Hello readers, we’ve made it to the very end. Thank you for the support you’ve shown me over these past 24 weeks. How Bravo managed to keep me watching all season, I’ll never know but it’s finally over. Part 3 of reunion was aired and nothing new was uncovered. I don’t know what Bravo will do but they definitely should not jump straight into filming with the same cast. At this point, the audience has caught on to producer manipulation and if all the women are “friends” and won’t probe each other about their lives, then what’s the point? The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills isn’t above talking about what’s in the press about themselves as they didn’t hesitate to choose the one article, they all probably had a hand in, to castigate Lisa Vanderpump (LVP).
As the sun sets on what was the most talked about season and not for good reasons, I can’t help but wonder how the ladies truly feel. You know, when they’re in their homes, unencumbered by social media and the press, looking themselves in the mirror. I wonder… They spent an entire season diverting the cameras away from what was truly going on in their lives, no matter what they may have claimed, and focused on an issue that only involved two people (LVP and Dorit). This issue wasn’t even brought to the group by LVP. Dorit told Erika and due to the busybodies that both Teddi and Kyle were, they inserted themselves and so the rest of the season played out through their manipulation of events with the help of production. When LVP decided she had had enough and took herself from the equation, they had nothing else left so they turned on Camille. Still, there was no proof that LVP did anything wrong this season. Not saying she’s perfect but…
Who Is Lisa Vanderpump?
When season 1 aired, LVP was the first cast member we met. Looking back, production probably chose her to pull us in because she represented everything they wanted in a housewife from the 90210 zip code. It could also be because Andy Cohen himself said there wouldn’t have been a show without her. The mom, wife to Ken Todd, restaurateur, philanthropist, activist and friend opened up her life along with five other women for us to take a peek. If I’m being completely honest and I hope you are too, I was intrigued but LVP wasn’t necessarily involved in a lot of drama her first season and though she was as glamorous as ever, I liked Adrienne and Kyle more. Boy, how things have changed! In this season, LVP played more of a supportive role as Kyle’s friend, always having her back in every situation she had with Kim Richards and Camille. I mean she was closer to Kyle than she was to the other ladies even though she lived across the street from Adrienne. This was the first sign of how loyal she was to those she called her friends. A characteristic of hers which was shown throughout her nine seasons, sometimes to her detriment as displayed over the years.
By the time season 2 started airing and as the weeks passed by, I grew more fond of LVP. In fact, I recall the exact moment she became my favourite, removing Adrienne and Kyle from the position. Can you? I’ve spoken about this episode on Twitter multiple times but Episode 11 – Tempest in a Tea Party was the catalyst that opened my eyes. I realised then that when the season started, LVP was being set up to seem like she was going around talking badly about Taylor when all she ever said was that they weren’t the best of friends but if she needed help, Taylor shouldn’t hesitate to reach out. It was also revealed in that episode that Kyle was badmouthing LVP to the other women, saying her ego was getting out of control. We came to find out that LVP was getting a spin off, Vanderpump Rules (now I get what her tagline meant), and the women weren’t happy about that (according to rumours).
The rest of this season showed LVP in all her glory as Pandora, her daughter, was getting married. Multiple events were held in her honour. We saw the fabulous engagement party Mohamed threw for Pandora, the amazing bachelorette party and the most beautiful wedding during that time. No matter what accusations were hurled at her, she never went below the belt and kept her dignity in tact. I made the right decision to stan.
Over the course of the next seven seasons, we saw LVP open three more restaurants, PUMP, Tom Tom and Vanderpump Cocktail Garden as well as Vanderpump Dog Center, which is a rescue center for dogs. Through this she helped to draft a bill which was passed in congress. House Resolution 401 urges all nations to ban the dog and cat meat trade that is prevalent in China. All this was not without conflict as she was made the villain in season 4 and season 6 for something she didn’t do. Accusations came from people she thought were her friends and none of what they said was backed up by truth or evidence. In fact, they later told on themselves which begs one to really look at what comes out of these women’s mouths. Their major contention was that LVP persuaded them to bring up topics on the show. Last I checked, this was a show about their lives and they’re supposed to be open. We saw this in season 4 when Brandi, who we met in season 2 through Adrienne, decided out of the blue that LVP always tried to throw Scheana in her face, wasn’t being a good friend and that LVP wanted her to bring a magazine about Mauricio cheating on Kyle to Palm Springs. At that time and even now, I found this so ridiculous. Kyle believed Brandi without question, when they weren’t even close and only “mended” their relationship in Palm Springs like the week before. Correct me if I’m wrong but weren’t Brandi and Cedric friends when she joined the show? Didn’t she know what Cedric did to LVP? This also meant she knew Scheana worked for LVP but she still pursued a friendship with her. Who was using who? LVP still gave her a chance and had her back but the need to stir up drama was far greater.
LVP has shown us through not only her words but her actions, why she is so loved by many fans of the show and why many thought this season was orchestrated to make her look bad. It’s funny to me how the same accusations that have been hurled at LVP since season 2 have one thing in common, Kyle.
When season 9 started, we were expected to see LVP be this mastermind behind what was dubbed #puppygate but instead we saw everyone else try to bring up the issue. At no point did Teddi, the main accuser, speak to LVP about any plans to expose what Dorit did but with the help of Kyle, she was given a free pass and the blame was passed on to LVP. Any logical person could see that this made no sense. But here’s the thing, the women were counting on the fact that since LVP had been accused of similar acts in the past, if they all came together with the same story, then the audience would believe it. As I’ve stated before in previous blogs, no one asked LVP for her side. They didn’t care to because if they gave her a chance to speak, their plans would’ve been soiled. That’s why #puppygate turned into another #tabloidgate because they never expected LVP to see the text messages between Blizzard and Teddi. That threw wrench in their plans because the evidence was quite clear who the culprit was. Sadly, friendships were ruined for a convoluted story which was sorted by the parties involved but was made into something bigger by the duplicity in the cast members’ actions because they were unwilling to showcase their real lives. LVP is her own storyline and she had never needed to fake anything for the sake of making a show. Like she’s stated multiple times, the cameras follow her life.
Will the show be the same now that LVP has decided to leave? Of course it won’t. There really is no one like her. She had it all. The supportive and loving husband, the grounded kids, the pets (all types, it’s like she has a mini petting zoo) the glamour, the quirk, the humour, the philanthropy, the activism, the most fabulous and unique parties, the fabulous friends, the businesses (none have failed) and most of all, her HEART. LVP is a unicorn among all the housewives and her presence will be missed on season 10.
Thank you all for sticking with me. See you next season?
– CHATTERBOX KEIRN
