Sutton’s Medical Emergency Sends ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Reunion Into Chaos

If there was ever proof that Sutton Stracke and Kyle Richards carried this season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it is the reunion’s concluding episode.

Reality can be unfathomably strange. When semi-reliable Housewives Twitter insiders said that Sutton fainted at the sight of Kathy Hilton, it seemed too absurd to be true—and it was, but only slightly. Just a few minutes after Andy Cohen welcomed Kathy to the stage in a surprise appearance, an overheated Sutton became visibly shaken, and was escorted off stage by paramedics.

Yes, it’s unlikely that the mere presence of Kathy sent a chill down Sutton’s spine so severe that she lost consciousness. But what happened is almost certainly the simpler answer, which is that she was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration—as Sutton claims—but you have to admire the hyperbole of Twitter. Perhaps the ladies really were hexed in their haunted Airbnb in Barcelona, and Sutton was the first to be taken down. Sutton is rushed to the hospital, joined by Garcelle, while the rest of the ladies finish the reunion.

Sutton helped carry this season on her back. Can we really be shocked she needed to go to the hospital after such a star-making turn? Her body was shaken by the levels of charisma rushing through her veins.

Without Sutton, the bottom falls out of the reunion, as the rest of the cast sit idly by for the Kyle/Kathy power hour. But don’t worry, I’m sure Crystal will clock in on some Bravo fan account comment sections, as that’s where you do the real work as a Housewife. The entire reunion finale revolves around Kyle, proving why she’s the center diamond.

But, as she finally enters the hot seat after years of coasting, it’s certainly disappointing none of her peers worked to make Kyle sweat a bit. If this were a chance for Dorit and Crystal to prove they deserve diamonds, they both failed. At least Dorit brought some zest to the earlier reunion episodes, but Crystal has completely laid down and died, allowing Kyle’s bizarre segments to go without an iota of pushback.

The episode starts strong with the mending of Kyle and Sutton’s friendship. It’s a temporary cease fire, of course, as the two will no doubt be at each other’s throats by week two of Season 14. But for now, they’re ready to lay down their swords and hug it out. With that, we welcome Kathy to the stage, despite the fact she didn’t appear in a single episode this season.

It’s a real indictment on the season’s quality that Bravo brought out Kathy to save the day—made more confusing by the fact that this season was actually solid, and Kathy’s no savior. Maybe I’m cynical, but I’m just not interested in the continued goofy Kathy act. If she’s going to appear on this show, I want the real, villainous Kathy, or no Kathy at all. It’s especially annoying to watch her skate through, given the allegations made last season that Kathy called a DJ in Aspen a gay slur. No one has a PR team as good as the “Grande Dame of Beverly Hills,” I fear.

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Kathy laughs at the insinuation she’s powerful enough to lock people out of Beverly Hills, but the idea doesn’t seem so incredulous when you consider Erika’s kissing up to her a year after their fallout. It’s crazy timing, too, that right as Erika says “you don’t want to run cross ways” with Kathy, Sutton suffers a medical emergency.

The biggest laugh of the episode comes here, though, as Erika nonchalantly asks Kathy, “How have you been?” amid the chaos. The two chit-chat about life and the hectic holiday season, as though Sutton isn’t fighting for her life mere feet away. While the rest of the group tend to Sutton, Kathy just twiddles away on her phone, before whispering to Kyle that she was about to go after Sutton, so the emergency is convenient timing. There’s a hint of the sociopathic Kathy we deserve to see on this show. Thank you Sutton for taking one for the team to help reveal that. Here’s to a continued recovery.

With Sutton off the stage, Andy dives into the mending of Kathy and Kyle’s relationship after their brutal falling out. We don’t really get into the nitty gritty, but it seems that the disintegration of Kyle and Mauricio’s relationship may have helped her reconnect with Kathy. It’s lightly touched upon during the reunion, but Kathy’s initial falling out with Kyle happened after Mauricio left Rick Hilton’s business to start The Agency—and if Paris Hilton’s public shot at Mauricio is any indicator, the Hiltons still aren’t hunky dory with Mau.

It’s so haunting to watch Kyle cower to Kathy. They may be repaired on the surface, but the toxic dynamic between the Richards sisters inevitably lives on.

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With the Kyle and Kathy reconciliation cemented, Andy moves on to Kyle’s disintegrating marriage. Now, I think this has been a decent reunion for sure, but the fact this package is three and a half minutes really shows how much padding this episode needed. And unfortunately, the reasons behind the split are still vague, and the specific incident that caused Kyle to lose trust in Mau remains undisclosed, despite Andy’s prodding. We’re toeing the line of admitting he cheated, as Kyle’s very clearly alluding to that, but we know as much today as we did a few months ago.

However, it’s still surprising (in the grand scheme) to see Kyle admit her marriage isn’t perfect, and it’s interesting to hear her reveal she’s always been slightly paranoid he actually was cheating, given the plethora of rumors. It’s not a lot, but we can accept the crumbs we do get, given this entire cast decided to sleep through the conclusion. At least Kathy “slips up” by claiming Kyle and Mauricio had been shaky for three years, contrasting Kyle’s own depiction of her marital fallout. Kathy’s the real sniper from the side, and she’s very good at tossing out restrained jabs.

But if you’re frustrated by Kyle during the Mauricio segment, buckle up, as the Morgan segment is Kyle at her most incredulous. I don’t even say this to insult Kyle. The delusion of pretending Morgan hates the fame whilst the two actively plan paparazzi shoots for the Daily Mail is very funny. Kyle should know that it’s not 2011 anymore. We’re all well-aware that paparazzi don’t follow D-listers around all day.And you know who definitely knows that? The entire cast, though they don’t say anything. Erika does roll her eyes, and I guess that’s something. While it’s amusing for Crystal and Dorit to lightly tell Kyle they thought Morgan was her girlfriend, everyone’s just too polished and polite in Beverly Hills.

How can you sit there as Kyle explains filming a sapphic music video with her alleged lover due to her own bicurious tendencies and just be like, “Oh, okay.” These women probably saw the oddly edited Kate Middleton photo and moved on with their days. What happened to detectives? Gossips? Busybodies? Be nosy for two seconds, ladies.

I did get a kick out of Erika smiling and nodding as Kyle admits she was curious about kissing a woman. At least Erika did some good facial acting this episode, if nothing else. And with that faint praise, it’s time to bid adieu to this transitional season of RHOBH.

It’s too bad this season ended on such a tepid note, but reunions have never been a Beverly Hills strongsuit. If anything, it’s nice to be given such solid evidence of this cast’s weak spots. Annemarie, I’m sorry that your edit was humiliating and your husband is a disaster, but Bravo is not your forever home. Good luck in your future endeavors. Crystal, it’s been a cute three seasons, but it’s time we go our separate ways. The rest of these ladies can stay. I’m not opposed to offering Dorit a friend contract with the possibility to be upgraded, though, as desperation will surely bring out the best in her.

Begrudgingly, I’ve accepted that the official return of Kathy is imminent too, as Bravo clearly loves her. But hopefully the show adds some newbies to shake things up, too. Beverly Hills desperately needs agents of chaos to contrast this passive, pristine cast. We need women willing to be mean in the moment, not in their confessionals or on Twitter. Rumor has it RHOBH will begin filming Season 14 in April, so casting news should be just around the corner.

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