When the preview trailer for Season 15 of The Real Housewives of New York City dropped, it was clear that co-stars Ubah Hassan and Brynn Whitfield would end the season squaring off. Hassan and her co-detective Sai De Silva have been on a mission this season to discover who in the group can be trusted, and who is what they consider to be a "leaky pigeon." Whitfield earned Hassan's enmity in the Season 14 finale of the reality series, when she opted to expose the fact that her gorgeous model friend was hiding a secret romance going on with a man from the state of Connecticut. Season 15 has shown how much the dynamics in the group have shifted, as Whitfield continues to burn bridges with her bratty, pot-stirring "pigeon" persona.
On the one hand, it is arguable that Whitfield was doing her job as a reality star. A reality TV producer's dream cast member is always ready to expose a co-star for hiding things from the camera, trying to portray their life one way to the viewers, while living a different reality when filming ends. On the other hand, Hassan clearly had her feelings hurt when someone who she considered to be a friend exposed private information, even if they had both agreed to share their lives on a reality show. Whitfield is super-savvy, and it appears that she has been playing a game of cat-and-mouse with Hassan all season long, being condescending, baiting her into arguments, and speaking over her with such intense frequency that Hassan feels the need to shout to be heard.
There Are Harmful Stereotypes, And Then There Are Genuine Emotions on 'RHONY'
Saying that Hassan has been angry this season is a loaded statement, as Whitfield has already called attention to the "angry Black woman" stereotype that holds Black women to an even higher standard of behavior than other women in society. When Whitfield told Hassan that she needed to watch her behavior so that she wasn't labeled by the audience, she made it seem like it was advice coming from a place of concern for her friend. But Hassan expressed she felt that Whitfield had been using the stereotype against her to try to control her behavior. Hassan has, in fact, repeatedly told her co-star she does not appreciate being told how to behave or what language to use in an argument.
Hassan has every right to express anger towards her friend this season. From a friendship perspective, Brynn exposing Hassan's relationship was a betrayal, and her continued baiting behavior is an insult. After the heated Season 14 reunion, is it little wonder that Hassan returned to the group feeling guarded in Season 15, especially when so many lies are ruining the vibe? After she has repeatedly asked her friends to stop speaking-over and interrupting her, especially as English is not her first language, it seems only fair that Hassan gets to express anger when she hasn't been given the space to speak that she already requested.
Ubah Hassan's Anger May Be Displaced, But It Is Justified
Image via Bravo
This whole season has been a fall-out from Whitfield's actions last year. It appears Hassan doesn't want to mention her irritation about what happened last season on camera again, likely because she doesn't want to risk dragging her relationship into the forefront of a feud on her series. But when Whitfield sensed Hassan pulling away from their friendship, it seems to have inspired her to continually poke at her friend to try to illicit a response. Either way, both women come away as losers in the battle.
It has been interesting to see Hassan's different tactics attempting to control her temper as Whitfield tries to evoke a response, like establishing the word "pineapple" as a safe-word to remind her not to lose her temper. As the season winds down, it's also clear that whether she displays her anger or not, Hassan has every right to be angry with her friend. But since she doesn't want to bring up the real source of her anger with Whitfield, Hassan is stuck lashing out whenever Whitfield baits her, leading up to the upcoming explosive confrontation that is about to round off the ladies' Puerto Rico vacation.
Instead of Hassan and Whitfield being able to have an honest and authentic conversation as a step toward repairing their relationship, they are stuck in this angry back-and-forth with each other, on a loop. It seems that neither New Yorker is able to admit that they are hurt by this tit-for-tat argument. Without getting to the root of the conversation, there is little hope for the relationship to be repaired before Season 16 begins filming. Although there have been hints that the relationship remains rocky even after the "intense" reunion is over, viewers will have to wait to get more resolution on what led the two friends to such an angry place.
