Bravo, This Might Be Tacky Even For You

You know I love me some Bravo TV, right? But in recent weeks, the Housewives franchise has gone from unintentionally funny burlesque shows to serious criminal charges and suicide.  In response to the latter, Bravo has announced that it will be airing a special Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion episode to deal with the suicide of Housewife Taylor Armstrong’s estranged husband Russell Armstrong.

Housewives Lisa Vanderpump, Camille Grammer, Kyle and Kim Richards, and Adrienne Maloof were all present at the taping, though Taylor Armstrong was not. Bravo producers aren’t saying when this will air – before or after the series – or when the second season of the series itself will premiere.  Officially, they are slotted for September 5, although this still seems uncertain. They are reportedly just finishing up re-edits to pull back the focus on Taylor and Russell’s failing marriage, which was originally slotted to be a major plot of the season.  

It’s not clear what kind of “reunion” this will be. I am hoping it is short, to the point and addresses the tragedy in a mature and properly somber way. I am hoping it’s not a way for the ladies, or Bravo themselves, to air Russell’s dirty laundry.  Even if every horrible allegation is true, the man is dead and that’s just tacky.  He has kids, remember? They’re dealing with enough, I think, let alone poor Taylor.

Mostly, I hope this isn’t just some lame attempt on the part of Bravo executives to repudiate any potential finger-pointing that comes their way.  There is a lot of speculation as to what role Bravo and the Real Housewives franchise played in Russell Armstrong’s suicide, but we don’t need an hour long promotional video about how they aren’t to blame.