Photo Courtesy of Tommy Garcia, Virginia Sherwood, Jonathan Zizzo & Bravo
Beep beep! Get in, because we’re going back to Austin with the “Real Housewives of Dallas.” Make sure that you have your big floppy hat, your driver’s license (if you don’t have one, Olivia Rodrigo can help you), and your best girlfriends, because, according to Kary Brittingham, we’re still partying like it’s “1999,” just as we were two weeks ago, when the last episode aired. I’ve got the convertible, the drama and the dashingly good looks covered, so buckle up.
We’re going full Barbie chic for the return of the series after a short hiatus. It was odd not having a new episode last week, but alas, it made this week’s episode all the more juicy.
So, strap in, fasten your seat belts, and take a gander at this week’s recap.
Episode Eight: Austin, We Have a Problem
We pick up right where we left off, fresh off of the pinnacle of D’Andra Simmons’ and Kary’s fight. For a short recap, D’Andra feels like Kary doesn’t communicate with her, and Kary thinks D’Andra is only about D’Andra. Got it? Good.
So, D’Andra just went inside and said she was going home and Kary just swore that she wouldn’t take a step with D’Andra. Dr. Tiffany Moon tries to, once again, fix everything at the dinner table outside. Tiffany tells Kary to go get a drink and talk it out. She then points to her and Kameron Westcott, who have worked through their differences rooted in chicken feet. Clearly, Kameron doesn’t think that they’ve worked out all of their differences, saying that Tiffany needs to stop correcting people. Stephanie Hollman then joins in, criticizing Tiffany’s pizza party, saying that Tiffany gave them too many rules and talked about her nice toilets too much. Tiffany looks absolutely bamboozled, saying to the camera that she may need to pick up an etiquette book. She apologies for making people feel unwelcomed, but she does say that rules make her feel grounded, so she didn’t realize that others would feel differently.
The women accept her apology, but Kameron hasn’t let go of Tiffany’s constant correcting. Tiffany asks Kameron to let her know the next time she corrects her. Kameron agrees, and says, to the camera, that Tiffany probably got this from her parents. Tiffany says to Kameron that she’s really just trying to help, as she doesn’t want Kameron to be wrong. Kameron questions whether Tiffany’s apology is genuine, and Tiffany, to the camera, says that she feels like a whack-a-mole. Well, Tiffany, it isn’t game over quite yet. The mallet is just coming down, especially when Kary comes back outside and says that Tiffany’s “help” bothers Kameron.
Anyways, this is, of course, all interrupted by Brandi Redmond, who is bringing out Captain Dick, an inflatable man with some inflatable junk, to start the party. She starts literally bouncing around the table, and the women all quickly transition into party mode, with Kary force feeding Tiffany because she hasn’t eaten. What is with food this season?!
Kameron then is chosen as the housewife to go talk to a disheveled D’Andra. Once inside, Kameron says that she knows D’Andra is probably upset with her because it seems that she’s taking Kary’s side. D’Andra confirms this, however Kameron says that D’Andra and Kary’s communication is just off. Kameron knows that Kary wants to be D’Andra’s friend, D’Andra just needs to take that one step. “What is the step, though?” says D’Andra. “I feel like every step I take is the wrong step.” After chatting some more, D’Andra decides to stay the night and make decisions tomorrow, admitting that she would be ready to talk in the morning. This excites Kameron, who hopes for a fun-filled weekend.
While Kameron and D’Andra are having their heart to heart and the other women are going to bed, Kary and Brandi are of course, just getting drunker and drunker with Captain Dick. Can you say pool party?
The next morning, Brandi is very hungover (shocker), and it’s revealed that her and Kary stayed up until 4 a.m.. Kary, who acted like it was her 21st birthday (ah, good times), says that she was sad about what happened with D’Andra. Kameron fills Kary in on their conversation, and she says that D’Andra is ready to take some steps. Meanwhile, D’Andra is doing her morning meditation to the voice of Darrin, her shaman. In a confessional, she wonders if she finds value in her friendship with Kary, or if she just wants to be right. Tough questions.
Next, the women work out with hula hoops, with D’Andra deciding that she is going to stay. Kameron is a hula hooping wizard, with Tiffany saying that she “did not know that giraffes could hula hoop.” D’Andra can’t keep the hoop spinning, even though she says that “anything that involves shaking my ass, normally I’m pretty good at, because I’m very well endowed in that area of my body.” Big losses for D’Andra on this trip. The girls then go get ready to go on a houseboat for the day.
On the houseboat, Tiffany wants some Zofran, motion sickness medicine, from Brandi. Brandi brought two types, one that melts under the tongue and one that you swallow. On the bus ride, she gave all of the women the melting type, and now, when Tiffany asks, Tiffany points out that this isn’t the same medication, it’s the type you swallow. Brandi seems incredibly uncomfortable, making weird faces. She then approaches Tiffany, saying that she felt like Tiffany was insinuating that she was giving drugs out. Tiffany is gobsmacked, rightfully so in this recapper’s opinion, and Brandi begins crying. Brandi is clearly so in her head about her relationship with Tiffany due to the racist video that resurfaced months ago. She struggles to have a normal relationship with Tiffany, and apparently she struggles to be herself around her.
Next, all of the women come together to drink (shocking), and people ask if “party” D’Andra is going to come out to play. Stephanie says that she’ll come out once Kary and D’Andra have a talk, and Kary responds with, “I’m always ready to talk.” D’Andra says, “I don’t know,” which makes everyone uncomfortable. Brandi then takes charge and has Kary and D’Andra do something that she learned in her treatment program, which is placing their hands on one another’s hearts. Kary then has to say what she loves about D’Andra, and D’Andra has to do the same about Kary. This breaks down the wall between the two women, with them reveling in their sisterhood and sobbing all the while. Everyone else is looking on, though, providing perhaps one of the most unintentionally awkward moments ever. It felt as if the other women were the live studio audience for “The Wendy Williams Show”. Then, we cut to confessionals for D’Andra and Kary, who no joke say the exact same thing. “My friends are like my family.” “You hurt the people you love the most.” We GET it, the fight’s over. The drama’s over. Hand me my cocktail NOW.
The girls then split up once again. Tiffany details how work has been hard for her, especially being Chinese and on the front lines of COVID-19, and Brandi details to Kary how she feels awkward around Tiffany. Again, this is quite an uncomfortable moment, as Brandi is clearly experiencing what is called white guilt. Basically, Brandi continues to feel bad for her actions and guilty for them, even though Tiffany has already forgiven her. This has rubbed off and made it awkward between the two, causing Brandi to be paranoid that she’s going to “slip up.” She even says that she’s worried that silly, fun Brandi cannot come out around Tiffany, which makes me wonder, is “silly, fun Brandi” worried about being racist? Why would silly and fun be a concern or issue? Anyways, Kary encourages Brandi to ask Tiffany questions, and Stephanie says to the camera that Tiffany is a reminder of a mistake that Brandi made. Oof.
Now, it’s time to head back to the house, where Kameron has planned a prank on the women, who are gathering around a campfire. When she says, “Girl, that is soooo frightening,” a man is going to pop out with a chainsaw and come scare the women. Delightful, right? Anyway, the man doesn’t hear his code word, so Kameron says her phrase at least three times, but when it finally works, the prank works so well that Dr. Moon poops her pants. No joke. Yeah, that was enough to make all of the women go to bed.
And still…this trip isn’t over. Sheesh. It’s day three (even though it feels like day 40), and the women split off to do different things because it’s a free day. Kameron, Tiffany and Stephanie (an interesting trio in my opinion) go for a hike, all saying in typical FitBit fashion, “I want to get some steps in,” while D’Andra, Kary and Brandi (ANOTHER interesting trio) stay back and lounge at the lake.
On the hike, we learn that Kameron went to an outdoors school for part of her childhood, meaning that she knows how to survive in the wildness. Stephanie, always with the best takes, says to the camera, “She’s like wilderness Barbie, who should not be in the wilderness.” Also, Stephanie and Tiffany decide to go to the bathroom in the forest, and Stephanie says that she now respects Tiffany because she peed outside.
Meanwhile, at the house, the other three women are taking in the rays. Kary and D’Andra begin to share more with one another, and D’Andra talks about her brother, who still hasn’t responded to the letter that she left him in the mail a few weeks ago. This made me think about how, throughout our lives, we are constantly mourning relationships. Whether it be a failed relationship, a friend breakup or a death in the family, our lives are filled with mourning. It’s quite sad, and it’s clear that D’Andra is mourning right now, and Kary is ready to be there for her.
Back in the forest, Stephanie and Kameron are also having a moment, because both are feeling as if their husbands make too many decisions. Kameron’s husband, Court, is making all of the decisions with their house, and Stephanie’s husband, Travis, is making all of the decisions, period. Both women want more agency, and Stephanie says, “If you would have told me a year ago that I would be confiding in Kameron Westcott, I would have slapped you across the face and told you you were crazy, but we’re going through a lot of the same things in life.” However, Tiffany is going through the opposite, detailing how she wants to be a stay-at-home mom. She’s always been a go-getter, but now, she’s exhausted. She has a meeting to cut back on her hours when they return from Austin, and on her first day of reduced hours, Stephanie pledges that the women will rival Patti LuPone and sing “Ladies Who Lunch” together. Oh? You mean they’re just going to lunch? Not singing? Sigh.
Then, all of the women come back to the house for massive margaritas and fajitas. Brandi is immediately quiet, not enjoying the feast that’s in front of her. Stephanie picks up on this and asks right away if Brandi is okay. Brandi then asks Tiffany, “Do you feel awkward around me?” Tiffany says “No, do you feel awkward around me?” looking incredibly flustered (me too, girl). Brandi says that she’s very guarded about their relationship because of the video situation and Tiffany says, “Have I ever led you to believe that I think you are racist?” Brandi says, “No, I feel like you gave me a lot of grace.” But, Brandi still says that she wants to grow and be herself, but she’s scared of being herself around Tiffany. She wonders if Tiffany is being honest about how she feels about the situation, and Tiffany, now (rightfully, in my opinion) offended, says yes, she’s being honest, she knew Brandi didn’t intend to be racist. She thought she made that clear. Tiffany just wants Brandi to be herself, but Brandi comes back, saying that she feels like Tiffany is judging her. Tiffany, again aghast, says that she is not judging her and that she wishes that Brandi didn’t think so ill of her. She then goes on to say a bunch of great things about Brandi. She likes Brandi, and she makes that very clear before ending the episode with a resounding line. Looking Brandi right in the eyes, Tiffany asks, “What do you think of me?”
Chilling, and I guess we’ll find out what Brandi thinks of Tiffany next week.
“The Real Housewives of Dallas” airs Tuesdays on Bravo at 8 p.m. CST.
