Why Expert Anesthesiologists Are Calling Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills Drama 'Fake'

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS -- “A Celebration of Life” Episode 1311
(Image credit: NBCUniversal)

Annemarie Wiley came on as The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills' newest cast member during Season 13, following the dramatic exit of Lisa Rinna. Now, she's already drumming up drama with her fellow Bravo stars. That's not all, though, as she's oddly enough, gotten on the bad side of the American Society of Anesthesiologists as well. So why exactly is the organization calling the show's drama "fake?" Let's discuss.

While the bulk of RHOBH Season 13 has centered on Kyle Richards' marital issues with ex Mauricio Umansky, viewers have also watched on as Annemarie Wiley and co-star Sutton Stracke have engaged in a feud after the former repeatedly questioned her fellow Housewife about a medical issue. During a recent episode, Stracke revealed that she suffered from an esophageal stricture, which made it difficult to eat, a claim that Wiley -- a nurse anesthetist -- pushed back on, saying that it "just doesn’t make sense."

Throughout the uncomfortable encounter, she seemingly insinuated that she had attended medical school, which is required of anesthesiologists but not anesthetists. As such, it caught the attention of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, who took to Instagram to shade Wiley's "title misappropriation": 

Along with a chart that handily described the various differences between anesthesiologists and anesthetists, the physicians association also included this caption:

The Real Housewives know a fake. Anesthesiologists are medical doctors with more than 12 years of higher education and up to 16,000 hours of clinical training. Title misappropriation has no place in health care.

Annemarie Wiley, in turn, took to the platform to respond to the ASA's reaction, writing several lengthy Instagram Stories. In doing so, she defend her comments and professional credentials:

I do not condone the ASA’s defamation campaign. I am a CRNA, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. I am extremely proud of my profession. I will not be accused of title misappropriation because a cast mate needed a storyline on a reality tv show. This is my real life and my career. I am not an Anesthesiologist, nor have I ever claimed to be one. I have immense respect for physician anesthesiologists, and I ask that the ASA, and other Anesthesiologists, show respect to CRNAs as well...My aim is to educate the public on who CRNA's are and what we do in providing the highest quality of anesthesia care to those we serve.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists weren't the only viewers to take issue with Annemarie Wiley's interrogation of Sutton Stracke's issue. Fellow Housewives also put their two cents in, including the Dallas spinoff's Dr. Tiffany Moon and Miami's Dr. Nicole Martin, both of whom are actual board-certified anesthesiologists. The latter publicly called out Wiley during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, after Wiley accused Martin online of being a "clout chaser":

I received countless messages, tweets about this which is really the only reason I chose to respond. I think to chase clout implies that you're going after a bigger fish. And Annemarie is no way a bigger fish. Not professionally, not medically, not educationally. So I don't think I was chasing any clout.

The current season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills isn't proving to be a favorite with longtime fans, and needless drama like the ongoing Wiley-Stracke feud might just be why. Time will also tell if the American Society of Anesthesiologists will have anything more to say as time goes on. Above all though, for the sake of both Sutton and RHOBH fans, let's hope that esophageal issue will clear up soon. 

In the meantime, you can tune in when Season 13 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs on Bravo every Wednesday night at 8pm Eastern as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Or you can also stream the show with a Peacock subscription.

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Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, entertainment and lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. Regularly covers Bravo shows, Oscar contenders, the latest streaming news and anything happening with Harry Styles.