Should Bravo Cancel The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?

(Bravo)

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills begins its second season on September 5 in the wake of tragedy, with Taylor Armstrongs estranged husband Russell Armstrong having committed suicide last week.

A Bravo rep said the network wasdeeply saddened by the news, and Bravo wasinitially unsure about how best to handle the shows return.

In the end, they decided to stick with the original timetable, albeit with some edits to reduce Russell Armstrongs presence.

But many observers have wondered whether the suicide casts too dark a shadow for the widowed Armstrong and her cast mates to escape and carry on with business as usual.

The sad development has also prompted renewed debate over whether reality television can be too dangerous for some of its participants.

While Armstrongs personal demons cant be blamed on his (voluntary) involvement in Real Housewives, its hard to ignore what effects the intense media glare may have had on them.

Other commentators argue that if a reality series is to stay real (or at least as real as the genre allows), it cant shy away from dealing with traumas like this one.

There are no plans to cancel the series, which was successful in its first season and, importantly, is about more than just the Armstrongs, incorporating big personalities like Camille Grammer and new faces like Brandi Glanville.

Gossip Cop is curious to hear your thoughts.

Should The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills continue this year and beyond?

Or do you believe the network should shut down the series?

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