Shannon Beador’s DUI Makes the New ‘RHOC’ Episode Hard to Watch

Read more of our Real Housewives of Orange County coverage HERE.

Watching Shannon Beador spiral on Real Housewives of Orange County, like many self-destructive but immensely entertaining reality stars, has always presented a moral quandary for viewers. How sympathetic should we be towards a privileged white lady who’s had numerous emotional breakdowns on-camera, but is also ridiculous and extremely out-of-touch? Should we have taken her past marriage to David Beador (and the accusations that came out of it) more seriously instead of treating it like a soap opera? Should we believe her castmates’ accusations that she has issues with alcohol or write them off as hypocritical shade? Is it even primarily our jobs as viewers—and not, ahem, producers—to be concerned with all of these things??

These questions rushed to my mind this week after the not-so-shocking yet explosive news that Beador received a DUI after striking the side of a house in Newport Beach over the weekend. The TMZ footage of Beador whipping around a street corner like Lighting McQueen and crashing into the property is truly wild. And the news that the most iconic golden retriever after Buddy—our beloved Archie—was apparently in the car is even wilder.

Read more at The Daily Beast.