Though it's been an unprecedented year, there's at least been one thing in 2020 that was a given: There was no way in hell that Denise Richards was going to return to the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. On Wednesday evening, a representative for the actor and reality star confirmed to Variety that Denise was not coming back next season. (The Dipp reached out to Denise's camp for confirmation, but did not hear back.)

This season? Rocky. The reunion? Painful. The lying? Transparent. The producer involvement? *Chef kiss.* And yet, the news that we've seen the last of Denise on the show feels like a huge loss to the fandom, especially on the heels of losing New York Housewife Dorinda Medley, just a few weeks prior.

But unlike the Queen of the Bezerkshires, Denise hasn't been failing spectacularly for multiple seasons — in fact, she's barely had multiple seasons during which to fail.

She Was Good On The Show!

On her first season, Denise was a breath of fresh air; she talked about happy endings! She loved a messy bun! She wore shorts and a white tee to a cocktail hour where other women wore caftans and gowns! She was just what the most unattainable of the Housewives franchises needed to feel more relatable, even though "fucking Denise Richards" is anything but relatable.

But something changed this season, and it wasn't just Kyle's bangs. One possible, albeit boring reason Denise felt different to us this time around may be because of the Sophomore Slump, when someone or something simply fails to live up to the standards of the first time around. Or maybe Denise's ongoing legal saga with ex Charlie Sheen pulled her out of the game. And then there's the Brandi Glanville of it all, which we don't even need to get into.

Whatever the reason, Denise Richards is calling "Bravo, Bravo, fucking Bravo" on the whole thing, and the fans have thoughts.

First Of All, Not A Shocker

Before the season even got started it didn't look good for Denise. The teaser following Episode 1 (you know, the one where Lisa Rinna says ominously, "If you ask me, we'll ever see Denise Richards again" after Denise stormed out of one of the many parties she stormed out of) basically told us so much.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm surprised," Emma of @commentsbybravo tells The Dipp. "My overwhelming emotion is relief, as I think it really started to become an emotionally damaging situation for her."

"I'm more surprised at the timing than the actual announcement ... [it] seems like she doesn't want to film and can't end the reunion fast enough, so I couldn't imagine her signing up for another season," Isabel, also of @commentsbybravo, says.

An unsurprised Sasha Morfaw of @thebravobreakdown says,"I've got three words for Denise: Good for you! Get off this toxic show filled with insecure women just looking to tear another person down to distract from their own lives."

So no, this news isn't a shocker but it doesn't make it any easier, especially when you consider what we lose with Denise's departure...

What Could Have Been

When scientists say, "the brightest stars burn out the fastest," I assume they're talking about Denise Richards' arc, because *looks around*, hello, that's exactly what happened.

"When I first heard Denise was becoming a Housewife, I thought she'd be in it for the long haul and we'd get to see way more of her life," Isabel, from @commentsbybravo, says. It's hard not to think about the possibilities of what could have been ahead for viewers.

Think about Denise planning a vacation for the women (a third season honor, usually) or Denise starting a graphic tee line (feels like something that could have happened?). Now we have been robbed of those moments, and it's not going unnoticed by fans.

For Sasha of @thebravobreakdown, Denise never belonged on the show in the first place. "She just wants to drink tequila, wear her jeans and messy bun, and have a good ole time ... Leave the show, use the publicity to get a pay raise on The Bold and the Beautiful ... Give those women the middle finger as you ride off into the Malibu sunset on the back of Big Dick Aaron's motorcycle while screaming Bravo, Bravo, fucking Bravo."

The Final Straw

So how do we pin down the exact moment Denise realized she wasn't going to be returning. Was it when Aaron started talking about his career at Kyle's dinner party? Or after Kyle's BBQ when Denise and Aaron stormed out to get steak at a strip club? Or maybe at Denise's backyard dinner party where the adult conversation of threesomes wafted toward the kids' table like the smoke off an overcooked vegan burger? Or was it when Brandi walked into Kyle's charity fundraiser?

Perhaps it was that awful dinner in Rome or the other awful dinner in Rome, or when Lisa Rinna brought up the reported cast-wide cease and desists.

"I think constantly having to defend her parenting, kids, marriage, and other deeply personal things became too much of a burden to bear," Isabel from @commentsbybravo says. "The drama from the show started to impact other aspects of [her] personal life this deeply ... it just felt not worth it," Emma adds.

Kaya and Aaron of the @bravowhileblack podcast believe the decision came later, noting Denise did try to save some face by reportedly going to Lisa after filming had completed. "If she really wanted to quit, she would've never come back to film that pickup scene with Lisa Rinna, or even bothered showing up to the reunion," they say.

It's true. The conversation with Lisa, while more cringeworthy than watching Kyle Richards do the splits (again), did feel like a Hail Mary for Denise. Whether she was trying to mend a pre-show friendship or finally felt prepared to defend herself against Brandi's accusations, finding herself on Lisa Rinna's couch gave viewers a little hope that all was not lost.

"I feel like she could have stayed another season, but I understand her wanting to move on," Maggie from @bestofbravo says. "She clearly isn’t getting along with the majority of the cast and she [sent them cease and desist letters], so, really... where would she go from here? In the words of Ken Todd, 'Goodbye Denise!'"

That's A Wrap On Denise

She's gone now, what's done is done, but what, exactly, were Denise's sins? Sure, she wasn't the best liar, and yeah, she probably does have more of a relationship with Brandi than she leads on, but Denise's biggest transgression in the Church of Housewives is... what?

Lying about who she hooked up with? Embellishing a conversation with her daughter? Those are basically patches you earn to be considered a real Real Housewife. Denise was just getting started.

Losing Denise is a tough thing to take down (like taking a sip of a Blanco tequila when you're expecting a Reposado), so let's just hope that the Denise-sized hole in our hearts can be filled by the matriarch of another (soon-to-be-ending!) reality show star, Kris Jenner.

Images: Bravo