In 2024, Real Housewife Dorit Kemsley lit a cigarette. Nothing has been the same since.
For the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, who had long exasperated fans with her inexplicable accent and carefully curated (read: boring) TV image, it was like a Bad Sandy in Grease moment. She separated from her husband, exposed his alcoholism, and then used the same lighter she fired up that cig with to set her relationship with former best friend Kyle Richards, the Alpha Socialite of RHOBH, aflame.
Fans were living for it, this no-fucks-given attitude, a badass phoenix rising from the ashtray.
That was then. The attention that Dorit received for breaking bad may have briefly given her wings, but now, a resounding sentiment among fans is that she’s flown too close to the sun.
The RHOBH reunion just ended, finally putting punctuation on a long and monotonous running sentence.
The conclusion of any Real Housewives reunion is a reflective point for the show’s fans, if not for its stars as well.
RHOBH finds itself in a strange position. There is deep history between much of its cast, which is typically an asset for a Housewives season. But the sheer dominance of Dorit’s “I’m going through a hard time” spiral-cum-tantrum, and refusal to engage in any accountable conversation with the cast, amounted to a weekly viewing experience akin to playing a video game and reaching game over at the same point again and again. RHOBH’s final boss is Dorit Willing to Engage, and it’s yet to beat it.