Why Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives’ Has Failed Us

I didn’t watch Bravo’s Real Housewives set of programs until Real Housewives of Atlanta premiered last year. There was a lot of buzz in the urban community about these wives, so I had to see for myself the madness and the mayhem surrounding these divas from the Peachtree state. Like many others, I became entrenched in these women’s lives as they cursed each other out, fought, clawed, and pulled wigs. It was must see TV alright. After becoming a fan of RHOA, I began watching the other installments of the series, which included Orange County (the flagship), New York, and later, New Jersey.

Then I began to see a pattern here.

These are not real housewives at all.

They are poor representations of women who run their homes as well as juggle their careers. When I look at these so-called housewives (which many aren’t because they are not even married), I see that Bravo’s blatant attempt to pull us in is working. But instead of showing real housewives with real problems and issues and concerns, they’ve decided to make it into a soap opera entity with plenty of drama. As a mother of two myself who has a real story to tell, the Real Housewives franchise is a little disheartening.

There is such a thing as “entertainment purposes only”. And yes, I know money talks and so does commercial airtime. The more drama a “reality” show can have, the more dollars the network can make. I truly get it. But at the same time, we have to ask ourselves does everything have to have a sell-out factor? What is wrong with showing real women dealing with real issues when it comes to being married, parenting, and working on their careers and goals? Why isn’t there a show on television showing true images of this?

Would it not be a success for a network?

Real Housewives is a fail to me. There is so much more that could’ve been done with these programs, but alas, it’s not. So we can just laugh at others expense while the real “hero” in this debacle is the television network, who rakes in the dough.

I hear the latest installment of the D.C. housewives show a more realistic view of ‘A Cubicle Chick’, but because I’ve been tainted by so many of these “supposedly” real shows, I think I will pass. That is one party I don’t mind being tardy for.

What are your thoughts on the Real Housewives shows? Do you watch? And more importantly, why do you watch? Are we laughing AT these ladies and not WITH them? Sound off below.