I HAVE TO SAY…

Hello! I’m still deciding if I want Reality TV Chat’s to be a podcast episode or just a non-podcast podcast episode (basically a blog post lol). But this week, I wasn’t able to record because I was going back and forth about the topic and then got caught up on my LAST class before officially graduating with a Master’s degree. 🥰🎊

So anyway, this one is a little late but today….

I have to say…it’s time for another Reality TV Chat.

Where you’ll get my full, unfiltered thoughts on the reality tv shows I’ve been watching since the last update, which can be found here. It’s been about a month, and I have some new shows in rotation.

Real Housewives of Atlanta S17 E1 & 2

At the time of this post, RHOA has had two episodes air, and I’m genuinely enjoying this season and the cast so far. Porsha and Shamea still have beef but are keeping it cute…so far…Drew is typical Drew. Angela is carrying bones, Kelli seems to be going through it, Phaedra is funny in confessionals, and Cynthia Bailey is needed.

This season, we have two new housewives: Pinky Cole and K. Michelle.

I’m not from Atlanta, so I don’t know much about Pinky Cole, though her name sounds familiar, but the streets are saying she’s a Trump supporter, so I’m side eyeing her. 👀

But of course, I know K. Michelle! And I was so excited to see her in this cast and back on reality tv. I commented on Instagram that I was gonna watch anyway, but now I’m really excited to watch.

The season hasn’t disappointed so far. Some of the storylines from last season I’m over, like I don’t care if Phaedra hired someone or not anymore. I don’t even really care about Porsha or Shamea’s beef anymore unless we get some new information.

The first two episode focused on three people though.

We learn that Porsha is dating around, and she has admitted that she’s interested in both men and women, and it shouldn’t be a big deal, but it feels like it is to me, okay?! There’s been rumors for so long and she’s been denying it for so long, it’s refreshing to hear her confirm them and stand in it.

K. Michelle talks about her journey with country music and in the latest episode talked about how she had to see a doctor because after performing at the ACM Honors, she realized that the silicone in her butt was leaking.

Kelli is trying to keep up with her finances and businesses, as she opens a new location and tries not to be distracted by her ex speaking on her, but Porsha accuses her of sleeping with married men, which starts a feud between the two of them.

So far, this season I feel like we’re getting as much authenticity as possible out of these ladies, and I’m also entertained by what we’ve seen. I’m excited to see where the season will go.

The Valley S3 E1, 2, & 3

^ That’s how I feel about The Valley right now. I added, not to invalidate Luke’s feelings, because I think it’s a common issue among couples who have children, and feelings are feelings, but at the same time, it’s aggravating to watch…because *to me* it feels like he just wants to get back to “fun Kristen” and I just hate to see it…

I think pregnancy and its effect on the body AND the mind isn’t talked about enough and the attachment Kristen is feeling to her daughter, not wanting to leave or be away from her, is a common one. It may be sign of a deeper issue that she needs real help on, and on screen at least, we’re not seeing Luke care or be sympathetic or wonder if she needs professional help. Instead, we see him complaining because he has needs and I’m completely over it.

I haven’t been locked into this season of The Valley so far in the way I have been other seasons, but I am glad to see Jax is out, because his behavior has been crossing the line. And unpopular opinion, buy I think Lala and Schwartz fit in this group, though I think Scheana would’ve been the best choice out of the three.

Zach’s concern about Brittany’s new relationship isn’t surprising to me. Brittany wears rose colored glasses all the time and I think she’s having fun and found someone who makes her feel good, which is great. But I hope she doesn’t fall head first like she did with Jax.

Oh, and before I forget, I still don’t like Janet…I’ve been seeing a clip about her saying she’s liberal as if that has anything to do with anything. I don’t remember why she brought it up or what point she was trying to make, but to me, she’s unlikeable and I think she should lean into it instead of trying to make people like her.

Overall, I’m tuning in, though I feel less invested and connected than I have in previous seasons. We’ll see how the rest of the season goes.

Million Dollar Secret S2 E1, 2, & 3

Netflix released the first three episodes and I’m hooked! I thought the first season was fun, but I feel more hooked to this season than the first, even though I have a gripe.

Production, game designers, whoever did Altie dirty and it felt…microaggressive? Racist?

Because what do you mean the second person’s challenges were designed for him? Does that mean Altie’s was designed with Altie in mind? Does that mean they assumed he naturally says “no cap” and “Bye Felicia?”

Like who wrote that?

And the fact that Altie is a Black man aside, it just feels wrong as a challenge. My alarm bells are ringing about that.

But, the show has been interesting so far. I’m curious to see what will happen next, especially because there have been people playing too hard, people flying under the radar, and hard challenges for the millionaire to complete and get away with.

Overall, I’m invested and will be watching the new episodes next week.

House of Villains

House of Villains has started and ended since our last chat. I enjoy Tiffany “New York” Polland and she better be on the show next year!

The season was as entertaining and unserious as it always has been. We’ve got campy scenes. We’ve got fights between the cast and random roasts, and we got a clueless Christine. I wish that Jackie Christie was on the show longer…her personality was wasted.

I would’ve been really mad if Paul won, not gonna lie. I wasn’t really satisfied with who ended up winning in the end. I wasn’t into the final three at all actually, even though I acknowledge that they all played different strategies that worked to end up there.

The only reason I’m not that mad about it is because Tyson was right. It is villainous (and on brand for the show) to vote out of spite and to vote a certain direction to make sure someone else doesn’t win. I hate to say it, but Paul was right too. If ********* just owned the moves she made, she had a better case.

Gotta love a jury!

Beyond The Villa

The first two episodes released on Peacock!

Unpopular opinion, I’m enjoying it! I think it’s because I think, whether justified or not, there is some real beef or animosity between the cast. I feel like it should be common knowledge that this cast was faking things for the camera. I have always found most of them to be obnoxious, clout chasers, fake, or all three. And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Those qualities are needed to make an entertaining reality tv show, but people’s outrage online is shocking to me because how did you not see how they were before?

I posted this on threads because I’m actually confused about the reactions I’ve been seeing:

I have a lot of thoughts once again about this Love Island spinoff, but it’s not so much what was shown as much as it is people reacting to what was shown….

I’ll start with some quick thoughts on what was shown:

• Hannah and Iris are being extra and dragging it, as a lot of reality tv stars do.
• TJ referring to Iris as a vulnerable was misleading.
• Bryan isn’t getting enough backlash on the show for me.
• Amaya seems to have been going through a lot mentally and I hope she’s in a better space now.
• Clarke is a real one for staying with Taylor through his energy and I hope he is genuinely appreciative of it because she really didn’t have to.
• Chris and Coco on a date was so forced…

Now that that is out of the way, I also want to add that people’s memory (mine included) is so short when it comes to these shows. While I visibly cringed when Hannah called Pepe bald, which I think she said because he brought up how she stays talking about him, I don’t think it warrants as much conversation as it is getting online.

I didn’t think it was necessary and it fell flat, but the awkwardness of the situation simultaneously made for entertaining tv. The episode would’ve been stale if there weren’t any confrontations happening on camera, and since Amaya didn’t show up, someone had to do something. Pepe is going to be fine.

There’s a narrative that Pepe is being painted as a villain, but no, I think that those are Iris and Hannah’s true feelings about Pepe and I think since they both had their own flings with him, there may be some unresolved issues or feelings between them. I don’t know why either of them are still talking about him when they both have new men now.

At the same time, I think that Pepe has shown f boy tendencies and I can understand why they’d be in their feelings. I feel like people are forgetting that he has f boy tendencies.

Anyway, this cast is acting exactly as I expected them to and of course they’re being cordial or engaging with one another for a check. That’s how reality tv nowadays is. I don’t know why more is expected from this cast, but I’m enjoying what we’ve gotten and you can too if you watch for entertainment purposes and stop moralizing every action!

This season feels less produced than last season, to me, even if things were conveniently put off in order to be recorded on camera. But again, that’s reality tv.

I think this show would only be entertaining if you watched their season of Love Island. Not enough of the lore is explained in the season for non-watchers to care. I didn’t even care about it when I heard it was announced, and they surprised me, though I shouldn’t have been surprised because the cast has been messy, hypocritical, and clout chasey. The only reason I can guess people didn’t pick up on it is because most of the show centered Huda.

Overall, I’m enjoying it and we will see where it goes.

Other Shows

Other reality shows I’m watching or will be watching include:

• Love and Hip Hop, Atlanta
• Southern Hospitality
• Temptation Island
• Fear Factor
• Vanderpump Villa
• Top Chef

I might talk about some of these on a later date!

I don’t watch Summer House but I’ve been seeing what Amanda and West did to Ciara for weeekkksss and not having watched Ciara’s seasons of the show, I think it’s pretty messed up. I feel bad for her, but I’m sure she’ll thrive anyway.

That’s all I got for you today. Thank you for reading! I plan to have an episode out next Wednesday, 3/22/26 talking about Company Retreat and Jury Duty on Prime!

You can find the other reality tv chats here.

I’m on instagram @ihavetosayyy. I’m on threads at lyssa_posts_ and @ihavetosayyy in case you want some visuals, updates, and whatever else.

Okay. thank you for joining me. Thank you for being here. Bye bye.

For podcast episodes, click here.