"It's a rough world," Brandi Redmond tells baby Bruin in the first moments of the premiere episode of the new season of The Real Housewives of Dallas.
The third -- yes, third -- season of the show started Aug. 15 and airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Bravo. For fans, it wasn't a moment too soon. For the ladies involved, well ...
"No," said LeeAnne Locken. "And I talked to Stephanie already. She's not ready either."
Stephanie Hollman, who sat down for an interview the week before the premiere with Locken, Redmond and D'Andra Simmons, agreed. (Cary Deuber had a work commitment and Kameron Westcott was out of town.)
"I think it's like a Band-Aid," Hollman said. "It has to be ripped off, like by force with Bravo doing it."
Of course, Locken was first with an answer. During the first two seasons, she seemed to be front and center in almost every bit of drama on the show. On this day, though, she and her other cast members were all smiles that continued even as Hollman, 38, jokingly called Locken, 51, and Simmons, 49, "the elders."
It's funny because it's true. What is also true is that the cast's stories grew just enough -- like the ratings -- to warrant another season.
The cast was holding out for the first episode to drop, so though they were gracious, they were not forthcoming. So, the sit-down allowed for more of a peek into their personalities than the show that centered around Simmons' anniversary party; she was celebrating four years of marriage to photographer Jeremy Lock.
"I feel like there's a lot for me to be excited about and to celebrate," said Redmond, who kept fans parsing social media for clues about the addition to her family that was revealed on the episode. "It's been such a big secret for me, with the adoption. And now it's just, I'm ready for it to be out there and to celebrate."
Simmons, who was a newcomer last season, agrees. "I'm ready to get on with my life," she said. But last season did teach her a thing or two: She learned a lot about how to manage the stress of being on RHOD. But, she said, it didn't change her.
"I think I'm still the same person I've always been," Simmons said. "Everybody knows I'm just kind of a straight-shooter, truth-teller; that's the way I am and I'll always be that person. D'Andra on the show is D'Andra in real life."
While we're on the subject of real, let's get some real talk: This season is not setting up to be all fluffy and light. Ready or not, here they are.
Locken meditates to deal with her urges, as Simmons said in the first episode, to "cut a [expletive], choke a [expletive]," etc. This is especially important as a big event looms in Locken's life. At the end of last season, Locken finally got engaged to her longtime burning love, Rich Emberlin (Live P.D.). He proposed during a trip to the State Fair of Texas.
"My man," she said. "I really can't talk too much about wedding plans or anything but I can guarantee you're gonna see all of that this season. And, uh ... I still got my ring on. Everything is wonderful."
Well. Next.
Kameron is looking for a distributor for the very pink SparkleDog "premium dog food," which she started last year, and makes a stand for women's rights. Deuber, who took some time away from her husband's plastic surgery practice last year, is back to work, launching a skin care line and running a laser center, "a business of my very own" inside the practice. Simmons and "Mama Dee" are still talking (or not) about control of the business, Ultimate Living International, with Simmons focused on her skincare line, Hard Night Good Morning. Redmond, who has a clothing line, is now juggling three children. And Hollman, standing up for herself in other areas, ends up seated beside Locken at Simmons' celebration and, ta-da, a new, unexpected friendship is planted.
So, things change but they stay a lot the same, too. The ladies still go out and about (and inside some fabulous houses, including Hollman's million-dollar remodel).
Said Locken: "One of the things I love about the show is that we get to showcase how amazing Dallas really is. We're not a hick town; we're an amazing contemporary city that really can keep up with just about anyone."
So, whether some feel that the cast is representative of the city or not, they're putting it on Bravo for all the world -- or at least Bravo-philes -- to see. Welcome to the third season of The Real Housewives of Dallas, and its cliffhangers.
Said Deuber on a Facebook Live on the GuideLive page, during which she got a text from Locken (hint, hint): "It's gonna be the best season yet."
The jury's still out on whether that was a warning, a teaser or a hope.
