With Annemarie Wiley and Crystal Kung Minkoff let go and Kyle Richards reportedly getting an ultimatum from producers to remain on the cast, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 14 promises to be a change of pace.
With Richards and Dorit Kemsley’s involvement in the series up in the air and some familiar faces already let go, it’s hard not to wonder whether producers would be better off firing the entire cast and proceeding with a RHONY-style reboot.
Talks with cast members would need to implode for Bravo to consider such a move because RHOBH is the crown jewel in the long-in-the-tooth franchise due to its continued ratings performance.
Beverly Hills has been an exciting backdrop for the show for over a decade but hasn’t attracted big names.
That’s not to say Wiley, Minkoff, and even Denise Richards didn’t bring the expected drama. It’s just that a reality series about rich and famous women in Beverly Hills should have more recognizable names.
Rebooting the series with an all-new cast would put the new women on a level playing field, possibly making it easier for more coveted stars to sign up.
The current cast dynamic simply doesn’t work
Many cast members have been run off the show over the years because of the other women joining forces to ice them out. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem possible now that the Fox Force Five has all but disappeared from the show, but it could still happen depending on the cast dynamic.
Producers understood that RHOBH Season 13 wasn’t working as expected, explaining why they brought back the likes of Denise and Camille Grammer to help stir the pot a bit.
Many big-name celebrities would probably be more inclined to sign up if the show wiped the slate clean with an entirely new cast, and coming off one of the worst seasons in RHOBH history, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
With two cast members already out and another two on the chopping block, meaningful change could secure the show’s future for years to come.
RHOBH should get a new casting team
Then again, the casting team hasn’t been doing their due diligence over the last two seasons, bringing in no one with staying power. Diana Jenkins departed after one season, and her esophagus-loving successor, Wiley, doesn’t instill hope that producers know what viewers want.
We’re yearning for the days when the cast gelled and didn’t try to take each other down. Watching the cast having fun is far more impactful than watching them at each other’s throats.
Let’s hope the show gets the jolt of life it deserves. Although ratings remained strong throughout one of the most polarizing seasons, the audience can turn its back when network executives and producers least expect it.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is currently on hiatus. Season 14 is expected to premiere in late 2024 or early 2025. Stream Seasons 1-13 on Peacock.