Regarding women who have the opportunity to be a part of The Real Housewives franchise, they have never been required to be from a specific country. The reality series has shown diversity as it has evolved throughout the years, creating some of the most iconic women to have stepped foot into that world. One of the most iconic housewives to have come onto Bravo has been Lisa Vanderpump. During her time on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she kept the ladies on their toes, and with her British humor, she constantly had the women wondering if she hated them. For years, LVP was the leading Brit on Bravo for her success on RHOBH and the hit she created with Vanderpump Rules. As time has passed, it may be time for her to hang up her coat, at least in the Bravo world. Since she is not a housewife anymore and Vandepump Rules is in limbo, it is unclear how she could move forward. If Bravo were to lose LVP, there would be a huge void to fill, but luckily, they don’t have to look far to look at someone who gives the same vibes as her but is also showing a new journey in her life that can set her apart from LVP.
Enter The Real Housewives of Dubai star Caroline Stanbury, who has not only been introduced as a housewife but has also been loyal to Bravo for a decade, as she had a show before called Ladies of London. When viewers met Stanbury in Ladies of London, she became an instant fan-favorite because of her personality. She has always had a non-filter personality, which can rub some people wrong, but that makes her great. The show mainly revolved around her and the friends she met along the way, but viewers would gravitate toward her the most because of her personality. She showcased her life’s many highs and lows, as she did not want to hide any aspect of her life to show her true self. Now, with her return as a housewife, she had a tough time gaining her feet back on the scene during the first season of RHOD. But during this second season, it can be seen she is more relaxed and lighthearted. Both LVP and Stanbury have made their marks on reality TV history, but it is time for one to step aside and leave the spotlight on a new reigning Brit on the network.
Similarities Between LVP and Stanbury
Even though they were not part of the same shows, Lisa Vanderpump and Caroline Stanbury have shown that they are very similar. It is not just because both of them are Londoners, but their no-filter personality that has shown how similar they are and why they have become fan favorites. One of the things that Lisa Vanderpump has always been remembered for is how she has no filter when having conversations with any of her cast mates. Viewers will never forget when she started asking cast member Eileen Davidson about her marriage to her husband since they started their relationship from an affair, and it came back to LVP as something that offended Davidson. There were many moments when Lisa would question the Beverly Hills ladies, leaving them with a bad taste in their mouths, but they truly never understood her personality and who she was.
Her humor can be dry and harsh, but that is where it is shown how the different cultures differ since she understands the jokes she is making are just jokes. She explains more about her dry humor on her Bravo blog when talking about Knickergate, in which Erika Jayne showed up to an event of Lisa’s wearing a white dress with no underwear and how this moment created an even bigger issue, “It was an innocent faux pas, but what transpires after, as we travel through this season, was largely a result of not having a sense of humor about it. Laughing at yourself would ultimately dissipate the embarrassment rather than exacerbating a ridiculous circumstance.” After this moment in RHOBH, Lisa’s spot in the group became estranged.
The same has been seen with Caroline Stanbury, and it was shown even more recently during the second season of The Real Housewives of Dubai with another “knickergate” issue, as her cast member Taleen Marie had “faceplanted” at the Beyonce concert and showed her private parts to Stanbury’s husband,Sergio Carrillo. The moment at first was taken as a lighthearted joke that helped Taleen and Stanbury move on from that issue and start their friendship. On the other hand, though, Caroline Brooks did not agree with how things were taken care of between the two and took this small issue and made it bigger because she did not believe that Stanbury was genuine in wanting to be friends with Taleen. This can come from how, when someone is speaking to Caroline, it may be taken as her tone being very dismissive and as if she doesn’t care for the situation when, in reality, all she wants to do is be able to move from the problem and not hold grudges for dumb issues. Being able to move on is something that Caroline Stanbury is better at than Lisa Vanderpump. As was seen when everyone ganged up on Caroline in season one, she let things go and came back fresh for her second season. LVP still hasn’t let go of her issues with longtime cast member Kyle Richards.
Letting Go Is Their Biggest Difference
Since Caroline and Lisa have no-filter personalities, it may not be easy to continue friendships or relationships sometimes if they do not take accountability for what they say or find ways to move on from pettiness and work on their no-filter. Caroline Stanbury had an opportunity to step back from the reality TV limelight after Ladies of London ended. It could have been a way for her to realize who she is and think about her personality, as she was able to marry her now husband, Sergio Carrillo, who has shown he is very different from Stanbury regarding their feelings and personality. From the outside, they look like the perfect couple, but with a big age difference; Sergio is 29, and Caroline is 48, there are sure to be different ideals between them. In season one, it would have been hard to see how the two would be able to be married, as Stanbury was very hard on saying no more children, which he dreamed about. At this moment, they may not be working with children, but something that could be seen about Stanbury is how she was able to soften up her hard-headed personality for Sergio because she truly does love him. Even though he may annoy her from time to time, she has been able to mold her personality to one that works well with her partner.
Besides being able to work on her relationship with Sergio, one of the biggest twists to come to The Real Housewives of Dubai is knowing that Chanel Ayan and Stanbury are getting along. This shocked viewers and even the cast because, as everyone recalls, they could not stand being around each other all of Season One, and it seemed like they would never be able to move forward. Seeing two people who had it out for each other to come together and move on has been a great side to see on RHOD, and it has brought joy for viewers to see this now fan-favorite friendship.
Caroline Stanbury told Deadline how she was able to move forward and see this season from a different perspective, “I think the first season, I was a bit like a deer caught in headlights, and this season, I’ve learned not to take things so much to heart and to brush it off a lot faster because things move so fast and nobody wants to be hung up on the same stuff all the time and going round and round. You’ll never make six women, or however many we are, all see things your way. And that’s what’s interesting about female relationships.” This is a big difference from LVP because whenever she had any issues with the women, she would make it difficult for them to move forward or not rekindle their friendships. There could have been a world where Lisa Vanderpump and Kyle Richards could still be friends. Stanbury’s ability to try to fix things with her friends has shown she truly cares for the relationships around her and wants to make an effort with them.
The Real Housewives of Dubai airs every Tuesday on Bravo and is available to stream the next day on Peacock.