By atdleft
Hello, Tamara Tattles readers! I’m atdleft, and I’m here to deliver today’s RHUGT Recap. My, oh my, do we have a lot to talk about. The first three episodes all dropped today, so we have plenty to unpack!
What on earth is RHUGT, and why is it on Peacock?
As you may remember, these Real Housewives were drafted for Season 1 of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip (or RHUGT): Ramona Singer and Luann de Lesseps from RHONY, Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore from RHOA, Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga from RHONJ, and Kyle Richards from RHOBH. They jetted away to Turks and Caicos for eight days in April, and we finally get to see the product of all their labor here and now.
Click Here For More RHUGT Recaps!
In case anyone still wonders why the hell we have to download the Peacock app to watch this show, here’s the condensed version of the story. Ratings are cratering across the board for Comcast-owned TV networks, including Bravo. Though Comcast has attracted a good amount of viewers to Peacock thus far, they’re still losing money… And they face stiff competition from the likes of Time Warner’s HBOMax, Viacom’s Paramount Plus, Disney Plus, and Netflix. Basically, Comcast-NBC is hoping that RHUGT, more “comfort food TV” mainstays, and the kind of new original programming that used to premiere on NBC in the pre-streaming days will convince us to pay for Peacock.
OK, that’s enough small talk. Let’s move on with the RHUGT Recap!
Within the first ten minutes, we start to see the RHUGT alliances forming. While speaking with Melissa over the phone, Ramona verbally shitposted about Teresa, “She’s a bit of a scarecrow. If only she had a brain!” Later, when Melissa filled in Teresa on what Ramona said about her, Teresa countered, “She looks like the tin man. […] She doesn’t have a heart!” Keep in mind that this went down before they all boarded the Gulfstream jet! In case you were wondering how and why Teresa and Kenya formed an alliance, it became obvious within the first ten minutes that Ramona brought them together.
“You and I – New York City – put Bravo on the map.” Yes, really, Ramona said that!
Once they boarded the plane, Ramona immediately got the group riled up even more. Since RHOC’s Vicki Gunvalson was placed in the RHUGT Season 2 group, Ramona must have figured she could get away with this. As she conversed with Luann, Ramona declared, “They started out in Orange County. No one knew where Orange County was. You and I – New York City – put Bravo on the map.”
Needless to say, that went down as well as a sip of Ramona Pinot Grigio. Kyle and Kenya boasted of their respective shows’ ratings, while Teresa stated in her confessional, “Call me when you invent a move that literally defines the franchise. I invented table-flipping.” If anyone knows fighting words, it’s Teresa.
“I propose we consider giving Kenya the master [suite].” Yeah, no. Cynthia’s modest proposal didn’t go over so well.
Cynthia then sought to change the energy of the flight by praising Kenya’s mothership skills and everything she’s done for Brooklyn. Then, after she noted how difficult Kenya’s divorce from Mark Daly has been, Cynthia had a modest proposal for the group: Let Kenya have the master suite in the Turks and Caicos mansion.
Surprisingly, Ramona agreed… So long as Ramona got the second-best room in the mansion. Everyone else, however, wasn’t convinced. I mean, hasn’t it become a Housewives rite of passage for them to fight over rooms on girls’ trips?
“What you’re not going to do on this trip is call me a bitch!” Kenya lays down some ground rules for Ramona.
As the flight wore on, Ramona decided to poke more bears. As Ramona recalled the infamous Conch Shack incident during the RHONY Season 7 “Turks and Cockos” trip, Kenya poked at Ramona’s blurry divorce timeline. Ramona called Kenya a bitch, and Kenya quickly shot back, “What you’re not going to do on this trip is call me a bitch!”
Finally, the Housewives made it to the mansion! They fall head over heels for the hunky house staff. Of course, Ramona rushed in to “mark her territory”. Of course, the other Housewives complained about Ramona being so extra so early. And, of course, Ramona couldn’t even remember to call Kenya by her actual name.
“Hang with Kyle, because she’s normal.” Joe Gorga might have some useful advice!
Once the Housewives settled in, Cynthia and Teresa bonded some more over their mutual loathing of Ramona. Yes, Teresa actually pulled up her Instagram statistics – 2.2 million followers for Teresa, versus 902,000 for Ramona – to counter Ramona’s boasts about “seniority”.
Once Kyle and Melissa joined Cynthia and Teresa, they all had plenty to say about Ramona’s tiny white macrame dress. Luann wisely pulled Ramona away to the beach, so the rest of the ladies could continue talking shit about Ramona. Melissa facetimed Joe Gorga with Kyle, and Joe had some sage advice for his spouse: “Hang with Kyle, because she’s normal.”
Who’s ready for dinner at the Conch Shack?
Before they even arrived at the Conch Shack, Kyle and Melissa aimed at another hornet’s nest by speculating over whether Kenya’s feeding intel to celebrity blogger Anthony Dominick. Then at dinner, Kyle dropped this bomb on the entire group. Even Cynthia seemed open to believing that Kenya was the one tipping off Anthony Dominick on RHUGT in real time.
I’m not sure whether it’s more that Kenya is highly skilled at taking the heat off herself or that Ramona is an expert in making everything about herself. Whatever’s the case, the dinner conversation again turned to Ramona. Cynthia pulled Ramona aside and basically begged her to apologize and act more gracefully.
Ramona attempted her “Apologizer!” superpower yet again. Surprise (but not really), it doesn’t work as well away from RHONY.
So Ramona actually took Cynthia’s advice and apologized about her attempt to bulldoze her way into her preferred room. That just opened the door for Teresa to grill Ramona over the “scarecrow” comment. While Cynthia was fast to make amends with Ramona, Teresa and Kenya were not as interested in Ramona’s apologies.
Teresa and Ramona did hug it out, but it was clear that this truce wouldn’t last long. Fortunately a group of dancers marched over to the table to change the energy of the space. Upon returning to the mansion, Cynthia patted herself on the back for diffusing Ramona’s stink bombs. Kyle then tried to smooth things over with Ramona some more. But in a sneak preview for the next episode, the producers clued us in on a bigger blow-up involving Ramona and a yacht.
Episode two will be up tomorrow.
Yay! Andrew! Great recap. I think I will wait for your recaps to decide if I want to deal with wonky Peacock or not.
Are you having issues with Peacock, too?
I freaked out this morning when Peacock crashed on my TV. I’m just hoping this doesn’t happen next time they drop more RHUGT episodes.
I get Peacock “premium” for free with Comcast. FYI, Premium” is as low as it gets! I have had nothing but issues with it since it’s inception so that’s why I never use it. It drags like you could not believe!!! Horrible.
BUT. This show is worth the pain! I watched all three and it was so interesting to see how very different each group is. Ramona took over this episode, she really just solidifies my feeling that she needs to be gone. Pulling her shit with her group is one thing, but it was uncomfortable as hell watching her do it to the others.
Seeing Da Conch Shack was awesome! Their conch ceviche is amaze balls. I like eating with my toes in the sand with a view of the ocean, there’s nothing better. I think I would have dragged Ramonas ass into the water and just held her under for fucking with my heavenly experience.
Watching how things play out and how people connect and click is really cool and different for a Housewives spin off.
Love the recap! Can’t wait for the next one, the eps just get better!
Eating with your toes in the sand and Ramona’s head beneath your feet. As tge tide came in! Bwahahahaha!
Peacock comes with my Comcast bundle. If it did not, I doubt I would pay.
It HAS gotten a wee bit better. It used to spin and then freeze up. Now, it just takes forever to launch.
What I really hate is trying to rewind. Sometimes, I can barely — or not at all — understand what they say and the captions don’t get the part I want to hear. Proving it is not just me who can’t hear/understand it. Often, when I rewind, it goes all the way back to the beginning.
Hi Nanette, I have Comcast for internet so I get a flex box with Peacock. I have same complaint on rewind and catching everything. I would never pay for it.
Thanks again, TT, for letting me recap. Honestly, so far RHUGT is better than I originally expected. They’re moving the storylines in a timely manner, and they’re really pushing the Housewives to deliver a lot of content for these episodes.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether this works for Peacock.
Thank you for recapping. I haven’t given in and paid for Peacock yet. Your recap was excellent.
Thanks for recapping! Somehow I think your entertaining recap is going to surpass the show! Peacock needs to fix its technical issues.
So happy to see you recapping this show. I watched all three episodes last night and my takeaways are that Ramona is disgusting…even more so than on RONY. She is absolutely the most un self aware person I’ve ever been exposed to(I guess I must be lucky). Another takeaway is how much nicer and lighter Kyle is on this show than on RHOBH. I agree that the show is better than expected, so far. I look forward to more recaps. Thank you!
If anyone thought RHUGT would help Ramona redeem herself, I’m not really seeing that almost halfway through this season. OTOH, I agree with you that Kyle comes across in a better light.
Honestly, so does Teresa IMHO. I’m currently re-watching RHONJ Season 11, and I’m so grossed out by her attempt to take down Jackie. I want to think she learned some lessons from that mess, as she’s sticking up for Kenya amidst Ramona’s nasty attacks. But then again, I guess it helps that Kenya and Teresa have a common enemy!
I agree about Kyle, Deb. I haven’t seen this side of her in years. She is making this an enjoyable show so far. Maybe because she’s not in direct competition for her bread and butter as she is on RHOBH and she can ease and up on her ‘story line’ and just be herself. On the other end of the spectrum…Ramona is even more outrageous and over the top in her behavior.
It probably also helps Kyle that she’s the only one on the show from RHOBH. Queen Bee.
Great recap! This might be something that I’ll watch this weekend.
atdleft, SOOO glad you posted this! Forgot about it because I never watch Peacock. It’s being filmed in Turks and I’ll be back there in a couple weeks so this will get me ready 😁🥂🍹❣️ I’m going to watch and then read your recap, thanks!!!
Thanks, Beets, and have fun in Turks and Caicos! It must be wild to see this stuff in person.
I hadn’t planned on watching this but your recap has changed my mind. Looking forward to your next post
Awesome recap! I had no interest in watching but you’ve changed my mind.
How many episodes are there?
It looks like they’ll have seven episodes this season. The premiere episode dropped today for all Peacock viewers, and two more episodes (as in, Episodes 1-3 in total) dropped today for Peacock Premium and Premium Plus customers.
I’m not yet comfortable encouraging people to pay for Peacock’s premium tiers. I’ll just say that if you’re already inclined to pay up and stream Peacock, RHUGT so far feels like a nice reward.
Oh, wait. I may need to correct myself. According to IMDB, RHUGT will have eight episodes for Season 1. We shall see.
Oh ! I hope so…
Excellent recap, atdleft!!!
Thanks for the recap! I don’t have a peacock so this info is great for me.
Has anyone tuned into the first episode of the New Paris Hilton show on peacock? I only tuned in to see Kathy but its not quite as bad as I thought it would be. Paris does have the most annoying voice that goes from sounding like a baby to more of an adult depending on who she’s talking to it’s hard to take her serious
I’ve been thinking about giving it a try. Now that you mention Paris in Love, perhaps I’ll stream it soon. I’m usually not super hyped about wedding shows, but I might as well make the most of my Peacock subscription.
The Paris Hilton documentary, where she talks about being sent to wilderness “camps” and then a “school” by her parents as a teenager, which she only left at 18 is free on YouTube. Kathy is in that as well.
I recommend it for more insight into all of them.
Thanks I’d heard of that but I wasn’t sure where to find it
It literally took 3 streaming services to watch Yellowstone on Sunday. Paramount. Oye. I am getting old when I hear myself reminice about antenna TV.
It was a simpler time and, let’s face it, we got a lot more other shit done because we had very limited options!
Facts.
For all those commenting about not being sure if they want to pay for Peacock to watch this, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen in a few places now that Bravo will also begin to air the episodes on their network starting next Tues 11/23. So hopefully everyone will get to experience it (albeit delayed) if they don’t want to pay. I personally am paying so I can watch them as soon as they come out… same for Miami coming next month!
Thank you for the great recap! I really enjoyed watching these episodes. It doesn’t seems forced, staged and overproduced like the HW shows. I feel like we are seeing the real personalities of the women.
I’m looking forward to all of your post atdleft! I’ve always enjoyed reading your comments and what a treat for us to have you recapping this show!
Ditto!
Agreed about atdleft–nice surprise to see your recap! And thank you for all the ratings/streaming services explanation.
I haven’t seen RHUGT but just wondering why Kyle did the show. I mean, she doesn’t need the money so go figure.
I haven’t paid for Peacock and don’t plan on it unless they force me to (in order to watch some of the Winter Olympics) so thank you, again, atdleft!
Thanks so much, Carly! I’m glad you’re finding value in my recaps.
Kyle doesn’t need the money, but the producers may have needed her. Going by the general vibes of RHUGT Season 1, it looks like they wanted a long-time West Coast Housewife who was still on the cast at the time of filming. Since LVP is no longer on RHOBH, Vicki and Tamra no longer on RHOC, the rest of the RHOC cast in major flux, and the rest of the long-time RHOBH mainstays out of the picture (save for, ahem, Lisa Rinna), I can see why they picked Kyle to represent the California/Evolution Media Housewives team.
As for why Kyle is doing the show, Um… getting 8 episodes of pay for a eight days of work in a beautiful house in Turks and Caicos? Are you kidding me?
Also my Spectrum bill is constantly inching up to $300. I have cable gold with the HBO, Showtime stuff, my landline and cable. It’s my biggest monthly bill. Hopefully, that won’t be an expense when I find somewhere to live outside the US and just blather on about my life there and whatever shows I can get.
I watched the first 3 episodes (paid for the one month subscription then cancelled). It is so fun!! It’s got all of the fun of a normal housewives cast trip, but it manages to be less dark and shows everyone (except for Ramona) in a more well-rounded, flattering way. Kenya has really been the standout for me on this. She proves why she deserves her paycheck and I guess only TT will know, but I hope she’s well paid. She keeps the story and drama moving.
I can only imagine that Ramona “marking” her territory means she crapped on something. Again.
Oh dear….am I the only one who was thinking how, how, how, can Ramona dare to wear that crocheted lace mini with barely there thong with her, um, 💩 issues?
When I first heard Ramona was going to be on the show, my first thoughts were that we should start two pools.
One would be “How long before Ramona is in a fight with or majorly offends someone?”
And “Where and When will Ramona crap inappropriately?”
I just thought of a third: How many fake apologies will The Apologizer give?
It would have been so much better if it had been Sonja instead of Ramona.
Oh, I have been waiting for this! Just googled and I do get free Peacock with Spectrum. It had better be, seeing as my bill is $80/mo, including wifi. This sounds like an interesting crew, I assume Ramona is close to Melissa, seeing how Ramona called her the day of the Reunion taping! I am looking forward to watching Kenya (how can you get that name wrong?) give it to Ramona. Kyle will be everyone’s friend as usual. I actually identify with Kyle more than anyone, I would love to be a fly on the wall when she and Bethanney and Andy talk.
I have the cheapest Spectrum plan with wifi, no phone, and I pay $124 /mo in Wisconsin. No Peacock either.
Let’s just say I pay an unseemly amount of money for my Cox service, so I would have been extra pissed if they didn’t provide Peacock Premium for no extra charge. I’m now only paying an additional $5/month for Premium Plus so I can watch RHUGT ad-free.
If/when Comcast finally fixes the bugs with the Peacock app, I might feel more comfortable recommending the Premium tiers.
I don’t get Peacock, so I didn’t watch the show. But I appreciate anyone who has the chutzpah to fill
Tamara’s shoes and job well done.
Fifteen minutes into the second episode, I bailed.
Ramona has ruined this show for me. I will just read Andrew’s recaps and the comments.
I just watched the first three episodes and really enjoyed it! I watch via Hayu which costs me £4.99 a month. I view all the Housewives including Melbourne (which I love) on this app. It usually works well so I can recommend it.
I watched ep 1 and Ramona was true to form. Since I have Netflix & don’t want to pay for another streaming service I’ll have to get my info from your reviews. Thx.
i am LOVING this show. How can they make this longer? This is everything we come to housewives to see! Thank you Adleft & TT – this show is giving me life!!! ❤️
This show is confirming everything I think about these shows. Except for – Teresa seems very chill at this point AND Luann has more game than she has even been given credit for on RHONY. Kyle & Melissa are pretty darn normal and my favorites.
Total side issue but have you noticed a big difference in housewives’ seat belt usage based on region? BH almost always, especially Kyle; OC not so much; NY almost never; not sure about ATL…so interesting, and very obvious in this episode.