November 7, 2024 • 27 mins
BREATHER EPISODE: Every now and then, we need to hit pause on the heavy stuff and kick back with some laughs! Because let’s be real—life can’t be all serious all the time!
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Have you ever wondered how a reality TV franchise could mirror the complexities of American society while offering pure entertainment? Karen & Brittany unpack their favorite series, with a special shoutout to #RHOBH as the ultimate starting point for newcomers. With cast members like Kyle Richards and Garcelle Beauvais sparking lively conversations, we look forward to the upcoming season featuring the dynamic Bozoma St. John. Whether it's the show's insight into race, class, and socioeconomic status or its role as a stress reliever during busy periods—there’s plenty to keep us captivated.
Watch The Real Housewives franchise on Bravo TV and Peacock. Here are the shows:
- Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Season 14 premiers Nov 19)
- Real Housewives of Orange County (current season on now)
- Real Housewives of New York City (current season on now)
- Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (current season on now)
- Real Housewives of Potomac (current season on now)
- Real Housewives of Atlanta
- Real Housewives of New Jersey
- Real Housewives of Miami
- Real Housewives of Dubai
- Real Housewives of Dallas
- Real Housewives of DC (only lasted one season)
Stay With Us
- Watch and Subscribe to The E Word on YouTube.
- Follow Karen on LinkedIn and learn more at Colossal Work.
- Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and learn more at BND Consulting Group.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brittany S. Hale (00:00):
Hi Brittany, hi Karen.
Karen McFarlane (00:03):
How are you Good and hi Mina.
She says hi Again for thoselisteners.
This is Brittany's new.
She's not a puppy, she's a dog.
Pomeranian, Beautiful brown fur.
Brittany S. Hale (00:19):
Yes, she's really upset and ready to go
back to sleep.
If you can't see, I am holdingher in the crook of my arm
because she refuses to sleep onher stomach, so she likes to
sleep on her back and it'seasier for me to hold her while
(00:39):
we're recording.
Karen McFarlane (00:41):
Sounds good to me.
Mine is taking a nap on thecouch, splayed out on the couch.
Both of these dogs have nobills, right.
Brittany S. Hale (00:49):
Not at all.
Not at all.
We just accrue bills on theirbehalf, exactly.
Karen McFarlane (00:59):
They're living a privileged life, very much
like the people that we're goingto discuss today.
Oh yes, I am so excited aboutthis episode so we promised
people that one day we wouldtalk about something other than
equity, which is really aboutthe Real Housewives, the whole
(01:21):
franchise.
So Brittany and I are likecompletely obsessed with these
franchises.
Brittany's a little bit moreinvested than I am because I've
just started certain ones, okay,but she's reeled me in to more
than what I was watching before.
We'll have to send this episodeto Andy at Bravo.
(01:45):
Oh yes, let's definitely do that.
I understand.
So just in case there's peoplelistening that don't watch the
Real Housewives, this I don'teven know how long this has been
going on.
I feel like it's more than adecade.
No, it's definitely more than adecade.
Brittany S. Hale (02:06):
Definitely more than a decade, almost two,
I think.
The oldest season is maybe fromabout 16 years ago.
Karen McFarlane (02:15):
Wow, I've probably been watching for that
long.
That's insane, but anyway, it'sa franchise that follows
housewives from different citiesin their daily lives and with
their interactions with eachother.
And in the casting I think it'svery creative in who they put
together and how they choosethis different cast of
(02:39):
characters for each city thatthey have shows for and the
dynamics that flow between them.
Some of them are friends fromtheir current life, some of them
they don't know.
They're welcomed into the groupand it is rich with emotion and
drama and sassiness and somecases a lot of luxury and flair
(03:08):
and in other cases, more down toearth in that respect, and we
get to see how they experienceeach other in different
environments, both in theirhometown but also in terms of
the model.
They also go on trips togetherand if you've ever traveled with
someone, you get to really knowpeople when you travel with
them.
So 100.
(03:29):
So wait, maybe we should nameall the ones that we watch.
Brittany S. Hale (03:38):
Okay, I would just say Housewives is my
favorite sociopolitical,anthropological treatise on race
and class and socioeconomicstatus in the United States.
Karen McFarlane (03:58):
But he makes it sound like oh good.
Brittany S. Hale (04:03):
OK, when I can make a case for it, we can
bring equity into it.
So, I watch Orange County,check Beverly Hills, yep, salt
Lake City, miami, definitelyAtlanta.
Karen McFarlane (04:25):
Definitely.
Brittany S. Hale (04:27):
Atlanta, of course, potomac.
Karen McFarlane (04:33):
One of the best .
And New York, yes, and Jerseyand Jersey of course Wait.
Brittany S. Hale (04:42):
is that all of them?
Karen McFarlane (04:42):
I think that's all of them.
I think that that all of them Ithink, that's, I think that's
all of them maybe well, there'salso they also do these spinoffs
the ultimate girls trips so yes, there's a yeah right, right,
those don't air.
Brittany S. Hale (05:04):
Uh, they are fairly regularly but they have.
They're relatively new to thefranchise and if you're
listening and saying, oh mygoodness, she watches eight
shows, most of them do not runconcurrently.
Right, it's very cyclical, soat any given point in the year
there's probably one or two,with the exception of this time.
(05:26):
Right now there are four citiesairing all on different nights.
But it's been a fun timebecause there are so many airing
right now you have to have youroutlets when you deal with this
work.
Karen McFarlane (05:40):
So this is something we're going to have to
share it's heavy work.
Brittany S. Hale (05:51):
It's election season, yep, you deserve a
little joy, and I say you canstart with the Housewives.
Karen McFarlane (05:55):
Now for someone listening.
Brittany S. Hale (05:56):
Karen, which city would you recommend as an
intro city?
Karen McFarlane (06:03):
Okay, my favorite yeah, my favorite
Housewives show is number one isBeverly Hills.
That's my favorite, okay.
And there are 14 seasons orthis will be the 14th or 15th
season coming up and a lot ofWell, you'll see the cast morph
(06:30):
over time and build over timeand grow, which I think is
really interesting.
But there are some staplesthere, like Kyle Richards, who I
first saw her in Little Houseon the Prairie yeah, her name is
in Little House on the Prairie.
Her name is Little House on thePrairie, which I sometimes
still watch.
Comes on one of those channels,I don't remember which one.
(06:53):
So she's been like a mainstaysince the very beginning.
She actually might be the onlyoriginal cast member now that I
say that out loud, that's true.
Brittany S. Hale (07:06):
Her sister Kim Richards.
She was a child actor.
Escape from Witch Mountain,that one is yeah, it was her
first appearance.
Um.
So again for any of you who isthinking, oh no, this is for a
particular there, you areguaranteed to see someone that
you know.
Garcelle Beauvais is now onthere.
(07:28):
So if you watched the JamieFoxx show in the 90s and 2000s,
she's there as well.
Karen McFarlane (07:43):
And in this new season, if you are a marketer
and you follow the marketingworld, then you know Bozema St
John, who's the former CMO ofNetflix, and she was at Beats
and she's all over theseworkplaces, right, she's joining
the cast, which is a whole plottwist, I feel, in her career
trajectory, so I'm super excitedabout this.
Brittany S. Hale (08:01):
Absolutely.
We love a plot twist in careerand so okay.
So I think Beverly Hills is agood entry point again, because
if you, whether you loveproperty or interior design or
fashion or travel, or law orpolitics, there's something
(08:25):
there for you.
Karen McFarlane (08:27):
Definitely.
What about you?
What would be your good firstentry point?
Brittany S. Hale (08:31):
That's a good question.
I would say, yeah, BeverlyHills is probably a good one to
get started on.
I believe Orange County is theoldest, but Beverly Hills is
that.
You know, I'm a Jersey girl, soI think Jersey is also a great
(08:53):
one.
It's a very specificperspective.
There are tons and tons ofdifferent facets to New Jersey
Jersey, but if you're lookingfor a grounding in a very Jersey
, very Italian focus, Jersey'syour outlet.
Karen McFarlane (09:17):
I just started watching Jersey, as you know, so
I'm brand new to that.
I was all in on New Yorkbecause it just felt very
familiar, being from New York,Right, I could see the places
where they were.
I could actually go to them ifI wanted to, so it felt very
much like home, in particularBeverly Hills.
(09:42):
And New York does focus a loton luxury, right, being from the
upper classes and stuff likethat.
So If that's what you'relooking for, which brings the
drama, right, it's really greattelevision from that perspective
(10:04):
, right, and you get the EastCoast, west Coast vantage points
from those two and verydifferent personalities in how
they operate, how they talk, howthey approach life, which again
goes back to how you've madethis whole Real Housewives thing
very academic and ananthropological study.
(10:25):
I love it.
Brittany S. Hale (10:27):
The way they communicate, the way they handle
conflict even their perceptionof wealth the social capital,
because you will see, there arecertain people who have money
but are not networked and youwill see other people who may
have a little less money buthave these really deep, really
(10:48):
rich networks.
I'm thinking of potomac where,you know, you have some people
who are wealthy, some people whoare definitely upper middle
class or doing well and havecome from these really highly
networked Black Americansocieties that you know.
(11:10):
If you know, you know.
Karen McFarlane (11:13):
I agree.
So like Potomac in DC I meansorry, potomac in Atlanta, there
was a Real Housewives of DC atone point.
Brittany S. Hale (11:21):
Yes, Short one point, yes, and it was short
lived because I believe one ofthe housewives faked her way
into an event at the White House, something to that effect, but
it was very short lived.
It's not available.
I don't know what happened, butthere we have it.
Karen McFarlane (12:03):
It's not available.
I don't know what happened, butthere we have it, presented in
a certain light, right In termsof their opportunity, their
networks, their ability to grow,start businesses and just be
amazing powerhouse women in thecommunity.
And we also.
You know, if we see Black womenon television, it's not often
not saying that it doesn'thappen.
It's not often not saying thatit doesn't happen that we see
(12:24):
the softer sides of them as well.
We might see the normal tropesthat are presented out there,
but we don't see them have richarcs to their life where they
can navigate conflict, triumph,be soft, be hard, like see all
the different emotions andthought processes that we go
through.
So those two shows actuallydeliver that for you, which is
(12:47):
kind of nice.
Brittany S. Hale (12:49):
Yeah, that's a great point Because, again,
like you said, they arepowerhouses and they're
vulnerable and they're presentedin a multifaceted way.
Right, they are mothers anddaughters and friends and
siblings, and you get to see thenuance there.
(13:10):
They're philanthropists, andthen they all have their own
internal struggles depression,anxiety, right, anxiety, right.
So you get to see a verynuanced version outside of the
(13:31):
archetype of a strong blackwoman or even the archetype of a
housewife, right, it's justkind of this.
The show's turning off on itshead because you get the sense
of these spoiled, of thesespoiled, bratty, trophy wives
who just sit around and spendall of their spouse's money, and
(13:55):
that's not necessarily the case.
These are enterprising women,they have businesses, they have
homes.
They're not all married to men.
They're not all married to men,right, they're not all married.
Yeah, they're not all marriedright.
So, and I guess, some peoplepush back right.
They say why are you inHousewives if you're not a
housewife?
But to your point, you see alldifferent types of families.
Yep.
Karen McFarlane (14:19):
And they also have philanthropic endeavors
that they intentionally way onthe show through the actual
(14:46):
experience and then oftentimesthrough that experience much
like in our own lives, right,real world lives, right those
experiences are a catalyst forus taking up the mantle on some
of those issues on a moreconsistent or permanent basis,
and so they use their platformin a very positive light to
(15:09):
bring that type of awareness,which I think is good.
I mean, they've covered thingsfrom fibroids that affect Black
women, right?
What other issues?
There's so many differentthings.
One has Internal healthInternal health, right.
Mental health, yeah, absolutely.
Brittany S. Hale (15:29):
And also estate planning.
So on Orange County, forexample, you have a woman who
has a very lucrative insurancebusiness and she is always
talking about preparation andthese types of things.
You see women in some of thecities who have to deal with a
(15:51):
lack of preparation because youknow their partners pass away or
leave.
And so when you have womenwho've been dedicated to being a
homemaker and a stay-at-homemother for 20 plus years and
their partner either dies ordivorces them, how do you
(16:15):
support yourself?
How do you support yourchildren?
What does a future look likefor you?
How do you identify yourself?
How do you go about searchingfor your identity?
So I would say that it's muchmore than your typical reality
show, in my opinion.
Karen McFarlane (16:31):
You're right.
I mean, look, let's also keepit real.
There's a lot of mess, allright, that happens.
Brittany S. Hale (16:40):
Listen, balance in all things.
Right, there has to be balance.
But the formula for a realityshow, as I understand it, is
okay, you have the intro boomget to know these women Over the
(17:04):
next few episodes.
You slowly chip at the facadethat they're presenting to you,
but each episode there's goingto be building conflict, and the
last 10 to 15 minutes is goingto be the mess right.
Then you'll have conflictsresolved over a period of time,
(17:28):
and there's always like you said, always a trip.
So one of the women on the showwill sponsor a trip.
Usually it has to do withsomething related to a business
that they're promoting, somesort of appearance that they're
doing.
Sometimes it is forphilanthropic work and you know,
you see them let their hairdown, figuratively and literally
(17:51):
, on the trip there's alwayssome sort of fallout, and then
there's the finale.
The finale usually culminatesin some sort of event, dinner,
something, and then they havethe freeze frame and they show
(18:11):
you what they're up to.
Karen McFarlane (18:13):
Right Going forward.
Yeah, because this was filmedsome time ago, so they give you
present day case.
Brittany S. Hale (18:19):
Right, and then like four to six months,
yeah, ahead of when it airssomething like that.
Karen McFarlane (18:27):
And then there's a reunion that comes
after, which recaps all thedrama that happened throughout
the whole season, and sometimesyou're like, well, I thought we
resolved that, why are wetalking about it again?
But you have to talk about itagain on the reunion.
Brittany S. Hale (18:42):
Ok, because you get to see Think about
yourself in every day You're.
How you show up is not alwaysthe same as how you're actually.
What your initial impression ofis Right, right.
Your intent does not alwaysmatch your impact, and I forgot
to mention every episode.
(19:03):
You have confessionals, so youget to see what every castmate
thinks about you, thinks aboutthe situation with an air of
honesty that they may not havein the moment.
So, just for clarity,confessionals are literally.
Karen McFarlane (19:22):
Let's say, brittany and I were on the
reality show, right?
I would be filmed by myselftelling you my actual thoughts
that are in my head, unfiltered,about a situation that happened
, right.
So let's say, if Brittanyapologized to me about something
(19:42):
because there's alwaysapologies, right, apologies
about something and I would goin the confessional and be like
I didn't believe her, I didn'tthink that was genuine, even
though I accepted it.
Okay, that wasn't genuine, andhere's why.
And I would talk crap about herin the confessional Right.
And then so think about this.
You come back and watch thatshow.
You thought it was all resolved.
Brittany thought it was allresolved, but I was talking crap
(20:04):
about her in the confessional,and guess what?
Conflict ensues once again andshows up on the couch for the
reunion Right.
Brittany S. Hale (20:14):
Then Mina's like goodness, I can't believe
this is happening.
Karen McFarlane (20:20):
And, on top of that right, these reality show
stars.
I think they're required to dothis, but they go on social
media and the blogs and they dointerviews all throughout the
season.
And you know, using that samescenario, I'm still mad at
Britney Right.
And I go and I talk to areporter or you know whatever on
(20:42):
the blogs.
Talk to a reporter or you knowinfluence whatever on the blogs
and I say, yeah, she didn'treally mean it.
Here's why and I might revealsomething else that I knew or
whatever the case may be, andthat's out there in the press.
Brittany reads that and nowmore attention has surfaced,
(21:02):
because I was in my feelings inthe moment.
Brittany S. Hale (21:05):
Emotionally reactive, not displaying
emotional professionalism, whichyou can learn Exactly.
Karen McFarlane (21:14):
And then that comes out later on on the couch
at the reunion.
So it's never ending and evenif it's resolved, when they
watch the show again, it kind ofbrings, and they've squashed it
.
It can bring up feelings thatyou thought were resolved right
All over again watching.
(21:34):
So, um, the things that hurtyou, they don't ever really go
away.
You just forgive them, but thathurt keeps playing out and
(21:56):
playing out on social and, youknow, regurgitated by fans over
and over again.
I think it takes a very strongconstitution to deal with that
and be on this show For sure,for sure.
Brittany S. Hale (22:10):
The phrase that you will always hear is
move forward.
You just want to move forward.
Karen McFarlane (22:28):
And, as we know , you can't necessarily move
forward without going back tothe source of the harm.
That is true.
I don't know if I'd be a goodreality show participant.
Brittany S. Hale (22:34):
I would lose a lot of friends if I said all
the things that were in my head,but you might be a fan favorite
because you might be hilarious.
Karen McFarlane (22:44):
I don't think I want to risk it, but I
definitely advocate peoplewatching and joining us in this
discussion.
We can keep having these ad hocdiscussions when things happen
Right when things are a littletoo tense.
Brittany S. Hale (23:07):
There's always it's comforting to people,
especially now if you'relistening and you're a
professional.
You may not admit to otherprofessionals that you watch.
But we just happen to be boldand so we're going to do it.
But it is attention relieverright, because you you
understand that there's acontrolled situation, there's a
(23:28):
controlled conflict andultimately the resolution is
going to look a few differentways.
So there's some sort ofreassurance, similar to a sitcom
, that there's going to be aproblem, a conflict, a
resolution, the end.
Karen McFarlane (23:52):
You know what too.
You can also use it to evaluateyour own life, right?
So, as I said, most of the timethese people are highly
privileged, right In some way oranother, and it may differ from
your own experience More thanlikely it does, because
everyone's different anyway andyou can use that to make
yourself feel better aboutwhat's going on in your life,
(24:15):
because the drama is real, butyou do learn some conflict
management skills from that.
You have fun, but you takelessons from what you should and
should not do and what thepotential fallout could be short
and long-term.
So there are life lessons inbetween the entertainment.
Brittany S. Hale (24:37):
Tons and tons of what you should not do.
Karen McFarlane (24:43):
Well, the very first, you'll learn how to give
an apology, right?
So here's a tip that I'll leavethe audience with when you give
an apology, don't start anapology with if I have, it's a
good one, okay.
(25:03):
The if is a problem, because ifyou're apologizing, that means
you had Okay.
So important tip.
From me to you and it resonatesthrough all of the series.
It's a problematic statement If.
Brittany S. Hale (25:28):
For sure, right For sure.
Problematic statement if forsure, all right.
Karen McFarlane (25:33):
Well, next week starts another run of many of
the series, so you have time towatch starts.
Brittany S. Hale (25:41):
Yes, you have tons of time to catch up.
Karen McFarlane (25:47):
Enjoy.
Watch it on Peacock.
If you need to catch up on pastseasons and go to Bravo.
We're not doing it, we're notbeing paid by Bravo, we just
really like the show.
But you can go to Bravo tolearn about all the different
stuff we're open to it.
We're totally open to it, justgenuine fans and we're trying to
do a service Andy, if you needa guest host or someone to
(26:12):
explain conflict resolution.
We're available there we go.
Alright, brittany, I'll catchyou on the other side, see ya.
Hi Brittany, hi Karen.
Karen McFarlane (00:03):
How are you Good and hi Mina.
She says hi Again for thoselisteners.
This is Brittany's new.
She's not a puppy, she's a dog.
Pomeranian, Beautiful brown fur.
Brittany S. Hale (00:19):
Yes, she's really upset and ready to go
back to sleep.
If you can't see, I am holdingher in the crook of my arm
because she refuses to sleep onher stomach, so she likes to
sleep on her back and it'seasier for me to hold her while
(00:39):
we're recording.
Karen McFarlane (00:41):
Sounds good to me.
Mine is taking a nap on thecouch, splayed out on the couch.
Both of these dogs have nobills, right.
Brittany S. Hale (00:49):
Not at all.
Not at all.
We just accrue bills on theirbehalf, exactly.
Karen McFarlane (00:59):
They're living a privileged life, very much
like the people that we're goingto discuss today.
Oh yes, I am so excited aboutthis episode so we promised
people that one day we wouldtalk about something other than
equity, which is really aboutthe Real Housewives, the whole
(01:21):
franchise.
So Brittany and I are likecompletely obsessed with these
franchises.
Brittany's a little bit moreinvested than I am because I've
just started certain ones, okay,but she's reeled me in to more
than what I was watching before.
We'll have to send this episodeto Andy at Bravo.
(01:45):
Oh yes, let's definitely do that.
I understand.
So just in case there's peoplelistening that don't watch the
Real Housewives, this I don'teven know how long this has been
going on.
I feel like it's more than adecade.
No, it's definitely more than adecade.
Brittany S. Hale (02:06):
Definitely more than a decade, almost two,
I think.
The oldest season is maybe fromabout 16 years ago.
Karen McFarlane (02:15):
Wow, I've probably been watching for that
long.
That's insane, but anyway, it'sa franchise that follows
housewives from different citiesin their daily lives and with
their interactions with eachother.
And in the casting I think it'svery creative in who they put
together and how they choosethis different cast of
(02:39):
characters for each city thatthey have shows for and the
dynamics that flow between them.
Some of them are friends fromtheir current life, some of them
they don't know.
They're welcomed into the groupand it is rich with emotion and
drama and sassiness and somecases a lot of luxury and flair
(03:08):
and in other cases, more down toearth in that respect, and we
get to see how they experienceeach other in different
environments, both in theirhometown but also in terms of
the model.
They also go on trips togetherand if you've ever traveled with
someone, you get to really knowpeople when you travel with
them.
So 100.
(03:29):
So wait, maybe we should nameall the ones that we watch.
Brittany S. Hale (03:38):
Okay, I would just say Housewives is my
favorite sociopolitical,anthropological treatise on race
and class and socioeconomicstatus in the United States.
Karen McFarlane (03:58):
But he makes it sound like oh good.
Brittany S. Hale (04:03):
OK, when I can make a case for it, we can
bring equity into it.
So, I watch Orange County,check Beverly Hills, yep, salt
Lake City, miami, definitelyAtlanta.
Karen McFarlane (04:25):
Definitely.
Brittany S. Hale (04:27):
Atlanta, of course, potomac.
Karen McFarlane (04:33):
One of the best .
And New York, yes, and Jerseyand Jersey of course Wait.
Brittany S. Hale (04:42):
is that all of them?
Karen McFarlane (04:42):
I think that's all of them.
I think that that all of them Ithink, that's, I think that's
all of them maybe well, there'salso they also do these spinoffs
the ultimate girls trips so yes, there's a yeah right, right,
those don't air.
Brittany S. Hale (05:04):
Uh, they are fairly regularly but they have.
They're relatively new to thefranchise and if you're
listening and saying, oh mygoodness, she watches eight
shows, most of them do not runconcurrently.
Right, it's very cyclical, soat any given point in the year
there's probably one or two,with the exception of this time.
(05:26):
Right now there are four citiesairing all on different nights.
But it's been a fun timebecause there are so many airing
right now you have to have youroutlets when you deal with this
work.
Karen McFarlane (05:40):
So this is something we're going to have to
share it's heavy work.
Brittany S. Hale (05:51):
It's election season, yep, you deserve a
little joy, and I say you canstart with the Housewives.
Karen McFarlane (05:55):
Now for someone listening.
Brittany S. Hale (05:56):
Karen, which city would you recommend as an
intro city?
Karen McFarlane (06:03):
Okay, my favorite yeah, my favorite
Housewives show is number one isBeverly Hills.
That's my favorite, okay.
And there are 14 seasons orthis will be the 14th or 15th
season coming up and a lot ofWell, you'll see the cast morph
(06:30):
over time and build over timeand grow, which I think is
really interesting.
But there are some staplesthere, like Kyle Richards, who I
first saw her in Little Houseon the Prairie yeah, her name is
in Little House on the Prairie.
Her name is Little House on thePrairie, which I sometimes
still watch.
Comes on one of those channels,I don't remember which one.
(06:53):
So she's been like a mainstaysince the very beginning.
She actually might be the onlyoriginal cast member now that I
say that out loud, that's true.
Brittany S. Hale (07:06):
Her sister Kim Richards.
She was a child actor.
Escape from Witch Mountain,that one is yeah, it was her
first appearance.
Um.
So again for any of you who isthinking, oh no, this is for a
particular there, you areguaranteed to see someone that
you know.
Garcelle Beauvais is now onthere.
(07:28):
So if you watched the JamieFoxx show in the 90s and 2000s,
she's there as well.
Karen McFarlane (07:43):
And in this new season, if you are a marketer
and you follow the marketingworld, then you know Bozema St
John, who's the former CMO ofNetflix, and she was at Beats
and she's all over theseworkplaces, right, she's joining
the cast, which is a whole plottwist, I feel, in her career
trajectory, so I'm super excitedabout this.
Brittany S. Hale (08:01):
Absolutely.
We love a plot twist in careerand so okay.
So I think Beverly Hills is agood entry point again, because
if you, whether you loveproperty or interior design or
fashion or travel, or law orpolitics, there's something
(08:25):
there for you.
Karen McFarlane (08:27):
Definitely.
What about you?
What would be your good firstentry point?
Brittany S. Hale (08:31):
That's a good question.
I would say, yeah, BeverlyHills is probably a good one to
get started on.
I believe Orange County is theoldest, but Beverly Hills is
that.
You know, I'm a Jersey girl, soI think Jersey is also a great
(08:53):
one.
It's a very specificperspective.
There are tons and tons ofdifferent facets to New Jersey
Jersey, but if you're lookingfor a grounding in a very Jersey
, very Italian focus, Jersey'syour outlet.
Karen McFarlane (09:17):
I just started watching Jersey, as you know, so
I'm brand new to that.
I was all in on New Yorkbecause it just felt very
familiar, being from New York,Right, I could see the places
where they were.
I could actually go to them ifI wanted to, so it felt very
much like home, in particularBeverly Hills.
(09:42):
And New York does focus a loton luxury, right, being from the
upper classes and stuff likethat.
So If that's what you'relooking for, which brings the
drama, right, it's really greattelevision from that perspective
(10:04):
, right, and you get the EastCoast, west Coast vantage points
from those two and verydifferent personalities in how
they operate, how they talk, howthey approach life, which again
goes back to how you've madethis whole Real Housewives thing
very academic and ananthropological study.
(10:25):
I love it.
Brittany S. Hale (10:27):
The way they communicate, the way they handle
conflict even their perceptionof wealth the social capital,
because you will see, there arecertain people who have money
but are not networked and youwill see other people who may
have a little less money buthave these really deep, really
(10:48):
rich networks.
I'm thinking of potomac where,you know, you have some people
who are wealthy, some people whoare definitely upper middle
class or doing well and havecome from these really highly
networked Black Americansocieties that you know.
(11:10):
If you know, you know.
Karen McFarlane (11:13):
I agree.
So like Potomac in DC I meansorry, potomac in Atlanta, there
was a Real Housewives of DC atone point.
Brittany S. Hale (11:21):
Yes, Short one point, yes, and it was short
lived because I believe one ofthe housewives faked her way
into an event at the White House, something to that effect, but
it was very short lived.
It's not available.
I don't know what happened, butthere we have it.
Karen McFarlane (12:03):
It's not available.
I don't know what happened, butthere we have it, presented in
a certain light, right In termsof their opportunity, their
networks, their ability to grow,start businesses and just be
amazing powerhouse women in thecommunity.
And we also.
You know, if we see Black womenon television, it's not often
not saying that it doesn'thappen.
It's not often not saying thatit doesn't happen that we see
(12:24):
the softer sides of them as well.
We might see the normal tropesthat are presented out there,
but we don't see them have richarcs to their life where they
can navigate conflict, triumph,be soft, be hard, like see all
the different emotions andthought processes that we go
through.
So those two shows actuallydeliver that for you, which is
(12:47):
kind of nice.
Brittany S. Hale (12:49):
Yeah, that's a great point Because, again,
like you said, they arepowerhouses and they're
vulnerable and they're presentedin a multifaceted way.
Right, they are mothers anddaughters and friends and
siblings, and you get to see thenuance there.
(13:10):
They're philanthropists, andthen they all have their own
internal struggles depression,anxiety, right, anxiety, right.
So you get to see a verynuanced version outside of the
(13:31):
archetype of a strong blackwoman or even the archetype of a
housewife, right, it's justkind of this.
The show's turning off on itshead because you get the sense
of these spoiled, of thesespoiled, bratty, trophy wives
who just sit around and spendall of their spouse's money, and
(13:55):
that's not necessarily the case.
These are enterprising women,they have businesses, they have
homes.
They're not all married to men.
They're not all married to men,right, they're not all married.
Yeah, they're not all marriedright.
So, and I guess, some peoplepush back right.
They say why are you inHousewives if you're not a
housewife?
But to your point, you see alldifferent types of families.
Yep.
Karen McFarlane (14:19):
And they also have philanthropic endeavors
that they intentionally way onthe show through the actual
(14:46):
experience and then oftentimesthrough that experience much
like in our own lives, right,real world lives, right those
experiences are a catalyst forus taking up the mantle on some
of those issues on a moreconsistent or permanent basis,
and so they use their platformin a very positive light to
(15:09):
bring that type of awareness,which I think is good.
I mean, they've covered thingsfrom fibroids that affect Black
women, right?
What other issues?
There's so many differentthings.
One has Internal healthInternal health, right.
Mental health, yeah, absolutely.
Brittany S. Hale (15:29):
And also estate planning.
So on Orange County, forexample, you have a woman who
has a very lucrative insurancebusiness and she is always
talking about preparation andthese types of things.
You see women in some of thecities who have to deal with a
(15:51):
lack of preparation because youknow their partners pass away or
leave.
And so when you have womenwho've been dedicated to being a
homemaker and a stay-at-homemother for 20 plus years and
their partner either dies ordivorces them, how do you
(16:15):
support yourself?
How do you support yourchildren?
What does a future look likefor you?
How do you identify yourself?
How do you go about searchingfor your identity?
So I would say that it's muchmore than your typical reality
show, in my opinion.
Karen McFarlane (16:31):
You're right.
I mean, look, let's also keepit real.
There's a lot of mess, allright, that happens.
Brittany S. Hale (16:40):
Listen, balance in all things.
Right, there has to be balance.
But the formula for a realityshow, as I understand it, is
okay, you have the intro boomget to know these women Over the
(17:04):
next few episodes.
You slowly chip at the facadethat they're presenting to you,
but each episode there's goingto be building conflict, and the
last 10 to 15 minutes is goingto be the mess right.
Then you'll have conflictsresolved over a period of time,
(17:28):
and there's always like you said, always a trip.
So one of the women on the showwill sponsor a trip.
Usually it has to do withsomething related to a business
that they're promoting, somesort of appearance that they're
doing.
Sometimes it is forphilanthropic work and you know,
you see them let their hairdown, figuratively and literally
(17:51):
, on the trip there's alwayssome sort of fallout, and then
there's the finale.
The finale usually culminatesin some sort of event, dinner,
something, and then they havethe freeze frame and they show
(18:11):
you what they're up to.
Karen McFarlane (18:13):
Right Going forward.
Yeah, because this was filmedsome time ago, so they give you
present day case.
Brittany S. Hale (18:19):
Right, and then like four to six months,
yeah, ahead of when it airssomething like that.
Karen McFarlane (18:27):
And then there's a reunion that comes
after, which recaps all thedrama that happened throughout
the whole season, and sometimesyou're like, well, I thought we
resolved that, why are wetalking about it again?
But you have to talk about itagain on the reunion.
Brittany S. Hale (18:42):
Ok, because you get to see Think about
yourself in every day You're.
How you show up is not alwaysthe same as how you're actually.
What your initial impression ofis Right, right.
Your intent does not alwaysmatch your impact, and I forgot
to mention every episode.
(19:03):
You have confessionals, so youget to see what every castmate
thinks about you, thinks aboutthe situation with an air of
honesty that they may not havein the moment.
So, just for clarity,confessionals are literally.
Karen McFarlane (19:22):
Let's say, brittany and I were on the
reality show, right?
I would be filmed by myselftelling you my actual thoughts
that are in my head, unfiltered,about a situation that happened
, right.
So let's say, if Brittanyapologized to me about something
(19:42):
because there's alwaysapologies, right, apologies
about something and I would goin the confessional and be like
I didn't believe her, I didn'tthink that was genuine, even
though I accepted it.
Okay, that wasn't genuine, andhere's why.
And I would talk crap about herin the confessional Right.
And then so think about this.
You come back and watch thatshow.
You thought it was all resolved.
Brittany thought it was allresolved, but I was talking crap
(20:04):
about her in the confessional,and guess what?
Conflict ensues once again andshows up on the couch for the
reunion Right.
Brittany S. Hale (20:14):
Then Mina's like goodness, I can't believe
this is happening.
Karen McFarlane (20:20):
And, on top of that right, these reality show
stars.
I think they're required to dothis, but they go on social
media and the blogs and they dointerviews all throughout the
season.
And you know, using that samescenario, I'm still mad at
Britney Right.
And I go and I talk to areporter or you know whatever on
(20:42):
the blogs.
Talk to a reporter or you knowinfluence whatever on the blogs
and I say, yeah, she didn'treally mean it.
Here's why and I might revealsomething else that I knew or
whatever the case may be, andthat's out there in the press.
Brittany reads that and nowmore attention has surfaced,
(21:02):
because I was in my feelings inthe moment.
Brittany S. Hale (21:05):
Emotionally reactive, not displaying
emotional professionalism, whichyou can learn Exactly.
Karen McFarlane (21:14):
And then that comes out later on on the couch
at the reunion.
So it's never ending and evenif it's resolved, when they
watch the show again, it kind ofbrings, and they've squashed it
.
It can bring up feelings thatyou thought were resolved right
All over again watching.
(21:34):
So, um, the things that hurtyou, they don't ever really go
away.
You just forgive them, but thathurt keeps playing out and
(21:56):
playing out on social and, youknow, regurgitated by fans over
and over again.
I think it takes a very strongconstitution to deal with that
and be on this show For sure,for sure.
Brittany S. Hale (22:10):
The phrase that you will always hear is
move forward.
You just want to move forward.
Karen McFarlane (22:28):
And, as we know , you can't necessarily move
forward without going back tothe source of the harm.
That is true.
I don't know if I'd be a goodreality show participant.
Brittany S. Hale (22:34):
I would lose a lot of friends if I said all
the things that were in my head,but you might be a fan favorite
because you might be hilarious.
Karen McFarlane (22:44):
I don't think I want to risk it, but I
definitely advocate peoplewatching and joining us in this
discussion.
We can keep having these ad hocdiscussions when things happen
Right when things are a littletoo tense.
Brittany S. Hale (23:07):
There's always it's comforting to people,
especially now if you'relistening and you're a
professional.
You may not admit to otherprofessionals that you watch.
But we just happen to be boldand so we're going to do it.
But it is attention relieverright, because you you
understand that there's acontrolled situation, there's a
(23:28):
controlled conflict andultimately the resolution is
going to look a few differentways.
So there's some sort ofreassurance, similar to a sitcom
, that there's going to be aproblem, a conflict, a
resolution, the end.
Karen McFarlane (23:52):
You know what too.
You can also use it to evaluateyour own life, right?
So, as I said, most of the timethese people are highly
privileged, right In some way oranother, and it may differ from
your own experience More thanlikely it does, because
everyone's different anyway andyou can use that to make
yourself feel better aboutwhat's going on in your life,
(24:15):
because the drama is real, butyou do learn some conflict
management skills from that.
You have fun, but you takelessons from what you should and
should not do and what thepotential fallout could be short
and long-term.
So there are life lessons inbetween the entertainment.
Brittany S. Hale (24:37):
Tons and tons of what you should not do.
Karen McFarlane (24:43):
Well, the very first, you'll learn how to give
an apology, right?
So here's a tip that I'll leavethe audience with when you give
an apology, don't start anapology with if I have, it's a
good one, okay.
(25:03):
The if is a problem, because ifyou're apologizing, that means
you had Okay.
So important tip.
From me to you and it resonatesthrough all of the series.
It's a problematic statement If.
Brittany S. Hale (25:28):
For sure, right For sure.
Problematic statement if forsure, all right.
Karen McFarlane (25:33):
Well, next week starts another run of many of
the series, so you have time towatch starts.
Brittany S. Hale (25:41):
Yes, you have tons of time to catch up.
Karen McFarlane (25:47):
Enjoy.
Watch it on Peacock.
If you need to catch up on pastseasons and go to Bravo.
We're not doing it, we're notbeing paid by Bravo, we just
really like the show.
But you can go to Bravo tolearn about all the different
stuff we're open to it.
We're totally open to it, justgenuine fans and we're trying to
do a service Andy, if you needa guest host or someone to
(26:12):
explain conflict resolution.
We're available there we go.
Alright, brittany, I'll catchyou on the other side, see ya.
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