Summer House Is for the Girls

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The five ladies from the “Summer House” reality show are longing to strike a pose. For over eight years, these Bravo veterans have grown tired of always maintaining authenticity for cameras that capture their activities, weekend after weekend from late June until Labor Day, within every corner of a grand Hamptons mansion. On the “Summer House”, now in its ninth season, we’ve witnessed them form friendships, go through breakups, and experience blackouts together. They’ve shown enough of their real lives. Now, they simply want to look attractive.

It’s evident; they are even more stunning in reality, with their long legs, striking cheekbones, and radiant, high-end looking skin. We’re at Swingers, a mini-golf themed bar nestled within a large Nomad basement, and the ladies are donning golf attire that’s been given a yassified twist: thigh-high argyle socks, pleated miniskirts, heels sharp enough to pierce any green. However, for this photo shoot, they need to appear as if they’re casually playing golf. They start murmuring amongst themselves, “Isn’t it possible for us to strike a pose instead?

Standout reality star Ciara Miller is eager to continue making waves in the industry. Fresh from her appearance on “The Traitors,” where she managed to outlast most of her fellow Bravolebrities despite enduring being locked in a coffin and having buckets of insects poured over her head, this season of “Summer House” finds her grappling with an even greater challenge: cohabiting with her ex and costar, West Wilson. So far, she has labeled him as a failure and a coward, and criticized his haircut as unattractive. Unsurprisingly, she is a popular choice among viewers.

Among the Summer House cast members, Miller isn’t the only one who has endured romantic hardships for our viewing pleasure. Last summer, Lindsay Hubbard shared a house with Carl Radke, whom she started dating in 2021, got engaged to in 2022, and was later dumped by on camera just two months before their supposed wedding. The ninth season, filmed in 2024, chronicles her pregnancy with her new boyfriend’s child – a house that Carl also resides in. On the other hand, Paige DeSorbo finds herself in the midst of a bitter breakup that initially seemed to be an amicable split, but has since turned sour with increasingly harsh media coverage. Earlier that day, on her popular podcast, Giggly Squad, which she co-hosts with former Summer House castmate Hannah Berner, Paige emphatically denied cheating on ex Craig Conover, despite insinuations to the contrary from his Southern Charm co-stars. Lastly, Amanda Batula faces constant criticism for her husband Kyle Cooke’s persistent habit of excessive drinking and late nights into his forties. Gabby Prescod, so far, has managed to avoid the humiliations of a long-term relationship on camera, but she was once filmed crying in a bathroom because she felt compelled to flirt with the man hired to inflate party balloons.

The girls from the Summer House believe they’ve shown enough genuine personality and aren’t fond of feigning anything else. At Swingers, they understand their strengths, and nobody has ever expressed interest in a round of mini-golf as a game. Therefore, they position themselves with delicate golf clubs, subtly adjusting their legs and tilting their shoulders while flashing a captivating smile towards the camera. As Paige proclaims with the assurance of someone accustomed to victory, “This is who we truly are.

The Summer House series has often revolved around the theme of attractive women being pursued by the male cast members. Ronnie Karam from Watch What Crappens, a well-liked Bravo commentary podcast, refers to it as a “Bachelor”-like show, implying that the central goal is for them to get romantically involved with each other. This dynamic, in turn, fostered drama among the female cast members, who would sometimes argue – either openly or covertly – over who was involved with whom. A particularly heated incident occurred when Ciara hurled a wine glass across a dinner table at Danielle Olivera due to her defense of Lindsay during a love triangle involving Austen Kroll from Southern Charm. Paige once criticized the actions of Lindsay, who had dated two men in one day, calling it inappropriate behavior. Lindsay herself was frequently embroiled in conflicts with one or more cast members, as evident in her well-known line: “Don’t provoke me, because you haven’t seen me angry.

Despite the usual turbulent dynamics and heated arguments that are characteristic of Bravo shows, it took the program a few years to find its footing, as Ben Mandelker, Karam’s co-host, puts it. Until season five, Noah Sampton, now a senior VP of production at Bravo, had to argue for its continuation internally due to low viewership, a common hurdle for new reality shows featuring non-celebrities. However, according to Karam, the show’s initial seasons struggled not only with weak viewership but also because the men were the primary characters. “It was essentially about those guys and their love lives,” he explains. This dynamic, as Ciara points out, has continued to be a problem in the fandom, as the men are often allowed to act freely while the women face criticism for either tolerating mistreatment or standing up against it.

The reality TV show “Summer House” began as an unsuccessful attempt at a pickup line. In the spring of 2015, a reality-TV producer organized an open audition for a series centered around a Hamptons shared house. Although he’d later sell the idea to Left Hook, a more seasoned production company, he’d already found his main character: Kyle Cooke, then 32, who attended the casting call casually and perfectly fit the show’s “work hard, play hard” philosophy. (Kyle was an entrepreneur; the rest of the cast had jobs in PR, celebrity journalism, or vague entrepreneurship in the city.) Having spent a decade in Montauk, he politely told the LA-based producer that it wouldn’t be possible to secure a house for filming that summer with such little time left, but they could contact him if they had plans for the following year.

In September, Kyle extended an invitation to his team for his annual party, welcoming around 300 of his friends. During the event, talent scouts searched the crowd for promising new faces. The twins Lauren and Ashley Wirkus were chosen, but Kyle felt they still needed a more prominent female personality. For him, Lindsay Hubbard was the ideal candidate, someone he knew through mutual acquaintances and who he had spent Memorial Day weekend with in 2014 at a shared house. Excitedly, he composed an email advocating for Lindsay, stating “If you don’t select Lindsay, you’re out of your mind; she was born for television.

In the inaugural episode, both “Vanderpump Rules” and “Summer House,” two popular Bravo series focusing on millennials juggling work and leisure, merged for a two-hour special. This time, the action took place on the East coast with an older, professional cast, while the original show delved into the world of play in Los Angeles. The producers cleverly planned to have the L.A. team visit the Hamptons, staying at a $45,000 per month shared house, under the pretense that Stassi Schroeder from “Vanderpump Rules” required a birthday retreat, and Lauren Wirkus from “Summer House” was there to provide fun, along with the male cast members.

The producers of the show anticipated that there’d be an entertaining incident which could transform a typical episode of “Vanderpump Rules” into the debut of “Summer House”. That pivotal moment occurred when Stassi mentioned to a producer that she found Kyle attractive. This led the cameras to capture their interaction in a hot tub, where Stassi donned a turtleneck swimsuit and an intoxicated Kyle repeatedly forgot her name, complimented her by comparing her to Steve Jobs, and pointed out what he believed was her nipple. She promptly exited in distaste. The producers initially perceived the situation as a catastrophe. However, according to Sampton, “It suddenly dawned on us. This is actually quite amusing! It’s more intriguing to witness Kyle stumble rather than smoothly pursue.

In my perspective, the introduction of Paige and Hannah during season three was a pivotal moment, largely due to their youthful energy and the fact that they didn’t quite fit the finance-tech bro mold that the show’s original creators aimed for. As Kyle mentioned, it was challenging to attract career-driven individuals for the show because of its relatively low success at the time. Many of my friends back then were in finance, and even they found it risky to participate.

However, their arrival also coincided with the rise of the #MeToo movement, which brought a shift in viewers’ perspective. Watching a group of women dealing with unfaithful and dishonest men started to feel less like entertaining escapism and more like a painful reflection of heterosexual culture’s permissiveness. The waning cultural acceptance for drunken hookups could have potentially led to Summer House‘s downfall, but surprisingly, viewers found themselves captivated by Paige and Hannah’s friendship rather than their romantic entanglements. As Mandelker puts it, “There’s something incredibly relatable about Paige. She seems like a friend you could hang out with and gossip in bed with.” This sentiment is echoed in the fact that Paige spends a significant amount of screen time interacting with Amanda and Ciara in their shared living space. (Interestingly, Amanda and Ciara can now be seen in advertisements promoting Kind granola bars.)

Over the last two seasons, viewers have been more drawn towards the reality show Summer House, not just for the predictable breakdowns of relationships, but for witnessing a group of relatable women standing up against the poor behavior of men who don’t deserve them. Essentially, these ladies have taken center stage, becoming the characters we cheer for. Maybe it’s because they’ve learned to reconcile their differences and built a genuine sisterhood, or maybe it’s because they’ve matured. As Karam humorously puts it, “Eventually, the girls realized, ‘these guys are losers,'” even Amanda, who is married to one of them, echoed this sentiment with, “This guy’s a loser.

The transformation has proven beneficial for these women, and their success is evident. The comedy podcast Giggly Squad ranks 50th nationwide. Ciara landed a role on the hit reality competition show The Traitors, solidifying her presence in this rapidly growing genre. Previously known for playing aggressive characters, new mom Lindsay has showcased a more balanced and tranquil side of herself, with fans now cheering instead of dreading her occasional fiery outbursts. Amanda, once overshadowed by her husband Kyle, has branched out into fashion design (even receiving praise from Rihanna). Gabby has become the show’s wise and relatable commentator, offering insights as cast members navigate their questionable decisions. While once engulfed in cliques and rivalries, these women have now taken control, as Ciara puts it, “It’s our house.

In February for the opening of season nine, we saw record-breaking viewership with 1.6 million people tuning in during the first week. It’s likely that many viewers were intrigued by the start of the end for the characters Paige and Craig, who split up shortly following filming. Despite both parties denying infidelity, a sneak peek at the finale hinted at Craig exchanging texts with other women. Reflecting on this moment, Paige shares, “To be honest, I’m not sure if those texts were platonic or something more. There were instances in our relationship where I showed him an abundance of forgiveness. Maybe I should have ended things a year and a half ago when I saw him sending hearts to another woman. But I loved him and wanted to marry him.

As I look over at Paige, I can’t help but say – feel free to disagree or not – but honestly, she managed to salvage a great deal of respect from the get-go. It’s all thanks to the kindness she displayed towards Craig on camera and in interviews, even when his actions were less than admirable. Frankly, I found myself thinking that perhaps she was going above and beyond what was necessary for him.

“I think a lot of us have protected Craig,” Amanda adds. “He’s lucky.”

“And now all bets are off,” says Ciara.

In a shift from the usual drama-filled episodes of the reality TV show, former Bachelor Nick Viall labeled Paige as strategic, while many Instagram users criticized her for wasting Craig’s time. Viewers sensed that at some point, Paige, in her own words, would “snap out of it” and become a wife and mother. However, her decision to end the relationship to avoid a second divorce in marriage has been inspiring to viewers who no longer feel pressured to settle down in their 30s.

Paige’s candid discussions on her podcast, interviews, and the show about topics such as freezing her eggs or prioritizing her career over shielding her boyfriend from his own feelings of insecurity have made the show more relatable for women in their early 30s. The show has moved away from the hook-up drama of earlier seasons and focused more on the thoughts and conversations relevant to this age group.

Similarly, Amanda, who has been married for nearly four years, has shared her feelings about not being ready for children yet. She once believed she’d be pregnant by 25, but at 30, she realizes she’s still young. This season, Amanda also disclosed that she’s found medication for her depression that works and is focusing on her mental health rather than the compatibility of the drugs with a potential future pregnancy.

Even though they’re Bravolebrities on “Summer House”, these ladies still face criticism from some quarters. As Amanda explains, it’s often women of their age or older who are the harshest critics, saying things far more hurtful than anything the girls have ever said to each other. The double standard is striking. Paige, in particular, was disheartened by Patricia Altschul, a 83-year-old from “Southern Charm”, perpetuating the idea that all of Craig’s girlfriends are mean to him. She wonders aloud, “Don’t we ever question what might have caused two women to react in exactly the same way towards him?

While they praise their male co-stars as being “the most respectful” among Bravo shows, there’s a catch. Lindsay notes, “What I’ve observed about the men on our cast – and I might face criticism for this, but I don’t care – is that they can’t handle any form of confrontation or negative feedback or pressure associated with this job.” (The main focus of season nine is said to be Jesse.) This observation was evident when West, last season’s charming newcomer who garnered widespread affection, pursued a relationship with Ciara and received a New York Times profile labeling him as “the number-one guy in the group.” Some of the cast perceived this reference as West boastfully proclaiming himself. After the reunion episode aired, there was a backlash against him following his admission that he ended things with Ciara due to attention from Bravo fans. “Sadly, we all knew what was going to happen eventually,” says Amanda. “It’s impossible to rise so quickly and stay there.” (This reference is to a 2016 episode of Vanderpump Rules.)

Initially, cast members were advised against discussing or hinting at how events beyond the show impacted it, or even suggesting that a world existed off-camera. However, after nine seasons, producers have recognized the advantages of overlapping boundaries. “I believe viewers would have been intrigued by that conversation between Paige and Craig, and they opted to have it off-screen, which I can understand,” says Sampton. Lindsay’s boyfriend and father of her daughter, Gemma, is a private individual who won’t be part of the show, despite their relationship (and the frequent breakup speculations) being a popular subject in the media. Over time, audiences have grown accustomed to this; in fact, breaking the fourth wall has fostered a vast community of commentators, sleuths, analysts, and news accounts on platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram. These dedicated fans piece together information to build their own mini Bravo empires, with the most devoted fans being rewarded for their obsession.

Currently, there’s a lot of talk among Bravoverse fans about whether Lindsay will appear next season. The challenge of balancing new parenthood and being a cast member on Summer House isn’t often discussed on the show, but Lindsay has made it clear that she’s open to filming this summer. However, she doesn’t plan on bringing her 6-month-old along every weekend. There have been whispers that she might be joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New York, although Bravo has yet to make a final decision about it. Andy Cohen has stated that discussions are ongoing, but he’s not directly involved in them. Lindsay herself has said, “Wherever they want me, I’m available.” She told Decider earlier this March.

The distinction between a “Summer House cast member” and a fully grown adult doesn’t always have to be so clear-cut. When I questioned her about what it was like being pregnant in a Hamptons shared house with parties every weekend, an ex-boyfriend in the same building, and countless hidden cameras everywhere, she responded, without any pause, “The best summer of my life.

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2025-04-16 19:56