Fallen Housewife: How Brandi Glanville Went From Adored to Axed
The news of Bravo’s firing of Brandi Glanville was music to my ears. I was sick to death of her slurring trashy mouth, her bleary eyed, stumbling around habits, and her selfish attitude. Her “screw you” pride, molded into an uncontrolled persona, described and branded as a “truth cannon” was disturbing, especially considering she is a mother of two young children. As a blogger, I have spent hours recapping episodes of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” often cringing as I watched, wondering how I would pull off cleaning up whatever Brandi was going to vomit up next. It may come as a surprise when I say that when Brandi first blasted onto the scene, I was a huge fan.
One thing is for sure, I am a “Housewife” junkie. I have watched every franchise since the beginning, I still miss “The Real Housewives of DC,” and most episodes I watch more than once. While there have been numerous moments of cringing disgust, I love gawking at the clothes, the homes, and the wealth. I am interested in the quirky eccentricities, and even the bitchy interactions between the women. Yes, I know the storylines and scenarios are contrived, but true reality inevitably dribbles out, and sometimes even floods through Bravo’s scripts and manipulative editing. Fake drama mixed with real-life uppity struggles and challenges, makes for a delish voyeuristic escape from my own daily life, a reality that is strikingly undramatic, in contrast.
When Brandi came on the Beverly Hills scene, she was a discarded wife, a single mother hobbling on crutches, with a unique, breath of fresh air candor. She immediately triggered a mean girls’ reaction from the returning cast, and a christened by fire underdog was born, winning the support of viewers. She blurted her thoughts and opinions with no filter, and even when she overstepped, I cut her a break. Brandi offered no side eyes, no raised eyebrows, just raw honesty, all wrapped up in a cute, skinny package. When she joined forces with fan favorite, Lisa Vanderpump, a perfect duo was formed. Eliza Doolittle had found her Henry Higgins, and a real lady with manners and polish would surely emerge. Lisa has a naughty side, so she and Brandi could share some risqué laughs, and Lisa could mentor her, as their friendship progressed. Brandi and Adrienne Maloof sparred, with Brandi’s toxic mouth and Adrienne’s lawyers coming to blows. Brandi was miles out of line, but because Adrienne rubbed me the wrong way, I shrugged it off. Faye Resnick called Brandi out, but Faye’s whole TV persona was beyond gross, so Brandi came out of that brouhaha, sitting pretty. Lisa patiently tried to correct her missteps, and Brandi appeared to be working towards personal growth, which I am embarrassed to say, I bought, hook, line and sinker. Lisa’s husband, Ken, uncharacteristically stepped into the messy fray, chivalrously defending a woman’s honor who had no man in her corner. Brandi ultimately made that decision look like a foolish one.
A new season began, the wind shifted, and Lisa became public enemy #1. Most of the women turned on her, seemingly out of jealousy, and Lisa was confused, and sadly disappointed. Brandi’s betrayal stung the hardest, and the “unfiltered” honeymoon was officially over. Ken was furious that his wife was having to navigate through such an upsetting pile of televised sludge, and we watched the once amusing friendship between she and Brandi, crash and burn. Brandi upped her dramatic game, by clinging to unreasonable demands, and childishly and repetitively whining over the same self-absorbed issues. Off camera, Brandi was dropping verbal bombs by making outlandish public statements, once blathering that she wished that she had been molested as a child. She was seen out on the town, half exposed, and falling down drunk. She returned to the show, and continued to carve out her reality niche, by deliberately and gratuitously shocking at every turn. She abused rookie housewife Joyce, and aligned herself with Carlton, another newbie whom I found grossly difficult to watch. The duo bonded over their mutual and obnoxious affection for jolting their audience, and the ick factor was palpable. Brandi routinely bragged about her one night stands, as we watched her shlep her overused stripper pole from rental to rental. She joined forces with a struggling addict, validating sick patterns, and manipulating her to distrust her beaten down sister.
Brandi evolved from a fan favorite, to someone viewers wanted thrown out. A lame attempt to win back her most valuable, and wealthiest ally didn’t slow her gutter-level jabs, and even Yolanda Foster, Brandi’s never wavering cheerleader, began to show signs of throwing in the towel. Brandi had morphed from a likable mess, into a narcissistic, unrestrained, vulgar drunk….not exactly a reflection of ritzy Beverly Hills. Bravo finally listened to fan foot stomping, and took out the trash, dismissing Brandi, while viewers virtually cheered. Brandi’s truth cannon had backfired, shooting her off of Bravo’s payroll.
I instinctively believed that this woman wanted to grow and change into someone we would love to watch navigate life in Beverly Hills. I was duped by Brandi Glanville, and I am glad that she’s gone.
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Becca is a Senior Editor for All About The Tea. She’s a coastal girl who loves the outdoors, and writing about the sneaky and silly side of reality TV. Her bio is short, but her snark is endless. She loves writing for the sharpest posters in the world.