The antics of the Real Housewives escalate with each Bravo season — and Beverly Hills is certainly no exception. From Teresa Giudice's infamous New Jersey table flip to Aviva Drescher's shocking New York City prosthetic leg throw, the absurdity of these women's actions continues as each vies with her costars for attention and screen time. Season 5 of Beverly Hills kicks off with a preview that features a thrown wine glass and a literal slap to the face, promising a dramatic season ahead.
The cast of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills recently said farewell to Joyce Giraud and Carlton Gebbia, both of whom were fired after last season. The cast is now welcoming new blood with the addition of soap stars Lisa Rinna and Emmy award-winning Eileen Davidson. Almost all of the show's current cast has had experience acting, with the inclusion of two professional actors and two former child stars. Reality television isn’t always 100 percent real — but with women who are so comfortable under the spotlight and in front of a camera, the line between reality and fantasy on Beverly Hills becomes even more blurred.
Despite a practiced cast, there were few standout moments in the season premiere. Multiple camera shots featuring the grandeur of the women's homes and typical housewife talk about "moving forward" and "friendship" and "forgiveness" made for a bland and tired opening episode. However, the palpable tension between some of the women certainly set the tone and provided insight into the friendship dynamics for the rest of the season. Of course, it will be difficult to predict how the relationships will change — since alliances on this show are as artificial as half of the actresses’ noses.
Kim Richards, as usual, provided the most comic relief for the opening episode.
"I don't do conflict...really...usually." [Insert awkward laugh] "I look forward to putting all that behind us. If we haven't already...or did we?"
Of all the people who are blind to the relationship dynamics between the housewives, the most oblivious is Kim. Though maybe not the most dramatic of the bunch, Kim is arguably the most humorous.
Though Eileen Davidson will be absent until the third episode of this season, all of the original housewives from season one came back for a reunion at Kyle Richards' annual extravagant white party. There seemed to be very little tension among any of the former housewives, which made the uncomfortable interaction between former friends Brandi Glanville and Adrienne Maloof seem incredibly genuine. Whether Brandi's olive branch to Adrienne was truly a gesture of goodwill or merely an attempt to win back an ally given Brandi's current position as something of an outcast remains to be seen.
The direction of this season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” remains unclear, but the beauty of reality television is that the absence of a script allows the subjects of the show to take it where they want. The presence of seven strong and independent women with the ability to start a fight over anything provides all the fuel this show needs to get going. All the viewers have to do is wait for one of them to light a match.
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