On this season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, fans have been introduced to two new ladies, Garcelle Beauvais and Sutton Stracke. Unfortunately for them, only one made the cut to be a full-time Housewife; meanwhile, Sutton has embraced the role of 'Friend of Housewife' and has been involved in her fair share of drama so far. According to multiple sources, Sutton was set to be holding a diamond this season, but producers pulled the plug after her ex-husband wouldn't allow her children to film, thus leaving a gap in Sutton's life and storyline.
Accepting The 'Friend' Role
It was a bit of a shock to Sutton when Bravo demoted her to 'friend' after an entire season of filming, but she decided to take the role anyway in hopes of becoming a full-time Housewife for season 11. On a podcast episode of Reality Life with Kate Casey, the mother of three opened up about why she decided to show her life on television. She said, "I needed to be a role model for my daughter. Like, come on, get yourself together and start doing something for yourself to make her proud. And actually, my boys, too, they always wanted to know what I did all day. And it was like nothing. Like, go to the gym. I don't know. I didn't have like a real purpose besides taking care of them." But unfortunately for Sutton and her family, she hasn't done such a great job portraying herself in a good light on television for her children to see.
Sutton's Poor Behavior
Sutton's children, along with all the viewers, have had to watch Sutton's cringeworthy manners, harsh words, and extreme elitism go down on screen. From always making a point to work the word 'couture' into every sentence (while making sure everyone knows she doesn't wear 'off-the-runway' looks), to throwing a fuss when there were no name tags at a dinner party, Sutton has struggled to find her footing and has come across as insufferable. In every episode, Sutton displays rude behavior that her children should not follow. When she had the opening party for her new store, which she obviously named after herself, she dissed the mayor as he gave a speech welcoming her store to the neighborhood. Sutton has also gone after Teddy Mellencamp and her character, calling her 'boring' for no real apparent reason, causing animosity between the two. So far, Sutton has a lot of damage control to do in order to make her children proud.
But it's no wonder that Sutton doesn't really know how to act properly. She has so much money that she doesn't know how to act unless she's among other extremely rich people, which the other Housewives don't even compare to. In a confessional, co-star Lisa Rinna says, "What does it say about Sutton that Dolce & Gabbana make a one of a kind piece for her? It says that she's rich, honey! She's-a-rich... there are homes, private jets and I think there's a baseball team. Or two. Or more. I don't know. She has a lot of f------ money." Perhaps Sutton is just on a whole other level as she doesn't fit well into the group or show.
Fans are hoping that Sutton becomes more comfortable around the girls this season and starts showing other colors of herself, instead of just her green money. Viewers have seen small glimpses of Sutton being empathetic, compassionate, and sensitive, but find it hard to relate to her.
Gearing Up For Next Season
Maybe Sutton would have been more likable if she was a Housewife, since fans just innately don't like the friends as much. In an exclusive with Us Weekly, Sutton admitted that "The diamond is very heavy to hold, but I would love to like be a diamond carrying member, for sure." So next season, Sutton might be in the opening credits saying her tagline, which she thinks would be something like, "I might be Southern, but don't ring my bell." And as far as showing more of her life on the show, Sutton hopes that "viewers will see me with my kids at home. And it's the softer side, I think, of all of us. When you get to see all of the ladies at home with their kids and their families, it's kind of like, you know, they don't show that much of it. It's clearly not that interesting. But it's the soft underbelly of who these women are. And I'm sorry that we can't see that this season."