RHOBH: A change of heart for Erika Jayne, or a forced production move?

Erika Jayne is changing things up on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and actually sharing more about her personal life.

Erika Jayne came onto The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a force of nature.  Though she was rich and lived in Beverly Hills, she really wasn’t anything like the other ladies.  Erika and Tom Girardi were married in 1999 and though their age difference might not work for everyone, it works for them.

RHOBH is often called the least “real” of all of the real housewives franchises because the ladies don’t share much.  What we see on screen is a carefully crafted and curated storyline.  It is usually what the cast wants us to see.  In past seasons, Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley have made it clear that certain things are not to be spoken of on camera.  That’s why the cast was so mad at Camille Grammer for bringing up Dorit’s lawsuits on camera – that wasn’t allowed.

One of the pieces that Erika didn’t speak of much was her son.  When she moved out to California, Tommy was busy becoming a police officer.  This week, she shared a rare photo of him – even in uniform!

Erika commented that people say they look alike, which they do.  Erika isn’t usually one to share such information, especially a photo, of her son.  But could it be that RHOBH is trying to lose the “fake” label that has been slapped on it unceremoniously?

It isn’t lost on us that the photo was shared just before a new episode airs.  But even in the most recent episode, Erika shared a moment with Tom in their home where he told her how proud he was of her.  Erika cried and they hugged.  It was not something you would have seen during last season and it felt real.

Erika and Garcelle Beauvais also sat down to discuss their children and Garcelle shared she is about to be a grandma!  Erika isn’t there yet but she does seem proud of her police officer son.

So is this a new chapter for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?  Something we can expect more of?  Hopefully, because it is nice getting to know the “real” part of the “real housewives” that we spend an hour with every week.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will be back Wednesday at 8 PM on Bravo!