Kyle Richards was well-known before joining the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2010.
She’s been immersed in the acting world for as long as we can remember, but there’s a good chance she’ll always be most well-known for her work on the Bravo reality series.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 13 hasn’t been the show’s best, but there’s a moderate chance that Richards is at least considering leaving the show behind.
As someone who’s watched the show for all those years, I think it’d be both a blessing and a curse if the actress walked away.
Sharing your life for the world to see for over 13 years isn’t for the faint of heart, but something about Richards’ storylines throughout the current season signals that she has a lot going on in her personal life, maybe too much to be shown on TV.
From the death of her best friend to the breakdown of her marriage, her strained relationship with sister Kathy Hilton, and, of course, her back and forth with one-time best friend Sutton Stracke.
Kyle Richards hasn’t had the best season
It’s been a lot, and with so much going on in her personal life, a break from the cameras would probably do her some good.
Being in the public eye is tough. Your every move is followed, so there’s a chance Richards would leave to take a season away from the show.
We’ve watched as she’s mended fences with Kim Richards on-screen, and we know that Hilton appears at the reunion, so it seems like the show is trying to bring some of the original star’s storylines full circle in case she doesn’t return.
The show has consistently followed her personal life, and she typically introduces new additions to the cast, so she’s been the glue that holds this ship together for so long that it’d be difficult to imagine her no longer being a part of it.
Taking RHOBH in a new direction if Richards leaves would be exciting
That being said, sending the show into the unknown without Richards as a star would be an intriguing way to see if there’s a path forward without her because, let’s face it, the show isn’t in the best shape creatively.
New casting additions, like Diana Jenkins and Annemarie Wiley, have been duds over the last few years, meaning the longer-running cast members have had to clock in more than usual.
Dorit Kemsley didn’t get that memo because she’s been turning in material you’d expect from a friend of the housewives.
At the same time, Crystal Kung Minkoff has only recently started to be a part of the central storylines, so maybe there’s a future for her after all.
Saying goodbye to Richards would force producers to get a big name to fill the void, and no, that wouldn’t be Lisa Vanderpump.
Vanderpump is over RHOBH, and we don’t blame her. She’s got multiple shows and restaurants, so she wouldn’t have the time to film as a full-fledged cast member.
Producers should get creative to bring an A-list star in
Being in Beverly Hills, plenty of big-name stars could step in to fill the void, possibly giving the show the jolt it needs in the right direction.
It’s a considerable risk because Bravo has shown to be unable to make big moves as far as casting goes on its shows unless the ratings drop.
We know that RHOBH is pulling in over 4 million viewers per episode with delayed viewing factored in, so something tells us they wouldn’t be open to making any changes of substance unless that changed – or if Richards walks away.
Whatever Richards decides, we’re intrigued to see what RHOBH Season 14 could look like.
We need new faces and some new producers because the trick with reality TV is to keep the audience invested, and frankly, it’s hard to be invested in the show right now.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.