My article about how Scandoval broke our brains is pretty scary to read now

I myself made this comparison after the news broke, which a lot of people took issue with.

Technically, Amanda is actually Tom Sandoval but that’s besides the point…

What I was getting at in this Thread was that Amanda had the world at her feet. It was shaping up to be her year— she had finally gotten rid of her mean husband, she had her swimsuit line, she was doing Marie Claire features. She was going to get the Ariana treatment, the Paige treatment and instead, she threw it all away for a guy who will dump her before Memorial Day weekend.

The differences between West Side Story & Scandoval are very obvious.

What is happening now is not a cheating scandal; this was not happening right under the nose of established relationships. If you listen to the leaked reunion audio you’d have to technically agree with Amanda, everyone was single.

Scandoval’s betrayal leaned more towards the romantic relationship than the friendship. Ariana and Raquel were close friends but they weren’t best friends the way we thought Ciara and Amanda were.

West Side Story, has the relationship parts of it but the center of the scandal is the friendship betrayal. Amanda and Ciara were the central relationship we were focused on; we watched this season as they both built each other up, cried to each other and truly supported each other.

Now, we know that was all a farce.

It’s so interesting, how both scandals came together and fell apart before our very eyes. For all the differences at their core, there are some surface level comparisons that almost give eerie vibes.

How Do the Scandals Compare

• Both happened during season 10 of the show

• Both happened in March, while the show was still early in airing their seasons, so the audience was able to analyze every single frame.

• Both broke apart on Watch What Happens Live — Raquel and Scheana were on the night that Ariana found out about the cheating while West’s appearance where he fumbled over his answer to the question “Are you and Amanda just friends” was the final straw for the audience. Both appearances were the match that lit the flames.

• There was a long term relationship involved in both (Ariana/Tom and Kyle/Amanda) and a shorter term relationship that was broken up (Raquel/James and West/Ciara)

How Are the Scandals Different

As previously stated, the scandals are very different. Cheating vs not cheating, best friends vs close friends, and all the lying West & Amanda did to cover up their ‘not relationship’ fall into this category.

The Timelines

One of the differences that has been very clear to me from the beginning is how dragged out Summer House vs Scandoval was. No one was speculating about Tom and Raquel — we just woke up one morning and BAM! There it was on the front page of TMZ.

With West Side Story, we had almost a full month of ‘is it true, is it not true?’ with blatant lies happening to the cast and to the audience. Even after it was confirmed, we didn’t hear much from anyone. Sure, there were jabs here and there but we didn’t know anything super concrete — and we still don’t.

During Scandoval, we knew everything by Sunday afternoon. The cast got on their podcast microphones and all was revealed.

The time between the scandal breaking & the reunion for Scandoval was also shorter. The news broke on March 3rd, the reunion filmed on March 23rd.

West Side Story was confirmed on March 31st, but we had been speculating since end of February. The reunion wasn’t filmed until April 23rd.

In general, we had more answers faster which prevented so many convoluted theories and timelines from popping up.

Now, the Summer House scandal is a disaster because no one knows what’s true, even the closest cast members.

The Cast Involvements

Something else that also feels different is the involvement of the casts. As I said, the Vanderpump Rules cast was head first, all in on the drama but Summer House is kind of letting the cards fall where they may (at least at the beginning). However, it almost feels like the Summer House cast is more involved in the scandal, because they are closer friends.

In March 2023, Vanderpump Rules was on it’s last leg. Summer House, it almost feels like it’s just getting started — we’re still in our prime in the Hamptons! The cast is still very close, so this betrayal almost feels worse.

I mean, you had West using his hangout with Ciara at Lindsay’s apartment, with baby Gemma, as a way to signal to the audience that everything was ok with them. Because how would the rumors of him and Amanda be true if Ciara was willing to be in the same room as him?

The cast being so close makes this betrayal so much deeper than Scandoval because they were all lied to, multiple times. They were made out to be fools and all, in some way or another, were pawns in Amanda & West’s game.

For Scandoval, the only pawn was really Schwartz (and I do NOT believe that Jesse knew what was going on. He had his suspicions like everyone else but he was not Schwartz and I’ll die on that hill).

The Lying, The Remorse

Amanda and West continually lied to everyone’s face. They denied it, they doubled down on it and refused to give anyone an inch.

Tom and Raquel, when they were confronted didn’t bother to lie. Granted, the proof was right there in Tom’s phone but they fessed up immediately which doesn’t make it better but it counts for something when comparing it to the current situation.

I actually can’t believe I’m mildly defending Tom and Raquel here but they also were apologetic at the reunion. Of course none of us believed them and Tom’s fake crying act was painful to watch but at least they tried.

Our East Coast friends, on the other hand, are coming into the reunion (if the audio leaks are any indication) combative and without remorse. They either don’t know what they did was wrong or they know and they don’t care. They feel resentful that this is being blown up, that their careers are basically over (at least for now) and that they couldn’t just continue in peace.

They were forced to make a statement because of the rumors and now it’s everyone else’s problem.

Of course, a key difference between the scandals, aside from the cheating, is that Ciara is a Black woman at the center of this. She has continually spoken about how being on this show and dating White men has affected her, and how she has to carefully consider every move she makes. To have this happen to her after she was so vulnerable with her words, it’s sad. It cannot be overstated how different the discourse, the feelings, the effect this has because Ciara is black.

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Where Do We Go From Here?

This is reality TV.

It is not without scandal.

These types of stories are what makes these shows what they are. It’s what we live for.

Three years ago, Scandoval was the biggest thing to ever happen in Bravo. It penetrated the walls we have built around this fandom, around this network and was front page news. It felt all consuming, like we’d never get over it but Ariana is a star, Tom is back on our televisions in one form or another and Raquel is doing sound baths in Arizona.

West and Amanda will come back from this, Summer House will be fine and I’m sure In the City will work out in some way. Ciara is already skyrocketing and will continue to receive the Ariana Madix treatment; Kyle got a redemption arc handed to him on a silver platter, Carl is in the mix and a mess and Mia will rise to the top as our new Supreme, taking the rightful place of Mother Hubbard as a defensive warrior.

Scandoval.

West Side Story.

A tale of two coasts and four mediocre, mean people who betrayed their friends and loved ones.

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I was not expecting a leaked audio from the reunion stage.

I won’t share it here because I’m a rule follower but I did listen to it, and wow. We knew that Amanda and West would probably show up combative but I didn’t expect them to go that hard. I didn’t expect Amanda to be so hostile to Ciara, for them to not be the slightest bit apologetic.

“You can’t help who you like, who you’re attracted to…” Amanda says, seemingly throwing Ciara’s words back in her face.

And yes, she is correct. You cannot help who you like or who you are attracted to but there is no reason to act on it. If you know someone is off limits, you simply distance yourself or push the feelings down.

You don’t come to the reunion and double down on your actions, without so much as an apology and almost put blame on the people you hurt.

Amanda throwing away her whole life for West Wilson doesn’t sit right with my soul but apparently she wasn’t the person she presented herself out to be (I’ll go on the record saying I never liked Amanda and didn’t get the hype) and her self-esteem is lower than I thought was possible. From the recording, it seems she’s been jealous of Ciara and not really her friend this entire time which is even more of a betrayal.

In the recording, you can hear pretty much everyone. Kyle calls West a ‘schmuck’, you can hear Carl & Lindsay talking and then Mia, with the line of the recording “You were married and then became one of West’s side chicks.”

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As of now, we don’t know who leaked the audio. People are saying it was a cast member, but that simply doesn’t make sense. It’s more likely a Bravo employee who got the audio from the editing booth (or whatever you call it…) because the audio is too crisp to be from a phone on the stage.

There are so many rumors saying it was West, that he did it to get back at Amanda and get fired so he could sell the story to Complex… and to that I say, whoever thinks that is not and has not been in the trenches with Bravo for years. It makes no sense — Bravo is a bigger paycheck and I don’t think West is going to face any legal ramifications for this, especially when it makes him look horrible.

Bravo is launching a full investigation — confirming it in an Instagram post and also to The Hollywood Reporter. Andy Cohen also spoke out on Threads and he is not happy, as to be expected.

It sucks that the audio was leaked but I don’t think that it takes away from the reunion— it only makes us more excited. However, it will taint it in some ways because the audience might go into it a little more hostile than anticipated.

Either way, the reunion is not going to be good for Amanda or West and who knows where we go from here…

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CATCH UP ON ALL THINGS WEST SIDE STORY

I truly didn’t expect to write another West Side Story update but after this week’s episode, it had to be done.

The Foreshadowing of West Side Story

Andy Cohen and a few Bravo creators who got screeners of this week’s episode exclaimed that it was worst than last week’s, which didn’t make sense. How could it be worse than Ciara building Amanda up, Amanda fighting with West and Kyle about the situation and watching West make out with a girl with Ciara inches away?

Well…it happened.

The episode started off with Amanda once again, building Ciara up saying that “I see you, you are seen, you deserve so much love” and holding her as she cried. There was so much conversation at the beginning of the episode around West’s disappointment in himself for hurting Ciara again and ‘ruining’ the good will he has built with her over the past year.

On the other hand, Ciara is being vulnerable saying she doesn’t want to be feel embarrassed again, even if it’s in a friendship. She was vulnerable and opened herself up to West and then that was ripped away from her.

The foreshadowing is all over this episode, with every word, every look…it’s almost eerie how on the nose everything is. We would be watching this with very different eyes without the reveal.

Andy has confirmed that they are editing the episodes in real time, so it makes you wonder what we would’ve seen without the scandal. Would the editors have lingered on West and Amanda’s hug at the adoption event? Would they have even bothered to show us the conversation with West & Amanda where she defended Ciara against him…again?

The nail in the coffin came at the end of the episode when West and Ciara talked very openly, very vulnerably only with each other. The way Ciara cried, the way she laid it all bare, I honestly started to sob. Their hug made me sick to my stomach, because I know what that’s like. I think every woman has experienced that feeling — where someone you care for so deeply has betrayed you, but you can’t help but still feel for them and then you get them back, any piece of them and it’s like becoming whole again.

To know that Ciara felt that way and then was betrayed again by this person but also her best friend who knew, who held her, who had a front row seat to her heartbreak is too much to think about.

Without this scandal, I think a lot of us would be rooting for Ciara & West, we would want her to be with the man she clearly is in love with. Now, we just feel heartbroken alongside her and it’s unfair.

Can we also talk about what that music that played during the West & Ciara scene? It sounded like a horror movie! AND why did all our TVs glitch at the same time during one of the West & Ciara conversations?

I don’t understand how Amanda could know all of this, could see it play out in this way and still choose to act on whatever feelings she had. It’s the ultimate friendship betrayal, the broken trust. As a woman, you simply don’t do that to a friend.

Something else became clear this episode; West’s relationship with fame and with the Bravo fandom is deeply flawed and toxic. He blames us and resents Ciara for how he was treated, with no regard for his own actions. It’s clear that he is only trying to get back into Ciara’s good graces for his own sake. He didn’t want the internet to continue to hate him so he needed to do something.

It makes you think what his thought process was when he decided to get involved with Ciara’s best friend. Did he think the audience would go easy on him?

This episode was diabolical and I know the reunion is going to be just as bad. I can’t wait to see it.

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Other Summer House Tidbits From the Week

• The Summer House reunion seating chart was released very early on Thursday and it felt pretty expected. I think the biggest shock was Carl being next to West vs the other side of the couch, or even down a bit but I guess his feud with Kyle was the reasoning.

• West went on his podcast and said that we have the timeline all wrong, there was no overlap with anyone else, and that Amanda’s phone number got leaked and she was receiving text messages calling her a home wrecker — which I don’t think I believe.

• Jesse was on WWHL this week and it was must-see TV. I thought he was genuine and honest; by no means is he the Schwartz of the situation. I mean, he didn’t hold back nor did he defend them. He offered some tidbits, like how he confronted West & Amanda multiple times and was lied too and that West might be combative at the reunion.

• It was announced Wednesday night at the Hulu Live event that Ciara will in fact be on Dancing With the Stars for season 35, alongside Maura Higgins.

• Thursday morning, just before the reunion was about to start filming, Ciara posted an ad with Sonic…with Ariana Madix. Since the news broke, I was manifesting an Ariana & Ciara link up and I’m so happy we got it!

What will happen next? How will the rest of the season go? Will anything from the reunion leak? Time will only tell…

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This was another one of those weeks in pop culture where we didn’t get to rest. It was one thing after another, and coming off of the first weekend of Coachella, it was a lot to take in.

I won’t ramble a lot up top, let’s get into everything.

Coachella Weekend 1

I don’t understand the appeal of Coachella for the sole reason that the thought of being in a desert, surrounded by dust, drugs and sweaty people sounds like my own version of hell.

However, over the past few years I’m more interested in the performances, the surprises and the fun gossip that is a result of the festival.

This year was no different when we had two big names headlining — Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber.

Both performances were great in their own way but Sabrina knocked it out of the park. It was unreal and I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

There were also whispers about Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi making out and leaving Bieber’s set together, which is hot and simply unfair.

On the influencer side of things, the brand activations were out of control this year and it seemed there were more brands hosting ‘influencer houses’ than ever before. Because what do you mean Jesse Solomon, Tyler Cameron, Ava Dash, Chelley from Love Island and Brooks Marks were in the Tarte Cosmetics house together?

Hudson Williams Nearly Killed Us

Monday morning Laufey released her ‘Mad Woman’ video featuring Hudson Williams, Lola Tung, Alyssa Liu and Megan Skiendiel and it riled the internet up. Hudson Williams continues to be a star and seeing him star in this music video as the love interest was the perfect way to start Monday morning.

That feeling didn’t go away because also on Monday, Peloton released a video seemingly teasing Hudson in their new ad.

The ad was released on Tuesday and well…I have nothing appropriate to say.

Lisa Hochstein Arrest

In news that no one saw coming…Real Housewives of Miami star Lisa Hochstein turned herself in on Wednesday after it was revealed there was a warrant out for her arrest. Her ex-boyfriend, Jody, was arrested on Sunday and both are being charged for illegally planting a recording device in Lisa’s ex-husband Lenny’s car back in 2023. I won’t go into details, you can read more about it here but we’ve got another mugshot to add to the Housewives Wall of Fame.

I don’t understand how Miami is on pause right now. Alexia and Adrianna seemingly agree with that since they showed up in a united front to support Lisa in court. What makes it even more impactful is that Alexia and Adrianna really do not like each other or get along so the ladies are putting in the work.

Alex Cooper vs Alix Earle

A public reckoning no one saw coming this week was Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy calling out the passive aggressive reposting Alix Earle has been doing for the past few months towards her.

@fathercooper@Alix Earle

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Cooper previously signed Earle to her Unwell Network but after (I think) less than a year, they parted ways. The rumor is that Earle had something in her contract that she didn’t understand or didn’t approve of, and she didn’t like how Alex interviewed her on CHD.

Alix Earle responded to Cooper’s TikTok saying “Okay on it!!” confirming that she would publicy address their issues but it’s been 4 days and we still have nothing.

The internet, of course, immediately took sides and the discourse began. Personally, I’m on Alex Cooper’s side because Alix Earle doesn’t sit right with me and I think Cooper gets unfair hate just because she’s wildly successful and good in business, and doesn’t apologize for it. Plus, she uses her platform for good in terms of political issues (I mean she had Kamala Harris on…) and I always will support that.

Summer House

In the never ending saga, this week’s Summer House was one for the books. I think despite West Side Story, it would’ve been a banger episode. We started out with Amanda & Ben’s conversation, with Amanda eventually saying, to Ciara, that she can’t believe her words & actions affected someone so negatively (in regards to Sabrina). I actually gasped out loud.

Jesse Solomon was clocking West’s behavior all episode long and seemingly became the voice of reason overnight.

Then you have West making out with a girl while Ciara is less than an inch away from them, Amanda defending Ciara by getting in between West and the girl, and then West playing with Amanda’s hair before she gets up and says ‘Watch my butt” as she walks away!

Kyle and Amanda begin fighting about West’s behavior, and it all was just too much.

On the other side of things, Carl is confessing to Bailey how if he had a drink & a line of coke he could talk to Kyle about how he’s feeling in regards to their friendship and it broke my heart.

According to Andy, next week’s episode is even crazier so we could only imagine what is in store for us.

Mia on WWHL

After Summer House, newbie Mia had her first Watch What Happens Live appearance and knocked it out of the park. She said Ciara had intiution about West & Amanda but Mia didn’t want to believe it was true, Amanda and West both reached out to Mia but she is unsure how to respond, and she is not sure if something was going on between the two last summer.

Andy revealed on the radio show the next morning that Ciara was backstage at WWHL supporting Mia like a real sister.

Ciara Miller x Glamour

Friday morning started out great when we saw Ciara’s Glamour Magazine cover and accompanying interview. I highly recommend reading it because it was fantastic and she really laid it out there, in a very natural & organic way while still holding a lot back in preparation for the reunion.

She was so honest, so vulnerable and I loved reading it.

A few quick tidbits:

• West was at her birthday dinner at the end of December because they were going to work on their friendship

• She is more upset at Amanda because ‘a guy is a guy’

• She is nervous about the reunion and doesn’t know what she is going to wear, nor does she have any expectations about where she is going to sit.

Kyle Cooke & Meghan King Edmonds

What the fuck is this? Truly. What is this? This doesn’t feel real, it doesn’t feel like MKE and Kyle Cooke exist in the same universe. How did they even meet?

Nothing about this makes sense. None of these words are in the Bible.

We have no further information apart from this video of the kiss, which has such dark energy I can’t even watch the whole thing.

Connor Storrie at the Tiffany & Co Blue Book Gala

Once again, nothing appropriate to say expect this is a biblically accurate Ilya Rosanov.

Before I go, Luke from Summer House is running for Congress.

Have a good weekend!

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West Wilson and Amanda Batula broke everyone’s brains when they confirmed the month long rumor mill…they have a ‘connection’.

Two weeks later and we still don’t know what that means and I don’t think we will find out for at least another month, until we see the reunion.

After the initial shock of the reveal, it did seem like things died down a bit. There were rumors and blind items running amuck on social media, fueled by DeuxMoi and reddit threads but we actually don’t have any proof if any of it is true.

While I didn’t do any further update posts, I did recap a few things in Notes which I won’t rehash here but linking them below for ease of reference.

As I said, this past week was relatively quiet until Amanda Batula decided to end that all with another Instagram story.

I don’t think Amanda has a publicist because what the hell is this statement? She’s going to start posting on social media again for the sake of her mental health? This still weighs heavily on her but refuses to name Kyle or Ciara by name.

The silence of Ciara’s name is particularly deafening and disappointing.

However, that isn’t even the icing on the cake because mere hours after this went up on Instagram, Amanda was spotted out with West.

She was trying to hide behind a head scarf but she was there. It’s like West touched down in NYC from his trip to the West Coast & for the March Madness final 4 and Amanda was ready to be out on the streets again.

They went to a very popular West Village bar with West’s friends, and were spotted by dozens of fans.

The fact that Amanda needed to post to basically warn everyone that she was still going to go out with West is laughable.

I’m not saying she has to hide out but have some decorum; wait for the reunion to film before going out and partying with your boy toy that you blew up your life for. Go to West’s apartment, go somewhere quiet — why are you at a very public bar?

Also, I would’ve respected her a bit more if she would’ve just went to the bar. Posting the statement and then immediately going out makes everything look so much worse. She has been on reality television for a decade… how does she not know how to handle herself by now?

The more I look at Amanda’s behavior, the more I’m convinced this is who she always was. She is like a bare wall, just waiting for someone to come over and paint her whatever color they please. She adapts herself to whatever man she is with; I mean, she is literally morphing into West before our very eyes.

It’s honestly embarrassing for her.

On the flip side, Ciara is thriving like the queen she has always been. She’s subtly shading Amanda & West through red carpet interviews, sponsored post captions and using her platform for good — like highlighting a Girl Scouts troop in NYC. Troop 6000 was specifically created for girls who are living in temporary housing & the shelter system in NYC and Ciara, knowing all eyes are on her right now, shared them to her Instagram story.

While hosting the red carpet for the Euphoria premiere, Ciara asked Sydney Sweeney what should happen if your best friend & ex-boyfriend get together. And with a look directly into the camera, Ciara says it needs to be worth it.

I was gagged.

Then, over the weekend, she did a sponsored post with Sephora to highlight the VIB Sale and made the caption ‘Sephora actually rewards loyalty’ and the internet exploded.

While Ciara is thriving, we don’t know how she’s feeling behind closed doors. I hope she knows she is supported and loved, and that we have her back — as does the rest of the Bravo community.

We have a long ways to go before the end of the Summer House season, before we get the much awaited reunion so who knows what we will see before then but I’m sure it’ll be juicy.

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Aside from any major news stories, I only really write about Bravo shows at the end of their season in my ‘debrief’ posts. (I didn’t write one for Southern Charm Season 11 — which I was going to last week before all hell broke loose. I might still do it…)

However, with so many shows on at once I’m dying to chat through my thoughts on all of them so let’s dive in.

Summer House - Tuesday nights at 8 PM

Let us discuss this without the looming cloud of West & Amanda over our heads, ok?

Going into this season of Summer House I was excited. I was excited to see how Ciara & Amanda did without Paige, excited to see how Lindsay fit into the mix as a ‘friend of’ and interested to see the dissolution of Kyle & Amanda’s marriage.

After the first episode though, I knew we were in for a banger season. For weeks, this was appointment television. It had kind of become the only Bravo show I watched live and every week it got better and better.

The Summer House Season 10 premiere was one of the best premieres we’ve gotten of any Bravo show in a while, and I was hooked.

From the first few episodes, it was so clear that Amanda and Kyle would be getting divorced after this season. Their relationship is the worst it’s ever been and watching him torment her two weeks ago was a hard watch. Andy said it was Kyle’s worst episode and while I don’t think I agree, it was definitely up there.

No matter what though, this was shaping up to be Ciara’s season. She was lighter, more carefree, more fun — that Prozac is definitely working for her and it was so great to see how sure of herself she was.

The newbies are excellent additions — KJ, Mia and Bailey stick out as the three I’d love back next season. I don’t love Ben, we don’t see a ton of Levi and I’m indifferent on Dara but this is a great crop of new cast members and I’m excited to see them continue to flourish.

It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out with a West Side Story shaped cloud following us but I think it’ll be regardless.

The Valley - Wednesdays at 8 PM

This past Wednesday we had the premiere of The Valley season 3. I’m sure the cast was extra pissed that Summer House stole their spotlight because truthfully, until Wednesday morning I forgot it was premiering. I didn’t even watch it live because I was too hung up on summarizing the news day for Substack.

Truthfully, I wasn’t that excited for this season. I barely watched the trailer and I was willing to just take whatever the cast threw at me.

Before tuning in, I was not excited about Lala or Schwartz joining the cast and I really don’t like Brittany. Everyone else is fine, I enjoy watching them but my expectations were low.

The premiere kind of knocked my socks off; I actually really liked Schwartz and Lala in the mix (I think Lauren from Utah learned her lesson from VPR Season 11 and toned it down a bit so the audience would forgive her for her sins). Their presence felt very natural and familiar.

The Janet and Kristen dynamic is still fascinating to me, and I’m excited to see how that plays out especially with Kristen in such a vulnerable place.

Zac’s honesty and straightforwardness is a breath of fresh air and I enjoy him more and more every time he is on my screen. Brittany, however, I can honestly do without. I am so tired of listening to her voice. I know that’s mean but her accent feels so performative for someone who has lived in LA for almost 10 years.

The star of the season though? I think that will be Jesse, Michelle and Lacy. I am entranced by the drama, I need to know everything. The flashback to last season’s finale when Lacy barged in and didn’t sign a release? But they are now able to show it because she’s a cast member? That is some good television!

I’m happy that the ghost of Jax didn’t linger over the cast and he will not be missed, for now.

Southern Hospitality - Wednesdays at 9 PM

If you are not watching Southern Hospitality, you need to be. It’s one of the best shows we have right now and it’s giving early Vanderpump Rules in the best way possible.

These southern servers are firing on all cynlinders. The dynamics change up constantly, there is so much drama you almost can’t keep up and it’s just fascinating to watch.

Lying, cheating, rumors, diversity…it really has everything you could want in a show. They tackle rough conversations, like LGBTQ+ issues, race conversations and overall, it just feels like it has less toxic masculinity than other shows on Bravo. These men, gay or straight, are able to show their emotions and don’t really back away from a conversation.

The women are fiery and in your face, in a way that makes me long for Kristen Doute circa 2012.

Emmy is a disaster, Bradley and TJ are messy, Joe Bradley is irritating in a fun way and Maddi Reese is a star. I’m a little obsessed with Michols and Mia. I just love watching them all get themselves into terrible situations while having fun.

It’s a really great season so far and I know it’s only going to continue. Like I said, if you’re not watching you have too. If you don’t want to start from the beginning, you can probably just go back to Season 3 and start from there.

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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - Thursdays at 8 PM

I’m not completely hating this season of Beverly Hills but nothing is really moving along. It’s nice background noise but it’s not must-watch television. However, I’m ok with that for now. If that’s what this show is going to be, let sleeping dogs lie. Not every franchise is going to be a slam dunk and if Beverly Hills is our boring, rich lady show then it’s ok. I just need them to own it.

The highlights of the season so far are: Rachel Zoe and Amanda Frances.

These women get so riled up by Amanda it’s so much fun to watch. She frustrates them because she doesn’t give them a reaction. She is being herself and it’s driving them insane. It’s delightful.

Rachel Zoe is a star. Her clothes, her attitude, her voice, the way she approaches every situation — it’s incredible to watch. She’s fun, funny, serious and while she’s not getting super into the mix, I’m fascinated by her.

This past episode with Dorit and Erika’s fight at the dinner in Italy was the best so far; hearing Erika say “I brought the word c**t into this group. You’re late.” sent chills up my spine. They really got into it, and then Erika was rightfully upset directly afterwards showing that she really does care for Dorit.

The shifting dynamics of the remaining ‘Fox Force Five’ cast members is very interesting, I just wish they were able to have better arguments that didn’t center around the same things over and over again.

Ladies of London: The New Reign — Thursdays at 9 PM

This is Bravo at it’s finest. I love London, have a deep obsession with the English and adored the first round of Ladies of London (and the Real Housewives of London on Hayu) so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

These people are batshit crazy and their accents make it so much better. They are messy, they fight like cats and dogs and they do it all in their posh English accents. The setting of London, alongside the money they so clearly have, makes a perfect backdrop.

They cast is a bunch of characters; Mark Francis is a fabulous gay man, who isn’t afraid to be bitchy to everyone’s faces; Martha is very Sonja Morgan-esque and has a pet bird that freely flies about her house. Kimmi is a fabulous, posh English women with a stone cold attitude that rivals Erika Jayne, and everyone else are perfect ornaments to the craziness that exists in these three stars.

Ladies of London feels like a show most people would like; I don’t know why, but it doesn’t feel like a Housewives show. It feels a tad bit more messy, chaotic yet sophisticated all at the same time. It’s gold!

The Real Housewives of Atlanta - Sundays at 8 PM

Season 17 of Atlanta premiered last night and it felt like we were picking up where we left off. Once again, I didn’t get a good look at the trailer but I think this season is going to be great. We have a few new Housewives who are getting into the mix already and have some outstanding drama with the others, which will be interesting.

Porsha and Shamea are on the outs while Shamea and Kelli are BFFs — and simply doing too much to get their screentime.

Charles Oakley is as funny as ever, Phadera is serving in confessionals and Cynthia Bailey is there to keep everyone in check.

It’ll be a fabulous season, for sure.

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island - Sundays at 9 PM

I simply don’t have the words to describe how obsessed I am with this show already. I honestly might have to do a dedicated post within the next few weeks to express my admiration.

Rhode Island is giving early Jersey with the deep, existing connections between the ladies, the accents, the money, the drama. It’s so good!

In the first episode we got: one HW marrying her sister’s high school boyfriend, a husband and wife being distantly related, and a HW with an open relationship.

It is very difficult to tell these women apart. Not only do they all look like each other, they all look like Dolores! Speaking of my Jersey queen, as much as I like seeing her on my television, there was no need to have her usher in this new group. They’re doing just fine on their own.

Have you been watching all the Bravo shows? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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We’ve had a few new developments — reported by TMZ that deserve some discussing as well more Bravolebs and brands jumping in on the news.

Ciara & The Video Reveal

Since last week there were rumors swirling about a video of Amanda and West getting physical, taken through the window of West’s apartment. From there, the rumor swirled that it was sent to Ciara by someone or that Hannah & Paige hired a private investigator to get it. There were no photos or videos to show that this was real, that this was actually happening between Amanda and West, so I chalked it up to people being crazy on the internet.

I didn’t think anyone would stoop so low as to take a video of a private moment, through the window of an apartment window.

However, I was proven wrong this afternoon when TMZ reported that yes, there was a video and that is how Ciara finally got confirmation that her best friend was sleeping with her ex.

According to TMZ, Amanda sent a text to Ciara on Monday afternoon, 24 hours before the statement went up, saying she never meant to hurt her.

As of now, this is all we know.

There are so many timeline theories running around the internet but we truly do not know anything for sure. I might try to put together a post this weekend highlighting it all, but we’ll see.

Bravolebs & Brands

As the scandal continues to pick up speed in the press and permeate the walls of the Bravosphere, seeping into mainstream culture, more and more people are getting in on it.

Scheana Shay Enters the Chat

As soon as the news broke, people were already sharing their ‘Has anyone checked on Scheana memes’ until Scheana herself stepped. Jesse posted a video of himself promoting his tour, with the above caption, and Scheana couldn’t resist jumping in.

On Tuesday, after the news broke, she also responded to a fan asking about her nails (a throwback to when she pushed Raquel after finding out about Sandoval)

Southern Hospitality Gets in the Mix

@republicreignJoin us for a summer kickoff party HERE at Republic ☀️ Saturday, April 11th from 1-5pm 🎤Live music by Reverse Cowgirl 🍹Drink specials from Deep Eddy & High Rise Seltzers 🍻Guest bartending by @Bradley @TJ DINCH ☀️Come kickoff the summer in style SEE YOU APRIL 11TH! #charlestonsc #southernhospitality #bravotvjunkie #summerhouse #summerparty @Joe Bradley @Molly Moore @Michols Peña @Emmy Sharrett @Lake Rucker @Leva Bonaparte

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Our newest ‘younger generation’ show didn’t feel like being left out of the drama. Republic posted a TikTok on Wednesday, lipsyncing to the ‘Summer should be fun…Amanda, not fun’ sound. It was to promote their summer kickoff and I personally found it hilarious.

Mother Hubbard Strikes Again

Right after TMZ shared their story about the video that Ciara saw, Lindsay posted the above story. Was it a coincidence? Probably not but it makes me very curious.

I also forgot about this in my recap yesterday but Vanity Fair reported on the scandal and revealed that Lindsay was having lunch when she got a frantic phone call that she stepped outside for. When she came back in she said, “Ciara just said…” but we don’t know anything else.

This is the kind of boots on the ground journalism I expect from New York City locals.

Brands, Corporations and More…

The social media managers of various brand and corporate accounts are getting in on the conversation.

@wheeloffortuneSummer in the Hamptons will never be the same 🐍 #summerhouse #summerhousebravo #teamciara #bravo

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Can you tell me why Wheel of Fortune decided to piece together a clip package with words associated with or centered around what’s going on right now, and a caption that says ‘summer in the Hamptons will never be the same’. What business does Wheel of Fortune have with Bravo?

Then the NHL decided to play to their new female audience and share a video with text overlay that says ‘Amanda this, West that…” Once again, what business does the NHL have with Bravo?

@nhlthis has just crossed our desk 🗞️ #NHL #hockey #sports #ConnorBedard #ChicagoBlackhawks

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Various publications have been pushing their Ciara focused content during the past few days and today, E!’s GlamBot shared Ciara’s Oscars Glambot video to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “I Did Something Bad”.

@glambotOur queen @Ciara Miller 🖤 #summerhouse #glambot

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To top it all off, Bravo Ratings shared that this week’s Summer House was a season high in overnight viewership and I’m sure that will continue to climb as the season trails on.

As of now at 7:30 PM EST on Thursday April 2nd, we don’t have any other news at our disposable but that doesn’t mean we’re finished here.

What are your thoughts about the ongoing scandal?

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PS: I cannot stop thinking about Kyle saying in his street interview “Carl’s a mess…” It’s giving ‘Send it to Darell!’ and I love it.

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That lasted until about 11 AM and then I was all in for the day.

We didn’t get more information from West or Amanda today but there were more rumblings online about timelines, theories and some other posts from cast members, celebrities and other Bravolebs.

We’ll continue these posts as much as I can as we get more information, so let’s dive deep into day 2 of the current Bravo scandal.

I still don’t know what we’re calling this scandal but I really like West Side Story; so much better than Scamanda because that’s already taken by a podcast of some lady who faked cancer.

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Kyle Cooke’s On The Street Interview

Midday Wednesday, a video went up on social where someone stopped Kyle on the street as he was walking his dogs to ask about the situation. Was this staged? Yes but we got some more information out of him.

@adamglynCaught up with Summer House Star Kyle Cooke and we talk about the Amanda and West Relationship. This is Part 1 of 3! #bravotv #summerhouse

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• Kyle is worried for Amanda’s mental health.

• Amanda gave him a heads up before the statement went out.

• He found out over the weekend about West & Amanda and he doesn’t know about the timeline. He’s second guessing last summer and how it’s playing out on this season. It seems that he does suspect something was going on and cites WWHL and confessionals as where

• He is not pleased that West is not getting as much heat as Amanda (I disagree) and is annoyed that he gained followers on Instagram.

• West sent Kyle a half assed text message about the situation, which Kyle didn’t seem to take kindly to.

• He is frustrated with Amanda and that there is still so much more to come with In The City.

• Ciara had more evidence leading up to this weekend and was trying to almost let Kyle down gently and accept it before going ‘all in’.

• He claims Bravo PR and producers didn’t think anything was going on

• “It puts everything into jeopardy. You can’t shoot Summer House if the vibes are off.”

Despite everything Kyle has done, his concern for Amanda really comes through. The camera also just loves him— he comes off good in the video but also is spilling the tea we deserve so thank you, Kyle Cooke.

Andy Cohen’s Radio Show

Andy and Jon Hill discussed the topic at hand on Radio Andy today and basically, he’s in shock. He didn’t want to believe it and thought it was all just conspiracy theories so he was genuinely shocked when it was revealed.

He says that he did not know anything (I believe him — Andy has a horrible poker face) and is shocked at the statement they put out. If you read between the lines, he’s basically saying it meant a lot of nothing.

All questions will be answered at the reunion which films soon…

DeuxMoi Reveals All

At the center of it all is our favorite anonymous account DeuxMoi. She is the one who initially kicked off the rumor mill (though I’ve been informed from a few Threads that it was Beyond the Blinds that came out with it first and DeuxMoi picked it up) and now she’s spilling it all.

Apparently, West has had a girlfriend this entire time while hooking up/exploring things with Amanda, along with a few other girls. Kyle also called this out in his on the street interview — that West was juggling other women.

The timeline reveals that West and Amanda were getting very sloppy with their secrecy. They were basically out in the open, flirting and being handsy with each other all over Manhattan — they were bound to get caught eventually.

This also tracks with what we’ve been hearing from various NYC creators and Bravo insiders (On their emergency podcast episode, the Comments by Celebs ladies made it seem like this was something they had loosely known over the past few weeks). If Kyle claims that Ciara had more evidence than him and had been trying to convince him that it was real, then maybe that also needs to be considered as proof.

Bravolebs, Brands & Celebs Weigh In

Now that the initial shock has worn off, more and more people are beginning to weigh in on the situation.

This morning we got reports that Rihanna unfollowed Amanda on Instagram (that has got to hurt!), Jon Hamm staked his claim in Team Ciara last night while on WWHL and Uber Eats got in on the fun in their latest Instagram post.

Dolores shared an Instagram Story, showcasing exactly where she stands. If I had Dolores Catania and Boston Rob on my side, I’d feel pretty dam good.

We finally heard from Jesse Solomon through an Instagram comment where he admitted that he did NOT know about the ‘connection’ and it was denied to him on multiple occasions.

I honestly believe Jesse. Him and West are NOT The Toms; they do not have the extensive, codependent history that Schwartz and Sandoval had, and I don’t think they are as close as they want us to believe. I don’t think Jesse would cover for him like this. He has a stronger backbone than Schwartz ever did.

Sure, Jesse is all over Instagram, alongside West and Amanda but they were probably pulling the wool over his eyes the same way they did to everyone else.

A blast from the past also came out of the woodwork today — Jules, from Season 4 of Summer House — shared the below on her Instagram stories. Famously, Amanda and her had words after Kyle cheated so now she’s getting her licks in.

And finally, we end the day the only way I ever want to end a day… with Lindsay Hubbard and Kristen Doute coming to save the day.

They posted an Instagram video, walking in NYC, locked arm in arm and captioned it “Sherlock Hubbard and Detective Doute”. Kristen is wearing a James Mae shirt while Lindsay rocks a LoverBoy hat — it’s two of the baddest bitches Bravo has ever seen, together, ready to cause havoc during a scandal.

Kristen Doute is on Watch What Happens tonight — and it’s live — so we’ll be surely hearing so much, and I can’t wait!

I’m sure tomorrow will bring so much more and I have some other posts centered around this, so be sure to subscribe and stay tuned.

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Well, it’s time I eat my words from the past month — Amanda and West confirmed their ‘connection’ on Tuesday afternoon through joint Instagram Story statements.

The ‘we’ of it all is sickening and the fact that they didn’t apologize to Ciara or Kyle is glaringly obvious and it reads ‘we don’t care about anyone else.’

There is clearly a lot to unpack so buckle up.

The Timeline

From their statement, it seems that it this relationship, if you could call it that, is very new. They don’t know where they stand with each other, and they weren’t expecting this to be revealed so soon.

The rumors began in early March, when Deuxmoi shared that West and Amanda were seen together acting rather close. After that broke, we got an Instagram Story from West, showing that he was at Lindsay’s house with Ciara and a few other people.

There was still some online chatter but once Kyle went on WWHL and said there was no truth to them, it seemed to die down. Then, everything came back up last week when West couldn’t give a clear cut answer that him and Amanda were just friends. Then the Amazon live was canceled, and well…everything else happened over the weekend.

So, where do we stand? When did this really start? This is what we know:

• Amanda recorded Jason Tarticks’s podcast in January stating that she would never date a cast member

• Amanda and Ciara were on WWHL together in early February and their friendship seemed more intact than ever. Ciara was very giggling and glowing when asked about West and Amanda seemed supportive.

• February 8th was the Super Bowl where Ciara and West were hanging out and posting photos together. Kyle was also DJing some Bravo party and West was there to support him.

• Amanda’s Marie Claire feature was shared at the beginning of March, right around when the rumors of her and West began and this is what she had to say about surviving the summer with Ciara and West by her side.

• Amanda & West spent the NYC blizzard (mid-February) together, and were spotted out more and more, and showing up on each other’s Instagram stories quite a bit. I have an inside source that saw them the day of the blizzard and said they didn’t think anything of it but Amanda was sitting on West’s lap which…was weird.

This is pretty much what we know for certain right now but there has, of course, been speculation all day…

Some people think, because of the scenes we’re getting on Summer House this season, that there might’ve been an emotional affair going on which seems likely. However, I quickly listened to a bit of Gibson John’s emergency episode before sitting down to write and he gave some insider knowledge. Apparently, it didn’t become physical until very recently and Amanda & West were lying to the entire cast. We’re not sure how they found out but it most likely happened late last week, which matches up with the timeline of everyone sharing on their stories this weekend.

This is my theory:

• Amanda and West were getting a little too close for comfort and people around them started to pick up on it, questioning them. They denied it continually, to everyone.

• West’s WWHL appearance last week was the nail in the coffin and it probably made everyone really question them.

• Something happened between Tuesday night & Thursday, causing West and Amanda to spill their guts and tell the truth.

• Ciara cancels the Amazon live with Amanda

• Kyle is in Charleston with Austen and Salley, tells Austen everything while Lindsay finds out (along with the rest of the cast).

• Austen, Kyle and Lindsay all post on Sunday night, and everything ripples from there…

Amanda & West probably had no intentions of revealing anything any time soon, but they were pushed into a corner.

What Happens Now?

The reunion is rumored to film either April 15th or April 24th, according to a few online sources and according to TMZ, Bravo is NOT picking up cameras. There are rumors that the cast is under a press lockdown because they learned from what happened with Scandoval — everything needs to be saved for the reunion.

Ciara was spotted on a NYC sidewalk today, visibly upset (I won’t share the photo - such an invasion of privacy) but she — or someone on her team — was active on socials this weekend, sharing photos of her and sponcon.

As I’m typing this at 7:56 PM, right before Summer House, Ciara shared a sponsored post in partnership with Apple TV and the caption is…PERFECTION.

Amanda had a campaign go live earlier today (before the statement was posted to her Stories) with Edie Parker, a weed accessory brand. They were getting flamed in the comment section, removed the post and reshared with the caption “A lot can change in a day…”

I have my professional thoughts on this (I’ve been a social media manager for major brands fro over a decade) and it’s not that she lost the campaign, it’s that the brand knew the negative sentiment would outweigh the actual campaign messaging and it wasn’t worth the backlash — not when they could pivot quickly and still get their ROI.

In more late breaking news, DeuxMoi is now posting that West was hooking up with other girls in the past few weeks and that one of those girls WERE CIARA!!!!

Bravo Reactions

As laid out in last week’s post, we got some gametime reactions from Lindsay, Kyle and weirdly, Austen Kroll.

Quickly after that KJ and Carl posted on their Stories, with their own ‘reaction photos’.

While doing press for The Valley, Tom Schwartz was also asked about the rumors which truthfully, I found funny because sometimes, you just want in on the drama.

@entertainmenttonightBefore Amanda Batula and West Wilson confirmed their relationship in a joint statement, Tom Schwartz admitted he was out there sleuthing like everyone else. ET caught up with Tom on Monday ahead of 'The Valley' season three — at that point, he wasn't buying the rumors about his 'Summer House' friends. #amandabatula #westwilson #summerhouse #thevalley

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Dolores was asked about Ciara at the premiere of Real Housewives of Rhode Island on Monday and she had some choice words as well…

However, post confirmation on Tuesday afternoon, we’ve gotten a whole slew of reactions from Summer House cast members and others around the reality TV world:

We don’t know what happens from here; everything is just speculation, picking up on easter eggs and trying to figure out if this was a physical or emotional affair, were Ciara and West dating again?

I’ll probably be back later in the week with more theories, analyzations and news once if we get more information. For now, let’s tune into Summer House tonight & watch it go up in flames.

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We are not the same people today that we were on March 23rd.

I don’t think we’ve had a chaotic week like this in a while…hell, we’ve had a chaotic month!

So much has happened, so much is still being revealed and no one knows what the truth is. It’s simply too overwhelming.

Let’s start out with the easy stuff first…

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RHONJ is Coming Back

We finally got official word this week that the ladies of New Jersey are coming back! Margaret Josephs announced via Instagram this week that she would NOT be returning (thank God) and then either a few hours or a day later (time is not real) Bravo shared on Instagram that Teresa, Melissa and Dolores would be returning full-time to RHONJ.

They will be joined by a few other women who are yet to be named and filming will start later this spring.

I am not surprised by this news. March 2025 me would be surprised but that’s before Melissa and Teresa made up. I had a feeling Dolores would always be coming back — she’s a hot commodity for Bravo, but the sisters-in-law making up off camera was a sure fire way to make sure the Gorgas and Giudices would be cashing a fat check.

I hope it stays that way — I hope the family could get along and stay along because no one can do this again.

Amanda & West Rumors

This is the meat of the post, so buckle up.

I wrote about this insane rumor that has been bubbling up for some time in my three year Scandoval anniversary post. At the time, I didn’t believe it to be true and chalked it up to our Bravo brains in a post Tom & Raquel world, but now…

For some reason the rumors really came to a head this weekend. It was a little sketchy during the week when West was on WWHL and gave a really weird, roundabout answer on the rumors but ultimately, he said that Amanda and him are just friends and he’s ‘showing her the streets’.

Then, Amanda and Ciara were announced to do a joint Amazon live together but at the last minute, the live was split and they did two separate ones.

Everything has been on fire since, people running wild with theories on social media about photos taken inside West’s apartment of the two of them kissing, them running around LA together, random stories from the past few months about them— all without proof.

Reddit is a cesspool of speculation and Threads has all the Bravo accounts and us common folk in shambles.

Kyle Cooke made it worse Sunday afternoon when he responded to a Thread from Two Judgey Girls basically saying we should feel bad for him…

Right before I wrote this, Mother Hubbard shared an Instagram Story with Ciara — no text, just a selfie. It felt deliberate, like she was making a statement.

Lindsay is nothing but intentional but she also likes to fan the flames; she’s an excellent reality TV star, a PR genius but she likes to play the game. This could be her just acknowledging that the cast sees what’s going on but isn’t ready to say anything.

As I was finishing this post, Austen shared this to his Instagram Story and I’m going to launch myself off a cliff.

You can’t help but compare it to Scandoval, it has the similarities though Scandoval will always be worse. Where the two differ is that Summer House is more buttoned up; they call the cameras, they keep things under lock & key — they are not as messy as our OG Pump crew.

We would never have had to wait this long to get any intel from Vanderpump Rules cast members; it would be happening right before our very eyes, on podcasts, in the comments, in the press.

I cannot determine how I feel about this. My mind changes from minute to minute; on one hand, I really don’t think Amanda would do that to Ciara but on the other hand, there is too much smoke for it to be totally false.

It’s also very suspicious that no one is coming out and saying it’s 100% false. Yes, we have West’s answer on WWHL from earlier this week, Amanda responded to a comment about said answer which was saying that they are just friends but it still doesn’t feel as definite as we’d like it to be.

If the cast is playing in our faces and this is just general PR for the show or something less salacious, the audience is going to be very angry.

Jessi on Call Her Daddy

In the middle of this Amanda & West drama, things are still happening in Utah. Jessi was on Call Her Daddy this week (it was filmed around March 18th) and she revealed a bunch of stuff — that she found out about Jordan filing for divorce from TMZ, he’s been to orgies and hired escorts and she has proof (and he spent her money on said escorts…) She believes that Dakota did in fact sell the video of Taylor throwing the chair to TMZ, Jordan and Dakota spend way too much time together and that MomTok has the full support of production to keep filming down right now while everyone processes everything.

She was very supportive of Taylor and offered kind words alongside her perspective of the situation and it made me happy to know someone was in Taylor’s corner.

The interview as a whole was pretty good and Jessi is solidifying herself as a new leader of MomTok while Taylor is on the mend.

Chase & Jessi

However, that didn’t last too long. It was reported late last week that Chase (Miranda’s ex-husband and resident favorite of DadTok) and Jessi kissed at a party. At first it was just a rumor on a blog but then Miranda seemingly confirmed it by posting the flowers that Jessi sent her apologizing, on Instagram Stories.

TMZ later confirmed it claiming that it was just once, in the heat of the moment.

@miranda__hopeit’s not even a betrayal at this point, it’s a tradition 🥰🥰

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Miranda shared a TikTok poking fun at the situation… though I’m sure it’s just a way to mask the hurt. I really like Miranda, and I really like Chase and Jessi so it sucks to see this happen.

Chase also posted a TikTok that doesn’t seem to be going over well…

@dchasemac @dchasemac ♬ original sound - Movieclips - Movieclips

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It sucks that we’re not going to see any of it since they are not currently filming season 5.

I’m sure I will be back later this week with more reality TV news, centered around Summer House because I have a bad feeling…

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While there wasn’t one specific person that was the object of our desires, over the past four weeks, I think two people fit the bill.

Jacob Elordi

I would’ve given this to him in February for his stellar performance in Wuthering Heights but Rob Rausch took precedent.

I’ve always though Jacob Elordi was hot, despite me not watching Euphoria or The Kissing Booth. I first saw him act in Saltburn and now Wuthering Heights, and I’m a changed woman.

The press tour with him and Margot Robbie was unreal; the way he towered over her? His clothes? His gentleness in every single interview? I could hardly watch anything for longer than a few seconds because it made me physically ill.

He is so goddam tall. He’s so dreamy. His accent sends shivers up my spine and he has one of the best smiles. It’s sickening.

I loosely talked about Wuthering Heights at some point after seeing it on opening night but now it comes out on digital on Tuesday and I will be purchasing the film to rewatch Heatcliff lift Cathy up by her corset over and over again.

Michael B. Jordan

I cried when this man won his Oscar earlier this month. His speech was inspiring and moving and I loved seeing his embrace with Leonardo DiCaprio afterwards. Two child stars who have been heralded as some of the greats, but not winning Oscars until they were so established — it made my heart happy.

I haven’t seen Sinners yet but Michael B. Jordan is such a good actor, a good person and my God, he is hot. It hurts to look at him, like it physically pains me to look a photo of him, and his mega watt smile.

He tore up every red carpet, every speech, every interview this award season and I’m so ready to see what else he does.

It was a slow month in terms of hot men, but I’m ready for April to delivery something spectactular.

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As I write this, I’m finishing episode 10. Being in Charleston when the season dropped was terrible for my binging but when you combine that with all the other TV I’ve had to catch up on, I’ve been very delayed.

It’s also been hard to concentrate on the season with everything else going on, which is why this post isn’t necessarily a recap of the season but a general overview of my MomTok thoughts.

Season 4 Recap

Overall, when we’re thinking about season 4, it was fine. It was a lot better than season 3 because the timeline felt a little more structured. It wasn’t as confusing, and the ever changing dynamics kept it feeling fresh.

If I had to assign a theme to this season it would be centered around fame & fragile male egos. MomTok is officially at the top of the food chain — with brand deals, DWTS and The Bachelorette. While the women are being the breadwinners, the men are quitting their jobs to be stay at home dads and no one can handle it (expect Conner).

On the other side, the women are dealing with their quick rise to fame. They are dealing with the mix of guilt and desire to chase their dreams — and what the repercussions of that is

It makes for a very interesting show.

The friction is no longer directly about their personal relationships but how they show up for each other, how they navigate fame alongside their loyalty to the show and group that made them.

I was fascinated at how Hulu navigated the ever changing settings of this season. Two of the main women were in California, Taylor was preparing to leave for The Bachelorette and everyone else was roaming the country for their various projects. I was skeptical at how we would have a cohesive season when so much was happening for them, but it seemed to work out. If anything, I thought the season flowed better than others.

One thing I always appreciate about SLOMW is the nonexistent fourth wall. We have enough reality shows that don’t like to say they are reality shows, but with the Secret Lives, we’re watching a show about a show, and I love that.

Quick Thoughts on The Wives

This is obviously very different from the usual recaps because I’m not focusing on each woman individually but I wanted to talk about them for a bit otherwise.

• Layla: I still don’t really like her. She teeters between being the good girl and the messy one, and I kind of just want her to pick a side. Her meeting at Ford Models was hard to watch (she was so unprepared) and I thought she could’ve handled Mason telling her that her kids shouldn’t throw things at her a little better.

• Jen Affleck: Jen has always been one of my favorites, until now. She was too jealous and bitter towards Whitney; the way she handled the Chicago conversation was ridiculous. Her being unwilling to see Whitney’s side or remember how Whitney was there for her in her darkest times was irritating. She weaponized her therapy speak and overall was not a good friend. I hope she checks herself and is more confident next season.

• Whitney: We were missing a lot of Whit this season but she is now the star. She is the one who has expanded beyond the show, beyond social media and will probably be the lasting name on our tongues for years to come. I appreciated her wise words, her vulnerability when it came to mom guilt, and everything she offered.

• Miranda: An MVP of the season, someone who was involved in the drama but the audience liason and always had a clear head on her shoulders. I felt bad for the way that Taylor treated her

• Mikayla: I liked Mikayla a lot more this season and I’m so happy her and Jace are separated. She needed to get away from that man and I’m looking forward to seeing her bloom.

• Mayci: I also liked Mayci a lot more this season — perhaps the pregnancy hormones were making both her and Mikayla a little too mean last year. She continually was the voice of reason and I wish we saw more of her personal life with the book tour and such. Though, I thought the scene of her on the phone with her publicist about the was so interesting!

• Jessi: Jessi was definitely the runner up in terms of a banger season. She was the narrator more than anyone else while still having her own, a heartbreaking dynamic with her husband and the reveal about her prenup at the end all made for an interesting character arc.

• Taylor: What can I say about TFP? Her crown is slipping and the women are irritated beyond words at her dynamic with Dakota — during the season. Her hesitancy about The Bachelorette was palpable in every episode and I wanted to scream at her throughout the whole thing. She didn’t have to do this, but she should’ve detached herself from Dakota even sooner. I understand the cycle she is in with him but now it is simply too much. She needs to grow up.

I was delighted to see that Demi was not included too much in the season. Every time they flashed to her empty confessional couch, I cackled. Let’s keep it that way…

The Problem With DadTok

Over the past two seasons, it seemed that the men were getting a little better in how they treated their wives and how they handled their new reality TV fame but now that MomTok is expanding beyond the confines of Hulu and TikTok, the masks have begun to fall.

If I had to crown a winner of the worst husband this season it would be Jordan. Every time his face was on my screen I wanted to scream. His smug face, his double standards, his conniving ways to stir up drama and his insistence that DadTok be a thing — it was all so ridiculous.

DadTok was the black cloud hanging over this season. While it brought the drama at some points, it lingered too much, taking over so many scenes. It felt like when the Kens took over Barbieland in the Barbie movie — it was overwhelming and irritating.

This show is not about the men. It’s about the women, and how the patriarchy of the Mormon church has deeply affected their lives. The men are part of the story but they are not the story.

I hope the editors & producers keep this in mind for next season.

Speaking of next season…

The Filming Schedule Problem

While the season was pretty good, there is a major problem that Hulu has when it comes to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — and no, I’m not talking about everything going on with Taylor.

They need to give filming a rest.

These women have been filming for three years straight. Their lives are overly chaotic, the dynamics shift too quickly and there isn’t enough breathing room in-between seasons for the dust to settle. It’s almost as if seasons 1-4 have been one continuous season…

It also is hard for the audience to keep up.

The timelines start to not make sense; it was a gripe with season 3 when they were filming a new season, but still hadn’t filmed the season 2 reunion while still on the press tour for season 1.

It’s confusing and hard to keep up with because you’re not grounded in one specific period of time so you cannot keep track of what has happened, what’s happening on the show and what’s happening in real life. The pace is simply too fast.

These women don’t get a chance to live their lives before going back in front of the cameras and in turn, it feels like the problems are going around in circles. This is the reason why Bravo doesn’t film back to back, but perhaps Hulu doesn’t want to follow the Bravo playbook…

Either way, the filming schedule seems too strenuous on both the cast and the audience and it feels like the light is going to burn out sooner than anyone wants.

The Elephant in the Room

When reports came out that Taylor and Dakota had gotten into another fight, I rolled my eyes. It’s a never ending cycle and seeing her sleep with him right before leaving for The Bachelorette was enough for me to write them off.

I didn’t necessarily think the report of their fight spoiled The Bachelorette because they could physically be in each other’s presence without being romantically together, they do have a child.

However, I do not think I was prepared for what happened next.

Seeing the release of that video and then the subsequent cancellation announcement was a lot to take in. The video is horrifying and it made me sick to my stomach — seeing something like that, it’s just not normal.

I was shocked that the season was canceled because the events of that video happened three years ago. It was in the first episode of the series, we saw body cam footage of Taylor’s arrest, and the network continued to prop her up as the leader of MomTok.

They continued to film with Taylor for three years and chose to make her The Bachelorette knowing she had this history.

If that doesn’t spell hypocritical, I don’t know what does.

I’m not here to debate what was in the video, what Taylor is guilty of, what Dakota’s role is in all of this but I just think it’s a bit ridiculous to cancel a season of show because of a three year old video, when the person has already admitted to it, completed their punishment and has been the star of your best reality series since then.

Where Do We Go From Here?

In the middle of all of the season premiering and The Bachelorette being canceled, we get word that Jessi and Jordan are getting divorced & he filed a restraining order against her , Mikayla and Jace are separated and filming for season 5 has ceased.

There is also a rumor that there will be a SLOMW spinoff based in California which feels wildly out of place…

I don’t know where we go from here. Does Taylor come back to the show? Do they finish filming season 5 without her? Is Whitney going to be back, even though her Chicago run has been extended? How will everyone react to the happenings of the past few weeks and how will it affect MomTok?

For the first time since the show premiered, I’m not sure if MomTok will survive this.

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Scandoval broke on TMZ one fateful Friday afternoon and nothing we knew would ever be the same.

Bravo was never the same.

I do not need to rehash all the dirty details — you can re-read my live reactions as chronicled on Substack from those first few weeks — but just know, it was intense.

Since then, I’ve seen people on TikTok witness the magic on Peacock during their initial binge sessions but being there to witness it in real time, having it break our brains with every episode, every podcast, every interview clip… it was the defintion of reality.

I think I’ve spoken before of the aftershocks of Scandoval and how it shaped the way Bravo handled major scandals post cameras down. Before Scandoval, picking up cameras after the season wrapped was unheard of. It might’ve happened occasionally but it was not the norm.

That’s why when we heard that cameras were back up, and we were getting an entirely new episode at the end of Season 10, we were shocked. To see everything play out in real time, to get the fourth wall breaking moments we did was groundbreaking.

Now, it’s an expected occurrence when something happens outside of the filming schedule, even when it doesn’t call for it.

That was just one of the concrete ways that Scandoval changed things; the more obvious ones is the rise of Ariana Madix, the memeifcation of Tom Sandoval, and how Vanderpump Rules was ultimately rebooted because the scandal was bigger than the stars.

However, Scandoval didn’t just change the way Bravo operates, or the way the shows work — it changed the fanbase forever.

After March 2023, we as a Bravo fandom, were never the same.

Scandoval broke our brains and we’re paying the price for it.

Not Everything is a Scandal

Since March 2023, we’ve seen the rise and fall of multiple Bravo relationships — some spanning across multiple shows, some confined to the walls of a singular franchise.

Paige & Craig.

Carl & Lindsay.

Jax & Brittany.

Kyle & Amanda.

These breakups were both surprising and expected — none of them delivered the shock value the way Scandoval did, because none of them involved cheating right under everyone’s noses.

The simplicity of the breakups doesn’t feed the beast. We are all hungry for something juicy to sink our teeth into. We want something to obsess over, something to dissect — we are desperate for a scandal.

This didn’t necessarily start with Scandoval though; I’d say it started when Teresa and Joe went to prison, and the trend continued with every Housewife arrest. As the years ticked on and social media became the norm, we were more obvious with our need for something to analyze.

Even when there is something else under the surface — like Jax’s domestic violence allegations or the way Carl called cameras to film his breakup with Lindsay — it never satiates us the way Scandoval did.

When it comes to these breakups, people start to create their own narratives; did Paige cheat? Why is Craig so silent? Did he actually buy a ring? We obsess over the details and in turn, make the breakup something it’s not.

We are searching for a story to feed our interests and sometimes, the story is just what we are being told.

Our Inability to Be Objective Is Gone

I have never been more sure of the way Scandoval broke us than two weeks ago when rumors about West and Amanda Batula started swirling on the internet, originally posted by Deuxmoi.

The internet lost it’s mind.

My group chats were blowing up.

“Could this be real? Would they actually do this? What about Ciara? What about Kyle?”

Everyone was up in arms, confused as how this could be happening but we all knew that it definitely could.

Amanda and West have been spotted together a lot — they spent the blizzard together a few weeks ago; they are constantly posting each other on Instagram Stories and we know how flirty they both can be.

It wouldn’t be that crazy, would it?

Yes, yes it would.

Could you imagine? A divorced cast member hooking up with her best friend’s ex, right under their noses? Less than two months after the separation was announced? Just as we are seeing the rekindling of Ciara and West?

It could’ve been a throw away rumor, something reported with no substantial evidence but instead it took the internet by storm, it made waves, it made it onto Watch What Happens Live with Kyle Cooke — who promptly dispelled the rumors.

If this was happening in a world where Scandoval didn’t occur, I would’ve been firmly in the ‘This is fake’ camp. I would’ve stood staunchly in my opinion that this was not true — that Amanda would never do that to Ciara.

But now? Anything is possible.

It’s not just the desire for a good storyline that brings these theories to center stage; it’s the inability to trust our reality stars, to trust our judgement as viewers.

If Tom could dress like Raquel for Halloween, if they could wear matching lightning bolt necklaces and sleep together while Ariana was in the next room, isn’t anything possible? Couldn’t anything get by us?

We think we know these people so well, from watching them year after year and coming to understand how they think, behave, and act but then something like this happens and suddenly, we know nothing.

We were fooled, the wool was pulled over our eyes and now we see scandal in every show; in every glance, in every flirtatious laugh, in a light touch or a throwaway comment. Nothing and no one is safe from the after effects…even three years later.

Scandoval changed the way Bravo operates as a network, as an entity, but it also changed how we watch these shows, how we react to every bit of news we receive, and how we look at rumors, storylines and every in-between.

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There were things to look forward to, alongside a few new faces; the season was promising.

Then, the Osefos got arrested and the season would be changed forever, even if we wouldn’t get any real news from Wendy until the reunion.

The season passed in a blur for me; it was solid, giving us good shade, good storylines and good characters. However, there were some low points where I actually had to tune out— and they all had to do with Gizelle and Ashley.

Up until now, I’ve always loved Gizelle. She keeps us grounded, she moves the story along, she dishes out the shade like no one else and she does it all while being one of the most beautiful women in the world. It’s impressive how Gizelle gets by unscathed, season after season, without sharing anything about her own life.

However, this season she really got under my skin for the sheer meanness towards Stacey. Personally, I didn’t think it was shade — it felt outright mean. When the ladies were in Nevis and Gizelle didn’t personalize any of Stacey’s items and didn’t write a note, I rolled my eyes. It was childish and not funny.

As the season went on, I think she loosened up and it didn’t seem so mean which I appreciated.

Ashley on the other hand, she was sneaky. In my opinion, we’ve evolved past the need for Ashley Darby on our screens. She is weird and has been for a season or two. I’m no prude but her obsession with making everything abut sex is tiring; her ‘second bloom ball’ was a snooze, only saved by Stacey and I just don’t appreciate the way she was moving this season. It feels too much, she’s trying too hard and her ‘6, 7’ bit with Wendy at the reunion made me want to crawl in a hole to die of second hand embarrassment.

I had high hopes for Keiarna this season, I felt that she had potential to be a great Housewife but she’s proving that she simply doesn’t have what it takes. She picked the weirdest arguments, she is delusional to the point of annoyance with her relationship and she doesn’t really know how to fight back in a quick manner.

Tia was a great addition, if not just for accent alone. She was fun, funny, not afraid to get in the mix or get personal. I have nothing bad to say about her and I’m excited to see her step into more of a central role next year.

Angel… she was something. I would like her to get a second season just to give her another chance to prove herself. She isn’t the type of Housewife where you can’t stomach her being on screen, or was overly delusional & annoying. She has some solid roots to be great but it seems like she wasn’t truly herself this year. Whether it was because she was uncomfortable on camera, trying to find her way in the group, or because she was postpartum, I have a feeling she could be better.

Her relationship with her husband was a bit odd and I do agree with the women — it feels similar to Monique when she first started. The ‘catfish’ face tune debacle was ridiculous because the photo was so clearly facetuned to the high heavens. The icing on the cake was her Colorado trip from hell. It was so entertaining for us (it ended in a gas station!) but I’m sure horrible for the ladies. She handled it so poorly, unable to truly take accountability to see where the women were coming from but it was hilarious.

Queen Stacey Rusch was my MVP of the season. I don’t know why people think her lying is so terrible — she’s shelling out little white lies, she’s not being malicious and she’s making for great TV. Stacey is the perfect amount of delusion but she knows it and she plays into it, which makes it easier to absorb her.

Stacey is also hilarious; all her little one liners that she says under her breath, her facial expressions and just her overall aura is a delight to watch. It’s also so fun to see how she riles the women up; she never gives them the reaction they want and keeps them on their toes. I love when Andy really loves a Housewife and he can’t help but be a kid in a candy store when he’s with Stacey.

Jazzi and Monique as friends of were fine. I was never a Monique fan but I do think her coming back now, when she feels different, was the right move. The entire situation with Chris and Stacey felt forced; I don’t think it’s a big deal if they were dating because Stacey and Monique were not on the show at the same time, they didn’t know each other. However, I don’t think they were dating — maybe they went out a few times or hooked up but I think the women were making it into something bigger. Maybe I’m blinded by my love of Stacey but I think they were intentionally hard on her.

Jazzi was something else… she was constantly looking for a moment and it fell flat. Her one sided beef with Tia was so confusing and her ‘finger point’ when they were in Nevis was bizarre.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t finish the reunion. I thought it was ridiculous that Karen came out to commentate on a season she wasn’t part of. We already had the sit down with Andy where she took minimal accountability and was still acting with an air of superiority, so there wasn’t a need for her to take up time on the reunion stage.

Because of Karen’s appearance, we spent two minutes on Colorado — a trip that will go down in history and we barely got to discuss it. There was so much to go over — Maurico, the private plane, the Four Seasons, lack of water, the weird promotion of Angel’s business. We could’ve spent 15 minutes covering it but we had to make space for Karen’s commentary.

I personally don’t need Karen back next season though I know it’s a battle I will lose. Let her take another year off and see if she’s more humble when she returns.

Now, let’s discuss Wendy. She had her best season yet and then it came crumbling down around her. I really have not been a fan of Wendy since after her first season when she made this huge shift from who she actually is but the past two seasons, I’ve really enjoyed her.

She found her footing within the group, made peace with Gizelle and was a great meditator while still getting into the drama. She didn’t hold grudges and was able to bounce back…but that all changed with her arrest.

Her reunion performance was pretty good — she revealed probably a little too much about her legal case and put on the strangest baby voice when discussing it, but she was still able to be a participant in the overall discussions.

I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy the season but I did! I thought it was a great return to form, I was cracking up every episode and was so intrigued by the dynamics. It had it’s pitfalls but overall, it was really great. I wouldn’t mind if everyone came back next year with the exception of Jazzi — it’s going to be a banger season as Wendy navigates her legal battles so I’m ready to take whatever Bravo dishes out.

HOUSEWIFE OF THE SEASON

It really goes without saying.

She is fun, funny and gets under the women’s skin like no other. She is the fan favorite and the vets can’t handle it. It’s so much fun to watch and I will ride for Stacey Rusch until the end of time.

What did you think of season 10?

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Whatever I did expect, it definitely wasn’t that he would be winning the entire season, or that he would go down as one of the best to ever do it.

From the moment I saw Alan tap Rob, Rinna and Candiace on the shoulders at that roundtable, I knew we were in for a good time. Having no gamers in the turret proved to be an excellent strategy…for Rob. He was in full control the entire time, his name not even being mentioned until the last few episodes. Us Bravo fans also got the season we’ve been waiting for with TWO iconic Housewives as Traitors and Housewives made it further than ever before.

The season was going to be good…and it really was! There was plenty of drama at the beginning, plenty of big voices & interesting murders and banishments but it was clear that Rob was going to be the secret star.

Rob was kind, thoughtful, quiet but spoke when necessary. He was strategic and interesting; he knew how to get around everyone, to zip through the castle without a word being spoken.

I think the first time the audience started to realize that was when Rob invited Rinna to play chess with him so they could discuss the murder in plain sight. I was gobsmacked, completely taken with how effortlessly he pulled that off. In previous seasons, I don’t think anyone was that clever in trying to talk to their fellow traitors. It was skilled and was when everyone perked up knowingly.

For weeks we saw Rob quietly dance around the faithfuls and play a good game. He was nice. He wasn’t aggressive, he tried to make relationships with everyone and wasn’t super loud. He was intentional and I think that really helped him sail through the season.

He wasn’t Colton — being loud and righteous.

He wasn’t Michael Rapaport — being irritating and gross.

He didn’t throw out accusations unless he had something to back it up. Rob let the faithfuls run the show and popped in whenever he had something of substance.

When Rinna’s name got brought up, he had no choice but to vote for her. It’s the classic traitors game — when one of their own names come up, the others have to turn against them. It is too suspicious to defend a traitor when everyone else is writing their name down at the roundtable.

Rob had no choice; he didn’t lead the charge against Lisa, he just followed the faithfuls lead and it obviously paid off in the end. Any heat he would’ve had on him was burnt out instantly.

After Lisa got voted out, that’s when it seemed like Rob could lock in. I think that’s when his strategy became more purposeful.

He saw a way to end the game before it was even over.

The fact that he didn’t tell Candiace that Colton was the one who threw her name out there and let her be the deciding factor in his murder was perfection. It was another tick in the ‘he’s got this’ box.

Colton’s murder gave everyone the perfect reasoning to get Candiace out before she could throw real heat onto Rob.

Then, we got the scene between him and Candiace after she writes down his name for the first time and it was riveting. You could see the glass break between them — Candiace is too emotional and Rob is confused because they are quiet literally playing a game called THE TRAITORS.

I thought Candiace was going to be an excellent traitor for the way she throws shade, similar to Phaedra, but just like on Housewives, she started to take things too personally. To this day, she is still too emotional about it. She tried to make Rob out to be someone he wasn’t and is holding a grudge for voting Rinna out when Rinna and Rob are the best duo to come out of the season.

It doesn’t make any sense.

Once every big personality was voted out, we were really only watching for Rob. The minute he chose Eric to join him, I knew he would betray him eventually which is why I didn’t understand the discourse of people saying that Rob respected men more than women since he wasn’t turning on Eric.

He needed Eric to get to the end; he was an easy target. He was pliable, easily manipulated and all too trusting. If he could keep Eric in his back pocket, Rob was golden. Everyone who was left was easily expendable and Rob had the strategy to take them all out, if they would let him.

During the penultimate episode when Natalie was voted out, I was sure Rob was going to go home. He had so much heat on him but with expert precision, he weaseled his way out of it and sent his last biggest opp home.

When it came to the finale, the moment it became obvious that Rob felt secure was when him and Maura spoke in the kitchen — the pinky promise heard round the world. His smile was too big and bright and he turned on the charm to the enth degree — it was hard to watch yet so beautiful.

The moment when Maura finds out that Rob betrayed her was so hard to watch but yet, so satisfying. It made me tear up, my heart breaking for her but she was a good sport. She knew it was a game and she knew he played it very well.

“You’re never going to get a girlfriend after this. You’re a good liar.”

Rob made his way through the idiotic faithfuls (because let’s be serious, he did get lucky that everyone was so dumb but even when they were on to him, he was able to get out of it like Houdini) and ran circles around everyone. Nevermind the fact that he was a beast at the challenges, only really losing the last carnival one; he carried the the challenges, the faithfuls, the entire show on his back.

Rob Rausch stood at the end, alone, having voted out his fellow traitors and spinning one of his closest allies on her head, and he deserved it.

As others have said, Rob took Leah’s words right out of her mouth…

“Now, you’re sending three home & you’re still here in your overalls bitch…”

@r3ptv#ROBRAUSCH || he's right though! #robertrausch #thetraitors #traitors #robloveisland #edit #robrauschedit #loveisland #fyp

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For the past few years my nostalgia has been designated to a world that no longer exists — the millennial ache — as I’ve explained before. But now, in this moment? It’s something deeper and it’s something I’ve thought about for a long time.

I’ve had a fascination with the Kennedys (and the Royal Family) ever since I could remember. When I was in elementary school and we would have to choose a biography to read for a book report, I always choose one of three people: Walt Disney, Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy.

I grew up knowing exactly who the Kennedys were because my aunt was obsessed, so were a few other adults in my life. I grew up with Jackie O barbie dolls, books about the Kennedys on the shelves around me and it was just something that was always there.

I vaguely remember when John and Carolyn’s plane went down; I remember seeing the front page of the newspapers. I was 7-years-old, old enough to understand that it was a big deal but not coherent enough to feel the weight of it.

As I’ve gotten older, learned more about JFK Jr. and the entire family by default, I started to wonder what life would be like if JFK Jr. and Carolyn had lived. It’s a little creepy, I admit, but it feels like a cruel butterfly effect that set us off on a completely different timeline.

Their marriage was not, by any means, perfect and if you listen to the speculation from insiders, they were headed for divorce before their plane went down.

But, if it didn’t, would they have worked it out?

I like to imagine they would…

I also imagine that John would’ve put in his bid to run for New York Governor or a Senate seat. I don’t think he would’ve run for president until 2004, maybe he would’ve knocked George W. Bush from the running.

How would have JFK Jr. handled 9/11 if he was Governor during that time? Would that have set him up on an even larger stage than he already had, being the son of Camelot?

If he didn’t run in 2004 and instead opted for 2008, would he have won against Obama? Would Obama have run against America’s Prince? How would that have affected literally everything we know now?

If JFK Jr. was president at one point, would Trump have felt compelled to run?

If JFK Jr. was president, what would he have done? Would would the Supreme Court look like? Would the Iraq war ended sooner? Would we have stricter gun laws?

By no means am I making it as if JFK Jr. would’ve solved all of America’s problems but the man was beloved. He was handsome and kind, he was the son of Camelot — of one of the most beloved presidents the country has ever seen. His mother was the closest thing we had to royalty…

The Kennedys have their issues (obviously) but JFK Jr. was truly America’s Prince and it just feels like, with the impact his family has had on the world and how much everyone loved him back then that our lives would be exactly the same as they are now.

Politics affects so much of our lives, we know that now more than ever. If something went differently decades ago, the ripple down is still happening today. Everything is connected, cause and effect — it makes the world go round, so it’s not that crazy to think the world would be a different place in JFK Jr. had made it into politics, into the White House.

Now, that JFK Jr. and Carolyn’s relationship is front and center thanks to Love Story, thanks to the way the Kennedys have become front & center in politics again (RFK Jr, Jack Schlossberg), this thought haunts me now more than ever. Therefore, it is my Roman Empire of the moment.

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You could also give credit to social media because now more than ever, there are communities fandoms in every corner of the internet. No longer are fandoms hiding away in the dark corners of tumblr but showing up on the main account and making no apologies for it.

I used to be someone who had a secret Jonas Brothers Myspace, something I never admitted to anyone before. I wrote fanfictions and read them (shout out to the Jonas Brothers Fanfiction Archive. I never once logged onto ao3 because the Jonas Brothers fandom had their own fanfic site — that’s how serious we were).

But now, people are talking about fanfics on their regular accounts, posting about them on TikTok and showing up as themselves. People are no longer apologizing for loving what they love and how much they love it.

People are actually going to clubs to watch Heated Rivalry edits; we’ve had the summer of Barbie, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and the return of Harry Styles — everyone is broke and feral.

It’s a little insane that a lot of people now understand how to say ‘I love you’ in Russian and that hockey ticket sales have gone up at least 20% since Heated Rivalry premiered. Fandoms have become so intense that Bravo had to create a whole convention for us.

Our favorite books are getting screen adaptations at record speed, we boost local economies, and we are consistently crashing websites whether it’s to view a fashion show or buy concert tickets.

For so long it felt like being a fan was embarrassing; to show passion for something you loved felt dirty, like people would make fun of you, call you weird, or just not get it. I felt like that most of my life and sometimes, I still do. My family and friends don’t understand why I love things so passionately; to be honest, neither do I.

But now I don’t feel the need to hide behind how much I love Taylor Swift or how obsessed I am with Fourth Wing or Heated Rivalry. I don’t have to feel bad for wanting to go watch Twilight in theaters or buying versions of books I already own because they’re pretty.

Everyone is in the same boat; we are all wearing our hearts of our sleeves, our passions on the main account and we don’t care. It’s freeing, it’s fun!

Fangirls are in.

Fangirls are in charge now.

We run pop culture.

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There is a great sound on TikTok that I used last year that describes perfectly what being a fan is and it brings me a tear to my eye whenever I hear it.

@bribrilukesI’ve been a fangirl for most of my life— i get hooked, it becomes my whole personality for years at a time (jonas brothers, twilight, harry potter, gilmore girls, sex and the city… the list is endless) but a fan of taylor swift? That’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had and it means so much to me 🩷🤍✨ #taylorswift #erastour #erastourtaylorswift #taylorswifterastour

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Rob Rausch caught the internet’s attention in the summer of 2024 when he was wrecking havoc in Fiji on Love Island USA, rolling his eyes and hiding in the pool.

At that point, I had never seen anyone so beautiful. He was evil but my god was he hot as hell. It didn’t matter how badly he treated Leah, he was too pretty to look at.

While his star power rose and people online clamored to gain the snake wrangler’s attention, nothing compares to where Rob Rausch stands today, February 2026.

When he was cast on season 4 of The Traitors, I had high hopes. I had a feeling he’d be great, as a Traitor or Faithful and it would be wonderful to look at his beautiful face on my screen again for a few weeks.

What I was not expecting is that I would spend every Thursday night, giggling & kicking my feet.

Whenever he is on the screen, I actually take photos of my TV as if I am at a concert. He is truly one of the most beautiful men I have ever laid eyes on. It’s not fair that someone looks like that.

It shouldn’t be humanly possible for someone to be so beautiful.

It actually hurts.

Aside from being so hot, he is wiping the floor clean with the Faithfuls in the castle.

Pairing him with Lisa Rinna and Candiace was the right decision, and watching him take them out with the subtly of a sniper was poetic — and I say this as a Bravo devotee.

Everyone is thirsting over Rob — inside the castle and out. The TikTok edits are feeding me on a daily basis and everyone in the castle is so taken with him that they have no clue he is a traitor.

Dorinda, the most recently murdered faithful, said on the Official Traitors podcast that she didn’t care about being murdered because it was by Rob.

He has everyone wrapped around his finger that we forget how evil he is.

However, that aside, I don’t think he is that evil — The Traitors has proven that he is incredibly smart, skilled and strategic. It’s fascinating to watch how he moves, how effortlessly his mind works to turn everyone against each other all without breaking a sweat.

He might be the best Traitor to ever do it, and if he doesn’t win I will scream.

Aside from his time in the castle and at the turret, Rob is all over social media and bagging brand deals left and right. Peacock even created a collection of Rob’s Love Island moments so you could get your fix without watching the entire season. I mean, that’s pretty crazy…

He’s had commercials & ads for Sonic and Doordash — poking fun at his time on Love Island, his lack of commitment and his filthy read of Michael Rapaport at the round table. Rob is effortlessly funny and is intelligent enough to really be in on the joke without going over the top.

Then, this weekend, the collabs of all collabs dropped — Nic from this most recent season of Love Island USA and Rob were paired together in a Celsius ad. While Nic was not as big of an asshole on his season, the comparisons between the two were still there because, in my opinion, Nic was the the best looking guy on the season (aside from Jeremiah).

It is so good, so sexy and so funny — I love when brands are smart.

We have a few more weeks of The Traitors and then I’m going to need someone to figure out what show Rob could be on next.

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Karen’s Sit Down With Andy

I am not a Grand Dame fan. I appreciate her for what she has brought to the franchise but I can’t handle the delusion she presents. It’s not endearing to me — it feels forced and insincere.

That being said, I was hopeful for her post-prison interview with Andy Cohen and tuned in happily last Sunday night. After a few minutes, I turned it off, unimpressed by her excuses and inability to really take ownership.

She admitted she was addicted to pills but refused to say that she had an addiction to alcohol. She skipped over the conversation about AA, instead opting to say that she liked NA (narcotics anonymous) more. That rubbed me the wrong way because she was arrested and jailed for a DUI —for drinking and driving. She has had 4 DUIs before (a claim she skirted around, continually saying that one of the infractions was over 20 years ago).

The part that puzzled me the most was when Karen said she could get sued for saying what prescription drugs she was abusing. Is that true?

It seemed that Karen took some accountability but otherwise, was still the Grand Dame at heart and skirted around questions with vague, nothing answers. It still feels like she doesn’t understand how horrible her behavior was, and there is an insincere tone whenever she speaks about it.

I don’t personally need her back on my screen but I know that is a battle I won’t win.

Summer House Season 10 Premiere

I’ve always enjoyed Summer House but it wasn’t my favorite show on the network. I watched the first two seasons and then came back around once the Covid season happened. At that point, the Summer House stars were more entrenched in the Bravo community and there was the Winter House spinoff that lent itself to more drama on all the shows, so I was all in.

Since then, Summer House has been one of my top shows and for some reason, I was really excited about this Season 10 premiere. It wasn’t just the idea of watching Kyle and Amanda’s marriage break apart but an interest to see how the house did without Paige (and Lindsay being full time).

Personally, it seems that Paige being gone will be the best thing to happen to this show because Amanda and Ciara showed up for work. Our bed bugs are now out of the house, more open and acting like the stars they are. The addition of West & Jesse to the bed bugs club is so much fun, and I’m really happy that Ciara has let up on her hate for West.

Their ‘will they, won’t they’ dynamic is all over the trailer and we could already see hints of it seeping through on the premiere.

I was most surprised by Carl and his excitement of being back in the house. Carl has never been my favorite and I really hated his relationship with Lindsay but with her gone and them being two years removed from their breakup is suiting him well. Carl is confident, he’s loud, he’s breaking away from Kyle’s shadow and going against his best friend for the outrageous behavior he is exhibiting. I’m excited to see this Carl in action.

The newbies also seemed super promising — crying at the first dinner of the summer is a great way to kick it off. Plus, I’m all for Amanda making heart eyes at the Australian Bachelor because that chemistry is something else.

Kyle and Amanda…whew. That was tense. It was hard to watch and if they hadn’t announced their separation, I think the internet would be burning down around us. More to come on my thoughts on this but dam, it’s going to be a long yet amazing season.

We also got a teaser for In the City during the Summer House premiere, featuring Amanda, Kyle & Lindsay, so that’ll be coming soon!

Old RHONY Takes…Palm Beach?

For years I have suffered through the internet and Bravo commentators complain that they wanted the old RHONY women back. They all seemingly forgot how horrible the last few seasons of that franchise were, how racist and disgusting Ramona Singer is, and how hard it is to watch Sonja get drunk…again.

Bravo tried to quell the pushback with the RHONY Legacy Girls Trip (which was a flop — I don’t even think I finished the season) and Crappie Lake with Sonja and Luann, but nothing caught on.

Andy and Bravo had made it clear time and time again that these women would not be coming back to Housewives in the way the loud audience wanted. No matter how hard people begged, screamed and cried we were never getting old RHONY back. The time has passed for those women and their schtick is so old. If I have to hear Luann sing Money Can’t Buy You Class one more time, I might scream.

So, the ladies decided to lean into their personas and take their talents to E!. It was announced last week that Luann, Sonja, Ramona, Kelly and Jill would be taking Palm Beach by storm with a new show, The Golden Life, that seems to mimic Housewives, without the taglines.

The response online was mixed, as it usually is. I saw a few comments with overwhelming excitement but a lot of people were irritated that the show won’t be on Bravo and concerned for what this means when it comes to Bravocon, WWHL, and the overall Bravoverse. Would the OGs still be welcome on the network or is it viewed as a sign of broken trust to go elsewhere?

That won’t be the case, according to Andy. He’s very happy for the ladies, as admitted on his radio show but I’m curious how things will actually play out.

I won’t be watching. I don’t really care about those women anymore. I’m tired of them and I’d much rather watch anyone else than have to see Ramona Singer on my screen again. Also, the Palm Beach aesthetic feels very… Mar-A-Lago which is not what we need right now.

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island

We finally got a trailer and premiere date for the latest Housewives franchise and I couldn’t be more excited! I love new Housewives, especially a new city that we never thought was on the table. All of the women look like Dolores and I’m taken back to first season of Salt Lake City when we couldn’t tell Meredith and Lisa apart. I wonder how long it will take us to start understanding who is who on this new show.

The premiere is April 2nd so we have plenty of time to prepare.

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What are your thoughts on everything happening in the Bravoverse?

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However, I do think there is some work to be done and that mostly is because of what happened after the Below Deck trip, after the plane ride from hell.

Do I think the women might need a break and perhaps they shouldn’t start filming in March the way they normally do?

Yes.

Do I want any casting changes?

Yes. Meredith needs to be a friend of.

She is unwilling to participate or accept any accountability for any actions — no matter how big or small. I am exhausted by her and while a gang up never works, it’s really hard to imagine how she could come back full time next season. I think demoting her will give her ego time to cool and it would also be nice to see Lisa Barlow without her sidekick.

Because, despite what anyone on the internet says, Lisa and Meredith do have a pact to never go against each other — a direct result of Lisa’s hot mic moment in season 2. They have each other’s backs way more than anyone else on the cast, including Bad Weather. Neither lets the other one speak, they don’t leave each other’s side and there’s not an apology or accountable moment between the two of them.

Taking the plane situation out of it, it’s very hard to watch Meredith and Lisa (in my opinion). The way they deflect and turn discussions onto the others without looking inward is frustrating.

While yes, sometimes there are iconic moments — like the dismissal lunch — other times, it’s just pathetic.

The reunion was a disaster for them (in my opinion), especially during the second part where Meredith called Seth from the couch and Lisa barged into the conversation and looked gleeful the whole time. It was weird!

Do I think Meredith was acting out on the plane? Of course. Even Lisa said it! Everyone has forgotten that Lisa said to John she has never seen Meredith that upset.

Being online during this season made me feel like the season of the black eye; maybe I’m just filling in the blanks but I feel crazy when I hear or see people online play dumb as to what happened.

If everyone, Mary included, said Meredith was unhinged, she definitely was. The reason there is no footage is because they weren’t filming (producers were not going to whip out a camera and start recording. I’m sure there are boundaries when it comes to filming outside of the allotted time; they had just come from a very long trip so maybe they weren’t legally allowed to film the women anymore.

As for why the cast didn’t whip out their cellphones and start recording — they all lost their shit on Brittani last season when she started recording them in the sprinter van so why would they turn around and do the same thing? I don’t think Meredith would’ve taken kindly to that.

Also, if the flight was over 6 hours and the outbursts were happening the whole time (but came to a head once the plane was descending) were they supposed to film the whole time?

I just don’t understand why people can’t use a little critical thinking and fill in the blanks. It’s not that difficult.

Personally, I feel like if everyone ignored the plane situation and we as an audience found out about it later on, we would all be wondering why they didn’t bring it up on the show. We would’ve felt like it was inauthentic, that they were hiding something, or be

People complain when we see things on camera, off camera, half and half — it is a never winning battle with Bravo fans.

While I think the plane conversation went on a little too long, I think Meredith could’ve easily ended it if she was just honest on camera about what happened. However, she was never going to reveal that she has a substance abuse problem (I think the women know more than they are letting on — I don’t think the plane is the only reason they think something is wrong) so they should’ve let it go.

The other major change that needs to be done is with Heather. She needs to take a long hard look at the feedback fans are giving, and maybe have a talk with producers or Daddy Andy about her on-camera producing.

I love Heather Gay. She is in my top 5 favorite Housewives of all time. I can’t help but love her — even when she is wrong, and she was wrong a lot this season. However, I understand her thought process which makes me feel like I’m watching a different show than everyone else.

Initially, it seemed that she was upset at Meredith for flat out lying and calling her a liar. I think that is triggering for Heather for multiple reasons but above all, Heather values her place as the audience narrator and if anyone thought she was lying about what happened on the plane, maybe that would rob her of the title.

Heather felt gaslit because Meredith kept saying nothing happened when it was obvious to everyone that something did happen. Also, Heather was looking for her big end of season moment and Meredith wasn’t giving it to her, so she lashed out.

This was not Heather’s best season (though I think she started off very strong) but I’m confident she can make it right. She just needs to accept that she lost this round and move forward.

The Good Moments

Plane situation aside, this season delivered in so many wonderful ways. There are almost too many iconic moments to count and I keep forgetting how much really happened this season pre-plane.

First up, we got one of the most iconic Housewives episodes ever with the psychic luncheon — Salt Lake always does their best work when they are at one event for the entire episode.

The editing of that episode deserves an Emmy for the way each woman left the table at different times and while they were away, the dynamics shifted. By the end, you almost didn’t know where to look. I watched that episode three times in a week because there was so much to absorb.

The Below Deck crossover is going to go down in history as a pivotal moment for Bravo. I can’t even begin to explain how perfect those episodes were and how excited I am to watch them through the eyes of a Below Deck viewer. Angie getting sick and injured at every turn, the blowup costumes, the zombie dinner and them ignoring the crew when they came to serve the food? Every episode was a 10/10 — it doesn’t get much better than this.

Then there were the smaller moments; the farting of it all! The way this season revolved around farting nearly took me out; it makes me cry with laughter whenever I think about it. Todd farting while making out with someone, Mary getting offended because Angie said her fart smelled…no one else could get away with this the way RHOSLC can.

I almost forgot the founding father’s lunch; the Salt Lake City ladies do their best work in costume and there have been few things better than watching Meredith hand out drug tests while dressed like George Washington, on a set that looks like the Boston Tea Party. And the conversation about horses between Angie and Lisa? I was on the floor!

What about the RV trip? The high body count hair lunch? The women at Mary’s church? Gout dick sucker? That was in the first episode! The dismissal lunch! This season was filled with so many incredible moments it’s hard to focus on just one.

There was Whitney’s bluntness about her business, Mary discussing her church again, Angie battling with Electra over their Greek hertiage and the whole franchise vs french fries fight with Lisa — I nearly forgot all about that after the plane drama completely took over.

“I do franchise, you do french fries” will go down as one of my favorite Housewives quotes of all time. As Mary said “Oh that was good!”

Seeing the dissolution of Bronwyn’s marriage, and understanding more about her relationship with her mother was eye opening and devastating. I am so mad at whoever leaked the news of her separation to the press because it would’ve been such an iconic reunion reveal.

I thought the conversation that Bronwyn had on the reunion stage about how Todd and her mother reacted to their scenes this season was so interesting. The fact that they both saw themselves through the eyes of the audience and had a strong reaction to it is something I’d like to hear more of. I wonder if it’ll change how they speak to Bronwyn because all of the scenes, especially the cherry & the Baby Gap story were rough.

Bronwyn has really cemented her place as a fantastic Housewife and I can’t wait to see how she shines next year.

Salt Lake City always delivers. When you compare it against the other franchises, there is no competition. Their “bad” episodes are other’s great episodes; there was not one moment where I didn’t tune in to watch RHOSLC live; I wouldn’t dream of waiting until it showed up on Peacock the next day — that’s how good it is.

Housewife of the Season

At the start of the season I was going to give this award to Whitney Wild Rose because I thought she did incredible work. She was vulnerable about her business closing, her marriage and resentment of Justin for making a business deal she didn’t feel 100% about, and she did a lot of good dancing between the group. She has the ability to fight with Meredith and Lisa, but still be civil at times.

All that being said, the real winner is Mary Cosby.

We got incredible soundbites from her (the dog farting, Meredith being boring, the RV trip…) and once again, she was very vulnerable when it came to Robert Jr, especially on the reunion. The way she was very upfront and frank about not wanting to visit him in jail and being happy that he was safe was heartbreaking and brave.

Mary is the voice of reason; she was the real audience narrator this season. You can always believe Mary’s versions of events and for that, I am grateful. From the way she stood up for herself against Angie, battled with Brittani, and read Lisa to filth on the reunion stage, it was fabulous to watch.

But in all, Mary was a good friend this season. She desperately wanted to get to the root of Meredith’s outbursts and did so in a way that felt the most gentle. She tried to be peacemaker as much as she could and I think the role suits her.

If you would’ve told me six years ago that I would love Mary Cosby, I would think you’re lying but she had a fantastic season.

As I said before, you will never catch me saying bad things about Salt Lake City. This franchise is carrying Bravo on it’s back and a few bad episodes (and a horrible reunion but when does RHOSLC have a good reunion?) won’t change that any time soon.

There is work to be done but all in all, season 6 is one for the books — alongside season 2 and 4.

What were your thoughts about the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 6?

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