In television, “jumping the shark” is defined as, a show or movie that reaches a stage when unbelievable occurrences are added for novelty’s sake, displaying a sign of a drop in quality. Sound familiar to anyone?
Yep, there have been several times a story line from Real Housewives have not only jumped the shark–it caught the shark, barbecued the shark, and then served the poor shark for dinner. Here are 5 examples when Real Housewives went really too far.
Real Housewives of Orange County / Heather Dubrow’s Cake
I don’t think too many folks were vibing with returning Real Housewives of Orange County star, Heather Dubrow. Fancy Pants seemingly wore out her welcome shortly after she came back to RHOC. Heather is known for being a great mom, her almost problematic attachment to champagne, and… overreacting. Exhibit A: the bow on the cake. Good lord the spectacle that came of this incredibly stupid incident.
In Season 7, cast members Alexis Bellino and Gretchen Rossi were buds with this chick named Sarah Winchester. Sarah was particularly fond of her alcohol, bothering Vicki Gunvalson, and cake. During a party at Heather’s palatial estate, Sarah had the gall to deface Heather’s dessert and by the end of the ordeal, you kind of just wanted to see the cake pushed to the floor. Heather confronted Sarah after she ate the ribbon off a cake at a ceremony celebrating her choice to formally change her last name to Dubrow. The group, including some of the ladies’ significant others, became embroiled in severe disagreement as a result of Sarah’s intransigent stance and unrepentant consumption of THE BOW. It remains one of the most useless fights and embarrassing for all parties involved, including Heather.
Real Housewives of New York / Bethenny Crying About Tom
Yes, we all know it was about Tom in Season 8. But Bethenny Frankel sure as shit tried to make it about herself. The Real Housewives of New York alum is the one who broke the big bad news to Luann de Lesseps about her rogue fiancé who couldn’t keep his hands to himself. But instead of showing grace to her friend, she decided to put her on blast and then cry about it in bed. It’s not so much Bethenny’s revelation of Tom D’Agostino’s indiscretions, it was the pomp and circumstance surrounding it. Luann’s humiliation was nothing compared to the histrionics Beth put on after she did the deed. The chugging of the vodka, the hysterical sobbing, the fact that she had photos of Tom in her phone but wouldn’t reveal how she got them. Luann probably smoked two packs of menthols whilst Bethenny went through her own personal agony at being filmed giving someone else bad news. It gave the impression the entire thing wasn’t exactly spontaneous and the way it played out bordered on watching something done with spiteful intent.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills / Erika’s Under A Lot of Stress
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne is really a fine example of how not to conduct yourself under pressure. Ever since EJ “found out” her estranged, shamed hubby Tom Girardi pretty much stole from anyone with a heartbeat, Erika has chosen an interesting way to deal with it. But to hear her explain any of the unbelievable circumstances is really a master class in how to avoid a direct question. It appears Erika’s preferred way is to make the explanation more unbelievable than the accusations.
When Kyle Richards attempted to glean some type of understanding about Tom’s situation, she is met with Erika putting on her skis and preparing to launch herself over a pool of great whites. Kyle is informed by Erika that Tom’s home was broken into. And he went up against the thieves. The man now requires eye surgery. “Yeah, I’m under a lot of stress,” EJ said after her son rolled his car five times on the way home from the hospital. AND THE SNOW, we mustn’t forget the snow. I’m not even sure I understood what Erika said, as it seemed a further attempt at diversion. Kyle finds it odd Erika waits until after all this wild shit happens to tell anyone about it, which makes it very difficult for her to trust Erika. Honestly at this juncture I wouldn’t trust anyone involved with that show. The entire thing has jumped the shark.
Real Housewives of New York / Aviva’s Leg
Aviva Drescher made quite an impression during her stint on RHONY. Parts of her body also made quite an impression during her stint on Real Housewives. There is no doubt the Aviva seasons were heavy with memorable phrases and outlandish attitudes, but Aviva pulled a stunt queen move that no one has been able to beat. Aviva didn’t exactly get along with most of the cast. Ramona Singer didn’t like her and Sonja Morgan wasn’t fond of Aviva because she basically had to follow Ramona’s rules or face the wrath. Aviva also took a lot of flack for her numerous phobias, in part due to a childhood accident and living in NYC during 9/11.
Aviva, in her short time on the show, managed to have a very impressive “spontaneous” shark-jumping moment. The final episode of Season 6, a big event for Sonja, was the scene of the crime. Aviva is seated at a table as her co-stars lob accusations of faking illnesses at her left and right. Heather Thomson and Kristen Taekman are waxing poetic about all of Aviva’s faults and then the moment occurs. After producing x-rays for anyone doubting her fragile breathing skills, Heather is given piles of obscure medical records and declares Aviva “laughable.” Aviva responds the only thing artificial or fake about her is… HER FAKE LEG THAT IS NOW SITTING ON THE TABLE NEXT TO FORKS AND COCKTAIL NAPKINS. It was a beautiful shark-jumping moment, my friends.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills / Puppygate AKA The Incident That Must Not Be Named
Season 9 of RHOBH was definitely a turning point. For some viewers it was the last straw and that straw was what we now know as #puppygate. At the time it seemed incredulous that a group of women would team up against another person in an effort to “take them down.” Now we know the Fox Force Five has been in effect longer than we thought and ganging up on people is a real thing in Beverly Hills. When Dorit Kemsley adopted a dog from Lisa Vanderpump’s foundation, the first sign of trouble should have been when Dorit neglected to pay the adoption fee. But then the dog mysteriously disappeared in the night after it took a chunk out of PK Kemsley’s nose. Dorit claimed she gave the pup to a good home but others implied Lucy Lucy Apple Juicy or whatever that poor animal’s name was went to a kill shelter to meet an untimely demise.
LVP was dealing with the sudden and horrible death of her brother but for some reason her “friends” determined it was she who leaked an unsavory article about Dorit to the media. The treatment of LVP was nothing short of barbaric, watching Erika and Lisa Rinna delight in her misery. Good friend Kyle also accused her of lying. Ultimately Lisa made the decision to leave the show. In Season 10 the ladies rejoiced without Vanderpump and thought they won the war. It probably wasn’t a good idea to organize a revolt against someone with a heavy fanbase because it did them no favors. Not for nothing, it looks like the shark the Fox Force Five jumped was named Karma.
TELL US- WHAT JUMP THE SHARK MOMENT WOULD YOU ADD? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE UNBELIEVABLE MOMENT? DO YOU THINK ALL OF THESE MOMENTS WERE PLANNED IN ADVANCE?
[Photo by Michael Ostuni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images]