Bravo's Jax Problem

Reality Brain Rot: The Valley, Love Island, Building the Band, and more

My final episode of Keep It aired this week. If you haven’t listened or watched, it’s available here:

I know that listeners are going to miss my periodic thoughts on the reality TV shows I watch, so welcome to the first Reality Brain Rot newsletter (this first one will be free to all subscribers, subsequent ones will be for paid subscribers), where I’ll post my musings on whatever reality TV I’ve been watching this week. This is a log of what I’ve actually been watching, so don’t expect me to cover something just to cover it! Sorry! Case in point, I haven’t started this season of The Real Housewives of OC, for instance, because I don’t feel like wading into the Katie gang-up of it all. From what I’ve surmised in watching clips and general internet commentary, it seems that Katie is in the wrong. Still, also, I don’t blame her for hating these women after bringing up her abusive husband at the reunion last year. Also, maybe Bravo should get a handle on their all-white casts bullying the non-white cast member! I mean, it’s true to life experience of existing in all-white spaces… but it’s not fun to watch.

But speaking of “true to life” on Bravo, we need to talk about the season two reunion of The Valley.

Jax Taylor. Source: Bravo.

Longtime readers of this newsletter know that I’ve stopped recapping The Valley this season because it stopped being fun to watch and write about. After letting a few episodes build up, I dove back in and mostly zoned out during the scenes where Jax got to control his narrative from his fake rehab center and then showed up at Jesse’s house party like Jaws to terrorize Brittany and the rest of the cast. Before the reunion aired, we thankfully found out that he’d been axed from the cast.

Last month, Variety’s Kate Aurthur spoke to Executive Producer Alex Baskin about filming Jax’s coked-out antics. In response to viewer claims that the Jax storyline was too dark for Bravo, he responded, “Remind me again what you want to watch? We’re all trying to figure out how to tell the story responsibly and fairly, in a way that is entertaining and real. But that doesn’t put a gloss on what is really happening. This subject matter is dark!” If you believe this is all in attempting to tell the story responsibly, then what’s the excuse for Tuesday’s reunion episode?

Up until now, we knew that Jax was physically abusive to Brittany — during a fight, he’d thrown a coffee table that hit his wife, Brittany — but during the reunion, Brittany revealed that he’d thrown her into their rose bushes. Jax denied it, but other cast members confirmed it to be true when Brittany said it was all captured on their Ring camera. Clearly, this new information is why he was fired — paired with the fact that Jax seems to have no real intention of getting help for his addiction (he claims it’s his anger that’s the problem, not the drugs and alcohol). But Andy Cohen doesn’t grill Jax about this at all during the reunion. And if he did, we didn’t see it on camera. It seems like video evidence of Jax physically abusing Brittany should be a big deal! And instead, it was a throwaway line on the reunion. I’m not of the frequent fan opinion that Andy should be replaced as host of these reunions. I generally think he does a great job! (This has nothing to do with the fact that Andy was one of the surprise voicemails on my final Keep It episode. I’ve always been honest about my Bravo opinions publicly and in conversations with Andy himself.)

I’m glad the show has gotten rid of Jax, but the fact that all of this was happening during filming is horrifying to learn. You have to wonder how long Jax has been physically abusing Brittany. Was she afraid to say something? There are a lot of (valid) questions about why Brittany was protecting Jax while also going after other cast members like Danny and Nia for their marital problems. But I think those conversations can be had with a bit of grace to Brittany, however you feel about her. And I don’t feel great about her, by the way. Jax was a terrorist on Vanderpump Rules, and despite knowing what we all knew about him, she willingly started a relationship with him to get on the show. It doesn’t blame her for the abuse, but at a certain point early on in their relationship, Jax’s bad behavior was acceptable if it meant Bravo fame!

Now, let’s talk about the other terrorist on The Valley! Jesse. I’m generally a fan of Jesse (I find him funny and Machiavellian, like Dr. Michael Mancini on Melrose Place). But man, his whole "I’m reformed” act this season immediately fell apart during the reunion. It reveals how much acting he does in front of the cameras and how much he’s not good at keeping up the facade without a prepared script. He came across as every bit of the petty, controlling asshole that Michelle says he is. Which isn’t to say I’m on her side 100%. I’m sorry, but there’s something about Michelle that feels a bit manipulative. Lest we all forget Kristen’s tea about her being MAGA first season. Something’s goin on, okay??

I know I covered Love Island last season, but I have yet to watch Beyond the Villa. Now I’m glad I haven’t! I do not have the mental bandwidth to wade into the whole Ja’Na and Kenny breakup and all the weird, racial shit he said about her in a boys’ group chat. I feel bad for her, knowing that a man she was intimate with for a year lied to her for fame while also trashing her in private. I’d love to read some black women on this subject. Please send some links.

Kenya Moore isn’t returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which sucks. It might have something to do with Britt’s lawsuit, but I also think Bravo kinda doesn’t like her? I also think Bravo doesn’t like Drew Sidora, which annoys me, because she ate down at the reunion this year. Bring her back! Sitting her at the end of the couch was asinine. There are rumors that K. Michelle might join the cast next year, which I LOVE. I’m a fan of her music, and with her country music blowing up (she even has a Jack Daniel’s deal), this could be a good move for her, the way it was for Kandi in season 2. Also, K. Michelle gives great reality TV.

Netflix’s Building the Band was a great two-day watch. It’s Love is Blind meets Making the Band, where singers pair themselves up, sight unseen, and form groups. The show is hosted by AJ McLean from the Backstreet Boys (he was great) and Nicole Scherzinger, a fun mentor/judge. It’s also hilarious watching her give advice on creating chemistry in a girl group because, lady, you didn’t like those other Dolls!

@newpcd#PussycatDolls #NicoleScherzinger #BehindTheMusic #vh1 #pcd

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Anyway, the other judges were Kelly Rowland (need new music from her, as I said in my previous newsletter) and Liam Payne, who is a fantastic judge. It broke my heart seeing how invested he is in the groups, how smart and insightful his advice is, knowing that he’s no longer with us. Go stream some One Direction and get in your feelings.

My thoughts on the bands? SZN4 should’ve won against 3Quency. I get why the latter group won, because they seem the most commercial. But to me, they sound awful. I listen to singers. I wish the finale were SZN4 and Soulidified, the mixed white and black boy group that I would’ve been OBSESSED with in 2002.

I’m also watching this season of Big Brother, where I’m stanning Rachel Reilly and shocked at how much I’m loving Vince as a player after he annoyed me so much the first week. I’ll rank the cast members next week; there are still too many people in the house for me to really give a fuck.

Turns out, everyone has been watching NextGen NYC! Even Michelle Obama. I think the show is fantastic (though IDK how I feel about the idea of NextGen LA, sounds annoying!! I don’t need more Kyle Richards on TV!) and I’m loving Ariana, Riley, Emira, Shai, and Georgia’s messy ass. I also love Charlie! He’s a great villain. He’s giving Spencer Pratt. Everyone online calling for him to be fired is annoying me. Stop demanding that the villains or people you don’t like be fired from reality shows. They serve a purpose! There wouldn’t have been a season without the drama Charlie caused.

That’s all I’m watching rn!