Poor Shannon Beador can’t seem to catch a break. First, John Janssen breaks up with her after she spends all her money on him. Then he dates Shannon’s arch nemesis. And now Jim Bellino has entered the fray with some harsh critiques of his own. Shannon has never had the perfect season, so why should Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 be any different? But it very much feels like we have a “the pot calling the kettle black” situation.
Shannon Beador had an honest season, but Jim Bellino thinks she got a “pity edit”
Now, just because I think Shannon had an honest season doesn’t mean I think she had a great season. The Real for Real owner was thrust into the spotlight and forced to confront a few uncomfortable scenarios in her life. Firstly, she had to address the elephant in the room, which was her DUI. I don’t believe anyone took pity on her. But I do think she received empathy from her co-stars, especially Gina Kirschenheiter. There’s a stark difference between the two.
Pity can often have negative connotations, while empathy can help you form a close connection with someone. Season 18 showed Shannon bonding with Gina and Emily Simpson, but not at one point did I think they pitied her. Fans understood Shannon took a certain road to get where she was while filming, and each decision had a consequence.
Jim Bellino has a lot to get off his chest
Jim just can’t seem to let the ghost of Shannon go. As Real Housewives of Orange County fans recall, Jim famously sued Shannon and Tamra Judge for defamation in 2018. However, in 2020, Shannon walked away the winner in the case and was awarded $137,340.25 in legal fees. The ex-husband of Alexis Bellino seems to still be angry as he recently took to the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast to blast Nine Lemons Beador once more.
It turns out Jim felt a bit miffed that Alexis was made to look like the villain while, in his opinion, Shannon was held high on a pedestal. Jim told the host, “I believe that the psychologists behind Bravo and these reality shows will decide what they want a person to be when the show begins, and they’re going to run with it. Shannon got an absolute f*cking pity edit. I’m sorry, but it makes me angry.”
But does Jim have a reason to be angry? I think not. And even if he believes what he believes, the anger may be misplaced. It’s not Shannon’s fault she came out of this season shining; she just behaved as she always does, and that won the viewers over. It’s also not Alexis’ fault that she found love with Shannon’s ex.
Jim Bellino makes some sense about Shannon Beador
Jim added that he was perplexed by the fact that any storyline other than Shannon’s DUI was a focal point. The RHOC alum stated, “Why did the story of Alexis dating Johnny J overshadow Shannon’s issue with a DUI?”
Listen, I don’t think Jim is necessarily wrong in his line of thinking. But to call Shannon a pity edit seemed a bit harsh in my books. It was obvious Shannon struggled with a lot. Between holding herself accountable, trying to convince the cast she could still have one drink, and dealing with having her ex-boyfriend perform confessionals, I just can’t imagine the stress this woman was under.
But Jim should have maybe chosen his words carefully. Do I think that Shannon might have been given grace? Yes. Would I use the word glow-up edit instead of pity edit? Also yes.
Shannon was definitely given an edit that I’d like to call the Rocky Balboa edit. She started at her lowest of lows. Every day, she worked at it and tried to climb those stairs. She was met with hostility and fighting. But she kept persevering. Finally, she reached the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.
The fact is everyone loves to root for the underdog. And Shannon is the underdog of The Real Housewives of Orange County. You don’t pity the underdog; you hope that they succeed. That’s just classic storytelling.
