'Real Housewives Of Dallas' Season 2 Could Happen With A Cast Shakeup
By Aubrey Page
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
The Real Housewives franchise is really the reality television phenomenon that keeps on giving. After delivering hit after hit, Bravo took a brave leap and offered up two (count 'em!) new cities this year. The first one was in Potomac — which boasted a perfectly cast crew of likably volatile ladies that ensured an epic first season — prompting Bravo to renew the show shortly after its finale. The second new series was in Dallas, the Housewives' highly anticipated first foray into the Lone Star state, but the results have been less than blindly positive. Struggling with low ratings, according to The Inquisitr, the show careens towards its finale tonight with no answer about the future. Will The Real Housewives of Dallas return for Season 2?
The answer is "TBD," but despite the ratings drop, I'd say it's not time to panic just yet. The Real Housewives of Potomac wasn't officially renewed until after the series had aired its finale, which means Dallas still has a little time before the writing appears on the wall. Since I'm already in deep with these women's lives, I'm going to hold out hope for that renewal, which would mean a likely premiere date of March or April 2017 for Season 2, which would be consistent with Season 1. But, if fans do see a second season, a cast switch-up is almost certainly in the cards. But who should stay, who might go, and who could join the cast? I've got you covered — with a review of our existing cast members' staying power and some humble suggestions for new additions to the Dallas brood. Yee-haw!
LeeAnne Locken
Look, it's been clear since day one: LeeAnne is the queen of The Real Housewives of Dallas. LeeAnne is a perfect example of a Bravo Real Housewife: A fierce, no-nonsense, seriously smart woman with a flair for drama. Yes, obsessing over a rumor that involves her pooping her pants is really silly, but the ridiculous amount of drama this crew has mined from it is impressive nonetheless. She's incredibly intense, and goes in on anyone who tries her — sometimes in ways that aren't always indefensible. She may not be the most likable cast member, but it's pretty obvious that she's an important source of Dallas' intrigue. In short, if RHOD does manage to come back, Andy Cohen & Co. need to hold on to Ms. Locken for dear life.
The only real worthy foil (puppet?) to LeeAnne, Tiffany is a much-needed relay runner between her best friend's questionable interpersonal tactics and the rest of the cast. She's whip smart and intense when she needs to be — but most importantly, she's one of the most likable post-stirrers of the bunch.
Despite suffering from a rocky first few episodes, Cary has proven herself to be a pretty formidable housewife. I can't say she's the most necessary element on the show, but she is one of the most freely goofy — which puts her well ahead of the game in my book.
Stephanie is great. She's smart, she's got a really juvenile sense of humor (which I love) and is guided by a pretty well-calibrated moral compass. But let's face it: She is just too reasonable to be a totally integral cast member! Whether you agree with it or not, the best asset to a Real Housewife can often be their "unreasonable" quotient (see Vicki Gunvalson, Aviva Drescher, Kenya Moore, etc.) and Stephanie is far too self-assured and soft-spoken to clearly define herself as an irreplaceable cast member. Sorry, Steph.
Brandi has consistently been an itegral member of Dallas' cast, but her future on the show was majorly called into question when the Housewife recently took to Twitter to state her ambivalence over joining the series for a second season. When asked by a fan if she planned to return, Redmond simply said, "...not sure it's in store for me," should the series be renewed. And who could blame her? Brandi's hubby drama was some of the most soul-crushing on the show, and regardless of how much life you got from her feud with LeeAnne, it sounds like this is one Housewife that is calling it quits. You do you, Brandi!
Heidi Dillon
Since I first saw her mid-power lunch with LeeAnne and Tiffany a few weeks ago, I've been unable to get Heidi ("effin") Dillon out of my head — or off of my Instagram feed. I get major Erika Jayne vibes from her, and it's not just the Scott Barnes connection that does it — she really seems like a serious BAMF, and has got an energy that could be the answer to what ails Dallas.
Marie Reyes
Oh, man. After surviving that disastrous Austin trip, the least Bravo could do would be to upgrade Marie to full-time status. Plus, any housewife who can withstand late-night face-to-face threats from LeeAnne can totally handle the day to day drama of filming the show. That is, of course, if Marie even wants to after all that's happened. If it were me, I'd be on a plane out of Dallas ASAP.
We'll have to wait a little longer for Bravo to drop an official verdict, but if the network does go forward with a second season, I'm confident a little tweaking is all that's needed before The Real Housewives of Dallas is the hit no one saw coming. (Except for me, I saw it coming.)
Images: rhogif (5); Bravo; giphy