A lackluster thirteenth season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills came to a dramatic end during part three of the RHOBH reunion on Wednesday, March 13, after cast member Sutton Stracke suffered a medical incident in the middle of filming.
Wednesday's episode saw “grand dame of Beverly Hills" Kathy Hilton return to the reality series for the reunion special to join in on the discussions about sister Kyle Richards’ marital struggles as well as her curious relationship with Morgan Wade. However, it seems like Hilton's return was too much for Sutton to take as, in the middle of the reunion, Stracke seemingly fainted right there on the reunion couch.
As set paramedics swarmed in to check on the reality star's vitals—her blood pressure and pulse were high, they noted—Sutton mentioned that she "got scared," though whether her fear was based on the medical emergency or Hilton's mere presence is being debated by Real Housewives fans. Stracke then departed the reunion early, with co-star Garcelle Beauvais tagging along for support, to receive further treatment at an urgent care facility and later the emergency room.
And though the incident was no doubt concerning—Stracke is thankfully fine, telling Women's Health that doctors diagnosed her with exhaustion, dehydration and the lingering after-effects of bronchitis—it did raise the eyebrows of RHOBH fans as well as some of the Housewives themselves. After Stracke's early departure from the reunion, Hilton could be heard telling co-star Erika Jayne:
I was about to go after her next. I think she knew it. It's a good way to get out of being here.
It's a sentiment that several Real Housewives fans are seemingly sharing over on social media. Twitter user @cassidyd200015 also questioned whether the medical "emergency" was seemingly Sutton's way of getting out of an impending argument with Kathy:
Sutton said 'I got scared' to the paramedic. Did she mean she was scared because of the symptoms she experienced or she was scared of something i.e. confrontation by Kathy?
Another X poster, @rukiddingmelolz, felt that the fainting spell was another example of Sutton's "constant theatrics":
I dunno, Sutton is a drama queen. Everyone around her seems exhausted by her constant theatrics. #RHOBH #RHOBHReunion
It's not the first time that Stracke's medical history has been questioned on the Bravo series. Last season, Kyle Richards insensitively questioned whether Sutton had really had several miscarriages, as the latter had revealed. And this season saw a drawn-out feud between Stracke and Annemarie Wiley, The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills' newest cast member, over whether or not Sutton actually suffered from an esophageal stricture. Expert anesthesiologists then wildly called out the credentials of Wiley, who is a nurse anesthetist.)
However, other Housewives viewers gave Stracke the benefit of the doubt. Twitter user @Trust_Progress called out Kathy Hilton's flippant reaction to the medical emergency:
I think we all know Sutton can be a bit dramatic. But EVEN so, if she's saying she's having a medical emergency, the very least you can do is promptly treat her with care. God forbid it's actually serious, and Kathy Hilton's laughing and talking Xmas trees. #RHOBHReunion #RHOBH
And X user @JJOutlaw praised Garcelle's care and concern for her co-star, joining Sutton to get the reality personality checked out by medical professionals.
Say what you want but Garcelle is a true friend to Sutton. I love how she took control of the situation and went with her to get checked out. #rhobh
As for what Sutton Stracke herself had to say about the controversy over whether or not the medical emergency was, in fact, a real emergency, she herself took to Twitter to comment:
When your real friend knows you’re not that great of an actress! And got really sick… 😽💗💗💗 https://t.co/sKfwP7YofEMarch 15, 2024
Do you think Sutton faked it or not? Revisit the moment by streaming The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 13 reunion with a Peacock subscription.
