GLAMOROUS TRASH: A CELEBRITY MEMOIR PODCAST
Episode: Dorinda Medley’s Memoir Make It Nice and Traitors Hot Takes
Host: Chelsea Devantez
Guest: Rachel Friedland
Release Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Glamorous Trash dives into the memoir Make It Nice by Dorinda Medley, famed Real Housewife of New York and current contestant on The Traitors. Host Chelsea Devantez and guest Rachel Friedland (comedian, writer, host of the podcast Minor League tv) serve candid takes on both Dorinda’s underwhelming reality TV turn and her equally lackluster memoir. Armed with sharp humor and deep Housewives knowledge, they dissect Medley’s narrative, class aspirations, social climbing, and her memoir’s many, many missed opportunities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Traitors (00:40 – 09:24)

• Disappointing Housewives on The Traitors: Both Dorinda and Lisa Rinna were expected to bring drama to the show but came across as lost and “underwhelming”
  • “Both of them really seemed pretty lost. Like, they just came to the castle and they were like, I guess I'm having a bagel each morning and then just kind of going home.” (Chelsea, 03:20)
• Dorinda’s Editing and Performance: Rachel suggests Dorinda likely got edited out even when she may have tried to bring something, noting a lack of signature flair.
• Reality TV Dynamics: Rachel notes the challenge for non-competition reality stars appearing on strategic gameplay shows like The Traitors, highlighting how Dorinda didn’t adapt and Ron Funches dropped his sweet-comedian persona:
  • “Ron wasn’t being sweet or funny... Where’s the one-liners? Where’s what you're known for?” (Chelsea, 07:29)

Dorinda’s Memoir: Make It Nice (11:31 – 62:26)

Initial Impressions & Structure (11:31 – 12:52)

• The memoir is characterized as “Wikipedia in first person”—a flat, tell-don’t-show style that leaves critical gaps in storytelling.
  • “I feel like I am reading the Wikipedia of her life, but it’s in first person.” (Chelsea, 12:03)
• Rachel laments the absence of emotional detail and connective storytelling:
  • “Every paragraph I was like, huh? Explain. I felt like English teacher 5th grade class being like, show, don't tell.” (Rachel, 11:39)

Early Life & Family Framing (12:52 – 15:43)

• Dorinda frames her upbringing as modest, but reality and her anecdotes reveal upper-middle-class comfort (e.g. college scholarships, moving home as safety net).
• Notable vulnerable moment regarding perfectionism and her eating disorder, but even this is handled abruptly and without genuine depth:
  • “I didn’t know you could be shouted out of an eating disorder. Would have loved someone to yell me out of it.” (Chelsea, 15:10)

Social Climbing & Marriages (16:07 – 35:44)

• First Husband (Ralph, the Banker):

  • Dorinda’s move into the upper class is recounted via marriage; little detail about the emotional journey or social navigation.
  • The story of moving to Hong Kong reads as culturally insensitive and lacking self-reflection. She engages little with the culture despite her professed adventurousness:
    • “It was so sad to know how much she missed out on and the amount of options she had. Like, she had a maid who was trying to brush her hair... you couldn’t have said like, hey, how about instead of that, teach me a couple phrases?” (Chelsea, 25:57)
  • A repeated disconnect between her stated hardships and observable privilege.

• Transition to Second Husband (Richard, Banker/Consultant):

  • Real estate work leads to meeting Richard, law of proximity meets elite social circles; again, little romantic or personal insight, mostly logistics.
  • The wedding is themed around live fish swimming in suspended glass bowls, leading to memorable incredulity:
    • “This is the most hideous thing I’ve ever heard. And what happened to the fish?” (Chelsea, 43:57)
    • “Why won’t she say chocolate?... Peanut butter isn’t the opposite of vanilla!” (Chelsea/Rachel, 58:08)

Life, Death, & Aftermath (49:13 – 56:58)

• Richard’s illness and death finally bring some emotional heft. There are moving moments around grief, caretaking, and supernatural connections (psychic communication, feeling his presence).
  • “I think she captured her feelings and the emotions in the room really well... those were the two parts of this book that I will walk away remembering.” (Rachel, 51:44)
• The privilege is again left glaring in details like “taking two helicopters” for family travel.
  • “Every Friday you took two helicopters, okay. Referring to death as helicopter in the sky from now on.” (Chelsea, 56:56)

Female Friendships & Social Network (36:07 – 37:12)

• Chelsea and Rachel praise Dorinda’s consistent acknowledgment of the value and impact of female friendships throughout her life.

Housewives & Bluestone Manor Era (59:01 – 62:26)

• Dorinda’s account of her Real Housewives years is disappointingly surface-level, with no juicy behind-the-scenes stories or introspection.

  • “You were supposed to drop some tea. You are supposed to share something the viewers would have interest in... She shares literally nothing, and ends the book.” (Chelsea, 59:17)

• Both slam the overall lack of self-awareness, actionable advice, or practical insights in a book titled Make It Nice, with Rachel noting the failure to even provide a signature recipe.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Memoir’s Style
  “Is it her journal entry? Is it letter to a friend or, like, acquaintance?”
  (Rachel, 12:03)

• On Social Class Perceptions
  “If you can move home, then... your family's not struggling. If you have a plan B, your family's fine.”
  (Chelsea, 13:48)

• On Cultural Blunders
  “This will be the first of many times Dorinda says something culturally rude. Rude and ignorant.”
  (Chelsea, 20:53)

• On Live Fish Wedding Decor
  “This is the most hideous thing I've ever heard. And what happened to the fish?”
  (Chelsea, 43:57)

• On Emotional Depth
  “I think at one point I was like, okay, so you're in a polycule and you just won't call it that.”
  (Rachel, 35:44)

• On Housewife Years in the Book
  “All she does is recap her greatest moments... She shares literally nothing, and ends the book. Well, I guess it’s goodbye for now. I hope you have enjoyed reading this book. I did not.”
  (Chelsea, 59:01)

• On Takeaways
  “You can also know they also don't know about traveling or having a nice wedding. That's how I'll end it.”
  (Chelsea, 62:27)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:40] – Show Intro, Dorinda on The Traitors
• [03:20] – Housewives on The Traitors: Expectations vs. Reality
• [11:31] – Initial Impressions of Dorinda’s Memoir
• [12:03] – “Wikipedia in First Person”: Memoir Critique
• [15:03] – Early Vulnerability: Eating Disorder and Pressure
• [20:53] – Meeting Ralph: Social Climbing and Cultural Cluelessness
• [25:57] – Culture Shock in Hong Kong
• [43:57] – Fish Wedding: The Over-the-Top Decor
• [49:13] – Bluestone Manor and Design Tastes
• [51:44] – Richard’s Illness and Death: Genuine Emotional Moments
• [56:56] – Helicopter Anecdote: Peak Wealth Disconnection
• [59:01] – Housewives Years: A Recap With No Tea
• [62:00] – Booktool Test: Final Verdict on the Memoir

Final Takeaways & Booktool Test (62:00 – End)

Chelsea and Rachel administer their three-question "booktool test":

1. Was the author vulnerable and the sharing of her truth?
   No.
2. Was it entertaining to read?
   No.
3. Did it elevate your life in any way?
   No (except as a reminder: don’t envy the wealthy—rich people can make things just as tacky as anyone else).

Chelsea concludes:

"Never trust rich people. Rich people suck just as much as everyone. This bitch had a fish wedding with billions of dollars." (Chelsea, 62:27)

Further Listening

Rachel plugs her podcast Minor League tv (Season 1 deep-dives into Summer House, next season covers Love Island UK), and encourages listeners to follow her for comedy and more reality TV commentary.

This episode delivers a hilarious, sometimes biting analysis of Dorinda Medley’s Make It Nice—a “memoir” that’s more recitation than revelation, as well as a wry meditation on aspiration, privilege, reality TV personas, and how “making it nice” isn’t always possible, even with unlimited resources.

For those who haven’t listened: Expect sharp wit, genuine Housewives expertise, and a thorough roasting of celebrity memoir mediocrity—plus some laughs at the surreal excesses of the truly, truly rich.