Next Gen NYC Recap: Bowled Over

by

During a heated dinner in Ocean City, Ariana exclaims that she’s on the verge of completely losing control due to the group’s inability to decide whether or not to expel Charlie. However, the scene ends before we witness her actually losing control, possibly because the argument is disorganized and confusing. Instead, the editors focus on Brooks attempting to withdraw from the chaos, and they swiftly cut away without showing us how the loud argument concludes. We’re left anticipating a dramatic climax, but instead, we jump straight to the following day where Brooks and Emira are monitoring their shark-tracking app. This abrupt shift in scene is frustrating.

I don’t mind sharks unless they’re about to be served for dinner and start causing trouble for Ariana. An instance where the show avoids delving into real drama occurs when we see a flashback of Hudson and Charlie reconciling, with Charlie expressing his attraction towards Ariana repeatedly. While I can appreciate why it was shown as a flashback due to its unsatisfying nature, Hudson hardly defends Ariana in this situation, seemingly moving past the issue effortlessly.

Instead of finding herself back at her lodgings, Georgia awakens in the Ocean Casino High Roller Suite, thanks to Omar’s generosity. As she enjoys an egg-white scramble from room service, Riley phones to check up on her and praises her for standing up for herself the previous night, before they plan a relaxing day together in cabanas. It’s a far cry from when Riley criticized Georgia for having dirty hands! This marks the start of a promising friendship, and it seems unlikely anything will spoil it by the end of this episode.

As the two are deep in conversation, everyone else is enjoying their tubing activities. It’s then that Emira brings up Georgia’s comment from yesterday about her “Ozempic wearing off.” This is the first time the topic has been brought up, suggesting either Emira has given it more thought or production prompted her to discuss such comments when on a reality TV show. Regardless, Emira now seems to have a conflict storyline developing for this season – just in the nick of time!

She finds discussing someone’s food choices to be incredibly tacky, and I agree, there are definitely other actions that are even more inappropriate – such as neglecting to assist friends with grocery shopping and ordering Red Robin for delivery. I suppose I might have slipped up a bit by mentioning the Red Robin, but honestly, I wouldn’t wish it on my most hated adversary. To be fair, her concern is justified, given her background, and the fact that such conversations evoke painful memories from her past. Unfortunately, Georgia is currently dealing with enough criticism from the group without this additional controversy (no intended pun).

As a film aficionado, I couldn’t help but chuckle when Christian, Gia’s beau, discovered that Charlie was 29 and casually implied he might soon be a father. Such a remark, coming from one of the numerous 23-year-olds that Charlie associates with, was enough to rattle him to his very core and send him leaping into the water. Admittedly, it wasn’t the comment per se that caused this dramatic reaction, but rather Riley accidentally knocking her phone into the sea while stumbling on the dock – yet, the irony is palpable.

When she proposes a $1,000 reward for anyone willing to retrieve something, Charlie swiftly stands up, removes his expensive watch, and dives in. Instead of making his friends pay, this action suggests more than ever that Charlie’s financial situation might be less stable than it appears on the surface. Perhaps he removed his watch so it wouldn’t turn his skin green?

When he can’t find his phone, we need to bring reinforcements: Georgia, who was wearing only a hotel bathrobe without anything underneath. She borrowed a shirt, jumped in, and surfaced from the murky water admitting she couldn’t win. However, the most promising effort might be from Brooks, who dialed Riley’s number, hoping to hear it ring underwater.

After two friends jumped into the water to retrieve Riley’s phone, it was only then that she admitted that it wasn’t a major issue since she had another phone with her. However, Riley explained her actions by mentioning that the dropped phone was the one with better service. It seems Riley got the idea to own two phones following Georgia’s experience of using her laptop in a club for a month after misplacing her phone under her bed.

Later in the evening, everyone dons their finest Jersey Shore outfits for dinner, aiming to generate engaging reality TV similar to the Method’s approach. It turns out to be somewhat effective! Georgia and Ariana swiftly make amends and move past last night’s arguments, but as one dispute subsides, another quickly emerges. Georgia shares her idea of opening a bowling-themed club with everyone, which Emira views as an opportunity to discuss her own topics. When the subject of food arises, Emira suggests that she should avoid commenting on what her patrons are eating.

Clearly, since the topic seemed forced, it didn’t make much sense to Georgia until Emira clarified her point and reminded her about yesterday’s comment. I must admit, Emira’s ability to spot an opportunity to voice this concern and do so effectively amused me. Similarly, her subtle jab at Ava for missing this trip for an event that Emira had declined was quite entertaining. Moreover, the way Georgia swiftly apologized for her mistake and moved on as if nothing had happened was both surprising and intriguing.

Bowling brings everyone together, it’s something everyone enjoys,” she suggests, and everyone is politely agreeing, trying to mask their bewilderment… until she mentions food being served on cafeteria trays. At this point, Riley can no longer contain herself. “Georgia, let me just say this isn’t a good plan,” she blurts out, and I let out a sigh of disappointment. Georgia was thrilled to share her idea with friends, and Riley, who we usually admire, comes across as impolite. It hurts even more after such a wonderful day of strengthening their friendship.

In an unexpected move, even Gia had to intervene to reprimand her, saying, “Riley, don’t be rude.” Something I should mention about this group is that there’s no real sense of alliance, which seems to be the root cause of most of the drama. Unlike other reality shows where conflicts often align with predefined groups, the lack of genuine friendships among the cast members means that loyalties don’t exist, leading to a chaotic atmosphere. Riley quickly apologizes for her harsh tone, but this only sparks a public discussion about her bluntness (whether she was drunk or not), causing her to leave angrily. Well, more bowling for me, Riley!

Although they put forth a valiant effort to move past this issue, unfortunately, it resurfaces again later at their home during the night. Shai nonchalantly mentions that their disagreement seems rather trivial given their enjoyable trip, then tactfully departs before Georgia and Riley engage in an argument over whether Georgia is indeed privileged or not.

Standing in the doorway, Brooks listens anxiously as a quarrel escalates, and his tired eyes betray his apprehension. He gazes at the chaotic scene around him, a scene perhaps constructed by his own hands, pondering why he unwittingly invited such torment into his life by gathering these individuals. It’s reminiscent of Oppenheimer witnessing the devastation he had caused.

Read More

2025-07-16 06:54