Photos courtesy of Bravo
Before the Bravo even taped one hot minute of the RHOD Reunion special there was drama. Shocking, I know. It's been such a kumbaja season! Initially, the ladies and their spouses/boyfriends were to participate in the reunion but... it seems that a couple of the husband's refused to attend the taping, so Bravo decided that none of the husbands would be a part of the show. Oh, except for Dr. Mark Deuber, because he needed to defend his marriage. Plus there was no way he was going to miss the opportunity to talk fashion with Andy Cohen. I guess I can't blame Bryan Redmond for bowing out. Seems he had chartered a yacht for that week and despite Bravo knowing about their tropical vacation plans well in advance, they scheduled the reunion at the same time forcing them to reschedule their vaca at a very costly fee. Since Rich and Aaron had nothing to defend (except Aaron's choice of hair style) it wasn't deemed important for them to be there. Take that in. Pause a second. Now, imagine how some of the ladies felt about that... And this is how the RHOD reunion kicked off before they had even started packing for the trip. Taping happened in New York City. Seems Andy Cohen was far too busy running the world of reality TV to come to Dallas, so he brought the ladies to him. Which really bites, because I had planned to hang out backstage and be a fly on the wall. Plan thwarted.
There's Andy, busting me for posting this photo to Twitter
the day of filming . At Bravo's request command I deleted it.
Spoil sports. Photo: Tiffany Hendra
Was this pre-planned by Bravo execs to create tension and drama from the get-go or merely an unfortunate occurrence? Hmmmmmm. I'm sure it won't surprise you to hear that LeeAnne threw such a fit that eventually - and very begrudgingly - the hairdresser gave her minimal attention.
So, what was the mood like in the makeup room? Stepahnie tweeted out asking for "prayers". Cary asked fans to "wish her luck". Brandi got an extra boost from a psychic pal who sent her "love, light and positive energy." Tiffany asked for "luck and prayers". LeeAnne was strangely silent on social media the morning of the reunion, probably because she was busy curling her own hair.
They did NOT film the reunion in the Watch What Happens Live club house as many speculated. Bravo decorated their set with a Texas chic decor of cow-hide pillows and antler lighting fixtures because nothing says Dallas more than cow-hide. Yee Haw! You can view photos of the full set on the Bravo website. I had previously predicted what I thought was the obvious seating chart, but leave it to Bravo to throw us a curve ball. I was only one cast member off. I had predicted that Stephanie would be seated in between Brandi and Cary - yet Bravo put her last on the couch moving Cary up to the middle spot.
According to the Bravo website, "Sitting to the left and right of Andy will be LeeAnne Locken and Brandi Redmond, respectively, who have been at odds for much of this season of RHOD, so it looks like they'll be going head-to-head once again at the reunion. Tiffany Hendra will be sitting next to LeeAnne on the couch, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise since these two are besties from way back. Cary Deuber will be sitting in between Brandi and her good gal pal Stephanie Hollman. Now that we know Cary has major beef with LeeAnne, it seems like these two will be in a good position to hash things out or find themselves in even more conflict during the reunion. As you can see, the RHOD cast and Andy will also be joined by a couple of special guests: Cary's husband Mark Deuber and friend Marie Reyes."
After the reunion, Tiffany tweeted out that there was "minimal bloodshed" but let's just say that while no actual blood may have been shed, the girls spared no punches. I hear that several of the ladies were coached by their PR firms to give a good performance. You'll be able to tell who... I won't ruin the show by revealing what happened on the set but let's just say that you will be surprised by who is well-behaved and who loses her sh*t. Bravo has already released several teaser clips from the Reunion Special, so click over to their site if you want to check them out. Now that the reunion has come and gone, the next order of business is the renewal. Will they - or won't they - get a Season Two? Bravo should make a decision any day and the ladies (and fans) cannot wait. Sources tell me that while all of the original cast will be invited back, not all of the ladies are so keen to go another round. One Housewife is afraid her marriage won't survive another season, while another is already shopping for a larger mansion. Frankly, I think a shake up of the cast would be a good thing. The show's producers have already begun putting out feelers for possible cast additions in the event that it's a go and they are talking to every eligible Housewife within 20 miles of Dallas. "Who?" you ask. Ah, I'm going to save that for another post because talk is cheap and don't mean a thing if Bravo doesn't green light a Season Two. So cross your fingers and toes for that! In the meantime, don't miss the Real Housewives of Dallas, Season One Reunion on Bravo this Sunday, June 19 at 8/9 Central.