Bravo Breakdowns

Lauren and Michele are back with a new "lesson plan" format so Bravo newbies can follow easier (no child left behind!) Then they give all the weekend tea of Shannon Beador and recap the new episode of RHOC Season 18 (Episode 12 - "The Elephant in the Room"). (Time stamp: 18:03 minutes) -Which the podmates find to be sadly mostly filler/family stuff- but delight in recounting Heather Dubrow's fashion show and the ugly fallout, including Emily breaking the fourth wall to call Alexis a "friend" of. Then it's time for today's lesson- Season 8 Part 1 of RHOC, episodes 1-11. (Time stamp: 35:51) They Discuss: * Vicki's Relationship Struggles: Vicki navigated her tumultuous relationship with Brooks Ayers, facing scrutiny from her friends about his intentions. * Tamra's New Chapter: Tamra was busy planning her wedding to Eddie Judge, showcasing her journey toward a more stable and happy life, despite her conflicts with other cast members. * Heather's Home Life: Heather Dubrow focused on her family and career, trying to balance her acting aspirations with being a mother and wife. * Lizzie's Introduction: Lizzie brought fresh dynamics to the group, as her personality and interactions stirred up both drama and camaraderie. * Friendships and Feuds: The season highlighted various friendships and rivalries, particularly between Vicki and Tamra, and the ongoing tensions with other women.

Lauren and Michele are back with a new format that's less WE HAVE ADHD, and more, we are scholars, listen to us. Then they discuss the new episodes of RHOC Season 18, Episodes 12 ("The Elephant in the Room")- (Time stamp: 18:03 minutes) -Which the podmates find to be sadly mostly filler/family stuff- but delight in recounting Heather Dubrow's fashion show and the ugly fallout, including Emily breaking the fourth wall to call Alexis a "friend" of. Then it's time for today's lesson- Season 8 Part 1 of RHOC, episodes 1-10. (Time stamp: 35:51) They Discuss: * Vicki's Relationship Struggles: Vicki navigated her tumultuous relationship with Brooks Ayers, facing scrutiny from her friends about his intentions. * Tamra's New Chapter: Tamra was busy planning her wedding to Eddie Judge, showcasing her journey toward a more stable and happy life, despite her conflicts with other cast members. * Heather's Home Life: Heather Dubrow focused on her family and career, trying to balance her acting aspirations with being a mother and wife. * Lizzie's Introduction: Lizzie brought fresh dynamics to the group, as her personality and interactions stirred up both drama and camaraderie. * Friendships and Feuds: The season highlighted various friendships and rivalries, particularly between Vicki and Tamra, and the ongoing tensions with other women.

Lauren and Michele are back to do a quick check-in on all the Mormons and smokers in Hollywood! Then they discuss the new episodes of RHOC Season 18, Episodes 10 & 11 ("Catwalks & Catfights"/"Singled Out"). (Time stamp: 2:00) Which the podmates find to be sadly mostly filler/family stuff- but delight in recounting Heather Dubrow's fashion show and the ugly fallout, including Emily breaking the fourth wall to call Alexis a "friend" of. Then it's time for today's lesson- Season 7 of RHOC, episodes 12-23. (Time stamp: 17:55) We pick up after Gretchen's Pussycat Dolls "performance" and focus on the Chief Beefs (new segment!) between Tamra and Vicki (over Tamra's friendship with Vicki), Alexis vs. everyone (because being fake is hurting her in "the community") and Vicki's brain vs. Vicki's vagina (because Brooks fills her love tank but is using her for cars and money and her family and friends hate him). Plus the Costa Rica trip where Vicki goes full Carmela Soprano and the epic fight between the Dubrows and Sarah "the Cake Bow-eater" Winchester (yes, THAT Winchester!)

The Real Head of Bravo Programming who developed and greenlit the Real Housewives franchise stops by the Bravo Breakdowns podcast to give a guest lecture on reality TV! The funny, insightful, Peabody winning and overall insanely accomplished Lauren Zalaznick (former Executive VP of NBCUniversal from 2001-2014) tells Lauren and Michele the origin story of how she and her team built Bravo into the network we know today. But before that, Lauren and Michele are breaking down part 1 of Season 7 of Real Housewives of Orange County- that’s right, we’re in the Golden Years of OC. It’s the horrifying introduction of Vicki’s boyfriend Brooks who has no money, no job, no teeth, no car, but has a lot of weird riddles about love! We finally meet the glamorous, rich snob Heather Dubrow and see her go head-to-head with wannabe snob Alexis Bellino! And Tamra has her best season ever by pairing up with Gretchen to make Vicki’s head explode. ) And for true scholars, please buy Lauren Zalaznick’s new book, “Letters from the Corporation of Brown University: Lives of Usefulness and Reputation 1764-2023” on Amazon (you can Google all the great reviews it’s getting, and leave one of your own reviews on Amazon if you purchase and enjoy it!) For even more LZ updates, subscribe to her newsletter “The LZ Sunday Paper”, fun updates and important world news and articles of the week- for women, by a woman- and follow her on IG. Lauren Zalazncik Social Media: @lzsundaypaper Bravo Breakdowns Social Media: IG : @bravo_breakdowns TikTok : @bravo_breakdowns Email: bravo_breakdowns@gmail.com [bravo_breakdowns@gmail.com] Timestamps : Interview 45: 55

This week Lauren and Michele finish their recap of Season 6 of RHOC, aka the season before Brooks. DUN DUN DUNNNN. Listen as they gab all things love tank, divorce, and wine throwing. They all debut, or "re-debut" a segment, "required viewing", where they discuss their favorite episodes from the season. They also had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Bravo savant, Josh in the Oval, you've probably already seen his tiktoks! Listen as they discuss all things housewives, and Josh even teaches Lauren & Michele how to learn to like Kyle Richards. An important lesson for us all. Josh's Socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.hervoicechs.com/about] TikTok & IG : @joshintheoval Bravo Breakdowns Socials: TikTok & IG : @bravo_breakdowns Email : bravo_breakdowns@gmail.com [bravo_breakdowns@gmail.com] Time Stamps : RHOC Season 18 ep. 9 Recap: 8:00 Season 6 Recap : 27:56 Josh in the Oval Interview: 48:04