Staying Neutral

Wow. After a season of getting less than a dozen replies per blog, last week's blog received over two hundred and twenty! And most people were not very happy with me. Since the Kyle-Kim-Brandi conflict continues through tonight's episode, let me try and answer some of your comments from last week.

Many of you questioned why I wrote a blog in defense of Kyle in the first place. The answer is simple, really. It's because I felt Kyle needed someone on her side. But that in no way means I'm anti-Brandi. To many of you, it seemed as if I can't be impartial. But the truth is, whatever my personal feelings are, I keep them out of my job. Over the weekend, I attended a wedding of a dear old friend who married a publisher of a major newspaper. The publisher and I often talk about how we are old school in that we keep our personal feelings out of our work -- which is the way journalists and producers used to always handle their jobs. However, in the days where some news networks lean one way or the other, maybe people don't expect producers to be impartial. However, that's the way I do my job. No matter how many times people ask me who is my favorite, I never answer that question -- because it's my job to treat everyone equally. That's why I didn't intervene in the Game Night argument on either side. Did I feel bad for Brandi? Absolutely. But, as I've stated before, my job is to document the reality, not alter it. However, the moment Brandi was off-camera and being driven home, I called her to make sure she was okay.

Many people also seemed to think that my defense of Kyle as a person was defending her Game Night behavior. If that's the case, I failed at making my point clearly. I absolutely thought Kyle and Kim treated Brandi poorly. If I had attended Game Night as a participant, I would've stepped in and said something. But, that's not my role. As I've stated before, my job is to document reality, not alter it. However, my bigger point was basically to not throw the baby out with the bathwater. I've seen many people who used to like Kyle now questioning why they liked her in Season 1. That, to me, is disappointing, and that was my bigger point. I understand that the audience was disappointed in the way Kyle and Kim acted on Game Night. I'm just saying to keep that in overall perspective, the same way I asked the audience to be open to Camille in Season 1. Things change a lot over the course of our season. Tonight is only Episode 9 out of many more, so please stick around for the ride!

Finally, while I'm not going to write an entire blog defending Brandi, here’s a paragraph about her. I adore Brandi! She's funny, and outspoken, and a good mother, and calls things like she sees them. She's also, in her own words, "balls to the wall." When my producer Christopher Cullen showed up to film Brandi's first interview, he was surprised she had chosen the red and black bustier to wear because it was so much more blatantly sexy than what our Season 1 ladies ever wore. Seriously, can you imagine Adrienne or Lisa in that item? But Brandi's a few years younger, has a fantastic body, and is feeling empowered in her post-divorce life. So when Chris asked me if we should ask her to wear something else, I asked him one question. Was it Brandi’s idea? The answer: "Yes, absolutely, it was her first choice!" "Then," I said, "She should wear it." Of course, I knew it would jump out to the audience as something different, but again, sorry to keep repeating myself, that’s who Brandi is, so that's what we shoot.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s episode, and please keep writing! I like to have this interactive relationship with the fans!