Andy Cohen‘s got the 4-1-1 on all things Bravo, according to his Watch What Happens Live jingle. In addition to being the host and Executive Producer of WWHL, he also serves as the Real Housewives EP. According to his bio, in 2004, Andy began his Bravo career, serving as the Vice President of Original Programming. Two years later, he served as an executive producer for Real Housewives of Orange County, which premiered in 2006.
Clearly, Andy has been with this network for a while. As the face of the Real Housewives, it’s only natural that Andy was chosen to host its reunions, along with other Bravo shows. However, his Bravo reunion hosting skills have been called out as of late. Perhaps the network might want to consider a new host for it’s varied reunions, or maybe, Andy could step up his hosting skills in these areas.
Andy Needs To Watch Every Series That He Hosts
Backlash followed when Andy hosted the Below Deck Season 7 reunion. When it came to asking the needed questions, Andy failed. After a season of hell, Andy had the gall to ask Courtney Skippon if she’d hook up with Brian de Saint Pern when taping wrapped. He also stuck up for Ashton Pienaar, which was wild, as Smashton sucked.
Overall, Andy didn’t seem to have a lot of information on this season. When speaking to the Hit Network, Hannah Ferrier of Below Deck weighed in on Andy’s lack of knowledge. “It used to be a little bit annoying because you could tell that he didn’t watch the show,” she explained. If Andy is going to host each Bravo reunion, we suggest that he get a better read of their rooms.
To help, perhaps Andy should watch each season in depth just prior to his filming of these sit-downs. If not (as one person can only do so much), maybe a phone call to each series EP would suffice. Basically, Andy needs to have the knowledge that these follow-up sessions deserve.
Andy Should Try Hiding His Biases
It’s clear that Andy has favorites amongst each series. He’s human, so we get it. It’s nearly impossible to love every single one of your coworkers, and Andy’s job is no different. However, he often fails to hold certain cast members accountable, while others he questions nonstop.
To explain, during the Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 13 reunion, Andy was accused of siding with the “mean girls” section of the couch. In turn, he went hard on those who sat opposite. In addition, during the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 12 reunion, Andy let lame excuses for the poor behaviors found in Erika Jayne, Kyle Richards, and Diana Jenkins fly. Yet, he went after Crystal Minkoff hard, and it was hard to watch as Crystal fell back, defeated.
Furthermore, Andy’s bias against Monique Samuels was on display during the Real Housewives of Potomac Season 5 reunion. Monique was involved in a physical altercation with Candiace Dillard Bassett, yet Andy only seemed to interrogate Monique. To be fair(ish), Andy claimed on WWHL that he also went in on Candiace, but it was edited out.
As a host, you cannot give certain personalities a pass. Andy’s bias needs to lay dormant if he is going to host each Bravo reunion fairly.
On Important Conversations, Andy Needs To Commit
RHOBH Season 12 was rough. Garcelle Beauvais and Crystal received a slew of racist online hate following their on-air responses to situations on their series. However, at their reunion, Andy failed to address how racism affected these women. Similarly, at the RHOP Season 5 reunion, Andy asked the cast if they wanted someone to host a colorism discussion, which really should have been mandatory.
Moreover, Andy laughed off Michael Darby‘s multiple sexual assault allegations at the RHOP Season 4 reunion, as the women sat horrified in the background. From racism to assault, important conversations are failing to transpire. As a white man, it’s understandable that Andy might be uncomfortable adequately discussing topics like race, but as the host, he shouldn’t just silence these subjects. Bare minimum, a mediator should be present, allowing these needed conversations to take place.
Follow-Up Questions Should Be Asked
No one loves a cue card more than Bravo’s daddy. During each reunion, Andy uses these pre-made questions to help guide his conversations. However, these cards come with a massive downside, as follow-up questions tend to get neglected. In what’s become a repetitive move, Andy will look down at his cards, read them silently as people are still answering his past question, and then quickly move on to the next card.
This has left so much unsaid. Take for example the recent Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion. Ariana Madix agreed with Andy’s question, stating that the guys should have never taken a trip to Miami. This was a huge opening for Andy to crawl into, asking Ariana if her words meant that Tom Sandoval had admitted to cheating on her with anyone else, not just Rachel Leviss.
We’d love to see Andy slow down and listen to each answered cue card. Then, ask the various cast members to elaborate on their answers, if warranted. A lack of follow-up questioning aids in creating storyline holes, which the viewers always seem to notice, yet Andy has not.
Andy Should Dial Down His Off-Color Commentary
In far too many instances, Andy’s commentary has lingered on cast members’ sexual histories and desires. When Carl Radke appeared on WWHL, Andy focused on a same-sex hookup, which the Summer House star had mentioned briefly years prior. When asking Carl about the best blow job he’s ever received, we cringed. Andy smiled.
Similarily, Andy’s line of “any holes a goal” when talking to Below Deck’s Kyle Dixon was offputting. Likewise, when Aesha Scott and Captain Jason Chambers appeared as reps for the Below Deck Down Under Season 2 lame mini-reunion, the conversation veered heavily towards the sexual. As our final tip, we’d love to see Andy stick with storyline content moving forward, focusing less on sexual connotations.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ANDY’S BRAVO REUNION HOSTING SKILLS?
