Sutton Stracke teases the "many different little earthquakes" before The Big One.
"Bravo, Bravo! F**king Bravo!"
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 10 premiere ended with a shot of Denise Richards shouting that instantly-iconic quote, seemingly in an attempt to break the fourth wall, render the footage unusable and avoid talking about a certain something she'd rather not discuss.
Ironically, that something is all RHOBH fans and Denise's fellow 'Wives alike want to talk about: The rumor that Denise had a months-long extramarital affair with, of all people, Brandi Glanville. While Denise's rep denies it, the accusations will play out over the course of the season and result in Denise briefly quitting the show.
Below, we've rounded up everything the cast has already told ET about the biggest bombshell to hit the 90210 since Munchausen Syndrome: Denise-gate.
Denise Richards
"It was a challenging season for me, to say the least," Denise herself told ET's Brice Sander. "This was something I was not expecting at all."
Of the Brandi allegations, she said, "I was very much caught off-guard, and the subject matter that seems to be in all the tabloids of late is-- I think it's kind of disgusting that they even talk about it. But that's something they choose to, and I've had worse things said so I can rise above it. I have a very solid marriage and my husband and I, we just rise above it. People will say what they'll say and in the big picture, we can't worry about that stuff."
In a follow-up conversation, Denise broke down the "Bravo! Bravo! F**king Bravo!" moment, which turned out to have nothing to do with Brandi at all but a separate issue she felt Kyle was pushing. "I think I'm a little bit of a target, and that's OK, because we all have a turn for that," she told ET.
(She also says Kyle was the one who taught her the trick, for the record. "I learned from the other women that have been before me on the show, [and] many of them did it during my two seasons.")
As for quitting the show, Denise denies that she never stopped filming, though con firms she did skip two events with the ladies. "The only people that have said I quit the show or won't be at the reunion are my co-stars... If it airs the way it was shot, people will see why I would get up and leave," she explained. "And if there's questions, obviously I'll answer it at the reunion."
Kyle Richards
"Just like last year, right out of the gate, the whole 'puppygate' thing happened, and this season was no different. Something came up," Kyle told ET's Lauren Zima.
"Obviously, when you first hear something like that [about a] married woman, it's salacious and, oh my gosh!" she added. "But it's also someone's life and it's like, 'Oh, God.' Once something is out there, it's out there. I know what it feels like to have something out there about yourself or your family. It's painful, it's difficult."
What bothered Kyle most was how Denise reacted to the rumor: As the premiere reveals, Denise "stopped shooting with the group" in December, though she eventually resumed filming.
"I was a little taken aback. Like, this is what you signed up for and, unfortunately, it's hard. It's not just all fun and going to parties. I feel like when it got hot in the kitchen, she left," she said. "Her walking off and not wanting to participate didn't really sit well with the rest of us who show up every day."
Erika Jayne
"Brandi's part of the story is backed up by receipts," Erika revealed. "There are always two sides to every story -- and both women will have the chance to tell their complete story -- but I think it's safe to say Brandi is coming with the receipts."
"I think that this season is the one season that could have a real impact on people's personal lives, do you know what I mean? It could be the one season where it can really impact someone's personal life," she said. "I do think that you're gonna be surprised with the Denise-Brandi thing, 'cause it does kind of come out of nowhere."
For Erika's money, Denise made two critical mistakes in how she handled the bombshell: First, allowing her husband, Aaron Phypers, to become a part of the drama.
"I would prefer it if husbands stayed out of the women’s drama, I really do," she explained. "I think every woman is smart enough, bright enough and intelligent enough to work out her own things within the group. When men come in, oftentimes, they feel like they're protecting their wife, when -- at least in our group -- it actually in some ways makes it worse."
Secondly, by sending the cease and desist letter teased in the season's trailer. "Sending a cease and desist to [the network], that's like trying to break the house in Vegas. The house always wins,” Erika said. “Don't be stupid. Save your money."
Teddi Mellencamp
"This is not the story. I mean, that's juicy and people are interested in it," Teddi said, explaining that the Denise drama began long before any Brandi allegations arose. "There's definitely more that involves all of us, that affects everybody differently. Whatever they're doing on their own time really has nothing to do with me."
"A lot of things were going down with Denise before Brandi -- allegedly -- and that's really the issue," she continued. "When you sign up to do the show, you show the good, the bad and the ugly. And if your primary focus is what the audience is gonna think about you and not what each one of your friends is feeling, it always ends up backfiring. You're trying to control a situation that can't be controlled and the people that are living it with you can feel it."
Hence, the "Bravo, Bravo! F**king Bravo!" moment. "I'd like to say that was the only time that happened this season," Teddi teased. "But it wasn't."
Unlike Kyle and Lisa Rinna, who speculate in the premiere that Denise will be a no-show at the reunion, Teddi predicts she'll be there. "I've seen some of the press she's done, I definitely think she'll be there," she said. "I think that she has done this for a lot of years, whether she's on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or not."
Garcelle Beauvais
The newest housewife of Beverly Hills entered the group through her friendship with Denise and is still on "Team Denise" even after wrapping the season. "They're coming for her," Garcelle said. "Listen, that girl has been through a lot... She always takes the higher ground and I'm always like, 'Denise, speak up for yourself!' and she's like, 'No, it's OK..' and I'm like, 'Girl.'"
As for reports of how the reveal will play out in the show? "I think a lot of it is truthful," she said. "For a moment there we were like, who's leaking all of this stuff? Because we felt like a lot of it was sort of factual or accurate, but I think you have to sort of go with the journey and see what we know what we know and if we ever actually know the truth."
"I mean, I still don't know the truth -- we still don't know," Garcelle admitted of the allegations. "I think we will know as time goes on and, hopefully, Denise will spill the beans. But I want to believe her. I mean, she's been my friend for over 20 years. So to me, taking Brandi's side over hers, that's not what friends are for. She's my friend and I'm gonna stick by her and see how it shakes out."
Sutton Stracke
This season's newest friend of, Sutton says there are "so many different little earthquakes" that happen in the Denise drama before "the big one." "It's always building," she teased, adding that, "There's a lot more to this whole season than just, like, Denise and Brandi."
"I don't know if I would call us spectators -- that leads into a whole different scandal," she joked of how involved she was in what ultimately leads Denise to walk off. "I've known Brandi for a few years socially... I love Brandi. She's very brazen. She says what she wants to say, so that whole thing didn't surprise me."
Ultimately, Sutton is just as intrigued to watch how the season unfolds as all of us watching at home. "I can't wait to see it play out. I can't wait to see all the facts, because I don't have them," she explained. "You learn some things but then some things are said behind closed doors, so I gotta see it for myself. I'm not making a decision without all the facts in the case."
Lisa Vanderpump
LVP, as we all know, is no longer with us this season, but that didn't stop the 90210's so-called "puppet master" from sizing up her ex-castmates' new drama. "I just heard a little bit about a little hookup situation..." she played coy. "No comment on that one!"
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills premieres Wednesday, April 15, at 8 p.m. on Bravo.
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