Bros & Shows - Vanderpump Rules Full Recap w/ David Yontef from Behind The Velvet Rope

Episode Date: February 21, 2024

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Get after him or have you shot What do you mean blow up the building From this moment on None of you are safe New episodes every Wednesday Wherever you get your podcasts As there's a drive in a deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a... Oh man, it's 8 o'clock.

And so that'll make it a... I don't need the spotlight. I shine just fine. Hi, I'm Karma. And yes, I am a bitch. Brav Bros. Good evening, everybody, and welcome to a very special episode of The Brav Bros. Well, I guess I don't know.

Because we're doing a joint episode, so I don't know if I should do the Brav Bros. intro. Let me just introduce David Yanta from behind the velvet rope. A big fan of your show. We've been looking forward to this for a long time. How are you today? I've been looking forward to it too. It's a crossover. It's first of hopefully many crossovers and like starting with Vanderpump rolls. So we're starting big guys. Oh yeah. Yeah. Right. And of course, everybody feels a lot to say. Well, yeah, don't yeah. Don't forget about me over here. I'll introduce myself. I'm Shooter McGuter. Oh, yeah. I'm happy to be here. Happy to talk about Vanderpump with David today and steal i guess of course and yeah i mean what better show to start off with especially now

given the recent news the article and then obviously the episode where i guess we should start is do you want to start off with the article should we just get it out of the way right away sure everybody happy with that let's do it i mean i think we have to because i went on instagram and i thought it was a parody account i thought there's no way on earth that tom sand of all And that's saying a lot because he does a lot of stupid shit, but there's no way that he compared his plate to that of O.J. Simpson and George Floyd, I think I understand what he was trying to say as far as like captivating the media. But to make that reference, especially the George Floyd reference, especially during Black History Month, was astounding. I was blown away. I couldn't believe it. Yeah. I mean, it's taken on a life of its own. You know, he's issued. And did you see his statement now? issued a statement. Oh, yeah.

Yep. And I just saw something Gertie from Miami has come out and she's got something to say to Mr. Sandoval. You know what it is? I was doing so many things at once when I read it.

So like it's so insane that like it didn't even process. Like I read it and I was doing a hundred other things. I'm like, wait, what? And then I went back to it. I'm like, what? That's funny because that's honestly

how, that's pretty much how the Scandival evolved for me. I read it or got like 50 text messages from steel and other people and i read the whole thing and i'm like oh wait what what the fuck happened and then i went back and you know i was doing my other things and then after a couple of minutes it kind of set in the article was way different i mean i i thought it was a parody account immediately until i saw the myt at the bottom and started dying laughing because like how much more ridiculous can this guy get it's it's incredible it's unbelievable he comes up with new

ideas as to how to make him more hateable and i just don't know every time that i think he's done he's just not done he just keeps going it's crazy yeah i was just going to say i wonder where this was because did you read i forgot what i was just reading did you read that like his publicist i guess was on the phone the whole time texting and that then bravo called like the next day did you read that part and they were like no what did you say about george floyd yeah they they he had like a crisis publicist like on hand to make sure he didn't do anything dumb and the thing with all of it and like it's making this season a lot more difficult for me to watch, honestly, because there is a part of me when the season started

when we're going through the motions again, we're getting back into Scandival, and we're only three months removed, and it was a good reminder out of the gate. Like, okay, it's still pretty fresh for everybody. So, of course, they're still going to harbor a lot of ill will towards them all of this. And I was like, I wonder when we're going to see them start to piece the group back together, because we've seen them in the media, like we've seen that, you know, Lala's been with Sandoval. Sheena's been hanging out with them shorts. Like, they're, cool with him again to some degree. But as this stuff's happening and I'm trying to think like he cheated.

You know, it's it's it was crazy and captivating and yeah, like he burned the world down in the process, but at the end of the day, it was a cheating scandal. So like there is a way for him to like reclaim his life in some capacity, but trying to sympathize with him or empathize in any way, shape, or form when he's going on the vile files and sounds ridiculous. And then he's going in the New York Times and sounding ridiculous. It's like, this just might be who he is. He might just be a huge piece of shit with no redeemable qualities.

And it's harder for me to watch the scenes with the confessionals and talking about being in love with Raquel and how he misses his friendship with Sheena. I'm like, you're just acting now. This is all bullshit because of how you're acting in the media right now today. Yeah. I mean, there is a disconnect. Yeah. And you're just like, you just might be this person, right?

I mean, he also doesn't care. And then part of me is like, is what you're doing in the media. Like, I'm such a jaded person, this is the New Yorker in me. I'm such a like, is it slipping away, scandal like fading into the background that you want like a, like I almost feel like I don't think this is a mistake. But I mean, I don't think this is like purposeful. But part of me is like I feel like he knows what he's being a douche like on the vile files and is like, I'm just going to lean into it because like everyone's like starting to talk. about something else i don't know that's just where my mind goes yeah do you think that maybe he got this is a really weird way to put this do you think he got addicted to the attention like he sees

everything kind of going away and now yeah i mean the show's backs of people are watching it this way but he doesn't he no longer has all these people pining for his attention to yell at him and you know bash him all over the place but we saw him over the summer going on tour with his band he was embracing all of that so that's why i think it's much harder to watch the show and that's one of the more frustrating things is like steel said yeah you can kind of see a way that he gets back in and we knew that the group kind of accepted him back at some point in time. So we've kind of been bracing ourselves for that. But we're watching this and we're watching him clearly lie in his confessional and he's treating James like shit the first

time that he sees James. He's treating Sheena like shit the first time they seen Sheena. Like, how are they not seeing that? And I get that there's a show and you have to film with each other so you kind of want to be a little cop aesthetic at some point. But on a very real level, it's only three months removed. You've got Ariana over here telling you, hey, this dude's a piece of shit. We do not have to give him any grace. I don't know why you guys feel so weird about this, just because Lisa is whispering weird things in your ear. That doesn't really count. You shouldn't be giving him any sort of space to figure this stuff out and are giving him any empathy. It doesn't make any sense. So while he's doing all of that and treating everybody like crap still instead of

apologizing, I don't understand why the group is willing to accept him back. And I guess we're going to see that next week in Tahoe where they start to have conversations with them and they're showing a little bit more emotion. That's really going to be annoying while he's doing all of this out in the current day. Yeah. And I just can't wait. Give it like 24 hours. I'm sure she I'm sure sheen is going to have a comment. I'm sure everyone's going to start having comments. Even though we have to now watch this, it's like what do they think about this? Like where are their comments? Yeah. And what's that going to do to the current state of like their friendships and what game like any ground that he's gained has to be question now because of how he is behaving in the media. And what I was afraid was going to happen

this season and what is now happening, this show cannot survive on Scandival alone. And all we have talked about this season is Scandival. And I'm not going to lie. Like this episode dragged a little bit for me because it's like, all right, well, it raises the question of where does this show go from here. What's the next step for Vanderpump rules without the polarizing event that was Scandival? Because you can't survive on that. It's already running thin and it's episode three. So where do you think? I talk about that all the time on my podcast. Like I don't, you know, listen, we're going to watch this season, right? It was three months later. It's whatever. Where is this show next season? I have, I cannot, I don't understand where we're going to go from here.

I mean, Ariana is not going to speak to him. I mean, others kind of are, but it's like, right, we can't still be talking about Scandible next season. So what do we have here left? I don't know. Yeah, we honestly have no idea where this show is going to go in the next couple of years. And Steele and I have theorized that Ariana is going to move on to bigger and better things. She's not going to be part of the show anymore.

She's, you know, she's in Chicago. She's doing all these other things that she's always wanted to do aside from reality TV. And maybe there's just no real space for her. to grow anymore in this show, which is fine, you know, go on and do bigger and better things. What does VPR do in response to that? Steele seems to think that maybe Raquel could come back next year without Ariana, and then we have to see, you know, the Tom and our Raquel scenes that are going to make us want to squirm. And then obviously the rest of the group is going to have to kind of fall in line with that.

That could get them another season. But at that point, are we just doing this season by season? Like, all right, what can we do to fix this? What can we do to fix this? And it just brings us back to where we were before Scandival, which was, This show's got nothing left. There's nothing else going on. And what?

We're going to have the valley on in the background that we're going to have to suffer through jacks and say, oh, yeah, maybe there's a minor league system out there that we can bring these people in the ticket. Like, no, it's just not going to work that way. So I am a little scared, and I'm happy that people are coming around to the idea of, we don't know what this show is going to look like in the next couple of years. It might just run its course. I agree.

I've said both. I thought Ariana was not going to come back for this season. But I understand why she is back. I agree. I don't think she's going. going to come back. I think regardless of whether she comes back or not, I do think, and I've said this a lot on my show too, I think Raquel coming back is possible. I don't think it's likely, but I think it's possible, like she's going to have a year off. I mean, this podcast, I also don't know

how, I mean, people seem to, I don't know where her podcast is going either. I mean, I know she's working in mental health and everything, but eventually she's talking a lot about scandal and all of this. So I don't know where that podcast is going, no shade, but I just don't know. No, I think a year away, I think Raquel coming back, right, that's not going to solve the problem, but I think that will put a Band-Aid on it for next season. At least I can see that, even if Ariana is there, but I don't think she will be. I totally agree with you, but I don't know where we go after that. I don't either.

And I think that that's, as Shooter said, you know, you're going to keep trying to fix it. And as you said, David, it's putting a Band-Aid on the problem. But unfortunately, if you bring Raquel back, all of us are going to watch it. everybody that has watched Vanderpump for its entire run and everybody that jumped in just at Scandival, you're going to tune in to see what Raquel does. And I think that, you know, still it is a bold prediction and it's not likely that she returns, but there is a door for it. And I think that with this season, apparently being about learning how to forgive Tom,

based on what LVP is saying and everybody's response to LVP, that seems to be the direction that we're going in, at least for now, Now, if that's the case, Tom was the bigger perpetrator here than Raquel. So if they can forgive Sandoval, then there is absolutely no reason they can't forgive Raquel. And that is a guaranteed next season, especially if this season continues to go in this direction and gets more and more stale. It's like, well, what do we do? Well, shit, bring her back. Ariana, go off to your thing.

Great, cool. Yeah, but the thing about Raquel is who is there to forgive Raquel? What are we just going to see Sheena forgive her? Like, she's not close with anybody else. that's it though like we're just going to have Tom Raquel and Sheena like I really don't even think in the grand scheme of things and what we're talking about slapping a band-aid on the show with Raquel coming back I don't think that's even enough to save one season we're going to get tired of that like two episodes in pretty easily oh yeah yeah but I'm saying you'll tune in for the first

episode for sure the first episode yeah but I think like okay so it was a little producer set up but I think Lala will somehow come around look I think they'll say to Lala you have no choice and she doesn't really care. She just wants her paycheck. I think so she'll say I was a mistress. I understand, blah, blah, blah. We have Schwartz. Maybe not James, but I think a lot more people will forgive.

Lisa will have a scene with her. Yes, I think we got to get over that. We have to have some other dynamics. But yeah, maybe we'll bring someone else back, maybe. I think so, but like, who do you bring back if it's not Raquel? Is it Jacks? You see how he goes in the valley and then bring him back over? Do you bring Doty back?

Like, what's the move, I guess? And that's kind of unfortunate that we're already having this conversation of what to do next because I thought that they would have a better game plan than just let's keep talking about Scand of all. And try to figure out how to fix this group. If it was leaning more so on the fact that everybody was working their own way through it and not having this forced conversation with LVP where it's like, you guys have to get over this and you have to do this. and they're, you know, they're making it difficult because they're bringing up a lot of

very sensitive topics to discuss and a lot of very sensitive things to question and to analyze because of the severity of the implications. So it's an interesting route that it's taken this far and this is going to kind of lead us into this episode a little bit. But I guess what I would like to see, what would make me happy to see this show moving forward is let's dive into something about her let's get into what every individual person has been up to DJ James Kennedy has been doing his thing let's go talk about that he's been DJing around the country he's been doing fairly well how's he doing can we get more individualized where it's not so focused around tom because i don't think that that is sustainable yeah like you never see james

packing up going away we all know he's everywhere every weekend right we don't see that the sandwich shop, I mean, I walked, I'm in LA now. I walked by a few weeks ago. I mean, it looks as bad as people said it does. So, like, what really is going on with that? Let's have a little bit more LVP. I mean, like, we used to see more about what was going on in Lisa's life. I mean, I always say, like, this is the best job she's ever had. I mean, why would you ever go back to Beverly Hills Housewives? Like, you are literally on this show for like three minutes. Totally. Get a big paycheck. And so it's like, let's see more about. her, right? I mean, there's so much we could do with this. I think it's a mistake to not start

weaning that stuff in, but they're not. I really don't think they're going to. I think they have like a full on every season. They could just have one cast trip that goes to Lake Tahoe. I mean, that's kind of what they're doing. They've done it, what, three years in a row now? Like, I guess Havasol was last year, but this year's Lake Tahoe. Just send them over to LVP's restaurant. Go to Nevada. Just, you know, go to Vegas for a little while. Then you can come back. And that's pretty much all you have to do back and forth and back and forth. But yeah, I mean, until they start to break down the individuals and what they're going through in their actual lives like they used to, we're not going to get anything. But I think that this is Bravo at the end of the day.

They're going to try to get as much out of the scandal ball as possible. And this is why they picked up cameras three months in. And we're just going to have to endure it this season and just hope and pray that they figure something out next year. And the ratings are good. That's the crazy thing. I know. Yeah, they are. People complain, though. I mean, I get a lot of DMs where people are not. They're like, I'm not watching anymore. Well, someone's watching. the ratings are pretty high. Yeah, I made a TikTok today about that stupid article and posted it, and I want to say a hundred comments where people go, and this is why I'm not watching the show anymore.

And like you said, you checked the rating. It's like, did you really turn it off? Yeah, that's watching the show. I think that's the general progression. That's the first step is saying I'm not going to watch it anymore, but you're still like three or four episodes before you actually stop watching. You got to start it off early, you know? Just turn it off if you don't like it, right?

Yeah, exactly. But I think that, you know, I think everyone's going to suffer through this season regardless just to see what they can do with it. I think that the real question mark lies in next year. I don't think this season's going to be fine. People are going to tune in to hate watch Sandoval. They're going to tune in because they are going to want to bitch and moan about how the show is not what it used to be. Like, there's all sorts of reasons to watch it other than enjoying it, unfortunately. But let's get into today's episode because we all just watched it.

And as we know, Allie and James are hosting a pool party. He spent two grand on this pool party to have everybody over. But we got a little quick note that was kind of funny that the driver, the lift driver, that dropped off Ariana and Sondival. Wow. Sondival. You're getting fancy here tonight. You're making Tom Fancy. What's the fuck?

Tom Sondival and Ariana were dropped off. at their place by the same lift driver and then he drove them back from see you next tuesday which is such a funny callback and i love i don't know who this man is then ariano is 100% right i want to talk to this guy one he has no idea what scandinavall is or he just played it super cool and two what would that car ride be like what is that like when they were in the heat of it she had just found the video of rquel and they're driving back in a lift and this poor man's just what like silently sitting but also a little weird that he recognized the house and uh a lift drive before are we a little concerned about that one no a couple months later he's like I know this house

oh dude how like how like how is that possible I don't understand it in L.A where I'm sure he's driving a lot and he probably does you know 10 to 15 trips a day maybe he works like six days like that is a lot of trips to remember ones I guess it's not every day that you have a couple in your backseat yelling at each other but at the same time a little weird raised an eyebrow weird it's a little weird it's a little weird i think that i mean that does call into question whether or not he did actually know about what was going on yes but i also think that if it reached the level that it could have reached in the back of that lift because of what she just found and she was stating facts if she was like

re like walking through what actually happened like i don't know i picked up your phone and it's this video of rakel playing with herself you're jerking off in the corner of of it like you'd remember that you'd definitely remember that yeah fair point yeah i'm just looking out for the safety of everybody you know yeah i mean it's a little strange it's a little strange but but you know with this audience somebody is going to find this guy i'm not going to i don't know if you guys are going to but somebody he's super sleuths they're going to find this guy one of our listeners will find them yeah 100 yeah but this next scene is a big one and this is when lvp brings over Sheena and Lala to her, to Villarosa, which, you know, it's always a delight to go there.

And again, why don't we film there more? I love that house. I want to see that house. But they bring them, or sorry, LVP brings them over to discuss Sandoval. And as we know, LVP lost her brother to suicide. So this is a very, this topic hits very close to Homer. And in talking to Sandoval, there's some things that are reminding her of her brother, some things that he had mentioned and said.

And, you know, Tom flat out brought up the fact that he was having suicidal thoughts. And again, this is such a touchy subject. I think I do agree with LVP and you would rather extend a hand and be manipulated than not do anything and live with regret. So that I do understand. But I think it's interesting with these two, with Lala and Sheena, who made a ton of money on talking shit about Sandoval for a very long time. For an extended period of time, they sold merch. And up until somewhat recently, pretty much the filming of the show and probably this scene, up until this scene, they were probably still talking shit. So was it quick of them to turn?

Like, they'd turn like that. They're like, yeah, you're probably right. We should probably reach out a hand to him and like make sure he's okay. Or do you think that she really hit home in that conversation with him? I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times. And I'm Paul Shear, an actor, writer, and director. You might know me from the league, Veep, or my non-LLUKLU. eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters.

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And Edgar writes, The Running Man, starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. I think, well, what do you mean like that? I think that they're just like, okay, this is the job and this is, sure, whatever. So do you think, my feeling on that whole scene was that LVP is trying to produce a show. And she is trying to get her, her pawns to play the game again. And she's trying to get this group back together because the group back together means good ratings. Yeah. And the thing is like, you know, we hated, hated Diana Jenkins and now she's gone. We love to hate Ramona

Singer. So like, we're not getting rid of Tom Sandville. So that's just like a, that's known. So I think by the end, look, there's a lot of rumors out there too. By the end of the season, we're all going to start to be like, maybe. Like they're giving him as best. best in edit as they could, and they're giving Ariana kind of not a great edit. But I think it's going to get even more favorable towards him. So I just think it's more like you said, they're producing a show and like they're just not getting rid of this person and like, we have to start softening this and shut up, Lala, shut up, Shina.

You all got huge raises. And I really do think that it's not knocking them. I just truly think that they, like I think like you said, this, where was this show season nine? We were on life support. I just think it's like, there's nothing worse than a reality. Like, reality TV stars wake up when it's like, it's the end. Like, the check's going away.

And now your check's even bigger. I just think, I think that's why it does work because they all know what they, they know it was going away. So they're like, sure, we'll just make great TV, sure. Yeah. That's just my opinion. I think that makes sense too. And my grape with this is that it's just a little too soon. It's a little too quick to do this.

okay we need to sit down and forgive Tom instead of letting them all kind of air it out i mean we got to see james sit down with them everybody that's close enough to him is on the verge of ready to forgive him i mean we see sheena breaking down pretty much every scene that she talks about tom so you know that as soon as he says hi to her which he did in the back alley she's basically ready to forgive him if he says the right things so was james when he goes over her out that what did he she was yeah uh shanaia twain on the motorcycle yeah she's like oh we're good now as soon as he said that he was like okay yeah we're okay if you apologize me right now, we're good and I will go white

night for you into battle and she's not, I mean, he's not doing himself any favors but I don't think we're getting enough and maybe this is LVP producing the show because she realizes nobody is going to film with him if he continues doing this. So I need to kind of force this and say, look, he's in a really dark

time right now. I see some parallels and maybe she does, maybe she doesn't, but I see these parallels going on right now. Maybe give him a little bit of grace and sit down and talk to him and see if he'll, you know, apologize for everything that's going on and you guys can try to move forward. Obviously, she can't have that conversation with Ariana, but she can do it with Lala, she can do it with Sheena, she can do it with James later. She can do whatever she wants.

And I think that is LVP trying to produce the show to get Sandoval back in the crew because this show doesn't work with, you know, Tom and fucking Billy Lee going and doing cold plunges all the time. Like, what are we supposed to do with that? I can't sink my teeth in any of that because there's no drama involved with that. So let's get him back in the group and we'll see how the relationships mend or break more or whatever they might happen. But until we get him back, there's nothing to be said for it yeah but i think that i would be open to that like all of this shit makes sense to me this is what's so frustrating right now and it's because of what's happening today like what we're seeing in in social media and in actual popular culture media like on

fucking tv in the times all of this that's what's frustrating is i can understand everything she's saying like hey he didn't kill anybody like can we give this dude some grace and move on like We don't need to ruin his entire life over a cheating scandal. He has taken his beating. He did not take it well. He was on the road with his quote unquote band talking shit on stage. Like he wasn't doing a good job. In the scenes where he's like, yeah, I handled like shit.

Honestly, on a reality TV show, that scene where he's like, yeah, I handled everything like shit, I'm like, all right, fine, let's move on from this now. But because of the way he's behaving today, it makes everything, all of these conversations almost seem null and void because she's like we can't ruin his life over this it's like well his life doesn't seem to be ruined he doesn't seem to give too many shits about all of this so I'm now curious now that I'm like spinning the wheel a little bit is that because did he found this newfound confidence because he's now cool with people in the group again so we're seeing like after the season ended he's cool with everybody so now he's going back on the on the offensive

where he's like no I'm going to be myself and just talk shit again rather than be humble and kind of just take his lashings. Maybe. It's either that or it went complete the opposite and everybody hates him again. So now he really doesn't care. One of those two things happen. But there's no way that it's somewhere in the middle where he's got a couple of them here and there scattered throughout. It'll be more interesting like David was talking about earlier.

I want to see what Chena has to say about the article. I want to see what Lala has to say about the article. DJ James Kennedy has to say something. So there's a lot of things that we need to get out there. Obviously, Katie commented on it right away and said, what the fuck is this? rightfully so everybody else needs to chime in

and then we'll have a better understanding of where they are and if they don't chime in their silence says a lot and where is Lisa's comment when is that coming but that's I guess

that's my biggest gripe then we shouldn't have to wait for real time answers today when we're watching a show that happened months ago we should be able to watch this show and find out what's happening next not gauge the reaction of the group

based on him going to the times or on the vial file Well, then why is Bravo letting him do it? Bravo can block anything they want. Because they know it's good press. They know people are going to watch because they read the Times article today. Any press is good press. There's no such thing as bad press.

People tuned in tonight simply because they saw that headline that Tom Sandoval compared himself to George Floyd. That's a good point. And I think Tom, you know, starting with a Howie Mandela. I think, you know, Tom's not a newbie. Like, I think he does do. Like, I don't think, you know how it works. They ask Bravo for permission.

Bravo says, no, no, no podcast today, dear. And then there's people like Tom that are like, yeah, I'm doing whatever I want. And there's no asking. So I think he just has gone rogue. I mean, much larger discussion. And these are not the exact same thing. But like, I mean, we did let Doty go. We did let Stasi go.

We did let, you know, Jacks go. I guess none of that means anything because Jacks is back and Doty's back. Stasi doesn't want to be back. So it's just like, I don't know, like, just where's, how's Bravo going to react to this or will there be no reaction? I'm just curious. That's actually a question that a lot of people raised in comments and stuff today if you're reading.

It's like, is he going to be fired for this? Is there going to be repercussions for this? And I think honestly, and this is a shitty thing to say, I think it's going to depend on how this season does, genuinely. And it shouldn't because that is a fireable offense. It was a fucking insane thing to say, especially in a, you know, the new, York Times, which is not the most reputable source anymore by any means. It's kind of clickbait shit regardless now. But I think that it's going to come down to that. I think it's literally,

how did this season go? Can we afford to not have them back? And I think that the answer regardless is a resounding no. Like we need him. They need him. There's no other way to look at this show without him in the picture, especially the way it's going now. Because Tom, Tom Sandoval. Tom Sandoval with leverage is a scary thing. It's terrifying. it's a scary thing and there is leverage it's the ratings are huge so they're not i mean and the ratings are not huge almost anywhere else yeah the bravoverse these days beverly hills is doing good but that's possibly where it right so this is just like this is like the darling of the network i mean i wasn't sure i really was like because we're all saying like how are we getting we're

here in a whole season of scandal and we're like what so i really thought it would come back and all these people that tell me they're not going to watch, the ratings weren't going to be good. And here we are. They are. So I think Tom is coming back. And I do think it depends on the season, but I don't see the numbers going down that drastically.

No, they won't. No, they won't. But the next scene is kind of like we jump back and forth between the pool party and the worst named place I think I've ever seen in my entire life. Please say. Into me see. intimacy and the premise of this place is great because it's got like ice baths cold plunges it's not so why do you hate the name i think the name's great no dude that's clever oh you know why i hate

it why what's that there's a movie oh my god you know jesus did you guys see the love guru with uh michael myers oh god yeah i i didn't i never i did not he plays a love guru and he talks about intimacy, into me, I see. Maybe that's where they got it. It's a bad name. I don't think it was very clever. I think you're a bit of a hater, but, you know, it's okay. You saw Intimacy, and you're like, oh, great call.

I didn't even, it went in one air and out the other air. These are the things that I get stuck. We watch this very differently. I like get stuck on other things. Like, I'm stuck on way back at the pool party when he's like Casa Kennedy. James said the Casa Kennedy like five times. Doesn't Allie live there? That's a good point.

That's what stuck out to me. I was like, and Donut, we have a new dog, donut. Those are the two things that. Donuts, great. But I don't know. I mean, Casa Kennedy. I'm like, what about, I don't understand. Allie's standing right there.

Like, what? Not only that, but at the end of the pool party scene when they have to show an airplane flying over their house, like, come on, leave them alone. They got a house near the airport. We don't have to recall that. There's no way a plane went over at that point. they also shopped smart they bought a house within their means it's a nice place you don't have to highlight that they live near the airport it's okay it's okay guys i have i have i i'm between new york and l a i'm between new york and l a i'm just i personally would never buy a place near the airport even if it was a great deal and i messed up the airport so everyone online came from me i said l a x apparently it's the burbank airport sorry i don't know exactly where james kennedy lives

It came up to you for that? It's the Burbank Airport, according to our lovely listeners here. How dare you? Right. How dare I? Regardless, I don't want to hear planes. I just don't want to. That's fair.

Okay, that's fair. There are other areas in L.A. where you can get a good deal-ish. Well, excuse me. There's other areas in L.A., which are less expensive than very expensive. How's that? Yeah, my brother lives in Los Fetus, so we actually went out there to visit them not too, too long ago. but um not that that's pertinent to anything but just to let you know so you've seen the

on fact yes but let's get into into me see and this scene with billy lee for whatever reason she's back i mean i know why she's back because somebody has to film with sandival but again i feel like that was a misstep by bravo i think that it would have done them a lot of favors if we had to watch Sandoval flounder a little bit to try to find these connections again within the group because Schwartz is open to it. We all knew Schwartz would be open to it. There was no question that shorts would be back in the fold pretty quickly. I think there was an easy avenue for James to become his friend again if he had just apologized at the house instead of bringing up Doty. So I think that that was a huge misstep. Do you think that Billy Lee is going to bring

anything to this or are we going to constantly see this team scene for the rest of the season? I don't know. I was just imagining what that scene looks like without Billy Lee, and it's just Tom by himself getting in a cold plunge. Is he talking to himself? Like, how do we get anything out of this scene? Like, that is truly why they have her there is just so we can get him talking. But the problem with that is everything that comes out of his mouth is bullshit.

Every single word that comes out of his mouth is a complete lie. So he's lying about how he feels. He's lying about what he wants to do with Raquel. And yeah, again, I understand it for the TV show. But at the same time, if you're just going to put somebody there to get Tom talking and all he's going to do is lie and not talk about how he feels betrayed by his friends or like give me at least that. Just talk about the people on the show. Say that you feel betrayed by Shina. Say that you feel betrayed by Lala because at least I know you're being real.

Don't talk about you being in love with Raquel. Talk about what else is going on on the show. I don't give a shit about Raquel anymore. We don't have time to discuss this here today, but it just jogged my memory when you were saying that shooter. I mean, what are we going to see next season when we have Teresa over here and we have Melissa over here? Oh, God.

We're about to embark on this. But right, we can do that a couple of months. We can do that in a few months. But like, that is this to me. Like, it's just when you were saying that, it's just like, that is this. Like when you say Tom by himself, it's just going to be that.

But that's just where I go. But yeah, I mean, I still don't understand. Like, yeah, make someone just film with him. You don't have to like force the emotions. You don't have to like force the emotions. saying she and make up with him just force another scene with somebody right yeah that's the best way to do it rather than bring back somebody that nobody wants back i think that's the general consensus all across any social media platform is why the fuck is billy lee back on my screen and the worst part is like

and this is when i personally have an issue with reality shows is when it's blaringly obvious that this is not real. And something like this, you're like, okay, well, we know why she's here. So I'm not going to take any of these scenes seriously. Couple that with the things that Sandoval saying, I'm not going to take those seriously because we heard him talk in the reunion that he's no longer in love with Raquel. So what has changed in the last three months? Because now you are saving yourself for her? You're saving yourself for her? How does that sentence leave your mouth? Are you fucking kidding me? I just think he believes his alma. I think he's a lot. I think he's all confused.

yeah he spent that time in new zealand just convincing himself of his own lives that's absolutely what happens that actually makes way more sense than he had the little pocket watch that he uh flicked out that had recal's picture in there and it was black and white like an old time he won too did i miss that how did i miss that i just made that up that didn't happen oh i was like why guys he would though gotta get back to my main squeeze yeah you would have that that would be a real thing he believes his lies He does. And like when he's talking with Billy Lee, he's like, you know, I wish I could get my old life back. And he speaks from a place of like he's not the one that burned it all to the ground. But what drives me crazy and it's going to wear it already has worn thin and it's going to get more and more annoying is this victim mentality that he has where it's like he literally says it's always the people closest to you that hurt you the most. Dude, look in the mirror. What are we doing? Like seriously. Like what what's this approach? Like do you think this is it? Like you can get any closer than yourself. But do you guys think that this is any way, shape, or form, like, going to pan out well?

Like, what happens? Seriously. I know we keep asking this fucking question, but, like, where does this storyline go? Nowhere. No, I mean, like, they're not going to. Sustained silence. Nowhere. Yeah, I mean, like, you have Schwartz.

He has Schwartz and that he'll always have Schwartz. And I really just think, like, look, I mean, they'll never, like, if this show ended tomorrow. I don't think who's going to speak to Tom other than Schwartz. And I mean maybe other than Schwartz. I mean, Lisa, maybe, but not really. I think Schwartz. With Schwartz, that's interesting, just to kind of pivot so we're not like solely sand of all this whole episode. How do you think Schwartz is doing? Like handling himself. Like I'm trying to put myself in his shoes and, you know, he's gotten a lot of backlash last year for everything that was going on and what did he know and should have spoken out, this and that, I actually, other than being so quick to forgive, instead of

kind of standing firm and having some tougher conversations with him initially, I appreciate what he's doing this season as far as how he is talking to Tom. At least he is not completely folding. He's saying, I think you should do this. You're not doing yourself any favors. And he's being a good friend. Like, I'm trying to put myself in a position where, like, one of my friends has done a similar thing and done this shit and blown his life up. I would be there. We would have some tough conversations. I'd call him an idiot and he'd have to repent. But I wouldn't ditch my friend entirely. That's where I think about Schwartz, but I'm curious how do you guys stand? I always say, I mean, very unpopular opinion. If I had a really good friend or a family member

that did any of these things, I would stand by them. I usually then go on to give horrible examples like Jen Shaw. Like if Jen Shaw were my true lifelong friend from high school or elementary school, I would stand by her. So that's when people are like, you've lost us. But I stand by that statement. See, listen, I told you it's going to be in unpopular. Listen, sometimes that's a popular controversial. Sometimes, well, sometimes I'm controversial. I'm on my best behavior here today with this brab-rose crossover. But that is just so. So I, I would always stand buy if they were a true friend you know not like a heather gay that's not really friends with but so i understand short standing by head i think you know you could have a little bit more

of a backbone at times and like speak up even more to tom or any of the others but i don't have a problem with that no that's just me i think fundamentally i don't have any issues with it when it comes to just defending your friend and being there with your friend which you know that's kind of what we're talking about right now the problem is that we've watched this show for so long that we know what kind of friendship they have. Their friendship is Sandoval manipulating the shit out of Schwartz. And it came to a head last year where now he's taking the brunt of a lot of things that are going on with the Ariana thing as well as the restaurant thing. So that's really where our frustration lies with Schwartz is you, we know you're going

to get back with Tom at some point in time. You don't have to sugarcoat it. You don't have to act like you're doing one thing and then completely turn tail and go the other way. But at least stick up for yourself for a little while like that is one thing just show a little bit of a backbone and say dude you fucked me here and then also with the restaurant like you need to apologize to me directly and i need a sincere apology and then i'll think about it and then we'll try to move forward and like work our way through it he just abandons everything it shows up at his birthday party like the day later he showed a little bit of backbone at that lunch and tom was scared that schwartz wasn't going to be on his side you had him at the right point and you came right back the next day and now all of a sudden

sandoval's back like that it was so quick just do it a little bit longer make him suffer for a little while he made you suffer well he just fucking went on tour with his band and then went to new zealand like you can make him pay for those things and instead you just completely cower and fear of sandoval and go right back into his graces like it's that's the most frustrating thing we can say that we agree with the friendship of it all yeah you're going to stick by your boy after whatever just happens i don't care you know friendship is above everything else but you see what he did to you in last year and you're not making him repent for that like that's insane i agree and i this actually takes us right into like the la la and schwartz talk that we saw at the party and

there's a few things i want to touch on here i mean we've we've already discussed a little bit of schwartz being that middle person between sand of all and everybody else in the group as we knew we would be i'm surprised again that we're getting to this so quickly that and it's because we have to go to Tahoe and we need there to be some piece in the group so that we can all go to Tahoe so I get it. But I want to talk about the Ariana comments because we saw in the previous episode when Schwartz presented to the group about Tahoe and Ariana kind of clapped back at him and the group was giving him advice, strong advice on what he should be doing to get his like together and that is to pull away from Sandoval. Lala singing a very different tune now where she is,

I don't want to live my life angry and I don't want to harbor all these feelings and either be yelling at somebody or crulled up in the fetal position, which I can appreciate and nobody should live their life like that. So if she is trying to grow and let things go, I think that is a good move for Lala and probably something she's needed to do for a long time. I think that we'd have a very different Lala without the anger coming out randomly when she gets fired up and then she claps back at somebody. I think that that's a Lala we would all appreciate because she does offer a lot to this show. when she's on, when she's doing well. So I do look forward to that. But, and this also goes to that comment we've seen in the trailer a bunch of times where it's like she gets cheated on, she becomes God. Now, in this scene last week, when Ariana was talking to Schwartz, did you get a vibe that she feels like she's kind of above it or on a pedestal or as he said, like an ego or a queen kind of vibe?

Or do you think that she is well within her right to have this stance because of what she's been through. Arianna? Well, I mean, I just said I would stand by Jen Schott, so everyone's already turned on me. So why not just, because my listeners are not like, David, speak up. We all know where you feel about this. This is a collab episode.

We need to hear your takes too. I, look, I said in the beginning, way back, that I think that eventually everyone is going to turn out Ariana. I think that is happening now. I do think that yeah I think that it has gone to her head I understand like I want to create generational wealth for my family

and like I better just work work work I could appreciate all of that like this is going to go away you're not always going to be on Dancing with the Stars and Maxie Hart on Broadway and all these deals it's why I thought she wasn't going to come back this season it's why I think she may not come back next season I think she's outgrown the show

but I do think that it has gone to her head. Yes. I don't think that Steele is like, really. I don't think, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't really get it. Like I, everyone's cheated on. You know, yes, this guy's a scumback. I get it. I just think, take all your opportunities, but I think it's gone to her head. Yeah, I do. I really do. I think you can say that too as well with the pool party where they're all discussing things in the pool. And, and Sheena, and Lala are talking about how they went to LVPs to discuss Sandoval, and immediately Ariana is telling everybody else how they should feel. That's, I feel like the line that that was crossed. If she's sitting back and she's saying, look, I don't want to be in the same room with him. I don't want to be anywhere near him. I have this feeling of, yeah, I don't want to be friends with Schwartz because I know that he's

just going to be with Sandoval no matter what. And at the end of the day, that's what Schwartz is going to try to do because I've thought about it. Schwartz is going to sit down with Ariana if they were to ever get cool again and say, hey, you need to have a discussion with Tom. Like that that would happen a thousand percent. So no, she doesn't need to be friends with Schwartz, but she also doesn't need to tell Sheena and Lala who they can and can't forgive and who they can and can't talk to.

So that's, I feel like the line that's being crossed right there. I don't agree with what Schwartz said last week. I think that Schwartz should have probably just, you know, use the back channels to invite people to Tahoe. Maybe don't sit down with an entire group of people with Ariana there and say, hey, let's all go to Tahoe. Sandibals coming because nobody's going to give you a real answer. You can sit down with Lala and Sheena. you can sit down with Katie, Katie's obviously going to take Ariana's side, but you don't do that in the group setting. And then the way that he blows up, which Steele and I like to point this out

all the time, you get to see the real Schwartz for like a brief second where he actually loses his temper and he starts going off of people. And it's like, oh, you're not a big dumb idiot. You actually do have feelings. You are actually, you know, showing some anger here and there. So there is a completely different side of you that we're not seeing on camera. So I don't agree with Schwartz last week, but I do think that Ariana is getting to that point where she's telling her friends what to do and what not to do and that is a very dangerous game to play so i could see them all turning on her yeah and when she's you know like in that scene last week or just the one you just referred to where she's like you know like no one's talking to you like just there is and you know

he's like you're not the queen of the group or you're not my queen right it's a little bit i get it you don't want this i don't have anything to do with shorts it's a little bit like you are It's, it's almost like you're playing the victim too much. You are the victim, but you're playing it up too much. And that's just going to turn off people watching. It's going to turn a lot of people off. So it's just, it's just, I don't even know if it's like purposeful, but there is somewhat of an arrogance or like an overstepping.

Take all your opportunities, outgrow the group. It's just like a little bit of an overstepping for me. Yeah, and I think I agree with both of you, sentiments are both there where it's like, no, you don't have to be cool with Tom ever again. And no, you don't have to pretend that you're going to be and no, you don't have to say nice things about him. And I get harboring resentment towards Schwartz because he knew that all of this was going on. Like, all of that makes sense to me. But when you have a scene such as the pool, when, you know, Sheena is dropping some pretty deep shit. And, yeah, we are all speculating because, you know, we're, we're trying.

trying to figure out whether this guy is manipulative in this moment or not, if he's using these kind of, I don't want to say trigger words because it is a serious thing, but is this a play in some way, shape, or form, which again, it sucks to even discuss because of what we're talking about. But regardless of all of that, when Sheena is delivering this information in the pool, Ariana doesn't even have a split second to hear it. Instead, she's like, nope, nope, nope, nope, and pointing at everybody like, nope, you're not falling for this, you're not falling for this. You guys are talking about, blah, blah, blah. It's the firm stance she's taking rather than, you know, maybe lightning up a little or just not chiming in in the moment.

I'm not sure. I'm not saying that there's a right or wrong thing to do. But in that moment, something where it's not, it doesn't seem like you're combating against something that is so serious. You know what I mean? Like, that was a tough look, I thought. And it's like, eventually, like, if you're Sheena, I would be like, I'm like, I'm angry. You know, like, Sheena has been with Tom Sandable from the beginning.

you know like she has known him longer than she's known Ariana like she don't mean so like eventually you would think she or Lala or anyone but probably Sheena the most would just get upset like you're not hearing what I'm saying like I'm not taking anything away from you I'm not revealing anything but like this is just my friend who's going through whatever and I want to be there for them and that does not take anything away from you like I don't really believe like you know your enemy should be my enemies type of thing just in life even with a situation like this yeah and i think that's a dangerous way to live it's where you know he scorned you and obviously like right afterwards and you know

the months where you're getting uh ariana back on our feet yeah totally you can't be communicating with sandibal on the side because you're there for for ariana to get her through this terrible thing that he's just done so yeah totally get that but moving further away away from it or three, four, five months separated from this whole thing, I don't think that it's realistic to say because especially when you're on a TV show together, especially when you are castmates on a show where you know that there has to be relationships bridged or else this show will not continue on. You know what's going to happen this season. You know the route it's going to take. You don't have to be cool with it. And that leads to the maybe she won't be back next season

thing. But understanding what's happening within the moment and not being so harsh on the people that have been there for it. It doesn't have to be me or him. It can be you are here for me. And like they said, at the end of the episode, we get that lunch or dinner scene with Brock and Sheena and Allie and James. We ride hard for Ariana. Yes. But Tom was our friend. Tom was very, very close with Sheena for a very long time. Tom was like James's big brother as he likes to reference. So there were real relationships there. And what about just the logistics of it? Like, okay, like, you know, Tuesday night when you are literally taking your final bow on Broadway as Roxy Hart, I had a bad day and Tom was in the area and Marina Del Rey and called me for a drink

and we went for a drink. I'm sorry, I didn't check with you 3,000 miles away. I hope you had a great show and took your bow and greeted all your fans outside that wanted their pay bill signed. Tom was across the street and ask me if I want to go for a drink and Brock was home in summer remote so I went like just the logistics of it it's like can't she just live her life I think so I think that it's also just again it's three months later like I think that yeah a year from now I don't think any of those things really come into play I think people are going to stop referencing it I think that on the show there's going to be traces of it at least this is what I'm hoping there's going to be traces of it here and there but people are going to be able to live

their lives when Ariana is not around and that is really honestly how real life works but i still think they're in that like growing period where they're not really sure and they're afraid to make a false move around her because they don't want to piss her off and you can see as soon as his name gets brought up she gets agitated i mean they're still living in the same house there he just got back from new zealand there's a lot of shit going on we just picked up cameras so we just started filming again now all of a sudden this is going to be my life again so there's a lot of uneasiness pretty much probably by the entire cast aside from i mean la la la looks fine she looks like she's handling everything pretty well but everybody else is like i don't really know how to handle any of

this and hopefully i think by the end of this season we'll have a better idea of where they are hey michael hey tom well big news to share it right yes huge monumental earth shaking heartbeat sound effect big reach is back that's right after a brief snack nap we're coming back we're picking snacks we're eating snacks we're raiding snacks Like the snackologist we were born to be Mate is back Mike and Tom eat snacks

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Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcast. It's Marie Antoinette Month on the Vulgar History podcast. Every week in September, we will be talking about the notorious French queen. Why is she still talked about today? Did she really say, let them eat cake? Spoiler, she did not. Why do people still think she deserved to have her head cut off? we're going to be taking a deep dive

into Marie Antoinette's life and world to try to answer the question, how do you solve a problem like Marie Antoinette? Listen to vulgar history, wherever you get podcasts. I think so too. I mean, right, it is only three months. Who knows next season? And by the way, next season,

if Raquel doesn't come back, let's stop making references to her too. Like, Raquel is part of this show. She might as well have come back. She's mentioned every episode like Jen was in Salt Lake. So I just think, yes, It would be nice if there were traces of it and then let's stop mentioning Raquel too or bring her back and make it work.

Yeah. And I think that when you look at how Raquel has produced her podcast, it's pretty much all VPR-centric. She talks about all of this stuff on her podcast. So that begs the question, well, if you were going to do this anyway, why would you not make the check and go back? And her mental health is above all else. So if she couldn't handle that, then I'll credit to her for not making that decision to go back and put herself in a bad spot. But it's just this whole thing, it's so convoluted now. And it's so difficult to see how this becomes a smooth running show again.

I don't see how that happens. And each scene, I'm looking for something more. I'm looking for some way that we're going to move forward. this and each scene I'm reminded that I don't know if we can. I really don't know if we can. And it, you know, it kind of, I don't know, I'm nervous. I'm nervous and like the audience isn't going to buy something stage now. And there's also not enough people to state something. Like what? Like Katie and Tom are going to get back together. Schwitz like there's not enough people that even if you wanted to script something so bizarre, first of all, it's not going to be more

bizarre than Scandal. No one's going to believe it. And there's not enough people to even play chess with. So what, right? Like remember when the season started and like Schwartz and Sheena apparently kissed in the past and like, where is that narrative now? Like I just don't believe all this other stuff. I think it's like, so right, where do we go? Where do we go? And I think that to what you referenced earlier, David. It's like one of those things where look at shows where you have such distinct lines between two parties. Jersey, we're so tired of talking about Teresa versus Melissa. Look at Potomac. You had a clear cut line where Giselle is not going to talk to Candice. Candice will not talk to Giselle. The group is not viving in any way, shape, or form. Potomac is

my favorite. I reference it every episode I bring this up. And they completely shit the bed this season. It's a terrible, terrible season. And when you have a cast that doesn't want to film together, why are we going to watch it? I was going to say, are you still liking Potomac this season? Because, yeah, I've said a lot of less than stellar things about Potomac. We stopped watching it. Yeah, no, we stopped watching it too. And Steele will bring it up every single episode. You have to stop doing that. No, I miss it. I miss it being good. But let it go, dude. Never. Listen, they're trying to fix R. HOA, which I have very, put that in my worst of category from last season. So if they fix that, there is hope for

Rotomac, but they better get their act together. Like, I'm sorry, you have to get rid of Robin. Let's just start there. Look, you're not, they're not going to get rid of Giselle, whether I agree with that statement or not. They're not going to get rid of the Grand Dame, because she is the grandam. They're not going to get rid of Candice. Candice is a great housewife. I feel. But you can build a show off of those three. That's a show. That's like what I mean.

Yeah. That's what I mean. And I really think probably they'll keep Ashley. That's just what I think. She just starts a thought, yeah. I think those are the four. And I think I'm sorry, it's time to the professor to, I mean, leave the classroom. She's got her wine talk, Wendy, wine.

Yeah, whatever that is. Wine with Wendy talk. And I mean, what the hell would Giselle be without Robin? Well, guess what? Let's find out. There's no more ally. I say get rid of NECA and get rid of Wendy and get rid of Robin and then. And I God, are they going to keep Mia?

They're going to keep Mia. But Mia can be a friend of. She can be a friend of because every once in a while she showed. I'm so glad we're talking about Potomac. Thank you, David. Thank you for them. Shooter won't do this with me anymore. I think that if you have Mia come in because every once in a while she has great episodes

where she bops in and says something funny or stirs the pot or pushes the narrative forward, I think there's a place for her. I agree across the board, honestly. I think that that's a show you can work with with those four, and then you can add one. I don't think you need seven. I think put five solid housewives there. And they have eight now, right?

I think there's eight. Yeah, it's too many. It's like even keeping four, I would love for them. Yeah, I would love for them to keep four, not five. But I don't know. Maybe Mia you keep over Ashley, but I don't think they would get rid of Ashley. I just don't. I don't think so.

And I think the thing about like James Kennedy finding his dog back again, I mean, it was just really nice to watch LVP find his dog. And that wasn't doctored at all. I'm sure that was completely organic and there was no issues. Right, guys? You guys agree. Can I just say? And the thing is my audience that's the same. They're like, you never talk botanic.

It's listen, I am so anti-photonics. Oh, we get comments all the time. Yeah. I just, I watched this past episode closer than I've watched others. And I'm like, okay. maybe I'd been too hard, but I haven't been. No, you haven't been too hard. No, you can go hard.

You haven't. You haven't. But, yeah, to tie it back to what we were discussing, I think that that's going to be one of the biggest hurdles for VPR, and that's probably why we're going to see the editing the way it is, again, referencing what you talked about earlier. We're seeing a very, very safe sand of all edit. We're seeing arguably a not great Ariana edit.

When they have that confessional of her doing her, makeup while she's talking you know what they're doing they're trying to set her up like she's bigger than she's better than she doesn't have time for this shit she's doing her makeup like they're doing her dirty so they're clearly trying to push this narrative of trying to get a group together that is cohesive and she's the outlier but isn't that a dangerous game though like our the fans aren't going to fall for that i mean we all know where it's going and we talk about this and we watch every episode very intently we know what's going on we know that tom's lying through his teeth and every confessional. We know that every scene that he does with one of his fake friends

is completely forced and it's not real. And we know what the editing is doing. So we're all talking about that right now. Isn't that a dangerous game for Bravo to play? Can they edit it that way just because they don't agree with what's going on and they feel like Ariana might not be the best fit because now all of a sudden Sandoval is going to be on the outs and we need to make sure that he's back in the group. If we all know that's going to happen and we're pissed off about it, what are they going to do? They can't stop that by it. I mean, they can re-edit all they want, but we'll know what they're doing. We'll know what they're doing it. It's not like, okay, like, if she did get like a two-year run at Chicago, then it's like, okay, guess what? I'm moving to New York. Like, that, okay, is actually

believable, but like what, you're just going to announce at the reunion. I have an announcement. I've outgrown this group and I'm going to take some time away from this group. Like, it's, you haven't. You're just leaving the show. It's not going to be like a real storyline. Like, get a two-year run on Broadway and be like, I have to move to New York. Like, at least we, would have believed that, but her exiting is not going to be, like, organic. It's going to be like, you're just leaving the show because you're too busy and to be bothered with these children. Yeah. And, you know, and I'm not out here to, like, vilify Ariana. I do believe that she is founded in how she's feeling. And I do believe that everything she's expressing is, like,

she has the right to be like this, 100,000 percent. She never has to bend the needs to bend the knee in any way, shape, or form. She can be resentful, hateful, all of those things. That's fair. I think the problem that we can all agree with what we discussed for the most part is it gets difficult when you put that burden on all of your friends to maintain that same level that you're on for apparently the rest of their lives as if you want them to stay in your life. And when you draw that line in the sand, that firm line, a lot of times that's going to push people away from you. That's not going to do what you're trying to do is keep your friends away from this guy that really ruined your life for a long time and now, you know, you're thriving. So back to what LVP said last

week, like she's thriving. She's living her best life. Do we need to continue to ruin Sandoval's life? And again, I'm trying to speak from a place of just watching the show, not from a place of I'm watching this dude out and about and saying all these ridiculous things and on these podcast being a total prick and a total asshole. I truly think that he is a narcissist. I don't think that's just a word we're throwing around anymore. I'm just trying to look at it objectively from a show standpoint and a friendship standpoint to what we want to see. I love to see the girls in this group when they get along and they're all vibing and you don't have the shadow of Sandoval hanging over it. And if that's something Ariana doesn't want to do, that's well within her right

to not do that. It just puts the show in a precarious position because how do you go from there then. What do we get from the girls of the group? Because I don't think anybody's rooting for Sheena and Lala turning on Ariana. Like, I don't need to see that. I don't think that's great TV. Consider what she's went through. So they're giving us options now of where this show can go. None of them seem super appealing to me. So I guess where would you take it? If this, if you were producing this show and you could move this along in a different direction, what route would we take? What are we going to focus on. That's an interesting question.

No, because I'm, what you just said, like now I'm picturing, yeah, I don't think we could see, like we're giving Ariana, we're doing her dirty with a makeup and we're giving Tom Sandoval like a nice edit, but right, I don't think we work. We can watch a season where Sheena and everyone turn on Ariana. That's not going to be watchable. so that doesn't work and we can't have another season I mean I said this before

on my show the only thing it doesn't fix the show but it gets us a season 12 with high ratings that's three stellar seasons the only thing to meet that works is the opening scene showing the heels panning up and it's Raquel returning

that is the only thing to me that works If Raquel doesn't return, the only other thing is Ariana has to go to me. And then I still don't really know, if you have no Ariana, she leaves, Raquel doesn't come back. I guess what?

We're going to watch a season of everybody forgiving Tom. But now what? We're just going to go to the beach and have drinks. And that still seems like a little bit of a board. Right. Like what is there? Maybe that's the send-off, like return to sir. The original's return to sir for one last hurrah, and then we send them off into the sunset.

Maybe that's the route. They're not going to unless their hand is forced. No, there has to be like three or four straight really bad seasons for them to actually consider canceling it at this point. But I honestly, I think it may have been a mistake to pick up the camera so soon. I think you let the, and I understand the appeal of let's pick them up and we want to get the raw emotions. We want people to be pissed off. But when you think about it, it doesn't give you great TV because people are still pissed off. They don't know how to feel.

They're still working through everything. They haven't talked to Sandoval in so long. Maybe, yeah, picking up the cameras forced him to come back into the fold so you can see him talk to everybody. But at the same time, nobody really knows how to feel. And Ariana is still pissed off. Like we're seeing her now. And yeah, we saw her, you know, during her whole revenge tour and everything that was going on. We're seeing her now thrive.

And she's probably a lot happier right now. She might actually be better on TV right now. If they picked up cameras when they were supposed to, a couple months down the road, we might have a better product out there. Instead, we've just got this mismash of people that don't really know how to feel and LVP trying to direct them in whatever direction is good for the show. I think it could have been a mistake. I understand, again, why they did it.

But I think in hindsight, it's very easy to say it was not the right move. Yeah. And I think if they waited, at least it would have right. Like, to your point, set it up then for the future. Like, it would have been more fluid. and we wouldn't have wanted a wait and they would have missed out on the cash cow but it would have been a better move for the future

because we would have seen something. Like the three scenarios, those are the only three scenarios I can think of. Like if Ariana leaves and Raquel doesn't come back, that is not the solution to me because I don't know what's there. It's like at least Raquel coming back. I'm not like a huge Ariana hater and Raquel fan.

I'm just saying that is what makes the most, sense to me because yeah then Ariana's not going to be there it's just somebody's going to eventually work with her I mean it was longer time and it'll just be more fluid I don't know and you probably have to get somebody new but we already tried the new people and that didn't work right wolf huge wolf and I mean I think the thing is I mean we can't really count Ali and she barely opens her mouth no offense I like her though when she does open her mouth she's very very centered i really like her she's very centered but you know also we're talking about who else are we going to bring back i mean i hate to wish harm on anyone but the valley is going to

premier valley village and i mean if that thing ain't a huge hit which i'm not so sure it's going to be you're shaking your head still you seem to agree with me rittany and jacks aren't even living together allegedly anymore there's pictures of him with his quote-unquote assistant like cozied up together. Like, I don't know. I don't think it's going to land. There's too many question marks already. I've said multiple times, the toughest part for me with the Valley is going to be if Jacks is the main character. He's not a main character. I don't need to see him the majority of the time on the screen. Yeah. No, I think he's, and that's the thing. So if that fails, we're not going to say, okay, Jackson, Doty, just go down the street and join Vanderpom. I think

it's going to be like, you were on a show that failed, so we're done with you. My biggest problem with the Valley is like, I mean, and I've heard from reliable sources, but my biggest problem is like, Jax is a producer. Like, Jax is, I think it's not only just going to be about him. I think Jax's behind the scenes is like saying, no, you two need to do this and you need to do this. And Doty knows what she's doing. But all these newbies, I think Jax, from what I've heard, is there saying, no, we have to do this and it's going to make better TV. And I think he's directing all these newbies. And so I just think, right, you're showing. shaking your head steel you're not a fan of this like i think it's not going to be original right i agree

with you 100% i think that that's going to be the biggest pitfall of the show is you give jacks taylor too much power or the semblance of having power he's going to overstep we watched it on vanderpump for years and years that was his mo the minute that he feels like he is the number one guy in the group he will act as such and it's not good tv it's obnoxious he's he hasn't changed the guy hasn't changed. It just hasn't been on TV. And like that's the other part of it. As soon as he's back on TV, now all of a sudden, Brittany's not there. Right.

You know? He comes back to TV. All of a sudden, his marriage. Like, it's just completely gone. It's crazy. That's what I'm saying. Like, do you really want to sacrifice your marriage? You're apparently doing well in your marriage, not so much anymore from the looks

of it and the rumors that are out there. But I think the answer is yes. I think he will happily sacrifice anything to be in the limelight. I don't think he gives a shit. I think that his biggest. regret is that he got kicked off the show. I think that he's been pining to get back there ever since. And lo and behold, the biggest scandal on reality TV history happens and people want them back now, or at least it opens the door for him. And that's what's so funny, if you gauge

the temperature of people immediately after Scandival, within that one, two, three month window where we were all firing off things. Everyone was talking about. Everyone hated Sandoval. We were letting anybody speak out on it. We let Jacks Taylor get back in the mix. Jackson, Brittany had a rewatcher, they were on fucking peacock, like anybody wanted to see that shit. If you gauge the temperature then versus now, it would be wildly different. And I think that it was impulsive to be like, oh, let's get these guys back. It's like, why, though? Like, what does he bring?

What did we miss from Jack's Taylor? Like, there's a reason he got the boot. He hasn't changed. So what are we welcoming back onto our screen? And I mean, I don't know. I've said this many times, too. housewives anything i personally don't want to turn on bravo to see like children and being raised that is just so boring i'm sorry like so i i don't even

think there's going to be drama i think this is just going to be about life of a reformed life in the valley and diapers and drinks and i like the tagline is uh they give their best shot at adulting and like they're all you know late 30s early 40s like good job you know you're finally trying to be adults good job Welcome to the game. You've heard those drama? I have a theory. I have a theory with everything coming out right now.

Yes. That might be how this season of the Valley ends. What if it's Jackson, Brittany, on the outs? Jacks has something with his assistant. They're trying to redo Scandibald or something like that. And you get some kind of like, ooh, this is how they split. Are they trying to drum up that kind of vibe before this thing airs? Yes.

Yes. Is that worth the extra 10,000 viewers that you're going to get on your finale? Like, no, they're idiots. I feel like the timing on this is just so strange, and they love it, and they're running with it, and I don't think it's going to save the show. No. Is anyone, like, have you talked to anyone that's like this trailer looks? I mean, look, maybe I'll be eating.

If these ratings, I mean, I, If these ratings are over a million, I will eat my words. Like, I will be shocked. I thought you were going to say something more fun. Like, could we? I will do whatever you want me to do. What did Katie say, eat a jean jacket? You got to eat a jean jacket.

I will eat a jean jacket. This is like a stranger things have happens, but I just don't see it. I mean, everyone's going to turn. I think it's going to start like, like, Vandropon started off Beverly Hills. I think it's going to be one. This is my fantasy. I think it's going to be Vanderpom and it's going to be that scene. I think it's going to be the night that Jax has the scene with Lisa,

where Lisa's like you said, it was your show. You know, we saw that in the trailer like Jackson is coming back to Vanderpom. I believe, I think that night is the night the Valley premieres. I think it's happening in March. I think it's like episode nine or eight.

It's one of those. Oh, and then it goes into, I think, and it might be two separate shows, but the night that Jacks is on Van der Phampech. is 100% the night that the valley is starting. So he's going to be on Vaynerpump, he's going to be on the valley,

and then he's going to be a watch what happens live guest. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. It's going to get a million. Look, they're going to. But then people turn it off. Like, you know, we have Salt Lake that was after whatever show, and a lot of people were turning it.

I think was that after Beverly Hills? Yeah. So, like, people turn it off. I mean, it had like half the rating. So I think people will turn it off. I do. I mean, I wish them the best stuff. of luck i don't know who wants to see jacks adulting with son watching tv no one nobody and i think

that what they if this season of vanderpump doesn't pick up and get to a place that the viewers are happy with i think what the valley is going to do is oversaturated and people are going to be just fed up with vanderpump content i think that the timing of it being that ninth episode or right there in the middle in march what they were originally planning on being like oh this is to hit so well and then we're going to carry over into this new show which is also going to hit if they don't pick this shit up moving forward when we get to the valley ring like now we got fucking jacks back on tv like now we got to watch brittany on tv again we got to get all now it's vanderpump 24-7 it's just a different label on it now we're going to be tired of it and then

the valley's really going to tank and then i think vanderpump will suffer after the fact if you got both of those shows same night they both stink the viewership's going to plummet the next week that's my prediction, unless they can figure out a way to save this season without, God forbid, without leaning on the fact that Schwartz and Sheena made out, God knows how long ago, allegedly. That's what we're all hoping for. I think we're being heavily critical because we watch these shows for a living. The general person will probably not tune out of VPR. The Valley's a completely different monster. If they tune in, they tune in, whatever, who the fuck cares? But I feel like this season of VPR, I think it's going to be consistent the entire time.

I don't think the ratings are ever going to plug it this year. Next year is a different story, but this year is going to be consistent. I agree with that. And I agree. I think the first episode of the Valley is going to do over a million. I think the second is going to be disastrous. Wait, you just said it wasn't. You're going to have to eat a jean jacket.

The Valley, no, the Valley is not going to be. Like, I think the first episode is going to be huge, but I think the second episode on, it's over. Like I think said the first one was going to know. No, he said the season. He said the season. Because look, everyone's going to, everyone's going to want to watch this or at least 40 minutes of it. Well, we have to. I mean, I don't want to watch it.

We have to. We have to. But I really think, I mean, this audience does tune out. Like, when they don't like, you guys just said you stopped your beloved Potomac. People, season three of Salt Lake City Housewives, please someone fill me in on that season because I stopped after like episode two or three. I don't miss anything. That's a different podcast. that's a different podcast.

But I think people will stop the valley. I do. I think episode one and then I think it's over. And yes, I think Nanderbump this season will not go down. I think that's going to continue. I do. You know,

we bring it up frequently when you talk about these shows, then we'll wrap it up. But like, I don't root for any of them to be bad. Like, you know, I used to watch Bravo solely for entertainment purposes because I enjoyed it.

And now, you know, we have to watch a lot of these shows. I still love watching. and I enjoy most of them, but because we have to watch them regardless, like I'm always rooting for a good season. I want the Valley to wow me.

I want it to surprise me and be like, oh, wow, this is actually entertaining. But these shows have also turned me cynical. And I know, like we all do. You look for certain things, certain tropes that you try to avoid, and we're seeing a lot of things

that might not lead to a successful season and breaking it down analytically. You're like, shit, can it do it? I don't think so. So you go in jaded. and then the first episode is going to suck, and then I'm not going to give it another chance. Yeah, but our listeners are also sadistic

and they're going to make us watch because they know that we hate watch things and they want to hear us ramble and ramble about how much it sucks. And we hate that they do that, but we love them at the same time. They do that. And they force us to do those, yeah.

I agree with all of that. I would like everything, everyone thinks I'm so negative. I would love for these shows to be phenomenal, like the heyday, Salt Lake City, season four. I mean, never have I looked for something. have I never have I not wanted to watch something as much as that because it's season three and then you watch it and you're like this is fucking amazing yeah how did this happen how what

what just happened how did Monica Garcia happened that's what happened yes she did and it was phenomenal and I'm like is everyone listening to me here because I am so positive every day is a positive I'm like I too would like to be positive about all of it I'm wishing no harm to anyone it's just we're not there We are not there these days. Something has changed. I don't know. Maybe it's just oversaturation in general of all.

Well, they are pulling back on what they're dropping coming up. We're not getting as many shows in the spring. So maybe that will. They're really spacing it out. Yeah. And as they should, I think that they got so excited with Scandival. They're just like content, content, content. And then we had some flops.

And they're like, hey, let's pull back. Yeah. And I think last season, Southern Charm was like one of the best season in the years of Southern Charm, like years. And like, right, but like where is Real House West of Dubai? Like that's probably in trouble. I mean, not that anyone's waiting for that. But I think spacing it out, I think, right, they're probably like, we don't want to do this,

but we have to. This is the long-term plan. I think maybe they're just learning. Yeah. Who knows? Bravo learning. That would be fun. It would be fun to see them learn.

crazy concept. I know. It's a crazy concept, but hopefully they're learning. Well, that was, that was great. Do you have, do you have anything else, anything to get off your chest, anything you need to plug, anything coming up? Um, you know, Summer House, let's see how it goes this season, keeping an open minds, but nothing to plug other than, you know, everyone from your audience, who's not familiar with me could listen to Behind the Velvet Rope. We are a seven day a week podcast, There's a show every single day. So don't overthink it. Just tune in because there's a new show every single day, seven days a week.

Love that. Yeah, make sure you subscribe. Get over there. Listen to David Yontiff behind the Velvet Rope. And for us, we have our live show coming up March 6th. It's only a couple of, not even a couple of weeks away. I don't even know. I'm not going to do the bat.

Where's your live show? Is it the city winery in Philadelphia? It is March 6. It's a Wednesday night. And we do not have a lot of tickets left. sold a ton today. So if you have not gotten your tickets yet, guys, please go get those tickets. The link is in the bio. Remember, we also have a show coming up in Shooter, Help Me Out. D.C. March 3rd and Boston, June 14th.

And March, sure, he means May 3rd in. Did I say March 3rd? Yeah, D.C. is May 3rd. God, damn. Confuse everybody. Mark, let me do this, ready? March 6, Philly, City Winery, May 3rd, Union Stage, D.C. see then we got boston when is that one march 14 june 14 march you guys why we suck i don't know how the fact that you remember any of that is i'm shocked that's great i try to get better at plugging things i'm just not good at it i don't have that that oh you don't i'm pretty good i can plug stuff but next time we're just going to send you our list and you can plug for us

i i would plug i've done live shows before i've been to the city one Linerie in Philly, we like a live show. They're fine. And then tune in for our live show in August when David will be eating a jean jacket because the Valley will be doing great. Yep. When the Valley is the number one show on Bravo, thanks to the number one guy in the group, we're going to send you a jean jacket and watch you eat.

It's just, from that trailer, it is just not possible. It's not. It's just not possible. Hey, I'm going to, bubble down. I'm going to stand. Two jean jackets. I'm going to keep my chip on red. It's just not happening. Well, time will tell. Time will tell.

But thank you so much for doing this collab with us. This was a blast. We'll have to do this again. All my audience needs to listen to you guys if they're not already. Yes. We'll have to see. We can. We'll get back on so that we can, we have to discuss the Teresa Melissa split, you know, a little closer to that season. Because then we'll have a full hour and a half to get after it. I've got a lot to say about that. We'll plan a pre-Jerzy event. We'll get together and discuss what's coming up. That would be a lot of fun.

But thank you again. Thank you again. This was great. Thank you. We'll see you guys soon. See ya. Bye. The Old West is an iconic period of American history

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