Trigger warning: this article mentions suicide.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne is the latest Bravo star to snag a spinoff special. This show, titled Erika Jayne: Bet It All on Blonde, followed Erika and her team as they prepared for her Las Vegas residency. But Erika also struggled with personal issues at the same time. Let’s get into the Erika Jayne: Bet It All on Blonde recap!
Not a good sign
It is 24 hours before Bet It on Blonde opens, and the overwhelming feeling is dread. Mikey Minden, the creative director, and Erika’s longtime friend, was critical of her performance. “Everyone is waiting for you to come alive. I can only do so much,” Mikey said. “I don’t feel confident about any of it,” Erika responded.
After Mikey started to weep, he was comforted by Erika’s manager, Alexis Fisher. “This is everything that you’ve ever wanted. And we need to make the most of it because you’re not going to get this moment back again,” Alexis told Erika. Damn! That was harsh.
The countdown begins
We jump back to 30 days before Erika’s show. It was the first day of rehearsal. Does anyone else feel like maybe there should have been more prep time?
Erika felt elated because something good was happening in her life. In a confessional, she reflected on her marriage to her estranged husband, Tom Girardi. She recalled what a successful attorney he was.
“He was charismatic. He was a sweet man,” Erika said. She never could have pictured the situation that he is in now. “Disgraced, disbarred, and indicted. And in a home for Alzheimer’s dementia,” Erika said.
She once asked him why he wanted to be a plaintiff’s lawyer. “Because I didn’t like people getting f*cked over,” he replied. Oh, the irony! Tom and his business partner allegedly stole millions from their clients.
“None of this should have happened. I feel terrible about the clients and that they did not receive what they were entitled to receive.” She added, “I am not part of that law firm. I’m not indicted.” But at least Erika was finally showing some sympathy for the victims.
The first rehearsal
When she landed the show, Erika insisted that Mikey be the creative director. And Jamie Ruiz was the dance captain.
The show was divided into six segments: fantasy, love, escape, glitz, glamour, and fun. They were going back as far as 2007 with Erika’s song “Roller Coaster.”
This is the biggest show that Erika has ever done, and she wants everyone in the audience to enjoy themselves. But make no mistake. Erika’s career is riding on this residency.
Erika’s relationship dynamics
When Erika arrived at home, she greeted her dog, Tiago. He was having trouble walking and fell. Erika had to carry him. That moment brought me to tears. Tiago was the last thread between her old life and her new life.
When Erika moved in with Tom, she arrived with two trash bags of clothing. “My life became his life,” she explained. Why? Simply put, because she trusted Tom and admired him.
Erika’s childhood was rocky. Her mother, Renee Chahoy, was married to Erika’s father. But he left when Erika was nine months old. Then her mom remarried. But when Erika was in third or fourth grade, her mom drove her to her stepdad’s work to spy on him and his side piece. YIKES!
Well, that could explain why Erika, at 29 years old, married a man who was almost 60 years of age. Tom made her feel safe. Now Erika doesn’t “know if absolute trust is a possibility for me in life.”
A late-night knock on the door
There was a knock on Erika’s door while the cameras were still rolling. Out of frame, a woman stated that she was part of Tom’s legal team. She wanted to speak to Erika about her observations about Tom. Most likely because his competency hearing was coming up. Erika politely asked for her card and said that she needed to speak with her attorney about it.
Afterward, the songstress freaked out. She said that she had already given all the information that she had. She asked the producer if he knew that the woman was there. “Absolutely not,” he replied. Erika glanced at the card and realized that Tom had a public defender. She likened her situation to being in the mob. She tries to get out but gets yanked back in.
Money problems
The production could use another $100,000 to make the show extra fabulous. The promoter denied her request for the extra money
She was upset and angry but wasn’t going to delay the show’s opening. The first performance is scheduled for August 25, 2023. “If we stall, it’s over for me,” she told Mikey.
Erika’s dark days
The producer played some RHOBH clips from 2022 on his phone for Erika. Erika was spicy in all of them. “None of them would survive in this environment that I’m in,” she said of her co-stars afterward. “I don’t think that those girls really cared how I felt, grieving a marriage and a person you were married to, and your idea of that person.”
Erika admitted to the producer that she thought about suicide. “I thought about killing myself many a time,” she stated. But Erika’s son told her to fight and talked her out of it.
Meanwhile, Erika applied for a personal loan to cover the $100,000 budget shortfall. She was denied. Although she and Tom are legally separated, their divorce wasn’t finalized. Her name is still intertwined with his, and his alleged bad deeds.
Paging Erika Jayne!
10 days before opening night, Erika forgot the choreography and the counts. She even glanced at her phone in the middle of rehearsal. It was a mess and not the pretty kind. Mikey became frustrated and walked out of the building. “Sorry guys, it’s just like she doesn’t know the show at all,” he said.
Four days later, Erika and the two female dancers were dancing on a bed to “One Hot Pleasure.” Erika was barely moving, and it didn’t look hot enough. She was having trouble tapping into her sexy side.
Then it was on to Vegas! Erika was thrilled to see the billboard for the show. But with just three days left, time was ticking.
As a child, Erika would give shows in her living room. She was always part of children’s theater and dance. Her entire life has led her to this Las Vegas stage. Erika knows that the essence of her sexy persona is inside – somewhere.
“She’s still here. Damaged. Beat down,” Erika said. “But she’s still here.”
Tom isn’t far from her thoughts
It is now 29 hours until show time. “I have to bring something up, it was Tom’s hearing,” the producer said.
Erika asked how it went. “I don’t know, I think there was an attorney, who was talking about, that ah … from the prosecution that he did have some cognitive issues.”
“I would be a liar if I said it’s 100 percent out of my mind,” Erika said. She revealed that he calls her all the time. Tom thinks that he is still a practicing lawyer. As soon as they hung up, he called again, unaware that they had just spoken.
The repetitive phone calls were painful and reminded her of the man he once was, and their life before this happened. “I’m trying to remain somewhat civil to this person that was good to me until he wasn’t. And then … and then continuing my life ahead,” Erika said in her confessional.
Meanwhile, Mikey and Jamie watched some videos of Erika performing on the bed, with no choreography. They commented on how hot it was, and how this new performance was … not.
An emergency meeting
Alexis, Erika’s manager, asked to meet with Mikey. She told the producer and camera crew that the meeting could not be filmed. There was a squabble with the producer, but Alexis won. Oblivious, Erika sat onstage, wondering where everyone went. Girl, that means you are about to be voted off the island! Just kidding.
Afterward, Mikey and Erika had a meeting. This looped us back to the scene at the beginning. He told Erika that they needed to cut “One Hot Pleasure.” Why? “No one was killing it. Including you,” he stated. “As your friend, I just feel like there’s a piece missing.” Erika agreed, “Yeah. I’m not here.”
Just four hours before the show, Mikey told Erika that they were done bombing her with notes. He instructed her to think “punk rock” and just go for it. After the run-through, Mikey was thrilled. Erika started killing each section, and they finally had a show.
Erika makes her entrance
As the crowd chanted her name, Erika emerged from the stage in a lift. She opened with “XXPEN$IVE,” followed by “Painkillr.” Then she performed her new song, “Drip Drop.”
She closed with “How Many F*cks.” Compared to the rehearsal footage, Erika Jayne returned just in time! She seemed dialed into the routines and played off the crowd’s energy. As the show went on, she seemed more at ease.
Backstage, Alexis hugged Erika and started to cry. “That was the best thing that’s ever happened in Vegas!” she exclaimed. Slow your roll. I don’t think that is the case.
Everyone was elated, and Mikey started crying again. Someone get him an emergency cryangle. Erika became emotional 12 hours after the show. During the last three years, she never realized how many people were rooting for her. She felt happy and didn’t feel alone.
There were updates listed at the end. “Bet It All on Blonde opened to rave reviews and was a commercial success,” the first screen read. The next one read, “Tom Girardi was declared competent to stand trial by a federal judge on January 2, 2024.”
The final one got me in the feels. “Erika’s dog Tiago passed away one month after the opening night of her residency.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call 988.
Erika Jayne: Bet It All on Blonde premiered on Wednesday, March 6, at 9/8c on Bravo. Stream it the next day on Peacock.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 13 reunion continues on Wednesday, March 6 at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT ERIKA JAYNE: BET IT ALL ON BLONDE? DID ERIKA BRING IT DURING THE ACTUAL SHOW?
