Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The Real Housewives of Orange County Reunion Recap: What a Lovefest (Seriously)!

The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 10 Episode 20 marked the first installment of this fall’s reunion special, and oh, it was special indeed.


If you like drama, tension and occasional awkwardness – and clearly you do, if you sat through this past season on Bravo – Monday night delivered.



That being said, it looks like the real bloodbath is yet to come, and The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 10 Episode 20 was just a teaser.


If you watch The Real Housewives of Orange County online, you know what’s about to come to a head after 9-10 weeks of this Brooks Ayers fiasco.


At least by their standards, the ladies were generally reserved, polite, calm and even accepting of one another, despite the conflicts of the past.


In fact, the topic of Brooks Ayers’ cancer never even came up.


Vicki Gunvalson reflected on her mother’s death, her reaction to which was captured by Bravo cameras, and from which she has not yet recovered.


“It’s actually worse,” she said. “Our void has gotten worse.”


“It’s so stupid, but I never really thought she’d die.”


At the others’ urging, Gunvalson told a great story about her 80-year-old mother’s road rage, but she also took heat from her co-stars later on.


Vicki’s statements about how people should behave rub people the wrong way, it turns out. Not the least of which? Meghan King Edmonds.


Host Andy Cohen asked if her beef with Edmonds didn’t stem from Vicki calling RHOC “her show” and a desire to have her “kiss the ring.”


“I am the OG of the OC and I do expect respect,” Vicki said.



That was about it for feuding on this night, though. Edmonds revealed that she and her stepdaughter Hayley are in a good place these days.


Tamra Barney, meanwhile, is on the outs with her daughter Sidney, who lives with her father (Tamra’s ex-husband) Simon and doesn’t talk to her.


Her son Spencer, on the other hand, lives with Tamra and doesn’t talk to Simon. That’s not normal. But it’s also what brought Tamra to God.


Tamra remembered telling a woman who had invited her to church:


“I feel like I’m going to die right now. I just don’t have any help.”


Hence the Tamra Barney baptism storyline, a major focal point of this season, and the subject of the reunion show’s final twist Monday:


Alexis Bellino, the series’ former cast member, weighed in.


“I cannot sit back and watch a mockery be made of my savior,” Alexis wrote via email, taking Tamra to task for what she felt was hypocrisy.


While she was baptized as a Christian, Bellino argued that her rival did not display any new, better, behaviors in the wake of the ceremony.


Tamra’s response to the zing by Jesus Jugs?


“She’s the type of Christian that gives Christians a bad name. Sometimes you have to go through things in your life to get to a better place.”


Amen.

The Voice Recap: The Battles Continue, Captivate


High stakes, higher notes. Six head to head battles for all the marbles on The Voice Season 9 aired October 19. See the vocal throwdowns now.


Who brought it, and who will be bringing it to the next round?




1. Andi & Alex vs. Chance Pena (The Voice Battle Round)


Andi and alex vs chance pena the voice battle round

Andi & Alex battle Chance Pena with a performance of “Wherever You Will Go” on The Voice Season 8 … and Adam Levine has to be kicking himself.



2. Cassandra Robertson vs. Viktor Kiraly (The Voice Battle Round)


Cassandra robertson vs viktor kiraly the voice battle round

Soulful singers Cassandra Robertson and Viktor Kiraly face off with the song “Nobody Knows” in the third night of The Voice battle round.



3. Evan McKeel vs. Riley Biederer (The Voice Battle Round)


Evan mckeel vs riley biederer the voice battle round

Evan McKeel and Riley Biederer brought the intensity to their performance of “Higher Ground” in The Voice battle round.



4. Chase Kerby vs. Korin Bukowski (The Voice Battle Round)


Chase kerby vs korin bukowski the voice battle round

On The Voice Battle Round, Chase Kerby and Korin Bukowski give an emotional performance of “Samson.” Who will prevail?



5. Braiden Sunshine vs. Lyndsey Elm (The Voice Battle Round)


Braiden sunshine vs lyndsey elm the voice battle round

Braiden Sunshine and Lyndsey Elm square off on The Voice with a creative take on “No One Is to Blame” by Howard Jones.



6. Blaine Mitchell vs. Blind Joe (The Voice Battle Round)


Blaine mitchell vs blind joe the voice battle round

Blaine Mitchell and Blind Joe go head-to-head on The Voice battle rounds with the hit Bob Seger song “Old Time Rock and Roll.”


View Slideshow

Lamar Odom Transported to Hospital in Los Angeles

Lamar Odom has taken his first actual step in his long path to recovery.



Or his first actual flight, we suppose we should say.



Sources have confirmed that the former basketball and reality star was transferred on Monday night from Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas to the ICU at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.


After spending most of last week in a coma, following an apparent drug overdose in a Nevada brothel on October 13, Odom regained consciousness over the weekend.


He verbally acknowledged Khloe Kardashian, who has been by his side from the beginning of this ordeal, and he even started physical therapy on Sunday.


To be clear, Odom has a very long way to go until he is at full health.


But his odds of merely surviving were placed at just 50/50 a few days ago.


According to People Magazine, Odom was airlifted from Vegas to Los Angeles.


“Khloé and several nurses are with him. Lamar still can’t walk but has left the hospital in a bed,” a source tells the publication.


Lamar is breathing on his own now. Doctors have upgraded his condition from Critical to Stable.


But this same People insider wants to make it clear that he isn’t fully out of the woods: 


“He’s responsive, but there are so many things that could go wrong right now, and the doctors have still been guarded.


“Khloé has been praying a lot, both to herself and out loud to Lamar. She wants him to know that she’s still on his side, and that everyone is praying for him.”


Dancing with the Stars Recap: Who Will Exit Stage Left?

Dancing with the Stars returned for its sixth week of Season 20 on Monday, and the stakes were higher than ever for the remaining celebrities.


We know, we know. We use the term “celebrities” loosely, people.


But seriously folks. After a week of switched-up pro partners and no one sent home a week ago, it was officially crunch time on October 19.


Who stood out, and who’s heading out after all is said and done?



We will miss all the Paula Deen butt smacking on Dancing with the Stars, but alas, she was the one told to bag her bags and shuffle off on this night.


She seemed all but relieved that this experiment is finally over.


“I get to see my grandbabies!” Deen, the celebrity chef, said.


“I’ve been like a fish outta water for six weeks. It took them a long time to convince me to come do this. It was wonderful. It was worth it.”


All you can ask for, right? Right. Say hi to the grandbabies.


Check out the full list of Dancing with the Stars scores, on an installment when the contestants all chose “Famous Dances,” below …


  • Andy Grammer and Allison Holker: 40/40 (Singing in the Rain, “Good Morning”)

  • Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough: 40/40 (Dirty Dancing, “Time of My Life”)

  • Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess: 39/40 (Saturday Night Fever)

  • Carlos PenaVega and Witney Carson: 38/40 (Magic Mike, “Pony”)

  • Hayes Grier and Emma Slater: 32/40 (Grease, “You’re the One That I Want”)

  • Alek Skarlatos and Lindsay Arnold: 30/40 (Elvis, “Jailhouse Rock”)

  • Alexa PenaVega and Mark Ballas: 30/40 (Britney Spears, “Slave 4 U”)

  • Tamar Braxton and Val Chmerkovskiy: 27/40 (Janet Jackson, “Rhythm Nation”)

  • Paula Deen and Louis van Amstel: 24/40 (Madonna, “Vogue”)

The cream of the crop will begin to rise to the top, as happens every year, but it’s still anyone’s game for the most part as we near the halfway point.


Who do you think will be ousted next? Who will win it all?