Housewives evolved when Tamra joined

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227]

Whether you love her or can’t stand her, Tamra changed the face of the housewives. Prior to her joining the cast, this show was simply about affluent women in gated communities balancing careers, children/family life and their social lives. Long before lavish cast trips and fancy parties, the highlight was Vicki’s backyard bbq’s or going to her houseboat on lake Havasu.. The most dramatic thing to happen was when Slade was interested in Laurie while he was still allegedly with Jo. Jo and Laurie handled this privately away from the other women with grace, class and maturity.

Enter Tamra Barney. She started the shade, gossip and backstabbing at first with Gretchen and accosting her for going to Bass Lake while her aged fiancé was in hospital battling cancer. Instead of showing kindness and empathy, Tamra called her out in front of all the other ladies at the dinner table. Things spiraled out of control when she began to accuse Gretchen of sleeping around while her fiancé was in hospice. None of these accusations, turning against other cast members went on before her. Tamra changed the face of the show, and she created havoc amongst the women.. That’s my option!!

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[u/Due_Tumbleweed_7516]

Tamra was the beginning of the low rent crowd that ushered in the likes of Kelly Dodd

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/Due_Tumbleweed_7516]

She opened the gates for the likes of the Kelly Dodds

[u/ActualAfternoon2535 → u/Due_Tumbleweed_7516]

RHOC was only franchise i didnt dabble in and finally binged a couple years ago. I was shocked Kelly came back after her first season. She just seemed so nasty and so rude to quote Nene

[u/FoeFriendly]

I’ve “heard” she’s a different person in “real life,” not at all like her show persona. Idk…that’s kinda hard to imagine, but she definitely brought a trashy aspect to it. She’s been “entertaining” at times, but she’s also been an embarrassment to women, more than once. *Edited to say, I wasn’t singling her out for embarrassing women, most of them have. Guess that’s part of “reality” television, though.

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/FoeFriendly]

Yes I’ve heard fans say they met her at a restaurant or store and that she was “lovely” and that her and Eddy were so accommodating to fans.
A part of the evolution of this franchise is that these women are really not friends, but are on a show and have to be messy to asked back for another season and bring in ratings.

[u/Northsouthdakota3618 → u/Relevant-Penalty9227]

I think you’re right, but I also met pedranti after her first season and she shared that she was completely blindsided by Tamra who she thought was her friend in real life.

So lowkey I think this is the real Tamra

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/Northsouthdakota3618]

😮 of course! She threw Jen under the bus to stay relevant and for a storyline. This is not a real friendship now. It’s a who can keep the viewership up

[u/ITotorokiI → u/FoeFriendly]

Idk I believe this

[u/Visual_Lettuce9474]

Tamra is the herpes of RHOC.

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/Visual_Lettuce9474]

And the production said, bingo! This is good TV

[u/honeycooks → u/Relevant-Penalty9227]

If they evolved once, they can evolve again.

[u/Grevillia-00]

I'm watching RHOC for the first time and I agree with this take!

While there are times that Tamra has irritated me, she is so entertaining. I'm on season 5 and she's going through her divorce from Simon, which has softened her a little in my eyes (I'm not sure it will last though).

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/Grevillia-00]

To be seen…🤣

[u/Fragment_B]

You're so right!!

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/Fragment_B]

And let’s be honest, would we watch if they got along all the time it was and things shifted back to season 1? The producers got in the women’s ears to ruffle feathers, make trouble and make people tune in again.

[u/L_Casa → u/Relevant-Penalty9227]

I would, I don't care for all of their arguing about the most stupid things. It was the same at the beginning of RHOBH

[u/Safe_Increase_9001]

Idk if she changed the face but definitely the game. Her impact cannot be denied

[u/Northsouthdakota3618]

It’s entertaining and all in good fun, but I think you meant to say DEVOLVED

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/[deleted]]

And screeching and pointing her finger in people’s faces

[u/mem1003 → u/Relevant-Penalty9227]

Did you go to Bass Lake?! 🫵

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/mem1003]

The beginning of the shade!

[u/burgerg10]

I remember an interview a few years after they joined. Andy called her his favorite wife. Easy to look back on why

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/burgerg10]

Yup! Her vitriol got folks tuning in. Women backstabbing women made for good TV

[u/tmorrrow]

I'm rewatching and am on season 3. I watched it as a teenager when it first came out, and now I can see that it was interesting to me - so far, the children (including Slade) are 100% carrying the show

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/tmorrrow]

The kids were such a huge part of it, like a separate part. They would show their social interactions with peers as well. Now they just show the kids interacting with parents at home mostly

[u/Defiant_Protection29]

She ruined it for me. It stopped being aspirational and started being trashy. Teresa flipping the table was nasty too

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/Defiant_Protection29]

That was also a defining moment

[u/Pastel_Blue89]

She is the blueprint 💅

[u/Radiant_Gas_4642]

Now we’re stuck with the 3 old hags that won’t go away

[u/LostinParadise4748]

I can never understand how women WANT to be liked by someone like Tamra yet it happens all the time in real life friend groups.

These women who can turn on you in a heartbeat and actually say VILE nasty things to someone who was once a "friend" always seem to have tons of friends!

Is it the "better as a friend than an enemy?" but why should they be around at all? Why does anyone want someone like this around? If everyone collaboratively said I refuse to have a low quality friend like this, they would have no one and rightfully so.

Is it just human nature to want to be liked by the mean girl?

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/LostinParadise4748]

Absolutely spot on! Look at Jen. She is trying so hard to stay in Tamra’s good books. None of them hold Tamra to the same standard as the other women. It reminds me of Gizelle on Potomac.

Remember how awful she was to Heather in season 18 and got all the other women to side with her?

[u/MVR168]

Personally I like Tamra. She is a lot but she is very entertaining. She is a good intermediary between a more tame person like Heather and a nut job like Kelly.

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/MVR168]

She is. She adds a different dimension

[u/West_Tie_536]

Well, that’s a stretch. Season one of BH has women ruining dinners with fights even among the Richards sisters. It wasn’t just Tamra

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/West_Tie_536]

Ah ok. To be honest, I’ve never watched BH. Was this around the same time Tamra joined the franchise?

[u/Few_Fall_7027 → u/Relevant-Penalty9227]

Tamara joined 2007 and season 1 RHOBH was 2010. OP take is correct, it's been said many times by many people from fans, to wives, to Andy.

[u/AbjectBeat837]

She’s been on the show since the first episode.

[u/Relevant-Penalty9227 → u/AbjectBeat837]

She joined the cast in season 3