Bravo has yet to greenlight a sixth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but speculation about which ladies will return and who might not have been ongoing throughout season five. There’s no reason to believe that Bravo won’t renew the Beverly Hill’s installment of the network’s popular franchise, especially with the fate of New Jersey still in flux.
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Even if the show gets another season, it doesn’t mean every member of the cast is guaranteed a job. Just ask season four’s Carlton Gebbia and Joyce Giraud both of whom lasted one season. If and when RHOBH returns here’s who should be in and who should be out.
Brandi Glanville
Like her or hate her, Brandi Glanville makes The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills more interesting. If Brandi were to leave voluntarily or get the boot (not bloody likely), Brandi might be able to capitalize off her reality TV celeb status for a while, write another book, appear on another show, or, her own spin-off, but former housewives tend to disappear into obscurity. Brandi could prove to be the exception to the rule. The uptick in ratings for the latest Celebrity Apprentice has been attributed to Glanville (Kenya Moore might disagree), and the leggy blonde is supposedly a favorite of Donald Trump’s.
Unnamed sources from the Bravo camp say Glanville’s getting the boot because her wine-tossing antics reflect badly on the show. Pull this leg and it plays jingle bells. Giudice tossed an entire table, Tamra Judge threw a drink in Jeana Keough‘s face, and Lisa Rinna showered her co-stars in shards of glass when she broke a wine glass. I guarantee Glanville is Andy Cohen’s wet dream.
Unlike most of her co-stars, Brandi has to work to bring home the bacon, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills pays the bills. Brandi goes to great lengths to get attention, and I don’t think she’d last long outside the spotlight. As a fan, I don’t want to see her go. Brandi’s impersonation of Lisa Vanderpump high on marijuana was genius, and her blunt observations are laugh out loud funny. I’d like to see an infusion of fresh faces but not at the expense of Brandi.
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Lisa Vanderpump
Lisa is the epitome of a glamorous Beverly Hills “housewife.” She’s filthy rich, ridiculously beautiful, and a successful entrepreneur. Lisa doesn’t need the show, she’s received enough free publicity for her restaurants, Sur, PUMP and Villa Blanca, to keep the reservation books filled for a long time. Lisa has other irons in the fire, including launching a home decor line, and the exposure the show provides is invaluable in that respect. RHOBH has also given Lisa a platform to discuss issues that are important to her such as LGBT rights.
Lisa was non-committal about whether she’d return before season 5 began airing — contractual obligations seem to have swayed her decision — and after being on the receiving end of a slap from Brandi Glanville, Vanderpump’s return may hinder on whether she’s legally bound for another year. Bravo has treated Lisa well, even giving her a spinoff, of sorts, Vanderpump Rules. If the British beauty does decide to leave, it’s likely she’d still be a presence on the network somehow. Vanderpump is a class act, but her picture-perfect lifestyle can be nauseatingly boring. It’s time for this grande dame to gracefully exit stage left.
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Lisa Rinna
I don’t think anybody doubts Lisa Rinna would jump at the chance to return for another season. The former soap star hasn’t exactly been setting Hollywood on fire with her adult diaper ads. Lisa did tweet on March 23 that she had a big job interview, but there is lag time between filming, and it’s unlikely any other project Rinna might be considered for would make her a household name and offer the exposure that being part of the Real Housewives franchise does.
I don’t know how Rinna has been embraced by the show’s fans, but I haven’t been impressed. Yes, she can throw a fit (and a glass) with the best of them, but it just feels like she’s trying too hard. Rinna fits the physical profile of a “housewife,” and she hasn’t been so volatile as to rub everyone the wrong way but just aggressive enough to not take a complete backseat to the other cast members. She and hubby, Harry Hamlin, obviously have some skeletons in their closets, so I’m willing to see what Lisa brings to the table next season.
Yolanda Foster
Yolanda’s health issues may leave her no choice but to either quit altogether or lose her status as a series regular. Yolanda wasn’t able to make it through the entire reunion show, and in her recent blog, she stated that Lyme disease had robbed her of the ability to write or speak, seems a bit contradictory since she “wrote” the blog. Viewers might question why Yolanda has continued filming given being a housewife isn’t exactly a stress-free job. During a girls’ getaway to Amsterdam, Yolanda had to bow out of some activities due to fatigue, and I’m certain all of the drama contributed to the former model’s struggle.
Foster, like Vanderpump, doesn’t need the money, which means she must derive some sense of fulfillment and camaraderie from the experience. Yolanda’s husband, David, travels often, and two of her three children have left home, so I can think of no better way than to beat the empty-nest blues than by starring in a popular reality TV show. Foster has been a good yin to Glanville’s yang, but her interactions with the other ladies has become fairly humdrum.The more maladjusted the cast, the more likely I am to tune in and watch. Yolanda is undeniably fabulous, but I wouldn’t mourn her departure.
Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson should return to RHOBH for no other reason than she’s a cautionary tale that winning an Emmy doesn’t mean shit. The ladies were less than impressed when attending Davidson’s B-movie premiere at the Burbank Film Festival.
Eileen has all the qualities that make for a top-notch housewife. For one, she’s actually married. She doesn’t go looking for confrontation, but she’s no shrinking violet either. She has a bit of a scandalous past and makes no apologies for it. But Davidson may be too sane, too rational, too low maintenance, to be a starter, she’s a bit content to sit on the bench and only pinch hit when absolutely necessary. She needs to be more of a shit stirrer, in my humble opinion.
I’d rather see Davidson return than Kyle and even Yolanda, but her debut season lacked the punch compared to those of Carole Radziwill’s, Heather Thomson’s, Kelly Bensimon’s or Shannon Beador’s.
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Kyle Richards
By far my least favorite housewife. She does a whole lot of whining and crying, and I think she’s been riding on her sister’s coattails and capitalizing on Kim’s addiction to garner sympathy with the other wives and viewers.
Kyle was more interesting when feuding with former cast members Camille and Carlton because, by doing so, she revealed she had a bit of an edge. She hasn’t been as successful in holding her own against Glanville, and she’s obviously threatened by the popularity of her nemesis, and the relationship Brandi has with her sister. Kyle says that she worries Brandi knows too much about her sister and will eventually use it against the former child star, but Kyle might be looking out for number one because Brandi is Kim’s first real ally, and she’s calling bullshit on Kyle’s concerned sister routine.
Kyle and Kim were front and season all season as their sibling rivalry has reached a fever pitch, and the have continued to feud since filming ended. The Richards sisters had problems long before they decided to air their dirty laundry on TV, but there’s no question the show has only worsened their relationship. If Kyle is really determined to salvage a bond with Kim, she should leave the show. They both should, but Kim needs the money, and Kyle doesn’t.
I won’t miss the hair; I won’t miss the splits, and I won’t miss Kyle Richards.
How do you solve a problem like Kim? A woman’s whose sobriety is constantly called into question should not be involved in a shit show like The Real Housewives. Kim has said that the show holds her accountable for her actions, but that responsibility should fall on the shoulders of a sponsor or a support group.
Kim’s addictive personality isn’t her only problem. One of her children has been hospitalized for psychiatric care, and she’s still at odds with her sister. None of this appears to be enough for Kim to call it quits, and it may come down to simple economics. Kim needs the money. I’m sure that Disney money has all but dried up by now. It’s hard to fault a former child star, without many prospects, for clinging to a generous source of income.
Kim’s struggles with substance abuse been front and center this season, and at least one cast member, Lisa Rinna, is tired of the subject. Funny, she couldn’t stop talking about during filming. Rinna wrote in her blog that Kim’s sobriety is a forbidden subject that keeps being brought up. She goes on to say she’d rather “stab myself in the eye with a chopstick over the whole nightmare.”
(Image courtesy of Bravo)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
