The Real Housewives of Miami has fallen again on a staid and questionable custom of The Real Housewives franchise: Accusing solid members of sleeping with girls.
During final night time’s reunion episode, longtime friend-of and former Housewife Adriana de Moura was accused by Julia Lemigova, an out lesbian, of sleeping along with her within the Hamptons. The bombshell was unprecedented on the present, however not essentially within the universe of exhibits identical to it.
In a teaser for subsequent week’s episode, Lemigova then defined that her and tennis legend Martina Navratilova’s was on the rocks, and that she and de Moura likewise “fooled around in the Versace mansion,” offering additional particulars of their extramarital trysts. De Moura, for what it is value, has by no means publicly recognized as bisexual or in any other case, however did beforehand declare that Lemigova taught her that “love has no gender.”
She mentioned all of that within the pouring rain throughout a heartfelt and tear-soaked confession of completely platonic love between the 2.
Past the preliminary shock of the confession, final night time’s episode was a specific low for each of them, because it moved the dialog effectively previous fan hypothesis. There is now proof — which de Moura contests — that there was a bodily element to their relationship. It paints Lemigova just like the confused, heartsick girl scorned by her closeted former lover. Or, it paints Lemigova like an opportunist and de Moura like she’s sexually confused.
There’s additionally a world the place Lemigova is each scorned and an opportunist; it’s a world the place de Moura is likewise scorned and confused.
On a present staffed virtually solely by girls tasked with tearing one another aside, it is no actual shock that “lesbian allegations” are an everyday prevalence. But it by no means actually works, not for the ladies or the exhibits they rip aside within the course of. The Real Housewives of Atlanta imploded after Porsha Williams accused Kandi Burruss of secretly making an attempt to drug and have intercourse along with her. Granted, the sexual assault component of that exacerbated the difficulty between the solid, however the accusation nonetheless precipitated a number of shakeups over the next years that the present nonetheless hasn’t recovered from.
On The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillssolid members crusaded in opposition to Brandi Glanville and Denise Richards for an alleged extramarital affair. Viewers have been confounded on the time by the vitriol the solid harbored in direction of the ladies, who have been each consenting adults within the supposed state of affairs between them. The fallout completely stained Lisa Rinna’s status on the community, resulting in her eventual ouster. Others like Kyle Richards had the narrative loop again round on her when solid questioned her admittedly complicated relationship with rising nation star Morgan Wade.
Mere seasons after Denise Richards was ran off the present, solid turned their homosexual panic on Richards, whose personal marriage was on the ropes whereas she jet set across the globe with Wade, who she admitted to stalking on-line. A music video the place she performed Wade’s secret housewife lover solely added to gas to the hearth, as did varied lyrics of Wade’s seemingly alluding to their off-screen antics.
Even recounting the cases feels performed out at this level, practically 20 years into the franchise’s domination of actuality tv. I do not doubt that one thing transpired between Lemigova and de Moura, and the very worst a part of me is delighted by the explosion of a brand new bombshell secret within the coronary heart of the Bravo canon. Lemigova’s personal lesbian identification solely complicates issues, as a result of now it is gone effectively past one other occasion of (supposedly) straight girls hurling “vagina” round prefer it’s an insult.
A lesbian solid member — the primary to affix The Real Housewives as a lesbian ever — revealed an affair along with her former finest buddy and fellow co-worker. The bombshell will possible maintain the remainder of their time on this present, however historical past has confirmed that there could be no getting back from this, not for both of them or this present. It is nice drama, definitely.
Kyle Richards refused to play ball about her relationship to Morgan Wade, but it surely did make for good drama. It was excruciating to look at Denise Richards and Brandi Glanville get raked over the coals for his or her alleged affair, but it surely did make good drama. Kandi Burruss’ shock and horror at Porsha Williams’ declare that she tried to drug and have intercourse along with her, and the double reveal it was Phaedra Parks who set her as much as do it, led to the very first 4 half reunion within the historical past of the community. It made for glorious drama.
But the upper the stakes, the upper the results as soon as that gambit performs out onscreen. Lemigova might have made historical past twice now alongside de Moura, and maybe she’ll make it once more within the aftermath. Maybe there is a world on the market the place this all performed out whereas the 2 have been nonetheless in love, as mates or lovers or each, however that could be a fanciful dream after final night time’s episode.
We dwell on this world, the place queer girls are cannon fodder on The Real Housewives and a rising nationwide backlash in opposition to their identities solely deepens the tragedy of that longstanding wartime technique. I’d want all of them luck, however I do not suppose even the gods or Andy Cohen can save them now.