As a long-time viewer of this reality show circus, I find myself utterly appalled by the antics of Tamra and Heather this season. It seems like they’ve turned the art of friendship into a brutal game of one-upmanship, with Jenn unfortunately caught in the crossfire.
In 2016, it felt like every day someone wrote an article claiming that was the day Donald Trump officially became president. Watching the end of this episode reminded me of that, because it seemed like Jenn Pedranti had finally earned her spot as a Housewife. She’s been friendly and pleasant since she joined the group, but everyone, especially Tamra, has taken advantage of her kindness. That seems to be changing now. Congratulations on becoming an official Housewife, Jenn. If you can maintain this new assertiveness (unlike Mr. Trump), I might enjoy having you around for longer (and unlike Mr. Trump).
This episode reaches its peak with Jenn arguing with Tamra and Heather as they prepare in their hotel room, but the main focus is on the three original Housewives and how each of them approaches the game differently. The newer housewives, even those like Gina and Emily who are relatively new, find themselves swept up in it all. Last week, Shannon Storms Beador described the lawsuit from JJ Squared as “reality TV spilling into my real life,” and everyone else at the table agreed that the show is their reality. It seems these women have either come from a different era or have perfected their skills over time, because they are playing a game reminiscent of ‘Game of Thrones’ while the rest of the housewives appear to be struggling to keep up. Shannon, Tamra, and Heather want Cersei to know that it was them who dominated the game.
Initially, smaller groups of women are positioned near the Mayfair Hotel in London’s affluent Mayfair district, where Tamra confides in Katie about Shannon’s financial mismanagement and her tendency to elicit sympathy. Tamra describes Shannon as having the ability to make people feel sorry for her and labels her as an exhausting friend. In my opinion, everything that Tamra and Heather claim about Shannon is true, as the proof lies in her extravagant gifts, repeated portrayal of herself as a victim, and late-night calls (likely while intoxicated) to discuss only herself. However, due to Johnny J. and Jesus Jugs’ mistreatment of her, she currently finds herself in a genuine victimized situation. Unfortunately, we find ourselves defending Shannon fiercely, even though we all know that she is full of it, and her self-centeredness is so overpowering that not even a colostomy bag can stand her smell.
The situation between Tamra and Heather seems to be centered around how Shannon portrays herself on Housewives. Heather feels manipulated during their encounter in Sonoma, where Shannon showed her a graphic photo of an injury and then discussed the possibility of John hearing about the accident. She’s upset with Heather for discussing this incident with others, but it seems that Shannon had already shared it with Tamra and others. It appears that Shannon orchestrated that conversation to be captured on camera, much like how she set up Jeff Lewis mentioning John during a radio interview. This is a tactic that Shannon often uses: planning events and then feigning victimhood when confronted about them. If this approach doesn’t work, she tends to say, “I’m done,” and leave in the dress with three-quarter sleeves that she’s wearing that day. This behavior is characteristic of Shannon. I’m not condoning it, but I am saying that this season, she seems to be getting away with it due to exceptional circumstances.
It’s also the way the two of them are playing it. Tamra is instead trying to make Shannon into a villain, and Heather, who never really liked Shannon, is damning her with her silence as Alexis runs roughshod all over her. As for Tamra, she can be right about Shannon and her terrible behavior, but she is still overplaying her hand. Emily says it perfectly: “You can be disappointed in her DUI; you can be of the opinion that she shouldn’t drink and should be sober. All valid. But why not help her be a better person, not continuously berate her and humiliate her?” Yes! Tamra seems like she’s kicking her when she’s down and not really behaving like a friend. We all know that Tamra has no loyalty at all, but maybe now that we see that she doesn’t view these women as friends but as pawns to stay on television, the charm has finally worn off.
Despite having a valid reason to be upset with Tamra, Shannon finds it hard to be angry at Heather for reiterating a story that Shannon herself has shared multiple times. It’s as disingenuous as the tiara everyone is forced to wear on the double-decker bus. This season, Shannon has ample evidence, such as the “records” she brought along during their vacation, which is essentially a stack of old Filofax pages filled with pencil notes. These records show the expenses she and John incurred during their first six months together, totaling approximately $70,000 – an amount that Shannon had initially borrowed from him.
There are a couple of problems here, the first being that this is by no means admissible in either the court of law or the court of public opinion. I could scrawl that John Janssen owes me $17 million in Ferragamo shoes on a bunch of paper, and that doesn’t mean that I spent the money, that John took it, or that John asked me to spend that money on him. If I were to guess, Shannon was spending that money either wooing John or enjoying their new partnership, which is totally fine. But if Shannon volunteers to take him on a $10,000 vacation and he agrees, should he be on the hook for that several years later? I would venture no.
A different issue, highlighted by Heather and Emily, is that Shannon struggled to organize these details in a spreadsheet? It seems odd that she didn’t at least type them up in her Notes app like an insincere celebrity apology. Despite looking great for her age, this situation gives Shannon a Mrs. Magoo-like image. (Well done! If you recognized both the Filofax and Mrs. Magoo references, you are as old as Shannon’s accounting system.)
On one of London’s rare rain-free afternoons when the women boarded a double-decker bus for an outing, Gina broaches Heather’s issue regarding mammograms. Frankly, I’m unsure what this argument is about. Heather seems upset, but she had thought it was resolved, only for Gina to reopen old wounds. I can’t fathom the reason or purpose behind it. I find this disagreement bothersome, and I feel like I’m somehow siding with Fancy Pants in this situation.
What I don’t like about Heather’s style of play, however, is what she did to Jenn about this dress. She says that she was in Neimans and saw the floral dress Jenn wore to Shannon’s tea party. She calls Tamra and says the dress was $2,000, and because they know she’s getting only $6,000 a month from the ex, she doesn’t think she should spend a third of her monthly allowance on one dress. When Jenn confronts Heather about this at dinner, Heather does what she always does when caught out, which is to try to make herself seem like a saint. She says she was worried about Jenn, so she called Tamra to talk about it. She called Tamra because she was worried? If you’re worried about someone, you don’t call Tamra; she’s going to do nothing with this information but weaponize it. It’s like slicing off a finger and calling Poison Control.
It’s clear that Heather cannot be portrayed negatively or as petty because, as Gina explains, she has a dominant personality and tends to dictate others’ opinions about her. However, it seems that Heather was trying to avoid making Jenn feel like she needed expensive things to socialize with the group. It’s worth noting that Tamra had previously mocked others for their choices in the past season, which may have contributed to this issue. Even if Tamra didn’t cause the problem, they are all part of the same show. The pressure Jenn feels to appear fashionable and expensive does not come from her peers on the show; it comes from the audience and the expectations that come with being on television. If Heather truly cared about Jenn, she should have reached out to her, offered advice, or provided resources like a stylist, free items, or used clothing, rather than involving Tamra in the situation.
She learned this information from Katie, who heard it from Tamra, who is just leaking more damaging things about Jenn. What is her problem with this woman? For someone she once considered a friend, why is she always after her? Gina totally gets it: “How many times does she have to get walloped on the side of the head [by Tamra] before she starts to wear a helmet?”
It appears that Shannon has mentioned this before because she’s not going to put up with one more instance of it. As it turns out, Shannon informed Jenn that she was sifting through old texts – I hinted that Shannon had evidence – and discovered that Tamra conducted a background check on Ryan when they both joined the show for the first time. Eventually, Shannon stated, “If you’re going to keep attacking me and my methods, let’s demonstrate your own playstyle.” And oh, did she ever demonstrate it!
Jenn rushed straight to Tamra’s room to challenge her accusations. Tamra vehemently asserted, “I have never sought or obtained a background check in my lifetime.” This statement can be interpreted as, “I have never had multiple partners throughout my life,” similar to Lisa Vanderpump’s claim that she has never sold a story, but rather given them away freely. Later on, Tamra disclosed that since Jenn stated Ryan was a licensed mortgage broker, she inquired from a friend whether he held such a license, and the friend replied negatively.
I do believe there is a valley between a “background check” and asking a friend to look up someone’s certification. I think Shannon oversold her tea. However, it’s kind of a shitty thing for Tamra to do: dredging up info about people to then air it out on the show. But that’s the way Tamra plays — the way Tamra has always played — and Shannon is only calling it out now because Tamra is using those tricks against her.
Jenn, on the other hand, does something not many Housewives have managed to accomplish: She stands her ground against Tamra, and surprisingly, emerges victorious. Tamra appears flustered, cornered, dismissive, and malicious. Jenn seems to be asserting herself, developing some backbone, and defending that less-than-ideal man of hers in his work clothes and paint-spattered jackets. She even takes a slight jab at Tamra, saying, “Keep your hands off my family. My children are with me and content and well-behaved.” That “with me” struck a nerve with Tammy right in her Big Bear home.
With that, Jenn spun around and left the room, oblivious to her triumph. However, she held herself with greater pride, her posture more erect. She felt worthy of a luxury dress worth $2,000; she felt worthy of a penthouse in Mayfair. Jenn stood tall like Verbal Kint at the end of “The Usual Suspects,” and it seemed as though a celestial flame danced around her as a new victor appeared.
Read More
- W PREDICTION. W cryptocurrency
- AEVO PREDICTION. AEVO cryptocurrency
- AAVE PREDICTION. AAVE cryptocurrency
- PENDLE PREDICTION. PENDLE cryptocurrency
- PRCL PREDICTION. PRCL cryptocurrency
- WIF PREDICTION. WIF cryptocurrency
- Top Gift Ideas for Your League of Legends-Obsessed BF on a Budget
- NUUM PREDICTION. NUUM cryptocurrency
- FIRE PREDICTION. FIRE cryptocurrency
- DMAIL PREDICTION. DMAIL cryptocurrency
2024-10-18 05:54