RHOC Season 10 Episode 3

At the start of this episode, Meghan, Tamra, and Heather are all having dinner together. They talk about the upcoming Napa trip and the previous night’s party at Vicki’s. Tamra said she was surprised that Lizzie was so nice. The two of them actually had fun together. However, she didn’t talk to Shannon much. Tamra says Shannon was “standoffish”. Meghan takes this opportunity to pipe up. Meghan and Shannon share some friends in common, and Meghan got Shannon’s personal cell phone number from a mutual friend. In a flashback scene, we see her call Shannon about a charity that they have both been involved in… I have to take this opportunity to say that I hate when the editors do this. Flashbacks are meant to be for reminders and short scenes, not new information that is pertinent to the storyline in a scene that lasts over a minute. If what is happening is that important, which in this case it absolutely is, then work it into an episode as a full scene. Okay, stepping off my soapbox… Meghan called Shannon to ask her for her advice about planning the charity event. Shannon sounded very confused on the phone and seemed busy, so she asked “Who is this?” Meghan replied with her maiden name “King”, which was incredibly stupid considering Shannon does not know her as Meghan King… Shannon asks if she can call her back because she was dealing with her kids in the car. Meghan apologizes for bothering her, and when she hangs up, Meghan acts extremely offended. Just like at Vicki’s party, Meghan is upset that Shannon, who probably only met Meghan once, does not remember her. Frankly, Meghan, you’re not than memorable… However, Meghan says she didn’t bring up the phone call at Vicki’s party because she didn’t feel it was appropriate “the first time she met Shannon” and in front of a bunch of new people… So now Meghan is saying that Vicki’s party was the first time they met? You can’t have it both ways, Meghan!...

Vicki is packing her bag for Florida where she is getting an award for her excellence in the insurance field.  She calls the awards “The Oscars of Insurance”, so I assume it’s a big deal. Congrats, Vicki! You worked your ass off. You deserve it!... Shannon is there watching her pack, and she is still not happy that she has to go on this trip without Vicki. She has forgiven Tamra and Heather, but she has not forgotten. Vicki is apparently too preoccupied, and she starts talking about the underwear she is packing. She has to have matching underwear in case she gets in a car accident?... Umm, I don’t understand…

The ladies meet at the airport and Heather has arranged for a private flight to Napa for all of them. Of course the men have to go separately. After Vicki’s party, Tamra feels more comfortable with Lizzie as long as they are having fun together. On board the plane Meghan pulls out some cheap-looking wine glasses that she colored on and customized for the ladies. Heather is celebrating the launch of her sparkling wine; bring tacky champagne glasses, not tacky wine glasses… Tamra starts talking religion with Katie, who we found out at Vicki’s party is quite religious herself. One of Tamra’s gym members told her to start going to church, so she obeyed. Now Tamra is claiming she is saved. Tamra will have to change a lot in her life if she is fully embracing the life of a devout Christian. Meghan says she is not opposed to religion, but she hasn’t found a church that isn’t boring. She doesn’t want to waste her time… I’m pretty sure that’s not what religion is about, and that’s not the best way to look at it.

Heather is friends with the Bello’s who own a winery in Napa, so she collaborated with them to do a methode champenoise… As I said a few weeks ago, you can’t call something “champagne” if it is not made in France, but you can still use the same techniques to create a product, and that product is called a “methode champenoise”. Heather meets with the event planners of her launch party. She wants bottles of Collette everywhere. I am just like Heather; I pretend not to micromanage and be a control freak, but we can’t help it. It’s in our personalities… #SorryNotSorry

While Heather is meeting with the event planners, the other ladies go to their rooms to settle in. Tamra walks in to see a card that says “Tamra Barney”. She knows to get rid of it because Eddie will get upset if he sees it. I can’t believe Tamra still hasn’t changed her name. I understand women not wanting to change their names when they are first married. Some women want to keep their maiden name for sake of their own identity, and some women, like Heather, need to keep their old last name for sake of their career. A name change for an actress or writer could be detrimental to her career if she is already established and known by her maiden name. Tamra has no excuse but laziness. She is currently keeping the last name of a man she has divorced and a man who has caused her so much turmoil? One would think she would have changed it immediately to sever that connection. I would advise Tamra to change her name back to her maiden name just in case things with Eddie don’t work out. I know that’s harsh, but with Tamra I’m just being realistic…

It comes time to leave for the launch party, and everyone is at the bus waiting for Shannon and David. Eventually they pull up in a golf cart, and we can hear them bickering about something. David asks the driver of the cart to turn back around, and they drive away again leaving everyone else standing there confused. Apparently David had stopped and had lunch with Christian on the way to Napa, and David drank a lot of sake. Shannon says she was afraid he was going to show up drunk, but I don’t think that was the real reason. Shannon reminds us that David was not a big drinker before last year, and it seems to me that Shannon associates the start of David’s drinking with his affair. So as soon as Shannon hears that he has been heavily drinking, the negative thoughts start coming back to her. This is probably going to be the hardest part for them as a couple. Shannon will never, and frankly should never, completely get over the infidelity. Certain things will always trigger those memories and thoughts for her. David is the one who screwed up, no pun intended, and he has to suffer the consequences. He has no business getting mad at Shannon for her concerns. The two of them finally come back on the golf cart, Shannon makes up some excuse about wardrobe issues, and they all go to the event.

At the event, Shannon starts looking for the bar. She wants vodka. I understand Shannon is upset and wants a strong drink, but it is a little rude not to try the drink that the launch party is honoring… Heather gets to saber a champagne bottle, an item on my bucket list, although I will feel guilty doing it because it wastes so much wonderful champagne… Tamra is annoyed that no one has said anything about her new boobs. I’m sorry. Is it just me, or is it rude to ask if you’ve had your boobs done? It’s something that the person who has had it done has to say aloud and then you can talk about it… Heather and Tamra sneak off to call Vicki. Heather tells her that they’re at Andale’s whooping it up without her. Vicki doesn’t understand how they can be having fun without her, the self proclaimed Fun Bus.

Heather pulls Terry aside and tells him that she has good news and bad news. The good news is she didn’t cut off her finger while sabering the bottle, and the bad news is they are over budget on their cabinets by $135K. This is the first time that she has gone over budget where she can’t shave off any money elsewhere. I’m not sure of the timing of this conversation. I assume they wanted to catch it on camera easily, and I suppose it is better to give that kind of news when the alcohol is flowing freely and you’re having a good time partying…

Shannon and Meghan go to the restroom together, and Shannon announces that she is wearing three Spanx, rendering it difficult to use the bathroom. Tamra, who also needs to use the facilities, comes to knock on the bathroom door. So apparently it is a one-person bathroom. For a party that size, I don’t think it was the best idea to have a one-stall bathroom… Meghan and Shannon yell to Tamra that they can hear her knocking and that they’re coming, but Tamra doesn’t hear them. She continues trying to open the door, knocking, and doing a little I-have-to-pee dance. She eventually goes into the men’s room, and when she comes out Shannon and Meghan are behind her. Shannon reaches out and pulls toilet paper from the bottom of Tamra’s dress. They all laugh about it, but Shannon calls it “Karma”.

Meghan, in a drunken state, approaches Shannon and says that she has heard rumblings that Shannon was mad at her for flirting with David. This happened a year ago! How transparent can Meghan be? She finds out she is going to be on the show, and she digs around in her memory to find something she can spin a storyline out of. Viewers know when you’re trying too hard… Shannon calmly reassures Meghan that it had nothing to do with her. Shannon says she felt invisible as her husband was talking to someone and did not introduce his wife. Shannon tells us it was the morning of the hoedown that she really knew something was wrong in her marriage and that David was most likely being unfaithful.

After the party, the ladies are wandering around the grounds of the resort looking for their rooms drunk and cold. Shannon and David finally find their way back, and Shannon apologizes to David for her negative thoughts earlier in the evening. I really don’t think Shannon needed to apologize, but it just goes to show how much she wants things to work out and how big of a person she is. She doesn’t want to let the negative thoughts affect their relationship any more than they already do.

The next morning everyone meets for breakfast and Meghan gives a toilet paper roll to Tamra. At least she didn’t color little flowers on it like the tacky wine glasses… Tamra admits that the previous night Eddie pulled more toilet paper out of her ass while they were in bed. And to my dismay, the editors decided to put a flashback scene of Eddie pulling toilet paper from under the sheets. I really did not need to see that… Although I will admit, THAT is the kind of thing the flashback is effective for…

The group then goes to a winery that looks like a brothel on the inside complete with mannequins dressed like strippers. The owner of the winery brings them to the wine barrels and is putting wine into their glasses straight from the barrel. However, Tamra wants to take a shot of wine directly from the phallic dispenser. Meghan, not to be outdone by Tamra, says she wants to do the same. Tamra calls Meghan her “mini-me” even though Meghan is taller, and Meghan calls Tamra her “mentor”. Anyone else throw up a little? I’m sure Vicki would have if she had been there.

The group then goes to a party at the Bello’s house for their last night in Napa. Meghan thinks this is a great time to talk to Shannon about the phone call that we saw at the beginning of the episode. This would be the second night in a row that Meghan has approached Shannon about a problem; not a good idea… Meghan says she was truly offended by the phone call. By the look on Shannon’s face, you can tell she is already done with this conversation, but she stays to continue. Shannon says she was also offended; she explains her confusion to defend herself, even though she really shouldn’t have to—anyone with a little intelligence can see why Shannon acted the way she did. First of all, Meghan was calling from an out of state number. Second, Meghan didn’t use her full name, the name that Shannon knows. And finally, Shannon had no idea how Meghan got her private number. Shannon says she thought it was a sales call… Meghan claims she wanted to get Shannon’s opinion on the number of hors-d’oeuvres to serve. Why call someone you barely know to ask such a dumb question that any caterer could help you answer? When Shannon did not call Meghan back, she sent Shannon a text message. It was then that Shannon finally put the pieces together and figured out that Meghan was a friend of Heather’s. Shannon felt no need to call her back. Meghan starts harping on the fact that she wanted Shannon’s help on a charity function, but Shannon just didn’t have the time. She is acting like Shannon is not charitable and doesn’t care to help charity. Shannon is having none of it, and she walks away saying, “I start charities!”

From the previews, it seems this small thing that Meghan blew way out of proportion is about to blow up even more. Let the drama begin. Something tells me Meghan is self-destructing with this one. Is it bad to say I hope she doesn’t recover? :)

RHOC Season 10 Episode 2

This episode opens with Heather entering a cake shop to meet with a cake decorator, one with whom she has worked before. She is celebrating the official launch of her sparkling wine in Napa, and she wants a cake made to look like the bottle for the occasion. The wine is named “Collette” after her daughter. Heather also makes it a point to call her line “sparkling wine”, not “champagne”, because something can only be called “champagne” if it comes from the certain region in France… And before you call me “Fancy-pants”, I will tell you that I only know that because I love wine, and I am a Francophile… Apparently this is the same cake decorator that made the infamous bowed cake for Heather’s name changing party. There is a flashback to the bow-eating incident, but disappointingly, they did not include the iconic “Is this the world we live in?” scene.

Shannon and David are still at the retreat, and Shannon shares some divorce statistics with us including the fact that in the OC, the divorce rate is 70%. Shannon does not want to be part of this percentage. However, Shannon clearly thought seriously about divorce if she did enough research to find out these statistics. As part of the retreat Shannon and David write their own eulogies for the other to read at their mock funerals. These mock funerals were complete with black cloths and headstones. I know the point of the exercise was to get the two of them to think about what a life without the other would be like, and I’m sure it’s effective, but it’s also very morbid… David reads what Shannon has written, and he starts crying. Shannon says David never cries, so she has hope that this experience will help them move past the affair.

Next we see Tamra and Heather meet for juice… That’s right… juice. Now that juice bars are en vogue, I guess that’s what people do… Tamra says Heather is the only one in the group she trusts right now, yet last week when we saw Tamra have surgery, she tried to garner viewer pity and said she wasn’t close with anyone… Heather tells her about the party in Napa for the wine launch and that all of the girls will be there. Tamra reacts badly to the fact that she will be forced to socialize with Lizzie. Heather says if she and Shannon can be cordial, then so can Tamra and Lizzie. Out of nowhere, Tamra starts to fake cry, and even Heather seems not to believe it, asking why she is about to start crying… Tamra says that she lost herself, and Heather says she will help Tamra get back what she has lost.

At the retreat the therapist asks Shannon and David if their kids know about the affair. Shannon divulges that one of her daughters found the texts between David and his mistress on his cell phone while he had moved out of the house. The therapist tells them that in cases of infidelity the fear is that the one cheated on will never truly forgive the cheater. However, Shannon and David claim that they want to move past this, and they take the final steps to truly and sincerely apologize for what happened. The therapist says it can take up to 2 years for forgiveness to become fully realized, but I ask does one ever really get over infidelity? There will always be doubt and suspicion acting like poison in the marriage. I hope the best for them, but it will not be quick or easy. In leaving the retreat, Shannon says she has 100% forgiven David.

So far the juxtaposition of the two strained marriages this season is very interesting. Shannon and David are recognizing their issues and trying to work on them, but Meghan and Jim seem to be ignoring the clear issues they are having. We see Meghan and Jim shopping to redecorate their house, the one that Jim and his second ex-wife built and decorated together. Meghan wants to buy all new things, but Jim feels they should not buy things that they already have. Jim doesn’t seem to want to get rid of the old stuff, but I don’t think he realizes that in keeping things the same as they were in his old marriage, he’s keeping around old memories and not allowing Meghan to make her own memories and stamps on his life… Jim is leaving for work in another part of the country, and Meghan is worried about the stress it will put on their marriage. Jim does not seem concerned and says that Meghan has new friends now to keep her occupied… Is anyone else having flashbacks to Camille and Kelsey Grammer?

Shannon and David get home from the retreat, and as part of the forgiveness process, David apologizes individually to his three daughters. Of course the three girls forgive him, and the eldest daughter makes a very mature statement saying that she will never forget, but she will forgive him.

Tamra and Eddie are making dinner, and Vicki calls while she is in Mexico. Vicki says Mexico makes her think of Tamra… Tequila and regret makes Vicki think of Tamra, really? I would have never guessed… Tamra passive-aggressively suggests that she’s surprised that Brooks can travel while on chemo, and Vicki says that he’s doing fine right now, and Eddie coughs “bulls**t” in the background… Tamra blames all of their problems on Brooks, but changes her tune later when she’s talking to Vicki face to face… Vicki invites them to a Mexican themed party at her house, and Tamra says she is taking that as an apology. I’m not sure what Vicki needs to apologize to Tamra for, but whatever makes her feel better…

Jimmy and Meghan go to Heather’s house so the couples can go to Vicki’s party together. Heather is very relieved that this will be the first time the ladies get together as a group. This will be a test-run for the Napa trip. Meghan is nervous to meet Vicki, as she should be, but she must not know much about Vicki, as she also expects Vicki to be nervous to meet her. Vicki is so used to meeting and hating the new housewives who seem to come and go very quickly, there is no way she is nervous to meet Meghan.

Vicki’s party is in full swing when Tamra and Eddie arrive. Despite how upset Tamra was to hear that Lizzie was invited on the Napa trip, she acted completely unfazed when the two of them spoke for a while at Vicki’s party. Vicki and Tamra exchange some awkward moments including Vicki basically shoving a piece of fish down Tamra’s throat. When Shannon enters the party, she walks right past Tamra to Vicki without acknowledging Tamra or even looking at her… Brooks tells Tamra that his cancer is “highly curable”, and he seems to have a good and positive attitude about the situation. Tamra asks him about some specifics about his chemo, and he gives a very vague and uniformed answer. He is not making himself look good with regard to the notion that the cancer might not be real.

Tamra sees Jeana enter the party, and she runs over to hug her… They seem to have come a long way since Tamra threw red wine in Jeana’s face… Tamra also took this opportunity to greet and hug Shannon who was standing right next to Jeana. Shannon of course was surprised at the unwelcomed hug and was very short with Tamra… Jeana has lost a lot of weight and looks fantastic. Tamra tells us that she and Jeana are in a better place now because Jeana was there as moral support for Tamra while she was going through custody battles, a job she thought Vicki would handle.

Vicki tries covertly to compliment the “aura” of romance surrounding Shannon and David, suggesting that they seem to be in such a great place. If I were Shannon, I would be mad at Vicki for bringing unwanted attention to the relationship. Shannon has not told anyone else about David’s infidelity, and by Vicki randomly pointing out that they’re happy and in love, it would make one who knows nothing about the affair ask, “Well why wouldn’t they be? What’s going on in their marriage?” And you can tell Shannon does experience some of these feelings by her fake smile, which Lizzie sees right through.

In a short scene of Brooks discussing his new diet with Tamra, he says he eats a lot of beans. This sparks a conversation on farting… I could have done without that, Bravo editors… Thank you so much…

 I should take this opportunity to talk about Katie Hamilton. She was reported to be the newest housewife on RHOC this season, but midway through filming, her husband blindsided her with divorce, and we later found out that he was allegedly using drugs. These devastating life events caused Katie to stop filming and pull out of her housewife slot. While this is extremely sad for Katie and her kids, it is also somewhat sad for us as viewers. From the little we see of Katie in this episode, I think she would have been an excellent addition to the show. She seems refreshingly real in her personality. But I’m sure we all understand that under those circumstances, anyone would need to pull herself from public eye and become a little reclusive. I believe I saw someone say on Twitter that Katie would have been the new Alexis of RHOC… Sure… They’re the exact same, oh yeah except Katie seems intelligent…and real…and not pretentious…do I need to continue?

Heather, Meghan, and Katie arrive at the party, and Meghan introduces herself to Vicki as if they had never met, but Vicki remembers immediately that she had met Meghan before. Meghan then moves on to greet Shannon. Shannon replies with a, “Nice to meet you,” and Meghan simultaneously says, “Nice to see you,”… Awkward!... Meghan then seems almost offended that Shannon does not remember meeting her last year at Heather’s hoedown, yet she seemed to expect that Vicki would not remember meeting her… Strange… Anyway, Shannon clearly does not remember Meghan at all, yet Meghan seems convinced that Shannon dislikes her for flirting with David at the hoedown. All I can say is Meghan needs to get over herself. Shannon has more important things to worry about than the existence of Meghan Edmonds. Considering David’s infidelity, Shannon probably remembers David flirting, but she more than likely doesn’t remember the recipient of the flirting.

Last year Vicki was hiding her relationship with Brooks and almost seemed ashamed of it, but this year he is with her constantly and has even moved in with her. Heather suggests that it is Brook’s illness that has caused them to realize that they need to celebrate their times together because life is so precious, fleeting, and all that sappy stuff… While this is probably very true and valid, I think there is another underlying reason that is more salient to Vicki, and that is Brianna. Last year Brianna was still living in the OC, and she had a small child with another one on the way. Vicki is very much about family, and she wanted to spend as much time with them as she could. Since Brianna does not like Brooks in the slightest, Vicki knew that if she wanted to spend time with her child and grandchild, she would have to make Brooks secondary…or really tertiary because we all know that Vicki’s work comes right after her children in order of importance.

Heather congratulates Vicki on her winning an award, which is why she will not be going to Napa with the ladies. Shannon is quick to express her displeasure with this. She is not happy to be basically alone with Heather and Tamra, but right now she is all about forgiving and moving on, so she’s going to give it a shot.

As an aside, I must say that watching drunk women try to break open a piñata while wearing Louboutins in grass is incredibly entertaining. Bravo needs to jump on that idea quickly…but I want a piece of the profits… Lizzie and Shannon notice that Tamra and Vicki are holding hands, and Shannon tells Vicki later that she was surprised by that considering that Vicki said she was done with Tamra. Shannon says that she can move on too, but she doesn’t think that needs to involve holding hands.

Before the party ends, the ladies gather together to take a tequila shot, which is appropriate since this is the first time the whole group of them has been together. I have to point out though, that Heather is seen pretending to take the shot, but turns and pours it out. Honestly, I would have done the same thing, but she better hope that Vicki doesn’t see that…

After everyone else leaves, Tamra and Vicki have a sit down to discuss the constant up and down of their friendship for the past few years, and I must say as a viewer, it’s starting to get exhausting and episodic. At the beginning of every season they make up, then by the season finale and reunion, they’re screaming at each other and proclaiming that they’re “done”. It’s getting a little old… Tamra brings up that she has been going through a hard time, but Vicki doesn’t let that fly. She starts reading off a litany of issues she has been facing, the last of which is Brooks and his cancer. She makes it seems a lot worse than Brooks did during his conversation with Tamra earlier. Vicki throws around phrases like “fighting for his life” and “stage 3 cancer”, very serious things. Tamra says the turning point was the party at Heather’s where they had their first big fight about Brooks and people were throwing around the “evil eye”… Tamra says she wants to move on, but it seems that trust is completely gone between the two of them. Tamra says that she will take 100% of the blame if that’s what it takes to move forward. She is sorry that she ever doubted the relationship between Brooks and Vicki. They both say they are not ready to give up on their friendship, so they are officially burying the hatchet. Recall that earlier in the episode Tamra blamed all of their problems on Brooks. Now that she is face to face with Vicki, Tamra changes her tune. The problems started with Brooks, but she is now taking all of the blame. That was a quick blame shift… Who buys that these two will ever be back to what they had pre-Brooks? Yeah, me neither…

RHOC Season 10 Episode 1

I don’t know about you guys, but I am ecstatic that RHOC is back. I have always said that RHOC is the best in the franchise. I have never been disappointed with any season. Even the casting is terrific. All of the housewives, past and present, have been entertaining in one way or another. I certainly cannot say that about other shows in the franchise…I’m looking at you Kristen of RHONY… So far, and from the trailer, this season looks like it will not disappoint. RHOC is a prime example of the rule that the original is always better than the imitations.

Of course we start the season off with my favorite housewife of all time: Heather Dubrow. Heather is in the throws of building a new resort house complete with a porte-cochère, which is just the fabulous name for a drive up entrance, or as I called it in the south, “a carport”. The house is huge and beautiful, and I do not think I can adequately express the level of my jealousy. One day I will have my own, one day. Even the children’s rooms are larger than my entire apartment. Heather’s son’s room has what Terry calls a “pot-smoking balcony”. Of course the son pretended to have no idea what his father was talking about, but let’s face it—the kid isn’t stupid, and he goes to school and lives in southern California…he knows what pot is… Heather says that Terry is working more than he ever did even though he said last season that he would be able to dedicate more time to his family. I’m gonna cut Terry some slack here. When he made that promise, he had no idea that he would be part of a second very successful show, Botched, which I’m sure takes up a lot of his time.

Next we see Vicki and Shannon having lunch. I may have been the only one, but these two ladies with their librarian glasses perched half-way down their noses and the bickering over whether or not to include dressing on the salad was highly amusing to me. I think it’s these little touches that the editors keep in that take the show to another level of entertainment… Vicki tells Shannon that Brooks has moved into her house, and Brianna isn’t happy about it. Vicki also makes a comparison between her relationship with Brooks and the relationship that Shannon and David have. Vicki says that the two of them seem better than ever, but Shannon’s face says differently. We will get to that later though…

Is it surprising to anyone that Tamra wants her implants put back in? I didn’t think so… When she had them taken out, it seemed that she was over the vanity and wanted to be herself now that she was divorced from Simon. In fact, it seemed like she was insinuating that the only reason she ever got implants was because Simon liked big breasts. Now she wants them back because she is yet again insecure. I honestly don’t think Tamra needs the implants, but if she thinks it will make her happy, more power to her… Tamra says she didn’t tell anyone that she was having the surgery, not even her good friend Heather. With regards to last season, Tamra says that she was being honest, and no one liked it. So she has decided that now she is going to tell people “what they want to hear”. I call BS on this for two reasons. First of all, she was not being honest last season. She never owned up to the lie she told Shannon about the Dubrows saying that they wanted to “take the Beadors down”. I don’t think Heather or Terry would ever say such a thing, and I don’t think that Shannon would make it up either. So the only conclusion is that Tamra lied. Second, I don’t buy for one second that Tamra is going to tell people “what they want to hear”. That is not in her personality. Tamra is the pot stirrer; she would be a pot stirrer whether she were on or off camera. We’ll see how the season progresses… As Tamra waits in the recovery room, wearing fake eyelashes and putting on lip-gloss, she says she regrets not telling anyone about the surgery. Now she has no one, except Eddie of course, to visit her in the recovery room.

This season there is a new housewife, Meghan Edmonds. We actually saw Meghan and her husband, Jim, last season at Heather’s hoedown/ground breaking party. So evidently Meghan is a friend of Heather’s, and for her first scene as an official housewife, we see Meghan and Heather at dinner. Meghan is clearly quite young with great skin, but she tells Heather that she needs Botox. Really? She has no signs of wrinkles. I’m in my late 20s and I’m getting crow’s feet already, and I don’t talk about getting Botox yet…unless I’m drunk…  Meghan says she wants more kids, but Jim has had a vasectomy, so they would need to use in-vitro. Meghan says that Heather is the optimal mother and wife, and honestly, I cannot disagree based on everything we are shown on the show. Meghan also tells us that she broke all of her rules by marrying Jim… Uh oh… As an avid reality TV viewer, those words set off warning signals for me. Trouble may be on the horizon.

Next we see Vicki and Brooks at home getting ready to have some dinner. We are officially told that Brooks has cancer, but as has been teased in the trailer, that topic seems to be the discussion of debate throughout the season. Brooks wants to eat a lot of things that he’s not supposed to, but Vicki, true to form, protests. Brooks is apparently going through chemo, which makes him ill for weeks on end. If that is the truth, then surely Brooks does have cancer. I don’t think Vicki would go along with a lie that big and disturbing. What reason would she have for doing so? However, Brianna believes Brooks is lying about the cancer because he doesn’t look like a person with cancer. I’m intrigued to see where this storyline goes.

In her first solo scene, we learn some things about the new housewife, Meghan. She and her husband have moved “6 times”. She then goes on to list the moves, and I’m pretty sure I counted 8… So counting is not her forte… Meghan says that Jim “knows [her] soul”. He understands her feelings and where she’s coming from; he respects her… However, those crafty and shady editors strike again! These kind statements she is making about her respectful and loving husband are juxtaposed with scenes of him acting in the exact opposite manner; that is, we see him talking rudely to her and disrespecting her. Meghan says she wants to go to dinner “as a family”, to which her stepdaughter replies, “that’s an obscure term”… It’s clear that the stepdaughter views this marriage as a joke. Meghan is closer in age to the stepdaughter than to Jim. At dinner we learn that Jim has misplaced his wedding ring, but he doesn’t seem interested in finding it… More warning signs… Things are not looking good for these two, and it’s only the first episode.

From one dysfunctional marriage to another, we see Shannon and David who seem to be struggling in their marriage as well. They are on their way to a couple’s retreat, and Shannon is fearful that this will stir up old emotions. During the retreat Shannon brings out that David had had an affair. As if that were not bad enough, David was apparently Gaslighting Shannon, making her feel like she was crazy for suspecting something. But Shannon found hotel receipts in his briefcase, and she asked him one last time if he were being unfaithful. David finally admitted to it. During the couple’s retreat, there is an exercise in which they have to write the highs and lows of their lives. I didn’t catch it the first time, but when I rewatched the episode, I realized something quite disturbing in my opinion. During the exercise, David speaks about and writes that the affair was both a high point and low point for him. If David still views his affair as a good thing in his life, he is probably not remorseful that it happened. That suggests to me that he might cheat again. Nothing about that is okay… Shannon hopes to say one day that these experiences were a blessing. I hope so too, Shannon, but I am doubtful. I knew last season that something was not right between them, and that they were hiding something from the cameras. It seems this might have been it.

Vicki and Brooks are taking a trip to Mexico to get away and relax. On their way to the airport Vicki has a phone conversation with her mother. Vicki says she’s loud, obnoxious, and funny like her mother. I agree completely, and that is why we love both of them. This scene was incredibly sad and beautiful at the same time. We know that Vicki’s mother has since passed away, and surely that scene was hard for Vicki to watch. I wish her the best, and she should take solace in the fact that she has great memories of her and her mother together captured forever on this show.

Tamra steals Heather’s hoedown theme, and does a mediocre job at it, for a baby shower for Sarah and Ryan. Tamra’s dress was tragic, but not as tragic as Lynne’s brown jumpsuit… I will say it is great to see Lynne. Other than her outfit choice, she looks great. She got divorced from her husband, Raquel had a baby, and she has become “revirginized”… TMI, Lynne!... Tamra says that she and Vicki are not close anymore; they’re still fighting after last year. The only time they’ve really talked was when Vicki called her about Brooks’ cancer. Tamra says she wishes Vicki were at the baby shower to celebrate with her. Tamra also says she is keeping quiet this year; she’s not going to be talking about anyone’s business. Again, I’ll believe it when I see it…

Back at the couple’s retreat, Shannon says there was infidelity in her family as a child. She had to keep secrets and act like nothing was going on. She says she needed more unconditional love and a present father, and she is afraid her kids will go through the same thing. Shannon’s kids found out about the affair even though Shannon wanted to keep it from them. This is most likely the reason why Shannon and David are discussing the affair this season and did not discuss it last season. I have a feeling the kids found out about it in between seasons, so there was no reason to keep it a secret anymore. While it’s a heart-breaking thing, I think it’s good that Shannon is putting it all out there this season. She will get even more support from fans than she did before.

Season 10 of RHOC is off to a great start, and next week we will see Vicki and Tamra get into it. Is this the end of their long-standing friendship? We will see…