"I feel like you hate me or something."
The upcoming season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has been surrounded by drama long before filming wrapped.
From cast Covid infections,
Dorit Kemsley being robbed at gunpoint, and rumours of an alleged bust-up that divided the cast on a girls' trip, there's been plenty to ensure fans would be eagerly anticipating Season 12.
Now, the trailer has officially dropped, and it seems our excitement was absolutely warranted.
Speculation that Erika Jayne and Lisa Rinna, who were thick as thieves last season, had issues due to Rinna expressing concern about Erika's alleged drinking appears to be confirmed. The trailer shows several clips of Erika drinking and at one point Rinna can be heard saying, "You take your antidepressants, or you drink. But you can't do both."
Talk of Erika and Garcelle Beauvais' issues are similarly validated by the trailer, with the former accusing the latter of trying to make her look bad amid
her ongoing legal woes inherited from her estranged husband. Garcelle points out that Erika is doing a fairly decent job at making herself look bad all on her own, with her apparent doubling-down on centring herself amid allegations that her husband cheated orphans, widows and burn victims out of millions (Erika at one point shouts that she doesn't "give a f**k about anybody else but me" during a discussion about said victims).
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The trailer too shows Dorit and her husband dealing with the aftermath of their home invasion. The pair cry while discussing the ordeal, with Dorit heartbreakingly recalling how she begged the intruders not to kill her as she's a mother whose babies need her.
We also see two new cast members – Sheree Zampino and Diana Jenkins – settle into the pack. Sheree gets more of a light-hearted, comedic welcome through a dress code mishap. Diana is instead introduced to us like a soap opera baddie, proclaiming: "You need a new villain? Here I am."
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Despite all of this, the most-talked about person in the lead-up to this season was possibly Kathy Hilton, who became a fan favourite after joining as a 'friend of' (part-time cast member) last season. She joined filming significantly late this time around, which reports claimed was due to her holding out to negotiate a higher payment after her immediate success on the show the year prior. Kathy's camp dismissed these claims and instead said her late return was down to being tied up in daughter Paris Hilton's wedding (and the
reality show surrounding it).
On top of talk about whether or not she'd be returning, Kathy's name was in the press due to he-said-she-said reports that Erika heard her allegedly use a slur during a meltdown on the cast trip to Aspen. Rinna added fuel to the fire by posting cryptic Instagram Stories taking aim at Kathy as these reports circulated, so fans were convinced a feud between the three – and, as a result, Kathy's sister Kyle Richards – would feature on the show.
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Drama between all four was indeed featured in the trailer, though the reasons behind it weren't confirmed. In one clip Erika vents to Kyle that as her feet was held to the fire last season, Kathy should also be fairly "called out" – for what exactly, we have yet to find out.
Another scene shows Rinna, who infamously put a strain on Kyle's already turbulent relationship with her and Kathy's other sister Kim Richards, by Kyle's side as she takes on her older sister. "You said some things about this beautiful sister of yours," Rinna declares dramatically. "I'm sorry Kathy, but you're not going to get away with it."
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A crying Kyle then tells her sister, "I feel like you hate me or something. How could you say those things?" to which Kathy simply says "Kyle...
Kyle," in a warning tone, daring her to go any further.
On top of Kyle's well-documented issues with Kim, her relationship with Kathy hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. The pair's sisterly bond was fractured when Kyle's husband Mauricio left Kathy's husband Rick's real estate agency to set up his own. Years later, the sisters stopped speaking after Kyle developed a TV series loosely based on their mother's life in the 70s. Kathy previously claimed their reconnection in recent years was what encouraged her to join RHOBH.
Whether their family reunion will last or not remains to be seen... but we can't wait 'til May to find out.
Watch the trailer here:
https://twitter.com/BravoTV/status/1512100386705977362?s=20&t=cl-jlfzQDQN3CAs0-DaZ3w
Airs May 11 in the US, while Irish and UK viewers can watch it on Hayu on May 12.
