Mention It All - A Once In A Wifetime WWHL (RHOC, RHOSLC)

Episode Date: September 14, 2023

Dylan returns from his WWHL bartending debut and recounts the full experience, including an iconic run-in with Vicki Gunvalson. From there, he gets into this week’s RHOSLC and RHOC, with a special appreciation for Shannon and Monica keeping it real about their insecurities. He also breaks down the breakdown of Tamra and Jenn’s ceasefire, which seems to be permanent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ha ha, laugh, funny. Mention It All, a Bravo by Betches podcast. We don't say that, but now we said it. With me, Dylan Hafer. We're going to check me, boo. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Mention It All podcast. I'm Dylan Hafer, and what a day it is.

I am, dare I say, a little hungover this morning because I spent my evening last night bartending at Watch What Happens Live with Andy and the Trace Amigas. and boy what an experience it was i mean first of all it was a great time i'm so grateful to the whole team at watch what happens live and most of all i'm grateful for all of you all of you listening and following and commenting and leaving your five-star mostly reviews and you know being so nice and supportive over the years i would not have had this opportunity to bartend on watch what happens Live if it wasn't for all of you. And so I'm really, really grateful, but I just want to walk you through the experience

of bartending on Watch What Happens Live with Victoria Gunvilsson, Shannon Storm's Bador, and Tamara Judge, because it is, it is an experience. Now, I was, I'm fortunate enough to have been to the Watch What Happens Live Clubhouse for several tapings. I've been in the audience mostly. I went once a couple years ago when the Bech's founders bartended together. So I got to have a little bit of a backstage experience then. So for the most part, I knew what to expect, which I was glad about. Because, you know, it was a fully live episode. You show up at like 8.30. The show's at 9. It's a whirlwind. You're in the dressing room. They're bringing you a drink. You're, I.

I'm trying to make sure I don't look a mess to be on TV. It's a whole thing. So the way it's set up at Watch What Happens Live, there's two bigger dressing rooms next to each other for the guests. And then there's a smaller dressing room at the end of the hallway that's for the bartender. So I get there, you know, I'm sitting in my room. The door is like, you know, half open. And Vicky is walking out of one of the.

the dressing rooms. And, you know, Vicky's boyfriend is there. Eddie was there. Shannon's daughter, Adeline was there with a friend. I think there's hair and makeup. There's producers. It was, there was a decent amount of commotion, I would say. But Vicki sees me sitting in the dressing room. And I've met Vicky once before, just briefly, at the Ultimate Girls Trip premiere last year. So she doesn't know me. It's fine. You know, Vicky has been doing this for, you know, longer than I've been alive. That's not true. But so Vicky sees me, she, her face lights up. She's, oh, are you the bartender? I was like, yeah, Vicky, oh my God, like, nice to see you. Like, we've met once before. Like, you know, I wouldn't say that I'm Vicki's biggest fan, but of course I, uh, you know, respect her contributions to the Housewives Pantheon. And I will say, I was a little, I was surprised how happy she was to be greeting the bartender. So we, we say hello.

And she passes me a bundle of fabric. She goes, this is a Tracea Mugas t-shirt. And so maybe you could wear it under, so I'm wearing this like blue shacket, like, you know, heavy buttoned-down shirt kind of vibe with a black t-shirt underneath. You know, cool, casual, whatever. I hope you like the way I look, but I also don't really care. Vicki's handing me this Trace Amiga's t-shirt with writing that's the colors of the Mexican flag. And she's saying that she hopes I'll wear it on live television in, you know, 15 minutes after this interaction.

and I go, oh, thank you so much. Like, I don't know if I'll wear it, but, you know, thank you. She goes, well, we'd like you to wear it because, you know, we're going to be on the show. We're going to be talking about the Tracy Week Us, and it's, you know, a little promotion would be nice. Oh. Very kindly, one of the producers is like, you don't have to wear it. And I, you know, I was not planning to. Not to mention, the shirt was two sizes, too small.

So suffice to say, I didn't feel great about making my live television appearance in a too small shirt that I was handed 15 minutes before going on television. But that was my main interaction with Vicky. You know, I've met Tamara before I saw her. She was lovely. Shannon was nice. I finally got to meet Priscilla and Julius, two of the most acclaimed. Bravo Leopardy Hair and Makeup talents. But so, you know, that's the pre-show.

Andy came in. He said hi. He was very nice. I've met Andy a number of times now. It's always nice to see him. And he is always super professional. You know, so you get behind the bar. And first of all, one thing that you might not think about if you haven't been to one of these tapings is that they are keeping your drink as full as possible. So I had a drink in the dressing room before the taping, and then I leave the drink there. I go out into the clubhouse.

There's a fresh full drink already on the bar for me. I had placed my fresca and tequila. And then at each commercial break, they swoop in with a fresh tray of drinks and replace all the drinks or if it's if you have wine they refill it so i was i was taking like hummingbird sips of my cocktail during the show because the thing about being the bartender on watch what happens live is that they're only showing you like a handful of times throughout the episode but you feel like there are a million people watching you the whole time you're standing up

there. So it is kind of a mind-fucky experience of like, okay, am I smiling too much? Am I doing something awkward with my hands? Am I supposed to be reacting a lot to what the guests are doing? Or kind of politely just, you know, staring like a mannequin in the corner. I was, you know, doing a little polite golf clap for some things, you know, it. But mostly I was focused on don't drink too much of this drink because first of all, you'll have to pee. And I don't want to have to feel like I have to pee while I'm doing the thing. And also, I don't want to get drunk. I'm standing up there. I'm like, if I'm like sucking down this delicious cocktail, and it wasn't a, it was not a weak cocktail. You know, if I'm, if I'm at the bar, I'm like, but I'm like,

when I'm at this bar, I'm like, no, no, no, no. So there's like a mental math of like, I don't want to not touch the drink the whole time because then I feel like I've just been standing here. Like you have to kind of switch up. You're like, oh, like laughing, smiling, clapping, sipping is part of the equation. So I was just, it was like a skinny straw and I was just taking like the tiniest little like because I don't want to down this drink. But then at the same time, I went through like four drinks over the course of the night, but I didn't finish any of them. So what it comes out to is I have no idea how much tequila I drank last night, but I was feeling fine. It was, as Andy said on the episode, kind of a motherload of nights.

I mean, Trace Amigas is an institution. Obviously last night, which we'll talk about OC in a few minutes, was Vicki's, you know, big return to the show. It's a little – her season is a little random. You know, she popped up for a couple scenes. earlier and then now she surprises them on the trip and it's a little bit questionable whether she's back back or just kind of back or potentially maybe back in the future. It was revealed last night. I don't know if this was new information that she wasn't at the reunion. So that was something that I was kind of wondering about because, you know, I think Taylor was at the

reunion, like, the line of who is like an official friend of that's really doing all of the stuff that goes along with the show versus who's just sort of like coming around. It's, it's sometimes a little murky. And obviously, Vicky is, you know, enough of an iconic housewife that she's being booked on, watch what happens live regardless. But it was, it was fun. And Vicky has an energy where truly like the the whoop-it-upness that you see on the show is so palpable in real life. I mean, last night they did a segment where there was, they did a drinking game where they would ask a question, it's like a little plead the 50, but not quite.

They would ask a question to one or more of the women. And then if they didn't, if they declined to answer, the other women, would have to take a shot. And these are, they have like a whole tray of tequila shots. And so for me, I am somebody who avoids shots when I can. And at most, I'm like, okay, it's somebody's birthday. Yes, I will participate in the group tequila shot. Or I will, you know, if it's like the start of the night out and everybody is doing a shot together, sure, I will partake. I won't necessarily enjoy it. I probably won't be the one to suggest it and champion the cause. But I'm not a Debbie Downer when it comes to shots. Vicki Gunvelson was desperate to take those shots.

She was bending the rules of the game to ensure that she got to take a shot. She was, she was disappointed at the end of the game when they took away the tray of shots. And it's like, yeah, Vicky, we're doing a live show here. Like, they're not just going to, like, leave a tray of shots hanging out on the table the whole episode. It was just, it's so wild because Vicky is in her 60s. She talked about this last night because Andy was trying to figure out how many years Orange County has been in existence. And Vicki was like, well, I always say I was 43 when it started. I'm 61 now, so it's 18, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

First of all, she looks great. All of them look great. But the way she can drink is shocking to me. And I truly, I truly don't mean that in a negative way. It is something I don't understand physically or spiritually. It's a sight to behold. This all culminated at the end of the episode when Andy made an announcement that at BravoCon this year, they're going to be doing the first ever bravos.

So basically it's a Watch What Happens Live special. I think that's a Bravo Awards show and there's going to be categories and nominees announced next month that people can vote on. But they announced last night that the big category of the night is the Wifetime Achievement Award.

And Andy announced that the first ever recipient of the Wifetime Achievement Award is Vicki Gunwelson. So I'm standing off to the side. Like I said, I've been, you know, daintily, you know, like dabbing my tongue on the straw of my drink. So I'm pretty lucid. I figured out what was happening.

You know, the second he started announcing this, I'm like, okay, this is random to announce it seven weeks in advance. There's got to be a Trace Amigos or a Vicky tie in. You know, that's obviously what's happening. I don't think Vicky understood what was happening until 15 seconds. after Andy said it. He's like, Vicky Gumbelson, and she, it was, you would think she won a Nobel Prize. It really, it really, really meant a lot to her. And I think, I mean, love her, hate her anywhere in between.

Vicky is somebody who has truly been through it over the years. And, I mean, she's undeniable as a historic house. Wives presence. And one thing that I thought was, one thing that I thought was interesting from being around her last night is you can tell how, how much she still wants it and is thinking about it. That there was one of the questions that Tamara got asked was like, which OC housewife should never come back. And Vicki goes, Vicki goes, don't say me. Please don't say me. And it's like, First of all, like, she's literally not going to your BFFs and she's sitting right next to you. But also it's like, that's how her brain works.

Like, she is still fully in the game. And I will be so curious to know, to see how they move forward after this season. Because I think I definitely feel, and a lot of people feel like this season of OC has been quite strong. And, you know, I think having Vicky around is a. fun choice, but that doesn't necessarily, that's not always equal to, oh, this person should come back full time and that would make the show work better. I actually thought it was interesting when Tamara also got asked who on the show should get demoted and I guess they all got asked, but Shannon and Vicky were kind of thinking Heather and Tamara spoke up and was like, no, not

Heather because Heather, we need Heather. Like, Heather helps make the show. And I think that's, I mean, Tamara has always had this housewives mindset that I think really sets her apart where she, she understands the cast dynamics and the production stuff with, you know, how to make a good show. And I thought it was really interesting to hear her call that out in the moment like that, where she's like, she might not trust Heather as far as she could throw her.

She might not ever want to spend time with her in a social setting where there's not a camera picking it up, but she knows that there's something about that recipe for the show that benefits all of them. And I love to see like that thing working. But so anyway, Vicki wins her Wifetime Achievement Award. There's a Trace Amigos group. hug, Vicky's emotional, the gay shark comes out, there's confetti in the air, there's confetti in Shannon's hair on Shannon's eyelash for the whole after show. If you go watch the after show, you should be able to see that there is like a rather large piece of confetti just hanging out

on Shannon's left eyelash. If I was like, if I was like one foot closer to her, I think I would have said something, but you're just, especially when it's live like that, you go straight from the show into the after show. And then the after show is like five minutes long. It's over so quickly. It really is. Like you don't, you're not standing there being like, okay, like, call me in a few minutes when it's time for the after show. It's like, nope, they're like zip, zap, zapping you out of there. And I love that. I was home by like 10 p.m. It was perfect. It was a great time. I, Again, so grateful to the whole team at Watch What Happens Live. They truly have the best crew, the best production.

It's a well-oiled machine. Every time I've gotten to go to the clubhouse, it's been great. But of course, last night was really special. And like I said, thank you so much to everyone who's helped get me and us and, you know, this whole thing. To this point, because, I mean, started from the depths of the pandemic, doing everything on Zoom. And now we're here. Girl, winter is so last season. And now spring's got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes.

Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders. That perfect hang on the patio sundress. Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear up on that envelope? It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross.

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Watch only on Prime. I suppose we should talk a little bit more about O.C. I also didn't really get to talk about Salt Lake this week. I think Salt Lake, the first couple episodes, have been just great. I am really, really loving getting to know this new Lady Monica. She is fascinating. She has lived a lot of life. So in the first episode, she revealed that she was a witness for the feds in Jen Shaw's case. And then in the second episode, she reveals that she was excommunicated from the Mormon Church for having an 18-month-long affair with her ex-husband's sister's husband. This is something. This is, I've got to chew on that one for a minute. What a thing to happen. She was like scandvalling her own family long before there were cameras in the

the picture. That's a, that's a tricky one. But I'm more intrigued by the conversation that we see her happening, having with her mom and her teenage daughter this episode where she is really struggling with this idea of keeping up with the Joneses and, you know, sort of not feeling like she is in the same league as the other women on the show. And she, you know, was talking about how she went and bought a Louis Vuitton bag just to feel like she could have something nice to be around these women. And this is something that I think is probably more relatable than we realize when people come on Housewives. It is a, it is a very specific, constructed world that these people live in where it's not like, you know,

when I'm watching season one of Roney right now, these women, obviously, are wealthy. They have nice things. They're, you know, living a lifestyle that is not, you know, relatable to most people. But it is a different type of thing than what we see on a lot of housewives shows now where there's so much emphasis placed on head-to-to-to-designer outfits and burkins and cars and crazy houses and flying in private jets. And, you know, doing the most lavish things and the jewelry. I mean, that is one thing actually. When I sit down to interview some of these housewives, if you look at the jewelry they wear, it is unbelievable sometimes the amount of damage that is being done on these bracelets and rings

and necklaces and earrings. I mean, it's, it costs a lot to really, be that. And of course there are women on these shows that have, you know, that much money and then some. But I think there are probably just as many women who are really stretching themselves to kind of run in this circle. And I think for Monica being brand new on the show to be open about that is commendable. And I'm happy to hear it. And I think she clearly, just in two episodes, is bringing a lot to the show itself. So I hope she can feel comfortable enough within the group to let her time as a housewife develop, if that makes sense. And I mean, in like the cast photos and everything like that, the confessionals, she looks great. Like, she's not, she talks about wearing like sweatpants and leggings and all that stuff.

And day to day, sure. But like, she can do glam. And so, you know, Monica for the. win. She's doing great. And I also, it's a different thing, but not completely unrelated. On OC this week, I thought it was super nice to hear Shannon be open about not feeling the best about her body and being insecure. And, you know, there's this kind of like group assignment to wear these swimsuits and that she's not feeling great about being around everyone in a swimsuit. And I mean, similar, we've been seeing Jenna Lyons on Roney kind of struggling with that too on the trip to Angula. And I

think these shows are so much more, so much more meaningful and impactful and just have more layers and more depth to them when people feel comfortable expressing their, their genuine feelings like this. And so it's nice to see that I could just pull three examples just from this week on Bravo of women really being open and vulnerable about the pressures of society and the pressures of this specific world that they're operating in. And, you know, I'm all for it. I think it's, I think it's great. I definitely am excited to talk more about Salt Lake City next week because I think that trip to Palm Springs is just starting to heat up. And I got to say, Whitney inviting Angie as her plus one is pretty brilliant.

And I can't wait to see how that turns out. But I do want to talk more about Orange County because I didn't really talk about it last week very much. So we are in Mexico. Everyone is there. Having a grand old time or not really. You know, everyone at this first dinner is pissed. You know, Emily is mad at Shannon for calling her a liar.

Heather is mad at people for not being happy about her house. Heather feels like she can't do anything right. you know, Jen, Jen just wants to eat. The Heather thing is interesting because I get where she's coming from. I think the idea of Heather, kind of the vibe that she brings to her presence, makes it easy for people to criticize her and easy for people to kind of put her on this pedestal that then they can knock her off of. but at the same time, I don't think she's the easiest person to be friends with all the time.

I don't think she is, you know, completely absolved of any part in, like, issues that take place. So overall, I feel like Heather, you know, I think she has a point about not being able to do anything right, but also it's like clearly these women feel like they're not getting something from you. And keeping the house secret, it's, I don't know. know. It's one of those things where it's like, I get why the other women feel weird about it, but at the same time, it's like, kind of who cares? I don't know. Then Tamara and Jen all of a sudden have issues again because apparently their mutual friend told Jen that Tamara had reached out a few weeks ago and asked her for dirt, but Tamara tells us that it's the woman who Ryan cheated with and she, She sent Tamara all the texts with Ryan. So there's a lot going on here. So there's sort of a question of if the woman really sent this stuff to Tamara unsolicited

or if Tamara was digging around. But then there's also a separate question of did this woman and Ryan only hook up while they were, you know, quote unquote on a break? or was there some more cheating that happened? And Jen later in the episode sort of seems to admit via confessional that she knows that Ryan cheated on her and that she just basically doesn't want to talk about it with the women because fuck these girls, like, why would I want to talk about this with you? Which, I mean, more power to her.

Why would you want to talk about this with Vicky and... Tamara at this point. But Tamara is like kind of digging in her claws a little bit. She's adamant that there's more stuff happening and that, you know, Ryan fucked more than one woman at the gym. And that's why she cares. And that's why she knows about it because it was happening under her nose at Cut Fitness, the, you know, the den of sin in Newport Beach. And she also is yelling out that that Jen ruined her family by leaving the marriage and XYZ. And it just is kind of and nasty and I I really do feel

for Jen. I think it is obvious that her relationship with Ryan is a walking red flag. I don't think anybody, honestly her included, is really trying to push back on that idea. But it's this thing of like

leave me alone to figure out my own shit. And the fact that even Vicky can clock on the episode and then on Watch What Happens Live, that it's like, yeah, this relationship is shitty, but she has to figure it out herself to some degree. And Tamara continuing to tell her that Ryan's not a good dude, unless there's some new, more damning piece of information, it's kind of pointless. And it feels like you're sort of just rubbing salt in a wound that she already sees.

She already feels the wound. she just, she has to, she has to want to get better. I don't know, these, kicking a horse while they're down, I don't know. Overall, you know, I, I think this is a good storyline, but from a personal perspective, if I were Jen, I would, I would kind of be retreating into my turtle shell at this point. And I'm glad she's not, but I, it's tough.

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You know, Gina and Emily have not forgotten all the things that Vicky has said about them in the press. Gina responds by calling them the Trace of Wales. You know, Sickburn. The funniest thing probably was that when they were riding the ATVs to. the Sonote, which first of all, it's too many activities. I either want to arrive at the Sanote at comfort, or I want to do the ATV ride, and that's the whole activity. Riding the ATV in a swimsuit to the Sanote, where then do they have to ride the ATVs back in their wet swimsuits? Maybe I wasn't paying attention. It sounds like a lot. It sounds uncomfortable. It sounds like a chafing situation.

You're in the jungle. You're going to get bug bites. I don't know. But Gina, clocking that Shannon riding the ATV is giving major Jennifer Coolidge in the White Lotus vibes. That is one of the best things Gina has ever done on this show. And I don't say that to discount Gina's many other housewife achievements. But God, that was funny. It made me laugh so hard. These women sometimes they just get it. And the other thing, the other thing that really made me laugh was hearing that Heather

told Emily she looks like a snuffalupagus but in a good way yeah this is this is tough because knowing what a snuffalupagus looks like there is just

simply no possible way to frame that as a compliment like a snuffelopagus is a is like a shaggy ass is it a woolly mammoth

it's like a mini elephant I don't know a big furry Muppet as Emily says Heather saying that she means this is a compliment is so out of pocket

and so just that is like that is like the best possible thing Heather brings to this show when she just makes a comment like that that is so so offputingly

like, bad. But she's like, in her heart of hearts, she doesn't believe that she said anything rude to Emily. And it's like, oh my God. If someone compare me to a snuffle up, I guess, like, I would go into witness protection. I would be in hiding. You would never see me again.

I do think also saying that somebody looks like a dolphin trainer, which Emily said about Heather, because of her little zip-up situation, that has nothing to do with your looks or your whole vibe or your body. That's literally about the outfit. Like you could be, you know, a size zero or a size whatever. And if you wear the dolphin trainer outfit, you look like a dolphin trainer. I don't think Heather would have told somebody who's a size zero that they look like a snuffal up, I guess.

And, you know, let's just say I would look like a snuffle up, I guess, if I wore that Trace Amiga's t-shirt on Watch What Happens Live last night. It would not have been pretty. But, you know, things, things overall not going super well in Mexico. You know, Vicky bringing up, Vicki misunderstanding how to play truth or dare. And she's like, okay, Jen chose truth. I'm going to tell her my full truth. It's like, oh, oh, oh. it's rough it's rough i i'm hoping for the best for jen um tamer just wants her to be honest like with her fake Gucci and fake fendi that's tough too i mean calling out you're for the fake it's like we're just talking about with monica it's tough to you feel like you have to keep up but also ladies you can look beautiful and expensive and put together without the designer labels so i would just say If you can't, if you're not, if you're, if you're not there with the designer labels,

just focus on simple, clean, modern, lovely, classic, perhaps. Don't do the fake Fendi. It's, it's not worth it. Somebody's going to clock it. Somebody's going to find out. And if they, even if they don't, it's not worth it. It's not worth it. But anyway, I mean, TBD on what's happening in Mexico.

I suppose we'll find out next week. But in the meantime, thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for rating, reviewing, subscribing, all of that. Please continue to do so. You can follow us on Instagram at Bravo by Betches. You can follow me at Dylan Hafer. And until next time, be cool. Don't be all like uncool.

Mention It All is produced by Dylan Hafer, Sean Kilby, Jorge Morales Pico, and Rebecca Sousmakat. Editing by Jorge Morales Pico, social media by Dylan Hafer, guest booking by Dylan Hafer and Allie Friedlander. Be sure to follow at Braylor. Bravo by Betches on Instagram and Twitter. What's the difference between butter and butter made from real California dairy? It's the real California farm families behind it. Real people. Real care. Real intention. Why? Because real matters. So whether you're pouring milk, melting of cheese, or just grabbing one more spoonful of

yogurt, keep it real. Look for the seal. Real California milk by Reel. California farm families. Betches.