BB: Recently fans got to take in what might be the pinnacle of the reality TV reunion subgenre: a face-off between Lisa Rinna and Kathy Hilton of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame. The two spent months feuding on Instagram about an alleged off-camera meltdown by Kathy Hilton during RHOBH season 12. Where the reunion used to be a place to recap or rehash the drama from a season, it’s now an opportunity for the producers to discuss bad behaviour that the cameras didn’t catch.
SWK: Oh yeah, it's not enough to have on-camera drama, we need to know the off-camera drama now, too. The Kathy Hilton moment feels like an evolution of the reality TV show reunion format, at least for the Real Housewives franchise. In seasons 1 and 2 of the RHOBH, the reunions were one hour and felt much tamer compared to where they are now. At around season 4, they became ratings bonzas and grew to three to four episodes long, with a higher production value, a glam squad, and heavy editing. Reunions are the payoff for making it to the end of a season of reality TV. Like the rosé-soaked cherry on top.
"We look forward to the reunion like football fans would the Super Bowl."
BB: We look forward to the reunion like football fans would the Super Bowl. Reunions have the effect of heightening the illusion of “reality” as well. They're staged in a way where castmates can say whatever they like without the intervention of producers or shady editing, but reunion episodes are, of course, just as heavily produced and edited as any other episode in the season. The off-camera drama and the Instagram feuds that drive the reunions have also started to blur the border between “the show” and the actual lives of the castmates. Fans have even more access to their favourite reality TV stars, increasing their investment in the show and the stakes of the reunion episode.
SWK: That access now includes everything anyone who goes on a reality TV show posts online or on social media. It can be used in the reunion against them, or as a way to defend themselves from drama that occurred during their season. Unlike paid actors, reality TV show stars don't get to separate their personal and public lives, they have to provide nearly total access to their lives to help us buy into the "reality" of the set up.
BB: Bravo has always pushed the limit when it comes to what kind of access viewers get to the lives of the Housewives. In season 6 of the Real Housewives of New York, Ramona Singer’s 20-year marriage falls apart due to affair allegations but in the reunion, Ramona iconically refuses to discuss this portion of her life, telling Andy Cohen to play the next clip. She even claps back at Andy, asking him to discuss who he’s sleeping with. Andy replies, “I’ll tell you when I go on a reality show." Of course the details of the affair and Ramona's subsequent divorce are eventually revealed… in the next season. Ramona then gets back at everyone during the season 7 reunion by falling asleep.
SWK: Andy Cohen has truly become the Grande Dame of reality TV show reunions, in large part thanks to the Real Housewives franchise. He's savvy when it comes to throwing shade at the housewives, he tries to be the cool, calm moderator, and he seems to be able to get them to disclose personal details about drama on the show, or at least makes it seem natural by prompting them to "open up and share." Real Housewives has also perfected the live reaction to replays of clips from the season as part of the reunion format, creating a drama on drama sandwich.
BB: Andy’s no holds barred style of questioning has definitely come to be accepted by viewers. He gets away with it, but not all reality TV show hosts are so easily forgiven. Recently, Psychology Today published an article about how Nick and Vanessa Lachey of Love is Blind fail to notice some of the abusive behaviour that pops up in season 3.
During the reunion episode they replay a clip where Colleen flirts with another contestant, causing her fiance to become enraged. In replaying the clip, the hosts are potentially putting Colleen in further danger, proving that reality TV hosts are not held to the ethical standards that therapists are. I mean, beyond being married, what credentials does Nick Lachey have to make him a good moderator for the LIB reunion? We all know what went down in Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica (his early 2000s reality TV show with ex-wife Jessica Simpson)!
SWK: For sure, the fact that the former frontman of 98°, and a known Jessica Simpson bully, is dispensing relationship advice in a reunion is wild, even by reality TV standards. By calling itself a "social experiment," LIB puts the Lachey's in the role of a therapist, rather than simply hosts who smile and look pretty. And they play this role the most in the reunions, leaning into the "speak your truth" vibe of these episodes. It blurs the line even further between what is real and what is fake as cast members reflect on their actions on the show in a "truth telling" space.
BB: Even in shows like Drag Race that lean into the absurdity of the reunion format, RuPaul uses therapy-speak to try and navigate the genuine emotion that comes up with contestants. Ru’s self-help mottos like, “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” and “Don't listen to your inner saboteur,” have developed slowly and steadily over the seasons, possibly in response to our growing understanding of the mental health repercussions that come with being on a reality TV show. But let’s face it, despite his guru persona on the show, RuPaul is not a licensed therapist.
"But let’s face it, despite his guru persona on the show, RuPaul is not a licensed therapist. "
SWK: RuPaul's guru mother status is part of his overall brand (for better or worse), and that vibe carries over into the reunions, a space tailor-made for ru-demption moments. Drag Race reunions also fall before the finale, instead of at the end of the show, which means the queens are still technically in the competition and may be thinking more about how they are perceived by fans or their fellow queens.
BB: Right, and when reality TV reunions take place after the show has been aired, the reunion is an opportunity for contestants to rehabilitate their images. This might be why the reunions are attractive for contestants, they participate with the hope that they will be able to tell “their side of the story” if they are one of the unfortunate souls who’ve received the villain edit.
SWK: In the reunion for RPDR season 11, Sasha and Shea's call out of Valentina, and her toxic fan base, is memorable for the line "Do I look upset to you?" but it's also an example of the contrast between how Valentina presented herself during the season, and what she was actually like off-camera or online. At the reunion, the other queens can call each other out/read each other in a more public way, and try to counteract the narratives of their season. It gives them a space to rewrite how they were portrayed on the show.
BB: As viewers, we have our favourites, our hometown heroes, so we watch along hoping that they are successful in rescripting their character arc but this is rarely the case. Reality TV has a commitment to maintaining whatever version of reality it constructed during the season so contestants rarely get the last laugh, and if they do, it might get cut out of the reunion.
SWK: Absolutely. The delusion of "rewriting your story" embedded in the reunion format makes them even more essential to the genre of reality TV. They feed the drama machine and they add to the overall social capital of these shows by creating meme-able moments that spread all over social media.
"It's like a snake eating itself. Except in this case, the snake is bejeweled, botoxed, and with full hair and makeup."
BB: The more a show is willing to provide for the viewer, the more we are emotionally invested, and the more we demand of reality TV stars, the more reality TV gets made. It's like a snake eating itself. Except in this case, the snake is bejeweled, botoxed, and with full hair and makeup.
SWK: My favourite type of reptile.
Sharona from Poughkeepskie, NY wants to know…
Fave reunion moment:
BB: Alaska in RPDR All Stars 2 reunion, recreating the scene where RHONY cast member, Aviva Drescher, throws her prosthetic leg on a table and says, “The only thing that is fake about me, is this.” Alaska, in recreating this very clearly staged TV moment, is winking at the Drag Race audience and confirming what we already know: there is nothing real about reality TV.
SWK: Ra'Jah in Season 11 of RPDR (U.S.) admitting someone else's wig "made it into my suitcase… accidentally" and then throwing it on stage to return it was also a great moment. Gimmicky, shady, and honest: the perfect wig ru-demption to wrap up the season.
Karen from White Castle, NJ wants to know…
Dream reunion cast:
SWK: Kim Richards for her unpredictability and finger pointing game, Lisa Vanderpump for the drama and the denial, Kyle Richards for some balance, Valentina for her peak levels of delusion, Tatiana for her epic call outs, Asia O'Hara for keeping it real, Cole or Shayne from Love is Blind for the oblivious young guy pov, hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey for their weird therapy speak that would get on everyone's last nerve.
BB: Tammy “I don’t see you out there walking children in nature” Brown, NeNe Leaks for her one-liners, Ramona Singer for the walk-offs and zzzz’s, electric cigarette smoker/Medium Allison Dubois for some psychic reads, Christine Quinn because we were robbed by her absence in the Selling Sunset season 5 reunion, hosted by Cardi B.
BB: Recently fans got to take in what might be the pinnacle of the reality TV reunion subgenre: a face-off between Lisa Rinna and Kathy Hilton of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame. The two spent months feuding on Instagram about an alleged off-camera meltdown by Kathy Hilton during RHOBH season 12. Where the reunion used to be a place to recap or rehash the drama from a season, it’s now an opportunity for the producers to discuss bad behaviour that the cameras didn’t catch.
SWK: Oh yeah, it's not enough to have on-camera drama, we need to know the off-camera drama now, too. The Kathy Hilton moment feels like an evolution of the reality TV show reunion format, at least for the Real Housewives franchise. In seasons 1 and 2 of the RHOBH, the reunions were one hour and felt much tamer compared to where they are now. At around season 4, they became ratings bonzas and grew to three to four episodes long, with a higher production value, a glam squad, and heavy editing. Reunions are the payoff for making it to the end of a season of reality TV. Like the rosé-soaked cherry on top.
"We look forward to the reunion like football fans would the Super Bowl."
BB: We look forward to the reunion like football fans would the Super Bowl. Reunions have the effect of heightening the illusion of “reality” as well. They're staged in a way where castmates can say whatever they like without the intervention of producers or shady editing, but reunion episodes are, of course, just as heavily produced and edited as any other episode in the season. The off-camera drama and the Instagram feuds that drive the reunions have also started to blur the border between “the show” and the actual lives of the castmates. Fans have even more access to their favourite reality TV stars, increasing their investment in the show and the stakes of the reunion episode.
SWK: That access now includes everything anyone who goes on a reality TV show posts online or on social media. It can be used in the reunion against them, or as a way to defend themselves from drama that occurred during their season. Unlike paid actors, reality TV show stars don't get to separate their personal and public lives, they have to provide nearly total access to their lives to help us buy into the "reality" of the set up.
BB: Bravo has always pushed the limit when it comes to what kind of access viewers get to the lives of the Housewives. In season 6 of the Real Housewives of New York, Ramona Singer’s 20-year marriage falls apart due to affair allegations but in the reunion, Ramona iconically refuses to discuss this portion of her life, telling Andy Cohen to play the next clip. She even claps back at Andy, asking him to discuss who he’s sleeping with. Andy replies, “I’ll tell you when I go on a reality show." Of course the details of the affair and Ramona's subsequent divorce are eventually revealed… in the next season. Ramona then gets back at everyone during the season 7 reunion by falling asleep.
SWK: Andy Cohen has truly become the Grande Dame of reality TV show reunions, in large part thanks to the Real Housewives franchise. He's savvy when it comes to throwing shade at the housewives, he tries to be the cool, calm moderator, and he seems to be able to get them to disclose personal details about drama on the show, or at least makes it seem natural by prompting them to "open up and share." Real Housewives has also perfected the live reaction to replays of clips from the season as part of the reunion format, creating a drama on drama sandwich.
BB: Andy’s no holds barred style of questioning has definitely come to be accepted by viewers. He gets away with it, but not all reality TV show hosts are so easily forgiven. Recently, Psychology Today published an article about how Nick and Vanessa Lachey of Love is Blind fail to notice some of the abusive behaviour that pops up in season 3.
During the reunion episode they replay a clip where Colleen flirts with another contestant, causing her fiance to become enraged. In replaying the clip, the hosts are potentially putting Colleen in further danger, proving that reality TV hosts are not held to the ethical standards that therapists are. I mean, beyond being married, what credentials does Nick Lachey have to make him a good moderator for the LIB reunion? We all know what went down in Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica (his early 2000s reality TV show with ex-wife Jessica Simpson)!
SWK: For sure, the fact that the former frontman of 98°, and a known Jessica Simpson bully, is dispensing relationship advice in a reunion is wild, even by reality TV standards. By calling itself a "social experiment," LIB puts the Lachey's in the role of a therapist, rather than simply hosts who smile and look pretty. And they play this role the most in the reunions, leaning into the "speak your truth" vibe of these episodes. It blurs the line even further between what is real and what is fake as cast members reflect on their actions on the show in a "truth telling" space.
BB: Even in shows like Drag Race that lean into the absurdity of the reunion format, RuPaul uses therapy-speak to try and navigate the genuine emotion that comes up with contestants. Ru’s self-help mottos like, “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” and “Don't listen to your inner saboteur,” have developed slowly and steadily over the seasons, possibly in response to our growing understanding of the mental health repercussions that come with being on a reality TV show. But let’s face it, despite his guru persona on the show, RuPaul is not a licensed therapist.
"But let’s face it, despite his guru persona on the show, RuPaul is not a licensed therapist. "
SWK: RuPaul's guru mother status is part of his overall brand (for better or worse), and that vibe carries over into the reunions, a space tailor-made for ru-demption moments. Drag Race reunions also fall before the finale, instead of at the end of the show, which means the queens are still technically in the competition and may be thinking more about how they are perceived by fans or their fellow queens.
BB: Right, and when reality TV reunions take place after the show has been aired, the reunion is an opportunity for contestants to rehabilitate their images. This might be why the reunions are attractive for contestants, they participate with the hope that they will be able to tell “their side of the story” if they are one of the unfortunate souls who’ve received the villain edit.
SWK: In the reunion for RPDR season 11, Sasha and Shea's call out of Valentina, and her toxic fan base, is memorable for the line "Do I look upset to you?" but it's also an example of the contrast between how Valentina presented herself during the season, and what she was actually like off-camera or online. At the reunion, the other queens can call each other out/read each other in a more public way, and try to counteract the narratives of their season. It gives them a space to rewrite how they were portrayed on the show.
BB: As viewers, we have our favourites, our hometown heroes, so we watch along hoping that they are successful in rescripting their character arc but this is rarely the case. Reality TV has a commitment to maintaining whatever version of reality it constructed during the season so contestants rarely get the last laugh, and if they do, it might get cut out of the reunion.
SWK: Absolutely. The delusion of "rewriting your story" embedded in the reunion format makes them even more essential to the genre of reality TV. They feed the drama machine and they add to the overall social capital of these shows by creating meme-able moments that spread all over social media.
"It's like a snake eating itself. Except in this case, the snake is bejeweled, botoxed, and with full hair and makeup."
BB: The more a show is willing to provide for the viewer, the more we are emotionally invested, and the more we demand of reality TV stars, the more reality TV gets made. It's like a snake eating itself. Except in this case, the snake is bejeweled, botoxed, and with full hair and makeup.
SWK: My favourite type of reptile.
Sharona from Poughkeepskie, NY wants to know…
Fave reunion moment:
BB: Alaska in RPDR All Stars 2 reunion, recreating the scene where RHONY cast member, Aviva Drescher, throws her prosthetic leg on a table and says, “The only thing that is fake about me, is this.” Alaska, in recreating this very clearly staged TV moment, is winking at the Drag Race audience and confirming what we already know: there is nothing real about reality TV.
SWK: Ra'Jah in Season 11 of RPDR (U.S.) admitting someone else's wig "made it into my suitcase… accidentally" and then throwing it on stage to return it was also a great moment. Gimmicky, shady, and honest: the perfect wig ru-demption to wrap up the season.
Karen from White Castle, NJ wants to know…
Dream reunion cast:
SWK: Kim Richards for her unpredictability and finger pointing game, Lisa Vanderpump for the drama and the denial, Kyle Richards for some balance, Valentina for her peak levels of delusion, Tatiana for her epic call outs, Asia O'Hara for keeping it real, Cole or Shayne from Love is Blind for the oblivious young guy pov, hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey for their weird therapy speak that would get on everyone's last nerve.
BB: Tammy “I don’t see you out there walking children in nature” Brown, NeNe Leaks for her one-liners, Ramona Singer for the walk-offs and zzzz’s, electric cigarette smoker/Medium Allison Dubois for some psychic reads, Christine Quinn because we were robbed by her absence in the Selling Sunset season 5 reunion, hosted by Cardi B.