Popping Off: VPR Reunion Pt. 1 & The Valley Ep 9

Hi, guys, this is Teddy Mellencamp and I'm joined by my friend Emily Simpson for our new spinoff show Popping Off, where we are digging deep on this season of Vanner Pump Rules. Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Popping Off with Teddy Mellencamp and.

And Emily Simpson. Thanks for joining us. So we're going to go right into the headlines.

Yeah, we don't have time for small chat here now. It's too much going on.

I don't need to talk to you. I don't need to actually.

Talk to you about anything regarding life. I just need for our guilty pleasure. We just need to get to business, guys.

All right, so let's go go ahead.

Okay, So, first and foremost exciting news, The Valley renewed for season two, with the full cast returning. This Variety article said it has been renewed for a second season, and yes, the full cast is expected to be back, even those who seem to be heading toward divorce. In the announcement part of the broader set of renewals made by a parent company and be Soon U Reversal, the company called the show it's most watched freshman series in nearly a decade. But doesn't this mean there has to

Is and how amazing it is and how the ratings are great and then be like, oh, and by the way, there's no reunion.

That doesn't make any sense.

I mean, Kristen did say in this New York Post article nobody knows of Season one of The Valley is getting a reunion, including herself, After claiming on her podcast that the cast of vander Pump Rules spin off series won't be filming a reunion special, she goes, I did say it on my podcast, but it's what I've read online. The Reality Start explained while promoting the new Amazon competition reality show The Goat. This this really tracks for Kristen because she seems to always say things but.

Nine get it right.

Yeah, she does like to just talk blah blah blah oah, and then she has to reel back in and be like, well, that's not exactly what I meant to say, So it is. It does track for It's very on brand for Kristen. There's no reunion, and then to backtrack and say well, maybe there is. Honestly, it doesn't make sense that there wouldn't be one, especially with this show, because there's so many things that have happened since the show filmed and aired.

It's this one, and we're fun. Listen.

I'm fine for them to condense it into one episode.

I don't need three. I'm fine with just one. Cram it in, get all the.

Shit, and let's go. But I also need to know who the celebrity is that Michelle was talking to me.

You do I know?

Every time that comes up, I picture you just dying that you don't know who it is.

It's it really is unnerving. This next one is kind of a story foe story. Uh. Taste of Reality posted something, and then somebody else posted that all of the cast no longer has pump Rules in their bio. I confirmed Laala never had it in her bio. However, Tom Sandval and Tom Schwartz removed it and then it's back at the bottom.

Did they remove it at the same time and then put it back at the same time, like was it a coordinated effort?

Yeah? Why they were boughting a house, getting alone together. They were like, let's also take this so I know why. I don't now that I've heard more about it, I don't think vander pump rules is done.

No, I don't think so either. And I don't know.

Sometimes I feel like when people remove that stuff from their bio, they do it just as a way to get pressed. I don't you think that people just put it in, take it out, put it and take it out, right?

And then also if people are going to do the research on it and going to say and everybody's removed it, you need to know for sure that everybody had it in the first place, right.

Well, you know, I was thinking, I'm sorry.

Sandoval had never removed it. Of course he didn't.

He's too busy making out with his girlfriend. He doesn't know what's going on.

When all this removing from the you know, from the bio, I thought, well, what if I just remove rhoc from my bio to see what happens.

What if you just you should remove it.

I mean, if you remove it, people are going to say she got fired, and then you're gonna get all that like, good, it's about time, right, Yeah.

I hated her anyway.

Yeah, and then people are going to be like, what reason. Yeah, like it's just all of it. It's a lot for one little hashtag that you have.

In the right.

But what will you do when you get the boot? Because your Instagram name says I know OC. I mean no problem, I.

Know it is a problem. I thought every year I've thought about that. I'm like, oh, if I get the boot, I gotta change that Instagram. I'll just change it to rho ce No more.

Emily Simpson. I mean you really.

Committed there with the full Instagram now, I did, because you know what, Emily Simpson is so common.

I couldn't There was no like, I could not find any option. There was no like Emily Simpson one, two, three, ABC.

They were all gone.

So you're like, I'm gonna just stake this claim that hopefully there's never another Emily Simpson on Real Housewives exactly. Well, I appreciate your commitment there.

Yeah, thank you.

So.

Vpr's Tom Sandival shuts down split rumors by posting and not safe for work photo with girlfriend Victoria Lee Robinson. It was an US article. Tom Sandoval didn't just tell vander Pumperroles fans that he's still dating Victoria Lee Robinson. He showed them as well. Sandoval took to Instagram stories on Saturday, May eleventh to share a photo of the couple in a photo booth. The first snap showed Sandval and Robinson posing for the camera, while the second featured

I could have done without it, to be like I, you know what, to get press. I would have been fine. Which is the allure that maybe they broke up or they didn't. I don't need to see proof of you biting said significant others breast to prove it. But that's just me. Oh, this is kind of exciting. The drunk guy from the vander Pump Rule season eleven was not well, this is what the kids say, was not a randown.

I keep reading this. There's a lot of a lot of theories out there.

This nameless man and I said this. I don't know if I said this to you on the pod or I said it to you on text. I recognize that guy, like I have either met him before or been in the same place, Like I never I always forget a name. I never forget a face, and I've seen that face. But this nameless man was taking pictures of all Tom's friends,

I don't know about that. What do you think? I feel like that's a reach.

I mean, I don't know that he necessarily. I think if they are his, if he is his friend, he could be like, yeah, come in and make a bed, like let's have fun, let's do the reunion, and the guy like took it at it seriously. Yes, But what I find odd is like there was a moment where La La and I think Katie and a couple of the others that were sitting at that couch were like, who's this guy? How did they not recognize the guy? But I did so.

Well, you never know with you, I don't know you get.

Around at the pool party.

Maybe you know what I saw.

I did see a meme or something on Instagram where show someone showed a side by side of a photo with Joe with his jacket on, Oh.

I was that his jacket or Brox jacket?

Well, no, no, it was his jacket. Yeah, it was a gold jacket, and I believe it was his jacket. So I do think that you are onto something that he is. He's known by these people, so I don't know.

I'm going to just say this, even if it's a good as Gold theme party, if you feel the need to wear a gold suit jacket, and I mean this even goes to like Jesse from the Valley or Brock or the random guy who caused a scene at vander Pump Rules, I don't. I don't really like a guy in a gold suit jacket. No, why are you? Would you be into Shane in a gold suit jacket.

I can't picture Shane and anything but a Van sweatshirt, So like, going from a Van sweatshirt to a gold jacket is just way too much of a leaf for me.

I mean, I think man Shannon both wore this Alice and Olivia gold suit once and like I remember that. Oh, I still look at my closet and I'm like, it's time for this to go to the real real, Like it's really time. Would anyone even buy it? Let's get into the recap. I watched the uncut I hate the word uncut it sounds but I watched the uncut version, and I guess the cut version, and I didn't spot the difference. So either I'm slipping or like there wasn't a huge difference, or.

It's okay, all right because I don't then I don't feel badly because I did not watch the uncut version.

So but now, do you watch the circumcised version I watched.

I watched the circumcised version.

Yes, okay, So it starts out Katie and Ariana confidently say that their standard shop will be open when this reunion airs, but there's something about being one week off. That's a problem because I mean his air and the sandwich shop doesn't open until next week. But it's so close, ladies.

There is a sign out front. I had someone that follows me on Instagram did a drive by yesterday and they sent me a photo.

So there is a sign.

There is a sign, but they also sent me they sent me a photo of the sign. But it also looks like it still doesn't look ready to open. It looks like there's a lot of just kind of debris about. But you know, that's something that maybe could be just quick, you know, cleaned up quickly.

So okay, I love debris about.

There's a debris about. There's like some debris laying around. But there's debris.

About, debris about in my life from day to day. But we're gonna have to do a taste test. It's gonna be hard without Penny, but I guess we're gonna have to do one regardless. Then we get to when Jack still lived with Brittany after cheating on her, Sandoval told him he needed to move out, and he Sandoval claims he'd feel different if it was a five bedroom house.

I don't understeel about that. I don't even understand that. What does he mean what he's saying it's a more expensive home.

No, I think he's saying when he originally said that to Jack's he lived in an apartment. So saying you need to leave is very different than owning a home with somebody and having your finances in our.

Minds and you know, but no, I do get it. I do think there's some weight to that.

I mean, when you do commingle your expenses and you do buy a home together, you don't want to be the one that moves out because you don't want to be the one that abandoned the home. So I'm sure both attorneys on both sides are telling both of them not to leave. Yeah, that would be my guess. He did say it in this reunion. He goes, I'm not the smartest.

And I wonder when he says those things, and I get it, I can be self deprecating as well, but I'm wondering if he's doing it because he really doesn't think he's the smartest, or he wants like pity.

Probably a little of both.

I think maybe in that moment he was actually self aware, like for once.

I mean, he thinks he's pretty brilliant and he thinks his room is clean, so how could he not know? But either way, Sheena knew exactly what to say to get that part of her covering the lego art. Oh yeah in there, She's like, yes, flashback is the moment of me where Ariane enjoyed me. But it was a good point. Then can we get into a little bit of Lisa vander Pump, which I wish we could recap Lisa vander Pump on Watch What Happened Live Last Night because.

That I did not watch it, but I heard that she was.

A lot she I don't know if she was more comfy because there was another British humor like with her and they were like a little sauce, but like she was back to her shady self, like she shaded everyone. There was no one left shade by the end. Like even Andy was like, Okay, let me talk to him. I'm actually asking him questions right now. But I'll get into that on to Teason a pod with Tamer on Monday, because we are really talking about vander pump roles. We're

It's ridiculous.

But then Tom, this is something that drives me a little nuts. And I know that you say you don't watch your show, but vander Pump always says, I don't watch it. I'm a but like it's like she's above things, but she knows every single detail.

Are you talking about the podcast?

Sow.

She said she doesn't listen to it.

Yeah, she said she didn't listen to it. She said she didn't watch you know, Beverly Hill, like she always says. I like, I'm too busy to watch these things.

But the people have told me that the peasants.

The peasants on my Twitter account really apprised of the situation. Then La La applaud Sandoval and Rachel for showing up to last year's reunion.

Now, see, I I don't know. I actually agreed with La La. I agree with Lala a lot.

I don't know.

I just I felt like when she said that it was it was pretty remarkable for them to show up at all.

I mean, I can't imagine being them and showing up to that. Could you?

Could you show your face after all of that, after it became a global phenomena and everybody was talking about it, could you show up?

Well, I most definitely wouldn't do something like that.

If I show up, you have to skip over that part and just pretend that you did.

But if I couldn't, if I could get myself to do those things, and and really, I mean there's no way they believed this would never come to light. There's absolutely no way in any stretch of the imagination. Maybe they thought it wasn't going to come to light as quickly as it did, but I think at that point

So you're saying when they showed up to the reunion, they showed up with the mindset that they were not necessarily in the right, but that what they had did they could explain, like they could explain it away, like there was some reasonableness to it that people would grasp onto, because they definitely.

Weren't apologetic last year. I mean, they it really didn't happen. But then Sandoval comes forward, so everyone's you know, Lalla says the bad bitch thing, and then Sandoval says he thinks Rachel is a coward for saying she was moving on but continuing to talk about them. They're both responsible for their actions, and Sandoval things, it's ridiculous to say

Okay, well, then based upon that definition, clearly, I mean it wasn't grooming. I do understand that there's really points on both sides. I understand that she's younger than Sandoval, and he's the more famous one, the more well known one, so maybe he had more control or maybe he was able to manipulate her. But at the end of the day, she's an adult. We're not talking about a child. We're not talking about a teenager. We're talking about someone that how old is she?

I mean, she's in her I don't know, mid to late twenties. But I think the part that's also confusing to me is they are just getting more people to listen to her podcast. I'm like, listen, popping Off has a lot to say too, So you guys want to comment on us. Yeah, but she's twenty nine now.

Okay, Well so then she was twenty eight twenty seven at the time.

And I just watched the Kevin Spacey Show on Max and I think there's a you know, part of what he was doing, allegedly according to that show, was he was telling people he was going to blow up their career, that these are aspiring at actors that wanted, you know whatever, and he would allegedly touched them in a sexual manner that they weren't comfortable doing. So I understand the word grooming in that context no matter the age, because you're promising something that.

You're promising, you're promising some benefit at the end that someone's going to achieve by doing what this person wants sexually. So you're saying in some way that he did kind of groom her in a sense in a sense.

But what was this is my question, What's he promising her more airtime? Like?

That's That's what I don't get.

She's already on the show.

I don't know, maybe more popularity longitivity, I don't know.

So that's where I actually thought it wasn't necessarily grooming because he I don't know what he could promise her. She doesn't produce the show. Like Kevin Space, for example, was one of the producers of House of Cards. He won Multi Bull Academy Awards, like he was in a real like what position of strength is Tom Sandoval in? That puts him in any position of strength more than anybody else, I mean, other than to Lisa vander Pump because she clearly chooses you know, Tom and Tom over anybody.

Else, Right, And I get that, But don't you feel like on every cast if you have you have your housewives that have been on for a long time, and then you have your newbies that come on. And I would say your new housewives sometimes bow down or or or manipulated by your your veteran housewives. Yeah, And I mean they're not producers, They're not able to promise anything. But when when someone's the weaker link on a show, I think they can be easily manipulated.

Correct, I I believe that is what like do I think there were times my first season where I felt like I was naive with some of my actions. Yes, But would I say that I was groomed? That's that's a word it is. It's a buzzword, and I don't do great with buzzwords. Like the word trigger triggers me.

I don't like the word trigger either.

Yeah, I really I don't like it.

I try to avoid it. What do you use in place of trigger?

Bugs?

Bugs? I just say effects that affects me.

Oh that makes me feel like right. But then everyone in the cast is disgusted that Rachel has the nerve to sue Ariana and sand of aal for revenge porn. Even Sandoval wonders if Rachel has has a soul due to the fact that she's willing to put Arianna through even more trauma. Even Tom has the insight to see that Rachel suing Ariana is laughable and ridiculous.

Yeah.

I mean that's when you know it's severely just wrong and inappropriate.

Yeah, Like he's like this is this.

When when Sandoval has the insight, damn, you're like shit.

Then this part I want.

To discuss a little bit, like and not I know, we like to laugh off a couple of things. But something that I have talked about, even with Edwin is the amount of partners that sue when one breaks up with the other one, that somebody will say, whether it's true or not true, that they're going to commit suicide or they're having suicidal ideations. I did look up one in five suicide stem from problems with a romantic partner.

Katie said, Yeah, you know, here's my I feel like anytime you have a conversation off camera or when you're not filming with a cast member, that it's truly an assumption of risk that that conversation is going to come up, and I have that in my mind every time if I have a conversation with Gina, even though I trust her one hundred percent, I do feel like there's always that in the back of my mind that this could come back up at some point with anyone on a cast.

Do you think you should be taking that risk. Do you think you would think that you were taking that risk if you were in a relationship with that person for ten years.

No, I don't think that you should have that mindset. I think whatever you're saying to someone that you're in a committed relationship with that you've been in for ten years. Like, if I have conversations with Shane, you know, offline, I don't expect him to bring it up when we're filming. I don't don't expect him to be like, well, last night in bed, you said, like I trust that man.

Yeah.

So I do understand how him bringing up that conversation later was such a breach of a duty that he had to her as a partner at that time. I understand why he did it because I think he was trying to explain why it was difficult for him to just walk away or to just break up with her. So I think that he felt the need for himself to say that to expand. But there are times when, no matter what the explanation is, you just keep your mouth shut because you owe a duty to someone.

Yeah, And almost wasn't necessary to go to that length. He could have said, you know, now I'm acting like Sandoval's pr person, like Laala was. But he could have said, you know, Arianna repeatedly shared some of her mental health struggles that would you know involve were involved when it came to us breaking up, and I felt so much guilt and panic that it was too hard for me to walk away. Like he didn't have to spell it out in the way that he did.

Yeah, I mean, I guess the conversation could have been just there are more issues and deeper rooted issues that you're unaware of that I'm not comfortable talking about. But it wasn't that easy, Like I couldn't just.

Walk away or I was scared to leave.

Yeah.

Then he gets into trying to explain his comparison between Scandival and George Floyd, and la La agrees that Scannival is a joke compared to what else is happening in the world. At this point, I'm I'm starting to get a little I see Lalla almost like stepping into protection of Sandamal, which I don't know is protection of the television show or protection of him, because at some point, I forget who says it. One of them says, for the sake of the show, can you please quit talking to people?

Yeah? Who was that?

I remember that was Laala as well.

Did she say it to Tom? Yeah, yeah, you know, it's probably.

I mean, I feel like Lala says intelligent things, and I feel like she is very much a voice of reason, and I feel like she was trying to clarify what Sandoval meant because it was so ridiculous what he said that I think that in order to save the show in general face that she had to step in and kind of expand that he wasn't trying to compare himself

But then Katie made such a good point. She's like, it's not necessarily what I forget exactly what she said, but it's not necessarily your intent of what impact, it's the impact. And I think that really, I mean, that's the key of clickmate. I mean the amount of times that I could assume something and then I read the article and I'm like, that's not what it freaking said.

You know all of it well, And the problem is is that we're a clickbait society. So you can put anything into two sentences and people will read those two sentences and then regurt to take that information over and over and over as truth without actually reading the meat of the article. And that's a lot of the problem in society.

And also just like essentially, Tom, quit trying to get your ass canceled so we can keep a show going, Like that's why.

She's think, I think that's basically you could just boil it down to that, that's what that's.

That's surely shut up.

Then Lala gets emotional talking about Ocean and the custody battle between herself and Randall She confirms baby number two will not have a similar name to Ocean, and Tom says, what about drive like Ocean Drive?

I really want it again, Tom.

Then Lala says more men are interested in her now that she's pregnant. We see some of the ways that like Lisa vander Pump is like Duck can't wrap her head around any of this. She uses words like bitter you will find someone. She's very old school in the way that she looks at it, like I don't even think it crossed her mind that like somebody would have sex with a pregnant person.

Yeah, she looked appalled, like she was like, oh, I was like, come.

On, Lisa, let's go.

Yeah, we are in twenty twenty four and.

You Lala's hot and she's single, so yeah whatever.

Yeah, she couldn't. She's and I think that's the struggle. You can see where she gets caught and like her old thinking and she's unable to like pivot. Then Sheena addresses her postpartum ocd uh. She says she lives in her comments and she saw the way that Brock and Laala look at each other and that scares her. Then Lala calls them a throuple. I was like, well, now that scares me.

It looked odd, a little awkward.

Maybe just my paranoia that I'm like, I don't know. I saw these like googly.

Eye, googly eyes, sparkly eyes.

Schwartz was giving her those, Lalla those same eyes.

Yeah, he was when they were talking about flirting. But I thought, but someone made the reference. They said, well, I feel like it's more of Schwartz flirting with Laala, and definitely when they did the flashbacks, he's always making some kind of flirtatious comment towards her.

Well, then I was confused about something else because then Arianna says something along the lines of, oh, that could be fun, And I was like, really in regards to in regards to Schwartz and Laala hooking up?

Oh did she she said that that could be fun?

Yeah, She's like that could be interesting or that could be fun something like that. And I was like, hold up, how could in what world could.

That be fun?

Knowing what we know now.

Right, And isn't that kind of a I don't know, like a code violation there isn't she supposed to be like, you know, girl code with Katie?

Yeah, but speaking of girl code. We can't forget, we can't go back in time when Laala may have you know, there was some action going on in the backseat of the car with her and Ariana. So the idea of this, all of the relationships being open, seem plausible.

Disability flu fill.

It if you will. Oh my gosh, this part was sad. I got emotional too. Brock starts to cry talking about his kids.

I cried too. I cried.

I was actually thinking about you in that moment, and I had a question for you because I know that you've talked about your relationship with your family, and do you feel that when it comes to you, know, Brock says, something you know, I've been paying since whatever the beginning of the pandemic, And something my EXAs said is the kids have not brought up that they want to have

Okay, that's interesting that you asked me this, because honestly, if you didn't ask me, I was going to talk about this anyway, because I had a very strong reaction to what he said, so, I mean, if you follow real housewives or whatever.

I don't really have a relationship with my dad.

He left when I was very young, six and I did not see him much growing up. And I remember when I turned eighteen, my dad said something to me to the effect of, oh, well, now you're eighteen, you're an adult, so if you want to see me, you know where I live. And I remember thinking, are you kidding me? Like the burden as a child shouldn't be on me. And that's all I kept thinking about when he said that, was I understand where he's coming from. Maybe, but at the end of the day, the kids won't.

Like he has to do that because a child's form a thought process of when they're feeling like they've been rejected in some way, whether that's the case or not, is only going to grow as the years come. So I don't think it's just magically going to change. If he doesn't change something, and then if he doesn't try to build and foster something more with Courtney where she

Yeah, and kids don't know.

I mean, if kids are going to say, well, no, I don't want to see him because they don't have that relationship, they're just going to go with whatever's comfortable. He has to put himself out there and make himself uncomfortable.

Yeah, And I mean Katie showed a lot in this. In this portion, she says she takes back her words from years ago because she recognizes how great of a dad he is. Katie showed right here what we call growth and accountability. She says, like, I regret saying that, I realize what what happened.

And then Brock.

Actually says something in response along the lines of like actions have consequences. That's what he said, and and just the fact that he said it that outright was like, I realize I've.

Done absolutely, but I did.

I did appreciate what Katie said, and I do know that she comes off harsh sometimes, but I do feel as if when she comes off harsh and then later she is wrong or she regrets what she said, she's always one to own it and apologize. And I think that's that's what makes someone good on TV. It's the growth that you just said, it's the accountability.

Yeah, then we get to Ariana doesn't want to put herself on hold while she's navigating through her healing process. That's why she sees no problem with dating Dan. The entire thing between Dan, the conversation about Dan versus Allie and I, honest none of it really is of interest to me.

Honestly, I didn't really understand what the comparison was.

Then we get into Santoval and his new girlfriend and then James being like, there's Leonardo wallpaper and all of this stuff. I'm like and then Ariana being like, I picked the wallpaper all ky. I was like, this is a lot for me to process.

But that's her takeaway. Yeah, like that was my that's her takeaway.

When it comes to the house, She's like, that's I picked that damn wallpaper out.

Just wander everybody.

Did this ship years ago that my ex partner was going to be with Leonardo Dicapriosa. But I clocked that. I also clogged Tom short smile when he saw that something about her had opening trouble. He was like this. I was like, stop butter poker face, right. But yeah. Then they talk about how Pump is closed and Lisa believes a business that was running for ten years is successful. Arianna makes a snide comment asking really, and then.

We see didn't.

I thought that was so crappy of her to do, though, I mean, I don't know if it was editing.

I mean, I guess you could have started it or that.

Yeah, know that Arianna said that, I mean she's opening a business. It's taken I mean the business still isn't open yet. You're talking about someone that did run a successful business for ten years, and then she makes that comment, like really, I don't know. I just thought it was off putting. I thought it was distasteful.

Well, I thought it was distasteful in both regards because I thought that what Arianna said was a little bit eh. And then also the way that Lisa really doubles down against something about her. Clearly, I don't know, this may be the wrong word, but there's either some animosity between the two or jealousy or whatever. It is, like they feel some kind of way about each other and it's not being spoken about, so it's being put through their businesses.

Okay, do you think it's because well, Penny was recommended to them by Lisa, right, yeah, yeah, so maybe the issues with Penny are are, you know, coming like Lisa doesn't like their way they're treating Penny or something.

You know.

I don't know.

I think there's I think it's a messier than we know.

Yeah, it's there's a they said on the union, there's a lawsuit involved, so clearly shit's hitting the fan. The other thing I didn't really understand is when they say Schworts and we didn't see Shorts and Sandy's this season

Well, you know.

Here's the thing, though, I think he knew what he was getting into when it was helpful and beneficial because they're on a show and people are coming in and

Yeah, that's true.

Were you surprised that Ali wasn't out there from the beginning.

No, because I don't really I don't really think of Ali as a main vander Pumperle's person.

So I Rock was out there, but I guess he has a storyline more than the tarity.

I don't well, I felt like Brock was involved a lot more. I felt like Ali's just more of a good sidekick. I do think bro was involved in a lot of the conversations and had a lot of opinions about things.

Yeah, no, that's true. Then Ariana admits she didn't watch this season at all, which gets some surprised looks from Lisa and the cast members. I'm like, Lisa, this is your line. Why do you look surprised right now? This is your favorite thing to say. But I can. When she said it, I kind of was like, all right, that makes sense to me. But then it gets this

I wanted to deceive receipts of that, didn't you.

Yeah, I was.

I was like waiting for them to flash the DM or something up because I really wanted to see what.

It said, but neither of them denied it neither you know, you know what exists.

That's why I thought they would have actually shown it, because it's not like anyone was saying no, I didn't send that, that's not what I said. But I really wanted to see what it was said exactly.

But I think the reason it wasn't shown is it probably breaks too many fourth walls.

You mean there was other conversations.

I was another conversation in there that's too much production y and they were like, both of them are admitting it. There's no reason to show the screenshot because it's only going to expose how both of them were trying to avoid this.

Okay, let me ask you a question, because I don't maybe you know more what is the background on this DM, like what.

Led to it?

I don't actually know.

I needed more context. I guess this is what I'm saying. I needed more context to understand. I felt like that conversation between Katie and Laala at the reunion, I feel like all of a sudden, it just started and they were talking about a DM, and then they're talking about what the DM said, and I felt like there was a lack of context.

Clearly there's a moment that Laala out some of the things that Katie is allegedly said to her, how Arianna abandoned her at the sandwich shop and wasn't up to date on rent, and then the two girls had a phone call where allegedly Katie threatened, if you with my business, I'm going to with yours, Lala wishes. She responded by saying, something about her is nothing about her, because Katie doesn't even have a business yet, and Lala's business helped support

No, I don't, And that's just coming from someone that's on a reality show that has had conversations that then I was asked about and then I had to talk about them. I mean, if you think about all the conversations last year that revolved Shannon and things that she told us offline, off you know, off camera, but then you know the heart of really her story and what was going on had to do with her relationship with John, So then I did have to talk about it.

I don't know.

I mean, I feel like Laala feels like she had these conversations and Katie told her these things and invested this information with her, and she was truthful about how she felt about Arianna, and then they pick up the cameras and then she doesn't act that way.

So do you think Lala was extra ticked? Because Lala was exposed at the finale about the things that she was saying about Ariana that were really show related, not personal about that, but like about their livelihood, and Katie got off scott free, and so this was her way of kind of sticking it to her.

Probably, I'm sure there were some of that too.

Yeah, she was like like, well, like, I shouldn't be the only one getting this backlash. I'm not the only one that felt this way. You did too, You're just not saying it. I'm saying it.

Yeah, But and I normally always see Laala's you know, I love Laala. She's a friend of mine. I love her. I think she's well spoken most of the time. I think she makes good points. I do think she crossed a lot here. I wish you would have said, Katie, now is your chance to say all the things you said to me off camera about Ariana, because you got me to a position where I was worked up. I was on behalf of all of us speaking out and then you never did it. So it makes me solely

Shit, I did say that.

Yeah, like Katie doesn't say she didn't say it, but then Katie does post on her Instagram. I'm someone who has suffered from imposter syndrome for as long as I have known myself, Hence why I was apprehensive about opening the sandwich shop on my own. So when Ariana was going through not only a world of hurt, but also getting some amazing opportunities that changed a lot of things during a pivotal time, I was extremely sensitive to what

Well, this is a dig at La La.

Yeah, clear clearly.

I mean I think she says it well, it's very articulate and it makes sense. She was saying like, I wasn't comfortable going to Ariana. She had a lot on her plate, so I vented to someone else. So I thought I could trust Clearly I couldn't trust her. You know, I don't know. I see both sides. I see Katie's viewpoints. She thought she could trust La La. But then I understand, you're on a show. I do think that when you

Well, I think also what's being implied is that Katie wasn't being real on camera.

Yes, and absolutely, And.

I think that is always something that bugs the rest of the cast members when they are sharing their true emotions on camera and somebody is not see I'm.

One of those that's bugged. I get bugged because I say things on camera.

Yeah, do I think that everybody? I mean, I completely get what Katie's saying. Also, like, I still love and care about my friend Ariana, but in the moment, I got upset by something and I vented to a friend.

Have I done that before? Yes? But nine times out of tend it's something.

That I also am comfortable saying to their face, right, Which is I get comfortable saying to their face. I'm just prepping myself to feel comfortable enough to say it to their face.

Right, And if you're telling someone that you're on a cast with, I feel like, in my mind, I always think, am I comfortable? Because there's the possibility that this comes up later?

Yeah. So, but this is where we see the real divide, And I wonder if that divide had started once Laala and Sena became close, because clearly Sena and Katie do not have that immense love for one another. But then coming up in part two, we see that Ali and Joe join the reunion and Sandoval knows some things but is deciding to keep his mouth shut, and we see Ariana and Laala get into it.

What does Sandoval?

No? No, no, But would you feel the same way. If you were Katie and Ariana left to New York for Broadway without notice.

I would.

I think Katie's frustration with Arianna is reasonable. I mean, she probably feels like they're supposed to open this business together. It's clearly much more difficult than they anticipated. Ariana is running off with all these opportunities. I don't know about the rent situation, Like they didn't really clarify that was she not paying rent?

Was she paying rent?

No one really spoke up, So I don't know about that, but I'm sure she I'm sure Katie was severely frustrated in the moment, thinking she just took off on all the opportunities and I'm here trying to figure this out, left holding the bat right and I'm paying the rent, and I'm trying to figure out this business, and you know, she's nowhere around.

So I get it.

I mean, I'm sure her frustration was probably more than we even realize.

What is imposter syndrome, For example.

Like I'll be very self deprecating in a moment to give the illusion that I'm okay with handling something, you know what I mean.

Yeah, it's when you feel like you don't actually belong where you are and yeah, oh, like you're.

An impostor in a certain Yeah.

So that's why if you're going to say, like, I don't give a blah blah blah, most of the time, you will give a little bit of a fat yeah. But that's your impostor syndrome coming for I don't know.

Okay, So do you think that's why she has such a stoic I always think of her as very stoic, like a very stoic, hard personality, because she's suffering from imposter syndrome.

I mean, it makes sense.

And she's also protect probably protecting herself and from years of being in a dysfunctional relationship and on a television show where everything you do gets picked apart. I think you know that's what happens. But I do think it's going to get even more heated as it continues. Let's take a quick break and then go to the Valley episode nine. We are back to talk about episode nine. I don't really even know that there's that much we

You want to do bullet points, Okay, bullet points.

One. Jesse saying that he goes into every situation thinking how can I manipulate this?

Yeah, I can't narcissism.

I was like, whoa, but I need to know if Jesse got his beanie before or after the ayahuasca.

Oh my gosh, that beanie was killing me. I was like, please take it off. I can't even take you seriously. It's like talking about like deep meditation and how he's a changed person. And then he tries to kiss Michelle and she's clearly not having it. But I'm like, just take the beanie off, Yeah, get it off.

They talk about Zach crying about not being invited to Big Bear. Janet has her friends over to pack for her baby moon, even though they're not invited on her baby moon.

I find, Yeah, I don't know, but I thought the one friend was amusing though, the spy.

And then when she calls Zack and he's like, you're one friend with the pink Yeah, the pink boots.

Pink boots was not Pink boots was not rogue at all. Pink boots was like so obvious.

But also then Janet like, let's talk for a second about entitlement. You should not be entitled to kick people off of a work trip, and like, why why is Janet thinking she's casting this entire show and in charge of food comes? And who goes like, did I need Zach to be there? No? Not really if I'm being honest, But I also didn't need a lot of other things to happen on that trip. But like, it's not really up to her. That baby moon was not about a

Right, And also, I mean, let's just be honest, how much more interesting would it have been with Kristin and Luke?

I mean, come on, Kristen's a mess.

We would have appreciated Kristin and Luke Zach. I think Zach wasn't bummed because not because he wanted to be there at the baby moon, but he's like, that's good screener time.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

I was like, oh, Zach, Zach's not getting the camera time and he thought he was going to Does he really want to go on a couple's baby moon?

No?

But he's like, I need every second to show off my hair on the show, and I need it to be in Big Bear. But then Kristin and Luke talking about being at a crossroads in the group. Do they move forward? Do they move away? They're not. Kristin's not moving away. This is going to come back around, don't you think?

Well it has to. I mean, come on, you have to move forward. That's your job.

Do your job, move forward and quit letting others figure out this situation. And for the like, just take notes, Just jot down some notes so you get things right when you explain them.

Yeah, get your note cards ready, Kristen, come on, Yeah, have Louke caulled up Q cards in the back.

Yeah, write it like big.

Luc could just wear it on his T shirt like the other slogans. Yeah, then they're at the Big Bear house. Janet gives Jacks the T shirt of him drowning. Jesse brings a suit case full of champagne. I do agree with Jesse. When people say they have everything, they don't always have everything.

Yeah, well, well stocked does not mean well stocked.

No, But then they still didn't have all the things they needed for the beach. They didn't have beers. They only had straight like tequila and vodka. Which did not vode well for the entire group.

No, especially Jesse. He was a mess on that beach. He was just like like out of control. He's like jumping on the chairs and like trying to strangle out what's Nia's husband's name, Danny, Danny, and like that he smacked Michelle in the face.

I mean all of it.

I mean even before they even get to the beach where Jane it's like you have to put twenty dollars in a jar every time you make a mistake yourself as the main character. Like stop, you're talking about a main character on the show. Of course you're going to talk about it, and like I would say it just so I could get somebody else rich at this point, Like you know, you're going to talk about Kristin not being there, right, Why even say that? I hate when people do that.

I don't know, but you know, Jan, I still am confused how Jane manages to kind of just slip by even though she really is the one who is the heart of all the gossip.

It's just Kristen is just the bad messenger.

Kristen's a bad messenger, and we see in her couple's therapy counseling. She doesn't really want to talk about the hard things.

I think she is.

I know this is gonna sound weird. I think she's actually a people pleaser, but when it comes to people pleasing, it's she's trying to people please, like production or whatever it is, to stay on the show. So she says shit she doesn't really want to say, but she says it anyway, and then she gets herself into trouble and then she doesn't know how to talk away out of it because she doesn't know how to like justify it because she does makes sense naturally want to do it.

Also, can we just talk about how the couple's therapy, Like these two I like Luke and I like Chris, and I actually even kind of like them together. But the fact that they just have fundamental differences in just basic relationship things.

Like where you're going to live, the financial.

Financial things like you guys are talking about bringing a child into the world and he's adamant about not living in la and you're adamant that you would never live in the backwoods of Colorado.

So how is this going to work? Explain that to me.

I hate to be the one to give the cliff notes.

But it's not it is not exactly.

This is without any of these conversations, it is impossible to move forward, and having to have these conversations once you're already pregnant is even a worse plan.

So okay, and what does what does Luke do for a living? Do we know? Did I miss that somewhere?

I don't.

I mean, I know he has like a farm or something, but he's not on his farm, so I don't know.

I know he likes to fish and that makes him happy. I know they met at a wedding.

But financially does he does he miss the valley?

Okay? Okay, well I think okay, I mean, if you can leave for a full summer, yeah, it's probably not a regular nine to five or that you got back at home. Right, But then we're at the beach. The beach is a shit show. I wouldn't want to be there. Nobody would want to be there. Brittany watches videos of Cruse at swim class where he's crying and then Jack gets upset and like kind of loses it. It's sad to watch.

That's hard to watch.

It's that he's so aggressive, Like I even I can even give him the benefit of the doubt and understand his point where it's like, hey, maybe this isn't the best time.

We're at the beach trying to have fun.

You're watching videos of the kid crying at a swim class that he clearly doesn't want to be at. But like the grabbing the phone and the yelling at her, it's like, can you just take it down a notch?

Does he not realize that his screaming at her is worse than actually hearing the kid crying.

No, that's where he's so unaware. Jack's I just I can't with him.

Sometimes I could have done without Michelle and Jesse having the physical like play fight. We knew that wasn't going to end well. Then the guys are in the car and Danny asked Jesse if they're okay because the way Jesse was playing with him on the beach was aggressive. Jesse apologizes if Danny was offended, which we all know is not an apology, right, And then I'm still getting sad for Brittany in the car ride home because Britney's scared to say she's carsick. Clearly Brittany is not drunk

Can I let me ask a question to clarify this girl's night that he's referring to. This wasn't something that was on camera. Correct, No, off camera, So this is something that happened before they started filming.

Correct in my interpretation, right, That's the way I interpret it as well.

Okay, But then Michelle's response to this is like it's in pieces. But she's like, I was texting a celebrity. And then she's like, He's like, well, Michelle, Michelle, Kristen did say that you were like sending photos and then she's like, I was sending sexy pictures. I'm like, what is happening. It feels like right out of like the ending of the Jinx, only Michelle is just out here admitting things on camera for in her arms.

Okay, here was my question though, because the way it was so choppy. Was it choppy because that's just her personality, She has a choppy personality, or was it choppy like that because they edited it that way. That's what I haven't understand.

I'm hoping for her into editing, but I think that's just how she talks.

So it isn't just choppy editing. It's just her personality. It's just her delivery. And I don't wonder she is right longer with the celebrity Now, I see why she sends nude photos and not has actual conversations.

Make sure she's like to just look.

But I do think we are going to get more into this, and clearly we see in next week's episode the demise of multiple relationships from Brittany coming out because she's hearing Jack's talk shit about her to Jesse admitting that he thinks it's actually over with Michelle, no shit sherlock all the things.

But and then I hope the actual celebrity name comes out at some point so that Teddy can sleep at night now, just.

Do not gonna happen?

Should I slide into Michelle's DMS and be like, I promise they'll never tell, but I am on this little podcast that'll just between us.

Yes, and tell her to make sure she doesn't listen to it.

Oh my gosh, you guys, thanks for tuning in for another episode of Popping Off. We'll be back with you next week.

Wait, thanks for listening.

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