The premiere Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last night barely touched on the tragic Russell Amstrong suicide that has prompted the season to be re-edited. The sad death of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong‘s husband warranted only a brief mention before the cast returned to their regularly scheduled antics.
Russell Armstrong, the extranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Amrstrong, was found dead last month in a friend’s home where he had been staying. The investment banker and venture capitalist committed suicide by hanging himself, according to police reports. Taylor Armstrong had filed for divorce the previous month, claiming that Russell Armstrong had physically abused her. The couple had one child together, a five-year-old daughter.
Last night on the second season premiere of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the first episode launched with a brief sequence showing the housewives (minus Taylor) discussing the suicide. “I don’t think any of us saw any sign of this [coming], and that’s why it’s such a shock,” Adrienne Maloof said. “We don’t know what state of mind a person’s in to get to that point,” Kyle Richards noted. “You can’t feel responsible for that. It was his choice, it was his choice.” That was pretty much it other than a tiny onscreen message saying the events in the episode were filmed before Russell Armstrong’s suicide.
With that nod to a horrible tragedy over and done with, the season opener dives right back in to the petty bickering and neurosis-laden back-biting fans of Real Housewives know and love. Taylor Armstrong admits during a dinner conversation that she and Russell Amrstrong are undergoing intense couples therapy. “We’re knee-deep into so much psycho-therapy that I’m sick of myself,” she said. Lisa Vanderpump’s husband responds nastily: “If I had to go to see a therapist to make my marriage better, I would feel weak.”
Other than that, the episode was a bunch of nonsense about Camille’s cameo on the now cancelled $#*! My Dad Says, some BS over the Maloof and Vanderpump dogs and some other stuff that was a whole lot of boring. “Life goes on… it has to,” Kyle Richards said on the show. Well, apparently the old line about the show must go on is true as well.
