The Real Housewives of Orange County, take two

In keeping with today's themes of television shows that are guilty pleasures, it looks like The Real Housewives of Orange County are back for a second round. There will be one change: Kim, the housewife with skin cancer who got in the middle of the Jo/Slade (WHO is named Slade?!)/Lauri triangle has moved out of town. Taking her place is Tammy, who, according the the show's website, "used to live in one of the biggest house in the gated community, but that was before she and her husband, Lou, lost their fortune from their lucrative business."

It's odd, because Lauri was last year's "I used to be rich but now I'm not," and she's still on the show. But apparently she is "enjoying being pampered in a whirlwind romance to rival TomKat." So maybe she's back with the haves this time around.

This show often infuriated me because they were so privileged, plastic and laissez-faire with their money, you never saw them actually do volunteer work or donate anything, and their kids were super-spoiled. But I continued to watch, thinking that it was all an exaggeration.

And then I met an incredibly wealthy couple ("Richies") this weekend who were considering moving halfway across the country so that their child could go to the poshest of private schools (he had an interview at said school--he is three years old). Why was it so important that Richie Son get into this school? Because "unless he totally messes up, he'll have his choice of Ivy League schools." When I pointed out lots of people get into Ivies without going to the best private elementary school I was informed that the real reason this school was so important was that it would pave the way for him to attend Eton. Yes, Eton is now the goal. And when I said that I was sure he would be okay even if he didn't get into said private elementary school and that "it's not the end of the world if it doesn't happen," I was told that in fact it would be the end of the world. Because, according to Richie Wife, "things aren't the way they used to be" academically. I guess not. I'm sure it was much easier for someone like me, a public school graduate whose parents were an immigrant with an elementary school education and a first-generation American with a high school education, to attend top schools and become "successful" than it will be for Richie Son, with his enormous amounts of wealth, a nanny, private tutors, and some private school education (even if it isn't Eton). Makes sense to me!

So The Real Housewives: total reality.