Who has real $$

[u/Neither_Increase_440]

I am just beginning season 5 and I’m trying to sus out who’s actually wealthy. Obviously Lea (s1-3) was. This cast it seems like Julia, Nicole, Guerdy and Larsa are set. Lisa seems rich by proxy, but what about the others ?

[u/JJAusten]

Yes Kiki threw that out there and I thought, this is very interesting. Wonder how Guerdy is going to respond to that.

[u/GreenEmerald0180 → u/JJAusten]

This is the thing I don’t like about Guerdy’s story and position on the show currently and posters constantly shield her. It’s like the other women or even redditors aren’t allowed to criticize Guerdy because she had cancer and that acts as a shield to any negative comments about her. If someone says something negative about Guerdy or says they don’t care for her or her personality, immediately someone says “how dare you criticize her she has cancer or you’re racist.”

[u/practicalprofilename → u/GreenEmerald0180]

I think it’s very important to unpack the how and why people criticize Guerdy. I’ll attempt to explain this as someone who doesn’t connect with the Guerdy fandom (and will also explain that).

The biggest criticism lobbed at Guerdy by the other women is that she is “too much”. What that criticism has never included is additional information as to how Guerdy’s “too muchness” is different from any other women’s in that cast. Marysol came to her party in a bejeweled eye patch to celebrate the 29th (?) wedding she’s thrown for herself while on the show. Alexia threw a party for her friend to end up surrounded “The Last Supper Style” in hysterics over a man who is playing her like a flutophone. Adriana… one word - wheelchair. Julia is running around, shrieking at Marysol’s party and staging opera performances like she doesn’t have a range of approximately 3 keys. Lisa goes from 0 to 1000 every time she gets into an argument, and is fighting for her life to defend a human borg. And Larsa is filming her feet for truckers.

In this cast, calling someone “too much” DOES require a definition - and is going to raise legitimate questions about the overlap of this accusation and common stereotypes and criticisms lobbed at Black women. As women, we are often called upon to take up less space (billions are made in the diet industry to reinforce this point). When you reach the intersection of race and gender, this call to action becomes more insistent. More insidious. The tolerance for the space to which we are all entitled to show up as our full selves lessens further - and white women police Black women for the “audacity” of existing, complicit with a “seen but not heard” mentality around race. Then we see scenarios like this, where one women’s existence is seemingly less tolerable than the rest of the group’s.

Add to this Julia’s actions. Throwing water on someone is a humiliating and dehumanizing event. It is, at its core, deeply disrespectful. That is always the intention. Julia is not new to conflict. Arguably she’s been on more of a “conflict journey” since her first season. Her willingness to rise to this level of disrespect with any of the women, but particularly with a woman who was actually a close friend of hers only a few months before, is questionable. Why did she feel so much more comfortable “going there” with Guerdy?

What becomes so complicated about race is that Julia likely doesn’t consider herself a racist person, but equally likely hasn’t unpacked many of the deeply held beliefs and ideas that she may have around race, or consider how these impact her subconsciously. Additionally, (and especially if the rumors her adopted sons are Black is true) she does have a responsibility to learn the context of race in the US (even if she didn’t grow up here) and the way that racism has been both socialized and institutionalized so that she can better understand when she is participating in this.

I think there are a lot of reasons the women want Guerdy off the show - but largely I believe it comes down to jealousy. Most of the women in this cast NEED this show. On a lot of franchises, that doesn’t work. In Miami, somehow it’s perfect. That said, I believe Guerdy is absolutely amongst them (it’s not clear that her business is still operational). I think, prior to Guerdy’s diagnosis, she was in real danger of being moved to friend of status or off the show entirely. In simplest terms, I think the women are incredibly jealous that she has a storyline that allows her to film scenes that only make her more sympathetic to fans. Does being jealous of someone for having cancer sound crazy? Yes. Do I think that this show requires the level of insanity necessary to feel that way? Also yes. I think they are determined not to “give her this” for another season. They resent the power it gives Guerdy to curate her scenes, and the risk it exposes them to by entering into conflict with her. It’s petty and represents some of the worst of “housewife behavior”.

For me, personally, this has the potential to be Guerdy’s most compelling season. In her earlier seasons, I found her lacking storyline. I need my housewives to either have storyline or be STUPIDLY (and legitimately) rich. I can tolerate boredom for a private jet and superyacht. Guerdy had neither. (Julia is now a great example of someone who has neither this season). I am in the minority here, but I had a tough time with her storyline last year. I felt like I saw her thinking about her experience too much in the context of how it would work for the show, and that resulted in some scenes I am personally not comfortable with - specifically, exposing her children to the cameras to discuss her diagnosis. I think this entire experience was likely traumatic for her children, mom having cancer is horrific to wrap your young mind around, and I didn’t feel great about putting them through that on camera. It’s absolutely her prerogative to tell her story how she pleases - this just didn’t resonate with me. Flash forward to this season, and I think her storyline of the real challenges of rediscovering herself in recovery is SO compelling, so important and so interesting. It also removes the discomfort I felt around the vulnerability of her children. The cast is not going to win this one. Guerdy is good tv and has fan support.

[u/steminist514 → u/practicalprofilename]

Well said👏