Few would argue that the current season of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” (RHOBH) is the best in recent years.
If not the best in the show’s history.
The 11th season has been chock full with, that missing an episode means missing out on the discourse around the show.
It would be a classic water cooler conversation starter, were it not for the Covid-19 pandemic.
After seasons that mainly dealt with who leaked a story about a dog dumped in an alleged kill shelter to a tabloid; a cast member allegedly sleeping with a former cast member and petty arguments about ice sculptors, this season is so good, one would think it’s scripted. However, it is not.
So if you aren't as yet tuning into the show, which airs weekdays on 1Magic (DStv 103) at 7pm, I suggest you do so for some of the most edge of your seat viewing. Here are the reasons you should do so.
KATHY HILTON
I have always wondered what Kathy Hilton, mother of Paris and Nicky, was like. Was she a snobby, old money type, who turned her nose on the nouveau riche?
Or was she, as Amy Poehler’s “Mean Girls” character says “I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom?”
Well, it’s a mix of both. And then a whole more.
She’s obviously wealthy and is likely the wealthiest cast member on the show.
Her sister, Kyle Richards, is an original cast member and has been dying to get her sister to do the show with her.
She finally gets her wish.
It’s a PR coup for both of them.
Kyle gets to clean up her ‘mean girls’ persona, while Kathy gets to undo all the wrong the Paris Hilton documentary, This Is Paris, revealed about her upbringing in 2020.
Kathy’s one liners have made her a fan favourite of the show.
From the witty ‘Who is Hunky Dory’ and ‘Hello Peeping Thomasina’, to hosting the most luxurious dinner and spa trip the show has seen, she has single handedly brought back glamour to the show.
ERIKA JAYNE’S DIVORCE
When the news that the cast member is divorcing her octogenarian lawyer husband, Tom Girardi (famous for the Erin Brokovich case), many were surprised.
The news dropped on the US election day and it was clearly meant to be forgotten.
But the steely eyed housewives were quick to cut to the chase and start asking the questions, especially since Erika had been with them in Lake Tahoe and had shown no signs of there being strife in her marriage. It turns out the matter is deeper than just the divorce.
Tom (and Erika) have been accused of swindling money from class action lawsuits and using it to prop up Erika’s fledgling singing and acting career.
It becomes the main focus of the season and reveals the hypocrisy of some of the cast members.
Things come to a head at the dinner party hosted by Kathy Hilton, which changes the course of the show and what viewers expect on a Real Housewives show.
The latest news is that her attorneys “actively talking” with Ronald Richards, the lawyer overseeing the liquidation of her estranged husband’s law firm about returning $25 million that she allegedly took to live a lavish lifestyle, according to a report.
GARCELLE BEAUVAIS & SUTTON STRACKE’s FRIENDSHIP
It’s the friendship we didn’t expect to happen and yet it has blossomed into one of the best things about “RHOBH” this season.
Garcelle is a successful Hollywood star who also co-hosts the Emmy winning talk show, “The Real”.
Sutton owns a fashion and antiques boutique, is recently divorced and an international socialite.
Two totally different worlds and yet their quest for the truth and fairness, has seen them become firm friends.
They, much to the chagrin of their cast members, Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley, Lisa Rinna, Crystal Minkoff and Erika Jayne, have become the voice of the viewers and are asking Erika the questions that we need answers to.
Not to spoil much about the show this season, but they call into question all the stories Erika tells the group about what is happening with her divorce, her husband’s case and what the real story actually is.
It causes them to become very much disliked by the rest of the cast (except for Hilton).
Their sleuthing and calling for accountability has reminded viewers of what has been missing on the show- authenticity.
They have ushered in a new era of “RHOBH” and we are grateful.