I will remember the memeification of Erika Jayne‘s conversation with Kyle Richards about the alleged robbery of her ex-husband Tom Girardi‘s house as long as I live. It’s not what Erika was talking about, which is admittedly grim, but the way she said it—her cadence, the run-on sentences, her final line of “Yeah, I’m under a lot of stress” bringing it all together—and, of course, all the memes, TikToks and even yard signs(?) produced as a result.
—Allison Crist, Writer, E! Shows
In the ultimate genre shakeup no one saw coming, the Bravo mega-franchise has taken a turn for the true crime this year, thanks to Erika Jayne and Jen Shah‘s respective legal woes. Erika’s story about her ex-husband’s house being broken into has become a meme for the ages, while the feds literally showing up on-camera to arrest Jen—which the editors masterfully used as the first scene for the season, a delicious crumb before gifting us the whole cookie—gave our goosebumps chills.
—Tierney Bricker, Editor
Erika filed for divorce from Tom in November 2020 after 21 years of marriage and the proceedings are ongoing.