Oscars Outsider - Real Housewives of New Jersey S14E07 & RHODubai S02E03 Recap/Analysis (feat @bellatalkstv ) | Bravo Outsider Podcast

Episode Date: June 26, 2024

This week, Dylan and Craig are joined by Amanda Bellipario of the @bellatalkstv! We're diving right into the fight between Danielle Cabral and Jen Aydin and we can't look away from Jackie Goldschneider's cringe-spiral as we get tipsy in Tulum in our coverage of the latest episode of RHONJ Then we dive into Caroline Stanburys good riddance party in our recap of RHODubai If you enjoyed this breakdown, don’t forget to hit the like button, comment below your favorite moment, and subscribe for more Bravo content! 🥂 About Bravo Outsider The Bravo Outsider Podcast offers an outside perspective on Bravo shows like The Real Housewives, unlike any other Bravo podcast! We focus on the artistic value of these shows while providing strategic analysis of the social game at the core of the Bravo docu-soap. We love thick literary references and diving into themes before diving into the drama! 🍸Featured Bravolebs: Real Housewives of New Jersey: Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jen Aydin, Danielle Cabral, Rachel Fuda, Jackie Goldschneider, Frank Catania, Gia Giudice, Joe Gorga, Milania Giudice, Luis Ruelas, Bill Ayden, Jen Fessler Real Housewives of Dubai: Sara Al Madani, Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Lesa Milan, Caroline Stanbury, Taleen Marie 📣 Stay Connected: Find Bella Talks TV on Instagram: hhttps://www.instagram.com/bellatalkstv/ Find Dylan Ferguson on Substack at https://dylanferguson.substack.com/ Find Bravo Outsider on Instagram at ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bravooutsider https://www.bravooutsider.com 📖 Credits Music by FASSounds from Pixabay #vanderpumprules #bravo #realitytv #thevalley #RHONJ #RealHousewives #vanderpumprules #scandoval #pumprules #rhodubai

Jen. I don't give a shit. Your wife's a bitch. Frily, it's a dirty fucking bitch. Just so you know, when you go to bed at night, you're sleeping with the fucking devil. Hello and welcome to the Bravo Outsider Podcast. I'm your host Craig Midwinter, joined as always by Dylan Ferguson. And we have quite a show today because, wow, was Real Housewives of New Jersey amazing or what? Yeah. Oh, yeah. That was really fucking taken off.

Now it's going. We are cooking. So we are super excited to be joined by the host of Bellotox TV. It's Amanda Bellapario. They say it's never too late to start over. And I say starting over never tasted so good. Had to have a good Teresa one this week. Teresa's Teresa isms are Teresa-ean.

Yeah. Yes. So I think we have to dive into Real Housewives of New Jersey right away. Amanda, can you give us a three-sentence summary about what happened? Yes, definitely. So I would say that the overlying theme that's going on with Jersey is we've got this layer of family because we've got Joe and Melissa forever. That's like, to me, Joe and Melissa are as much of the heartbeat as Teresa. And then the next layer of that is bringing in Dolores and Jackie and these other like secondary characters.

So everything's very layered and very nuanced right now. And then the sprinkle on top is really the Jackie and the Dolores of it because they are they are just like the biggest surprise of the season. And they did so good, I think, after everything in heaven with Jen and the leaking of the storylines, they're doing really good at keeping a lot of these secrets from us. So I didn't know that that was going to happen and just great. Yeah, totally. what what what what else stood up to you in terms of like theme or presentation on this so i'm really into

also like marge again i think that they were hearing the calls of last season like i i'm always famously talking about like stan culture and trying not to get too onto anybody's like team so i can call anybody out and also be like okay they're acting crazy and then also really champion them maybe even the same episode sometimes and i feel like a lot of people last season were not loving Marge as much. And so I think this season, producers or editing or maybe just her in general really did kind of take the notes. And so she has also had more of like these, instead of just having her fingers in like everything, she, I feel like had these little moments where she's found to find the best impact. And I'm just really surprised

like how I'm feeling about her this season also. Like we just, I feel like every person, on the cast is so strong. Like I could go off on like a five minute tangent about every one of them. And it's like, how is this season not working? How are we talking about not doing a reunion? Like to me, this is a really good cast. Yeah, I think you're right. It is a great cast.

And they're all bringing like a different element. I can see how a, you know, kind of this fractured relationship where there's a divide that, you know, seems to be stopping any conversation from one side to the other. I can see how that's not sustainable, but it's still, it's working for me this, this season. And like you said, Marge, I think she is bringing both, like, the strategy. I have been on this conspiracy theory about what I think she's trying to accomplish with, with her strategy. But she's also telling a compelling emotional story here as well, like this getting over the death of her ex-husband. And one thing about New Jersey that we have applauded in the past, where they're talking about

things with a more nuanced perspective. Like things aren't so black and white, especially when they're talking about like infidelity and just like overcoming that. It's not this like this blanket, you know, black or white issue. And we're seeing that them navigate those muddy waters again here with this conversation about Margaret and how she's navigating the death of her,

her ex-husband and how, you know, her current husband, Joe, is handling that. And so I really like that nuance that we see here because, you know, you don't see that in, in a lot of shows, like even other Bravo shows, I think. Bravo usually does a pretty good job of handling the grades. I think the medium of reality TV really lends itself well to exploring that. But in Jersey, I think it's like especially apparent. Yeah, I definitely agree with that because I think, like we're seeing every character so impactful has the own storylines and they're so real like off screen their lives have gotten so entangled and what we're

seeing on the show also and that is what's so compelling that's making us want to watch every week still even though it's kind of like this quote unquote flop season it's supposed to be we're all still on the edge of our seats wanting to know because we know that it's actually what's happened in their real life like this week we saw a real fight we are seeing these real things happening in their lives that we know happen even if it's just a simple simple thing. as Jackie's book release. That's a real thing that happened. And it's not this like fabricated storyline that we kind of get on the other franchises sometimes. So I think that that's what's making me like every week still. Totally. Dylan, what's it up to you in terms of the artistic presentation here?

I don't know if anything really stood out like visually, but just in terms of like where we are in the narrative of the season, I think this is such a great like midseason episode because you know, you've mentioned Amanda that maybe some people felt it was a flop season at the start. And it took a bit of time to get going there. But I felt like the first half of the season was really just about alliances shifting

and people trying to like figure out what the new landscape is, who is now allied with who. And now this episode really felt like the moment where like now that we've kind of done that whole kind of shifting of the alliances bit, we're getting into just, straight strategy. And now it's like we're setting the table for the conflicts that will presumably

play out for the rest of the season because people are just putting their cards on the table at this point. Right. Like, Teresa is literally just saying like, okay, I don't care about Jackie, but I need Jackie to expose Margaret. Like she's just saying it directly. Like she's not even, you know, pretending it's just about like emotions and friendships and stuff. She's just literally just saying this is my strategy here. Like people are becoming very direct about, okay, this is the game plan. This is how we're going to try to get things to play out. So it really feels like kind of the troops have been mustered in the first half. And now it's like game time.

We're drawing it up on the whiteboard. This is how we wanted to play to play out. And that's making it very exciting to me. Yeah. There's a lot of like just pure naked strategy on display here. And the edit actually, I feel like it leans into this a little bit. One thing that I noticed while I was watching this is when they were discussing the move of like

giving the home the housewarming gift in the previous episode. When they're discussing this at envy during this episode, the way that it's cut, if you're watching it closely, you can see just how disjointed this edit is where Danielle starts to tell a story about how she did something similar, you know, by giving a gift. And the edit just immediately cuts it out and jumps to Melissa talking about like, oh, why would you do this? Like really focusing on like the strategic as opposed to. to the emotional side of what this this could mean.

And that is kind of contrast with how Teresa tries to frame it within a confessional, where she tries to add some like emotional element to it. Like, oh, it was just a nice thing to do that I was trying to do, which is obviously like bullshit. Like one of the things that I love about like Teresa is just like she is very transparent in, in what she's doing. And when she's like full of shit, you can like, you can tell. also she passes it off on Louis too,

which is also like I think kind of become what of Louis roles is that. It's like Teresa's like, oh, and that decision was too controversial, actually Louis made it. Like I just outsource those to him. Yes, exactly.

Louis's getting the most interesting edit this season. I don't know what to make heads or tails of him right now, but. I think that there's actually kind of an interesting dynamic that Teresa has with Louis that is mirrored a little bit in how she interacts with. Jen and how Jen and Teresa play off each other because like Jen and Teresa are so good at like washing their hands of each other's messes and like being able to just push things off from

one to the other. And so we see like when Teresa is talking with Danielle, she knows that this relationship with Jen and Danielle is not salvageable at this point. She won't even like weigh in on what's going on here. She's like, oh yeah, you should talk to she should talk to Jen about that. You should talk to Jen about that, looking for someone to, like, put the potential, like, baggage that a relationship could have as a result of how she's playing the game into someone else's like hands, where it's not going to be as impactful to her overall position. Like, she is not needing to, like, take the, the hit of being associated with Jen, as long as she plays it clean enough and Jen is able to like pick things up. And like you said, she does have a similar

relationship with Louis. She knows that Louis is not like a well-liked guy. So she can just be like, oh, yeah, that was Louis. That was my husband's idea. So he can take the heat for that. Yeah, that's a really interesting observation. It really is. It kind of goes back to what you were saying also earlier about the picking of the sides and the alliances. Like I didn't realize going into this season. Like we've been on this Joe and Melissa versus Teresa trained for so long and we thought that was going to be the alliance and we were all like going to battle thinking we were like gearing up for this. And then I had no idea it was going to shift like this. And it is interesting where Jen falls into that too like you're saying like I can't figure out if Jen and Teresa are real friends

or if they are so aligned just like in their mission. that it's like blindness. It's almost like just like a toxic relationship. Like I really can't figure it out. And the same with Louie and Teresa. Like I can't figure out if this is true love and like we're all insane. Like we're all just being gaslit by this like love bubble. Or is this like really it?

Or is it again just like a really toxic relationship and she just has to have this dynamic and everybody that she has. And maybe that's why Joe couldn't, you know, Joe obviously jumped ship from that because he wasn't able to be that person for her. Yeah, I'm also absolutely fascinated by that dynamic like you are. Like to what extent did she just marry somebody who's convenient for her needs? And to what extent is this? Like you say, just a true romance.

And we're all just not able to recognize it because it's happening at some other level that we can't see on the show. I don't know. I have no idea. I have no idea. I mean, Trisa has always been like very clear. and she always repeats like, I've given birth on the show, I've gone to jail on the show. Like my life is the show. Maybe those things have like come together and her friendship is like truly defined by the like the bounds of the show, the context of the show.

Like a true friendship for Teresa being a true friend is being useful to her on the show maybe. Maybe that's what true love and true friendship are to her. It's just bound by the show. Yeah. That's such a good point. like that really is the fact that some of these Bravo Lebrides, Teresa especially, have been so long running,

being now the Bravo Leverty that's been in the clubhouse, the many, you know, the many most times, like just all of these things that are happening, like there's no line anymore. Like that's her life. The show is the life.

So there's no such thing as friends on the show or family on the show and off the show. It's everything's muddled together. Yeah, totally. One thing that I wanted to talk about in terms of the artistic presentation of this was I thought that it was a really, I really liked how they kind of hinted at this theme of maybe not body autonomy,

but just like personal boundaries and space relating to one's body in the buildup to the ultimate like, you know, transgression towards that when we see like the slap and the shove and the physical altercation. Because we got little things like dripped in, starting from like the very beginning where we're at envy and melissa's talking about these the models and the way that she's talking about them as though they are like bodies that she's able to manipulate and exerts herself on by saying like oh i want to dress them in this and i want to dress them in that which is kind of a subtle example of that but it it builds a bit more when we see

you know dolores and paul at the gym and like paul's talking about his thoughts on dolores's plastic surgery and how this has been a pattern for her. We also see it in the form of like Rachel discussing her daughter's surgery and like the aftercare that she needs and this complex relationship that she has to have with her, her daughter and her daughter's body as a result of like giving care for her. So I thought it was like just kind of an interesting little breadcrumb trail leading up to this big moment where there's shoving and there's like. an actual physical one body on another. I like that a lot. That's a really great observation. I

hadn't thought of that, but that's a great point because, yeah, what makes it at another level is that it does get physical on the end. But then, and it's kind of obvious as an observation like, oh, when it gets physical, a lines cross. But like, why is that? And like you say, we've had clues throughout the episode about like questions of why bodily atopi is important. And that's also kind of feeds back into the idea of like what's the real reality behind the show. It's like, well, you've got your own, your physical body is like the most real thing that you have. And, and it was an interesting conversation when Dolores was talking about like her decision to have to have surgery, even if Polly doesn't like it. And she's, you know, she's absolutely right about that. Of course,

she can do it whatever she wants with, with her own body. Maybe she's just feeling it still, has a bit of buyer's remorse that they upsold her on her BBL because they like got, she got the deluxe model. They got like they they they sold her on the the absolute package there. But but she's totally right. And that's a great point that there is like multiple little instances of bodily autonomy being a theme. Definitely. I see a little bit of that too. I think I will say like I think I've become so desensitized. And this is one thing that I was interested too. This is something that you know bringing up as a male. I'm like, okay, this is interesting because I, if you're noticing that too, like, okay, good.

I'm just like, okay, yes, they're getting it. Like, you're seeing the, too, that is wrong. Pauly shouldn't be telling Dolores that. Like, that's, like, the basics. So it's good to have, like, some acknowledgement on that. But, like, I think even when it comes to the amount of surgeries and even the fighting, like, I'm talking like going back into the very beginning of the real world and, like, when there was the slap and, like, all of these, like, the line had to be.

somewhere. Reality TV had to pick the line somewhere, and it was basically physical altercations. They were like, okay, like, this is going to be where we collectively, as a society, decide, like, it's gone too far. And it's been pretty like standard that if you

engage in some kind of altercation like that, you're going to be probably fired or on pause or something from whatever show that you're on because it's just like that's been like the zero tolerance. So you're right. It is very interesting. to like watch some of this stuff that we've become desensitized to, like even just physical altercations,

women fighting housewives getting physical. Like these are some things that it's almost like there's, it's had so many like occurrences now, but it's good to be pointing them out and acknowledging them that they're still happening. Yeah, totally. Let's get a quote. What was your standout quote from this episode, Amanda? Okay, yes. So my standout quote this episode.

So I had to go, I'm just, I don't know, I'm on a weird Bill Aden kick right now. And like, I think they've just given us just the little micro doses this season. I'm like, I need more Bill. I need more Bill. And in the fight with Danielle and Teresa, when Danielle's storming out through the kitchen and she turns to Bill and she's like, you go to sleep at night, you're sleeping with the fucking devil. Yeah. That was just, I, that quote, every time I do something this week, I just have a little flash of that.

And it just like brings joy to me. Like, oh, like, poor Bill. And he really was catching like the strays in that fight. Yeah, but I lived for that moment. That was so quotable. And I will not be forgetting about that for a while. Yeah. Like he hadn't even say anything back.

His mouth is full. He's like got a napkin over his mouth. He just basically was just like, oh my guy. Like he's so, again, desensitized. Like, it's just like another day in the life. And I think, I don't know if I just dream this or if he said this in a confessional, like, I think, like, the devil you know is the devil that you is better than the devil you don't know. So he's like, of course, he would rather have

Jen than Danielle is also crazy and, like, it looks, you know, like the devil in the moment. So it's like, you know. Let's talk strategy. Amanda, what was the most, like, interesting strategic element of, of this for you? So I think I have to really, think a lot about Danielle's whole strategy in this because it's like I'm getting a lot of, you know, I'm reading the discourse and I'm trying to wade through all of the opinions on this. And I'm seeing a lot of this idea like, okay, she's a Staten Island girl. And like it's almost like it's kind of expected and people are really kind of glossing over.

Like I think how avoidable it was, how unsurious this fight is. Like, again, like, we're really in the core of Real Housewives going back to like a charity fight. Like we're talking about step and repeats. We're talking about, you know, not being acknowledged at some of these public events and hairdressers and we have all of this like hairdresser, you know, content coming in. And it's like how, what are we even fighting about here? Like this was definitely not serious enough to get physical over.

And it's like, okay, it's somewhere in between Danielle just like being a Staten Island girl and her just like, this is what we do. Like this is how we react to anything. It doesn't matter what it is. Versus, okay, like I'm really upset that Jen is actually slandering me. And instead of me sitting her down and like telling her empathetically and like clearly how I'm feeling and really letting her like know how how, how. this hurt me, I'm just going to like tell her with my glass. It's just like, I want to know why she chose to go that route or if it was just like she didn't expect to even confront. Like she had to know she was going to confront it that night. So there's a lot of questions like

why she felt like it was probably worth her losing her job possibly. And Jen definitely, unfortunately. I mean, I think it's worth pointing out though that well, Danielle's reaction was much too violent. Um, Jen did get physical. physical first because Jen pushed her before. So the physical barrier was crossed by Jen first before Daniel reacted physically with too much violence. Like that was too intense. But the line was crossed by Jen before it was crossed by Daniel, I think, when we're talking about getting physical. No, 100%. And again, like, that's why the law has been created. And there has to be like clear rules. And it was really like when Jen, going back to that when she was sitting with Melissa,

And she's like, no, when she was with Jen, Fesslin, she's like, don't start none, won't be none. And it was just this idea of like, it's like, Doth protest too much. Like, you were starting some and now there is some. Like, you did it to yourself. You played yourself. So I'm not sure, like, what her, what Danielle and Jen strategy both was in getting this storyline pumping and getting this to really be a main part of the show this season. It was just handled not with. care and it was really sloppy and we saw how that turned out.

Yeah. I think that this is like a very interesting strategic question that is still unanswered for me as well. I don't have as many questions about like Danielle's strategy, but I do about Jen because like this is it's pretty clear when we see Jen talking about this. This is something that you know, the actual issue that she's making this fight be about is not really something that's all that important about it. If you're watching it back, you can see she's like smirking about the things that she's like bringing up

that she knows is like going to really piss Danielle off. It's not about this actual charity. She's looking for a fight here. I'm not entirely sure exactly why. Maybe she sees that Danielle is already

moving over to the other side and she's just ready to kind of like make that be a conflict that she can, you know, have with the other side of things. I think one of the interesting things about, um, about Danielle is that her like, she is such a emotional, like she plays with so much heart. Her, the way that she's going to react is like predictable. You can see like, if I do this, she is going to make this move. And if I like say this, then she is going to, you know, do this. You can really kind of see how she's going to respond, how that could affect the dynamics amongst the group.

She's like, she's, uh, almost has like no free will because she can be controlled by, you know, external forces by like so many different, in so many different ways. And I think that she's kind of an interesting contrast to Dolores who plays the game so conservatively, it almost seems like she's not playing at certain points. But you know that she is. because we see her in her confessional talking about like, I've learned when to just let someone destroy themselves. And we see when she's like observing this,

this fight where Danielle and Jen are yelling at each other. Danielle like sees what's going on. She says like, oh, there's no way that Jen actually like cares about this thing. Like she's got such a clear read on what is going on. But she's just staying back and observing and really choosing her moments. And I just really like them. as a like complete opposite style of like strategic housewife.

Totally. Definitely. That shows like the experience in the difference of the two of them, you know, Dolores, just even lifewise being older, mature, wiser, having been through a lot of stuff, longer tenured on housewives. I think she just knows. And with Jersey too, the cast doesn't change as much. So it's like I think that they have all just pegged each other and figured out.

it's almost like when you're with your partner, like you know exactly what buttons to push because you know them so well. Like they've all become like this family where they all know the exact buttons to push. And it's like they've just, it's like they should have maybe switched the cast up or like done this a while ago or something.

Like because that maybe wouldn't have gone this far. But it is interesting to see like how it's all playing out this season. Yeah, totally. Dylan, did you have anything that stood up to you strategy wise? Yeah, I mean, Dolores has the line. Jackie's the nuclear bomb right now. And I think that's also been a big theme of this episode is just like treating Jackie as this important piece that we have to still see how it lands.

And Jackie has clearly made a choice that she's going to go into this party as though she is auditioning for Team Teresa. And I think she was a little surprised to discover that they are, they are actually going to audition her too rather than just give her the job. Yeah. I think she was not expecting to get as much kind of resistance or like them. Because as Teresa said, she needs Jackie. She needs her to attack Margaret or to give up the dirt on Margaret. But they're being careful with it.

They're being careful to make sure that Jackie is going to play the role that they want her to play. and I think that kind of caught Jackie off guard how much that they're going to like be careful about her and not just be like, oh, welcome to the team. Thanks for joining. Here's your badge and your hairnet. And I think a great moment of that was when we have Jackie try to apologize to Dolores. And like you said, Craig, Dolores is such a cool, calm, conservative presence that I think Jackie wasn't prepared that when she would go and be like, oh, let's squash this. I'm sorry. And Dolores just being like, no.

I'm not. We're not going to do that. Just like just being a total pillar of strike that'd be like, nope, not, not doing that right now. Sorry. Yeah. That was all really, really,

really fact to me. She wasn't, because even Dolores and Teresa both said earlier in the episode, like, Jackie thinks she knows it all. She thinks she's better than all of us. Yeah. And they had her clocked and had her number. So they already knew it wasn't really like a friendship.

thing. But like we were saying, Jackie doesn't really know for being so smart. She's really getting played. And that's what's so compelling about this. And even just Rachel Fuda saying that she is the laughing style of Bravo right now. I mean, I really think she is. Like, I think even other housewives are like, LOLing at her. They're like, girl, you really fumbled this. Like, you had no idea that they were just going to use you. Like, how did you not know that? And she really had a genuine friendship with Margaret and a genuine friendship with Dolores off camera. Well, not Dolores, maybe so much, but at least not like a, you know, a hatred. But with Margaret for sure, Jackie and Margaret were real friends.

So it's like, it's kind of like she's blindsided too probably. It's a lot. Yeah, totally. I just love how how like I said earlier, naked the strategy is here because we see the like complete acknowledgement that this is a hundred percent of transactional relationship. And there's still some bartering to be done. Like you said, they're auditioning.

Like, am I actually going to get what I need out of this relationship? Because it is clear that Jackie will get a, like a boost in sales of her book if she's able to successfully defect a team Teresa. But will Teresa actually get what she wants and take down to Margaret? That is definitely still like TBD because I don't, I don't know that Jackie has the, like, the arsenal on Margaret that, you know, Margaret has on everyone else. That is a good point.

When Teresa says, like, Jackie better use her big mouth. And she's like, I think those are exact words. Like, she better use that big mouth of her. Like, if she's going to be coming on my team, like, you better start yapping. And I think it's like I'm not sure she's showing up really with the receipts that, like you're saying the arson. that really is needed. And I guess we'll have to see if anything gets pulled out. It was a great moment when Jackie says to Dolores like,

oh, like Margaret always says terrible things about you. She just doesn't put it in writing. And Dolores is like, so I guess she's smarter than you then. Yeah. It's ice cold. Yeah, she's not even offended by it. Yeah, I thought you came to play, Jackie, but you're not showing me that you're ready to play right now, you know?

Yeah. And that is so good for like so many reasons. Because also, Jackie prides herself on her intelligence. So for Dolores to immediately take a shot right at that and swipe that down, I love that. There is one other piece of strategy that I do want to talk. Just a little moment that I really liked was when they were having this conversation about Margaret being terrible around Jen Fessler. I thought that this is definitely a clear decision on the part of Teresa in order to implicate Jen Fessler in. talking shit about Margaret because it immediately puts Jen Fessler in this almost no-win

situation where like she can either speak up on behalf of Margaret and that's going to cause a problem or she can keep her mouth shut and then Margaret is going to be upset like why didn't she stick up to me towards Teresa so I I really liked that you know Teresa saw this opportunity to just like talk shit about Margaret in front in front of Jen and it's like, what are you going to do? And I think that, you know, Jen Fessler really made the right decision in walking away because, like, that's really about all she, she could do to get out as ahead in that situation as, as she could. But, yeah, just love Teresa, like, taking an opportunity there to steal a few, a few chips from the pot. Yeah, the juxtaposition of Teresa

on her healing journey this season and, you know, going to the sanctuary. and the Buddhas and Tulum and just all of this stuff. And the second somebody brings up Margaret and the words, the toxicity that comes out of her mouth, it is just the one thing that cannot get her. Even Louie or people come, it's like she almost has this calmness or even when they were with the Fuda sitting down. It's like you really, you can't get her activated, but Margaret can still get her so activated. And it's really, really interesting.

It's like, it's almost like, I don't even think it would be a match. But it's just because Teresa has given it so much power now. It's grown beyond her control. Yeah. All the Buddha's heads in the world won't stop Margaret from affecting her that way. It's crazy. Like she can handle anything except for that. Also, since you mentioned it, I just want to say, I really like the theme for their party being Tulum and Touloum being identified.

It's just like heatedism for them. And then we get Danielle giving her definition of hedonism, which is like, it's like you want to go on a vacation and everybody's like getting naked and fucking each other or something like that. It's just like, yeah, I guess. I don't know. That's like my other favorite jersey theme is just like truly the level of like them just not knowing anything. Yeah. It's like being willing to talk about things they don't know about too, which is always good. Yes, it's such confidence.

Like they are, it's like their own language. Yeah. Also, if you were like a Yucatec Maya watching the show, how do you think you would feel about hearing that refer to Tulum, like, one of the most important ancient Mayan cities as like, it's the place where you drink a bunch of cocktails and get naked. That's what it means. That's like, Touloum just means getting naked and drinking cocktails. No, it's like, now Tulum is ruined for me. Yeah. It's like not cool anymore.

Let's talk highlights. Amanda, what other highlights he have from this episode? Yes. So I think one other thing, going back to Dolores and Jackie a little bit, that I'm just, I'm still trying to figure out with them. And one of my favorite little parts is, you know, they're sitting at the party. They're kind of out by like that water feature. And she, and Dolores proceeds to tell Jackie that like friendship sometimes need a break.

And I think that Jackie having no idea. in that moment that Dolores was talking about her and she's going on about March. And she's like, and Dolores is like, it's like, again, it's almost like that it's going so easily over her head that it's comical.

And that's why I think like some of them have got to this point where like they're even seeing the camp like within themselves on the show and they're knowing that this is, you know, part of what is going to be Jackie's story. And it is this downfall of like her IQ, I think. It's like she's just not getting it. But that to me was just another like highlight of that whole conversation that again,

Jackie's just not getting it. And I just can't get over. Like I am really chomping at the bat. Like I'm literally salivating just to get a current statement. Because even as much as when she was on Watch What Happens Live like a week ago, and Andy was like, you're really going to bite your tongue next week when like you see the shit, everyone's been talking about you. And so now that that's aired,

I'm just dying to know, like, is Jackie going to totally continue to bury her head in the sand with this? Is she going to just go full throttle team Teresa, like just I have nothing left to give, leave it all on the floor, or is she going to start to backpedal? I'm watching very closely.

Yeah, totally. Dylan, how about you? What highlights do you have? Just quickly, to wrap up my thoughts on the saloon party, it's great that Teresa has this, like ethereal twink sprite friends who's named Jesus or Jesus who just kind of

appears in a couple of scenes. It's all you always want a good party to seem to have like one random, unexplained presence who you never see again. So good for that. Good for Jesus. And I just, I really like the way the episode ends too. Like it was just like a great like crescendo leading up to the,

the violent confrontation. But to have the little epilogue be, uh, both Gen Aiden seeming, oddly calm. So you wonder if she's like kind of in shock or if she's like immediately transitioning into gears turning trying to think about the next step.

We will see. And also having this kind of like crappy quality footage of Danielle and Nate going back home in the car. This like live leak looking footage of with Nate being kind of like a lady Macbeth figure there. Being kind of kind of being like the yes

you were you were right. In fact you should you should go further. this is, you don't know how right you are, kind of. I can't remember his exact words, but that was the vibe I was getting. It felt like very like Lady Macbeth. If that's like Nate's actual secret role, awesome. I'm here for it. No, that's a good point.

I think that a lot of these husbands do kind of play that role. These women are such strong personalities and such alphas that I think a lot of the husbands probably do do that behind closed doors and in a lot of these situations. So I think that was interesting to see that. But it's one of my pet peeves, actually, I hate, I'm still glad we didn't get it to be continued. I think that would have drove me up the wall. It wouldn't have made sense this season when they're really trying to get the ratings up. And I was expecting at any minute for it to cut and go to be continued.

But we saw the whole fight. We got to see, like you said, everybody kind of leaving and the cleanup of it. And like you said, like how it ended, I felt a little bit calmer about that. But I don't know how we're going to move forward. We're going to, yeah, see. Yeah. I think we covered most of my highlights as well. I do wonder what the connection between Buddha and Tulum is,

why it was so important for Teresa to get a big Buddha. I really love when the shopkeeper was like, oh, no, that's part of the story that's not for sale. And Trees is like, well, I've got a Touloum party. So that's why. You know, that's just kind of accepted. It's like, okay, well, we'll see what we can do. She said it was tipsy in Tulum.

I'm like, oh, my gosh, there's just no. No spatial awareness. Let's get into our stars then. Amanda, who are your stars from this episode? Okay, yes. So when I saw stars on there, I didn't know if it was like one to three, like rate at one to three stars. So I just did like a rating of three stars. I was like, this is three stars for me because I was only entertained.

But I can definitely whip up three stars. I could definitely say my three stars of the show. I mean, I'm like, I would laugh and really say like, like you said, Jesus slash Jesus. Like, I don't know if like a star is born when they show us some of these side characters. If it's like, are they going to reappear? It's going to come up again. Is it like when Lena was at like the puppy brunch party? Like, is she going to come back later?

Is Jesus going to come back later? He's a star. Jesus usually. He will later. Yeah, that whole scene could have been cut because you're right. I watched it like three times. And I'm like, is this an Easter egg? Is it something happy?

No, it's literally just Dolores getting food and him saying, I'm going to have to like, unbunbut in my pants later. I'm going to be so full. And it's like this funny like exchange. No one needed that. Yeah, exactly. Right. Like we clearly did.

We needed it. The comic relief. Sometimes they find these little comic relief moments. I think Louis was a star this season or this episode. I think that he, again, is really trying to pick his moments. Like, he's been gray rocking us all season so far, not really speaking on camera unless he's in these episodes and these moments with Teresa. And he's not really, like, giving us a lot.

But when he gets around these men, like, these men are infectious. And I see why they find themselves into like every scene and why they're so, like, you know, attention and horrors really, because everybody, but he just wants to be around them. So Louis hanging out with the guys and like him just being like, I don't have underwear on and like shaking his hips back and forward. Then everybody would be like, this dude is so weird.

Like there's no way to be hanging out with him when we weren't at his house. Like who invited this guy? And they're just finding these like, I don't know what the editors again are trying to like do to us this season with him. If they're trying to get us to like him again. If they're just trying to show us like how insane he is. But I'm starting to like, hate him so much that I like him. He's the star.

That's basically, that's basically describes what I feel about him too. I also love the moment where he's like preparing for the parties out in the back. There's all these people that they've hired or like going about their day and about their business getting things. And he's there like quarterbacking

them. He's like, oh yeah, just put that over there. You're the bartender. Thanks for coming. You're not needed here. You're not doing anything. Yeah, I try to really keep like, get me a glass of water, then stop talking to me, please. Yes. Oh, my gosh. They also have all of these videos of him.

He always is like high-fiving everybody. It's like, he's like a toucher and he has to like be touching everybody in the room. And it's just like, oh my gosh. So funny. I love watching him. My number one star of the show, I don't know. Like I go back and forth, but I think, I do think Danielle is a star. I think she has been wanting this her whole life.

She's born for reality TV. We know this. she could have had a different path. Like she could have went on so many different bad girls clubs. She could have been on real world. She could have been on a challenge somewhere. Like she was just destined to be somewhere in the universe and how she ended up on

here is interesting. I'm not, I don't know if it was like, it's just she, I feel like she's that meme where she's on the first step and then you skip the 10 steps in between and you just go right to the top step. Like she probably needed some refining and some like experience in the middle before she got to housewives, especially Jersey being like such an intense and like between the fandom and just the history.

There's a lot there if you're going to come and play ball there. So I think she's a star. I think she did take it too far this episode, but are we not entertained? Yes. Jen, I think also it makes me feel a little bit better that she didn't seriously get her. And like I actually remember thinking to myself like, okay, did it? God forbid she gets cut. You know, Bill hopefully can stitch it up and like she'll be okay.

There wasn't a drop of blood inside. So hopefully, you know, we'll see. Dylan, who are your stars? You know what? I'm going to give my first star to Jackie. She made for great TV. Just a great, she was just a great character here. Just like her failures and her awkwardness and the importance that's placed on

her by the other characters just made her just a very compelling piece in the center of it. And the fact that it just felt very uncertain. Like it wasn't like it didn't feel like she was playing out any strategy the way you would expect it to go, the way she would expect it to go the way anybody else expected to go. It just felt like she was like really just trapped in an unexpectedly vulnerable and volatile situation of the party. So it made for great TV. So let's give Jackie a first star.

I've and I guess kind of related to that I'll give Dolores a second star I've been giving her a lot of stars I think so far this season but again her her reaction to Jackie was great and she continues to have a really good season and seeing her more implicated again is has been a huge boost to this season um third star I could easily give it to Jed Aidan but I'll also give a star to Daniel like you did Amanda for a lot of the same reasons and just to kind of combine two of the points we've made. Yes, I think she's an absolute natural born reality TV star. And yes, she is also very unfinished and unstrategic. And the combination of the two is great. She is like she is so volatile and is so expressive and is so not totally ready for the spotlight, the way that a lot of people are ready in the sense that she is great TV, but not ready in the sense that she is not a strategic player yet. And that's awesome.

Yeah, overly producing herself. Yeah. Yeah. So just and the way that she reacted to that fight and like you said, the way she calls out Bill on her way out. So incredible. Beautiful moment. Yeah. I think Danielle has to be my number one star as well. I yeah, for all the reasons that you mentioned, I love the way that she talks and she is able to like really just load her words in a way that is not typical of a lot of people that we see. Like the way that. in that the live leak scene that we get where she's like, you're such a great father or whatever she says, the way that she's able to load that word, I just thought was, you know, very impactful.

Then I will get my second star to Jen Aden because her ability to poke the bear, be active. I just love Jed Aden. I think that she's such a great housewife, so got to give her a star. It does take guts to go up to De Daniel like that. like you said, Craig, you know that she's, that her reactions are going to be very emotional.

And, um, and Jededa knows that as well as anybody. So it, it, it took guts for her to decide this is the decision I'm going to make here. I'm going to go head to head with her and do everything I can to provoke her, basically. Yeah, totally. And then my third star is going to be very brief shout out that we got to Rachel's arthritis. I don't know why she thinks that like she should keep bringing this up. It is the least compelling storyline. I think I've ever heard of,

at least since Sutton's esophagus that we got on Beverly Hills, was so unnecessary. But I did really, like, Rachel is really growing on me this season. We didn't get much of her this episode, but I like that when, like,

she went into the backyard. She's just like, oh, it smells like dog shit out here. Like, immediately, like, painting a picture for us of what her yard is like,

that is in contrast to what we're getting visually. Like, I can smell her yard. I understand that she is not, like, cleaning up the dog shit, like, regularly. So I just love that little piece of color that we got as a result of how she operates. Yeah. Also, we haven't mentioned John Fuda, but he had a great shirt in the show. I think if you cross your eyes, while you're looking at that shirt, you'll see, like, a pony in silhouette.

So it continues to be aesthetically fascinating that man. Well, we're going to jump into Real Housewives of Dubai right away. Before we do that, if you're enjoying our discussion, please be sure to like and subscribe if you're watching on YouTube or subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Leave us a review and a comment because that helps us out a ton. Let's us know that we're not shouting into the void, which sometimes it feels that way, to be honest. Yeah, Dylan, how is your week? Pretty good. Last episode, I think I was literally just complaining the whole time.

I was in a terrible mood and completely tanked the episode. I'm doing pretty good right now, though. Had a bit of a roller coaster ride last night because I was watching the Game 7 Stanley Cup final of Oilers and Panthers. And to all the people listening, which is probably 99% of you who are sick of me making hockey references when you don't care about hockey. Good news. The season is over. Bad news. The Oilers lost.

That made me a little upset. But then I watched Furiosa right after. And then my mood came right up because Furiosa is awesome. Nice. I was sad, too. I was rooting for the Oilers as well. Oh, yeah? Yeah.

Well, we were a Rangers fan, so I was watching the Rangers. Yeah, until they were out. And they lost to Florida. And I went to a game. Right. I played off game down in Florida. It was great. Oh, wow.

Oh, nice. Awesome. Nice. Wait, did you see a game that the Rangers won or that they lost? They actually did win in their series. Yeah, I believe it was game three maybe of their series with the Panthers. It was a good game. That's always great to go into another team.

games arena and have your team beat them. Yes. It's always a little tense too. It's almost like being in like a housewives arena and it's like, okay, you're going in like the Teresa section, but you know you're like a Daniel. It's like, oh God, like what's going to happen over there? It's like BravoCon and everybody got a different merge on. Yeah.

Yeah. Are they going to start throwing drinks or maybe plastic rats at me? Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, I've, I had a good week as like some of our, viewers will see, I have got rid of the big long beard. It's quaffed today, folks.

Yeah, I was, I was tired of getting recognized. Everyone's like, oh, you know, you're from that Housewise podcast, right? No. Yeah, no, I was at, we were having a, like, a birthday party for my wife last week. And my nephew came up to me and was like, oh, what spells do you know? You look like a wizard. I'm like, okay, it's time to, like, give it the, give it the trip. him. So yeah, looking, looking fresh.

And did you forget all your spells after you tripped it? Yeah, exactly. They're all gone. All my power. Let's get into Real Housewives of Dubai. Amanda, do you want to give us a summary of what happened this episode? Okay, yes. So a couple of main themes I was seen happening this episode were a lot of, I'm surprised to see so much like Sergio. And Sergio really being like a main. And we talk about a lot on the other housewife franchises as well. As like, are the men getting too wrapped up in the women's affairs?

Are they on screen getting too much camera time? Like, do we need the men around this much? And Sergio is just like the epitome of that to me. Like I can't figure out yet if I'm like loving everything he's bringing to the show. Because I really like this like bitchiness that he does bring. out in Caroline and it's like almost her her best self and she's like oh god i've had enough so i'm kind of loving like the whole theme of him um and then Caroline again just being the queen be this season so far for me anyway which i'm surprised because i am an ogy ladies of london so i've

had stanbury in my life for a while and um i never really like died for her or not like i kind of could take her. I always thought she was like a key player, but I didn't love her or hate her. And it's been like a slow burn because in season one of Dubai, I kind of like how she came across and just even her whole wedding to Sergio and everything and her being this like cougar and just everything that she's kind of like bringing to quintessential housewives like bringing us back. Like a lot of people are talking about how Dubai is like bringing us back to this like quintessential housewives fun and just like light again and older women dating younger guys. And it's. it's been really good watching like the evolution of Caroline Stanbury and watching her.

And then also her frenemy situation with Caroline Brooks now and then seeing how the episode ended with her sitting down with Caroline Brooks. And basically like Caroline, I think I have to just say like it's got to be her alcohol intake because I'm like, how can I hate her so much in certain like social situations and just be like I can't deal. And then when she sits down to have this, like, logical conversation, I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, I kind of love her and think she's totally essential as in a part of this ensemble cast. So I am, I'm seeing some other layers to Brooks, too. But Caroline, to me is this big, Caroline Stamberry is this big, like, through line that I'm really focused on this season. Yeah, I think, like, she is the second most compelling person on this cast for me. But yeah, she's, her and Chanel Ayan are the two absolute breakout stars of this.

And really the main reason that I tune in to watch this. Let's talk about the artistic presentation. I will start with you. Amanda, did anything stand out in terms of themes? So I'm seeing this theme that they're presenting to us a little bit, like through Sarah, about the eyes of Sarah through Matouk and her son and just kind of like how he's seen all women and all men. And he even has this line, this episode where I think Sarah asked him,

like, well, do you just think all men are bad? And it's kind of like this big underlying kind of gotcha because it is Dubai. And there's so much, like, again, layered. and just a lot of, you know, opinion about Dubai and how they have a lot of rules, especially against how women can behave. And it's just, again, like, there's giving us these subtle ways of showing us. Like, I know Dubai, of course, like the tourism board had to have some kind of things, like they want us to see through the lens of the show.

Like, they want us to go visit and spend money there and not think of Dubai as this, like, bad place that's tainted with bad men. but they're still kind of giving us these little winks, even if it's Matuk, giving them to us. So I kind of like them reminding us, like, okay, it's very glossy,

it's very shiny. It's all gold and glittery, but like it's a little dark underneath all of this too. Don't forget that. Yeah, totally. Dylan, how about yourself? Yeah,

I think that was really interesting what you said, Amanda. And I think that's something that's starting to interest me a little bit about the show. I think I said at, when we first started watching it, I didn't watch the first season, and I wasn't super eager to see a show set in Dubai because it seemed like just like a not interesting place to me. It feels kind of like a giant airport terminal. But like the nice part of the airport terminal where you need like a certain credit card to get into. But it doesn't feel like it has a sense of place. But what you said was really interesting. And I think there is a lot of there's almost an off-screen tension about like what Dubai. were allowed to see.

And that influences the idea that these people are kind of in a in a gilded cage kind of situation, like where it's like they're in a very luxurious lifestyle and they're in kind of a protected zone. And there's kind of things about what we can see and not see. And I think we got a little hint about that also when Lisa is showing her mother around too. And we get like a little glimpse outside the gilded cage. Not too much. It's still like clearly a pretty tourist friendly area where they go. But like the fact that, uh, that her mother is like, you know, when are you going to come back? And she's saying to her mother, like, well, when are you

going to move here? Give us kind of like one foot out the door. And like we get for the first time this season, uh, kind of a reckoning with the idea that the entire world is not in this little bubble that they inhabit. And I thought that that made the setting feel like a little bit more of a real thing that has like off-screen tensions that might be impacting the characters. Yeah, totally. Definitely. I like that, you know, when Lisa's mother was like, I don't want to be dependent on you

because as soon as I go into that bubble, like I can't operate independently there. So, yeah, I think that is a really great observation. That kind of leads into the theme that I identified for this episode being family, just the relationship that someone in Dubai has with their family is kind of an interesting one that we saw shown last episode where Lisa was talking about, you know, as a community of expats, we, you know, we have all these relationships with people back home. that have to change as a result of us not living nearby. And we saw that develop through the relationship with Lisa and her mother on this episode. But there was some other moments in here regarding family. Like you called out Amanda where we see Sarah and her son. We see that dynamic and how a potential threat to that dynamic in the form of like a new relationship with another man joining.

how that could impact the relationship. And then also with Caroline and Sergio and Caroline's daughter, Yasmin, really like giving Sergio a lot of shit for being clingy and whatnot. I thought that that was just a really interesting through line through all these relationships to really focus on family, which is something that like we see throughout Housewives pretty, that's a common theme. but I feel like on Dubai, it hasn't been as forward as it has been up until up until now. So I really, really like that a lot. And then also just a fun little bookend moment where we opened on the hypnotherapy, Princess Diana's hypnotherapist. And then it closes on Brooks confessional being like, you're not Princess Diana, like referring to Caroline.

So I just really like that bookend a lot. That's true. The hypnotherapist was really, you knew I was going to like the hypnotherapist, Craig, and a long-time listeners, but really funny. Just like, she just lies you down to the couch, like, close your eyes. You're entering an REM state. No, she isn't. She literally just closed her eyes and just talking to you in her normal voice.

She's not in an REM state. Come on. Yeah, even when Carolyn got up, she was like, yes, I feel great. Like, it just was like, okay. We had a conversation with my eyes closed for five minutes. Wow, I'm cured. Exactly. Therapy with my eyes closed, which is very burnish, I can see, being like, okay, like,

if I were not in the room with me and I just pretend, it's okay. Yeah. Yeah, I think that that is a lot of interesting themes. What was a quote that stood out for you? Okay, yes. So, oh, I talked about a little bit about the all are all men, bad with Sarah and Mattook. That really has stuck with me. I liked him. I even liked Little Matouk last season. And so I'm glad that they're shooting with him. And like you said, it is interesting to see

the family side of things because some of the women when they're at home are feeling with their husbands and having these conversations. And we're getting to see these sides of them when they're at home and they're more vulnerable than when they're with the girls and they're in these like defensive brunches and stuff. And so when they're at home, home and they're having these like walls down conversations. It's interesting that Sarah is having them with Matuk. And it really shows, I think, when it comes to her dating later and just all of the questions she has for Daniel. And she's like, well, if you're going to be with me, then I'm going to be talking about aliens 400, 48, 975, or whatever, she starts spinning these numbers out. And it's like,

okay, okay, we get it. Like you're really into aliens, but it's just showing me like, she, everything that she says when you give her a chance to speak is so good. And I'm, I'm really interested in like the Sarah of it all too. And everything that she says to Matouk is very quotable. Yeah. I think when I first saw Sarah in the first episode, I think I said on the show that like right away it was like Burning Man vibes. And it like, she's just like really reinforced that this episode with her like right away being like, I want to talk about aliens. But you know, it's like, no, they're not on earth, but more like in another dimension. You know, it's just like, oh, bad.

Like, I feel like if you just let her talk, it's going to go into the craziest places. Also, that little clip of, of the guy, uh, whatever his name was asking her, like, oh, what do you do? And she says, I'm a spiritual gangster. Yeah. That's the most embarrassing thing you could possibly say. It's so cringe. And I, it is so cringe.

I did not think that. Like, in the beginning, when I first met Sarah as a housewife, I was like, first of all, this is like perfect casting. Like, you know, like, it was just like, she's beautiful. She's smart. She's from what you can really see from her, like, Instagram blueprint. She is all of these things that she presents herself to be. So, like, I did definitely drink a little bit of like Sarah Kool-Aid in the beginning.

I'm like, this girl's dope. And then now I'm learning, like, is the more, she really is so out of touch. She's, like, the least self-aware out of all of them, including even Ion. And it's like, it's just really, really interesting to watch her. like I'm, I'm like addicted to Sarah. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Crazy.

Let's talk about the strategy. Anything stand out to you? Dylan, we'll start with you. Anything stand out in terms of strategic decisions here? Not really. I'm not, I'm struggling to see what the strategy is, I think, at this point. So I'm not too sure, honestly. Yeah.

How about you, Amanda? Yeah, sorry. I'm just not answering the question. I'm passing. No. That's actually a good point because I do think about this. Like there was a lot of time in between filming the first season and the second season. And then there was a lot of time, what I understand, in between filming the first episode of the second season, almost like it was like a re-pilot.

And then time where they picked up cameras before the second episode again. So we're almost seeing like there was a little bit of time in between. And then now we're seeing things pick up again. And I don't know if that was because they were just testing to lean or. what they were doing and why there was like a little bit of a break. Um, with Dubai, it could be all kinds of different things. Like, it could be even just licensing to shoot certain places or like, whatever.

Like there was definitely, I heard like a little bit of a break. So it, you can tell that it's almost like them trying to like gain. They're like throwing everything at the wall. Okay, what's going to stick? What's going to stick? Like, let's fight about this. Okay, not this. Like, they're getting kind of feedback from each other like within the fights even and

being like, no, I don't think you guys should, should do that. It's, it's interesting because the alliances aren't so strong. Like the teams aren't so strong yet, but you can see them starting a little bit. But then I think we're going to be surprised because even Tallinn, who seems to be ride or die for Brooks, it seems like they tease out in the season that even they maybe could end up on separate teams. So like you said, I'm not really sure like exactly what they're trying to do here, but I definitely know they're trying to housewife. Like I know by Carolyn Stanmerie being like, I'm going to un-invite Carolyn Brooks from this party. That's like the power move.

like you don't get to come film. Yeah. Like you don't get to come to this party. You get to miss out on everything we're going to do tonight. And that is like the number one like dagger to a housewife. So she's really going for the throat. But I guess Brooks had it coming. Yeah.

By calling her a senior next Tuesday. Yeah. I did think they're making a very big deal out of using that word to a British woman because it's like that's not a big deal to British people, right? It is to Americans and Canadians. but it's like British people love calling their mates cunt. They do it all the time. Yes.

I don't think that she was really that offended. I think that she just saw an opening. And that was again like, I agree. Yeah. She was like, okay, perfect. Like, I'm going to get her back in this way.

And I think too, like, I can't confirm or deny this if I'm just paranoid or maybe this is what I would be thinking if I was the house of Dubai. But I think that there is again, like this underlying tone of like, okay, this is going to air. And like, we live in this country where like even, just socially, I might start to be, like, viewed as a certain thing. And I think that's why the fight with Tallene and Brooks and Stanberry has gotten so out of hand because it's really at the

core about them being inappropriate and drunk in public. And if that, like, gets back to the gods of Dubai, whoever they may be, maybe they would ask the show or, like, maybe they would not allow them to, like, participate in certain things socially. And I think as expats and people that have moved from other countries, like maybe this circle is like all they have. And so they're really trying to protect it and make sure that nobody's acting too crazy and using like too foul of language because I don't, I don't know if the rules have changed as of today, you know, 2024, but I don't think that women can even like swear in public there. So I think that they have some things where they're like, okay, if we're going to be filming in public, like you can't be

using words like that. There's this off screen like, hey, you're crossing the line. that's a really interesting point because they may live in this bubble of expats where they're kind of allowed to live their lives the way they want to but by choosing to put it on camera they're exposing their behavior to whatever authorities and other people outside of their bubble might who are seeing what they're doing too so that's an interesting point that's an interesting point that's a interesting point if that's a case i would really like to be able to see that a bit more in some like way like tangible way like either expressed or yeah I would love for them to discuss frustration with that but again I think it almost goes back to the control of like they were like okay you're only going to be able to make this show if it like makes Dubai look good so it's like this puppet mastering but we're getting like a version of Dubai yeah I think the most interesting strategic thing this episode you touched on an Amanda is you know Carolyn Stanbury deciding to uninvite Brooks you know like you said she's they're trying to

housewife here then they're really trying to make something happen Stanbury is obviously really experienced at that from being on ladies of London and is really good at making things happen that's why she's latching on to whatever she can whether you know it's someone calling her something or whether it is, you know, someone being too drunk and exposing themselves in public, I, she's trying to make something happen and I appreciate that from her. But overall, I agree, Dylan, I am struggling to get into Dubai. It's like, you know, it's just, I don't know, not really resonating with me. I don't know if that is, as you said, Amanda, because we're getting like a sterilized version as a result of them having to navigate.

through these, you know, these restrictions that they have. But it's it's not really hitting with me yet. But we'll see. We'll see how the season goes. Yeah, I had really low expectations when we started it. So I think that's why I'm like, like I almost even at BravoCon when I saw the trailer and everything, I was like, eh, like leave it, you know. But they knew what they were doing, like releasing it during this drought.

And like I'm lapping up like every sip of housewives right now. now. They did a good job doing it on now. Put it that way. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Let's get into highlights. Amanda, what other highlights do you have from this episode? So one really fun highlight that I don't know again, like it's like the camp of this like is housewives just starting to maybe like as every franchise starting to turn this corner. But I'm just finding like hilarious. These moments that probably like really aren't that funny that are just so. funny to me. But so Michael, Caroline Stambray's friend obviously has been hosting Sergio and her for a few months. And it seems like the hijinks and stuff that I've been sued while they've been there have

been pretty funny. And Michael's definitely got that like, it's okay. Like we're good, like smiling through his teeth, but like you can tell he wants to like kill them. And then when he has the cake brought out, that is the cake of his boot kicking them out and the little figurines and the dog and Louis Vuitton luggage. Like that moment to me was just so I haven't seen like a cake moment that was so funny since like Heather Dubrow's cake. So like it was just like really good to see like a cake moment. And like also a really stupid silly like we're back to silly party themes and we're done with the like everything having to be like a murder mystery or like a great Gatsby. It's like we've gotten like a more creative with like the tipsy and Touloum and now we're having this good riddance party.

Like just parties for like no reason. And that's really housewivesy too. So I think that like that highlight of that like that whole thing of of Caroline living with them and then just the idea that like Sergio basically just has to do whatever Caroline wants. And it's kind of just along for the ride and is living at like her best friend's house. The whole thing is really funny to me. Totally. Dylan, how about yourself? I don't understand why they're so mean to Sergio. I kind of feel for the guy.

No. I'm starting to feel bad. They're so mean to maybe he sucks. I don't know. I feel like I haven't seen enough. He probably sucks. He probably sucks. But nobody treats him like a real person.

They just treat him like shit. No one. They trade him so bad. And Sara like pulls him off to the side. And she's like, come on, buddy. Like, you know, she's got like what. Like, well, Sarah is actually my age, which is so scary to me. Like I feel like I could be like her daughter.

She just presents herself in such a way. But we're actually the same age. But Sergio was, I got a. say at least like a decade younger than us. So I think that everyone does just view him as like little brother vibes. And just the way she takes him over to the table. And he's like, I was going to cry. Like I was really upset today over the hypotherapist.

And it's, she's just like, okay, they're there. Like everybody kind of just dismisses him. But you can tell that's like bubbling. And I'm interested to see where that goes even just between Caroline and Sergio. Like, are they going to stay together? I think it's like, oh, go ahead. Don't. No, I was going to say, Sarah seems to be.

the only one, like you said, who does kind of treat him with some measure of respect. And then she's the one who pushes him in the pool at the end when they're all making fun of him. And Carolyn's daughter is like, oh, you got to wear a dress, which I'm sure is what you've always dreamed of. Like just a weird, like homophobic spite for no reason. And then he gets pushed to the pool. He comes out. And his wife's like, hey, everybody, look. His pants are see-through.

Like, it's like he's going through a nightmare in that moment. He is. He totally got traumatized at that party. Yeah. So I was curious about this comment about that Yasmin made, like Sergio, did that fulfill your lifelong dream of wearing a dress? Like,

whether she intended that to be homophobic or not, but it definitely like rocked him. Like he was not secure enough in his masculinity to like run with that. Like it shook him and he was like really sensitive about it. And so it definitely felt homophobic as a result. But I think that, like, I don't know, I think Sergio sucks. I think that the way that he responded to this, like, hypnotherapist at the beginning lurking around the corner. That was pretty funny.

Then, like, making it all about himself when, you know, the takeaway that Carolyn had was like, oh, I need to, like, respect the agency of my husband more and not micromanage him. And then he gets all pissy about it and is like, oh, you don't micromanage me. Like, no one can do that to me. I'm a man. And like just the like the insecurity that he has and his masculinity and how tied that is to like his relationship with Carolyn Stanbury is just so like weird to me. And yeah. And then how it manifests itself in conflicts with Carolyn. daughter, like when she's telling him that he's clingy and he's, like, really cut by it.

I don't know. I just, like, I don't like Sergio. Here's the thing for me about Carolyn talking to Sergio after the hypnotherapist thing. She gives his experience, like, no space, no respect. Like, when she's like, oh, I learned that I need to stop micromataging you and he says, you don't micromanage me, she just, like, is like, no, like, that's not the case. I do. Like, it's like, she's not allowing him to say how he.

perceives the situation at all. She is just like, no, no, like, it's just my narrative of the situation is the real one. And yes, you're right. He's absolutely like oversensitive and pissy, and he is like babyish about these things. But I also think that that his wife who married him is like not giving his actual experience and emotions any respect at all. Yeah, that's fair. But if Princess Diana's hypnotherapist tells you you're micromanaging someone, you're micromanaging Oh yeah, she's definitely micromanaging him. But he likes it and he wants it. He wants more of it.

He's like, please don't stop. Like, give me more things to do. Like, he's loving it. So I think that that's where the confusion is, is Caroline thinks it's a bad thing so she wants to stop. But really, I mean, to me it could be just, again, all of the years of the housewives or what, but I'm feeling like breadcrumbs a little bit.

Like I just am feeling like they're not going to end up together and that Caroline's starting to see a little bit of like, okay, this was fun and I've had like a good time. But I think even going back to the conversation Caroline has with him about having to go visit schools with her ex-husband and the way he reacted to that. And like I think just all of these little things that like we think are funny, she probably in real life is like, okay, I cannot deal with this. Like this guy is not seeming to like get off the teat a little bit. Like he's not like unlatching. and she probably thought by now he would. Like I think at first she liked that he was a younger guy

and like kind of brought that like fun and flirty side to her. But I also think Caroline for a while was somebody who was like chasing, getting older. Like she was running away from it in every way possible, like physically getting surgeries and like just as much as going to date a younger guy. And so now I think that she's almost turned this corner where she's liking getting older and like getting into it and being wiser and loving herself.

And she's like, I don't need this like boy toy anymore. So I don't know what's going to happen with them. Not that I want them to break up, but I could just see it being like second husband vibes. Yeah, you're right. They're like a season and a half away from a Valerdial. Oh, yes. By Sergio's request.

Any other highlights from you guys before we move on to our stars here? Nah. Okay. Amanda, do you want to start us off with? with stars. Okay, yeah. So I think it's pretty clear. Caroline Stanberry is just a star to me.

Like she's definitely my star. She, she's kind of like how everyone says about Teresa. Like, oh, well, every storyline's about her. Like, we can't have any scene without her.

Like, even when she's not in the scene, like we're talking about her. Like, that's kind of how Stanberry is in Dubai. And so she's just clearly like the nucleus to me. And I'm like hanging on every word that she says right now. So she's amazing.

Yeah, totally. I love, oh, I also love how she's able to like make like little jabs and like little barbs and they're not really a big deal. That's a quality that it's like you don't see that in a lot of hostwives. She's she's kind of like Lisa Vanderpump in that way where she can have like little barbs and maybe they'll turn something. Maybe it's like not a big deal. But I just think that that's such a fun dynamic. It is. And she also just seems to be like not as sensitive.

even with the cake situation when Yasmin took the, you know, the Caroline and was like, oh, I've always wanted to eat my mother, bite my mother's head off. It's like, Caroline laughed, you know, like she wasn't like, oh my gosh, like that's so embarrassing that my daughter, like, basically said that. But Sergio does take it. So I think that that was probably just Yasmin's personality, but you can tell the difference in being sensitive. Totally. Sergio, obviously a star. Love him or hate him. but he, him being in the hallway and creeping around the corner, like, that is something.

Like, I feel like sometimes, too, we get jaded. Like, we've seen it all. But I don't think we've seen that. I don't think we've seen a husband, like, literally peering around a corner listening to his wife's therapy. Like, that was really good TV. And just seeing, and obviously you see what it does to him. He spirals afterwards.

Like, they shouldn't be there. It's like, you shouldn't go through somebody else's phone unless you want to, like, find something that's going to hurt your feelings. Like she didn't listen to somebody else's therapy if they don't expect them to talk about you and like vent about you. So, oh, poor Sergio. And actually, okay, so my other star too of Dubai right now is Taleen. Like, I feel like Teline was really good casting.

Yeah, I think so. I'm really liking, like, what she's bringing just the energy, her, like, strong personality. I kind of like how she has strong family dynamics and her husband and how he's really kind of like, it seems like he's a pretty important guy about Dubai and has, you know, been involved in a lot of the development of it. And so she kind of seems to me like she could be on the same level as Stanberry, like, as far as having it all and like being able to be like a queen be there. So I think over time watching her develop is going to be good. Yeah, I could see that for sure. Yeah. So much of what you see in Dubai apparently was built by her husband and his family.

I mean, probably actually built by Indian slaves with withheld passports, but he was the guy on the company. Oh, yeah, the face. Yeah. The face that looks like an Easter Island statue. He's got a pretty strong Armenian face. Yes. Dylan, what are your stars here? First star, obviously, Sergio.

This was the Sergio episode for me. He becoming emotionally invested in Sergio made the episode just like an excruciating, almost surreal. like roller coaster psychodrama. It was like Bo is Afraid or something. It was a very, it was great from Sergio's perspective. He's the Star, this was his episode.

After that, let's give a second start of Sarah because, you know, I'd just like seeing more of her and learning more about her and she definitely has like viruses on her computer because she downloads videos

from like Russian conspiracy theory websites. For her. And third starter, Princess Diana's hypnotherapist. It worked out great for the princess and we'll work out great for Carolyn too. Yeah, I think I need to give a star to Sergio, love him or hate him in my case. He made an impact here. I want to give a second star to Carolyn Stanbury. Like you said, seems as though she lives her life like a candle in the wind.

so really love that for her. And then Sarah as well. Sarah is like, I'm just having trouble paking her down. And that is just making it really interesting for me to watch and kind of like see what her next move is and how she's going to navigate because I really, she feels like she's one that is not very strategic in how she operates, but is still like a bit of a fulcrum for a lot of like. like the social dynamics. So yeah, I like that. And her heartfelt journey to try to find love and balance

that with the potential impact on her like family dynamic, I think is compelling. So got to give a start for her there as well. Cool. Well, I think that about does it for the show this week. Thank you so much for doing this, Amanda. Do you want to let everyone know where they can find your podcast and what it's about? Yes, definitely. Bellatox TV is a weekly countdown podcast. So I usually wrangle up about five top reality TV moments. Mostly Bravo-related. I will say I'm a Bravo-heavy podcast,

but I like to pipe in a little bit of some other fun stuff along the way and do a little countdown and talk about just anything relevant going on in the Bravo Sphere. So that's at Bellatox TV on Apple Podcast, Spotify. You can watch the full video episodes on my YouTube, all at Bella Talks TV. Awesome. Dylan,

want to let people know where they can find you? Yeah. Well, first of all, thanks so much, Amanda. That was so much fun. And you can find me

on Substack. Dylan Ferguson is the name. And since we're talking about New Jersey, I'll give another one of my periodic shoutouts to a podcast I did about New Jersey history and the cryptid, the Jersey devil. It's called The Devil You Don't.

So if you like, weird stories pulled from history and crypto zoology. Look up the devil you don't. Awesome. I'm Craig Midwinter. You can just find me on our socials at Bravo Outsider on Instagram and TikTok. Be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube and leave us comment. Let us know that you're listening and you're not just a bot hitting our videos for some reason, trying to scrape my personal data to use my voice in a scam call for my mom or something like that.

I don't know. But leave a comment. Please. Tell me your real out there. Until next week, keep on wiping.