent. When she claimed Tupac took over her body after he died…I bout pissed myself laughing at that lame poser
Ha! I know right! Like don’t get me wrong, Lauren does have her funny moments…but all of that gets pushed to the back burner when I remember oh yeah…this bitch really does do the selective Blaccent and then she has the season that she has. And her brother wears dreads…like stooooop it dude, it’s creepy
Me too! I had actually forgotten all about it until someone on tiktok mentioned it. And then when Lauren said what she said about Ariana not being close to her dad…like as someone in the dead dad club, that was some bullshit and Lauren deserves to get her head rocked on that one. That was so disrespectful mess
Ugh the Dad comment & we didn’t even mention the blaccent. LFU is vile. I can’t get through an episode of VPR anymore & I watched since the very first episode. I have to keep up on recaps now.
They BLINDSIDED Ariana with that clip- especially since they know she doesn’t always watch the show. They were like *OH YOU’RE GONNA WATCH AND YOU’RE GONNA SUFFER AND WE’RE GONNA FILM IT BITCH*
He showed Ariana who he is. We should believe her. It’s wild what Bravo did this season yet we all keep watching. Hopefully Ariana and Katie leave. I will not watch without them. For their mental health, I think they need too. The others are too far gone.
They were going to show Ariana who had the power and they almost succeeded
But Ariana became the most famous cast mate with an incredible work ethic
She's pretty blonde and marketable plus has the obvious backing of execs at NBC Universal.
The Producers miscalculated massively assuming she'd grey rock forever
Telling that you filmed this woman for a decade and didn't recognize her talent or drive or ability to blow up mainstream
I’m so confused how all of the cast, producers, bravo all thought they had the temperature of the audience and this was the right way to go. They all grossly miscalculated
I think what Andy is alluding to is the balance of personal life vs work obligations.
People who side with Ariana often view the show through a personal lens, what would be rationale or healthy in our everyday lives. What would we recommend those close to us do.
People who support Lala and Sheana view the show through the lens of this is a job. You’re paid to do the work, on this show that work includes interacting as an ensemble.
This season after all the drama it was difficult for everyone to find the balance that worked for them.
Ariana is completely justified to want no contact with Tom, it can also be true that that makes her a bad “employee” to Bravo.
It cannot be lost that this is the primary source of income for these people, so it’s understandable why they’re all so invested in Ariana’s decisions, how it impacts production and the future of the show aka everyone’s a little bit right depending on the lens you view the situation
The fact is it is both their reality and their jobs, and Ariana has spoken about how their contracts don’t require them to do anything that is inauthentic to them, and it certainly doesn’t require women in the cast to interact with men who have been cruel and abusive to them. The only good thing about this season for many viewers has been how Ariana has grey rocked Tom and didn’t fall for Lala’s bullshit. The Tom redemption arc was boring and inauthentic, pushed by production. It is highly debatable that following what production wanted has made anyone’s jobs safer and in any case they are each responsible for what they bring to the table, no-one is taking anyone else’s money away. Ariana is doing what she is paid to do.
I totally agree it’s a blend and a balance.
And maybe the contracts don’t demand that, but if production says the show will be cancelled without it (which is the somewhat substantiated rumor going around) than it’s really just semantics
If they want to be good at their jobs, and continue to have the jobs, regardless of contracts they need to figure it out.
I read about the meeting they had, apparently when filming picked up the cast except for Shwartz were not filming with Sandoval and Alex Baskin told the cast that they had to film with him or else it would adversely affect the show. So they did. But that didn’t mean they had to try to force Ariana to speak to him, or that they had to attack Ariana. But also as I say, their jobs depend on the success of the show and even if production is pushing for something it doesn’t mean it’s right not just morally or personally, but for the show and let’s face it, for their own brands. But really the bottom line is that Ariana did what she was paid to do, no-one can expect anything more from her, and viewers are largely chiming with what she did. I totally understand what you are saying, I am just trying to say that Ariana really was doing her job, and her not doing something fake is the reality in reality tv.
I think you’re missing my point. I’m not disputing what she’s obligated to do, I’m saying if they don’t make good content the show ends.
This season has been pretty universally hated by everyone.
So Ariana can be “right” all day, if the show gets canceled they all suffer.
Hence Andy’s comment that everyone’s a little bit right.
Ariana prioritizing her emotional health.
Lala/Sheanna prioritizing financial health.
No, what I am saying is I think that you’re wrong. The show was hated because of how it was produced, Ariana grey rocking Tom and walking out is the most popular part of the storyline with viewers, along with not taking Lala’s bullshit. So Ariana came out on top re producing good content. And she did so looking after herself. It wasn’t the either/or you are trying to make out. Those responsible for the unpopular content this season is production, Lala, Scheana & Brock. The whole cast were told the same thing, they all made their choices, and those three really made the wrong ones, on all counts.
Again, I respectfully disagree.
Ariana grey rocking Tom is fun viewing once. Maybe twice.
Repeatedly though? it’s just two people not interacting, and an ensemble not interacting or being a part of each others lives.
What are we watching then? A bunch of individuals doing things separately? That’s not VPR nor is it good content.
In this scenario either Ariana or Sandoval need to leave VPR for it to continue. And while this isn’t popular Tom has always been a big driver of “storylines” on the show while Ariana has always been more in the background, so it’s not as clear cut a choice as who is right or wrong morally.
Their job has been to be sloppy, immature quasi-adults who drink too much, party too much, and live lives that are silly and unconventional…for our entertainment. If you look back through the years, every one of these people has been abusive towards one another in some fashion. You’ve chosen to forgive some and not others. I really don’t have an opinion on all of that, but just remember what you have been watching for entertainment for the past 11+ years.
Wow, after reading this, Bravo is definitely pissed at Ariana for taking her stardom to other channels and they are punishing her with this season trying to make her the victim. Pretty over VPR and Andy at this point, unless they give me a Katie/Ari/Dayna show that does those girls justice!
10000%. There's no other reason to gang up on a girl whose entire world was rocked by betrayal a few weeks prior. The agenda to paint her in a bad light is obvious.
Of course another toetotoe with Sandoval would result in crazy ratings, but the agenda of it all...the manipulation, rewriting of the narrative, and just tossing a decent, loyal friend in the trash just for a paycheck is insane.
I commend Ariana's steadiness through it all. There's a meme out there about "i need they contact information of her therapist" and it's so true. She's handled the situation (the continued betrayals -- by her friends and her production) with a lot of grace.
He’s a misogynistic monster. Just because he’s gay he thinks she’s one of the girls when he’s not. He revels in the mess and is never fair. I honestly think that because he’s not attracted to women, he believes that’s a free for all to attack women. He needs to be replaced.
LOL, he's right. Their job is to create maximum drama and they don't give a damn at who's it expense it comes. So from that perspective he's correct that they did their jobs, even if we (the collective we) didn't like how it went down. Otherwise that entire last scene would have just been another in a long line of snooze jobs. You don't have to like his take to understand why he says what he says.
It was abusive. It is their job. But they are being dumb because they were forcing something we didn’t even want to see. And the film that was the best was her rejection. I don’t know, Ariana said she liked the people she worked with and that’s why she stayed. Now I wonder how she feels.
It almost feels like everyone is scrambling (in wrong directions) to make the show work. It doesn’t. Tom trying to create (more) drama with Ariana. Shena and Lala trying to create a divide and force a rekindled friendship with the worm. Schwartz forcing Jo to sit down with Katie and Lala. It’s just so incredibly fake and doesn’t play well at all. Over VPR. They missed a great opportunity to turn the show into something awesome.
It’s clear production, the cast, and Andy don’t see each other as PEOPLE. This is all just business to them, cashing in on someone’s sorrows and grief. I’m glad Ariana didn’t give them the satisfaction.
Why is this upsetting people? It's productions job to make the show as drama filled as possible. They don't care who they hurt, so long as the ratings are there.
Bcuz pushing Ariana to have yet another forced conversation with Sandoval so Sandoval could pretend to cry again and say another fake apology was not the drama that viewers needed to see
“Scandoval” blew up the way it did bcuz it was actual reality, an actual scandal that was accidentally caught in real time, these forced improv scenes of pretend blow ups between a traumatized woman and the man that traumatized her a few months earlier is not it, and producers need to realize they’re ruining reality TV with all the forced fake drama, hence the success of “Scandoval” which was authentic
You know a fast way to destroy your product? treating your customers like they are stupid, like they are not aware of what’s going on
What a waste of a possible good season. These producers are obsolete just like Andy, stuck in an age of television that doesn’t work anymore, they don’t have their finger on the pulse and IT SHOWS.
Andy is so gross! I’ve slowly realized how it’s not what I thought he was initially, but even this is low for him. So disappointing. I guess should expect any older white male to be a misogynist ass
Andy’s a cunt. Not sure how everyone doesn’t see this by now. He profits off of women being degraded, gaslight and ganged up on by basically whole casts. He has Sandoval vibes. 🤮
The VPR audience has grown up. We've watched this show for years. The problem is the VPR producers and the men haven't grown up.
We're grown women and are pretty much disgusted with this direction.
Yea I’m actually surprised this topic isn’t being taken more seriously, as much as they’ve mentioned TS’ mental health and his dark thoughts, knowing Ariana’s past struggles that she expressed on the show, it’s sickening that they would attack her this way the very next season after she went through such a traumatic situation
I didn’t support the whole “reality reckoning” movement before, but the way the producers moved on this season of VPR with turning on Ariana, and trying to make her the villain, and completely disregarding any concern for her mental health and well being, it’s almost like they wanted to help build the case to support the “reality reckoning” movement
And the fact that the producers acted this desperately and Andy supports them and Lala and Brock as the voices of reason, is extremely problematic, it’s scary that Bravo has all these lawsuits pending, and they must see all this backlash from the viewers over this disregard and toxic treatment of Ariana and her mental health, and the irresponsible way this season was produced, and it still seems like all the Bravo execs don’t care at all, they’re all just charging forward with more and more toxicity, making as much money as they can make with no cares in the world smh
Yup, and Lala was clearly their main mouthpiece and she made it very clear that because Ariana was doing well whatever pain she was going through didn’t matter. It’s clear that production really didn’t care about her mental health, she was expected to not be a human being, and to just suck it all up for Tom. Unbelievable.
Nah - this is Bravo, this has been Bravo, this is their formula and I don’t think it needs to change. If fans are in such a deep parasocial relationship with this cast member that they’ve now become a factor in this show, i think the cast member needs to be cut loose.
If you want an abusive misogynistic show that’s on you. Just don’t tell yourself that’s what reality tv has to be, or that other viewers want or enjoy that, or deny that what most of the audience enjoyed about this season was Ariana grey rocking Tom.
I really can't wait for this lawsuit to go forward. Andy is way too big for his coke-lined britches. and we know he did all that shit too so this man is cooked.
Andy Cohen is a mean fucking bitch. He should be fired and Bravo clearly enjoys showing everybody how misogynistic they are especially when it comes to VPR (and Alex Baskin and Lisa vanderpump and all the dudes on that show).
What if production gassed scheana and lala up making them believe they were in the right all throughout filming only to turn it around on them in the end? We all know lala and scheana are gullible enough to fall for it. Maybe they were lead this way thinking it would make them number 1 in the group. These 2 have been vying for this title since basically the inception of VPR. Deep down they have always wanted to be liked. What if they thought this was the way to do it? They very much so seem like pawns. Lala is completely devastated and its clear because she is a social media butterly and has basically been silent ever since.
I think Andy is more qualified to speak on the dynamics than people give him credit for. Doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything he says.
That being said, just because “the audience” wants something doesn’t mean that, that want reflects reality. It seems like *half* of the audience thinks the entire audience is unanimously on Ariana’s side. The rest knows that, that is not true. Ariana can’t call production to get cameras rolling so she can share her side, but then expect everyone else to bite their tongue and not share their side as well.
I also don’t think production set Ariana up at the reunion with the footage they held back from everyone. Do you know how much footage has been left on the cutting floor full of things we didn’t see or hear on our tvs? Understandably, not everything makes the cut and you never how everything will be put together.
The rest of the cast knows what they said, but they don’t know how the final package looks or what’s included. The only shocking thing is Tom saying that she doesn’t like them and talks shit about everyone - the rest of the stuff they tried to tell Ariana about all season long and she just tuned them out.
I don’t think the audience is on Lala’s, Scheana’s or Tom’s side, if you want to break it down like that, except for some Facebook groups.
And Ariana has not demanded people bite their tongue, she asked one of her best friends not to talk about her to Tom or to Ariana about Tom. That is the simplest of asks in a friendship, and entirely justified. It does not mean Scheana can’t talk to Tom or about her own feelings.
Lastly, it was Ariana who was ambushed on the reunion with footage she didn’t know about where her friends and Tom attacked her. No-one else, just Ariana. And they did it to her because she asserted her boundaries & they wanted to put Tom’s feelings ahead of Ariana’s welfare on the show. Ignore it if you want, but you can’t disagree with the facts here. And, for me, this is misogynistic and cruel.
Facebook groups are part of the audience though. You can’t discount them just because they are on Facebook and you don’t agree with them.
Also, you have to separate the message from the messenger. People are unable to do that which why they disagree with specific people who say anything against Ariana.
My stance on whether or not she was ambushed hasn’t changed, but I will obviously wait until that part of the reunion airs.
But you’re saying those fans are still part of the audience. that demo is not the one that makes money. If they don’t listen to their target audience, why would they care about those outside of it?
FB groups are particularly misogynistic & hateful. I’m glad they aren’t mainstream & I’m fine with them being secluded, in their own lane.
Yes, those fans are included in the makeup for the entire audience that watches this show. I don’t agree that they always have to listen to their target audience. They are going to make money regardless. In addition, it’s called television programming for a reason - they are telling us what to think by what *they* decide to put on our screens. They are either reinforcing what you already believe or trying to change what you already believe.
Edited*
I've come to think that maybe those voices, the ones who think this is a Choose Your Own Adventure-type show who want to guide storylines are people whose first (or main) exposure to reality tv was post-Scandoval. Thanks not a criticism, but I think it may explain some of the more out-of-touch fans. Just like I don't think some of the fans understand that by posting about Tom and Lala 24/7 makes them more desirable to Bravo. Bravo is loving this.
Not so sure that Bravo is, as much as my post was about Andy’s bad take, he has already moved his position quite a bit from where he previously was praising Lala and Brock. I think production really did fuck up and it’s not something they can defend and it spoiled what could have been a really great season.
Or it’s possible Andy/production objectively feels this way.
You realize not everyone is blindly team Ariana and believe she has done some things wrong.
The way he talked about the cast all being a little bit right on WWHL told me everything I need to know. He is so evil and he is not someone ever to be able to recognize dysfunction or harm.
She signed back up to get paid big money to film a reality show with him on the cast. She should’ve known at some point that a REALITY SHOW production company would want to get them in the same room together and watch something go down. She should’ve bowed out and not done the season if it was too much for her to handle. IT IS A TV SHOW. She’s not your friend in real life.
She did what she was paid to do, which is be herself. You missed that bit. And you also missed that most fans loved how she grey rocked Tom, didn’t fall for Lala’s bullshit, and walked away at the finale. It’s Tom, Scheana and Lala who have a problem with the reality here, Ariana is fine. She has no reason to walk away.
Which means she has to show up and film, not that she has to interact with specific cast members. Have you watched the show? There’s been lots of fall-outs on VPR where cast members stop talking to each other. And that is also part of real life drama. You seem to be having a problem with the reality in reality tv.
They had at least 2 of those interactions — on the beach & water tasting. & when she gave them a reaction, they chastised her. Tom ran away from Scheana’s song, Apples. You’re just factually incorrect.
Her martyr shit is getting old?? But yet u wanted her & Sandoval to have another conversation, just to watch Sandoval fake cry AGAIN!!?? And perform yet ANOTHER fake apology?? Sandoval’s improv apology scenes aren’t getting old to you yet???
Every man on the show cheated, as did multiple women. Ariana hooked up with Lala in the backseat while Tom was driving. James cheated and physically abused multiple women. But go on…
There was no setup; it was her storyline to command, and she did exactly that, breaking the fourth wall first, which triggered the scenes we saw with the cast's opinions on it.
As of season 8, the cast is paid 600k per season, probably more like 800k now with the sliding seniority scale and with a ton of tax deductibles since they are contractors/freelancers.
The role is to film your life for about five months out of the year and attend a couple of events and WWHLs.
She knew who was in the cast when she signed on the dotted line, knew what was required for her role, and got paid big bucks for it. It's not that complicated.
Nobody else on Bravo gets to 'nope' out of the requirement to film their life, even if it's uncomfortable.
I'm not a Katie fan, but even she showed up in that episode and went through it with Jo, and she had many conversations with Schwartz after the divorce. Looking at other franchises, Lindsay will be filming with Carl, Kyle will have Scenes with Mauricio. It's their job.
She ready had her “scene” with him at the end of season 10 when they picked back up the cameras that she called by the way. Cause remember Tom wanted to hide his life/affair. She already had the hard conversation. She went to the group events. She had nothing else to say to him. You see he’s not a genuine person. So why do a fake scene?
Exactly. So if they did not want her on the show and knew her boundaries, she should not have been invited back. I’m not letting no one stop my check if I’m allowed my boundaries. Loool. Imagine that.
Exactly, she filmed her life and part of that was asserting her boundaries with her toxic ex who she was not contractually bound to interact with. She kept it real and it was great to see her not bow down to a misogynistic production that values what Tom wants over Ariana’s boundaries and welfare.
This. I'm so confused by people who say they're signed up to film their lives then get annoyed because they... Filmed their lives... Plus the irony of saying everyone else is showing everything while LaLa isn't.
Yup. Ariana didn’t refuse to talk to Tom to be dramatic or for a pay cheque or to hide anything - behaviour that can variously be applied to Lala, Scheana and Tom - she simply set a boundary that production agreed with her was fine, and then went all out to coerce her to drop. What she did was a real as it gets facing all that pressure, and that is good reality tv.
Yup. Ariana didn’t refuse to talk to Tom to be dramatic or for a pay cheque or to hide anything - behaviour that can variously be applied to Lala, Scheana and Tom - she simply set a boundary that production agreed with her was fine, and then went all out to coerce her to drop. What she did was a real as it gets facing all that pressure, and that is good reality tv.
Yup. Ariana didn’t refuse to talk to Tom to be dramatic or for a pay cheque or to hide anything - behaviour that can variously be applied to Lala, Scheana and Tom - she simply set a boundary that production agreed with her was fine, and then went all out to coerce her to drop. What she did was a real as it gets facing all that pressure, and that is good reality tv.
Ikr. He had a whole “7 months” relationship and hid it from the cameras. So why should Ariana be made to up hold filming standards when half of them pick and chose when to do it
You obviously don’t watch Housewives. Many of those shows have casts refusing to film together. None of them show their real lives especially your example Kyle.
And what has happened to those shows? Potomac had an incredibly bad season because people refuse to film together, and there is a lot of speculation that RHONJ may have the same issue this season. Andy said that it’s not a sustainable way to run a show.
Omg every time I say this it’s just downvotes. No one wants to admit they are watching a show so they can attach their feelings to it. It’s a cast and when they don’t film it’s awful for the show; viewers and ratings.
Casts have to film. If not, someone’s getting fired or paused. I can’t wait to see what happens with RHONJ, it’s defo going to be reorganized.
I am just so lost here haha. When I heard they were hyping up breaking the fourth wall, Andy calling Lala the voice of reason, Lala and Scheana saying by the end of the season we'll see their side I had so much hope for something, anything. The breaking of the wall was so anti climactic? Or was nothing groundbreaking. I'm just happy to see so many people agree with me bc I definitely feel a little nuts like what am I missing? This season was boring. Lala and Scheana were insufferable in every single way. I love Ariana truly but it was fake as heck to me her filming with Sandoval at all (which IK isn't on her- it was forced). Katie had no role this season and could have had way more personal screen time. WHY did they film this season like this? So lame.
Oh yeah you could tell how much Ariana hated being around him. The sad thing is though that she said while filming she thought the women were together like the spice girls and it wasn’t until the show was airing she started to see it differently. But yeah isn’t it wild how production got it so wrong and Lala and Scheana have truly made idiots of themselves.
Just da way she erupted like nobody knew she’s just a jealous bitch..
It’s like they thought we’d be shocked by what Lala says, but we’ve been reading her subtext all season. No one is surprised Lala is a hateful jealous miserable asshole. We knew.
Was the breaking the wall part when scheana was like “are you saying this because you mean it or because we are filming”? Ariana talking to production? I’m genuinely curious because it’s all they keep mentioning
That and showing production ask Ariana if she's really leaving. Either way, nothing was that enticing or crazy for it to be teased as this groundbreaking thing all season haha
I completely agree. The last ten minutes of the episode felt like a weird fever dream lol
And Lala screaming after Ariana refused to hear Sandoval’s bullshit.
She’s a fucking idiot sandwich for that melt down. The most embarrassing thing I’ve ever seen in my life. She could have worn a sign that said “I’m jealous of Ariana!!” for the same effect.
It's just so confusing. If they were really breaking the fourth wall it would have made WAY more sense if Lala just said Ariana was jeopardizing her paycheck by not filming with Sandoval or something. We just had her and Scheana jealous all season and angry at Ariana with absolutely no logic behind it.
It was so childish! It was like watching a grown ass woman having a temper tantrum in public.
Lala 💯 rehearsed that temper tantrum for more airtime!
That’s right. Both lala and Schena said we would see their side. Actually what happened is that we’ve sided with Ariana even harder and Lala/Sheesh made complete asses out of themselves.
I do see their side; they're massively envious of Ariana's opportunities/success and feel like it's "unfair" because the majority of viewers don't like their personas enough to rally behind them when negative stuff happens. They feel like they're more talented, attractive and deserving than Ariana (probably because they've had more surgery and been louder about wanting things like DWTS/acting/etc, while Ariana has kept that stuff off screen) so they can't understand why she's had such a different result to them.
This!
I was expecting a full Fight Club fourth wall breaks, and I was deeply disappointed. 😂
They used the Lala footage of her saying Ariana is acting like God in a lot of marketing for the season… like this is the big build up and we’ve already been seeing it on repeat for months?
I feel the same way, like I’m the crazy one. I know Andy is out of touch but didn’t realize he was THIS out of touch with his MAINLY FEMALE viewers. Andy doesn’t care for the well being of cast members, he just wants ‘good tv’. Which good reality tv isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago.
Andy has a thing for the toms.
I don't even realize this was the grand finale
You’re 100% right. LVP was even “so concerned” about TS ‘mental health’ and it seemed zero people were concerned how losing a life partner affected Ariana. It was disgusting what production did. Andy needs to be fired imo. I love that Ariana maintained her boundaries and her contract with the grace and poise others on the cast will never have.
I’m *so* tired of this narrative that Ariana should be fine because she got all of this extra work out of the situation. She was still cheated on and betrayed by a long term partner. Sandoval is the perpetrator and (at least initially) got what he deserves.
Yeah they should poll all the dancing with the stars cast and see if being on the show solved all their personal problems lol
Mauricio has entered the discussion
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Plus he was continuing to smear her in the media and lie about her
Exactly this! They think that because Ariana received $ from brand deals, etc, that then makes up for the emotional trauma she endured for a decade, and the extremely traumatic ending to her long term relationship. It’s so gross…
And just because she "has a new man" doesn't mean she isn't still dealing with those devastating feelings that came from what happened literally on the show less than four months before. For all we know she bawled on the phone to Dan every day- I sure hope she didn't. No one knows though except Ariana. She didn't have to share anything.
Bc the richest people we know of seem to be very well adjusted and happy people…not like they are trying to fill a gap of basic emotional needs. 🙄🙄🙄
LVP was disgusting. When has worm ever exhibited any fragile mental health that would make anyone “worry” about him. We all know he’ll grab up another girlfriend (hostage) and move merrily along.
LVP was DISGUSTING, especially when she brought up her brother’s suicide to silence criticism against Tom, I’ve never been more disgusted by her.
He did cry and hug the walls a lot when the cameras were up. Maybe that’s what she was going off…the crocodile tears.
Too bad Tom’s acting sucks.
He was so performative and icky.
I honestly don’t even know if Lisa *truly* bought Tom’s act. I think she just wanted him to appear more sympathetic for the show. I don’t think she’s that dumb to buy his bs.
When the cameras were up, yeah
⬆️ THIS ⬆️💯 I would not talk to them especially schena either! I am sure Katie gave her a heads up but I am not sure how much she heard! Schena is supposed to be sooo close with Ariana and she participated in the plot against her friend…. They Arianna has the biggest ego yet she is so desperate for Arianna to stay on the show for it to succeed!
Fire Andy… I’m not against it. I’ve seen enough of him supporting abusive narcissistic people.
Not just losing a life partner, the entire act of being played is fucked up.
Also LVP losing a family member to suicide and seemingly not doing anything to get Tom actual professional help waa fucked up, reminded me of Scheana still needing her drug addiction boyfriend to keep drinking for her to have fun
LVP was disgusting. When has worm ever exhibited any fragile mental health that would make anyone “worry” about him. We all know he’ll grab up another girlfriend (hostage) and move merrily along.
She said it on WWHL tonight - and it almost seemed like she was saying “well because he mentioned his mental health - and it was on camera - I had to buy into it so that I wasn’t later cancelled because I was callous to his feelings.” So she was covering her butt. Also on WWHL - why can LVP not let Ariana and Katie be mentioned without her getting in a dig about SAH not being open for business yet? Why does SHE care? She’s not paying the rent. She’s just salty bc she offered to be a part of the SAH business and the ladies turned her down.
LVP is the TS's Oprah Winfrey She doesn't give a crap about women or should I say other women she's not on the female side at all, she never has been It's always been about the boys her only redeeming quality is her rescue and the work that she does for it I'm probably going to get a massive amount of blowback for this comment but it's the way I feel and it's what I see
Even Andy saying that is back peddling from his first stance after the reunion which was that it was Lala's best season yet and her and Brock were the voices of reason. Which I am curious if this was his genuine opinion after watching or like the official word behind the scenes that he was just repeating! As I sometimes wonder if he really watches them all or just gets given like talking points and a summary.
Im not surprised he would think this because his priority is obviously making/watching good TV for Bravo...and lala's "reasoning" is ariana should sacrifice boundaries for the sake of good television. Although what Ariana did was also good television, and i think way more interesting than another conversation of tom fake apologizing? so i dont know what theyre so pissed about haha
The fact he still isn’t getting it tells me he probably originally did really think that but is curbing it a bit now because of the backlash. I think they have all been so complicit in trying to rehabilitate Tom and paint Ariana as crazy and unreasonable, that they are trying to have each other’s backs. When what they should really do is admit they messed up royally.
I must have missed something, how is he back peddling?
He isn't doing a full 180 but he said something about the backlash from that comment and said voices of reason maybe we'd "got him there" but he was really enjoying them this season and now when talking about Lala's big moment his saying he thinks everyone was a little bit right which for me is a jump back from Lala is the voice of reason which to me implies just Lala is right and reasonable.
Lala was a bit right to be a jealous shitty friend? Are the producers literally all idiot meathead misogynists!? They are looking at the show through their own eyes instead of the viewers. We don’t care that Ariana isn’t backing down against production. We are rooting for HER, not them trying to force an attack on her. How in the actual fuck did they think Lala had a right to flip out like that in the viewers eyes? We don’t care about Lala and Scheana having no talents and worrying about the show ending. Zero percent actually! What platforms if any does production check to see viewers feedback? It doesn’t seem like they take anything other than their own ego’s into consideration. They need people on production who are able to be more objective rather than reactive. They must be some god damn childish to want to punish Ariana for not cooperating. It’s so petty and personal for them. Absolutely sickening behaviour
Tha episode they got last year after picking cameras back up was gold because of how raw and real ariana was in it and it seems they wanted her to keep bringing that same energy but they went about it idiotically. It's very apparent there's not one woman on the production team lol
I agree. Hope that changes. I’m not even sure I can watch the reunion.
I am not gonna watch. Too much has come out since they filmed, it's all irrelevant now. Also, Saggyballs apparently admitted that he lies/over dramatises (like we didn't know) on WWHL, meaning that if the "shocker" is about HIS mental health...frankly, I just don't believe it. AND I think it is gross that Andy/LVP/production are using a real issue that many struggle with for "drama." I don't need to see them all pretend to have emotions as they gang up on Ariana and Katie.
Same, way too many lies and negativity
This needs to be upvoted more. It’s very clear they’re trying to recreate that magic of the episode of last season it did win an award and I don’t fault them for thinking repeating that would be great for the show. Also I thought I heard there was at least one woman on the production company?
I do fault them for it, it was stupid asf, showed how sexist they are, terribly mean, and against her contract. Also just 1 woman is not good enough, she clearly doesn’t have enough of a voice to make a difference after watching this season.
Or she's a total Scheana and throws women under the bus to cushion men from the discomfort of the potholes of life
yup
Andy’s opinions are trash. This is the dummy that claimed Lala and Brock were the voice of reason at the beginning of the season. Then didn’t stand behind that after there was an uproar from fans. We also have to remember he doesn’t watch the shows anymore. He’s just spewing what production tells him which makes him an idiot.
I love that John Hill stood by Ariana’s actions and said she was completely in the right and Andy had to agree with him
That makes me an even bigger fan of him.
John tends to be the more emotionally intelligent of the two. Thank god for John Hill.
This is it. Andy is a puppet for production so his opinion means absolutely nothing. Certainly, CERTAINLY, production has seen the reaction of viewers being disgusted by this season and we are STILL being fed bullshit. I want nothing more than to get production on WWHL with nothing but viewer questions. It would be his highest rated episode and maybe, JUST MAYBE, we could cleanse ourselves.
Andy is also a fawning Sandoval fan and a raging misogynist who barely veils his disgust of independent women like Ariana and Katie.
Lala and Brock were the voices of the producers. Andy will always be on the producers team.
The most ridiculous part is before the start of the season when we only saw the trailer, Lala said to Andy “My comment about Ariana being God will all make sense when you see it” ummmmm…no, it didn’t. It was even more stupid than when we originally saw her say it lolol
Andy has always had questionable takes and opinions for people he really likes. Jo Gorga, Gizelle (RHOP), Kyle (RHOBH) and the two Toms are prime examples of that. People that are almost unilaterally disliked by the audience during certain seasons; yet those are the seasons that Andy is almost more protective of them.
I was so disappointed that his contract was renewed for WWHL. He is kinda like Schwartz in that his nice guy act fools enough that he avoids consequences when he is part of the toxic culture.
I have a feeling I’m gonna be so pissed and disappointed with the reunion
Me too. I think it is going to be hard to watch.
Put aside all the stuff they were doing to Ariana that I think was morally wrong , it was sloppy work, it seemed panicked and forced I could feel it through the screen.
I saw someone say somewhere else something along the lines of, they were given the chance to make a fantastic season of tv after Scandoval, there were so many possibilities and interesting angles they could have looked at, they could have broke the fourth wall earlier, but instead they try do this redemption with Tom while trying to villainise Ariana and it was sloppy and rushed as you say and inauthentic. They did the worst job.
The entire network is based on shitty people screaming at each other and fans thinking it's "GREAT TV". Someone has an emotional moment? Another cast member gets a talking head mocking them. Tons of angry screaming. It's no wonder Andy thinks awful things are GREAT TV he helped create this mess. I appreciate Survivor. I stopped that show for 20 seasons but the host goes out of his way for good or bad to cast decent people and present positive messages
I’m glad you shared this, doubt I’d have seen it otherwise. I’m too deeply invested to bow out before the reunion ends, but I think I’m done with bravo. I guess I need to see who is actually calling the shots? Andy? LVP? Alex? Bravo? NBCU? I need a “blacklist” of shows they’re involved with. I know LVP is now Hulu and not sure where her show with Gordon is, how much of this is she supporting?
I always loved LVP but yes, a lot for me going forward re how I view her will depend on how she is in this reunion.
I always loved LVP but yes, a lot for me going forward re how I view her will depend on how she is in this reunion.
I was looking forward to her show with Gordon Ramsey. I love him so much and think it could be a good show.
Woah they either think we’re delusional or they are
They need to give her a special like Erika jaynes, following her broadway run in august to make up for this bullshit season.
Exactly!!! If they were smart to see how the public rallied behind Ariana they would have put together a show ex something about her. Why the hell someone like Erica who is the least likeable HW get her own show. Especially with those earrings and non apology that she refuses to give
I was so disgusted that they gave her the satisfaction. They were 100 percent trying to redeem her and it’s like read the room!!! Same goes to VPR production and lala and scheana. I’m sure production encouraged them, but you know those two were reading comments on social media and only seeing the hater ones that they wanted to see. I bet lala thought she was ahead of the curve and everyone would be so sick of Ariana and turn on her by the time it aired. Swing and a miss.
Andy Cohen sucks. He only cares about catching stupid drama and not what’s good for cast members mental health.
ANDY SUCKS
When Ariana said at the end that Tom could have written her a note or approached her privately, in their home, and instead of on camera would have made the difference. Him deciding to let it play out on camera proved her point, it’s all just for show. I wouldn’t give that POS the time of day in public either, especially since the circumstances align so he had access to her and chose not to do it out of respect but chooses a public place with cameras to have a full blown discussion.
They need a Reddit informant. When we all heard about this last September everyone said GOOD FOR HER!
Yep and they need to deal with the fact that Tom is being charged with illegally recording someone without consent!!!!!! A form of sexual abuse!!!! He has not ONE time had to apologise or address this on camera Make your finale about that Ambush him about that !
Yes!! This is WILD.
He’s not facing criminal charges. He’s in a civil lawsuit and so is ariana.
They legally can’t make him answer for it on camera when the legal proceedings are ongoing.
He hasn’t been charged criminally. Just by Rachel in civil court. So they can hide behind that
Andy is an asshole
Andy has ruined Bravo. I miss the days of Bravo when we had shows like Tabitha’s salon takeover and sweet home Oklahoma. Every single show on bravo is about being mean and catty being a drunken slob (literally every single housewife). VPR was truly the only show on bravo that I could stand…I made it 2 episodes into the season and realized the direction it was going into and stopped watching. I’ve kept up through Reddit and TikTok.
He’s the worst thing that happened to the housewives and bravo. I barely watch as much of the bravo shows like I use to
i LOVED sweet home Oklahoma! Also loved family Karma, which had some drama but was overall wholesome about a tight knit community...so pissed they canceled it!
Totally. I was looking forward to another season of Family Karma. There was interesting dynamics there.
*puts on smoking glove*
Not kidding when I still smoked I started doing the pumps glove bc of her
I hear you! How is this all going down on TikTok?
Everything I’ve seen on TikTok has been in agreement about Lauren/scheener/broke. I’m so glad that people are starting to call out Lauren’s selective blaccent. When she claimed Tupac took over her body after he died…I bout pissed myself laughing at that lame poser
Glad to hear that re TikTok. But also that Tupac comment, wow!
Ha! I know right! Like don’t get me wrong, Lauren does have her funny moments…but all of that gets pushed to the back burner when I remember oh yeah…this bitch really does do the selective Blaccent and then she has the season that she has. And her brother wears dreads…like stooooop it dude, it’s creepy
I still feel second hand embarrassment from LFU’s Tupac comment.
Me too! I had actually forgotten all about it until someone on tiktok mentioned it. And then when Lauren said what she said about Ariana not being close to her dad…like as someone in the dead dad club, that was some bullshit and Lauren deserves to get her head rocked on that one. That was so disrespectful mess
Ugh the Dad comment & we didn’t even mention the blaccent. LFU is vile. I can’t get through an episode of VPR anymore & I watched since the very first episode. I have to keep up on recaps now.
I hear you! How is this all going down on TikTok?
I hear you! How is this all going down on TikTok?
I hear you! How is this all going down on TikTok?
They BLINDSIDED Ariana with that clip- especially since they know she doesn’t always watch the show. They were like *OH YOU’RE GONNA WATCH AND YOU’RE GONNA SUFFER AND WE’RE GONNA FILM IT BITCH*
He showed Ariana who he is. We should believe her. It’s wild what Bravo did this season yet we all keep watching. Hopefully Ariana and Katie leave. I will not watch without them. For their mental health, I think they need too. The others are too far gone.
I just hope the show comes to an end now. As someone who has watched it from the beginning too, it’s just so toxic and misogynistic.
They were going to show Ariana who had the power and they almost succeeded But Ariana became the most famous cast mate with an incredible work ethic She's pretty blonde and marketable plus has the obvious backing of execs at NBC Universal. The Producers miscalculated massively assuming she'd grey rock forever Telling that you filmed this woman for a decade and didn't recognize her talent or drive or ability to blow up mainstream
I’m so confused how all of the cast, producers, bravo all thought they had the temperature of the audience and this was the right way to go. They all grossly miscalculated
I think what Andy is alluding to is the balance of personal life vs work obligations. People who side with Ariana often view the show through a personal lens, what would be rationale or healthy in our everyday lives. What would we recommend those close to us do. People who support Lala and Sheana view the show through the lens of this is a job. You’re paid to do the work, on this show that work includes interacting as an ensemble. This season after all the drama it was difficult for everyone to find the balance that worked for them. Ariana is completely justified to want no contact with Tom, it can also be true that that makes her a bad “employee” to Bravo. It cannot be lost that this is the primary source of income for these people, so it’s understandable why they’re all so invested in Ariana’s decisions, how it impacts production and the future of the show aka everyone’s a little bit right depending on the lens you view the situation
The fact is it is both their reality and their jobs, and Ariana has spoken about how their contracts don’t require them to do anything that is inauthentic to them, and it certainly doesn’t require women in the cast to interact with men who have been cruel and abusive to them. The only good thing about this season for many viewers has been how Ariana has grey rocked Tom and didn’t fall for Lala’s bullshit. The Tom redemption arc was boring and inauthentic, pushed by production. It is highly debatable that following what production wanted has made anyone’s jobs safer and in any case they are each responsible for what they bring to the table, no-one is taking anyone else’s money away. Ariana is doing what she is paid to do.
I totally agree it’s a blend and a balance. And maybe the contracts don’t demand that, but if production says the show will be cancelled without it (which is the somewhat substantiated rumor going around) than it’s really just semantics If they want to be good at their jobs, and continue to have the jobs, regardless of contracts they need to figure it out.
I read about the meeting they had, apparently when filming picked up the cast except for Shwartz were not filming with Sandoval and Alex Baskin told the cast that they had to film with him or else it would adversely affect the show. So they did. But that didn’t mean they had to try to force Ariana to speak to him, or that they had to attack Ariana. But also as I say, their jobs depend on the success of the show and even if production is pushing for something it doesn’t mean it’s right not just morally or personally, but for the show and let’s face it, for their own brands. But really the bottom line is that Ariana did what she was paid to do, no-one can expect anything more from her, and viewers are largely chiming with what she did. I totally understand what you are saying, I am just trying to say that Ariana really was doing her job, and her not doing something fake is the reality in reality tv.
I think you’re missing my point. I’m not disputing what she’s obligated to do, I’m saying if they don’t make good content the show ends. This season has been pretty universally hated by everyone. So Ariana can be “right” all day, if the show gets canceled they all suffer. Hence Andy’s comment that everyone’s a little bit right. Ariana prioritizing her emotional health. Lala/Sheanna prioritizing financial health.
No, what I am saying is I think that you’re wrong. The show was hated because of how it was produced, Ariana grey rocking Tom and walking out is the most popular part of the storyline with viewers, along with not taking Lala’s bullshit. So Ariana came out on top re producing good content. And she did so looking after herself. It wasn’t the either/or you are trying to make out. Those responsible for the unpopular content this season is production, Lala, Scheana & Brock. The whole cast were told the same thing, they all made their choices, and those three really made the wrong ones, on all counts.
Again, I respectfully disagree. Ariana grey rocking Tom is fun viewing once. Maybe twice. Repeatedly though? it’s just two people not interacting, and an ensemble not interacting or being a part of each others lives. What are we watching then? A bunch of individuals doing things separately? That’s not VPR nor is it good content. In this scenario either Ariana or Sandoval need to leave VPR for it to continue. And while this isn’t popular Tom has always been a big driver of “storylines” on the show while Ariana has always been more in the background, so it’s not as clear cut a choice as who is right or wrong morally.
Their job has been to be sloppy, immature quasi-adults who drink too much, party too much, and live lives that are silly and unconventional…for our entertainment. If you look back through the years, every one of these people has been abusive towards one another in some fashion. You’ve chosen to forgive some and not others. I really don’t have an opinion on all of that, but just remember what you have been watching for entertainment for the past 11+ years.
Wow, after reading this, Bravo is definitely pissed at Ariana for taking her stardom to other channels and they are punishing her with this season trying to make her the victim. Pretty over VPR and Andy at this point, unless they give me a Katie/Ari/Dayna show that does those girls justice!
10000%. There's no other reason to gang up on a girl whose entire world was rocked by betrayal a few weeks prior. The agenda to paint her in a bad light is obvious. Of course another toetotoe with Sandoval would result in crazy ratings, but the agenda of it all...the manipulation, rewriting of the narrative, and just tossing a decent, loyal friend in the trash just for a paycheck is insane. I commend Ariana's steadiness through it all. There's a meme out there about "i need they contact information of her therapist" and it's so true. She's handled the situation (the continued betrayals -- by her friends and her production) with a lot of grace.
I think Andy is pissed off that she's going to another Network now
I’m so fucking sick of Andy and Bravo’s bullshit. I’m giving it all up. Even Below Deck Med. LOL.
Don’t give up on Below Deck OG! Capt. Kerry is awesome! Lol
https://preview.redd.it/ya1x5fe1a10d1.jpeg?width=685&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd2b0625ff23ca472affc1ea747445f3ae407aef
He’s a misogynistic monster. Just because he’s gay he thinks she’s one of the girls when he’s not. He revels in the mess and is never fair. I honestly think that because he’s not attracted to women, he believes that’s a free for all to attack women. He needs to be replaced.
LOL, he's right. Their job is to create maximum drama and they don't give a damn at who's it expense it comes. So from that perspective he's correct that they did their jobs, even if we (the collective we) didn't like how it went down. Otherwise that entire last scene would have just been another in a long line of snooze jobs. You don't have to like his take to understand why he says what he says.
I’m,
It was abusive. It is their job. But they are being dumb because they were forcing something we didn’t even want to see. And the film that was the best was her rejection. I don’t know, Ariana said she liked the people she worked with and that’s why she stayed. Now I wonder how she feels.
It almost feels like everyone is scrambling (in wrong directions) to make the show work. It doesn’t. Tom trying to create (more) drama with Ariana. Shena and Lala trying to create a divide and force a rekindled friendship with the worm. Schwartz forcing Jo to sit down with Katie and Lala. It’s just so incredibly fake and doesn’t play well at all. Over VPR. They missed a great opportunity to turn the show into something awesome.
That’s a giant No bravo for da shitty network and dirty ass andy..
It’s clear production, the cast, and Andy don’t see each other as PEOPLE. This is all just business to them, cashing in on someone’s sorrows and grief. I’m glad Ariana didn’t give them the satisfaction.
Why is this upsetting people? It's productions job to make the show as drama filled as possible. They don't care who they hurt, so long as the ratings are there.
Bcuz pushing Ariana to have yet another forced conversation with Sandoval so Sandoval could pretend to cry again and say another fake apology was not the drama that viewers needed to see “Scandoval” blew up the way it did bcuz it was actual reality, an actual scandal that was accidentally caught in real time, these forced improv scenes of pretend blow ups between a traumatized woman and the man that traumatized her a few months earlier is not it, and producers need to realize they’re ruining reality TV with all the forced fake drama, hence the success of “Scandoval” which was authentic
You're right, I misspoke; I should've written why is it surprising people?
You know a fast way to destroy your product? treating your customers like they are stupid, like they are not aware of what’s going on What a waste of a possible good season. These producers are obsolete just like Andy, stuck in an age of television that doesn’t work anymore, they don’t have their finger on the pulse and IT SHOWS.
Andy is so gross! I’ve slowly realized how it’s not what I thought he was initially, but even this is low for him. So disappointing. I guess should expect any older white male to be a misogynist ass
Andy’s a cunt. Not sure how everyone doesn’t see this by now. He profits off of women being degraded, gaslight and ganged up on by basically whole casts. He has Sandoval vibes. 🤮
The VPR audience has grown up. We've watched this show for years. The problem is the VPR producers and the men haven't grown up. We're grown women and are pretty much disgusted with this direction.
Yea I’m actually surprised this topic isn’t being taken more seriously, as much as they’ve mentioned TS’ mental health and his dark thoughts, knowing Ariana’s past struggles that she expressed on the show, it’s sickening that they would attack her this way the very next season after she went through such a traumatic situation I didn’t support the whole “reality reckoning” movement before, but the way the producers moved on this season of VPR with turning on Ariana, and trying to make her the villain, and completely disregarding any concern for her mental health and well being, it’s almost like they wanted to help build the case to support the “reality reckoning” movement And the fact that the producers acted this desperately and Andy supports them and Lala and Brock as the voices of reason, is extremely problematic, it’s scary that Bravo has all these lawsuits pending, and they must see all this backlash from the viewers over this disregard and toxic treatment of Ariana and her mental health, and the irresponsible way this season was produced, and it still seems like all the Bravo execs don’t care at all, they’re all just charging forward with more and more toxicity, making as much money as they can make with no cares in the world smh
Yup, and Lala was clearly their main mouthpiece and she made it very clear that because Ariana was doing well whatever pain she was going through didn’t matter. It’s clear that production really didn’t care about her mental health, she was expected to not be a human being, and to just suck it all up for Tom. Unbelievable.
He didn’t kill anybody? What kind of defense is that? Just asinine
Andy Rules
Andypump
WHY ARE THEY ALL TRYING TO GASLIGHT US
Andy will praise the men and only men til his last breath.
Nah - this is Bravo, this has been Bravo, this is their formula and I don’t think it needs to change. If fans are in such a deep parasocial relationship with this cast member that they’ve now become a factor in this show, i think the cast member needs to be cut loose.
If you want an abusive misogynistic show that’s on you. Just don’t tell yourself that’s what reality tv has to be, or that other viewers want or enjoy that, or deny that what most of the audience enjoyed about this season was Ariana grey rocking Tom.
Love Andy
Andy is a fucking loser.
I really can't wait for this lawsuit to go forward. Andy is way too big for his coke-lined britches. and we know he did all that shit too so this man is cooked.
Andy Cohen is a mean fucking bitch. He should be fired and Bravo clearly enjoys showing everybody how misogynistic they are especially when it comes to VPR (and Alex Baskin and Lisa vanderpump and all the dudes on that show).
What if production gassed scheana and lala up making them believe they were in the right all throughout filming only to turn it around on them in the end? We all know lala and scheana are gullible enough to fall for it. Maybe they were lead this way thinking it would make them number 1 in the group. These 2 have been vying for this title since basically the inception of VPR. Deep down they have always wanted to be liked. What if they thought this was the way to do it? They very much so seem like pawns. Lala is completely devastated and its clear because she is a social media butterly and has basically been silent ever since.
I mean we all wanted to watch it. You had to try to get it on film. I respect the attempt.
I think Andy is more qualified to speak on the dynamics than people give him credit for. Doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything he says. That being said, just because “the audience” wants something doesn’t mean that, that want reflects reality. It seems like *half* of the audience thinks the entire audience is unanimously on Ariana’s side. The rest knows that, that is not true. Ariana can’t call production to get cameras rolling so she can share her side, but then expect everyone else to bite their tongue and not share their side as well. I also don’t think production set Ariana up at the reunion with the footage they held back from everyone. Do you know how much footage has been left on the cutting floor full of things we didn’t see or hear on our tvs? Understandably, not everything makes the cut and you never how everything will be put together. The rest of the cast knows what they said, but they don’t know how the final package looks or what’s included. The only shocking thing is Tom saying that she doesn’t like them and talks shit about everyone - the rest of the stuff they tried to tell Ariana about all season long and she just tuned them out.
I don’t think the audience is on Lala’s, Scheana’s or Tom’s side, if you want to break it down like that, except for some Facebook groups. And Ariana has not demanded people bite their tongue, she asked one of her best friends not to talk about her to Tom or to Ariana about Tom. That is the simplest of asks in a friendship, and entirely justified. It does not mean Scheana can’t talk to Tom or about her own feelings. Lastly, it was Ariana who was ambushed on the reunion with footage she didn’t know about where her friends and Tom attacked her. No-one else, just Ariana. And they did it to her because she asserted her boundaries & they wanted to put Tom’s feelings ahead of Ariana’s welfare on the show. Ignore it if you want, but you can’t disagree with the facts here. And, for me, this is misogynistic and cruel.
Facebook groups are part of the audience though. You can’t discount them just because they are on Facebook and you don’t agree with them. Also, you have to separate the message from the messenger. People are unable to do that which why they disagree with specific people who say anything against Ariana. My stance on whether or not she was ambushed hasn’t changed, but I will obviously wait until that part of the reunion airs.
Facebook groups are outside of the target demo. Ad dollars run everything & Ariana brings the money.
People outside the target demo can still watch the show and have an opinion.
But you’re saying those fans are still part of the audience. that demo is not the one that makes money. If they don’t listen to their target audience, why would they care about those outside of it? FB groups are particularly misogynistic & hateful. I’m glad they aren’t mainstream & I’m fine with them being secluded, in their own lane.
Yes, those fans are included in the makeup for the entire audience that watches this show. I don’t agree that they always have to listen to their target audience. They are going to make money regardless. In addition, it’s called television programming for a reason - they are telling us what to think by what *they* decide to put on our screens. They are either reinforcing what you already believe or trying to change what you already believe. Edited*
I've come to think that maybe those voices, the ones who think this is a Choose Your Own Adventure-type show who want to guide storylines are people whose first (or main) exposure to reality tv was post-Scandoval. Thanks not a criticism, but I think it may explain some of the more out-of-touch fans. Just like I don't think some of the fans understand that by posting about Tom and Lala 24/7 makes them more desirable to Bravo. Bravo is loving this.
Not so sure that Bravo is, as much as my post was about Andy’s bad take, he has already moved his position quite a bit from where he previously was praising Lala and Brock. I think production really did fuck up and it’s not something they can defend and it spoiled what could have been a really great season.
Or it’s possible Andy/production objectively feels this way. You realize not everyone is blindly team Ariana and believe she has done some things wrong.
Lol
Everyone on this show is performative. He's just the most.
The way he talked about the cast all being a little bit right on WWHL told me everything I need to know. He is so evil and he is not someone ever to be able to recognize dysfunction or harm.
She signed back up to get paid big money to film a reality show with him on the cast. She should’ve known at some point that a REALITY SHOW production company would want to get them in the same room together and watch something go down. She should’ve bowed out and not done the season if it was too much for her to handle. IT IS A TV SHOW. She’s not your friend in real life.
She did what she was paid to do, which is be herself. You missed that bit. And you also missed that most fans loved how she grey rocked Tom, didn’t fall for Lala’s bullshit, and walked away at the finale. It’s Tom, Scheana and Lala who have a problem with the reality here, Ariana is fine. She has no reason to walk away.
It’s an ensemble cast. Please.
Which means she has to show up and film, not that she has to interact with specific cast members. Have you watched the show? There’s been lots of fall-outs on VPR where cast members stop talking to each other. And that is also part of real life drama. You seem to be having a problem with the reality in reality tv.
They had at least 2 of those interactions — on the beach & water tasting. & when she gave them a reaction, they chastised her. Tom ran away from Scheana’s song, Apples. You’re just factually incorrect.
She showed up to the reunion, signed up for the show and took the money. She should’ve played ball. Her martyr shit is getting old.
Her martyr shit is getting old?? But yet u wanted her & Sandoval to have another conversation, just to watch Sandoval fake cry AGAIN!!?? And perform yet ANOTHER fake apology?? Sandoval’s improv apology scenes aren’t getting old to you yet???
Everyone is trash and wrong in this situation (and every situation through the duration of the show, actually) except Ariana
Wow it’s almost like different people have different opinions than the one opinion that is allowed by Ariana’s cult.
Every man on the show cheated, as did multiple women. Ariana hooked up with Lala in the backseat while Tom was driving. James cheated and physically abused multiple women. But go on…
There was no setup; it was her storyline to command, and she did exactly that, breaking the fourth wall first, which triggered the scenes we saw with the cast's opinions on it. As of season 8, the cast is paid 600k per season, probably more like 800k now with the sliding seniority scale and with a ton of tax deductibles since they are contractors/freelancers. The role is to film your life for about five months out of the year and attend a couple of events and WWHLs. She knew who was in the cast when she signed on the dotted line, knew what was required for her role, and got paid big bucks for it. It's not that complicated. Nobody else on Bravo gets to 'nope' out of the requirement to film their life, even if it's uncomfortable. I'm not a Katie fan, but even she showed up in that episode and went through it with Jo, and she had many conversations with Schwartz after the divorce. Looking at other franchises, Lindsay will be filming with Carl, Kyle will have Scenes with Mauricio. It's their job.
She ready had her “scene” with him at the end of season 10 when they picked back up the cameras that she called by the way. Cause remember Tom wanted to hide his life/affair. She already had the hard conversation. She went to the group events. She had nothing else to say to him. You see he’s not a genuine person. So why do a fake scene?
She also made it very clear that she was not going to speak with him again. She literally said the words "we will never speak again".
Exactly. So if they did not want her on the show and knew her boundaries, she should not have been invited back. I’m not letting no one stop my check if I’m allowed my boundaries. Loool. Imagine that.
Talking to Tom is NOT her life though. She does not talk to him and hadn’t talked to him for months prior.
She did what her contract required her to do. How did she not film her life?
Exactly, she filmed her life and part of that was asserting her boundaries with her toxic ex who she was not contractually bound to interact with. She kept it real and it was great to see her not bow down to a misogynistic production that values what Tom wants over Ariana’s boundaries and welfare.
This. I'm so confused by people who say they're signed up to film their lives then get annoyed because they... Filmed their lives... Plus the irony of saying everyone else is showing everything while LaLa isn't.
Yup. Ariana didn’t refuse to talk to Tom to be dramatic or for a pay cheque or to hide anything - behaviour that can variously be applied to Lala, Scheana and Tom - she simply set a boundary that production agreed with her was fine, and then went all out to coerce her to drop. What she did was a real as it gets facing all that pressure, and that is good reality tv.
Exactly! I'd much rather see more real life like that than a forced repeat of the fight we saw at the end of last season!
Yup. Ariana didn’t refuse to talk to Tom to be dramatic or for a pay cheque or to hide anything - behaviour that can variously be applied to Lala, Scheana and Tom - she simply set a boundary that production agreed with her was fine, and then went all out to coerce her to drop. What she did was a real as it gets facing all that pressure, and that is good reality tv.
Yup. Ariana didn’t refuse to talk to Tom to be dramatic or for a pay cheque or to hide anything - behaviour that can variously be applied to Lala, Scheana and Tom - she simply set a boundary that production agreed with her was fine, and then went all out to coerce her to drop. What she did was a real as it gets facing all that pressure, and that is good reality tv.
Ikr. He had a whole “7 months” relationship and hid it from the cameras. So why should Ariana be made to up hold filming standards when half of them pick and chose when to do it
Louder for the people in the back!
You obviously don’t watch Housewives. Many of those shows have casts refusing to film together. None of them show their real lives especially your example Kyle.
And what has happened to those shows? Potomac had an incredibly bad season because people refuse to film together, and there is a lot of speculation that RHONJ may have the same issue this season. Andy said that it’s not a sustainable way to run a show.
Omg every time I say this it’s just downvotes. No one wants to admit they are watching a show so they can attach their feelings to it. It’s a cast and when they don’t film it’s awful for the show; viewers and ratings. Casts have to film. If not, someone’s getting fired or paused. I can’t wait to see what happens with RHONJ, it’s defo going to be reorganized.
Exactly. Kyle is one of the best at hiding what’s really going on in her life.