What’s Next For ‘Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills’ Breakout Star Erika Girardi?

Where does Erika Girardi go from here? She’s wrapping up her first season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in a way we haven’t seen for a long, long time: viewers LOVE her.
Now, we’re staring right into the eyes of what is sure to be an intense reunion, but the fact that Erika has had such a successful season on the show is remarkable. What exactly is a “successful” season for a Housewife? Let’s take a closer look.

Erika joined the season as a friend of Yolanda’s, but it quickly became evident that her purpose was to speak for Yolanda when she could not, which is pretty much the majority of the season. When Yolanda was stuck wearing her bathrobe in her condo and could only be present via FaceTime, Erika was her IRL representative at dinner parties. She stood up for her friend. She set the record straight. She reported back to Yolanda when one of the other ladies was actin’ a fool and throwing the M word around, which was constantly. And we liked her the whole damn time!
She went head to head with Lisa Vanderpump and she didn’t get trapped in her web. She stood her ground, but she wasn’t a bitch. She defended herself but she wasn’t hurling names or beverages. She was smart, composed and civil. When was the last time you heard those words used to describe a Housewife. Ever? Most importantly, Lisa didn’t decide right then and there to rage a war against Erika. She might not be her BFF, but she didn’t quite land on Lisa’s bad side. It’s like when 2 lions get in a fight; Lisa gave her a snarl and walked away, but she didn’t tear her limb for limb. In the jungle of Beverly Hills, that’s a victory.

When Erika threw a dinner party, basically wearing a leopard print nightie no less, she managed to show such constraint that she didn’t throw Kathryn in the pool after her obnoxious outbursts. No other RHOBH cast member would’ve been able to claim the same. And if you thought a little paint job at the Habitat For Humanity outing was going to stop her from confronting Kathryn, you were sorely mistaken. This is a woman that even managed to both impress and intimidate Bethenny: no easy feat.

And then there’s Erika Jayne, her dance-pop alter ego. Erika puts her private plane in use, jetting to performances around the country at various clubs or Gay Pride parades. She stripped all the way down to get zipped up into her sparkly cat suits, and most importantly, this woman taught us to PAT THE PUSS, easily the hottest dance move of 2016. It should also be noted that Erika Jayne is currently making better rap videos than any rapper is.

Erika is unlike any other Housewife. She’s levelheaded and a voice of reason, while remaining utterly watchable. She addresses the drama and she speaks her truth and she possesses just the right amount of crazy to make it impossible to dislike her. What is this strange breed, and more importantly, how long can it last? Because you know this group of women certainly won’t settle for not being the most favorite.
So where do we go from here? Does Erika return next season? She’s so very obviously too good for the show, but she’s too good to NOT be on the show. We need her. She’s the only one breathing new life into this show as the other women cough up the same old stale air week after week. Will her return depend on Yolanda’s return? It’s unclear how many more makeup-free episodes Yolanda could possibly want to participate in, or what a Yolanda-less show would even mean for Erika.

Could she just focus on her singing career? It’d be hard to say that’s a viable option at this point. Could she just quietly back away from the show and say, “Nah, I’m all set.” No, not without hundreds of change.org petitions being sent to Bravo to bring her back, or even better: her own show. Oh wow. That’s it. We’ve got spinoff potential happening here.
Bottom line is this: Erika warned us, and damn it if she wasn’t telling the truth once again. She really is an enigma wrapped in a riddle (and cash) and we want to keep watching this puzzle.