For two seasons, the Real Housewives of Dubai have been filling our screens with ostentatious homes, petty drama, and desert delights. The cast has made sure to bring the heat wherever they go, but something didn’t click for fans. The series hasn’t been canceled, but it’s on thin ice. So, what can be done to pull it from the brink of extinction?
Bravo puts a pin in the Real Housewives of Dubai
According to In Touch, “the cast was told a couple of days ago” that RHODubai would be put on pause. For many viewers, the news wasn’t a surprise. The franchise was the first international series under the Bravo umbrella. But even with two new faces, Season 1 struggled. Sadly, the RHODubai followed a similar fate to Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard and Winter House. But there is still hope, as the network can decide to unpause a show at any time. However, if I am being honest, I’d rather see Martha back on my screen way before Dubai.
The Real Housewives of Dubai needs better chemistry
If I were ever thinking of bringing back the Real Housewives of Dubai, I would ensure the cast members were truly friends. When we first met the women during Season 1, I couldn’t kick the feeling that they had taken notes for years on other housewives and tried to replicate the role. The drama often felt textbook and cliched. For example, the issues between Caroline Brooks and Taleen Marie didn’t add up. The pair were best friends for over 15 years before the mother of two joined. But Caroline couldn’t get past feeling like Taleen was trying to sabotage a friendship with Caroline Stanbury. I wasn’t born yesterday, Bravo. I understand that Dubai is a constantly evolving city full of expats. So, I imagine it was hard to find a group of women, let alone Emirati women, who wanted their lives recorded for all to see.
Fans wanted a spicy Caroline Stanbury
I don’t know about you, but I used to love Stanbury on Ladies of London. She was a take-no-prisoners type of woman. Her tongue was as sharp, and her idea of fun was humping her best friend’s husband. Yet, viewers were not given this version of Stanbury. Instead, for two seasons, we watched a water-downed, vanilla Caroline trying to make friends with everyone.
Stanbury’s husband, Sergio Carrallo, was also extremely annoying. Never in the Bravoverse should there have been a storyline revolving around the former soccer player’s neediness. I would have liked to see more of their inner workings, if you can believe it. By the end of Season 2, I felt like I was watching Stanbury have the realization that she might have made a mistake marrying the man. And if all else failed, I would have definitely watched more episodes of her being annoyed at him when it came to packing up her purses. If anything, their dynamic of a wealthy older woman and a subservient younger man was interesting.
Give the Real Housewives of Dubai more cast trips
In this viewer’s opinion, some of the best episodes were when the ladies traveled to Bali. Dare I say their arguments gave me early flashbacks of Real Housewives of Atlanta. But it isn’t as easy to film those drag-out fight scenes in Dubai. Mass media in the United Arab Emirates is subject to government control and heavy censorship. Unlike in the United States, media freedom is severely curtailed. And on top of that, most of the UAE media is owned by the government or groups linked to the state. UAE law allows for the censoring of content that can be seen as critical of the government.
Things that normal Real Housewives do, like swearing and arguing, are illegal to do in public in Dubai. Anything that could be deemed to show Dubai in a negative light wouldn’t even make it to air. So, what can be done for the series? I think there are two options: never revive it or move locations. Bravo producers often stopped fights before they got out of hand, which greatly messed up the flow. Not to mention, they didn’t want to pay 10,000 dirhams every time the women broke the laws. A break might benefit the show and fans while Bravo brainstorms a possible return.
TELL US – HOW DO YOU THINK THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DUBAI COULD IMPROVE?
