Taleen Marieis the newest woman to jointheReal Housewivesranks. But in the latest episode ofThe Real Housewives of Dubai, she quickly learned the number one rule: no friendship is safe from conflict. Some of the very bestreality showfriendships have come out of the Bravo universe, such asVanderpump Rules’Ariana MadixandKatie Maloney,Real Housewives ofPotomac’sGizelle BryantandRobyn Dixon, and the OGRHONY’sSonja MorganandLuann De Lesseps.But there have also been friendships that were seemingly perfect that crumbled under the weight of the pressure of being on a television show. Just askLisa VanderpumpandKyle Richardsor the Tres Amigas from Orange County. At the end of the day,conflicts will arise, and not every friendship will survive.
Marie joinedRHODubaiat the start of the show’s current season (the series debuted on Bravo in the summer of 2022). As a new castmember, she has been required to fight for her spot among the other Housewives who were already a part of the cast, includingCaroline Brooks, Caroline Stanbury,Chanel Ayan, Sara Al Madani, andLesa Milan.Marie has lived in Dubai since 2014; her household now consists of her husband and their two little girls. Her husband’s family is responsible for some of the biggest building projects in Dubai, and Marie herself is a successful entrepreneur. She also recently launched her own fitness app, but it’s her no-nonsense attitude and glamorous lifestyle that has allowed her to fit right in with the rest of the ladies. Despite checking all of the prerequisites for being a Housewife,it was her friendship with Brooks that was one of the main reasons she was cast in the show. So, what led to the current breakdown in their once-tight relationship?
The Real Housewives of Dubai
A group of women navigating their ultra-wealthy lifestyles in the United Arab Emirates.
Brooks and Marie Used To Be Great Friends on ‘Real Housewives of Dubai’
In the first episode of Season 2, Marie stated that Brooks was her very first friend when she moved to Dubai, so their connection dates back several years. There were many pictures shown that illustrated that Brooks and Marie spent a lot of time together prior to Marie joining the show. They also attended theBeyoncéconcertin Dubai that had all of the women talking. In fact,it was an event that took place at that concert that caused the first crack in Brooks and Marie’s friendship. Marie had been a tad over-served and fell down at the concert, flashing some of the bystanders; Stanbury ended up making jokes about it to the other women. Although Marie quickly laughed off the whole thing, Brooks had a huge problem with Stanbury talking about her friend.
This conflict led toa fracture in the friendship between the two Carolines. Even though Marie wasn’t all that bothered by Stanbury’s jokes, Brooks couldn’t seem to get past the issue. Several episodes of drama were created because Brooks was bad-mouthing Stanbury, and kept insisting that she was just sticking up for Marie. Brooks continued to cause major drama between the women (even though pretty much everyonejumped to Stanbury’s defenseand said Brooks was fanning the flames for no reason). Now that Brooks and Stanbury no longer had the close relationship they once did,this discord led to Mariequestioning her own interactions with Brooks. Once that crack in their relationship appeared, it was difficult for Marie to ignore it.
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Can This ‘Real Housewives of Dubai’ Friendship Be Mended?
In Episode 5, which aired this week, Marie sat down to dinner with Brooks to talk about what transpired. Marie noted that Brooks is often at the center of thefights and the drama within the friend group. She said, “Can I say something, you’re not going to like this, and it’s coming from an honest place. I feel as though you’re able to instigate behind the scenes.” Of course, this remark infuriated Brooks, even though Marie was able to point out several instances when Brooks had repeated rumors, just to incite drama.Brooks accused Marie of stabbing her in the back in her confessional,and intimated thatStanbury was actually the one influencing Marieand telling her what to do and say. The former friends left the dinner in a pretty bad place.
But the fight didn’t just end there. Tensions were still high between the two when it was time for Stanbury’s Desert Escape event. While all of the ladies were together at lunch, Brooks mentioned being in a “calm” place. Marie snarkily said she wasn’t that calm since the two had just had an altercation. Things continued to escalate, with tempers flaring, and Marie stated that if they’re having this much of a problem, maybe they weren’t as close as she thought. Instead of reassuring Mariethat they were still friends, Brooks coldly responded, “That’s fine.” The episode ended there, butit’s clear that the time on the show has already impacted their friendship in a major way. The question now is: can the rift in their friendship be fixed?
Marie was absolutely right that Brooks continuously stirs the pot with the other ladies. During Season 1, and now in Season 2 as well, Brooks is often at the start of every conflict between the women of the group. It is unclear whether she’s doing this subconsciously, or if Brooks is ensuring that these types of dramatic storylines happen to make her amore interesting Housewife. Even if Brooks is just causing the drama to be intriguing,it is definitely a sad state of affairs if she was willing to do this at the expense of her long-standing friendshipwith Marie.
As a newbie, Marie is trying to find her place within the cast, and addressing an issue that she noticed with Brooks wasn’t outside the realm of something normal to discuss with a friend you think you’re close with. Marie’s mistake is that Brooks isn’t one to take criticism lightly, and she is definitely someone who will use any type of strife as an excuse to start a war. Marie doesn’t seem like a person who will back down easily, so there will likely be more battles like this in the future. If the two women are interested in mending things,it will take a lot of effort on both of their parts to rekindle the love and respectthey once had for each other.
The Real Housewives of Dubaiairs new episodes Tuesdays on Bravo in the U.S. All episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
