Mention It All - Stacey’s Rent-A-Man Reckoning (Plus Traitors & RHOBH)

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

This is not an Oscars podcast, but Dylan kicks off today’s show with an important update from Hollywood’s biggest night: Ben Stiller wants Kyle and Dorit to get along. He also shares some lingering reactions to Sutton’s “Poorit” angle on RHOBH. From there, he sets his sights on the conclusion of the Potomac reunion, which is an instant classic. From Stacey’s fake boyfriend allegations to Ray and Karen’s pitiful final scene, he also unpacks some questions for next season, and what we can expect. Later, Dylan has a few thoughts on Traitors before this week’s finale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your summer starts now with Memorial Day deals at the Home Depot. It's time to fire up summer cookouts with the next grill, four-burner gas grill, on special buy for only $199. And entertain all season with the Hampton Bay West Grove seven-piece outdoor dining set for only $499. This Memorial Day get low prices guaranteed at the Home Depot. While supplies last, price invalid May 14th or May 27th, U.S. only exclusions apply. See Home Depot.com slash price match for details.

Betches Media presents. 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 at All podcast.

It is Monday. We are in a new week, and I feel like it has been a minute since I was able to sit down with you guys for a proper little solo catch-up. We have had so many great guests over the last couple weeks. We had Carl Radke.

We had Crystal Kung Minkel. off, Phoebe Robinson. That was just last week. It has been a good time in the Bravo world. We've had lots of great conversations. But some of my favorite conversations are just me talking to myself. And that is what we're going to get into today. We have a rip-roaring Potomac reunion part three to talk about. Sometimes with this reunion, these reunions, man, I feel like I am scraping together some talking points. Not the case with this. I feel like we have a full you know, drama, political thriller, suspense, vibe playing out in front of our eyes. And we are going to get into it, don't you worry. Going to talk about traitors a little bit. The finale and reunion coming at the end of this week. So we are really getting down to the wire there. Of course, last night was the 97th Academy Awards. You know, I had the pleasure to watch, you know, as all of us do. It's not special. But the Oscar

are always fun, but what I, the thing I want to pull out here, because this is not an Oscars podcast. I have watched all the movies. I loved Enora, so I was not upset about the way things went last night, let's just say. Though I was really hoping for that to me more, that big moment, because you know, you just knew it was going to be so sweet, and she was going to be so, like, just locked in if she got to give that speech. I think Mikey Madison is great. I, again, I really like to Norris, so I'm not too mad. Timothy Chalabay, next time. I just don't think it's like, what, he's going to get up there with Kylie sitting right there and have to like, we're going to have to get the Kylie reaction shot.

It just doesn't quite do it for me. And I love Timothy Chalabay. But I think next time, I don't know, bring your mom. His mom was there. Sit with your mom. Let Kylie be up in the mezzanine or wherever. Isn't that so funny to think of like if, if Kylie came to the Oscars but wasn't like the plus one, so she had to sit like up in the balcony? That I would like to see. But no, the moment at the Oscars or leading up to the Oscars that is most relevant to us was something that happened on the E.

Red Carpet show where Ben Stiller, our severance captain, our comedy icon, he was just weighing in on Kyle and Derreet. Ben Stiller, a known Real House Stories of Beverly Hills Watcher, and he is like the rest of us, just a little, a little frustrated that Kyle and Doreet haven't been able to be there for each other this season. As they are both going through similar challenges in their marriages and in their lives, it just makes sense that they should be there for each other. And watching him weigh in on this, he was like, He was like, yeah, I know there was the weird thing with the PK text.

And there's something about just like knowing that Ben Stiller knows that Kyle texts PK, like that feels so wrong but so right. And I don't want to, you know, I think sometimes we talk a little bit too much. And I know it's come up a bunch lately of like celebrities watching Bravo and like isn't that fun and don't we love it. And like, I don't want to act like. Look, we've all been here. We've been in the trenches. You, you, all of you listening and me and, and, you know, all of our Bravo loving friends, we were here before we knew that Jennifer Lawrence was watching.

We were here before Ben Stiller was talking about it on the Oscars red carpet. We don't need that. And I think that it's an important distinction because I don't want people to, to think that, oh, it's 2025. My favorite iconic celebrities, my A-listers are telling me that it's okay to watch Housewives. Maybe I'll check it out. No, we've been here. We've been on this block. They're just pitching a little tent and being like, hey, this seems fun. Maybe this will be a good little interview bit. I don't want anyone to think that we are caring about Bravo more because these celebrities tell us too. But it is really fun when we find out that they are watching along with the rest of us. He did say that he's not fully caught up on Beverly Hills because he watches with

his daughter and he hasn't been home the last couple weeks to watch with her. I love that. I do think that sounds fun. Like Ben Stiller and the daughter to me, like, I want to hear from the daughter. I want to hear like, like, what is, what comments is Ben Stiller making as he's watching the show that maybe aren't, you know, ready for camera on the Oscars red carpet. That I would like to be kind of inside of. But he also said that next up for him is Real Houseways of New York, but he acknowledged that it is a great time commitment and that he might not have time to get to it. So Ben Stiller, not a true Housewise aficionado, but I appreciate that he is, you know, sort of taking an excursion in Real Houseways of Beverly Hills. And, you know, if you ever want to

come on the podcast, Ben Stiller. We can get into it. I want to hear what you think about Jennifer Tilly. I want to hear what you think about Erica. I want to hear about what Ben Stiller thinks about Sutton's track calling Doreet Poree. So good, so good. Everything you want for summer is at Nordstrom rack stores now

and up to 60% off. Stock up and save on the brands you love like Vince, Sam Edelman, frame, and free people. Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.

Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs 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 you. 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. Work your magic. Okay, I didn't get a chance to talk about Beverly Hills last week, and I'm not going to go, like, all the way into it because it's Monday and we have other business to get to, but like, I need Sutton to, like, take a deep breath. I am not somebody who, has the level of like pearl clutchesness to be like, oh my God, it is so wrong that she is making comments about Doreet's wealth and about somebody else not comparing based on, oh, that is not what we do here. I don't really give a fuck.

Like, that's not, to me, like, I'm not offended that Sutton is making a jab at Dereet based on her wealth or lack thereof. I just don't actually think that it's landing the way that she wants it to. Like, it's, it's not a moral qualm. It's like a, it's like a, oh, she thought she did something and it, she maybe didn't qualm. And it's always a little, it's a little hard to watch sometimes when somebody makes a jab that they think is going to be like the kill shot. And instead it like ricochets and kind of goes back to them and everybody else is like, ooh. That wasn't exactly.

Because look, Kyle has a lot of money. She doesn't like it. Erica, I don't think she is here for that. Garcel Suttons BFF in the group. I don't know. You know, not this is not a group made up of women who have nine figure net worths. Sutton, you know, she talks a lot about her money. We know that she has a lot of money.

people like Jennifer Tilly and Kathy Hilton have a lot of money. The core cast of this show, look, I'm not saying that any of them are like on government assistance, but like this is not a cast where everybody is like a mega millionaire. That's not really how Housewives even works these days. And so I'm just a little bit like it feels like Sutton is throwing a lot of stones at Doreth's house. but most of the people in this cast live in houses that are not that far from Derrits and are similarly made of glass. So it just, it seems like something where Sutton is kind of going down a path that I think

is not going to reflect well on her within the group and therefore I think is going to be tough for her on the show as a whole because I don't think the other women in this cast that have a lot of money, aren't going to be like Team Sutton in that argument. So, I don't know. Tread lightly. And, you know, like Derreet says, Sutton has all the money in the world and it bought her a horse, not a man. So look, she says she wants a rich guy. I wish her all the best. I just like, Sutton, you're on thin ice right now. Good sleep is everything. That's why Ali's science back support is made with a blend of melatonin and L-Dienine for both kiddos and grownups.

So when your mind won't switch off, you've got something that can help. Erasing thoughts and restless nights won't stand a chance. Find Ollie Sleep Solutions for the whole family at ollie.com. That's OLLLY.com. Study and play. Come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds.

Get the unreal college deal, everything you need, to study and play with select Windows 11 PCs. eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 premium and a year of Xbox GamePass Ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn more at Windows.com slash student offer. While supplies last ends June 30th, terms at AKA.m.m.m.S. College PC. Okay, let's get to Potomac. Thankfully, I was able to watch this episode a couple days early because the Oscars were last night, which I, you know, had to watch for the main part of my other job, this job.

my main job, I don't know, whatever. I had to watch the Oscars, so I was excited that I got to watch Potomac ahead of time. But the thing is, a lot of the time, this is, this is like a hazard of the job. Sometimes if you have the episode in advance, there's a tendency to kind of put it on and like have it in the background a little bit. And then you're kind of like, okay, what happened? What are we talking about? When I put on this episode of Real House of Potomac, I had already gotten, you know, we had had an inkling from the preview the prior week that it was going to be a spicy part three of the reunion. I had gotten a text from a friend that was like, buckle up, lock in, it's on. And this episode, I was on the edge of my seat. Because we come off

of the cliffhanger at the end of episode two, part two, of Wendy has gotten this text from Eddie of whatever happened backstage when he and Greg face-timed TJ. And we had gotten the little preview. Obviously, they made it seem very dramatic and you're kind of like, oh, I want, what happened? Stacey just told us that she and TJ are no longer together or no longer best friends or whatever we're calling it. What's going on with TJ? And this episode, the first half of this is truly such a, highwire balancing act of production and editing and the timing of it all and the cast is really

actively participating with Andy in sort of pulling off this really, really unique scenario because in real time, they have taken a short break. Wendy has received this text information from her husband backstage. We want to know what's happening with that on stage. Meanwhile, backstage, Mia has decided that she is fully done. She wants somebody to get her out of that dress. She is going to exit the building. She's done. She's not coming back. She's so upset about what's been brought up with her kids and the paternity situation, yada, yada, yada. All of this is happening at the same time. So Wendy shares the information. She says, T.J. told Eddie on FaceTime that Stacey paid him to be on the show. And not only that, not only is he saying I was rent a boyfriend, rent a best friend,

rent a whatever for Stacey, but that she needs to run him his money because it's not adding up. Look, what's crazy about this is not really the idea that this could be the situation. Because let's be honest, this whole season, the T.J. and Stacey relationship was a big old question mark. It was something that we were struggling to understand. The other women in the group were struggling to understand. You could tell that, you know, the producers and the editors were struggling to understand it. this best friend dynamic where they weren't having sex, but then Stacey like ultimately shared that they had been intimate and had done everything but or whatever.

It was a weird relationship vibe and the way that he was treating her and speaking to her in certain circumstances, which she said previously in the reunion that she didn't like and watching it back was hard and that was part of the reason that they were no longer together. But what was interesting to me, because like, I said, this wasn't a shock necessarily. What was surprising to me was that every single woman on that stage immediately 100% believed that T.J. was telling the truth. And as this went on, so Wendy shares the information that Eddie texted her. Stacey is in disbelief. She is literally does not believe that T.J. has said this because she says,

says, that's a lie. I just can't understand why he would say that when that's a lie. So I don't believe that he said it because he's not a liar. And like, I mean, I say this like every third episode. Everybody lies. Get over it. But it, watching Stacey, I'm like, I, I weirdly believe what she's saying because she seems so adamant about it. And the thing that all the other women are saying is like, Stacy, girl, come on. If this is true, there's going to be some receipt, they're going to roll the tape, whatever, why are you sticking so strongly to the fact that this could not have happened? And not that it could not have happened that she paid him, but that it could not have happened that he said that she did. Because then they bring out Eddie.

They bring out Eddie and Eddie recounts exactly what he texted Wendy, that TJ said this stuff on camera on FaceTime, and again, everybody believes him, which again, why would Eddie and Wendy have no reason to lie about what TJ said on FaceTime? Stacey's kind of trying to tow this line where she's like, I'm not saying you're a liar, but I just don't believe it, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. This whole time they have said, I want to see the footage. Show us the footage. Stacey is like, I will not believe it until you show me the footage of TJ saying it. And then even if he says it, it's a lie. And what is so crazy about this, it's happening in real time. We have fully dispensed with any idea of the fourth wall here in a way that is just would have been unthinkable a few years

ago. Andy is waiting in his earpiece for the control room to tell him whether or not they can play the footage that they have recorded like 15 minutes ago. Usually they are not rolling back footage from the day on the day. So he hears back from the control room in his ear. They can't play the footage for us right now because the camera that they filmed that footage with that has it on it is currently being used to film Mia backstage departing the studio for the day. So literally, the physical, I don't know how cameras work, but the physical, the physical, footage, the image that has been captured is literally on a camera that is being used for something else. So finally, we get to a point where they have spent a long enough time debating about this

on stage and going over it and Stacey saying that she doesn't believe it, that finally we get the Mia has left the building. So now they are going to get us the footage and I will be able to play it for you on this iPhone and we will be able to crowd around and watch this clip that was recorded just minutes prior on a different camera backstage at the studio. Truly, like, I don't think you can say enough how unprecedented this whole, this whole live scenario is. It is mesmerizing. Just like the fact that everybody, clicked into place and understood in real time, they could have easily said,

okay, that's crazy, we don't have the footage moving on. The fact that everybody understood the importance in that moment of pivoting and saying, no, no, no, this is the story now. We have to follow this. We have to, at first they weren't going to bring the husbands out at all. They bring Eddie out. Everybody's saying, bring Eddie out.

Bring Eddie out. The vibes in that room are unbelievable. Because at the same time that Stacey's having her whole life dragged to Helen back of whether or not she paid or said she would pay a man to be on the show with her, she's right there with them too. Bring Eddie out. This is truly an example of everyone, whether or not they are on the same page, whether or not they like each other, whether or not they believe each other or are getting along,

everybody in that room is understanding that they are working together on a group project and that the more everybody participates and the more everybody is on board, the better grade they are going to get at the end of the presentation. Because they bring Eddie out. They bring the phone out. They watch the footage. Of course, T.J. said exactly what Eddie said he was going to say on that footage. Stacey is left just rudderless to respond to this because she says,

I don't understand because my best friend, TJ, wouldn't lie, but there he is, lying about me and I. And every, it's really hard because my big question here, I guess, is. Like I said, it's not shocking that this could be the case. It was giving rent a boyfriend a little bit. But I also don't feel like I have enough information to say 100% this is true. T.J. is telling the truth. Stacey is lying.

That is to me certainly a possibility. I don't know Stacey. well enough to say 100% there's no way she would do this I don't believe it it's false but I also don't you think that there's a at least a shred

of possibility that TJ could be making shit up to make Stacey look bad and saying look I'm bitter Stacey already said on the couch she said he was he would have production wanted him to come to the reunion

and he makes that clear he would have been invited if Stacey didn't not invite him. You know, like, Stacey blocked him from being on TV one last time. And if he's an actor, if he's a rent-a-man, you want that performance at the reunion. You want that moment on the couch to say, man, she did me wrong, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He didn't get that. In my mind, he probably is bitter. And whether or not he's saying that he's bitter because he is owed money from St.

Stacey, or he's bitter because he's not getting a chance to have, you know, 15 more minutes on, you know, the Bravo airwaves. I don't think we actually know that. And T.J., to me, seems like a fucking weirdo. And whether or not he was paid to be a boyfriend, I think that either way, I think he's a fucking weirdo. And you know what a fucking weirdo would do? Make up a story to get, like, one additional shit.

shred, one additional sprinkle of attention. And I bet that TJ is crafting his, you know, next act right now, whether or not Stacey paid him or said she would pay him. I was just a little surprised and confused why for the women there was no shadow of a doubt that Stacey was lying. And then on the flip side, I guess, you know, I think that Stacey had a really solid season on the show. I think she had a good reunion. And look, even with this, you know, strange development on the third part of the reunion and these women really not believing her an ounce, I think that Stacey still had a great reunion because she made an impact. And the same can't be said for lots of people in lots of reunions. So I think that without a doubt, we got reporting from our friend Dave Quinn at the end of the last.

last week, that they are likely planning to start filming for next season of Potomac toward the end of this month, obviously with no Karen Hugar, la duh. But like, there's no doubt in my mind that Stacey will be back for season 10. The question now, after these reunion revelations or accusations, depending whether they're true or not, what can Stacey do to regain her credibility with this group. Because watching this segment of the reunion, I'm just struck by the obvious fact that if Stacey is lying and she did pay T.J., she needs to own it and she needs to figure out what does that mean for her with this group going forward, how much is she willing to own, who is she willing to own it too? That's a big question mark. And then on the flip side,

if Stacey is telling the truth and she really didn't do this and she is dedicated to clearing her name, vindicating herself, whatever, how is she going to go about that? Because what the reunion made clear is that whether or not Stacey cut the check or Venmode or Zeld T.J. for any of his appearances, the women do not buy her whole thing. and that is something that going into a second season, you don't need to have everyone in the group buying into your thing, but you can't have no one. And so I think that Stacey is going to have to do some image management.

I think that she's going to have to maybe have some honest conversations that she would be more comfortable not having. But I'm hoping that she can really come into her second season and like ace the test. Because I like her a lot. I think that her energy is fascinating and different. And, man, was that a good, solid 20 minutes of TV? Just Potomac.

They're going to do it over and over again. And then on the flip side at the end of the episode, we got this additional footage, this scene that Karen and Ray filmed at home. The night before Karen was due to leave for her treatment program. And this is weird as hell. And everybody, everybody knows it.

Everybody clocks it. Ashley and Giselle are like, man, turn this shit off. The definition of whack. Just, it's the scene where they're at home. Karen's in full glam, of course. And Ray's coming into talk. And they're talking about the DIY and the charges and all of this stuff. And, oh, with the parents and the pills.

And the, oh, then I was medicated. and I was on a higher dose, and then blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It just is like, just bullshit. And I'm so glad that in the moment at the reunion that everybody, but Giselle and Ashley especially, clocked it for what it was, which was a weird, you know, image, you know, just like saving face, damage control. They knew that this would be, I guess at the time, maybe they thought that this would be airing before the sentencing. I don't know, but it was so bizarre and so just stupid.

And the thing that I kept going back to is like, of course, this is what Ray and Karen would want to do. Why did Bravo and the production company go along with this? What did they think they were going to get from filming? If Karen didn't want to come to the reunion, if she didn't want to face the rest of the group, I'm fine with a one-on-one sit-down, a video message, whatever. I would like to hear from her. You know, she's still an important part of this show. But to give her this additional scene that is, like, filmed like it's part of the show, but is not part of the show,

and is tacked on at the end of the reunion, who is this for? What is this for? And why did they even send the cameras to the house for this nonsense? It's stupid. And I think that this is something that I think about. Like, we've had a bunch of instances over the last few years where cameras have picked back up for one reason or another, whether it's for Scandival, whether it's for a summer house breakup, whether it's for Beverly Hills and Kyle's separation. There are times and places where that is absolutely warranted.

And this was just not one of them. you know, this like weird, I think, I think our friend Kara Berry called it an after-school special with Ray and Karen. It just was like, yuck. Get that out of my mouth. I, of course, wish all the best for Karen in her recovery and treatment, and now she's, you know, away to use the juda's terminology. I hope that she's doing well. I hope that she gets better. And I, I, I don't want to see it in that manner on TV. I'm sorry. Wow.

I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about Potomac, apparently. We're just going to talk about Traders real quick. Tom Sandval, RAP, murdered. Sorry, man. I mean, he made it further than anybody expected, right? Like, I think he had a good outcome on Traders this season because I didn't want to see him on my TV, and then he actually gave us some good moments.

But the end of the episode is more, more of the focus here because we end the penultimate episode of the season on a major cliffhanger at the roundtable, which, you know, is not the usual order of events. Usually roundtable happens. Somebody gets banished. And then we go to the turret and that's where they, you know, cut it off. So we are in this situation where Danielle has recruited Brittany to be a traitor with her. And Danielle is now on the chopping block. And she and Ivor have tied in the first vote. So they go to a second vote where she and Iver cannot vote, and it's looking like it's either going to be tied, or Brittany is going to cast the deciding vote and send Danielle packing and turn

on her friend for the second time after she turned on her in Big Brother, whatever the reindeer games, I think. Stupid. Stupid. Deeply stupid. I'm sorry. If you love Big Brother, I'm sorry. It's stupid. And they cut it off. Of course, right as Danielle, or right as Britney is about her. reveal her vote. Hot take, or maybe not, I think they're, I think they're duping us. I think that this is a red herring. I think that Brittany voted for Iver. And it's going to be a tie again and they're going to, it's going to be a game of chance or whatever. The thing is, Brittany voting out Danielle, I think would be so smart because everybody knows that Brittany and Danielle ride for each other. And so if Brittany flipped on Danielle and voted her out, I really think that everybody would look at Britney and go, oh, my gosh, the most faithful thing you could do, you had your friend this whole game.

We made it down to the final six or seven or however many people. And you didn't want to, but you knew you had to. You knew in your heart of hearts that your BFF was a traitor. and so you dug deep and got her out. And then she could just slither right on to the end because she's only been a traitor for like 12 hours. But no, I think that she's going to vote for Ivor because the way she was like, you know, blubbering about

not wanting to vote out her friend. And he was like, it's a game, sweetheart. Love him. Honestly, he had his best episode yet. But no, I don't think that Britney is going to vote in her own self-interest. I think that she is going to keep Danielle. We'll see what happens with the game of chance. But, you know, it's just like, Dolores, what are we doing at a certain point?

Dolores has been making useless votes this entire season. And when there's like 15 people in the house throwing away a vote on Tom Sandoval because you think he's annoying, I support that. When there's like six people left, babe, we got to start using our brain. Daniel's a traitor. Obviously, like, you know, I know. I know that Daniel's a traitor, but like everybody should know that Daniel's a traitor. Meanwhile, Gabby was down and out and she's like flipped everything around, not a single vote, not an not an ounce of suspicion on her. You love to see it.

She's a queen. She's a queen. Meanwhile, Dave Portnoy from Barstool is like in her DMs being like, somebody told me you're the next big thing. Stay away from her. She's ours. Like not like, not position. excessively, but like, Bart, no. hire Alex Earl, leave us Gabby Wendy.

But I cannot wait to see how this season ends. By the end of this week, it's crazy to think we're going to have the finale and the reunion on the same day. Man, lots of content, lots to consider, and we will talk about it all. But in the meantime, thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow the show wherever you listen. You can follow us on Instagram at Bravo by Betches. And until next time, hey, be cool.

Don't be all like uncool. Mentioned it all is produced by me, Dylan Hafer, and edited by Kate McCullough. Social media by Dylan Hafer. Additional production help from Shannon Jimenez-Sasone. Be sure to follow us at Bravo by Vetches. All. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot

slot machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamaba's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th. Don't pass go and own it all. Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. U.N. Details at yamava.com must be 21-20.

Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Betches.