The Viall Files - E1085 - Mercedeh Javid, Kate Chastain, Summer House, RHOP and More Baby Names

Episode Date: February 26, 2026

Welcome back to The Viall Files: Reality Recap!  Today, we welcome two incredible women (who lowkey should have won Traitors), MJ Mercedeh Javid and Kate Chastain! MJ sits down to get into her relationship with Tommy and this season of The Valley Persian Style, and Kate stops by to talk some House of Villains! Plus, we get into more baby names, Summer House, and RHOP. You won't wanna miss it.  "My heart is smashed into a zillion pieces"  BUY OUR LIMITED MERCH NOW: https://shop.viallfiles.com/password  The Viall Files is going LIVE with the new cast of Temptation Island on May 6th! Tickets are on sale NOW! For more information, please visit netflixisajokefest.com.  Want ad free episodes and incredible bonus content?  Start your 7 Day Free Trial of Viall Files + here: https://viallfiles.supportingcast.fm/  HEY! YOU! DO YOU NEED DATING AND RELATIONSHIP ADVICE?  Email [e-mail] and be a part of future Ask Nick episodes!  Subscribe to The ENVY Media Newsletter Today: https://www.viallfiles.com/newsletter  Listen to Humble Brag with Cynthia Bailey and Crystal Kung Minkoff now!  Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humble-brag-with-crystal-and-cynthia/id1774298881  Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4NWA8LBk15l2u5tNQqDcOO?si=3b868996930347e8  Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humblebragpod  Listen To Disrespectfully with Katie Maloney and Dayna Kathan now! Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disrespectfully/id1516710301 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0J6DW1KeDX6SpoVEuQpl7z?si=c35995a56b8d4038 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCh8MqSsiGkfJcWhkan0D0w To Order Nick's Book and/or learn more about the show, go to: https://viallfiles.com THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mint Mobile - Ready to stop paying more than you have to? New customers can make the switch today and for a limited time, get unlimited premium wireless for just $15 per month. Switch now at https://mintmobile.com/viall   Coop Sleep Goods - Let Coop help you show up feeling rejuvenated and ready to go. Get 20% off your first order and try Coop risk-free with a 100-night sleep-better guarantee at https://coopsleepgoods.com/viall   Monarch Money - Set yourself up for financial success in 2026 with Monarch. The all-in-one tool that makes proactive money management simple, all year long. Use code VIALL at https://monarch.com for half off your first year. Quince - Go to https://quince.com/viall for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Better Help - Sign up and get 10% off at https://betterhelp.com/viall  Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back on track this new year for WAY less. Head to https://wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Nutrafol - For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you visit https://nutrafol.com and enter promo code VIALL To advertise on this podcast please email: [e-mail] or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/theviallfiles    Timestamps: 01:50 - Intro 19:07 - Nick Joins/Recaps 43:49 - Mercedeh Joins 1:13:18 - RHOP 1:17:53 - Kate Joins 1:35:06 - Outro Episode Socials:  @viallfiles @nickviall @nnataliejjoy @mercedesjavid @kate_chastain @ciaracrobinson @justinkaphillips @leahgsilberstein @the_mare_bare

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Welcome back to another episode of the Val Files Reality Recoff Edition. Nick, your host. He is putting River Down for her nap. She slept in a little bit this morning. So we're behind Skedge. Usually she naps while we record. Yes. She's a little bit behind the sketch.

So he's putting her down. You have to go around the room and give us all adjectives. Oh, yes, of course. You're joined by the household. We're joined by the household. We've got Leah who's pregnant and gorgeous and glowing and about to pop that baby out, maybe right here right now. On the show? I was actually having attractions earlier.

You were? No, no, no. No, Leah and I were doing a bit earlier. And I was like, yeah, no, it's so weird that you just, like, have been having contractions all morning. Is it weird that I want to learn how to deliver? That you want to, like, just in case I'm in, like, an environment where I need to help someone. I don't know. My brain just feels like it's a necessary.

on an airplane and they're like, do you need a, is there a doctor? Yeah, or like the grocery store like right now. No, but I watched a couple YouTube videos. No, but I do watch Grace Anatomy and I'm pretty confident. No, but it's actually good trained. Like, I feel like it would be a useful skill just in case. So you're saying you want to go to med school? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. So you're saying you want to change your career. You want to be an OBGYN. I don't feel like you have time right now, Justin. I definitely don't. I definitely don't. And I respect everybody that.

Night classes. Huh? Yeah, we'll get there eventually. Is it weird that I just want to hear my adjectives? Yeah. Oh, sorry. Yeah, this has taken a turn. We also are joined by C-era, our gorgeous glowing New York City Queen, who just posted an exciting photo on Instagram.

Everyone goes like and comment. Yes. Yes, of course. Sweet boy, Justin is also here in the flesh on the couch. He's looking as ever. And our pink hair, Mary Berry. There she is. Oh, I like.

Mary Barry is cute. Very, Mary. You kind of look like a berry with your pink hair. Yeah, Mary Bear. That's what my mom always calls me. I've started calling her Marty. Yeah, Marty. She likes that?

I don't know. I've got Marty. Yeah, I love a nickname. Every time someone gives me a nickname, I'm like, that's so sweet you care about me. Oh my God. Speaking of names, did anyone have any response to our struggling with baby names? They did, yes. It's very torn.

Some people actually like Nirvana. They like the nickname, Vana, Vana, however you want to say. And I don't disagree. I do like the nickname. The only thing is like if like then just name the baby Vanna, you know, like if you only like the nickname. Yeah. I agree with you, Natalie. Yeah. There was one person who was like, no, Nick, absolutely not. That is a crazy idea. I'm shocked there was only one, honestly. Yeah, we're torn. Okay. Interesting. Mixed reviews. Does that change your mind, Natalie? No. It doesn't. Yeah. Are we reconsidering now? We're not reconsidering. It does make me think, though, like my. My sister named her first daughter Elizabeth, and she was like, no, they will not be a nickname. Like, no one is calling her Liz or Lizzie or Beth or Izzy. Like, she will be called Elizabeth. And that's just like the complete opposite of Nirvana.

Yeah. Nana. So, I don't know. Back to the board, I guess. It's, this is a tough. Do you want the twins' names to be similar enough so that they, like, feel like a unit but different enough so they have their own identity? Great question, Mayor Bear. Yeah.

So I want them to be so completely opposite. Yeah. Like, do not want them even in the same realm. I don't want them to sound alike. I don't want the same letter. I want them to be so different. Because it's like they're going to share a birthday their whole lives. They're going to be like wearing the same outfits until they start telling me no.

You have to do that. I mean, you would be doing a disservice to me personally if you did not match them. I know. But the only thing I'm struggling with is I have so many clothes for me. like when River was that age. Obviously I need to use these, but I'm like, that's actually a very interesting. I do need them to match.

I feel like, yeah, that's actually a good point. Do you still have the order, the receipts, the proof, the timeline, the screenshots? No, but they do. Like a lot of them were from, like, kite baby. Like, I feel like I could probably find the same little onesies, you know, and just order another one maybe. What if they end up being identical and they're dressed alike? And then you're like, got to look for a birth mark.

gotta look like I would be like let's dress them different do you know if they're identical yet like is there any way to know this which one do you think is going to be the Zach and which one do you think is going to be the Cody I was thinking Mary Kate and Ashley Mary Kate and like which one are we naming are we naming baby A this name or we name like how do you know baby baby one name and baby B another name and then they start acting like each other's names yeah it's like that do you know that image of like it's the spiky shape and then the swervee shape and then it's like, do you know what I'm talking about? Not at all. No, I do. Never mind. Let's move on. Wait, I have a genuine question that this just made me think of. And sorry if I'm done for asking this. But when you give birth to twins, there's two birth certificates, how do you know which one you're naming? That's what she's saying. It's like, how do you know? No, but if you're right, because like, how do you keep track? If they are identical and like babies, I feel like all look the same, like similar anyways. What if you lose track? Like, are you going to have to like put a sticker on one of them, like, name plates? Because like, how else are you going to? I think people take them.

back to the hospital. Don't they? And they're like, hey, can you please help us? Yeah, yeah. Wait, which one? So the one with the birth mark on their thumb, like, was that Kylie? Or was... But I think some people, like, my sister who had identical twins, I think she, like, they

had little anklets that had, like, their names on them. I think some people will, like, draw, like, a marker, like, on their foot, you know, like, that's... Or you just dress them completely different from the... You'll probably also know just like intuitively as a mother like which one's which, right? I hope so. It's my first time. You can only, you can only.

This is my first rodeo, guys. Yeah, you can only do your best. I feel like it's also a good bit with your kids. Like my mom calls me by my brother's name, my sister's name, my dog's name. Oh, I'm Kara Emma and Natalie. Yeah. Yeah. And so it's like Caroline Emily and then Natalie, you know.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, Eric's Lucy, Mary. Yeah, we go down the list. So I think it's going to be fine. I called Louis Mozart yesterday. Yeah. I say the first one that comes out gets one name and then you hold it on the left boop and then the next one comes out in the right and then you don't hand them back until you're like ready to.

Right. Yeah. Left is Lindsay. Guys, I feel like the hospital maybe has like steps. They definitely do. They feel like maybe they. They have to have some way to help you. I mean, it's just.

But we were asking like, hey, because they were saying when we do the ultrasounds like, okay, baby A. is on your left and baby B is on your right. And so then we were like, okay, so is baby A going to come out first? And they're like, not always. And it's like, too, that's a lot of confusion here because I feel like you're not going to know at some point which one's which. Also, my siblings, like my sister came out first, head first, and then my brother came out feet first.

Damn. Right after. Really? My doctor was saying if one is head down and then the next one is butt down, we can do vaginal. No, a vaginal word. Oh. Yeah, but they have to be in that position either head down, head down, or head down, butt down.

If one's... Oh, interesting. I actually, I thought that they don't do that anymore, but that's, yeah, that's interesting. I guess my doctor, like, specializes in twin vaginal births. Like, that's, like, her thing. She's, like, really good at it, I guess. I don't know. I don't know.

That's a flex. You know, it would be really fun, Natalie, and you should definitely try to make this happen. What? What if you have one baby at 12, like 50 in the morning? And they have different birthdays. Yeah, that's really going to be cool. No, but that's going to create animosity because one of them is a day older. No, I think that's good.

Yeah, because I feel like twins are always asked like, oh, well, which one's older? And then it's like, I'm two minutes older. You know? Yeah. You're like, yeah, no, I'm two minutes, but a full day older. You could be like, like, that'll call some good tension. The thing is, like, you want them to have a little tension. They need to fight.

They're going to have to fight about something. Yeah, they need a fight to love. You know what my favorite thing is, is just like all the pranks that they're going to be able to play if they are identical. Do you think they're going to like want to switch their inklets and be like, oh, let's pretend I'm Susie Lou for the day? I'm thinking more like they're going to like prank their partners in the future where it's like. Have you seen those videos of the like twin parents and it'll be obviously like one will have a kid and so it's like the dad and then the uncle and the uncle will come in and like. hold the baby and like see if the baby realizes. Yes.

Yes, I've seen that. The babies are always like, you smell different. Yeah. Why are you looking at me like that? That is not my dad. I also saw a video where it was like the two twins and like two twin daughters. And like I guess the dad must have been like doing something. And he said like Penny.

She goes, no, dad, I'm Parker. That's Penny. Babies with accents kill me. Do you remember Charlie? Charlie. Charlie bit me. My niece, like, watching Peppa Pig had an accent for three weeks. Yeah.

They're adaptable. Okay, Natalie, what you should do is one twin. You have them watch, like, French television. French TV. The other one, you have watched British TV. This is getting out of control. You have a French baby and a British baby. This is getting out of control.

This is why I shouldn't have kids. So what's going on in the reality TV space, guys? The Real House House of Atlanta season 17 trailers here. and I just got excited. Have we watched? Yeah, actually, I do want to watch this. I haven't seen it yet. Let's watch it.

Oh my God, my queen, Fadra. We have two new Pete Holders. Yes, and like they're giving. The scenes that they're in. There's a clip in here that I just, I can't wait for. I feel like we should wait. Oh, here we go. Yes.

Oh, my gosh. I eat dead people. I love an activated Porsche. Full body chills. No, when I tell Leah, we went to dinner with a friend last night. and we were talking about the trailer. And I locked in. It took me a second.

I, like, connected to The Matrix. And I was like, I have all these questions. Is Kelly Demota to a friend of? Why is she beefing with Portia? What's happening with Angela? Like, so many questions just from that trailer. Angela's giving season two came back and ate. Like, she said,

all of them. Honestly, all of them. The newbies, too. I'm like, who are they? And, like, they're giving. And they've ever been so excited and smiley during a trailer. To see Portia and sway. Sit down.

You guys. There's something for everyone Portia you did it Portia you did it No this is gonna be good guys Oh it's so good I'm so excited I'm so excited

I do think we're gonna get another season of Cynthia being the peacekeeper Yes because you don't see her really engaging in the drama of the trailer I love Cynthia Well that's what we love about her So stunning She's just one of the most

Amazing incredible warmhearted kind Like she doesn't have to fight with them You know, she can just, like, anything she says is going to shut them up. And it doesn't have to be, like, loud and mean and calling someone Mr. Clean, you know? Although, amazing line. Although. Although. Am I ready?

Although, if someone else is going to say Mr. Clean, don't stop. Sat. Yeah. While we're watching trailers, should we also watch the Valley trailer? Because that came out too. The Valley, no Jacks Taylor. Yes. Minus Jacks.

Okay. Marty? I'll be right back everybody I have to say it feels so much lighter so much better that actually looks really good I like to be honest

even to compare it to the Valley Persian style I think why we like it so much is because it it's like a time capsule of real issues that like married couples talk about but then it's also like kind of lighthearted where it's like the Valley it was kind of so unrelatable because Jax is so dark and like the Jesse stuff was so dark

that it was just kind of like, I feel like I'm like inviting this energy in by watching it because I don't relate to it where this is like, okay, you guys go have fun. But then it's like dealing with like hanging out with your exes. Is a friend of a friend in the friend group going to hook up? And like, with Jack's gone, I'm like finally these people can shine. I do have a question though. Is Tom Schwartz not dating someone? Because I thought he had a girlfriend.

But here I'm like, oh, him and Michelle could be here. I mean, I feel like this was shot like a pretty good amount of time. Because I remember seeing all these scenes being filmed. Remember when everyone thought that like Lala and shorts were dating? Yeah. Well, that was pretty recent, actually. And they always shoot it over summer because I always try to judge based on like what they're wearing at night. Oh, yeah.

No, actually, Natalie's right. Natalie's right because recent was Lala dating Michelle. It was Tom Schwartz. Wait, so then is dating so long. So are they trying to do a bit of like Lala Michelle Schwartz threesome? I think that the rumors were about Lala and Schwartz just to entice you. But like it's not, it was nothing real because they were both. Well, yeah, yeah, obviously.

Yeah. But the Michelle and Schwartz is what they're teasing for the season, which I could be here for. Wait, he definitely has a girlfriend. Honestly, I don't need it to be real as long as it's entertaining. He also might not because I was like last summer. So I'm like, he got out of that relationship with the one girl he was dating. And then, you know, he might have been single for a minute and now been in a relationship. Yeah.

And like had some fun with Lala and Michelle. By all means. Please do it for the cameras. Here's the thing about Lala is that like, listen. we obviously all have thoughts and opinions on Lala She'll just drop a line And I'm like keep her on TV The polypocket size pro

I don't even know what that means And I'm like yes I mean I was saying this last season When Lala would make like a surprise guest appearance And I'm like I want her to rip Jesse Two Shreds Hydrogen bomb versus coughing baby Oh no because she's such a girl's girl

Like I know we hate the term But she really is such a girl's girl and she doesn't let men belittle women, especially in front of her. And so like, and I feel like that was Jesse's thing all last season, was like, how can I tear down Michelle? And I feel like none of the other people really ever stuck up for Michelle. And I feel like now she has Lala to be like, you little dick, polypocket-sized little bitch. Like, that's what we need. And I have to give props to Kristen because I believe Kristen filmed this like three months after giving birth.

So I'm like to be committed to going out and doing the whole thing, let alone putting like your sex life with Luke out there. Like I'm like, which also real issues. Like yes, thank you. Bring that to my screen. That's what I want to see you work through and talk about in like not the darkness that Jacks Taylor brought. So this feels lighter and fresher. And I am excited.

Me too. Can I say one thing about Kristen? Of course. She, I think Kristen Doty might be one of the most incredible reality TV pictures in the entire planet in history because it's like to watch her from season one of Vanderpump rules hooking up with Jacks Taylor

and lying about it while watching drive yes unfortunately to go to watch her and then the going back to Sandival's apartment like in that little like to watch her go from being that girl to where she is now and I'm just like this

is what reality TV is all about and she's just she's the girl she's always been compelling she's always just been like messy and chaos and is going to smoke a cigarette. And I'm like, yeah, representation. Well, if you are wondering what my stylish, cute, cozy sweatshirt is, Leia, are you also wearing one? I am.

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It's how's your heart to iconic Vial Files lines. Also, the Vial Files is going on the road. We will be live. We are partnering up with Netflix is a joke, and we will be sitting down with the cast of Temptation Island on May 6th. You can get tickets now. Come join us. Bring your friends. Bring your family.

Bring whoever. It's going to be messy and it's going to be fun. You can also sign up for Valfals Plus now and become a member of the household today via the supporting cast at VowalfaS.com. This week, we do a deeper dive into Love is Blind. We talked more about the Alex and Ashley and went back into previous seasons. also had a great update call and talked about all the pop topics we didn't get into last week. We watched Mormon Wives trailer and talked all about how excited we are for the new season. Also, there's a community thread on there where we pose questions and encourage discourse.

You are all part of the household and we are excited to hear your hot takes and thoughts. Yes, please send your questions. We love to answer and we love to goof, especially when we're on plus. We also have Mercedes from the Valley Persian style, who we know I love very, very much. So I'm so excited to finally have her on. the conversation is very vulnerable and open. She talks a lot about her and Tommy's relationship, where she is today. And I'm so excited for you guys to listen to that interview. So that is later on this episode. Every dollar helps when it comes to budgeting your financial life a little

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No, nothing. You know, we just... Natalie handled that. I was like, what do I do next, guys? We did, we did decide on your baby's names. Yeah, but we're not gonna... It's official, you will be surprised. Did anyone like Ivana?

You had one or two fans out there who were supporting you. Nick, I liked it. Thank you, Justin. Well, did y'all see that all of the... Mormon wives got executive producer credits on this next season. Did they? Really? Yeah. What?

Yeah. Oh, wow. Good for them. As they should. They deserve it. All of them, but to me, because I think she's friend of this season. Really? That's interesting.

That is very interesting. Like, does it take away a little bit of the, like, because now it's like, oh, they're producers. Executive producer can mean a lot of different things. Recently, Amanda Isfrey did an interview where she talked about she has a producer credit for this movie, and she was like, it's a vanity title. I literally did nothing but act, which is very common when it comes to like actors and movies and things like that. This is really interesting because like I imagine it was, you know, it's not a lot of people like Amanda acknowledge that and it still obviously will show up on people's credits and it's

a bit of a flex. But it will be interesting now that the word gets out. Will fans see this as them control their edit? I would be shocked if this is anything other than like a vanity title because there's no way they're going to give them control their edit. Well, I don't think they're going to have control over their edit, but I would say that executive producer for them makes sense because if you think about the context of Mormon wives and the way the show works, so much of it is based off of their TikToks and the way that they produce their own, they operate in their life and produce their own content. So it's like there's this interesting aspect of Mormon wives where there is a show kind of

going on within the show and that is their TikTok presence. And in that, they're actively producing that every single day. So executive producer on the show makes sense to me. But nevertheless, it's still, it's kind of a landmark thing in the reality TV space. Is this what Vicki Gumblson has been like begging for on OC? Was like a risk? Vicki Gumbleson isn't posting fruity pebbles TikToks. That's all I'm going to say.

That is true. No, but it's really interesting to see where the industry going and the power and influence reality stars are having more and more of. And to be able to negotiate a producer credit or an executive producer credit. regardless of like what that means but I mean I think it's important for them to have autonomy within like this show that they're making sure but I'm just saying historically when it comes to reality TV stars regardless of like we can get into the ethics of it all but does Kyle cook have a producer credit on Summerhouse since he was like Brainstild I don't know but they just had their biggest season premiere ever two million views thank you to Amanda and Kyle yeah yeah

How do you think the women of Salt Lake City housewives are feeling about the secret lives of Mormon wives ladies having more autonomy over their storylines? Well, again, I think that's the question. Do they actually have more autonomy? You know, or are they just getting a producer credit? That is interesting that they wouldn't have shed more information around it. They just were like, congratulations ladies, you're now like EP is on the show. But I think it's less, Mormon wives is less scripted reality in the way that Bravo is. and Mormon wives is kind of reacting to what they're already doing independently more.

I guess is what I'm trying to say. Does that make sense? Yeah. I guess what's going on in Real Housewives in Salt Lake City? Well, did you guys see the drag brunch that Winnie Rose just did? That I did. Honestly, she didn't hold back. And she did like a Q&A with fans. So they were like coming up, we're asking them from the crowd. And one specific fan asked like what really happened on the plane. And she basically said, Lisa and Meredith are lying. The only reason we don't know the truth is that there are lawsuits from people way bigger than me. I can lose my job over this.

And like it's interesting that she's saying this because also like earlier this week, we also saw that there is apparently a new clause in their contract for everybody joining this season. And I mean, Sierra, if you want to read it, it's essentially a gag order on them to not control the storylines with like outside media or whatnot. What we're told is that the, it's called. a narrative integrity clause. And basically, the cast is not allowed to create, influence, or leak storylines about the show

or other cast members off camera. This includes using third parties as proxy and on-camera discussions about unverified activity will be cut from the final edit and any verified activity is punishable on a scale that includes financial penalties, loss of screen time, demotion, and firing. So it sounds like production isn't fucking around with everything that's going on. And just like he said, she said, now I'm not held responsible or blaming production for things that clearly cast members should be taking credit for. But, I mean, I think it's really smart for Bravo and for the production company.

Do you think this is about Lisa Barlow being the quote-unquote source? Do you remember that conversation? I think it's a lot. I think it's the Jen Shaw. I think it's the black eye. I think it's, yeah, I think that there's a lot of the plane, the footage. I mean, it's six, seven seasons of Salt Lake City of Finstas and blogs. Well, it's not just Salt Lake City.

I mean, I think, you know, it's interesting because the more we cover Bravo, the more I've learned about how this universe operates. And it's the one kind of universe that really has leaned into the blogger slash creator to create, I don't know what their intention was to create storylines, but to make sure that discourse was happening about the shows, I think it is kind of metastasized and mutated into something that's a little more toxic. And now that you have create, I mean, like, the way like TikTok and Instagram are paying creators, you know, the more viral your views, the more money you make. And I think it's becoming harder and harder for these shows to, you know, keep the storylines in-house, so to speak. It's like they do interviews with these creators slash bloggers to like get their story out, put out their point of view in a way that, you know, they can kind of like, you know, you know, I didn't say that. That didn't come from me. It's like to have that deniability. And the more that happens, like, again, you're giving power to certain people who are, you know, it's like a tit for tat. It's pay to play, you know, and it becomes harder and harder to manage.

And it also can get really toxic because people are often spreading misinformation or just like telling their version of a story, which is like often very much their version and not the truth. I also am curious if the other franchises will follow. Obviously, they're under different production company, some of them. But I'm kind of shocked that OC didn't get this as well, considering how we ended last season with like the call with the automated voice guy being like, camera leaked everything to me. And it's like, how did we not? Well, I mean, that's what makes the Mormon wives getting executive producer credit so interesting because like a lot of these things operate on precedent, you know, and, and, you know, and, you know, and. until something happens. Now, once something happens, you know, I don't care if it's Bravo or someone else.

Like, for example, like Bachelor contracts were always like something people are very interested in. And if they casted someone with a big name, you know, a little bit more notoriety, they would be very reluctant to pay someone extra. And sometimes they would even do workarounds. It's like, well, this will be your salary in writing and then maybe negotiate other incentives. so they could say no one's made X before. Because once someone does something, it becomes a lot harder to tell someone in the future no,

because they'd be like, well, I know you can do it. And then in the past, it'd be like, you know, it's a lot easier to say, we don't do that, we've never done that. And once you say yes to it, it opens up the door. So it's, it is really, I mean, it's really, I think, fascinating that the women of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives got this executive producer credit. And this will definitely open the door for more reality TV stars to get more influence and power.

And you're seeing it now in just media landscape. You're seeing, you know, I think you just saw Jesse Draper. She just signed with CAA. I think we saw Jesse Solomon also signed with CAA. I mean, three years ago, you wouldn't see virtually any reality TV stars sign with some of these bigger agencies. Yeah. And now you're seeing that it's becoming more and more commonplace.

You know, in the past, like the podcast industry five years ago was this kind of like a fun little thing that like people were getting into. Now it's one of the top revenue streams for these agencies, you know, in some cases more than the TV business and more the movie business. So like the whole landscape is changing and you're seeing more, you know, like we're going to in five years, we're not going to say reality TV star, you know, not in the way that we say it now where it's like not quite the same. name is a real star. It's like you say reality TV star to almost minimize them, you know, as opposed to like maybe in the past it was like, are you a movie star or are you TV star? Yeah. And you're going to see less and less than that. Yeah. I think it's interesting because it's like if you think about the way the entertainment industry exists right now, which is, you know, there's a pandemic strike, completely destabilized the entire industry, right? And so out of that, there is no scripted content you can make during that time. And, in that you have like this is also right after scandival this is right after like the biggest thing

that ever happened honestly in bravo and in reality tv as far as like monoculture like i didn't even watch really that much bravo at that time but i knew so much about scandal so it's like you had this big monocultural moment right around the time when scripted was you know things are changing everything's on streamers promotion isn't the same and then you have these big giant talent agencies that are now scrambling to figure out how to make money, right? And then where the money is isn't unscripted. And so it's really interesting to see like, even with the rise of podcasts and stuff, it's like outside of the traditional aspect of media that has been funding this industry for so long. Part of it is because the creator economy has become so big. And there's a lot of intersection between reality TV star and

like influencer and creator economy where your kind of traditional celebrity has been more reluctant to like tap into that market. Yeah. I just think there's, yeah, there's like a shift in the industry at large into personality versus like story. Yeah. Which I don't, I'm not saying that's a good or a bad thing. I just think that's what's happening. It's interesting. Is Kyle Cook a EP on Summerhouse since he was like the brainchild of Summerhouse? He does not have an official credit.

Interesting. But not shocking. I really, I mean, this is a huge news that. I wonder if now it's opening the door for these other people to be like, wait, I, I, I think they should. The Mormon Wives getting executive producer credit it is huge new I mean it's a huge

I think industry moment. Self producing is no longer a dig yeah or critique we did have a pretty good episode of Summer House that aired last night

like Lindsay Hubbard is just her and Ben I need I just I do need it to happen unfortunately Ben announced on watch what happens

like well not announce but like kind of got he got tricked into announcing but he has a girlfriend He's in a relationship. And then Andy teased that we're going to see some of that this season. So who knows? It could be Bailey.

It could be Lindsay. It could be someone we haven't met yet. Oh, so he just was like, oh, I'm in a relationship. We just don't know with who. It could be one of the girls. He was asked, he was asked a question. I think it was fuck Mary Kill. And he was like, I'm not going to answer that.

I'm in a relationship. And then Andy's like, and you will see that play out later on this season. Oh, nice little tease. Well, if you miss the episode that aired last night, we do have a rapid recap. First and foremost, this episode is titled Heated Rhyver. Mia has blue cheese raw dogging in her purse from bringing it to the club, which is actually a true definition of a girl's girl. Jesse thinks she's nice. Everyone is geeking about Sierra and West flirting again, but he's not ready to settle down still, sad face. West made everyone redneck

keesh and tells everyone to bring their bangable single friends, not for themselves, for others, to a mixer. Lindsay and Ben are viving mama. Bailey has matched with most of the guys there on Hinge already and thinks Ben and Lindsay are cute, but she's still into him. Amanda is low-key miserable being married at this event. Wes's friends, who is also his ex is there, but they're literally chill. Mia wants everyone to be acting single and drinking double. The next weekend, Amanda, is really trying to have a good time while Kyle intensely makes beats on his laptop at the living room table. Jesse is low-key circling Sierra and asks Wes if he'd be cool with that.

Wes is like, uh, and it's drama alert. Mia had a spicy dream about John Hamm, and I also have those multiple times, so I understand. KJ thinks trying not to be a lover boy. KJ thinks trying not to be a lover boy feels very fraudulent. Lindsay is worried Jesse is catching feelings for Sierra. He just wrote a song about being in love with his best friend. He's not saying it's about Sierra. She also just doesn't know about it.

West tells Jesse most people would call him a dickhead for asking about Sierra. I second that. It was so weird. Bro. Like, Jesse Solomon. Like Jesse, Jesse, I'm begging you. Chill the fuck out. Literally.

Like, take a step back. I hate how he. made me feel two different types of way about him in one episode because he was like, you want to go to the bed? And I was like, he-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h. The way he's like filling in Page's tiny shoes in this bed, L-O-L, L-L, so funny, so cute. And then towards the end, I was like, oh, you're giving like a guy friend who's always had a crush, but trying to pretend like you're a safe space, but in actuality, like the moment, the fact that you're planning on a drunken make-out planning on it, creep. Jesse, I mean, listen, he seems like, I met him in,

he seems like a really swell, wonderful guy, you know, but in the, in the scheme of dating, he He has some toxic toxicity to him a little bit with dating. And I honestly, like, you know how Wes was talking about? He brings these girls, these attractive women. And he's like, yeah, you know, we might have hooked up in the past. But honestly, I think West has, like, a fairly healthy, like, the fact he's like, he's just a very single guy right now. And, like, sometimes when, like, you know, when hot people walk into a room, sometimes

there's this, like, we need to see each other naked, tension, you know? and sometimes like sometimes it's just good to get it over with and the fact that west has like hooked up with some people and then remain friends with you know they clearly like didn't cross like an like an emotional line where it got too heavy and it seems like west is pretty much like he's pretty direct he's pretty up front he doesn't seem to lead people on where jesse seems to like he can't really separate just like being kind of like a casual hookup guy without like dipping his toes into like, am I in love with you? Am I not in love with you?

I don't know if I agree with a song about every girl that you date within one week of dating them and send them a copy of it. Like that's giving like baiting. That's giving like, oh my God, I don't understand how all these girls think I'm in love with them. Here's my thing about that as someone who do be writing songs sometimes. Keep that shit in your notes app. A real lover boy.

A real lover boy is going to keep that in his notes up. Maybe sound cloud it. Maybe release it on an album five years from now. Maybe in five years, okay? That is, or when you are in a committed relationship. Like, do not. And might even deny when said girl asks, is this song about me, it'd be like, I don't know. It is love bomb.

No, his job title on Summer House is musician. Huh? That was it? I didn't realize that. Guys, he had one cute moment last season where he sang like a little tune and everyone was like, oh my God, cute, love, such a sleigh. Like, let's make it like a funny little. And then he's like, oh, so you want me to be a musician and a singer?

So you want me to put out an album? Okay, I'll put out an album. And it's like, no, no, no, no, no. We don't want all that. Jesse. Peter said we didn't ask for that. What part of the West stuff that you don't agree with? I don't agree.

I mean, I think he definitely led Sierra on. I'm not saying he's got a perfect track record. I'm just saying I think he learned from that experience where Jesse hasn't seemed to learn from last season. No. Well, also it's like he was flirting with Sierra when he was with. Lexi last season. Let's like not forget that. Yeah, no, for sure. Also, like, I just remember the conversation that Amanda, Sierra, and Paige, and they were having a conversation about who do you think fucks better, and it was Jesse or West. And they were like, West, like, knows what he's doing.

Jesse's the guy that asked, like, was that good? Did you finish? And that West is the guy that knows that you finished. Jesse 100% is like the guy who wants to do six, nine, and he wants to be on the bottom. A hundred percent. And like, it's just impossible. And you're like, Jesse, you can. And he's like, no, but I want to lay down on my back. I think West had real feelings for Sierra and was juggling like that, you know, and it just didn't work out. But I'm just saying in other situations, I think West has been able to like go out and party

and he meets an attractive woman and like shit happens. They make out. And then I think whatever he's doing, he's communicating in an upfront way that doesn't make some of these women feel led on or used where he's, and they're just kind of. like, cool. You know, like, okay, you've, you've let me know, you've told me. They're not sitting there wondering where they stand. Maybe.

I mean, we, the fact that he has a handful of women. It hadn't been years since him in that girl. Either way. I mean, you know, some guys run into women they hooked up with years ago. And they're, and it's like, fuck you. Well, Lindsay and Carl are able to hang out. True. I think it's, I think it's also with Jesse.

It's like, listen, you can be someone who like falls fast and falls hard. But, and that's like, because that's a you thing that is completely. like the way you process emotions. But it's very easy and respectful to not tell people that. You know what I mean? Like you can just like be chill about it and let another person like, you don't have to love bomb them. Like that's intentional.

What he did to Lexi, I don't know. I don't know if it was intentional. Maybe it was, but it was certainly careless and thoughtless of her feelings, it seemed like. I have to say, though, that I don't blame Jesse solely because when Sierra walked into that singles mixer. Even I had to stand up for a second. I was like, oh my God, this bitch is so hot. It's actually insane. I'd be a little careless in that situation as well. Yeah. Is this my sexual awakening? Because I was like, damn. Welcome to a club, baby. Thanks. Heated rivalry. The fact that Kyle booked a DJ gig while he was visiting his family for his

family reunion in New Hampshire, like tells me everything I need to know. I honestly feel bad for him. You don't want to know why? Because some people like never change. You know, we'll get into Potomac, but like, I think it was such a breath of fresh air to see Monique this season and at the reunion. And she is clearly someone who's done some real work on herself. And while obviously, like her marriage didn't work out and it sounds like her ex was, you know, certainly part of the problem, she seems to focus more on like the role she played in it. And when you see Kyle and Amanda talk, it's just all he can talk about is what Amanda's not doing. Meanwhile, when Amanda talks, she's, she's focused on the relationship. She wants to connect with him

and things like that. And Kyle's just like, what you're, here's what you don't do for me. Here's what you don't do for me. And it's just like, I wouldn't be surprised that the next person Kyle dates is going to be someone who's like always gassing him up, super impressed with his DJ career and is going to make him feel a lot of these things he's not getting from Amanda. And then he'll start dating this person. Maybe it becomes serious. maybe get engaged and then because he's never really changed or never really never really thought he needs to make some meaningful changes and how he shows up in a relationship and shows up for his partner it's just going to be this cyclical thing and honestly it makes me sad for him yeah and on the inverse i would say that a lot of credit goes to carl radki i think he's the number one guy in the

group in my opinion because that's somebody who battled addiction battled a lot of dark stuff and he could have been taken down he had his fiance accuse him of using drugs and i think that he is the biggest turnaround personality-wise from season one of Carl to who he is today that I'm like, I can't wait to see who ends up with Carl because they're actually going to be lucky with this version that they get of him because he actually did the work. Yeah. It's just to seem like Kyle's biggest frustration is like, no one gets me, you know? And so he's just going to keep looking for people who he thinks gets him.

But like, he needs to be willing to show up. You have to get others. I'm never going to feel bad that you're upset with your wife because she doesn't want to go out all the time and that you're sitting here trying to make her seem like a lazy piece of shit because she doesn't want to be out at the club at 2 a.m. When he was like apologizing and he's like, that's just like the drunkest I've ever been. She's like, well, that's not true. But not true.

Like, I feel like that's his excuse every time. It does make me feel sad for them. I mean, I know it's easy to like, you know, joke about his DJ career. But like, if I'm right and I don't know if I am, but it does make me sad that like it's, the reality is you see some people and it's honestly not hard to predict how things are going to play out for them. It's hard for me to feel bad when you have the last 10 years and your entire marriage on record of like how you've treated your partner and like what the criticisms are of your behavior and you still can't seem to see that you are part of the problem. And having heard

from Amanda where she said that they stopped watching the episodes together because they would just like fight again about what it was that they were fighting about in the episode. And it's like how the fact that you can't sit back, watch that and be like, oh, okay, now I see it. Like, totally I see where you're coming from. I'm sorry. You know, it's like, no, he would just continue, I feel like to. He says, no, I'm so funny. It's so funny when I pull my dick out.

I love calling you a bitch. What do you mean? What do you mean? This has got to be the last season for both of them on Summerhouse, right? Like, they're just going to be in the new spin-off. Yeah. I mean, Kyle can't possibly show up single as a DJ. It's a bunch of 22-year-olds in a house and he's just DJing for them.

I just, that can't be. Honestly, I kind of feel like Kyle might stay at Summerhouse. Like, my inkling is that Kyle's in this new season, but I feel like depending upon when they filmed this, that it's pretty much the deterioration of them or like they're separating in the city. And I feel like Kyle's going to be one that still wants to go send it. He's, you know, choosing that as his career. And I feel like it's going to be following Amanda in the city with the girls. Well, Kyle is kind of giving Matthew McConaughey and Dason Confused. A bit. You know, it's interesting, though, with Kyle Amanda, because now that we know they're

separated and they seem to be civil and they're working together, I think it's one of those relationships where, like, now that they've agreed to part ways, both of them for different reasons have less expectations of each other. So, like, they'll be less disappointed, specifically Amanda, right? Now that Amanda's is like, all right, we're separated. I no longer have to work on this marriage. She will probably, in some ways, be able to see the good. because she's not trying to make a marriage work anymore. But once Amanda meets someone new, and I'm sure she will, probably relatively soon, I think it'll be a very difficult time for Kyle.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. And then I feel like once Kyle is like with the girl who's like loving to be behind him at his DJ set, eventually she's going to be like, hey, like I just kind of want a Netflix and show. But you used to love this about me. Come on. This is what we like bonded over. You loved that I was a DJ.

And she's like, but now you're 55. And then Amanda, and then Amanda is going to be snug as a bug in her bed with someone that loves and cares about her. Sharing a joint. Sharing a joint. Watching like, and she's, I just, I just want someone that, like, looks at Amanda Patula the way Amanda Patula deserves to be looked at. The way we look at Amanda. And the way we look at. Like, someone look at this girl the way we look at her.

That'll be it said. I, I honestly, sincerely appreciate as a fan of reality TV, both Kyle and Amanda's willingness to, like, put this on camera. for us to like watch and dissect because it is it's it is truly fascinating yeah all right well next up we have the iconic mercedes you also might know her as mj from valley persian style and boy was it a great episode last night and uh we have so many questions for mercedes she's up next mercedes welcome to the show hi thank you for having me so excited to have you so excited uh first of all how's your heart how are you doing broken and smashed into a zillion pieces.

You couldn't tell by looking at you, just have to say. Oh. Absolutely stunning. Yeah. No, I'm very married and I feel very like wedding ring still on. His still on. I kind of like saw him last night and I was like checked for it to see if it was still on. And I was like, okay, good.

I feel good. Well, if you're comfortable, do you mind talking about you and Tommy's relationship? and where it stands today? I'm just emotionally still very married. Connected, yeah. How has it been watching these episodes back? Hell, it's hell. I don't watch them.

You don't, okay, yeah. Because last night's episode, like, obviously knowing we were going to have you on was, we watched, we love the show, we watch it intensely, and there's so many great things about the show. And it was obviously difficult to watch, right? I mean, you had this amazing event, your whole group, showed up for you, your whole community, your people. And to see Tommy, you know, I don't know what's edited. I don't know if things are made to look a certain way, but it was, it was hard to

see your person not show up for you and to just not be able to get out of his own head in a way that was just, whether it's, you know, my parents had, there were a couple times when I was a kid that I had to wait at school and call collect to be like, mom, pick me up to sneak. You know, and every parent has maybe done that. But yeah, it was, it was tough to watch. And my heart really went out for you just because you can tell, you know, in the beginning of that episode, you heard, we got to see you and Tommy talk about your connection. And yeah, we fight, but there's still a lot of love there.

And it's always tough to watch a relationship. And we see a little bit of this on Summer House with Kyle Amanda. One person fights so hard and just wanting to make it. it work, trying to make it work, but their partner just doesn't seem to want to meet them halfway. And I always say, it's like, you know, you can only do 100% of your half. And it's, it's heartbreaking to watch you do 100% of your half and like 50% of his. So when I watch, I find it to be really painful because I, while we were doing this, filming this, it was only six months ago, I felt like all of the things that we were working through had a solution. And I really thought that we were going to be able to, like, you know, you can bring something up with your spouse who you love. He is the love of my life. And he and I had been together for a whole entire 10 years, married seven. And I had zero intention of getting separated. And I still don't want that because I wanted to just work through our things.

like, okay, Tommy has a hard time letting things go. But it's not about Reza at all. It's not about, you know, it is more about participating in our lives. So it's like, you know, with Summerhouse and watching Kyle and Amanda, like, I found that also really hard to watch. And then I'll come back and I'll look at something that Tommy and I did. And it's okay to be defensive at first. If you're stressed out late to school, the parking lot is. packed, you know, you can make a mistake and you can just still come back and say like, oh man,

today I was like really short-fused and I got like, but now come around and then tell me that you love me, tell me that we can work through something and it's called conflict resolution. That's what is the most important thing about compatibility in a marriage is not like what happens. It's like how you go through life together. So obviously I want to go through life holding hands with the man of my life. I just didn't think that I actually was the one that ended the marriage. I think he did over and over and over again. And for day after week, after month, after year, I think he is the person who checked out and left. I just might have filed the paperwork because I loved him so much. Still, you know, I still love him so much that it's, I can't bear to be, you know, heartbroken every day.

That's what it is in a nutshell. Can I ask you a question and feel free if you don't want to answer it? We don't have to. But hearing you say that you still don't want to get this divorce, was part of you filing deep down, hoping that it was just like the last resort wake-up call? 100%. am I not supposed to admit that? Like, why wouldn't I? It's like going to your therapist and lying to your therapist.

Like, why not be, I didn't have a choice. Yeah. And I didn't file because I fell out of love at all. And that's why my ring emotionally and symbolically, and that's why, yeah. And it's funny, like, people think like, oh, girl, you're single now. We're going to go out and, you know,

we're going to hit the bars. and I'm like, no. You know, so. Well, you're just not there yet, but I haven't been married for 10 years, so I'm not trying to say I know what it's like to be in your shoes. But I have had relationships, serious relationships, long relationships not work out. And I will say, like, I never, when I finally left a relationship, had any regrets because I definitely at times felt like I was the fighter, like I was trying to do, you know,

a little bit of their half and some of mine. and I will say with confidence that if this marriage finally, you know, if you go through with the divorce, you won't have any regrets. You will know that you fought. You will know that you did everything you could because I do think there's a lot of people who leave relationships and they can't say that they really gave it their all. And I do think a lot of people, whether they want to admit it or not, and maybe Tommy will be in these shoes to say, you know, they will realize it when it's far too late. Yeah, I mean, I really hope. I pray. I wonder if he has any reflection. He doesn't, you know, talk to me about anything. So I hope, you know, like you, that's what you, you hope that somebody will like either be, stay angry, which I hope he doesn't choose that over everything else. but that's what we see happen, like time and time again.

So, yeah, I just want him to kind of like be able to say like, hey, you know, we still have history and we deserve whether, whatever our status is to be kind and loving. And, you know, we can still retrace our steps and walk back from this. In this last episode that aired, he had, you know, had ran all those errands and was, had ran all those errands and was, bringing all the things to your twilight open and like obviously that was so kind and definitely showed like his supportive side, you know, doing all of that for you. But then, you know, he like left everything on the curb and you asked like, hey, can I just have five minutes? And he was like, no, get out of the car. Like, I'm leaving. On camera watching it, it didn't really seem to shake you. How did you feel in that moment? Yeah, I've definitely become so glazed over.

in life and I know that I'm very calm on the top because you can't have two psychos always being big and loud. Like one of you has to be the chill person that's not going to turn everything into World War three. And I am on the inside, I want to say like, how fuck can you walk away right now? I'm like standing here sweating my tits off in heels and the heat of summer. And I'm, I just felt that way often. So that's why, but like you said, like he did run around a lot and do a lot of errands. So like he did help me that day. He was instrumental in the outcome of running and doing some of the things that I frankly should have had an assistant, you know, a helper do for me. But in the absence of that, like, yeah, well, just a little more love and tenderness would be really much needed and appreciated because that's the thing that like, the show may not be able to cover Kyle and Amanda, like the main cast of their show, right? So you get to see 90% of their story during that show.

But like for Tommy and me, you don't see our day and day out on a long loop. You see like snippets. And then what's happening is that feeling of, you know, being emotionally alone. That solo mesh is not fun. And that's, yeah,

that's yeah i mean we i've learned a lot through therapy like my abandonment issues that i have and things like that and there's a level of abandonment you must have felt in some of these moments you know from your partner when he in the moments where you really you know it's like there's nothing better you know there's so many great things about having a relationship and and feeling good about your relationship but to me it's like that number one feeling is you know being able to count on that person when you feel alone, you know, and you really need someone to show up and you always know you can go to that person, you know, no matter what. And, yeah, so. Yeah, we have, we have that. I mean, we used to have that when we were together. There are definitely a lot of, I mean, he, he definitely is my

best friend, uh, or was. And, um, we would lean on each other a lot. You know, we had that compatibility of being able to make those jokes. I was the butt of a lot of his jokes, and I felt like that was like a little imbalance. So, you know, I don't believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Like, I'm not going to say like he was a monster. That's complete BS. But obviously, I came from a broken family. I never wanted that to be my story.

And maybe that's why I'm extremely hopeful that there can be some way that I don't know. Like, I just don't know. Like, you can't be the only one that thinks a certain way. Like, you have to both want something. So he hasn't reached out at all after any of these episodes have aired to you? No. I mean, we see each other or talk to each other on a daily basis for a son, of course. And we live super close to each other also by design, of course.

but speaking about anything, zero. I imagine he wasn't always like this. No, I would have never married that. Yeah. When you look back, was there a time in the relationship where you feel like something really changed in him? I can't believe that. You know how Kyle was saying

the minute that we got married, you stopped going out? Like, how ridiculous that was. Like, I unfortunately relate to that. a lot where it's like, why did things stop happening? Like, why? You know, when are you supposed to stop having fun or stop, you know, like I said, like just walk together, go through everything together, don't have such a stonewall Jackson line, hard line against things that are just adulting and difficult and you have to be vulnerable to be able to move past things. You can't just, you know, be cool and like sweep everything under the.

the rug, you can't. Yeah. Yeah, because you want to move forward together, like, as a unit. Yeah. Well, and then, like, you know, in 2026, I think everyone used, like, uses therapy speak now, because we all become familiar with words, like, boundaries. And we heard Tommy talk about his boundaries. But it's always fascinating. I think we've, I think as individuals, we now, if we call something a boundary, we feel incredibly justified, you know, for that belief, because it's a boundary. And the thought of is like all boundaries are healthy. But I think we sometimes learn that sometimes a boundary is just another, a better way of saying, I'm really stubborn about this and I refuse to change.

The therapy glossary of terms is not going to save your life. You can't just, you know, come up with some thing that you're going to present every time. And then that'll be it. So right now he's like really mad at Jeff. You know, before he was mad at Reza. He's also mad at my mom. You know, it can't be like to me, I was like, wait a minute, is there a pattern? Why are we choosing to stay mad and blame everyone else?

It's like, at the end of the day, it's just you and me. Nothing else matters. Why is he mad at Jeff? Jeff Lewis? Yeah, because, so I do the radio. And, you know, Jeff was disappointed. People in my life are disappointed that, you know, we didn't work out. and they're kind of mad because of the reasons that I don't talk about, you know?

And so, yeah, I really, like, that's a regret, too, that when I go on radio that I kind of allow Jeff to talk about things that hurt at home. It's kind of like made things a little hard, and I'll, you know, I'll definitely take it up with him. But it's not an issue. It shouldn't be an issue. It's just that I did notice a pattern that Tommy can just get himself really riled up. and stay mad. And then it's like we don't get to ever get to anything because it's more about us than it is

about anybody else. Do you see a lot of similarities with Tommy and Sky? Well, she's, I think, got to have a lot of regrets about, hopefully, about like some of the choices that she made because it is really hard to watch the, you know, she's stubborn. but I don't think that she sees, yeah, I guess that's true. That's probably why they like each other and follow each other and comment on each other's things. Because, yeah, I think that having a hard line instead of being vulnerable is a shitty thing. They're like, you're always right and I'm never wrong, so we definitely go wrong.

Well, the big difference is Sky hates the valley. And I feel like Tommy likes the valley. He does like the valley. There's a lot of softball leagues. Do you feel like Sky, if given the opportunity, will come back next season? Oh, yes. Really? Yeah, that makes sense.

I think she likes the limelight. Yeah, I mean, anyone who is presenting the way that she has, you know, she came on the show to present a lifestyle. And I think that there's a lot of charming aspects of her. Like she actually could have done less of a disservice to herself if she was more vulnerable, right? Because all of the jazz hands doesn't really work. The audience is going to sniff out the, you know, the rat. And then I'm not calling her a rat. But I do think that she was a really charming girl. Like just her idiosyncrasies, if they were limit, like if she toned it down a little bit and instead of being a snob, it could have been like, oh, she's so cute. She like only eats it heroin. You know? But it's like, no, you can't say that everyone else is disgusting and not as good as you. Like you can't be better than everyone. The superiority complex is not a flex. It's not like she's just being like, oh, I love these kinds of things.

And this is what makes me happy. I'm sorry, I'm a pretty little princess. She's like, no, you guys are disgusting. And like, what does I piss on love mean? Yeah. So basically, I'm like standing there going like, what about Thanksgiving? Like the whole your whole family unit is Tanin and Greg and everyone. And so it's an expression.

It's a Persian expression. It's slang. It's like a very unpolished person that would speak that way. It's also not congruent with what she presents because you don't talk that way. I was about to say she always comes for Gigi. Right. And the napkin. Yes.

But it sounds like you know, Scott. obviously in ways that the viewers and us don't, but it sounds like despite what we're seeing, you know that there is a softer, more likable side to her that maybe even you are hoping she will show if she does return for her second season. Honestly, I hope so, because if she doesn't show that side of her,

then, you know, that's the, what she stands to gain out of being on TV, is that that kind of self-reflection won't happen unless you're on TV. And you have a wide audience of people, that are like noticing your bad behavior and then you get to have I mean if I wasn't on TV I wouldn't have I probably never would have gone through IVF checked my fertility frozen my eggs known that I wanted a kid all of the self-reflection that I got to have happened because there were people

that were following my life that were rooting for me and that actually helped me along a lot I was going to say about Sky I noticed this episode I think it was Tannen who said that she actually came to this country by herself and like that her family that that was her family was tan in and hanging out with them um but obviously sky hasn't shared that herself and i was wondering do you think that that kind of plays into this whole like oh i like sit on this throne of gold and like whatnot where it's like she doesn't want people to know like her past or like what hurts her so that's why she's so defensive about likeing erwan or not living in the valley So she does say that her dad came from humble beginnings, but there's a huge disconnect between that and being better than everyone else. So I think that she can come back and clarify. Yeah. Right. So she kind of threw everyone in the group of like her falling out with Golnessa. And then it's like we also can't come on the show just to present what we think would be a good image.

Right. So that part. Yeah. I think I would have some huge, like I had some feelings for her when I heard that because I was like, okay, like maybe this adds some like layers where I'm like instead of seeming so pretentious that it's like, oh, if we got to see the other side of you. Yeah. Do you guys, are you watching Beverly Hills?

Yes. It's kind of like with Amanda. It's like the moment she's talking to Erica and she kind of opens up about like the cult, whatever. Erica's like, oh, this is what you should be talking about with the girls to make them like you. Like, you're a real person. And I think with, I wonder of like with Sky, if she would just allow herself, like what you were saying, that vulnerability, just to kind of like. I think that Amanda and Sky are like the same person. But how many times from the first day that we met you all the way through, with the exception of her giving Dorit advice for needing to be more financially aware of her situation, I thought that part was great. But every person who took, takes every opportunity to one up and like, I just did this with crystals. And then her welcome mat in her house looked like she overnoughtied it from Amazon.

So cheap and ugly. It's like the most money magnet. I literally was like, I feel like this is a bad sign for like burglars. Yeah. Especially in LA. She's the money queen. We should go in. There's probably cash sitting on the kitchen counter.

On a lighter note, I mean, I'm obsessed with Reza. I absolutely love him. And you said, you're lying. And now I realize why I love him so much. Because when you said Reza's love language is his two cents, I was like, that is why I fuck with him. But to that point, but it, to why you call it a love language, you can tell with Reza, like, he does have an opinion. And he certainly will share it. But he really loves his people and he really seems to have his people's best entrance in mind. And he's not doing it to be a dick or to make you feel less than. It seems like it really comes from a really loving place. When you have Reza in your life, you have a very smart person in your camp. He sees things and calls them out in ways that nobody else can. No one does. And that's why he is such a high value human being. You know, it's like there's no one else.

else that will say it or that will think to even construct the opinion. And it's so fun. And yeah, he, he's very passionate. And we hope he always stays that way. What's it like working for Mo? I need to know. Oh, my God. He's really smart. He's really chill. He's very like polished and professional. But there's also like a bohemian aspect of what he does. And he's self-made. And when you're, because it's a collaboration, right? So when you're working with someone and, And you want to run things by people. What a better person. You know, like there's, and I, that also goes for Emil who is a managing partner.

There's a list of people at the agency who are the big dogs, the A game. It's so impressive to be around a community of people that just like know how to be the best at real estate. So I love it. I mean, I was a real estate agent, took a break during motherhood and everything. and then came back into it. And I was always really proud of like, it's where you learn the ropes that matters. And how is it going now that you're back in the real estate game?

Are we on our way to a million dollars? Yes, I'm so busy. Where's the wood? Here it is. Let me knock. I am really busy. It's really nice this time around to see that, you know, I do get the phone does ring for work that wouldn't have come any other way.

And he's right. I don't need to go door knocking. I do need to be more like in front of a bigger audience. It's funny because I was so scared to doork anyway. And someone was like, wait, people don't like there's like you have the right to like shoot people. No one wants someone to come to their door unannounced. And I was like, oh yeah. That's a good point.

I was like can cross that off my list. Actually throw it away because I actually don't need to do that. But I did live in a neighborhood where we. are hanging out a lot in our, you know, front yards with our dogs and our babies and our, you know, so, like, I think I just meant, like, let's, like, have a mixer. Do you so you just wanted the neighborhood to know that, like, none of you better use anybody that doesn't have a sign with my face on it. Exactly.

Exactly. Yeah. You on that neighborhood. Block party. Literally. That kind of a thing. Can I come? Are you watching Traders this season?

I am. I might be a couple episodes behind, but you know what the thing is, like, whenever they show, these long seven minute clips of all of the shows that you're watching on Instagram, it kind of fills you in. It's kind of a disservice, but it also helps you stay on top. But yeah, where were you going to ask me about it? I was just going to, I mean, every single episode that I watch, I feel like I will always say justice for MJ, like the way that they, and I like, Justin is there too.

We will just, like, we won't let it go. Right. Okay. So right now the chatter is, well, it's, it's the game is to be. be a traitor. So you have to be a traitor. No, it's not just that. There's also the humanity of it. That's why being a, what CT chose to do was not split $200 three ways. He chose he needed it to be a 50-50 split. Right? So he didn't do it because it was really a game. And there is an obvious difference between I could have two. I could have banished him. I had the opportunity.

I didn't want to because it was the shitty thing to do as a human. That's why when you are faithfuls up against each other, you ended the game together, then it wasn't just about the game. To your point, it isn't just a game. Right. Because that's the excuse everyone used. It's a game. Get over it.

And it's like, you know, that's hurtful. Yeah. And also bananas would tell me a lot about how ruthless it is to be on the challenge. You know, Johnny bananas. He did the most ruthless moves of all. They like can't separate the two. They're kind of immune to that feeling. Right.

Right. And he said that CT is like a prize fighter that like he lives in a cage somewhere in a cave. And they'll just take him out to fight and then they'll put him back in. And he'll just like stay somewhere in like recluse until it's time for his next game. His next meal. Yeah. But he did like the way he ended. the game with putting Trichelle on that table and kind of mounted her. It was like not very cool.

I was like, okay, it's a good thing. I went home. I see myself out. Exactly. All right, Maceda, we know you have to get going. And I'd say, it's just so great having you on the show. Thank you for being so vulnerable and open to having obviously some of these difficult conversations. You're a breath of fresh air. We love seeing you back on our TV. And congratulations on the Valley Persian style. It's one of our new favorite shows. I said this to Gull Nessa. I love the men, most of the men on this show, because I think we don't get to see a lot of good examples of healthy men on this show. And I think your community has some good apples. And it's been really nice to see. Thanks for having me. And I'll see you guys.

Thanks, Miss you. Thanks, me. Come back. And let us know how we can help with real estate, you know? I can post a listing for if you ever need. Absolutely. Well, you know, we can always go house hunting whenever you guys are in time. We can all go door knocking with you. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing.

I would love that. All right. You're the best. Thanks for me. That's right. She's such a good interview. Her energy is so, I mean, even I, we're not in the same room, but. She's so personable.

She makes eye contact. I'm telling you guys why we met at Crystal's dinner party and like immediately fell in love with each other. It's like she's so easy to just talk to and like connect to. It really is. Yeah, she's just, I was telling Sierra, after she left, I was just like, he's such an intentional person who, like, yeah, she really just engages with everyone she's talking to and wants just like a genuine interaction with everyone. And I think that's a very special quality in a person. 100%.

Unfortunately, while we were recording with Mercedes, we got some devastating news that many of you, I'm sure, are already aware of now that this episode is coming on a day later. But we just learned that Mary Cosby's son has passed. Robert, you know, obviously we don't have any words other than our hearts go out to Mary. And her love for him was so evident. And this is devastating news. So I think we just wanted to acknowledge Mary's loss. And we just wanted to send Mary and her family and her church and her entire community all our love in this very difficult time, you know, before we continue the show. Obviously, we are getting ready to turn a room into a nursery, right?

We've got two babies coming. We've got to, like, make some space. We've got to move some things around. We've got to get some storage in here. We've got to get some organization in here. And I am leaning towards Wayfair. A lot of what you see in our studio is from Wayfair. It's been our go-to for finding stylish, functional pieces quickly when we need to refresh a space.

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free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash V-I-A-L-L. We do have part two of the Real Housewives of Potomac Reunion. Another good episode. These women don't hold back. No, they're incredible. But they also do it in a way where they're still kind of friendly with each other. Have you noticed that?

Jazzy came out. Well, Jazzy, I mean. Jazzy. Who was it that was like you were a friend of and now you're a friend of none? I'm such a huge fan. You failed at your job. Tia. But that's, I think that's what, to your point.

That's what I was saying. Yeah, it's funny. Yeah, it's funny. Like, they know, like, it's very, I feel like it's the most whimsical of the housewife franchises. Like, they're having fun shading each of them. Like, the only person who takes it serious is, Angel. Yes. And like the rest of a, like, well, I mean, they take it personally, but they know like,

you know, like giving us the flashbacks of Karen being like. Well, that was Ashley. Yeah. Because and it's Ashley, like, you're right. Like sometimes I have to realize that maybe the group dynamic has changed and we were a little bit more cutthroat than we are now. One of my, one of my favorite moments was somebody, was it Andy being like, uh, Ashley, you were rumored to be dating a congressman or like a government worker. And then no, Giselle tells on our self. because she was like, oh, I thought you were talking about me, but Stacey's immediately, and goes, that's impossible. Girl, they didn't even get the whole thought out.

And she was like, nope, nope, not with your history. And she said, I am an upstanding woman, capital of you. You capital, I thought about it, how, like, other reunions are sitting next to your friends. It's like, this is the friends on the side. This is the friends on this side. The whole right side of the couch was like, not friend of friend of friend. Like, they're all just mad at each other going down the line. Like, it was Stacey not being friends with Ashley, not being friends with Kay, not being friends

of angel. I do think, I do like the way they did that in this reunion because it does get kind of annoying when like the allies are on the couch next to each other. And I'm like, no, put the people that hate each other next to each other so they have to. No side conversations.

Yeah. Because I don't need the subtitles while someone else is talking. That's true. That's true. Also justice for Ashley. Like she just made out with a hot guy 10 years younger than her. And it sounds like. No.

And that was crucial information to hear that. Cherise was, has been like... She got the green light. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. I think everyone else is just mad because they weren't offered.

Exactly. Live your truth, diva. You know? Mm-hmm. Also, like, why were they all coming for Ashley? I didn't really get the whole... Oh, as soon as cameras went down, you started dating him again.

Ashley came on the show and was like, yeah, no, we're still hanging out. You know, she acknowledged she's been dignitized by him. I mean, like, people break up. People get back together. I don't... I think that that was just a specific

triggered to Stacy because she just got reamed through the Coles last season with her relationship with TJ and so she's like oh so you can performatively break up with somebody and then decide to see them again after you humiliate them on television but I pay to have someone play my boyfriend and suddenly we're going too far what have you never heard of the QVC before what have you never heard of acting I've never heard of length drama stones a bit a bit thank you Stacy you're safe with us I just want to give

Monique some more props. I just think it's such a breath of fresh air to see someone show real growth. And, you know, most of what I've learned about Monique is more like the flashbacks about her past. But like she was such a delight to interview last week. She brings such good energy. I'm excited to see whatever it is that is on her phone. Yeah. Yep. And I like that Monique was kind of like, it's not so much like she's like, you could date Chris for all I care. It's not so much about that. It's how you're going about it. It's the lying where it's just like, again, all of our troubles would be so much less, like, so, so much smaller if we stopped trying to hide things in the sense of lying about things because then keeping up with the lie. That's your reputation, Stacey. I know, but here's

the problem is that, like, Stacy has, Stacey knows how to create a character of herself. And the character of herself is kind of based off of Stacey be lying. And so it's like, what else is she supposed to do? Tell the truth. Well, next week, Kay, have the finale of the reunion. We'll get to find out what is on Monique's phone. And the Grand Dame makes an appearance, which I think is going to be amazing. Huge. I'm so excited.

It's my debut of her, really seeing her with the other housewives. So I'm very, very excited about that. All right, well, up next, we have Kate Chastain. She's on this new season of A House of Villains, which is out now, and she is up next. Kate, welcome to the show. Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. Yeah, it's good to see you again.

Well, first of all, how have you been? What's new? What's, how's life? Life is good. I was actually supposed to be in New York right now, but, you know, the blizzard happened. So I'm in Florida, which is for the best. It postponed my trip a week. And, you know, a Florida girl, I was not prepared for the amount of snow they received.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I don't even think the New Yorkers were. Right. Yeah. Yeah. It looks a little intense there. I was just out there and I had to fly home a day earlier.

I would have gotten stuck out there. They had 3,000 canceled flights on that Sunday. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, my God. Yikes. Well, you are a busy bee. You're on the upcoming season of House of Villains, which we're really excited to see.

What I love about you, Kate, amongst many things, is the way you, you're like, you are a true reality TV star professional in the sense that, like, you embrace the villain edit, if you want to call it, the same way, like a WWEE superstar does. and like, you know what I'm saying? And I really, honestly, I've really think that's where reality TV needs to go, right? Like, I don't know if you follow wrestling. I'm not a big wrestler. But as a kid, it was one of those things where it was like, is it real? Is it not real? And people kind of pretended that these were like real villains.

And now when you watch wrestling, it's like you know that they're still playing a character and you can still have fun with the villain edit, so to speak. And I think you do that masterfully. on reality TV, whether it's traitors, whether it's house of villains. Because as a human, like, you're just a lovely person. But like, you don't try so hard to be this polished perfect person out of fear that like some people online might like have something like mean to say. And I just, where does that come from?

And have you always embraced being a reality TV star that way? You know, that's a very good point about the wrestling versus reality TV. I see the similarity. but also like when I'm filming something, I don't necessarily put it on extra like a WW wrestler. Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah. I'm really reacting now I am.

But in general, reality television puts you in situations that are going to, it's going to test your patience. Yeah. So those are, I'm always being accurate, whether I'm throwing money off a mountainside or like making a big dick blanket. Like, that's really how I feel in the moment. I would do that without cameras. but House of Villains was super fun because it does lean into that, right?

It doesn't shame you for being like a little extra or saying how you feel. It encourages it. So it's always fun to like display your worst behavior because you feel like it. Who else from below deck would you want to see on House of Villains? I don't. I actually don't know if any of them are ready, to be honest. I really don't because I wasn't totally ready when I walked in because the whole cast is like a powerhouse of just these outrageous strong personalities. I think Traders is a really good boot camp

and House of Villains should be the next thing after Traders because I had more fun on House of Villains, which shocked me. Really? Well, it makes sense, though, because I think you're just among friends and you're, you know, it's, and anyone who's done reality TV knows what I'm talking about, and I know, I'm sure you do, just like on Traders, there are people who show up. And like, what's beautiful about Traders, you have all these different types of reality TV stars. right and they and these kind of different environments that they're used to you have your housewives right you you'll have someone from bachelor nation you'll have you know someone from below deck or you know say summer house or someone who's this more of a you know like eric this year is like a musician right

and it and like the social game that these people have to play part of the game is to realize that like you know some people come in as gamers and they have a set playbook and other people are there to entertain all while playing a game. And that's it, that's kind of fascinating. I'm curious for you. It's just like how I'm sure the way you've always had a big personality, I'm sure you receive like all reality TV stars criticism, critiques online. Are you just really good at kind of not giving a shit and managing that? Or have you had to get better at that over time? Well, I've never really like cared that much about what people thought. To answer your first question, I've always had a very rebellious spirit.

Like my mom's like, I love rules. Rules make me so happy. I'm like, I hate rules. If I hear a rule and someone's like, you can't do that, I want to find out the hard way. And even now I know, usually I should just listen, but there's just something inside me. I can't turn off. It's like, I don't care what anybody says. I just want to go my own way.

So when there's negativity online, for the most part, I think you ignore them for the most part, but it's fun to clap back every now and then. Are you watching the season of Traders? I'm very caught up. I'm really curious what you think because it seems like a lot of the faithfuls left are not all that interested in the game. It kind of feels like, and we had the opportunity to interview Natalie, who was a gamer. And it was really interesting hearing her perspective because from her point of view, she feels like some of the faithful. And we even got to see Johnny be like, I think the traitor is Rob and Eric, and it is.

but yet in the roundtable, they still voted out Natalie. It's just like, wait, we're at this stage in the game where like, are you actually trying to win? Or what is your purpose here? And I feel like this season needs someone like you to kind of like call people out because the only one who seems brave enough to do that is Rob the traitor. I mean, there is something that happens in that castle, castle fever towards the end. And I would know both seasons, I make it to the final. There's something that happens where you care about the game, but also this feels like the only world that you've ever lived in because you haven't talked on your phone in three weeks. You are so in it and it's crazy how quickly you forget about the outside world.

So you really are just focused on the people you're in this world with and how you can stay and who you like. It really becomes a lot of that if you don't keep your mind in it. And that's probably why Natalie went home. She's a gamer. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. And you also had Tara being like, someone, just please murder me tonight. Like, I'm done, guys.

I want to go home. I just, I can't do this anymore. It's like, okay. It's intense. It is intense when you're there. And sometimes you do feel that way. I mean, multiple times you're like, you know what? Pick me.

I voted for myself at a roundtable ones. And the producers were like, Kate, you're not allowed to do that. Are there people from your world, whether it's below deck or just, just Bravo in general that you would like to see on another season of traders? I would love to see Chef Ben. He's currently on below deck down under. He would be very good. Yeah.

He's been lying to me for over a decade. And I'm still with him. So he's just very charming and also he's British. So I think he would feel right at home. Yeah. He went to boarding school with the royal family. He was raised in a castle pretty much. Oh, really?

Wow. How did he end up on a boat? Well, I think he's also a rebellious spirit. Okay. Oh, my God. Did you really not know Tiffany Pollard's name? She also lives by New York. So, me being polite, I was going to let her choose.

I didn't know if I called her Tiffany, would she be mad? If I caught her in New York, would she be mad? The truth is, she was going to be mad no matter what. Right. What do you think of Fraser being a chiefs do? Frazier, I love him. He's also, it's like, are you? you too chic to be here, Frazier?

Yeah. Because Instagram is always Aspen, Monty Carlo, Turks and Kekos, Tobago. I'm like, you're already living the life, Frazier. But he's just. I feel like he almost belongs on the other side on below deck as one of the guests. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, fancy pants.

So I think he really elevates the whole program. What was it like to interact with Christine Quinn? And this is being totally honest, I never watched her show, but I kind of heard of her. Sure. She's like real-life Barbie, and I mean that as a compliment, her hair is like 26 inches long. Like her hair is extra blonde. Like everything's just extra. Her clothes are extra.

Her personality is extra. She's a hard one to describe. She did go to acting school. And the funniest thing about her that I remember from the house one day, we're just like doing her makeup or something in New York. She goes, God, I just love watching New York's process, you know? I was like, okay. Should I have a process? I didn't know.

We had processes in this house. That's amazing. And for people who haven't given House of Villains a Chance, why should people watch this season? I did not give House of Villains a Chance either for two years. But now it's on Peacock. and Peacock is a great, you know, judge of good television as we see with Traders. And I'm on it.

And I think that people don't realize it's so fun. It's what I wish Traders was. Traders is very buttoned up. There's so many rules. There's so much that happens in the Traders' Castle between the cast members that they don't ever show because they are strictly about the game. Like Ekins Sue and Peter Pilot guy, like pretty much following. castle love. You guys saw none of that. And there's so much interesting stuff. So House of Villains like is not as strict and it leans into the ridiculousness of all of these strong personalities

under one roof playing a game. Is there any other tea you got about in the Intraders Castle that we didn't get to see? Because I would love to see it some more showmances. That's what I'm saying. I was like, this is really interesting and it really did affect the way people reacted at the roundtable. That's why Pilot Pete was just so ready to find the traitors after Icons who was murdered because he was mad. His love was gone. It's just part of the story. So House of Villains breaks the Fourth Wall often and enthusiastically. And it's so fun.

I've never laughed so hard as filming a show or watching what I've seen so far. That's amazing. How is it filming with Tom Sandoval? That's exactly, unfortunately, what I expected it to be. That's what I say about Tom. You know, he doesn't surprise you. You know what I'm saying? You know what you're getting with Tom.

And it's just really up to you to, like, have the right expectations. I was hoping for a surprise. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think, and I mean this with love with Tom. I just don't think he's sophisticated enough to surprise you. You know, the best he can do is this, like, be 100% of who he is. And I feel like he does that.

You know, a great House of Villains, Tom Sandoval. behind the scenes tidbit is that the man was working hard at those cameos in his walking closet for hours every night. We knew Tom was doing his cameos in his closet when we heard the trumpet come out. I was so bad at cameos. I'd be like, I was like, you know, happy birthday. All right. Well, enjoy your day.

Tom really goes for it. You're getting every bit of your money is worth with. Oh, it's a production. He's costumes. He's lighting. He's instruments. He's dance moves. Oh my God. Good for him. I know. He's an entertainer.

What else are you watching these days? What else, what else is going on in your normal life? I have a toddler, but that's not that interesting. What am I into? Oh, well, I was at the Super Bowl with Peacock, which was really cool. I mean, who would have thought that all of these different things I did in my life would make me the purpose, perfect NBC Sports Super Bowl commentator? Literally. Because they were like promoting traders and house of villains and it was on a boat. Wow. That's perfect. Wow.

That was super fun. The household, you guys have any questions for Kate? I actually do have a question. So you're from Florida. I'm from Florida. And I just wonder, one, do you think being from Florida made you a better dekey? And two, do you think people from Florida just make better reality TV stars? What part of Florida are you from?

I lived in, like, Pole County and Winter Haven and then Viro Beach and Sarasota. Oh, hey, Melbourne Beach. Vero Beach is my little neighbor. Oh, my God. I'm in Melbourne Beach, which. Oh, yeah. You know, I have a theory about Florida. Everybody thinks Florida's like, you know, there's the memes, Florida man.

Florida's crazy. I tried living in New York City and so I wanted to like have the experience and I would wear all black but I couldn't get the Florida off me. Like people just know. Yeah. No, you're just built different. Yeah. I'm just Florida.

And I love that about me. But I think that Florida is going to be like the new Mormons. Oh. There's a Conroyo. Dallas out. There's a bunch of reality shows based in Palm Beach. I think that if Mormons can become the Bachelorette and have a hit show on Hulu and be a breakout star of dancing with the stars, if Mormons can be in the zeitgeist in that way, I think Florida is next. I agree.

I think that's a really excellent take because it's almost like people from Florida. They're part of the United States, but they also have a little bit of like no one's like us and they kind of operate on a whole different playing field. Yeah. I think it has a lot to do with the weather. Living in a cold climate, I learned, you have to have your shit together. You have to get matches. Well, not matching. We have to get socks. Yeah, dude. Oh, my God. Not socks. You have to have a sweater, a puffer. You have to layer. You have to have an umbrella. Do I need the umbrella? It's just a lot to think about, just to get out the door.

In Florida, where are my flip-flops, you know? Exactly. So it allows people to be a little more free. Do you think your time below deck is done or would you be interested in ever going back? There is not a chance. Florida would have snow, three feet of snow before I went back to below deck in a working capacity. Absolutely not.

But I do think it would be really interesting and I need to send an email to someone to have me back as a charter guest. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, If your season's hitting a slump, call me.

You know, that would be like a great below-deck spin-off of almost like a... All-Stars. Maybe like a House of Villains type of... You know, like the way Traders has an ensemble cast and House of Villains has an ensemble cast and they bring back, you know, reality TV stars from different shows, like a below-deck, like, smorgas board of reality TV stars having to do something and make it some kind of competition show while integrating the best of below deck stuff. Well, there was an episode of Real House of Assault Lake City where they were guests on

below deck and just this synergy crossover. Like those were great episodes and now we're getting to see the back end from the below deck episodes and it's just great. So we need a charter guest of villains to stress out through and to be on vacation. Are you a big Housewives fan? I am. I really am. I like some franchises more than others.

I think Salt Lake City is cooking with gas. I think I like how they've leaned into the campiness. There's choral music. Like, you know, it's just so fun. Would you ever be a housewife? I always thought when I was on below deck that every other show Bravo just had it made. We had to actually work and their life was easy. But that's not the case because they have to make their social, personal life, the plot line.

Like we had the mechanism of the job to like get upset with each other about I'm not sure how good I would be at, you know, putting my friendships out there that much to drive the show. No, it really is. I think people really take that for granted the vulnerability and the just emotional stress that it takes to be a housewife. And to your point, like, I imagine I'm below deck or House of Villains, you have the ability to, like, turn it off or kind of go back to the real world. And there is, there's really, the lines are so blurred for a housewife of like, what is, what is my TV persona and what is my, you know, life off of a camera? And it's really always, I really have a lot of admiration for all the housewives who are, who are able to do it so seamlessly. Yeah, exactly. Kate, you're the best. We love you. Uh, check out house of villains, everybody. It's out now. It's out now. It's super funny. Thank you so much, guys. Thanks for coming. So great to see you. Kate, we love having you on. Be well. Take care.

Bye. Bye. All right. Well, that will do it for today's episode. Thank you to our guest, Kate Chastain and Mercedes. We appreciate them both, and we appreciate you all listening. We'll see you back all next week. Bye-bye.