Scamanda and Summer House: My Hot Take as a First-Time Viewer

Summer House Brings the Heat

Back in 2023, Scandoval broke headlines. Now, I had heard of Vanderpump Rules and had seen it in passing because my mom watched it, but I had never watched it myself. I actively listen to Chicks in the Office and the Viall Files, and they were talking about it nonstop alongside every headline imaginable. It piqued my interest, so during my maternity leave I began watching Vanderpump Rules from the very beginning, and honestly? I have zero regrets.

I say all of this because enter “Scamanda,” the Amanda and Wes love affair. Summer House was another show I never watched but had seen in passing, again because my mom would have it on, and from watching other Bravo shows. With Scandoval fresh in my mind and my love for trash reality TV, I thought, ya know what, if Vanderpump Rules won me over, why not give Summer House a shot? I had already watched Ciara Miller on The Traitors, which is another absolutely amazing show, and she is making her way to the dance floor on Dancing With the Stars, another longtime favorite of mine. But beyond Ciara, I really did not know any of the other people on this show aside from some of their names.

So I started Summer House from season one. I wanted to get to know the characters behind the scandal before I caught up to the Scamanda drama everyone was buzzing about. Here are my honest, unfiltered thoughts through season one and about halfway through season two.

Kyle and Amanda are Actually Kind of Perfect for Each Other

The only people I recognized walking into season one were Kyle Cooke, Carl Radke, and Amanda Batula. Amanda pops in and out of the house in season one as Kyle’s ex-girlfriend but lands a full-time spot in season two as a guest of the Summer House. As of where I left off in season two, Kyle and Amanda actually have a really great dynamic together. They both give off the exact same energy and genuinely “full send” in the same way. While that particular lifestyle is not necessarily my thing, they complement each other really well now that they are in a committed relationship. I went into this show already knowing there was a Scamanda storyline coming, so watching their dynamic build with fresh eyes has been genuinely interesting.

Carl Radke is Not the Fan Favorite I Was Promised

I keep hearing that Carl is a beloved character on this show, and I am just not there yet. He plays Lauren all the time and then simply apologizes for lying rather than actually correcting the behavior. What gets me is this: his mom is going through a divorce, and you would think that watching a woman’s heart get broken up close would make him more careful with someone else’s. But it is always the mama’s boys that do women dirty, is it not? I see the charm lurking underneath, but I need more from Carl before I become a card-carrying member of his fan club.

Stephen McGree Breaks My Heart a Little

Stephen McGee seems genuinely sad to me, and honestly, when you learn a bit about his family dynamics, it starts to make a lot of sense. He seems like he would be an absolute blast to be around in the right setting, but there are moments when he leans a little too hard into the gossip, and I read that as him trying to secure his place in the group. It reads to me like emotional neglect growing up can do that to a person, and I cannot help but feel for him.

That said, I could not believe it when Stephen aired out Carl’s sexual confession to Lauren and then again right in front of cameras…. then had the nerve to blame Carl for lying about it in the first place. Carl really took that one on the chin, because if a close friend had shared something that personal and private with everyone around me, I would have been absolutely beside myself. That was a tough watch.

Christina Gibson Got Done Dirty by That Whole House

This may be a controversial opinion, but Cristina Gibson, Lindsay Hubbard’s roommate at the time, really got ganged up on by pretty much everyone in that house. I do not think she had any malicious intent with the things she was saying. Calling people out and trying to help Lauren navigate the Carl situation seemed like it came from a genuine place. It feels like the group’s collective reaction essentially pushed her out of the show, because she has not reappeared in season two so far. Sometimes the person asking the uncomfortable questions is the one worth listening to, and this house did not want to hear it.

Everett Weston Was Never Going to Be the One for Lindsay

Lindsay Hubbard walked into that Summer House with her boyfriend Everett Weston, and from the very beginning something felt a little off about them as a pairing. Their constant back and forth throughout the season was exhausting to watch, and honestly their split coming into season two felt less like a surprise and more like an exhale. Watching Lindsay figure out who she is outside of that relationship is a lot more interesting than watching her stay in it.

Now Onto the Wirkus Circus

Ashley Wirkus, the second half of the Wirkus Circus, which is honestly such a perfect nickname, is present in season one and appears in just a few episodes later in season two, because she headed to California to live with her husband after season one. Watching the twins physically separate by an entire country in season one genuinely got to me. I do not have a twin, but I have two siblings, and being just a couple of hours away is hard enough some days.

When Ashley comes back to the Summer House in season two and ends up throwing a watermelon in the house because Lauren got back together with Carl, I completely understood the frustration. Come on, girl. Maybe he has more charm in person than what I am picking up on through the screen, but I just do not get the Carl appeal yet.

Kyle Cooke is a Lot but Wildly Entertaining

Right now I find Kyle genuinely funny. I do not think I could survive a party with him given how obliterated he gets, but watching a fully grown adult man drink to the point where he can no longer form coherent sentences is objectively hilarious to observe from the safety of my couch. Wowza. He is really endearing when he is sober, and I think there is a lot of heart underneath the chaos. The way he talks to women sometimes does make me cringe a little, but I have a feeling my positive opinion on Kyle Cooke is going to evolve into an opposite feeling as I keep watching.

I Cannot Wait to Watch the Rest of Summer House

I am so looking forward to watching the remaining seasons knowing everything I know now about the Scamanda situation. The anticipation of watching it all unfold in real time, even though I already know the broad strokes of where things go, is half the fun. And honestly, I cannot wait for the introduction of Ciara Miller into the Summer House world, because having already watched her on The Traitors, I think she is an absolutely goddess among us and this show is about to level up in a major way.

Trash reality TV really does have a way of pulling you in and never letting you go. Scandoval did it to me, and now Scamanda has me firmly in its grip. No regrets whatsoever.