Earlier this year, news broke that Kathy Hilton appeared at the reunion for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 13.
At the time, we knew she had zero scenes in the series this season, hinting that producers were bringing her in as backup for her sister, Kyle Richards.
After 17 episodes of arguments going in circles and unnecessary mystery surrounding the status of Kyle’s relationship with Mauricio Umansky, the only way was up for the show during the three-part reunion.
Somehow, the long-in-the-tooth reality series plunged to new levels of mediocrity, with reunion episodes worse than the ones that came before them—a feat pretty unheard of by Real Housewives standards.
Hilton’s arrival was hastily planned, and her input, aside from thinly veiled digs at her sister’s co-stars, could have been an email.
Much like Dorit Kemsley the entire season, Hilton brought nothing of substance, highlighting the broader issue with the show: few of the storylines and personalities still on it are interesting.
Could the show slip further into mediocrity?
We’ve talked at length about what’s wrong with the show, but the truth is, a big shift is the only way for it not to slip further into the hole it’s already dug for itself.
Honestly, we’re surprised Hilton even agreed to appear. Aside from smug comments and defending her sister, what did she accomplish?
Even worse is that she revealed she didn’t watch the show and noted that she preferred Watch What Happens Live.
That was an immediate red flag because how could she realistically form an opinion on the storylines if she was only told them from Kyle’s perspective?
Denise Richards could have made the reunion more watchable
As much as Denise Richards self-destructed throughout the season, she would have been better at the reunion. Then again, what could she have talked about beyond her meltdowns?
Now that the reunion is over, we didn’t get any answers to the burning questions we expected, including what was going on with Kyle as the season was airing.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, much of the conflict between the women seemed like they were grasping at straws to score a contract for another season.
RHOBH rates better than the other cities, so there’s little chance that producers will do anything of substance. And, with filming set to get underway next month, there’s a good chance the cast will mostly remain unchanged.
Dorit Kemsley probably secured another year due to her feud with Kyle, while controversial newbie Annemarie Wiley may score a last-minute reprieve.
Bravo won’t take action until the ratings drop
Despite spending the season talking about Sutton Stracke’s esophagus, she did perform well at the reunion, which could urge producers to give her another shot on the show.
Beyond that, it’s glaringly apparent the show needs to make some changes, but with ratings still healthy, we shouldn’t expect anything big for a while.
The big question will be whether Kyle will still be trying to conceal parts of her life from the cameras because, let’s face it, the only way to redeem her in the eyes of fans at the reunion was to delve into what was going on.
Sadly, that didn’t happen. At this stage, it’s almost like she’s talking in riddles because everything she says is a nothingburger that leaves fans wanting more.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is currently on hiatus. Season 14 is expected to premiere later this year. Stream Seasons 1-13 on Peacock.