In 2019, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills gave us Puppygate, which would force us all to learn the name Lucy Lucy Apple Juice and turn out to be the undoing of Beverly Hills original Housewife, Lisa Vanderpump. Naturally, 2020 needed to up the ante and hoo boy, did it ever. We now know, thanks to the RHOBH premiere, that the mega drama this season revolves around Denise Richards and whatever caused her to stop filming season 10, but the details so far are just tabloid reports about an alleged affair with former Real Housewife Brandi Glanville (Denise has denied these allegations). But the full story, as it pertains to season 10, is a bit more complicated than that, according to Housewife Kyle Richards.
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“We are not scripted — we don't set things up or anything — so you never know what twists and turns will happen. So, obviously when that bomb got dropped, it wasn't just the story that you know from Brandi, but it was stuff about the women in the group, issues with the women and Denise,” Kyle tells Refinery29 over the phone in late April. “Nobody cares about what happened or did not happen with her and Brandi — that's for them to work out. But it was about the women in the group, so I was definitely involved in all that and then it kind of blew up. We are all a part of that.”
As we can see in promos for upcoming episodes, these issues may start percolating soon. The teasers on the end of both the April 29 and May 6 episodes of RHOBH show Denise and Kyle trading blows, though the clips haven’t been clear about what prompts the harsh exchange.
But this idea that the Brandi story is bigger than what we’ve seen in the tabloids seems to line up with what other RHOBH stars, including Erika Jayne, have said as we await the fateful moment’s arrival. “Both women will have the chance to tell their story, and then it becomes a case of who is to be believed,” Erika told Access in early April. “The reason the group gets involved is not because of their alleged intimate relationship, but it’s also about Denise’s relationship to us as a group.”
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And while RHOBH cast members are doing their best to tease the drama without spoiling the details that only Bravo was able to capture, no one is being shy about how this story will affect the women moving forward. Lisa Rinna and Kyle have an exchange that we saw teased at the end of the season 10 premiere, in which they both assume Denise won’t show up for the upcoming RHOBH season 10 reunion. “Oh, she’s done. If you ask me, we will never see Denise Richards again,” says Lisa.
Kyle, with the benefit of hindsight, can explain.
“I think that that came from her not showing up for shooting. Like, If she can’t handle showing up for shooting, maybe she won’t come to the reunion,” Kyle explains. Since our conversation, Denise has publicly stated that she will, in fact, attend the reunion, be it on Zoom or in real life.
That minor scuffle aside, though, Kyle says unlike the irreparable situation with Vanderpump — who also refused to film when she and the group were at odds in season 9 — there’s still hope for reconciliation with Denise and the other Housewives.
“I have had a lot of arguments over 10 years — look at Camille Grammer and me and my history with Erika. There's always room for repair, in my opinion. Of course, Denise may have a different view,” she continues.
Unfortunately, seeing as Bravo has three series set to air reunion episodes captured via Zoom video chat due to COVID-19 social distancing regulations, this drama may only get weirder. If you think misunderstandings happen fast in person with this group, just imagine what will go on when the average American’s conference call woes (rogue pets, connectivity issues, and unacknowledged comments) start affecting this pugnacious crew.
Kyle hopes she and her castmates can avoid that fate, but since the casts of Real Housewives of Atlanta and Vanderpump Rules just filmed their reunions remotely, it’s looking like a virtual taping may be their only choice. If that ends up being so, “I'm sure a lot of people would love to phone it in,” asserts Kyle.
Whoever could she mean?