How can you tell if a reality show is struggling? When the mysterious controversy of a cast member’s cancer diagnosis is “the biggest hot topic of them all.”
“Real Housewives of Orange County,” I’m looking at you.
There are a lot of words I could use to describe this whole debate over Brooks Ayers’ cancer, which has gone on for multiple seasons of this TV show — but mostly, it’s just strange. In the 10th, most recent season, it has gotten much weirder. Ayers is the now ex-boyfriend of RHOC star Vicki Gunvalson, and he has claimed to have stage three non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 2013. The ladies of the show first opened up about their suspicions after a psychic said “he wasn’t sure Brooks was ill.”
I think this suspicion was on everyone’s mind already, having heard inconsistencies in the little information given in the show, but no one wanted to speak up and be the bad guy. After all, accusing someone of faking cancer is a pretty bold thing to do. Instead of spoon-feeding you my opinion, here’s a list of the suspicious things people are citing. It is by no means exhaustive, but it’s enough.
In September, Ayers tried to prove himself by showing the wives official records of a PET scan he received at a nearby medical facility. One of the wives, Meghan Edmonds, called the facility and confirmed that it never had these types of scans. Then Shannon Beador, one of Gunvalson’s closest friends, offered to connect Ayers with the best cancer doctors in the area multiple times. He always refuses.
In a recent interview with E! News, Ayers claimed that his cancer has dropped down from stage three to stage two — something that’s not actually possible, that no medical professional would ever say. He has since corrected himself, saying he “misspoke.”
On Nov. 6, Ayers released more documents to provide evidence of receiving treatment from City of Hope hospital in California. The letterhead, address, patient name and overall formatting do not match the legitimate paperwork from the facility, according to Inquisitr. Along with those, he also released a bill for some of his drugs. The exact document he provided can be found online on Google Images. In August, he explained to the media he is seeking out an alternative method of treatment, involving a supplement found in grapes and wine, instead of traditional chemotherapy.
Gunvalson, his ex, admitted in an interview with Bravo’s Andy Cohen that her “gut says he does not have cancer,” and that she’s been duped. Since she was one of the only ones defending him last season, this is particularly damning, especially because Ayers has refused to take a lie detector test.
Back in September, Ayers was supposedly seen “drinking and partying in Florida.” According to Healthline, at this more advanced stage of the disease, a patient would feel extreme fatigue, pain and abdominal swelling — all not conducive for a night out.
In October, Ayers told Bravo: “Unfortunately, I wish it wasn’t true. It would be a lot easier if I didn’t have cancer just to be honest with you. The daily grind, the routines of reminding yourself that I’m sick and I need to do certain things and not do certain things.”
Does that sound like a cancer patient to you? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, Bravo is counting on the fact that you think this is pretty weird and equally as interesting. The network is hyping up its reunion of the show, breaking it up into two parts, with the next set to air on Nov. 12. In its most recent articles on Ayers, Bravo urges you to “See what else Brooks has to say when he sits down for a one-on-one interview with Andy Cohen Nov. 12 at 9/8c.” It has even released sneak peaks of the episode, calling it “Brooks Tells All.”
It’s really tough to take a stance on this because there is absolutely no set image of a “cancer patient.” I just imagine a stage three non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patient flipping through channels or scrolling through social media and being disgusted by the actions of this man and this television station. It’s important to recognize why this is, whether you’ll be tuning in on Nov. 12 or not.
