Seriously, They Were BLIND?
Look, I’ve been watching these shows for a minute – okay, like, fifteen years, give or take. And I’ve seen some stuff. I’ve seen housewives pretend they don’t know who said what, pretend they’re shocked by obvious betrayals, pretend their million-dollar businesses are thriving when they’re clearly just… there. But to pretend you didn’t notice Andy Cohen, the host, the face of Bravo, the guy who’s literally running the entire show, walk off set? That’s next level. That’s a new frontier of suspension of disbelief they’re asking us to buy into.
Heather, bless her heart (and her Atkins partnership, which, okay, good for her), tried to spin it as some kind of “testament to our cast.” Like, oh, they’re just so authentic, so caught up in their little world of fighting and snowflake-gate, that the cameras, the crew, the host himself, just fade into the background. She even said, “if we get into it in Salt Lake and we only forget cameras are there, we forget that Andy is there.”
Girl. No. Just… no.
The “Forgetting the Cameras” Trope
This “we forgot the cameras were there” line? It’s the oldest trick in the reality TV book. It’s the equivalent of a toddler saying “the dog ate my homework” but with more sequins and bad decisions. Every single person on these shows knows exactly where the cameras are. They know when they’re mic’d. They know when they’re being filmed. They probably know the lens size and aperture settings. They perform for the cameras. That’s the job! To suggest that their feuds are so volcanic, so all-consuming, that they literally become unaware of their surroundings, including the man who holds their Bravo fate in his perfectly manicured hands… it’s insulting, frankly. To us, the viewers. And, I gotta say, probably to Andy too.
So, What Does That “Testament” Actually Mean?
When Heather says it’s a “testament to our cast,” what is she actually saying?
Is it a testament to their dedication to the craft of reality TV drama? Maybe.
Is it a testament to their absolute inability to self-regulate or pause for a second? Could be.
Or is it a testament to their collective delusion, their complete and utter self-absorption that makes them believe their petty squabbles are so profoundly important that the actual mechanisms of the show become invisible? Yeah, I’m leaning heavily towards that last one.
“We were all fighting so hard that we didn’t notice until he had, like, cleared the stage. Then, we were like, ‘Come back, come back, we can’t fight without you!'” – Heather Gay, Us Weekly exclusive.
“We can’t fight without you!” is the kicker, isn’t it? It’s like, oh, now you remember he’s important. Now you remember he’s the referee. It’s not about missing Andy, the person. It’s about missing Andy, the indispensable element of the show who keeps the chaos contained just enough to make it watchable. The moment they realize the spectacle might actually stop because the ringmaster has left, then they pay attention. It’s not concern; it’s self-preservation.
The Show Must Go On… But Who’s Running It?
This whole thing just highlights the bizarre ecosystem of these reality shows. Andy Cohen, who is, let’s be honest, the ultimate power broker in the Bravo universe, is still human. He’s still a person who can get fed up. And for the cast to be so deep in their own sauce that they miss a pretty clear signal of his frustration- well, it speaks volumes. It’s like the kids were so busy throwing mashed potatoes at each other, they didn’t notice dad just walked out the door and locked it.
I’ve always believed that the best reality TV happens when the subjects almost forget the cameras, but never fully. There’s a delicate balance. This RHOSLC crew, if Heather’s to be believed, went past that balance. They apparently achieved total amnesia about the entire production. And I’m not buying it. Not for a second. It just screams “we’re so important, so dramatic, that the real world just fades away for us.” Which, honestly, isn’t a good look. It’s not endearing. It’s just… a lot.
What This Actually Means
Here’s the thing: I love the drama. That’s why we all watch, right? But I also like a little bit of honesty, even in my fake reality. This “we didn’t even notice” narrative? It pulls me out of it. It makes me question everything. Are they really that wrapped up, or are they just trying to make us believe they’re that wrapped up to excuse some over-the-top behavior? Probably a little of both, to be fair. These women live in a bubble, a very expensive, dramatic bubble.
But for Andy Cohen, the guy who has to sit through hours and hours of this stuff, for him to reach his breaking point and just leave, and for them to be utterly clueless… that tells me that the Salt Lake City cast might just be the most self-involved group we’ve seen in a while. And that’s saying something. I predict this little walk-off is gonna be a talking point for a while, and maybe- just maybe- it’ll make them a tiny bit more aware of the guy who’s actually in charge. Or, more likely, they’ll just double down on the drama next season, because “blindness” apparently pays the bills.
