
Reality TV Chat #4: Beyond the Villa, Southern Hospitality, RHOA, and more – I Have To Say
Below is a slightly edited version of the podcast episode. You can listen to the full episode above, by clicking play, or listening wherever you get your podcasts.
Today, I have to say, there’s been a lot going on in the reality tv world, which means it’s time for another Reality TV Chat!
If you’re new here, welcome. If you’re returning, welcome back!
This is the 4th reality tv chat. Recently, I’ve been posting them on the blog only. Here’s the last one. I still haven’t landed on if it should be a part of the podcast or a blog only chat because it’s not something I’ll be able to do weekly, and sometimes things can turn around quickly in the reality tv world, but I love reality tv and I love talking about it, so here we are.
I’m going to start incorporating reality tv news, rumors, and gossip that I see being talked about online and that I have an opinion on.
I’ve also been watching a few shows and some have ended since the last chat.
This is NOT a recap episode, more like an overview and discussion of what’s happened.
Million Dollar Secret: Season 2, Episode 3-8
Overall, I enjoyed Million Dollar Secret. I think that they had a really great cast of people and some of the challenges were fun, but I will be complaining about how I felt like the show was set up for the winner to win. Or maybe it’s just because I unconsciously realized that they’d given that person a winner’s edit, so it’s not that they set him up.
But the lead up on the show of how we get to the finale is more interesting to me than the actual finale itself.
Million Dollar Secret isn’t the first or only show that incorporates this type of challenge, where you have to guess if the person is lying or not about what’s in their case. But, I just find that type of challenge anticlimactic in this format for Million Dollar Secret. And I think there really is no benefit to being a millionaire throughout the series when it ends in a coin toss kind of situation. I mean you have to read people, so it’s not 100% by chance, especially if you get to know the people you’re working with, like the winner did…but…I don’t know. It’s not my favorite challenge.
I do like the premise of the game, where the millionaire is given challenges and people have to guess who the millionaire is and they uncover clues about them as the episodes go on.
Million Dollar Secret is the best parts of The Traitors mixed with the best parts of The Mole, to me, but I do think this game is also flawed, and I think it comes down to the challenges that the millionaires are given. I know that millionaire hunting isn’t easy and people who aren’t millionaires have a difficult time, but I think this game is harder for millionaires.
I think it’s a mistake that the game designers tailor some of the millionaire’s challenges to the person the way that they did because the final product can be and did turn out to be racially insensitive. I’m just gonna to call a spade a spade. I’m still not over Altie’s elimination.
But I also think the execution of some of the million challenges felt unbalanced. Because how did we go to “have three people wear your hat” from “say no cap ten times in conversation” to “stand around this person for 20 minutes and then someone else had to bounce a ball on someone’s head.
There’s no balance in the challenges the millionaires are given, so I think some people had unfair advantages and some of them had unfair disadvantages. I do like the idea of these challenges though, and that people who aren’t the millionaire can also receive challenges to get some sort of power or advantage. I think that part is really cool. I just think the execution of it needs a little bit of refining.
I also think there should be more variety in the millionaire, which means the show needs more episodes, in my opinion. The same person having the money episode after episode gets a little stale, though it was hilarious seeing Kaleb try to explain why he was following the other guy around.
So, I was hooked on this season, until I wasn’t. I was a little disappointed about the winner to be honest. And not because he didn’t play a good game, because he’s obviously very good at reading people; it’s why he won. I just felt like it proved there is no benefit to being the millionaire throughout the game, because you have to try not to look suspicious and you can lose it all anyway at the end based on the mind games that happen in the final challenge.
So…I don’t know, maybe it’s a more fair way of going about it then having them guess who the millionaire is, but maybe not, ‘cause either way you’re having to read people and the situation…so I don’t know…
All I know is for myself that the end of this season was underwhelming and it has been, even in the first season for me, compared to everything that it took to get to that moment.
That being said, I hope there is a third season and I will be watching it, though I need them to implement a ½ Black & Person of Color rule on the cast, like CBS has for its shows because I do think there were some biases at play, both game production wise and within the cast.
The Valley: Season 3, Episode 4-7
My opinions haven’t really changed with these past three episodes of The Valley. If anything, my viewpoints have only gotten stronger about the season and the show, which is that I’m not hating it, but I’m not locked in either and I really don’t like or care about half of this cast.
On threads, people have given Luke props for talking things through with Kristen instead of just breaking it off with her. Even Kristen herself in a confessional has complimented the fact that he’s willing to work through things and talk about them, but his willingness to have a conversation doesn’t negate the way he talks about the thing and I just don’t like how he talks to her or about her or in the edit.
I think because the other men are so obviously terrible, he’s given props for having a conversation, even though I don’t think he’s actually that supportive in practice.
Kristen is having a hard time postpartum, as a lot of women do. And I can understand Luke’s frustration with how things have changed in their relationship and with her attachment to their new baby, but I also think that the way he talks to her is pretty unsympathetic and I don’t think he realizes that it comes across that way because no one on camera, except Kristen kinda, is really checking him on it.
Zack keeps saying they’re good together, but I…I don’t know…
I’m not saying that Luke is a bad guy, ‘cause I don’t know him obviously. It’s just that in the edit, it feels like he’s waiting for “old” Kristen to come back, when having a baby changes you, and I say that from experience. She will never be “old” Kristen again and in my unprofessional opinion, I think she actually needs help with her anxiety and attachment or whatever is going on with her and I hope that since this aired she was able to get some help.
There’s ways to encourage Kristen to change up her routine and encourage her to get used to being away from her baby while also being empathetic, and from what I’ve seen, I don’t feel like Luke is empathetic or understands the changes Kristen’s experiencing.
And then when it comes to Nia and Danny…I don’t know why Nia insists on downplaying Danny’s issue. I’m not saying that he’s an alcoholic, but it is evident that the rumors that he flips a switch when he drinks is true, and when he was talking to her as she was getting him dressed in drag for that pageant, I was annoyed and appalled by him.
I didn’t blame Lala for stepping in because Nia obviously wasn’t going to say anything herself, and I don’t know if that’s because she’s used to putting a bandaid over his behavior and sweeping it under the rug or if it’s because the cameras were there.
But then in the confessionals, she said she wanted Lala to stay out of it even though she felt validated, and I was thinking like…girl please. Wake up!
I am not a fan of their relationship. I don’t like Danny and I don’t know why Nia puts up with him. I’m not going to comment on if it’s abusive or not because I don’t feel comfortable saying that yet, but there are some questionable signs there…
I also just feel like Nia is exactly where she wants to be, but she does deserve better and she could get better. We’ve seen her struggle with confidence in the past and I bet it’s part of why she’s stayed and puts up with him, which is unfortunate.
We also got scenes of Michelle and Jesse’s current girlfriend, which, I felt like that whole situation was pretty childish. Michelle and Jesse are both trying to be mature by continuing to film together, even though things have been messy between them, but..something about the situation with Jesse’s girlfriend left a bad taste in my mouth.
I think people gossip about their exes’ new situations, but I also think it’s valid for Jesse to share his frustrations about Michelle with his new girlfriend from time to time? I might be bias, because I don’t really like either of them, but I do think Michelle was more wrong this time, because she could’ve just acknowledged what she did and apologized (because while people do gossip, it doesn’t mean that the wasn’t wrong with what she was saying or doing).
And overall, I just think that this cast needs to switch up. I think that with Jax gone, there was an idea that the show would become lighter and more fun and less serious because he was a dark cloud hanging over the show, but he’s gone and the show still feels kinda dark because everyone is going through difficult things: having a new baby, divorce, alcohol issues, dating again after divorce…
There’s not much levity in the show because everyone is going through real things. And I don’t fault them for that, but I do think that no one can really hide behind Jax anymore…
And when I really think about it, what are we learning about everyone’s lives? Like, the people who were here from the first season. Outside of Brittany and Kristen, I can’t think of anyone who has been transparent…and even Brittany and Kristen have their own rose colored glasses with how they act and approach situations because they’ve been on reality tv for so long…I mean maybe Jesse is sharing a bit because he introduced us to his girlfriend, but like…what do we really know about these people, that we learned this season? That we didn’t already know from last season?
Like we already kinda knew that Danny was terrible. We knew that he gets angry when he drinks or gets to be abrasive when he drinks. We know that Jesse and Michelle don’t get along. Janet isn’t really a main character this season…Zack brings some levity, but we haven’t seen much about his personal life this year either…we do know he’s going through things with his boyfriend and getting a visa…I don’t think Jasmine has shared anything new either.
So really, we haven’t learned anything and I think it’s part of why I think the show is feeling a bit stale.
But I’ll wait until the season is over before getting into how I think this cast needs to change if there is a next season.
Beyond The Villa: Season 2, Episode 3-8
Beyond The Villa has come and gone…and I enjoyed the show, but the online discourse was exhausting, my god.
People sucked the enjoyment out of it so bad that it inspired the episode from a few weeks ago about why fandoms on social media are ruining reality tv.
But that aside, I’m not gonna lie, Taylor and Clarke have really grown on me. I think their conversations about Clarke’s next step and the future of their relationship are real genuine conversations that couples have.
I get both sides with what the audience about Taylor being unsupportive and him being unrealistic about their relationship. I just think that he’s firm in what he wants and won’t let anyone disrupt his plans, and I think Clarke is willing to bend because she seems a little bit lost on how to approach her next steps. And figuring out next steps is hard, especially when it comes to turning ideas into actionable things to do, so I don’t blame her at all.
Pepe making an appearance at the Christmas party? I loved to see it because it was messy and dramatic seeing all of that play out.
Gracyn and Austin is actually entertaining and I wish we got more of that, but I wonder if Austin isn’t on the show as much now because before this season aired he admitted he relapsed, so I wonder if they cut some of his scenes.
I need Jeremiah to stop playing with Andriena and Andriena to leave that man where he is at! Jeremiah has always given non-committal vibes. Like the type to be super affectionate, but because he says they’re just friends he feels absolved of whatever mixed signals he’s sending. Like he wants to have his cake and eat it too type. He’s playing games! Andriena free yourself and honor your boundaries. Don’t let him pull you back in.
And I’m cracking up because as I was writing this, I was watching the episode for a refresher, and I wrote that even before I watched the scene where Andriena and Jeremiah are talking to each other. And then, in the confessional, Jeremiah literally has an epiphany about what sending mixed signals looks like *laughing* and I was just like, sir pleasee….I can’t believe I read him correctly.
I also realized how worried he is about how he’s perceived. He was basically telling Andreina, “Don’t act like this is a one-sided thing. Like I’m just all on you all the time.” I think worried that people would think he was creepy.
I don’t think Amaya was wrong for not wanting to greet Bryan. I can get why Bryan is confused and why it stung because they were supposed to be on good terms, but I don’t think her rejecting it should’ve been such a big thing that happened in the house.
Amaya was clearly only “forgiving” him and burying the hatchet for the sake of the show. She had such strong feelings against him in the beginning of the show and people think it got resolved at the end just because they had a talk on camera? Like be forreal please. And I also think that her man probably felt a way about them being on a trip together, so she was really like, “No. Not doing this.”
Chris is an unserious man. He, like Jeremiah, is for the streets and I don’t know what this cast thought was going on between Coco and Chris or if this was a fake storyline they all agreed to play into for the show, but at some points it was clear Coco was turned off by him and Chris was just doing this for the plot.
And I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I think Bell-A, Coco, and Gracyn vs. Hannah and Iris is a tired conversation. Hannah and Iris were definitely treating them very weird, but I don’t understand why these women want to be friends with people who treat them weird? I don’t think Hannah and Iris have to be friends with them if they don’t want to and at the same time, I think they were making things awkward and they didn’t need to do that.
Hannah and Iris had moments where they were doing too much, and I think they’re so wrapped up in each other and their friendship, especially coming off the show pretty well liked, that they weren’t worrying about what anyone else was thinking or doing. But I just don’t think this division of Coco, Gracyn, and Bella vs. Hannah and Iris was interesting enough to make into a big plot point, which I think I’m in the minority because a lot of people have talked about it and it’s become a big conversation online with people taking sides, but I just think the whole thing is like…uninteresting…
One of the last episodes, I think Hannah called out Gracyn because Gracyn didn’t laugh at Hanna’s impersonation and Gracyn did look like she felt a way about it, which I would understand because Hannah’s impersonation of her was a stereotypical country accent and Gracyn doesn’t even sound like that.
Hannah could’ve and should’ve approached that conversation differently because Hannah singling her out in front of everyone the way that she did was fighting words so I understand Gracyn’s feelings about that.
But again, I think Gracyn, Coco, and Bell-A could have easily done their own thing and not fixate on wanting to be friends with people who clearly don’t want to be their friend and who have been rude to them.
This is not to say that Hannah and Iris weren’t wrong in how they acted on the show, but I just don’t sympathize with Bell-A, Coco, and Gracyn in the way that everyone else in the public is and I think that you guys are whacking Hanna and Iris enough that I don’t have anything more to say that hasn’t already been said. Dare I say, I actually think you guys have been overdoing your whackings towards them?
Because if everyone was kumbuya what would the show actually be about? What would Gracyn’s Bell-A’s, and Coco’s storyline have been about? ‘Cause it was all about how they felt excluded.
And I think in real life, people do get upset when people are friendly with their ex and people are being disingenuous when they talk about that online. These aren’t seasoned reality tv stars, who are used to doing what they have to do for camera, which is also why I think at some point Amaya couldn’t fake it anymore…’cause she did not like that man.
So, I think the conversations online have been ridiculous because everyone wants to make it seem like one person is wrong and one person is right, but I think that everyone is wrong or their reasoning is flawed for different reasons.
And I hope that people’s reactions of this Beyond the Villa season is not indicative of how people will act when the new season of Love Island comes out because having unlikable people on reality tv makes it what it is! Conflict and betrayals and occasional rudeness makes it what it is!
@joshtherhonystan on Tik Tok, said exactly what I was thinking, so check out his Tik Tok about Hannah and Iris that he posted on May 9th because I agree with everything he said.
And also, I think there’s a fundamental misunderstanding about what boundaries are, which I’ve put on threads and will be repeating here hoping that I will reach SOMEONE because people were committed to misunderstanding what I was saying. And I’ve talked about this before, in my very first episode about lessons 2025 taught me, but boundaries are about what YOU do.
Communicating boundaries is super helpful in your relationships and you want people in your life who respect your boundaries, but you have to honor them yourself. On a basic level, you have to be the one to end the conversation or walk away or shut the conversation down. Your boundaries are your responsibilities and there’s nuance here, but people keep thinking that boundaries are about what the other person does and that’s just not what it is. Boundaries is another case of therapy speak being misused.
So overall, I enjoyed the season for what it is. I think because Olandria isn’t on it, I have no real skin in the game, but it does concern me that it was super easy to activate users based off of a lot of nothingburgers.
Oh, and I forget to mention Iris’s video. I believe everything she said honestly. I believe producers edited out moments where they discussed what Pepe did, including her showing the text messages. I do believe Pepe is a liar and people online were trying to claim that he wasn’t and that everyone rushing to his defense was a bit weird to me, to be honest…because he’s a grown man…not a child…
And I think that the situation between Iris and Pepe is really just a big misunderstanding. I think Iris believed that she got across that her and TJ were meeting that night and Pepe believed it was some time in the future. And it was something that could’ve been fixed with communication…but a nothingburger to me as someone who is not in their lives and does not know them.
Vanderpump Villa S3
Vanderpump Villa has been out for a minute, but I just got around to finishing the newest season and I think that this has been the most interesting season we’ve had so far honestly.
Lowkey, everyone is insufferable on this show. I really only like Gabriella and Hagen. The minute Gabriella is off the show, I will stop watching it. I thought that Chef was mad for pretty much no reason. Leaders delegate and that’s what Gabriella was doing. To be this upset at her because she was delegating is ridiculous. I really just think he was jealous of her and he might be a little racist honestly.
When he said at the reunion that it’s him or Gabriella, the obvious answer is Gabriella. Lisa copped out by giving the reward to both of them.
I loved The Challenge crossover because I love The Challenge and I love Josh so it was fun to see them. I liked seeing them wildin’ and I’m not surprised because they were like that on The Challenge. I wish we got the full unedited versions of them because I know they were doing the most and I would love to see it. I feel The Challenge waters them down nowadays and I just want to see the chaos.
What I really want to say about Vanderpump Villa is that I’m over Marciano and Hannah. I’m tired of seeing them together. I’m tired of hearing about their relationship. Please free us next season. I’m not saying I want them both off, I just don’t want the entire season to be about their relationship and their drama because I just don’t care, and I’m sorry, but I don’t.
I’m also tired of the Vanderpump Villa and Secret Lives crossovers. I’ve had enough! I get why it’s there and parts of it were entertaining, but I didn’t need this drawn out storyline to learn that Jesse’s husband was a hypocrite. Free us! Please!
And also, the right person won the prize at the end. He usually said what I was thinking and really made an impression on me this season.
Southern Hospitality: Season 4, Episode 1-11
In my last wrap up, I forgot to talk about Southern Hospitality, so let’s talk about Southern Hospitality season 4, episode 1 through 11.
This is the one show where I can confidently say I don’t ever want to see this person again, and that’s Emmy. I can’t believe that she came back this season after her boyfriend abandoned her at the reunion last season, and seeing her back has really tainted my viewing experience of this season.
Emmy is clearly ignorant at best, racist at worst, and I get that they live in a primarily white small town, but my thing is, if your quote in quote friend is telling you that you’re being racially insensitive and you actually care about that, you would genuinely apologize and stop beating a dead horse.
But Emmy doesn’t care about Bradley. She doesn’t care that she’s using racial stereotypes and being microaggressive. She doesn’t care that she’s making it seem like Bradley is a dangerous and scary person.
I’m tired of the white woman tears, and the constant crying when all anyone has done is hold her accountable for what she’s said.
I am literally begging Bravo to let her go after this season. For her own wellbeing as well because not to be funny, I really think something’s wrong with her and she needs to step out of the public eye for a bit.
I know I always say that reality tv shows need a villain, but Emmy isn’t a good villain. She’s just being racist and hiding behind her white womanhood. It’s actually lowkey triggering to see play out and I hope that Bradley can feel some love from the audience.
I am also confused with Lake’s sudden loyalty to Emmy. I get that she had a thing with Bradley and would feel a type of way that he has a girl now, but I’m not understanding how that translates to loyalty to Emmy. It’s cool to see Lake’s dating journey though because I don’t think a lot of reality tv shows that aren’t labeled as queer show women dating other women.
I don’t know how I feel about Michols. I don’t know if I like him…I think he’s very reactionary and it gets to be annoying sometimes, but I also think that he is a good villain…and I don’t know if I’m toxic about it this, but him and TJ’s back and forth is cute, even though I don’t know how I feel about the age gap…
And Joe and Maddy…I have a lot of thoughts and no thoughts about them at the same time…but it stands out to me that Maddy didn’t enjoy the party Joe threw for her on the boat, and I understand why she didn’t…I’m just like…wondering why Joe thought she would, especially with their current issues about how Joe is partying too much…
But if they like it and love each other, who am I to comment any more about their situation?
Perfect Match: Season 4, Episode 1-5
My favorite, unserious, heavily produced show, Perfect Match, is back with season 4, episodes 1 through 5!
Confession, I didn’t even finish the last two seasons, because I just couldn’t suspend belief that it was real anymore, but I did tune in this season and I’m really enjoying it, I think as much as the first season, which is the one I was, like, obsessed with.
I didn’t recognize a lot of this cast ‘cause I only know Jimmy P, Marissa, Ally, and Kassy, but I still wanted to watch, mainly for Marissa and Kassy and I’m into it so far.
Ally is quirky and it’s a bit shocking but also not surprising at the same time. On Vanderpump, we didn’t really see her personality, but her quirkiness and sense of humor really comes across on Perfect Match. And it just, for whatever reason it’s making sense in my brain that she’s like this. She annoys me personally, and a part of me wonders if this is a character she’s putting on, at least with her voice, but I could see other people thinking it’s cute and adorable…it’s just not my cup of tea.
I’m rooting for Marissa to win but she’s pretty possessive and I don’t think that will work well for her. I just want her to make it to the end of the season, even if she doesn’t win! I would also love for Kassy to go far in the show. There’s just something about Kassy that I like. I wasn’t present for her entire Love Island journey, but I’ve seen bits and pieces of her life post Love Island, and I know her from season 6, and there’s something just something about her, even though I think her reasoning for doing this show to find love, which she said on Tik Tok, is very unserious.
Because this show is so unserious.
So far, it looks like Ally and Jimmy P. are on a path to win, but I’m interested to see what will happen in the next episode release.
Real Housewives of Atlanta: Season 17, Episodes 3-7
The last show is Real Housewives of Atlanta: Season 17, Episodes 3-7.
I’m still enjoying this season!
Shamea, Kelli, and Pinky were dragging the room situation. The room was dirty and if they didn’t feel comfortable using it that’s valid, but I think they dragged it. After Potomac I didn’t want another season of people complaining about their accommodations. I’m over it. All they had to do was communicate with Cynthia and Cynthia was very apologetic and made the changes, so it shouldn’t have been such a big deal.
And then for Kelli and Shamea not to come to dinner because they didn’t feel comfortable getting dressed, but then to still film that night, was crazy. Same with K. If you don’t feel comfortable filming without glam, fine, I guess, but why are we still seeing you in the same night?
I felt bad for Cynthia because this trip was really one thing after another for her and it was a lot of complaining with very little people thanking her effort. And she’s an OG. Like we’re not going to pretend this is a random person. This is Cynthia f’ing Bailey. Let’s be respectful.
I don’t blame Cynthia for saying she isn’t hosting again because…they were…extra.
And then Kelli vs. Porsha…I know Porsha started it by talking about how Kelli is sleeping with a married man, but prior to that I didn’t know they had beef forreal. And then Porsha brings up how Kelli was trying to sleep with her on the bus? Hella messy…lowkey believe it. I’m not gonna lie.
K. Michelle being shocked that they went in on each other and then five seconds later started laughing was a real response and I don’t blame her for it honestly, ‘cause sometimes I’m thinking the same thing, but it also made me think about if she’s actually seen this show before or if she just joined for the plot without researching what she was getting into.
K. Michelle saying she didn’t feel safe and then Angela rolling her eyes when she started crying. Angela was not here for it and as a viewer, I’m confused on where K. is coming from and why she’s listening to the bugs in her ear, because she was really projecting the whole episode, in my opinion, but as a human I do feel bad for her and it makes me wonder if this was a good idea when it comes to her mental.
I just don’t think anyone was sneak dissing her and I don’t think Drew was trying to insinuate anything went down between K. and Blakk, even though there is always the possibility that K. was right, but if she was, she showed her hands way too early.
But, I really enjoyed the latest episode even though I think a lot of these fights were about nothing. And I don’t know why Shamea called a meeting to talk about how K wasn’t ready to talk, which I posted on threads. I know that her point was to clear her name, but it was a read the room situation. And then, when Porsha was like, “isn’t this supposed to be about K,” she was like, “Oh. K doesn’t have to talk. She doesn’t have to talk.’
I was like, what was the point of this, Shamea.
Regardless, I like Shamea as an addition on the show, because you need someone who is kinda against everyone else. Shamea only really has Kelli and now K. on the show, so i don’t know if it’s that she should be a friend of or if she should be a housewife, but I think it’s clear she’s really in her head about everything and she’s trying and failing to control certain narratives instead of let things play out how they will play out, and I think that’s her mistake.
I don’t want her off, but I understand why people want her demoted to a friend of.
I might change my mind next reality tv chat, but right now I think they all should come back, except maybe Pinky. Pinky is also self producing her moments, in my opinion, along with Shamea, and she’s too aware of the cameras, so she’s not acting naturally.
Angela is such a great addition to the show, like it’s really a breath of fresh air. I know that she’s messy, but 1) you need messy people. It’s reality tv. And 2) she’s not afraid to carry bones and say what needs to be said in the moment. She’s not afraid to call people out and get people explaining what they’re thinking and she speaks her own mind. She’s not doing other people’s bidding or trying to form an alliance, at least how I see it. She really just goes based on what she thinks and what she feels, much like Stacey on Potomac.
I also love seeing Porsha and Drew. I think they’re both really coming into their own, Porsha after being gone for so long. Or…I think it was like two years, but that’s a long time in reality tv world, and Drew, with everything she’s been going through in the past.
Reality TV News
I promise, I’m almost done, let’s just get into some quick reality tv news before I forget.
Love and Hip Hop Atlanta
First, I can’t believe that Love and Hip Hop Atlanta is ending…and I get it, because it’s just so different from how it originally began, like they don’t even do reunion episodes anymore. But, I understand why…everyone on the show is going through a lot and storylines have gotten to be repetitive, so I get it, but I hate to see it go!
Secret Lives
Mikayla and Taylor from Secret Lives were beefin’ online for like a week or something like that? I didn’t really follow the whole drama because it was just too much to keep up with and I don’t know how invested I am in their beef, but I did post on threads and I still believe, because I did read some of it, that Mikayla was as wrong as Taylor.
Mikayla only spoke out about Taylor’s allegations and situations to appeal to the audience. She wants to talk about having boundaries with Taylor and then continues to argue with her online day after day, which is the complete opposite of honoring the boundaries that she set of leaving Taylor alone.
And in my opinion, nothing she said in her original statement was that eye opening. From experience, I get how exhausting it can be to support your friend’s relationship when you know they’re bad together and you’re constantly talking them through it, only for them to go back.
But Taylor is also saying Dakota is allegedly abusive to her, so it’s a more complicated situation.
While I stand by what I’ve said in previous podcast episodes about Taylor and Dakota and how they shouldn’t have been allowed to be on tv, I don’t think Mikayla, who knows Taylor on a personal level, needed to address the public about it. I think it could’ve been a 1 on 1 conversation and I understand why Taylor feels like she’s being kicked while she’s down. ‘Cause she’s already been fired. She lost her kids. And her season didn’t air. She’s been facing the consequences of her actions this whole time.
I agree with Tell the Bees on Tik Tok when he says that Mikayla was wrong for saying Taylor should just leave because Taylor and Dakota’s situation seems to like a dv cycle, allegedly. And I agree with him when he said, and I’m paraphrasing he didn’t say it like this, butI agree with him when he said that a real reality tv star would have this type of conversation on camera instead of on social media and in social media comments.
I also think Mikalaya is naive to think that Taylor would see what she posted online and wouldn’t crash out over it, because even if she was blocked someone would send that to her.
I’m not saying it’s right, but Taylor is known to activate her fanbase, so I don’t really feel sympathy for Mikayala because the alternative was to say nothing, and she really could’ve said nothing.
I think both she and Taylor were doing too much. I don’t think Mikayla was advocating for anybody, as people have suggested in my threads comments. And I don’t think she was being sympathetic or thinking about anything other than how she is perceived by the public with that statement.
People think she showed growth because of what she’s been through for speaking up, but actual growth would’ve been Mikayla ignoring Taylor and moving on if that’s how she felt. She didn’t need to announce to the world that she was giving her space.
Love Island Universe
Two more things, Love Island related.
That lady seriously wrote an article about how Leah and Rob made Love Island successful in the US? Is she serious with that?
Okay, well actually let me be serious.
Back when I had Twitter, I had originally said and I still believe that Rob and Leah’s tumultuous arguments is what brought me in as someone who was already in the online reality tv space. I think if you interact with reality tv online, you would see people talking about Rob and Leah and that would pique your interest, at least that’s what happened to me.
But to say that Rob and Leah catapulted the show to be in the number one spot is just so incorrect!
People who I know who don’t even watch reality tv knew about Serena and Kordell. It wasn’t until the dock scene with Serena and Kordell that I saw more and more people and people outside of the reality tv space, talking about Love Island.
The dock scene made it onto an episode of The Boys on Amazon Prime which aired a week or so ago.
It’s been almost two years, and people still reference the dock scene, way more than they do anything that happened between Leah and Rob.
Not only was that article and that take loud and wrong, but it’s also lowkey disrespectful to Leah’s current relationship and it doesn’t even take into account PPG, which was also a huge draw for the show.
PPG was so big that they created Beyond the Villa, so to say it was Leah and Rob, who’s story ended pretty early on all things considered crazy. And it wreaks of racism. Because if you want to talk about a couple that made the show successful, without a doubt that’s Kordell and Serena.
I 100% believe Leah mindlessly shared it without reading it because post villa she has always stood behind JaNa and Serena and I have no reason to believe otherwise.
And last thing…Cierra? And allegedly having a burner account page hating on Nicolandria? I could believe it…which is crazy because despite people not liking on her when she came out of the villa, she still has a pretty big following and gets pretty decent brand opportunities. So, I don’t know why…why she do that?
Do I get why she would be pressed about Nic still? Yes. I think people are being a little bit disingenuous about that. But…enough to make a burner account and hate on him and on his public relationship? That’s crazy.
And I don’t know why she would do that. And to do that and use the same email is even crazier. Can we be smart with our snooping please?
So, yeah. That’s all I got for you today. Thank you for reading!
You can find other reality tv chats here.
Next week I’m planning to talk about Interview with the Vampire season 1! And I’ll try to do another reality tv chat in a few weeks. Did I miss any shows? I know Jersey Shore Family Vacation came out and I will be talking about it in the next one for sure. But, if I missed anything else, let me know.
What do you think?