For those of you who don't watch the housewives, first of all, shame on you! (It's really a great show and everyone should be tuning in.) Secondly, let me catch you up on what you need to know:
Two of the housewives, Jill and Bethenny, have been friends for years. However this season, they are having a war of words. Basically, Jill is upset with Bethenny because she wasn't there for Jill's family this summer when her husband Bobby was battling cancer. Bethenny says that she was busy throughout the summer on tour for her new book, and was unaware of the seriousness of Bobby's conditions. Jill feels that Bethenny was apathetic to her situation and Bethenny feels that she was left in the dark.
Now here's where the issues get sticky and the drama begins to unfold. Jill is pitting everyone against Bethenny and taking this simple argument/disagreement to anyone who will listen. While Bethenny is trying to resolve the matter quietly, and in an adult matter, Jill is playing the victim role, stooping to child-like tactics of "who's are you friends with?" with the rest of the cast, as well as, the island of Manhattan.
Fast forward to the present, Jill and Bethenny are still not on speaking terms. During this season we have seen Bethenny get engaged, and get pregnant, all without her BFF. It is really sad to see a friendship dissipate on camera. Very entertaining, mind you, but sad nonetheless.
So for those of you who aren't a "Real Housewives" fan, (and again, shame on you!) I propose a thought provoking question. Have you ever had a "friendship" that was so broken, that you two never spoke again? And, if so, what was the cause?
If you ARE a "Real Housewives" fan, whose side are you on, Team Jill or Team Bethenny?
Let me start by answering my own question. I can never recall a friendship in my life that has be so hurtful that I cut the person out of my life completely. I have had arguments with dear friends that have lasted a long time, but we still remain acquaintances. I have also become less close to once good friends, due to distance and/or life (marriage and children) replacing our friendship. However with those relationship, I feel that if I ever needed these people, I know they would be there for me in a heartbeat and vice versa. The feeling and love of friendship is still there, even though distance and time are between us.
But I can't imagine a relationship where I was so close with someone, as Bethenny and Jill were, and then completely lose those feelings overnight. Especially to the point that I don't even want to share the two most important days of my life with them. I can't imagine a scenario where I wouldn't even be civil to that "friend".
But alas, dear readers, this is what has come of Jill and Bethenny. And it played all out on television. Drama is so good when it's someone else's. But I must say, while that comment seems very harsh, it IS reality television, so what did you expect? But as the season comes to a close, we can all take a step back now that we have all of the information (well an edited version at least) and choose to pick a side: Team Jill or Team Bethenny.
I must say, for as outspoken and "tell-it-like-it-is" manner, Bethenny seemed truly crushed over this "battle". She was very endearing this season, which made me like her even more than I already did!!
Bethenny surmounted several huge hurtles this season, from Jill conspiring to get everyone against her, to Ramona's "come-to-Jesus" attack on the Brooklyn Bridge, her father refusing to see her and then passing away, her marriage and baby news splashed in the tabloids, one would think that she would have thrown her hands up and gave up, or went psychotic or something (like another Housewife that will be discuss later in another blog). But no, in true Bethenny form, she has once again picked herself up, dusted herself off and moved on. Even getting her own show in the process.
BRAVO BETHENNY!!! (Pun intended! wink, wink, nudge, nudge.)
So where does Jill and Bethenny go from here? From what I've read and as we saw at one time or another this season, both Jill and Bethenny have said they "are DONE!" Although, I think Bethenny got her point across louder than Jill when Alex delivered, her now infamous, "message". Per her "Watch What Happens Live!" interview, Bethenny emphatically states that she and Jill will no longer ever be friends. I can't remember what Jill's statement was on her visit, but I do know that her new book is called, "Secrets from a Jewish Mother", since that's ALL she talked about during the 30 minutes with Andy.
I feel that Alex hit the nail on the head when she called Jill, a mean girl. Jill seemed to want to spin conversations with Bethenny, in order to make herself look innocent and to make Bethenny looked like a bitch. But alas, this did not happen, for Jill forgot one very important rule of PR spinning: When you have camera crews following you around 24/7, you can't spin what really happen because they catch the truth on tape and can replay both sides.
Wherever this friendship ends up, I hope that fans learned something from Bethenny and Jill. It's easy to "cut someone out of your life" with words, but it's harder to cut someone out of your heart.
Good Luck to both ladies in all your future endeavors!
