After a bit of a holiday hiatus, The Real Housewives of Potomac finally returned for a new episode this week: Season 8, Episode 8. Somehow, these ladies were still on their Austin trip, and it was a drag in every sense of the word.
Wendy and Nneka are still at odds. Candiace busted out the cryangle. Robyn cried on the side of the street, all while Karen tried to enjoy her “triple 20” birthday. This trip was Ashley’s brainchild, and they might forbid her from ever planning a cast trip again after this. For the last day of the trip, Ashley tried to get the ladies to regroup for a drag show. The results were questionable. Here’s what went down on The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 8, Episode 8 “Painting Austin Red.”
A portrait of Karen Huger
Remember at the beginning of the Austin trip when Ashley wanted all of the ladies to make paintings inspired by their vaginas? The activity got derailed by the ladies harassing Robyn over her confusing relationship with Juan, but Ashley didn’t forget about all of the easels and paint she brought to Austin. To celebrate Karen’s 60th birthday, she gathered all of the ladies and made them paint portraits inspired by the Grande Dame herself.
The ladies hilariously revealed their artwork to Karen, and it’s safe to say that none of our Potomac Housewives are painters. But, it was sweet to see everyone rally together to celebrate Karen. With so much division in the group, Karen’s friendship is one thing that unites them all. Can it always just be Karen’s birthday?
Wendy’s mom has a health scare
During a private moment with Karen and Candiace, Wendy revealed that she got some unsettling news about her mom from back home. Susan was rushed to the hospital on the same day they arrived in Austin. It wasn’t clear exactly what was wrong with her mom, but Wendy said she had to undergo surgery.
Obviously, having your mom suddenly fall ill while you’re halfway across the country is stressful. Simultaneously trying to defend her from rumors of witchcraft and wizardry just adds insult to injury.
Wendy mentioned how it was extra difficult to have to defend her mom against Nneka’s accusations while also knowing that she was sick. However, Candiace wasn’t buying that. Despite being Wendy’s only friend on the show, she made a snide remark in her confessional, saying that Wendy shouldn’t conflate the two issues.
Later in the episode, Wendy shared a health update about her mom. She said that she successfully made it out of surgery, so the scariest part is behind them. We’re all rooting for her continued recovery!
Dinner and a show
For the last day in Austin, Ashley wanted the ladies to accompany her for dinner and a drag show. Due to the ridiculous legislative attacks on drag, Ashley said she wanted to shine a spotlight on the art of drag. What better way to do that than bringing the Real Housewives of Potomac to a drag show?
Before the show, the ladies went to dinner. Rarely can these ladies sit down for a normal meal without it turning into a mess. The final dinner in Austin was no exception.
Before the appetizers even made it to the table, Ashley confronted Candiace about all of the drama from chicken sh*t bingo. She said she didn’t understand why she was crying over losing her friendship with Robyn but not owning up to the fact that she drags her on social media 24/7.
Candiace immediately got defensive and said she was “not addressing Ashley,” but that didn’t stop Ashley from activating. Ashley turned to Candiace and said, “The difference between you and me I say it to the group, you say it to the internet.”
Robyn jumped in and said that she doesn’t think they should use social media to “weaponize” each other, but somehow, Candiace took issue with that. She replied and said that wasn’t the case when Gizelle accused Chris of making her uncomfortable. Frustrated, Candiace shouted, “The line is always moving!”
It’s unbelievable that we’re still talking about the Gizelle and Chris situation. Candiace acts like he was accused of a crime and had his life ruined by Gizelle. In actuality, Chris would still be in his grey sweatpants doing cooking classes on Zoom for a living, regardless of what Gizelle said in Season 7. It’s time to move on, but Candiace has no intentions of doing that. Her response to any criticism is, “But what about me and Chris?”
Robyn phones home
Candiace and Robyn weren’t seeing eye to eye during that dinner, and after a few minutes of clashing, Robyn fled the scene. She couldn’t find a curb to cry on this time, so she settled for a table and called her husband to vent. As we’ve seen time and time again, Juan hates it when Robyn calls him.
First, Robyn tried to Facetime Juan, but his camera mysteriously wasn’t working. He said he was busy folding laundry — hopefully by himself. When Robyn started complaining about her latest fight with Candiace, Juan suggested that his wife be the “bigger person” and just listen to what Candiace had to say. That wasn’t the advice Robyn needed. She admitted that she doesn’t want to be the bigger person. Where’s the fun in that?
With nothing but attitude and bad advice coming from Juan, Robyn ended the phone call. Mia, Gizelle, and Ashley came to comfort her instead. They rallied around the Green-eyed Bandit and convinced her to come back to the table. It’s Karen’s birthday, after all, and there’s a drag show to get to!
Ashley Darby’s Drag Race
After the dramatic dinner, the ladies ventured to the drag show. Ashley was thrilled, and after the dinner from hell, it was some much-needed relief for everyone. You can’t be mad when you are surrounded by drag queens, right? Wrong. Somehow, the petty drama managed to follow them into this gay bar.
During the show, the ladies were challenged to do their most “ferosh” runway walk. The queens brought Mia, Ashley, Karen, Wendy, and Nneka on stage to show off their best runway walks. They all delivered, but when Wendy got up (in her blue Mugler bodysuit that we’ve seen 300 times across Real Housewives franchises) and did her runway walk, she hit all of her poses, but Nneka wasn’t living. On stage, she gave her two thumbs down. Not one, but two.
Wendy didn’t see the shade, but Candiace certainly saw it from the crowd. She wasn’t happy, and rightfully so. Why bring this hating energy into the club? If Robyn and Candiace could sit peacefully next to each other, Nneka could have kept her shade to herself. It’s not like anyone at the bar even knew who Nneka was at that time but go off, girl.
Ultimately, they named Karen as the winner. Part of that decision was based on the fact that it was her birthday, but she also literally got on her hands and knees and crawled across the stage. She earned that win, and the drag queens crowned her with a tiara and a sash. It was a fabulous ending to a not-so-fabulous cast trip.
The Real Housewives of Potomac continues on Bravo, Sunday nights at 8/7c.
TELL US – WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC SEASON 8, EPISODE 8? DO YOU AGREE WITH CANDIACE THAT THE “LINE KEEPS MOVING” OR DO YOU BELIEVE SHE’S AVOIDING ACCOUNTABILITY? DO YOU THINK THE LADIES ARE IN A BETTER PLACE AFTER THE AUSTIN TRIP?
