There have been many over-the-top storylines on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills but “puppygate” may take the cake. The fact that an entire RHOBH season centered around a dog named Lucy Lucy Apple Juice still has us scratching our heads. Here are all the reasons puppygate was the most ridiculous RHOBH storyline.
It Felt Staged
Puppygate was the only memorable storyline from Season 9, which speaks to what a flop of a season it was. The drama began after Dorit Kemsley gave away a dog she adopted from Lisa Vanderpump‘s dog rescue center, Vanderpump Dogs. Dorit said that Lucy Lucy Apple Juice was having behavioral issues, so she decided her family wasn’t the best fit to care for the dog. The RHOBH star thought she was placing the pup in a loving home, but instead, the chihuahua mix ended up at a kill shelter.
Lisa and Vanderpump Dogs were alerted about Lucy’s whereabouts, which then led to the infamous “puppygate.” The heat was initially on Dorit. Her cast members questioned her about how much she knew about Lucy’s new owner. The focus then shifted to Lisa after stories about the drama were leaked to the press. The ladies suspected Lisa was the source behind the stories, which only created more drama among the group.
If we look back at some other storylines on RHOBH, it’s hard to believe dog drama once consumed an entire season. I mean, we’ve seen storylines about abusive marriages, fraud, and deep rooted family issues. The problem with puppygate was that it just felt…fake and apparently, some of the cast members felt that way too.
At BravoCon in 2023, Kyle Richards admitted puppygate felt a little fake too.
“I can only think of one, and that was the dog story with Lucy whatever it was,” she said, answering a fan who inquired about the most staged Real Housewives storyline. “Our show isn’t staged or set up, but I think that was brought to the table with the intention for there to be another [spinoff].” Kyle was of course referring to Lisa’s spinoff “Vanderpump Dogs” that premiered on Peacock in 2021.
It Created Unnecessary Drama
I know what you’re thinking, isn’t unnecessary drama the whole point of Real Housewives? Sure, but the drama surrounding puppygate had long lasting consequences that just seem totally ridiculous. Lisa Vanderpump ended up leaving the show over all the drama and didn’t even show up to the reunion. Not to mention the scandal ruined Lisa and Kyle’s friendship. The fact that a puppy adoption gone wrong caused this much tension in the group seems insane.
According to People, Lucy Lucy Apple Juice is now called LuLu. Her new owner, Zandria Theis, spoke to the outlet in 2019 about adopting the famous Bravo dog. “[She’s] the sweetest dog ever, we are really happy we got to add her to the family.” she told the publication. “Our lives revolve around her now.”
LuLu has clearly recovered from the situation, so why can’t Lisa Vanderpump? Lisa has still not reconciled with Teddi Mellencamp, Kyle Richards, and Lisa Rinna, which feels totally insane. Seriously, OVER A DOG?
In June 2022, Teddi revealed on her podcast, Two Ts in a Pod, that she had recently “cleared the air” with Lisa but the two still haven’t completely repaired their friendship.
“We did have a nice conversation. We were respectful to one another,” Teddi told her co-host, Tamra Judge. “I haven’t talked to [Lisa] in years. The last time that we had any conversation was not good. Ultimately, we just went through it,” she continued. “It was mainly, like, all the things we probably would have said to each other at the reunion, had we had the reunion.”
Teddi described her current relationship with the restauranteur as “healed-ish.” We’re hoping Lisa would be open to a similar conversation with Kyle in the future. We miss seeing the two spar on the show, and we’re dying to get LVP back on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
To think dog drama is what ultimately ended LVP’s reign on RHOBH is just too depressing and needs to be corrected immediately.
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