#SouthernCharm: Semantics

If you came here looking for the post titled “Why did Patricia Block Thomas on Social Media?” I removed it at the behest of Patricia Altschul herself after she messaged me (on Instagram) saying there’s more to the story of the estrangement — in light of the sexual assault allegations against Thomas Ravenel. She said she’d be happy to address things with me once the network gag order has been lifted.

I really hate to remove posts, but I needed to respect this type of request which is entirely valid and reasonable. For now, Bravo has asked cast mates not to speak out about Thomas amidst the allegations. I’m not certain that Patricia and I will be able to connect at a later juncture, but suffice it to say, there is a LOT that transpired to cause her estrangement from Thomas and his girlfriend Ashley Jacobs.

Speaking of those allegations and the “investigation” into them, Tamara Tattles reported that Thomas will not be returning next season http://tamaratattles.com/2018/06/01/this-will-be-thomas-ravenels-last-season-on-southern-charm/#comment-492346 and that the official announcement will be made around the time of the reunion.

I believe that’s when People Magazine and other publications will have the official word from the network. Bear in mind that Thomas’s contract actually expires after the upcoming reunion, so he needn’t be “fired” necessarily. It’s more likely his contract “will not be renewed.” Semantics!

In my opinion, the optics haven’t been great for Bravo here:

During a time when other networks are rushing to make announcements about their controversial stars and nip things in the bud immediately, Bravo has remained mostly mum. If Tamara Tattles proves to be correct (and she asserts that she has a rock solid source), let it serve as peace of mind for those irked by what has appeared to be #InactionByBravo.

Due to Thomas’s reported rifts from many of his cast mates, I personally did not see how he could return to Southern Charm or even desire to do so. Remember, Whitney Sudler-Smith is also an Executive Producer of the franchise.

It will be interesting to see how Bravo positions things to viewers. Expect any official announcement that follows to come around June 12th-14th. I was told the reunion is being filmed between those dates.

(Photo Source: Bravo. Interestingly, this is a cast picture without Thomas Ravenel which is fitting for the projected future of the franchise.)

Bravo TV, Reality TV

#SouthernCharm: Rumors of a Ravenel Firing

According to Amy Feinstein of Inquistr.com, rumors are flying about a Thomas Ravenel firing from the Bravo show Southern Charm. It’s been a tough time for one gossip site that’s been chomping at the bit and working overtime to malign TRav’s sexual assault accusers and paint him in a favorable light. They are quite unique in this regard as others are believing the women alleged to have been victimized by Ravenel.

However, online observers have noted that the above-referenced curmudgeons of the reality TV gossip site have shifted focus to other reality characters, perhaps knowing the Ravenel story is now beyond resuscitation.

As Amy Feinstein writes: Bloggers and commentators on social media have declared that Thomas has been fired from Southern Charm. However, as of now there has been no official announcement from Bravo or from Haymaker productions.

Developing story. Stay tuned.

Bravo TV, Reality TV, Television

#SouthernCharm: More from Luzanne Otte Who BRIEFLY Dated Thomas Ravenel

Since my last post about Southern Charm, I have had certain haters come out of hiding. (Last post: https://wordpress.com/post/shirasgotthescoop.com/482) These are not people I know IRL (as the kids say, the abbreviation for “In Real Life”), so it’s alright for the most part. These are the types of individuals who use cartoons of animals as profile pics and pseudonyms to protect their real identities. They’ve made sure to rub it in that there is no longer a Huffington Post Contributor platform for the 100k writers who were on it. Some of them even claim to be responsible for the Huffington Post no longer having that platform – they say it’s because of a Housewives show on Bravo that I reviewed unfavorably. Now THAT would be quite a feat if it were true! Instead it’s laughable to think that a small group objecting to some show recaps I wrote sank an entire platform of 100K writers.

Simultaneously, there have been so many clues that actually STARE YOU IN THE FACE so you know exactly who these people – these “trolls” – are. It’s clear that the folks who are now tweeting about me since I interviewed Luzanne either work for Thomas Ravenel or conduct some pro-bono activity on his (and his girlfriend Ashley Jacobs’) behalf.

In other news, today there were questions raised by bloggers as to whether Luzanne was auditioned for the show Southern Charm. Luzanne swears to me that because of her insane 9-5 job working for the archdiocese and an overall lack of desire to be on television, she was clear about it never working out in a million years when Patricia Altschul and Thomas alluded to the possibility.

Tamara Tattles wrote this great piece in support of Luzanne. However, she also questioned whether Luzanne auditioned for the show: http://tamaratattles.com/2018/05/24/my-post-about-the-luzanne-otte-situation/. I respectfully agree to disagree on certain topics with Tamara Tattles, but I commend her on her overall support of and belief in Luzanne Otte who became an unwitting victim of salacious (and false) website gossip. Her article was well-written.

I asked Luzanne today about the whole notion of “auditioning” for the show and here is exactly how she responded to me:

“Not at all. I thought Thomas was trying to become a better man and looking for a strong woman to help him get there. I really thought he’d turned over a new leaf. It wasn’t until sitting with Pat and Thomas when I kept saying I wouldn’t be on the show, then the look on his face and not hearing me that I realized he may be looking for a woman to redeem himself. ‘Look I’ve got this debutante, church lawyer, friend of Pat’s who likes me.’ But the fact of the matter is, even if I didn’t object to reality TV, I love my job and need a job to pay my bills.”

On a related note, FitsNews.com recently reported that Thomas Ravenel has been in a depressed, anxious and highly agitated state since the sexual assault allegations came to light (Luzanne’s disclosure – let the record state – was NOT at all sexual in nature. She spoke of a Jekyll and Hyde switch from sweet by day to volatile at night). Sources in Charleston and others in the know, tell me exclusively that he’s been fretting significantly since the interviews with Luzanne ran yesterday and the day before. He’s been trying to figure out the best ways to do some damage control, say these sources.

As for the sexual assault allegations and the resulting “investigation,” at this point we are waiting for an update from Charleston Police. Sources in the know tell me that Bravo has stated: What a reality TV personality does off camera is none of their concern.

I sincerely hope that those sources have gotten it all wrong here: Rape (as Nanny Dawn alleges in the statement she brought to the Charleston PD) is something to take with extreme gravity. Bravo is part of NBC Universal, so it seems ironic to me that Matt Lauer was so quickly dismissed from the network when more serious accusations currently plague Thomas Ravenel. We think of all the men who were immediately let go during this #MeToo and #TimesUp era: Mario Batali, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey and so many, many more. See this list: https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/weinstein-here-s-growing-list-men-accused-sexual-misconduct-n816546 .

I’m happy that after months of being unjustly maligned by gossip sites (allegedly ones that ate up sordid tales fed to them by TRav and Ashley), Luzanne Otte has had a chance to finally clear her name. I hope she can get back to the private life she so desperately craves.

Bravo TV

#SouthernCharm: “I NEVER Wanted to Be a Part of the Storyline” Says Luzanne Otte

If you are a fan of the Bravo show Southern Charm and you’ve read some of the more salacious – and completely outrageous – reports, you may recognize the name Luzanne Otte. However, Luzanne is pretty adamant that she never wanted you to know her name at all. No, she really did not intend to be a part of this in the least.

She agreed to date Thomas Ravenel because she is a friend of the show’s matriarchal character Patricia Altschul who was intent on this match. It took much prodding from Patricia to convince Luzanne that the former felon had turned over a new leaf. As a Christian, Luzanne desperately wanted to be compassionate and forgiving and to see Thomas in the new light that Patricia apparently saw him (As we now know, Patricia also has changed her tune and perception of Mr. Ravenel since filming of the current season wrapped). She decided to get to know him, but unlike some reports you may have read, she was never his “girlfriend.” They merely dated for one week.

Luzanne reflects upon that week in which she dated the show’s playboy, now under investigation for sexual assault allegations, as a “blip” in time. Unfortunately, that blip would come back to bite her in the ass when Thomas’s jealous girlfriend Ashley Jacobs began desperately poking around, determined to figure out why Southern Charm cast mates disliked her so much.

I connected with Luzanne because I would frequently see the articles in which she was maligned, where one set of allegations would quickly be followed by another and I was able to recognize she was an unwitting victim of clearly concocted tabloid tales. Through our conversations, I would determine that here was a timid woman trying to avoid the public eye rather than running toward it. In this regard, she held out for as long as she could, remaining admirably tight-lipped for many months. When we spoke initially, it was off the record and Luzanne and I had connected for very personal reasons.

Last year, like Luzanne, I found myself the subject of some insane tweets and read things about myself that were completely false. For me, it was because I had criticized a reality TV personality in recaps of a show. I wrote about the experience for my Huffington Post blog around last Christmas and Luzanne read that article. It resonated with her (months later) in light of what she was experiencing and as soon as we connected, she let me know. We instantly bonded over how insane reality television can get behind the scenes – It is a surreal phenomenon and hard for others to even fathom, but yes, it happens.

Luzanne told me that the only press she ever desired in life was a birth announcement followed by one for marriage, ending with one for death with no headlines in between. She now regrets ever dating someone who is on reality TV and swears she will never do so again. Her day job is completely incompatible with the reality television lifestyle and she looks at being on these types of shows (and the attention it brings) as her “worst nightmare.” She even advised Thomas to get off the show to focus on his turbulent personal life.

The two of us have spoken for a few weeks now and Luzanne never wanted to go public in defending her name. Unfortunately, as Ashley Jacobs spoke more and more about Luzanne (in Instagram Live posts, on the podcast The Morning Toast and quite often to a reality TV fan site), Luzanne felt compelled to break her silence. Today, The Daily Mail published an interview with her. In order to garner headlines, they focused on the fact that she is a childhood friend of Kim Kardashian’s. Luzanne tells me that she greatly wishes they had left out that one detail. Had they done so, it would have accurately reflected her desire to be a private person rather than one seeking the lime-light. However, the website chose to include it because one of Ashley Jacobs’ claims is that Luzanne desires fame. Furthermore, Ashley has cited Luzanne’s friendship with Kim K to attest to that (mis-)characterization.

Luzanne tells me that the unwanted attention she is receiving has caused her much anxiety and stress. Her father is unwell and a troll account on Twitter was created in order to mock her father as well as malign her. (I really hope that Ashley Jacobs realizes all of this does not reflect well upon her.)

Luzanne says she came forward now to help the women who spoke out about sexual assault by Thomas Ravenel, women who seemed frustrated and hurt by the experience and the response of others in the aftermath. She is also speaking out because she felt that she has no choice but to clear her name after months of being slandered. Despite a Cease and Desist and her pleas for the attention to stop, the smear campaign against her continues. She had hoped to resolve all of this privately and those efforts were for naught. She had absolutely no choice but to opt for her very last resort, something she had hoped to avoid all-together: Going public in order to state the truth, give the background and the facts.

Following is an interview that my friend Amy Feinstein conducted with Luzanne Otte for FitsNews.com. It gives you the full scoop on the reality show behind the reality show, the character who did not sign up to be a part of it and what she experienced: https://www.fitsnews.com/2018/05/22/amy-feinstein-interviews-luzanne-otte-about-her-experiences-with-thomas-ravenel/.

Bravo TV, Reality TV

#RHONY Sneaky Sonjas: Friends with Detriments

This season of Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) has just begun and already, Dorinda is dealing with the same problem that reared its ugly head at the beginning of the last. She and Sonja had made progress with regard to their social dynamics at the end of last season, but we’re back to Dorinda having to process the jabs sent her way. They are the type of remarks one only feels the impact of later on. Dorinda compares this to realizing she’s been stabbed after the fact when the blood is dripping. Sonja has this down to a science: She knows how to slyly throw something seemingly subtle out there that one only slowly begins to process as a biting insult. In the coming attractions for the next episode, we see that Dorinda has hit her boiling point and like Mount Vesuvius, she erupts.

While Luann is also quite peeved with Sonja, she seems to have more patience and the ability to move on more quickly. Then again, Lu and Sonja may have a more balanced dynamic, so Lu’s able to take the good with the bad. What’s been “bad” for Lu – and cast mate Tinsley Mortimer as well – is that Sonja says ludicrous, speculative (untrue) things behind her back. Sonja’s penchant for gossip and tendency to shoot her mouth off to press members makes her a difficult person to trust.

Many of us have had that friend – or frenemy – who brings more stress to our social lives than joy. A member of my high school group gave off the impression of being sweet, but she knew exactly what to say: “I should tell you this….but….” she would frequently begin. It was never anything you would really want to hear that ensued. She also could be really kind to your facem but then you would quickly discover all of the awful things she said to others about you. When she tracked me down on Facebook years later, I warily accepted her friend request only to discover she was gossiping unkindly about my posts and pictures to a mutual acquaintance. I could have let this go, but once I bust someone for gossiping unkindly, I don’t excel at dismissing it. Instead, I promptly de-friended (that Facebook term) and had no further contact. She reached out via email to see why I had taken those measures on social media and I decided to skip the reply process.

While it is easy to cut out crummy friends from our social lives, we’re not filming a reality show that requires we spend time with people we’d prefer to abandon. I’ve heard critique of Dorinda’s impatience with Sonja, but after interviewing Dorinda last season for Huffington Post, I’m well aware that she has reached a breaking point with her passive-aggressive, cunnning cast mate. I look forward to Wednesday’s episode to hear Dorinda speak more of her mind. I truly wish she had been by my side in high school.

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