When did we start caring about storylines?

Whenever there's criticism of a Housewife, people will say "she doesn't have a storyline." I'm sincerely wondering when we, as a fanbase, started caring about whether or not a HW has a "storyline." Maybe it's because I'm a day 1 watcher, back when it was just ladies going to lunches and having small, petty fights, but I truly don't care about storyline. As long as a HW is entertaining and not a legitimately terrible person, I don't need a storyline to enjoy watching them.