This week in reality TV, I was expecting a lot more from the Summer House franchise. I’m waiting as patiently as I possibly can for Carl to call off his engagement to Lindsay, but it’s just not happening fast enough for me. I was thrilled to see some of the conversations taking place in the mid-season trailer, which shows Kyle’s dedication to really seeing to it that Carl give the whole marriage thing some thought, begging the question of whether he’s operating from a place of regret over mistakes he made with Amanda, maybe?
Brittany Cartwright reacts to Jax liking super insensitive tweet about ex Stassi Schroeder
Brittany recently appeared on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast. When host Amanda Hirsch brought up Jax liking an Instagram comment suggesting he should’ve married ex and former Vanderpump Rules star Stassi Schroeder instead of her, Brittany responded with a nervous laugh, sought confirmation in the form of asking whether he really did that, then went on to say that it was “weird” and “very creepy”. And while it may be both of those things, it is also very on brand for Jax Taylor.
I guess the reason this moment has stuck with me over this past week is because it’s forcing me to confront whether I am truly surprised by this news, or whether the writing was on the wall. I mean, Jax spent years of his life being a complete lothario. And I suppose when he handpicked Brittany, moved her to California, and covered the cost of her implants, he had a lot of us fooled into thinking he was serious about settling down this time.
The other thing that gave people a lot of hope for this couple was the fact that as Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix were in the depths of hell with Scandoval and Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney announced they were divorcing, Jax and Brittany, oddly enough, appeared to be going really strong and were appearing together on podcasts and shows to share their own insights about the reality TV scandal of the decade.
But with cameras rolling in their personal lives again, Jax’s bad behaviour has wound up in the rumour mill with former castmates speculating about his alleged infidelity, being discussed on shows he’s not even on anymore. Ouch. If I didn’t know any better I’d say this were for ratings. But, it’s Jax. I put nothing past him.
Katie, Tori and Tom: a wtf love triangle
What if I told you that Katie Maloney and her ex-husband Tom Schwartz are dating the same girl? Would you be surprised? Because that’s quite literally what is unfolding on Vanderpump Rules right now and I’m really not mad about it.
In fact, I think I had an epiphany. Despite my absolute disdain for Katie, I think I like her a lot better when she dates women. I don’t mean that in a tokenizing way, but I really do believe that she and Tori make so much more sense than she and Tom ever did.
It’s not to say that the Katie we’re seeing now is just because this is a new relationship, either. Last season, she brought around that weird young guy with the odd hair. And she still annoyed the life out of me in that relationship, if you can call it that.
With Tom, Katie reminded me of those people in our lives who are always so high strung and miserable because they’re pissed off about work or money or their kids or their relationship – and it makes it hard to be around them, or in this case, even watch them onscreen. I think Katie is showing us all why so many people are open to same-sex relationships after major life events (just ask Kyle Richards).
With Tori, I think Katie has struck the perfect balance of friendship, romance and flirtatiousness – and because she’s getting it, she’s a lot more relaxed than she was with Tom. Annoying as I find her, this season is the most chill I have ever seen her. Not to mention, she’s got game. A lot more than Tom.
The colourism conversation on Real Housewives of Potomac
Toward the end of the second of three reunion episodes, the topic of colourism came up, as it has in nearly every season prior. Robyn revealed that the topic of colourism has always made her very uncomfortable, and that it was a conversation she didn’t know how to navigate. Candiace, on the other hand, described growing up in a household where conversations of race, the diaspora, and the Black experience were commonplace, and therefore talking about race was not uncomfortable for her.
Wendy drew an interesting parallel, saying that the conversation being had, if it applied to Black and white people, would be similar to the conversation that unfolds when white people get more offended at being called a racist than they are concerned with exploring that they might be racist and doing better. Deflection, I suppose, was what she was implying.
Essentially, Wendy and Candiace want Robyn and Gizelle to take a greater interest in why, season after season, they are accused of being colourist. But instead, Gizelle and Robyn practically refuse to have the conversation, partially because they reject the idea they are colourist, therefore don’t see a point in entertaining it, but also, because their privilege makes it a difficult conversation to have and they know that whatever points they bring up will be moot.
I think Robyn and Gizelle are essentially saying, what if we’re not colourist and therefore don’t feel like this conversation is even warranted? Like, what if we really aren’t colourist? Do we still owe it to you to have this conversation? Wendy and Candiace might say yes, but Robyn and Gizelle say no.
As a mixed person with light skin, this conversation was incredibly interesting to watch. While I completely understood the parallel Wendy was drawing, I was glad that Robyn and Gizelle remained firm on their denial of the allegations of colourism and that Robyn pointed out that she’s also had issues with the other fair-skinned women on the cast.
I think the biggest thing this conversation did was shine light on the fact that someone can benefit from the inherent privilege that comes from being light-skinned, but still not be colourist, the same way that there are white people that benefit from being white but are not anti-Black.
I think it makes sense that it's an uncomfortable conversation for Robyn and Gizelle because the topic of colourism forces them, forces me, to sit with the fact that there are people in the world who view us as “less Black” than darker-skinned Black women. And while in my case, having a white mother makes that absolutely correct, what does that mean for these two women? Who are fully Black? Having to question or be at odds in any way with your identity over how some people perceive you is a very difficult experience to have.
News of Candiace’s decision to take a break from the show following this very contentious reunion episode was very damning for the show, and suggests that Andy is, yet again, not the best person to facilitate a topic of such magnitude. Hopefully the colourism thing is dealt with by the time she makes her triumphant return, if there’s even a show left after her departure, that is.
