Reality Recap: Distrust, separation, support

People are confused after former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna’s daughter Delilah posted this cryptic video to TikTok. Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent revealed an eye issue detected by doctors has been determined to be pre-cancerous. Andy Cohen says casting is ‘heavily underway’ for the newest season of Real Housewives of New York and that an entirely new cast may be ushered in. And Shamea Morton appeared on The Breakfast Club to dish it all about her changing friendship with Porsha and more.

Lexi calls it off with Jesse

A few takeaways from this week’s episode of Summer House: Jesse and Lexi should be physically barred from ever speaking to each other again, Lindsay sure knows how to write a long caption, and Kyle has truly levelled up because this is the second week in a row he’s been a pretty solid voice of reason. 

I’m really glad to see Lexi finally make the decision to walk away from Jesse. It was a fruitless relationship that might have had potential in any other realm than a summer house, but their connection was giving nothing more than a Below Deck fling – very convenient and proximity-based.

But I want to call attention to the things that Lexi said during her breakup speech (and it was indeed very much a speech), because her reasons for leaving him were sovalid. She explained to him that while he remained adamant about not wanting to have to change just because they were in a relationship, she highlighted that her lack of trust in him (as a result of his lying by omission) caused her to change. 

She explained that she used to be a very trusting person, but that she can’t take his word at face value anymore. She said he’s taken away her light and that it’s not fair for her to stay in the relationship knowing that her first instinct is to assume he’s lying – and that she’s suffering from “emotional whiplash”.

The reason I respect that so much is because her only other alternative was to pretend that she had forgiven him and live with that resentment, either projecting it onto him or swallowing it and suffering the consequences. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.

I will say, I do believe Jesse when he told West that Lexi told him he “doesn’t have protective instincts”. And the only reason I believe that is because I don’t think he has the brain cells to formulate that phrase on his own. I think that’s part of what’s kept his storyline with Lexi so interesting – it’s kind of like what’s going on with Jesse and Michelle on The Valley. You don’t always know who to believe.

I’m hoping she sticks to her decision because there are so many other men in the world. She doesn’t need to be stuck on this guy with such f-ckboy tendencies that even Andy Cohen side-eyed him on his Watch What Happens Live appearance. He’s even earned the name “Messy Jesse” on social media. He truly went from being a hero to being an absolute zero. 

The Valley cast is pulling their weight

One thing I’ll never understand about reality TV shows is how anyone might possibly think it’s a good idea to get casts together with this much tension and toxicity between them and send them on a booze-filled vacation to a winery. But I don’t have to understand something to love it.

This week, things come to a head between…well, everyone. But namely Jesse and Michelle, who are at odds over their separation, rumours Jesse spread to the notorious guys group where he accused Michelle of being an escort, and the suspicious timing of their new relationships.

Week to week, I flip-flop between who I find to be at fault for their demise – but it's becoming clearer and clearer that the both of them are just f-cked up. But so far I can conclude that I do believe Michelle was unfaithful, mostly because she went on that tangent about her husband refusing to show any affection to her, which can absolutely be a trigger for infidelity, especially when you’re struggling with self-esteem over a changing body after giving birth.

I can also conclude that I do believe that Jesse has rageful and narcissistic tendencies – because we’ve certainly seen him ‘yoyo’, as Michelle described. But I can also believe that Michelle is being super hypocritical for having issues with Jesse’s girlfriend spending time with their daughter considering her partner not only spends time with Isabella, but Michelle also encourages her to say she loves him. So it goes both ways. 

Michelle has taken issue with Jesse’s new girlfriend over her ‘threatening’ messages. But his new girlfriend is not wrong for threatening the cast with a cease and desist if they continue speaking about her on the show. If anything, it’s an indication that she is not an attention-seeker looking to leverage these very real situations in order to make a name for herself. I’m gonna hold your hand when I tell you this, Michelle, but you might want to keep her around.

Sh-t gets real on Love Hotel

On this week’s episode of Love Hotel, the women continue to play the field as new men are ushered into the show, stiffening the competition for the pre-existing men – but only momentarily. When presented with the opportunity to give their keys to the new men, Gizelle opted to hold onto hers, while Luann, Shannon and Ashley all found recipients for theirs.

Ashley’s relationship with Wale is being threatened by two things – first, the fact that she says his energy is ‘heavy’, and the second, the new guy, Jason. Wale is hell bent on pursuing her and is obviously not there for anyone else given the age gaps between him and the other women. 

But Ashley’s observation that the reason she seems to have a disconnection with the younger men is solid – she says with them being younger, unmarried and never experiencing parenthood, she feels like they struggle to relate to each other. She’s also been reflecting on her daddy issues – so it’s clear that this is, at the very least, an educational stay at the hotel.

Also learning is Shannon, who had a super awkward and revealing semi-blow-up with the apple of her eye, Earl. When he revealed he didn’t eat vegetables, Shannon, in true Shannon fashion, had a pretty dramatic reaction. And when he called her out for criticizing him, she, again, had a dramatic reaction.

The two went off to the side to have a chat about the situation and they both revealed that they had been triggered from their past experiences. For Earl, he said he had been easily criticized by his ex-wife, and Shannon revealed that she would often be subjected to unexplainable anger at the hands of her ex(es). 

This is why it’s nice to see older people dating on this show – because this is what dating in your 60s can look like. A fight about broccoli actually goes much deeper and you absolutely have to reveal what your triggers are so that the person pursuing you can be sensitive to them.

Shannon also marked the one year anniversary of her DUI (by intruding on a conversation between Ashley and Jason, which pushed him to call it a night). Seeing Ashley – and all the other women for that matter – put their romantic pursuits to the side to support Shannon is a reminder that in most cases, women are the ones that’ll get you through it.