Robyn Dixon has been held to a higher standard than many Housewives. She was basically forced off of Real Housewives of Potomac by fan outrage over the fact that she was hiding the reality of her relationship with her husband, Juan Dixon, from viewers of the reality series. Whereas Bravo viewers should be well aware at this point that hiding the dirty truth of a marriage or situationship is actually a staple feature of the Real Housewives franchise across the board. Facing the consequences of lying to the camera is another staple feature as well, but Robyn is one of the few who has been fired, seemingly over fan outrage.
The Dixons have always been followed by cheating rumors since the first episode of RHOP, when Robyn unpacked her wedding dress in order to sell it. Robyn then reminisced with her best friend Gizelle Bryant and explained in a confessional the details of her divorce after infidelity on the part of her NBA star husband. Robyn and Juan still lived together as they co-parented their children, however, and the lines in their unconventional relationship had always been blurred. Juan is arguably the main reason that Robyn is no longer on RHOP. His refusal to behave like a committed monogamous man after the couple remarried on the series derailed Robyn's reality TV career, and I hate to say it, but the fans got it wrong on this one. It turns out, RHOP needs Robyn, because without her calm energy, the series is completely off balance.
Even if she was hiding the ugly facts about her relationship with Juan from the cameras, other Housewives have gotten away with the same thing, even recently. If Jenna Lyons can choose to keep her relationship off camera, while Jessel Taank is delusional about her own marriage troubles on Real Housewives of New York City, it seems simply unfair that Robyn was fired from RHOP for not handling her unconventional marriage being put under the reality TV microscope very well. Without Robyn's calm demeanor and level-headed approach to conflict resolution, RHOP is starting to founder. I miss Robyn's affable sense of humor, and I think RHOP is worse without her.
Season 9 of 'RHOP' Is In a Dark Place
This season, Ashley and Gizelle seem determined to stir up conflict in the group, and to me, it seems like a strategy to deflect from the reality that there are large portions of their lives not being shared on the series as well. Robyn was fired for lying about the details of her relationship with Juan, but Ashley and Gizelle are equally guilty of keeping the reality of their lives mostly off-camera.Ashley's divorce from her estranged husband, Michael Darby, is still ongoing, as she struggles to get any kind of settlement due to a seemingly iron-clad prenup. With these negotiations going on, Ashley can only share conversations with her lawyer outlining what she wants to achieve in the divorce, without revealing her feelings about her ex-spouse or the facts of the legal situation.
Gizelle has been great about sharing the reality of her family life with her daughters on the series. But without Robyn's friendship, it seems to me that Gizelle's main purpose on the series has been to cause mischief, spread gossip, and feud with her cast mates. Don't get me wrong, this is iconic Housewives behavior, but there are times when Gizelle gets too messy even for reality TV, meddling in people's marriages and legal troubles. Already this season, Gizelle has taken every opportunity to throw shade at Karen Huger's legal troubles over her recent DUI, and to me, it is starting to feel dark. Gizelle and her fellow cast members are right to point out the audacity of Karen appearing on a reality series and refusing to admit culpability after a catastrophic crash that totaled her vehicle while driving under the influence. But I really miss Robyn's calm demeanor on the show, especially her ability to help tone down Gizelle when she is being unreasonably shady.
Robyn Was the Housewives Whisperer of Potomac
In the tumultuous friendships within the group, Robyn was often the voice of reason. With Karen's looming legal battle over her DUI earlier this year, Ashley and Gizelle struggling to get their clothing and lifestyle brand off the ground, Wendy quitting her teaching position, and feuds brewing in the background, there is a lot of tension on RHOP. I feel that what has been lacking this season is someone that is willing to quiz her cast mates calmly about their lives, without digging too deep into their misdirection when they don't want to share. Robyn used to be the one to get Gizelle to see where she had taken a misstep, and bridge the gap when the conflicts reached a boiling point. I miss Robyn's ability to keep calm and see reason, even if she lied about her life with Juan.
