Pod Meets Twirl'd: In The City 102

Summary

Pod Meets World: Pod Meets Twirl’d "In The City 102"

Podcast: Pod Meets World (iHeartPodcasts)
Hosts: Rider Strong, Will Friedle, Maddie (Producer/Co-host)
Release Date: May 29, 2026
Episode Covered: In The City, Episode 2 (“Mothers and Milkmen”)

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

The hosts, Rider Strong and Will Friedle, are joined by producer Maddie as they continue their deep dive into Bravo’s latest reality spin-off, "In The City," which follows the social lives, breakups, and drama of a privileged, attractive NYC friend group (many of whom arrived via "Summer House"). This recap centers on the second episode, "Mothers and Milkmen," focusing extensively on the fallout of Kyle and Amanda’s breakup and the tangled dynamics between other cast members, with the hosts sharing personal insights and drawing connections to their own lives and pop culture.

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MAIN THEMES & INSIGHTS

• Reality TV as Social Catastrophe: Will and Rider discuss the peculiar allure and structure (or lack thereof) in "In The City," noting the show’s passive aggressive social warfare, the endless pursuit of drama, and the challenge of finding a clear “hero” or audience surrogate.
• The Messy Endings of Relationships: The primary plot is the very public dissolution of the marriage between Amanda and Kyle, including the awkward limbo period, emotional detachment, and post-breakup logistics.
• Friend Group Loyalty and Social Transitions: The crew explores how friendship dynamics are challenged by new relationships, breakups, and major life changes such as parenthood and cross-country moves.
• Behind the Curtain of Reality TV Production: The group dissects how much "reality" is manufactured, speculating about producer intervention during group scenes and conversation setups.
• Philosophical and Comic Asides: The episode features everything from Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism (and dead body!) to judging NYC apartment rents, Will’s espresso martini recipe, and riffs on fashion, aging, and Botox.

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DETAILED RECAP & KEY MOMENTS

1. Getting Oriented in "In The City"

• Drama Pace & Audience Surrogate?
  • [04:16] Rider: “This episode felt slight to me. I was a little like, did anything happen?”
  • Will: “Still looking for a hero... Can’t seem to find one yet. Lots of villains.”
  • Both wish for a character who provides “main character energy” but remains accessible, acting as a wink-to-the-audience figure.
  • [06:00] Will: “I almost feel like there should be one person who is almost doing it ironically... I’m waiting for Ryder [the dog] or Gemma the baby.”

2. The Summer House Reunion Scandal Explainer

• [07:11–12:23]
  • Maddie recaps the recent "Summer House" reunion and the core romantic scandal: Amanda and West’s secret relationship, Sierra’s shock and emotional fallout, and Kyle’s role.
  • Will: “The cheating DJ, who’s clearly an alcoholic, is the hero.”
  • The group debates whether they should even watch the reunion for context, ultimately using Maddie’s summary.

3. Kyle & Amanda: Anatomy of a Breakup

• [12:23–29:14]
  • Intense focus on Kyle and Amanda’s break: emotional detachment, mutual blame, and lingering resentment.
  • [12:47] Will: “I felt that she was done with this for a while, and she was just waiting for me to do a big fuck up, so she had an excuse to leave.”
  • Rider: “It’s the worst of human behavior... to become so insufferable that you get dumped, as opposed to taking responsibility and dumping somebody.”
  • Shocking Reveal: The couple of 10 years, married for four, hasn’t had sex in seven years [24:41]. General disbelief and sympathy expressed.
  • Will: “In New York, consummation is not a legal requirement for marriage to exist...”
  • The hosts discuss messy breakups (“rocking the soda machine” Seinfeld reference [24:29]) and how narrative clarity comes only in hindsight.

4. NYC Apartments, Money, and Lifestyle

• [19:26–21:08]
  • Commentary on the cast’s luxury apartments and cost of living:
    • “20k a month for these two apartments?”
    • Breakdown of Amanda’s $117K in back taxes; debate about what these apartments would cost in NYC.
  • The hosts marvel at the lifestyle and the show’s obsession with visual transitions (“Sopranos” meets “NewsRadio” meets “Real World” [29:44]), including stylized shots of the city.

5. Friendships, Parties, and Producer Influence

• [30:09–36:49]
  • Exploration of Gavin (party host, bar owner) and Lindsay’s relationship: “He does have the energy to match her too, doesn’t he?”
  • The hosts speculate about producer input during party scenes, ultimately agreeing that minor producers (PAs) prompt cast members to start or revisit key conversations.

6. Life Changes: Parenthood, Moving, and Identity

• [41:43–43:11]
  • Lindsay and Georgina (both single moms) share wine and swap stories of messy co-parenting, exes, and mediation [parenting and partying at 3PM].
  • Will: “Both of these women are trying to raise kids by themselves and still drink at three.”
• Whitney’s move-in struggles (more closet space, blending lives with Kenny); hosts reflect on their own friendship genesis and transitions to parenthood.
  • Rider: “When Alex got pregnant with Indy... It took like a year or two before some of our friends were stoked.”

7. Humor, Fashion, and “Mothers and Milkmen”

• [15:16] Joking about episode titles and getting Botox in your 30s (“Andrea getting Botox—how old is he?”).
• Extensive banter about fashion for men, athleisure, and athletic wear.
  • Rider: “I don’t want to project that I am, in any way, comfortable.”
• [43:43] Discovery of Whitney’s dance-loving alter-ego “Claire,” and debate about the mechanics of reality TV bar scenes.

8. Key Relationship Confrontations

• [62:59–71:10]
  • Lindsay and Kenny’s showdown over being “grilled” about his (slightly unofficial) relationship with Whitney, and whether it was valid to pressure for a ring before moving in.
  • Will: “100%. I’m sorry. Don’t justify it.”
  • Rider: “The fact that it got under his skin means that I think he kind of knows that he asked a lot of Whitney and that she might expect some of these things.”
• Kyle drunkenly ignites rumors about Danielle being “boy-crazy,” which the hosts find unnecessarily inflammatory and high school-ish, but Danielle doesn’t take the bait.

9. Philosophy Corner (Jeremy Bentham)

• [58:15–62:28]
  • Rider delivers a mini-lecture on Jeremy Bentham and utilitarianism, connecting animal rights and women’s rights to present-day happiness calculus.
  • Will: “I would argue that people staring at your dead body increases the suffering of the people around you... anti-utilitarianism right there.”

10. Episode End: Real Life Intrudes

• [71:59–77:47]
  • Kyle’s Zoom with his mom (“every time I call my parents, all the conversations are about who’s sick now”) is “heartfelt and intense” as he reveals the breakup.
  • Will observes the unique experience of reality TV parents being forced to witness and process their children’s personal lives on television.
    • Will: “Their parents have watched it. They’re watching these fights... a weird depth of watching this.”
  • Debate on whether Amanda and Kyle will get back together—Maddie heavily doubts it, citing Amanda’s lifestyle as particularly lethargic and Kyle’s Vegas DJ gig as a divergent path.
• Episode closes with Will’s “Espresso Martini” drink recipe and jokes about caffeine jitters.

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NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• On Relationship Endings:
  • “It is the worst of human behavior... to just become so insufferable that you get dumped, as opposed to taking responsibility and dumping somebody.”
    — Rider Strong [13:23]
• On finding a ‘hero’ on reality TV:
  • “Still looking for a hero, my friend. Can’t seem to find one yet. Lots of villains.”
    — Will Friedle [04:29]
• On failed intimacy:
  • “They haven’t had sex in seven years?”—Rider Strong [24:49]
  • “You’re legally shitty roommates. That’s your definition.” — Will Friedle [25:10]
• On Producer-Driven Drama:
  • “I think there are producers... making sure that they have the locations secure... and there’s probably PAs that they’re whispering in their ear, like ‘go grab her and have this conversation.’”
    — Rider Strong [34:52]
• On Transition Shots:
  • “It’s like the opening of Sopranos... Oh, except we’re just going to Rocco’s to have a drink.” — Rider Strong [29:53]
• On Parenting:
  • “Both of these women are trying to raise kids by themselves and party as much as they can—and still drink at three.” — Will Friedle [43:11]
• On Being On Reality TV:
  • “Imagine having a camera on you and Alex all day and your parents and her parents are watching it happen. It’s so strange...” — Will Friedle [73:51]

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TIMESTAMPS OF KEY SEGMENTS

• Opening Thoughts on Episode Structure & ‘Hero’ Quest (03:07–06:12)
• Summer House Reunion Scandal & Layered Drama (07:11–12:23)
• Kyle & Amanda's Relationship Analysis & Sexless Marriage Reveal (12:23–26:39)
• Breakup Logistics & NYC Lifestyles (19:26–23:32)
• Transition Sequences & Visual Aesthetic (29:21–30:15)
• Reality Producer Influence & Making Drama (34:35–36:49)
• Parenthood, Lifestyle Changes & Moving (41:43–43:11, 45:27–46:59)
• Alter Ego "Claire" and Twerking (43:35–44:28)
• Confrontation: Lindsay vs. Kenny (62:59–71:10)
• Philosophy Corner: Utilitarianism & Jeremy Bentham (58:15–62:28)
• Final Scene: Kyle Tells Mom about the Breakup (71:59–77:47)

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FINAL TAKEAWAYS

• The episode is a layered dissection of reality TV’s “slow build” drama, with Will and Rider questioning both the cast’s motives and their own voyeuristic enjoyment.
• The hosts offer both empathy and comedic distance when discussing the messy realities of breakups, friendship transitions, and public lives, giving the show’s soap opera subject matter a thoughtful, entertaining critique with personal perspective.
• This podcast is for both reality TV obsessives and those interested in the intersection of pop culture, philosophy, and human nature.

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For the full flavor: Listen for the hosts’ chemistry, deadpan banter, and ability to turn the messiness of reality TV into a meditation on modern relationships and identity—with just the right amount of snark.

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(Summary covers all critical discussion points and highlights key insights, omitting ads and non-content sections.)

Transcript

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Rider Strong]

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[Maddie]

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[Martha Stewart]

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[Rider Strong]

Welcome to POD meets Twirl, a podcast that began with Dancing with the Stars, continued through Castles Traitors, Strategic Deception and. And because our producers, along with many of our listeners, apparently enjoy watching two confused middle aged men struggle through wildly successful reality television, we have now arrived at a place neither of us fully understands. Bravo. Specifically in the city. Now, usually these shows involve a game, a competition, a cash prize, a goal. But apparently this show is different. No challenges, no murder mystery, no judges, no dance scores. Just wealthy adults attending parties, drinking, dating, and keeping tabs on one another. We are Rider Strong, a man who usually prefers stories with structure, themes and an ending. And Will Friedle, who is told there might be some humor among the cocktails and betrayals. Join us as we enter this world of social warfare, passive aggression, luxury apartments and confessionals. Delivered with the gravity of international diplomacy. This is POD meets Twirled metropolitan mess. Hi, Will.

[Will Friedle]

Hey, Ryder.

[Rider Strong]

How's it going? Not too bad.

[Will Friedle]

How you doing?

[Rider Strong]

All right. I have to say, this episode felt slight to me. I was a little like, did anything happen?

[Will Friedle]

Exactly. I agree.

[Rider Strong]

Although I wanted more drama.

[Will Friedle]

I'm starting to shift on how I

[Martha Stewart]

think about certain people already.

[Rider Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

People I liked. Now I'm kind of not people I thought I was on their team. Now I'm kind of not. Still looking for a hero. Looking for a hero, my friend. Can't seem to find one yet. Lots of villains.

[Rider Strong]

May I propose Rider. The dog rider.

[Will Friedle]

The dog rider. The dog rider's always the hero.

[Rider Strong]

Female, apparently. Ms. Rider.

[Will Friedle]

Ms. Rider. And she spells it with a Y, like everybody does when they're writing your name on the Internet.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. I've just come to accept that my name is interchangeably R. Y, R. I

[Will Friedle]

just think you probably Will Friedel.

[Rider Strong]

Exactly. Everyone's gonna screw this up.

[Maddie]

Yep.

[Will Friedle]

It is what it is. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

I don't. I don't think I need a hero. We don't need another hero, Will. I think. I think what we. I. I guess I just thought maybe a little more like fireworks were going to, like, hit, you know.

[Will Friedle]

I can see that. I think they're building it up. They're doing the slow build.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

To the fireworks.

[Rider Strong]

But what I'm.

[Will Friedle]

I guess what I mean by hero is I, I, I wish there was an audience. More of an audience surrogate. Like, I almost feel like there should be one. And this could be wrong. Maybe this isn't On a single show like this. But I almost feel like there should be one person who is almost doing it ironically who is kind of walking through, going, like, almost like winking to the audience. Like, can you believe these people are like, this kind of thing? Like, I'm looking for that person who's like, wait a minute. Are you. You guys really fighting over this? Like, I'm waiting for Ryder.

[Rider Strong]

That's Ryder the dog or Gemma the baby.

[Will Friedle]

Right?

[Rider Strong]

That's Gemma.

[Will Friedle]

That's Gemma with her looks constantly. Like, with her looks back.

[Rider Strong]

Exactly.

[Will Friedle]

They keep cutting to Gemma. I think that's what it is.

[Rider Strong]

You can't have that in these situations.

[Will Friedle]

I don't think so either. I was hoping for it.

[Rider Strong]

I. You know, I. It's funny because, like, I think, you know, you're looking for main character energy. Everybody's got main character energy.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Rider Strong]

They're just not actually the main character.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Rider Strong]

But, yeah, I feel like everybody's competing to be the center of attention in their own right, and they probably do think that the show is built around them, but it's not. It's very. Yeah, it's pretty split. Although it does seem like Lindsay's emerging as taking up the most amount of time.

[Commercial Narrator]

She.

[Will Friedle]

She does screen time. Seems like she is. She is the. The focus, and I'm sure she loves that. That's. I'm sure that's exactly. Exactly what she wants. I also. So they. They showed a preview of. And I don't. Because this was not technically our show. I did not watch it. But I guess a lot of this stuff came out in the summer house reunion they just did, which is where they really, like, Sierra and West were there, and they were. Everybody was confronting each other, like, face to face about all the shit that went on.

[Rider Strong]

So is that something we should watch?

[Will Friedle]

Is it. I don't know from it. I don't know how. I don't know what the rules are. We're going to need a ruling here. Can we get a. Can we get a ruling? Maddie.

[Rider Strong]

Maddie, did you watch this reunion?

[Maddie]

Oh, I watched the reunion.

[Rider Strong]

So, wait, should we watch this? Should we have watched it?

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

I mean.

[Maddie]

Okay, I. When I was watching it, I kind of was thinking that, but I didn't know if it would just add another layer of, like, what is going on when you.

[Rider Strong]

Another layer of depth and goodness. Yeah, it's like.

[Will Friedle]

I'm sorry, did you want another layer

[Rider Strong]

of chocolate on your cake?

[Will Friedle]

The three.

[Maddie]

Just enough.

[Will Friedle]

No, I'll take the extra layer of chocolate.

[Rider Strong]

Well, hold on. Well, here's What I don't understand does that. When did that happen? Did that happen after they shot this season of in the City?

[Will Friedle]

Yes. Oh, good question. Oh, it did.

[Rider Strong]

Wait, and we shouldn't watch it.

[Maddie]

It happened, correct? Yes. So the reunion was shot, I believe, maybe like a month ago. A month and a half ago. So everything had come out with the whole scandal. So it was Sierra's moment to really address Amanda and West and what's going on.

[Will Friedle]

Do most people. I'm sorry to interrupt. Do most people following this scandal, Is it like Sierra is the only one that is kind of coming out unscathed? Like, she's kind of. How could people do this to Sierra and the rest of them are kind of in the quagmire? Is that.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Maddie]

Sierra is the hero, for lack of a better term. And Kyle has also emerged as somewhat of a hero too.

[Will Friedle]

The cheating DJ who's clearly an alcoholic is the hero.

[Rider Strong]

He's just a lover boy. He's just a lover boy.

[Will Friedle]

He is the hero. I mean, that's amazing. Wow.

[Maddie]

Exactly. Do you want, like, a little mini breakdown of.

[Rider Strong]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Reunion if. Well, if we're not gonna watch.

[Rider Strong]

I don't want to spoil it. I don't want to spoil it again.

[Will Friedle]

You have to understand, riders for what I get. This is not the in the city reunion. We still have that to come to. This is a reunion of a show that we did not cover, which is the spit. The original show that this spun off from. Okay, so. But they might have already shot in the City, but this the first time they confronted each other. But it's technically not the in the city cast. It's the summer house cast. But they really cover the scandal. Did I get that right? Maddie, Am I right?

[Maddie]

That was perfectly said. Exactly that. So it was Summer House. So that's why we.

[Rider Strong]

It's like, this is your job or something.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Rider Strong]

For a living.

[Will Friedle]

Danielle who. So then, I mean, could we get a bit of a breakdown?

[Rider Strong]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

So it was really the first time since Sierra, Kyle, Amanda, and Wes were in the same room together to talk about this. Lindsay, who's in the city, was also in there.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Maddie]

For the summer house reunion. So she was there to witness it. But essentially Sierra was telling Amanda and West, like, I cannot believe I have to address you guys like this. She's more hurt by Amanda than West because they were such close friends. She was saying, like, I knew or I suspected that this relationship was going on back in January because you were at West House and I saw your Find my Friends location and you didn't answer me and whole thing.

[Will Friedle]

I'm sorry.

[Rider Strong]

If.

[Will Friedle]

Again, just trying to get everything down. If that's the case in this. What did happen in January? She was still very much married to what's his name. In January, right? Kyle. Kyle.

[Maddie]

Kyle. They were separated, but they're still married. Even to this day. They're still married.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, so they never got divorced, so they're just separated. Okay.

[Maddie]

Exactly. And that was one of Sierra's points too. She was like, you're not even divorced, like by the state of New York, you know?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Wow. That's a little nitpicky. I mean, not though. If you tell somebody, I'm leaving you, I'm going to an apartment.

[Will Friedle]

Did they. Or did they say, we're going to have. We're going to have a trial separation or are we getting divorced? Those are two very different things.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, but I think also there's a. There's other layers. There's the potential to be like, hey, we can sleep with other people. We can go on dates.

[Will Friedle]

I'm gonna go bank.

[Rider Strong]

They might not. Yeah, that might. I mean, that's. Yeah, that's. That's the, that's the ultimate betrayal, I think here. But anyway, go on. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.

[Maddie]

I, I. No, no, you're fine.

[Martha Stewart]

You're fine.

[Maddie]

There's a lot to dissect. Amanda, her demeanor was very just like cold.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Maddie]

Like no remorse.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Wow.

[Maddie]

Told Ciara to off. Which was insane. It was like. How can you even say that? She claimed that her and west didn't have sex for like months. Like, so it was, you know, just getting to know each other. Everyone's really.

[Rider Strong]

Come on.

[Will Friedle]

Really.

[Rider Strong]

We kept going to second base and then.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, exactly. We were just looking into each other's eyes. I don't know much about west, but he sounds deep. So I'm guessing that they just sat there and they shared poetry and just talked about their feelings.

[Rider Strong]

Please.

[Maddie]

Yeah. Good read on him. But yeah, I mean, west wasn't really sticking up for Amanda. Kyle was kind of sticking up for Amanda. He was, he was mostly silent. But when Sierra was like, what other friends do you have? Amanda, Kyle was kind of like, oh, well, she has Katie. And like, trying to kind of lessen the blow. But yeah, I mean, it was really intense. And there's three parts to this reunion, so this was just part one. And it was a full hour.

[Will Friedle]

God, this is the three hours of them just bashing these two people.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, it's gonna be a lot. I mean, I Just feel like Amanda, you know, she's just basically told. She's told the world that she is not friends with Sierra, that she does not care about Sierra's feelings.

[Will Friedle]

Right, right, right, right.

[Rider Strong]

She would rather pursue west, and she probably doesn't really care about Kyle's feelings. So she also.

[Will Friedle]

Not to jump into the episode that we're gonna recap, but I am, because at one point, Kyle brings up something very interesting, which I think a lot of people feel in relationship sometimes when the relationship is faulting, which is. He was like. At one point, he said, essentially, I felt that she was done with this for a while, and she was just waiting for me to do a big up, so she had an excuse to leave.

[Rider Strong]

The best line of the episode.

[Will Friedle]

I think that's what. That's what it reads to me as is, she's done. She wants to be done. She's probably already having an emotional affair with West.

[Rider Strong]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

But she doesn't want to look like the villain. So you got to wait for Kyle to do something stupid. And again, it sounds like you don't have to wait long for Kyle to do something stupid. So you just have to wait for Kyle to do something stupid, and then you get to bail. Have your cake. Cake. Being West. Eat it, too. Eating it being sex. And so she gets to see sex up her cake. Yes.

[Rider Strong]

I. And I find people do this crap all the time. I have friends who have done this. I think I have done versions of this in the past.

[Will Friedle]

We all have.

[Rider Strong]

It's the worst. And it's like one of those things, like, to just become so insufferable that you get dumped, as opposed to taking responsibility and dumping somebody or just saying, you know what? I'm not ready for this relationship. I need to it out. It's the worst of human behavior. I hate it. Like, yes. I.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I think.

[Rider Strong]

I'm feeling this way about a friend right now because I've watched them do this, and it's like, dude, just like, you know, you have to just take. But it's so much easier to be like, well, they gave me an ultimatum, so.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Rider Strong]

But it's like, yeah, they gave you an ultimatum after months of you being an asshole, years of you being just awful to them, until they were like, I can't deal with you anymore. I'm breaking up with you. Oh, guess they wanted to break up. No, you can't do that. Yeah, man.

[Will Friedle]

Deliciously passive aggressive.

[Rider Strong]

And it is the worst.

[Will Friedle]

It is one of those things where I'm getting straight up vibes from her like that. And now she's kind of. But that's the thing, is, if it's just her and Kyle and even west, that's one quagmire you deal with. The triangle. He made me break up, however. But it seems like there's a fourth person in this. This group who is kind of totally innocent in everything going on, which then taints the other three badly. Because there's one person who's like, the. Sierra seems to be like, I was your friend. You and I were dating. I had nothing to do with this shit. And now I'm catching all this shrapnel, and I had to hear about it this way. Come on. And it seems like that's kind of what's going on. So she's muddied all the waters in a different way. I don't even know Sierra. I don't think I've seen her say three words. And I like her the best of everybody of the four of these people. All right, so, yeah, super.

[Rider Strong]

So you ship Sierra?

[Will Friedle]

I totally ship Sierra.

[Rider Strong]

Love her. All right, let's get into episode two, Mothers and Milkmen. Already the name is making me uncomfortable. But we'll.

[Will Friedle]

The lady is about milking somebody else's tits, so I think we'll be fine.

[Rider Strong]

Andrea getting Botox.

[Will Friedle]

I know.

[Rider Strong]

How old is he? He says Kyle is nine years older than him. So Kyle's 43. So he's 34 years old and getting Botox. Bro. Bro. I'm only gonna get worse, man. You gonna do it? You gonna ever do it? I mean, I don't think. Should I? I mean, I feel like I should.

[Will Friedle]

I probably should, too, but I don't want to.

[Rider Strong]

I am like the classic white guy skin. Like, it gets super wrinkly, all my expressive lines.

[Will Friedle]

You're older white guys.

[Rider Strong]

I know. I mean, but I feel like, isn't that just part of getting old? You just have the wrinkles. I don't know if I need to fool anybody.

[Will Friedle]

I don't want to. I don't need to inject stuff into my face. I just. It scares me so, like, all this information coming out now that the Botox actually goes to your brain, and there's, like, all these problems with this stuff,

[Rider Strong]

and I don't know. I feel like it's been around long enough that I'm actually not completely against it. I guess I would have. I would have to be in a situation. Like, if I was at a party and somebody was like, would you like Botox here? This guy's here. We'll just do it. I'd be like, shoddy.

[Will Friedle]

Botox is here.

[Rider Strong]

But I am not going to be the person to, like, make an appointment, seek it out to go somewhere.

[Will Friedle]

Okay. Yeah, I don't think I'll do it.

[Rider Strong]

I'll be a passive Botox getter.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I. I don't know.

[Rider Strong]

Which means it'll never happen.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I know.

[Martha Stewart]

Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret. When prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips. Lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless it is thanks to Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Wet it, set it, prep it, done. Available in the Reynolds Wrap aisle at Walmart, Target, Amazon and Costco.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway for you. Save days are here now through June 23rd. Find hot deals throughout the store and earn four times a point. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Tostitos, Cascade Tide, Red Bull, Sparkling Ice, and Ferrero. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more, enjoy savings on top of savings. When you shop in store or online for easy pickup or delivery, restrictions apply. See the website for full terms and conditions.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

You know what quality feels like. You can see it in the way a fabric moves, recognize it in a flawless fit, and appreciate it in the details that make our styles unique. That kind of quality doesn't happen by accident. It happens with imagination, creativity and intention. At Coldwater Creek, it's the design standard we've honored for over 40 years. Our rich Mountain heritage has shaped how we think about clothing from the very beginning, with a commitment to quality that never quits exceptional fabrics considered design silhouettes, we've made our own the signature touches that set each piece apart and styles that are distinctively Coldwater Creek For a wardrobe you can count on season after season, visit coldwatercreek.com shop new arrivals and save 15% on purchases $75 or more with code iHeartra. Taco Bell's new Jalapeno citrus Salsa adds a tangy twist to the Cantina Chicken menu. A sweet and spicy, bright, citrusy burst of flavor made with real red jalapenos and guajillo chilies. Try it with a rolled quesadilla and you will absolutely be well.

[Will Friedle]

I Don't want to give it away.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

You need to try it for yourself. New jalapeno citrus salsa. The sauce with main character energy. Get it with anything on the Cantina chicken menu for a limited time only at Taco Bell at participating locations while supplies last.

[Rider Strong]

Then Kyle's taking a meeting at lover boy headquarters. And it begins with the question, can a guy pull off a mock neck? And then when we see a shot of Kyle wearing it, my answer is no. No, no, Kyle, they cannot. What is up with that shirt? I don't know what that is. Like, I thought when he said mock neck, I would be like a mock turtleneck where it actually, like, fits your neck. This was like a. It was like a thing going out and around up here.

[Will Friedle]

And. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Oh.

[Will Friedle]

The answer is yes, you should pull it off because you shouldn't be wearing it. Rip it off. Rip it off, dude.

[Rider Strong]

Burn it. Yeah, burn it.

[Will Friedle]

Not good. And he's like. But I love the font. Like, looking at the font of the shirt, he's like, this part's great.

[Rider Strong]

So they're doing some kind of meeting, discussing lover borrowing lover boy merch, and they suddenly need Amanda, which means he's gotta go next door. And the lover boy headquarters is right next door. I mean, these apartments are huge and beautiful. My God.

[Will Friedle]

20,000amonth for these two.

[Rider Strong]

Jesus.

[Will Friedle]

It's gotta be, right? It's gotta be 20k a month for these two apartments.

[Rider Strong]

Well, okay, let's do the math. She spent $117,000 on three years of back taxes. Oh, that was a while.

[Will Friedle]

No, it was a while.

[Rider Strong]

All right, so 117 divided by 3 equals 39. Divided by 12 equals 3250amonth. Was her half.

[Will Friedle]

Right. Of their apartment, actually, in New York, it seems like seven grand a month is not that crazy. Yeah, it's not that terrible.

[Rider Strong]

No. I wonder if that's this apartment or.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, because I don't know.

[Rider Strong]

It seems like a pretty place is damn nice apartment.

[Will Friedle]

All of their apartments are amazing.

[Rider Strong]

All right, well, he goes next door where Amanda is packing up her shoes and riders roaming around. Find out that Ryder is a mis. Rider.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

They have a conversation. She's. Doesn't seem like she's really prepared for. Seem like they've thought any of this through. They're just sort of like. It's almost. It's not like they're playing house. It's like they're playing breakup.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

You know what I mean? It's like they're like, do we really want to break up? And then it's like, I guess maybe I should get a van, maybe a moving truck. Maybe I should find an apartment. Yeah. Well, how's this not planned out? Yeah. I don't know. I don't know, man. So they're talking it through. He asks about her key. Is she going to be popping back in? And she says yes. And then Kyle. You know, this is where I'm starting to like Kyle more and more. He's like, trying to give her props for confronting this because he's like, I was caught. We've kind of been like a broken record.

[Will Friedle]

Does this come off as genuine to you, though? All that, the kind of platitudes he throws at her, like, you're really finding your center to come? It comes off as fake to me. And I'm sorry, I don't. It just. I think I feel like he's trying to look like he's supporting her as opposed to actually supporting her, if that makes sense.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, maybe that's true. I guess I just was like, he was saying, like, thank you for the wake up call. You know, it seems like he wants his relationship to still work. Whether that is what's best for him or not. I don't know. Like, you know, See, you get that.

[Will Friedle]

I get. He doesn't want to come off looking like a bad guy. That's what I get from him is I don't think he. I don't think he cares whether or not the relationship works or not, as long as he doesn't look like a douche as it's happening.

[Rider Strong]

Huh.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I get. And I. Again, I'm not in this relationship, and relationships are complicated, but.

[Rider Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

This is also. They've been to. They've been married, and when they did, the flashback of, like, all the fights they had and all this stuff going on and then the engagement, everything. It's like. It's what Matty was telling us. He's like, oh, yeah, this was not a match made in heaven where it's. I mean, they even said we made it four years. We beat the odds.

[Rider Strong]

Like what? Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I don't know, man. I don't. I think he just doesn't want to look bad on national television.

[Rider Strong]

Maybe. Maybe. But I still prefer what he's saying to what she's saying because then she's like, I need my sneakers to run away from you a thousand percent.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I mean. I'm starting to like her even less and less than I did last episode. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rider Strong]

I mean, I think that, you know, it's. It's interesting because I. I always feel like the narratives that we tell ourselves whenever we go through a breakup or any situation that is like, you know, it's like we always. We always make the story clean. Do you know what I mean? It was like, well, then we broke up and she moved out, and I.

[Will Friedle]

It was mutual.

[Rider Strong]

But the reality is there's like, months, weeks, certainly days, definitely hours, where you're like, we're just going to take a break, and then, okay, the break has gotten a little long. And I think what we're seeing is that, like, messy in between phase where it's like nobody knows what the story is. So I kind of don't want to blame either one of them too harshly because it's like they're just divorcing. Like, that's what's happening.

[Will Friedle]

Well, Seinfeld says it best where he's, like, breaking up or getting divorced is like pushing over a soda machine where you don't just run at it and push it over in one fell swoop. You rock it back and forth a bunch of times before it goes over.

[Rider Strong]

Maddie, can we please keep a running tally of Seinfeld references that will. I'm sorry. Wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Will Friedle]

And remember, they had no sex for seven.

[Rider Strong]

What? What? Who had no sex for seven years?

[Will Friedle]

It wasn't having sex for.

[Maddie]

Did I not tell you this last episode?

[Rider Strong]

No. What? Oh, my God. They've only been in a relationship for four. What are you talking about? No, no.

[Maddie]

They were together for 10 years, married for four. Kyle said they haven't had sex in seven years.

[Rider Strong]

Hold on. I don't know. They got married after three years of no sex and then spent four years not having sex.

[Will Friedle]

So no sex then. I think in the state of New York, they're legally not married.

[Rider Strong]

You're legally shitty roommates. That's your definition.

[Will Friedle]

I also think consummation is literally a part of a marriage certificate. That's not even a joke. I don't think you're legally married in the state of New York unless you consummate the marriage.

[Rider Strong]

So no alimony. They don't know each other any.

[Will Friedle]

Is that true? Wait, they say, he said they haven't had sex in seven years?

[Maddie]

Yes, that's what he said. He said seven years and on summer.

[Rider Strong]

I'm so sorry for them. Why are they doing this, Guys? Now I feel like we're torturing them with this TV show.

[Will Friedle]

Wait a second. Now. It makes total sense, though, because I rewatched the first episode again before I watched the second one yesterday. And so the thing he says where she. Again, the greatest conversation, arguably I've seen in a long time, where she's talking about how her friend gave her ex the hand job in the back of the, the Uber. And then she says to Kyle, but then, you would have loved that. He's like, oh, hand jobs are terrible, but I'd take anything. She's like, that's right, you'd take anything, wouldn't you? And he's like, you know me, because, oh, my God, he hasn't had sex in seven years.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

That's what that conversation meant.

[Maddie]

Yes. And it's like, it's like, no, I'm not excusing cheating by.

[Will Friedle]

Of course. Of course.

[Maddie]

But, like, what, what are they doing?

[Rider Strong]

Like, what are they doing, guys? Oh, man, I'm sorry.

[Will Friedle]

And I. This is a huge. And I could be totally wrong, but that's not his idea. There's no way the guy who's then going and cheating with her with other girls has said, you know what I want to do? I want to be celibate with my wife and not have sex with her. That was not his idea.

[Rider Strong]

Maybe if he's cheating. You're right. Right. I will. I, I, But I, I, I, I, I will say that I've known many couples where they do not have sex for long periods. And it, I would say yes, and I would say it is equally the men, sometimes even more often the men than the women that don't want to

[Will Friedle]

have sex with their wives, or they just don't initiate and don't go sleep with other chicks.

[Rider Strong]

That part I'm not going to know that, that I'm saying, But I'm just. If you're general, I thought your generalization was going to be. That's not his call. Because men are not always saying in

[Will Friedle]

this relationship, in this relationship, the fact

[Rider Strong]

that he has cheated indicates that he probably does want to have sex.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, exactly. Yes. Seven years.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. That's a bummer. That's, that's.

[Will Friedle]

These poor people are just broken. What are you doing with each other? And then. Wait, did she say so she says she went and slept with Wes. So she instantly jumped out of this relationship of no sex with her husband and started sleeping with his friend.

[Rider Strong]

Well, you're just mismatched at that point. I mean, isn't that what we're talking about? Like, you're just. Dude, if you're not. I just don't. Like, I often. Yeah. I wonder what is. Because to me, sex in some form, whether it's, you know, I don't know, just. It seems part of romance. Right. Like, it seems part of the point.

[Will Friedle]

Of course.

[Rider Strong]

Especially if you haven't gotten married yet, then get married. And that aspect hasn't changed. I'm not sure.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, that's true. I just Googled in New York. Consummation is not a legal requirement for America to exist or to remain valid.

[Rider Strong]

All right, well, yeah, that doesn't.

[Will Friedle]

That's terrible. I mean, again, these are seem like very sad, broken people. And, you know, had they not been on a television show and they were just with other people, they probably would

[Rider Strong]

just be happier with other people.

[Will Friedle]

Like. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, seven years.

[Rider Strong]

All right. Well, what I was trying to say is that we're in the messy phase of a divorce. We're in the. Like. No one wants to, like, actually say what's happening, you know, or take responsibility for what's happening. So they're just, like, half talking about what they're doing and, like. And they just keep floating. I feel like this episode is just Kyle floating. The fact that she moved out to his community to get the response and to get the feedback and to make it real. You know, he's, like, trying to. He's testing out the waters of, like, well, looks like we're doing this. And, you know, within, like, a month, the story will be, yeah, we got a divorce. And this was just. This was just what had to happen. And hopefully everybody will be better for it and we get a transition. Let's talk about the transitions on this show.

[Will Friedle]

Brilliant. And I love everyone.

[Rider Strong]

I mean, they throw everything at the screen. It's like. It's like. You know what I. I realized? I was like, what does this remind me of? Because it's like shots of bridges and then, like, wipes, like, every kind of split and white and like, the sound design where it's like steam coming out of sewers.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Dog bark.

[Will Friedle]

What does it remind you of?

[Rider Strong]

Well, then. Then there's, like. There was one shot of, like, a taxi cabin. It, like, blurred and, like, went out of focus. The opening of Sopranos.

[Will Friedle]

That, plus the opening of News Radio.

[Rider Strong]

The opening credits of Sopranos. Do you remember? It was all, like, kind of super stylized. Like, his drive into the city. Yeah. And it was all, like, the bridges and, like. Yeah, except we're just going to Rocco's to have a drink. You know, it's.

[Will Friedle]

It's that. But there's also a bit of the real world, the old school real world.

[Rider Strong]

Dad ever Watches the world.

[Will Friedle]

So I don't know, it's so funny.

[Rider Strong]

But yeah, this is like, exciting things are happening. Exciting things are happening.

[Will Friedle]

And then it cuts to them like grocery shop drinks.

[Rider Strong]

Well then it was like close ups of beers. And then we're in Rocco's. Rocco, which is Gavin's other place. Sports themed place. Gavin, Damn.

[Will Friedle]

This guy's got to be a trillionaire to have all these places.

[Rider Strong]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Multiple restaurants, Multiple places. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Nice life. So Gavin and Lindsay. Gavin owns this place. And I like the story that he tells about how he was always destined for hospitality. Cause he, like threw parties when he was younger and he had that neighbor who was like, I'm gonna tell your parents you threw a party. But also, great party, great party. I love stuff like this. And I do think that there's like that certain person, you know, that just is that guy or that girl who's just like, I know how to throw parties. I'm gonna do this for the rest of my life. Like, they usually were a DJ in high school, right? And then they, like became like a wedding dj and then they, like just work up until they can. I think it's awesome. Like, and actually a pretty great, great lifestyle if you can pull it off.

[Will Friedle]

He does have the energy. Energy to match her too, doesn't he, Lindsay?

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, totally. So we find out that they've been friends, they've never hooked up, but then he goes in for a weird, like, side kiss, which I was like, gavin, chill. Chill out a little bit.

[Will Friedle]

I think he was doing it as a joke, but then he did it to somebody else too. I'm like, so that's your thing, is just randomly kissing someone?

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, he's a little.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, little mugs.

[Rider Strong]

Little in your face with his little hands. Yeah, we kiss.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

So then they start talking about Kenny and they bring up the fact that last week Kenny, you know, wasn't super stoked on getting grilled by Lindsay. And I'm sorry.

[Will Friedle]

That's fair to me. That's fair.

[Rider Strong]

I. I've come. I've. Yeah, I think I'm. I think I'm with you. I think it's a little. But I also. Well, we'll get into it.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I wonder if Lindsay's had sex recently because she doesn't usually talk about that. Yeah, she does.

[Rider Strong]

Where are the rainbows? And what did she say? The sparkle dust that comes out of my vagina?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, she's. Oh, and I also went watching the first episode again. I saw what it was. She gets on top of him as the nurse and says, I hope you're having hard palpitations. But she doesn't say palpitations. She says palmitations.

[Rider Strong]

So I hope your hard mermutations here. Pretty much, yeah. So she tries.

[Will Friedle]

She gave it a shot.

[Rider Strong]

She was sober.

[Will Friedle]

She was. And she gave it a shot.

[Rider Strong]

She was definitely sober. All right, Doug. Then we cut to Kenny and Whitney where she is moving all of her stuff and needs more room. She says maybe the second bedroom can become more of a closet. Which. Then we cut to on the street where he tries to maintain his boundaries, that his guest room should be a guest room. But they discuss the fact that Gavin just used to show up, has a code to the door and just walks in. And that's gotta change. She discusses that she's been missing girl time. She talks about getting a. Going to get a pedicure with Danielle. She gets the backstory of Danielle and Owen.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Rider Strong]

Which is that Owen's still going through a divorce. They've only just kind of started dating each other. Yeah, yeah. Not a divorce.

[Will Friedle]

I don't like to do this. I don't like to comment on women's looks. I know it's. You're not supposed to do that. But it wasn't until this episode that I realized that I really saw. She is staggeringly beautiful.

[Rider Strong]

Whitney.

[Will Friedle]

Whitney.

[Rider Strong]

She's a doll.

[Will Friedle]

Wait, yeah, but I mean, yeah, she's a doll. She's stunning.

[Maddie]

Yes.

[Rider Strong]

I mean, I think everybody on this show is good looking.

[Will Friedle]

They're very pretty, good looking people. Absolutely. But she's. I mean, she's like model perfect. I mean, she's. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Really pretty. I am bowled over just by how many attractive people they put into a room. I mean, shove them into a room. Yes.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yes.

[Rider Strong]

And it's like. Cause I was just thinking, like, if you took your average group of friends and like, had them meet at a bar, they would not be this telegenic.

[Will Friedle]

Of course not.

[Rider Strong]

But it's so funny because I think that, like, part of the fun of watching a show like this is that we all kind of think our friends and ourselves are this good looking. Don't we, like, don't we always sort of imagine, like, ourselves as like, part of. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Which one of us is Chandler? Which one's Monica? It's like, none of us are.

[Rider Strong]

None of us are. None of us are that good. Nobody's that thin. All right, so I have a. I

[Will Friedle]

have a question for you. When it comes to these big, like, bar scenes and. And reality shows.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Do you believe they Throw everybody in there, start to ply them with alcohol, and then they just start walking around filming. Or do you think they specifically go over and go, like, all right, Gavin, go grab her. Go over to that corner and have this conversation.

[Rider Strong]

I had the exact same, like, question while I was watching it.

[Will Friedle]

I think it's the latter. I do, too.

[Rider Strong]

I think. I think there are producers who. Or even like, low tier producers, because there's probably the story producers who are orchestrating the whole event.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Rider Strong]

There's probably two or three of them that are making sure that they have the locations secure. They got the right amount of cameras, everybody's mic'd, all that. And then there's probably the PAs that they're whispering in their ear or the story PAs, basically. They're like, could you go double check with and just tell him that maybe he should have that conversation that he was wanting to have?

[Will Friedle]

That's what I think too.

[Rider Strong]

And so then there's like some intern going over and be like, gavin, did you want to talk to Kyle about the thing?

[Will Friedle]

And then he's.

[Rider Strong]

I don't know.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, that's what I think.

[Rider Strong]

That's how I imagine it. Because otherwise, how do you make sure you have an event or you have

[Will Friedle]

something worth or you're not overlapping other conversations, or there's not cameras in the background of what you're shooting or.

[Rider Strong]

Because having done our documentary. Because we have our documentary that followed us around for a while of our tour.

[Will Friedle]

Do you mean Doc meets world premiering?

[Rider Strong]

Doc meets world premiering in Tribeca, June 6th. That for all you New Yorkers listening,

[Will Friedle]

want to come out? Gotcha.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. So that when we were filming that, I know that there were plenty of times where we had, like, a gathering. Like, there's one big gathering that we had with Jeff McCracken. We did a big dinner. None of that ended up in the documentary, Right? There are lots of. Because. Yeah. And you know, and it's because the reality is, like, most of the times you just have a good dinner, like, with a big group of people, and you don't. You maybe catch little conversations, but you don't get, like, meat. You know, you don't get story meat. No. Whereas in this case, they kind of need that. So I think they're pressuring them or even pre planning. They're probably like, hey, when we go to Whitney's thing, do you maybe want to talk to Kyle about the blood? You know, like, I think they're. They're prepping the subjects.

[Will Friedle]

Susan had a suggestion, which I think is a good one, which is while we're in New York, you and I have to go to that speakeasy and get a drink, take a picture at that speakeasy.

[Rider Strong]

Oh, yeah, we should call Gavin. We should try and see if Gavin will definitely see.

[Will Friedle]

Just. We'll just see if we can. If we can just grab a drink up there. Yeah, if you can get me out of the five guys at the. At the basement.

[Rider Strong]

All right. We should actually really look into that.

[Martha Stewart]

Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret. When prepping for cooking and baking, get ahead of the mess with new Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Just lightly wet the counter so the paper grips. Lay it down and drips and spills stay on the paper, not on your counter. Cleanup is as simple as lifting it away to reveal clean counters. Effortless it is thanks to Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper. Wet it, set it, prep it, done. Available in the Reynolds Wrap aisle at Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Costco.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway for you. Save days are here now through June 23rd. Find hot deals throughout the store and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Keebler, General Mills, Lactaid, Jack Links, Cheez it, and Gatorade. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings. When you shop in store or online for easy pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See the website for full terms and conditions.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

You know what quality feels like. You can see it in the way a fabric moves, recognize it in a flawless fit, and appreciate it in the details that make our styles unique. That kind of quality doesn't happen by accident. It happens with imagination, creativity, and intention. At Coldwater Creek, it's the design standard we've honored for over 40 years. Our rich Mountain heritage has shaped how we think about clothing from the very beginning, with a commitment to quality that never quits exceptional fabrics, consider design silhouettes we've made our own the signature touches that set each piece apart and styles that are distinctively Coldwater Creek For a wardrobe you can count on season after season, visit coldwatercreek.com shop new arrivals and save 15% on purchases $75 or more with Code Iheart.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Rider Strong]

All right, so Robert comes up to Gavin and Lindsay. He. I don't know who he is, but I guess he's been on one of the summer shows before, but he's the head chef now, and he was Danielle's ex. And Gavin and Lindsey discuss the potential Danielle drama because Danielle had last seen.

[Will Friedle]

Wait, was he Danielle's ex, or is he Lindsay's exact. He's Danielle's ex.

[Rider Strong]

He's Danielle's ex.

[Will Friedle]

Okay, I'm trying to follow the gotcha.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. Which one was that? Danielle is the one that Lindsay is upset with for the.

[Will Friedle]

Correct. Okay. The hand job. Okay.

[Rider Strong]

Just.

[Will Friedle]

Just call her hand job.

[Rider Strong]

Handy.

[Will Friedle]

Handy. Okay, There you go. Gotcha. Backseat Handy. Okay.

[Rider Strong]

Handy hand, Danielle. Handy, Danielle. Yeah.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Okay.

[Rider Strong]

Anyway. Yes, but Danielle's the one that tried to ask her for coffee, correct? Yes. Asked her out for coffee, and Lindsay said no.

[Will Friedle]

Gotcha.

[Rider Strong]

So that's just.

[Will Friedle]

You know, how they bring up the chef. Gotcha. Okay.

[Rider Strong]

All right. Then we've got Kenny recapping with Whitney that Danielle is dating a guy who is still married, and Lindsay had a baby with a guy after two months of dating him. And she's interrogating me. Right. Which is setting up the conflict at the end of this episode.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. He's like, I'm moving a woman here that I've known for a year. And you had a baby with somebody you've known for two months.

[Rider Strong]

Yes. And then he tells the whole backstory of his mom being diagnosed with stage four cancer and how he broke up with Whitney because he just wasn't ready when that was going on, which seems valid.

[Martha Stewart]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

And probably the healthy thing to do.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Then we get Lindsay pouring wine in the middle of the day with her baby.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Healthy pores.

[Will Friedle]

Baby Jimmo.

[Rider Strong]

Healthy pores. They don't mess around. Georgina comes over, and she's got her baby Eloise. They have huge glasses of wine. Talk about needing wine as parents. Georgina's son painted his penis blue.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Unusual because green is his favorite color,

[Will Friedle]

which was a great line. Green is his favorite color. I try to stay to lighter Colors. Cause it makes it look bigger.

[Rider Strong]

Right. So we're talking about painting a room, aren't we?

[Will Friedle]

What are you talking about?

[Rider Strong]

Oh.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah. That's what I meant. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

The two of them talk about being parents and how Lindsay feels that Georgina understands her. She is. We get this whole backstory about the mediation that Lindsay is in with Gemma's dad, which does not sound fun.

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. And then it turns out Georgina also has an ex, that she had to negotiate their settlement or their separation, and she wanted to, at one point, force that they have family time, which is interesting. Okay, so these two women are single parenting, which.

[Will Friedle]

It also sounds like this.

[Rider Strong]

That her.

[Will Friedle]

Georgina's ex husband left her when she was, like, seven months pregnant and had a toddler. Like, what kind of asshole does that?

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, I mean, that's.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, again, you can have an unhealthy relationship, but, my God, I mean, that's awful.

[Rider Strong]

Well, yeah, it's. It's intensive. Both of these women are trying to raise kids by themselves and party as much as they.

[Will Friedle]

And still drink at three.

[Rider Strong]

And still drink at three. Although we have seen Georgina working. She is. She is a working dermatolog in Tribeca,

[Will Friedle]

so she's probably killing it there.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

All right, then we go to the Garret where it's boys night, because no less than four of them tell us. Boys, Boys night. That's right.

[Will Friedle]

We're going to play hard, man. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

And then Kenny makes this really interesting beat where he talks about how Whitney has an alter ego named Claire.

[Will Friedle]

Claire.

[Rider Strong]

And we cut to multiple shots of Claire twerking.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. And Jersey turnpiking as well. It's like. It's. It's crazy. So the twerk is just the shaking the ass. The Jersey turnpike is when you do it, when you're bent all the way down to the ground. That's a turnpike. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

I did not know that.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. So. All right, so there you go. You can put that on the list. That's true. So she's. Yeah. And it's like. Oh. Because she seems like the nice, conservative kind of.

[Rider Strong]

She's a doll.

[Will Friedle]

She's got an alternate doll that twerks. Oh, my God. Now her new twerking carol.

[Rider Strong]

I just want to know about, like, the whole alter ego thing. Like, I'm like, this is. Can we spend more time on this? Does she actually call herself Claire? Does she refer to herself as. Does she have a separate phone for Claire?

[Will Friedle]

Because that's a problem.

[Rider Strong]

Super. Interesting.

[Will Friedle]

That's super. Yeah. I want to talk more About Claire.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. Kenny tries to confront Gavin a little bit about the conversation last week that made him feel bad, you know, that he was being grilled and he wants the boys to have his back. And Kyle has some insight in a confessional that he doesn't think Gavin is used to seeing Kenny in a happy relationship. And so Gavin is probably upset that he is losing his friend and maybe

[Will Friedle]

undermining him a little bit.

[Rider Strong]

Well, again, interesting.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. If it used to be the kind of relationship where I go to your apartment whenever you want. We hang out all the time. There was. I remember as being that single guy when all my friends were getting married off, where it was kind of like, do I want to go hang out with them and their wives? Do I Now they're having kids. You are the single person out and it's kind of like you do start to feel like maybe you're losing people because they're just. They're hitting a different stage of life and it's one's not better or worse, they're just different. Yeah. And so I can. I get that. That it's a little childish, but you go through that. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

I never felt it with relationships so much as. When Alex got pregnant with Indy. We were the first in our friend group in la. Like, we had friends other places who had all had kids, but we were the older and the only ones having kids at first in our friend group. And it was so interesting. Like, people were not stoked.

[Will Friedle]

Really.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, it took, I would say it took like a year or two years before. And some of them, like, were conscious about and able to say, like, I'm sorry I was not like, super supportive when we found out that you guys were having a kid.

[Will Friedle]

Reason, like it was breaking up the friend group or.

[Rider Strong]

I think it just, it was like, it's. I think like it just panics people with a time clock back then. Do you know what I mean? It's just like, oh, God. You know, it's like, it's one thing because it's like everybody, we were all kind of getting married around the same time. Like, I feel like Alex and I got married and then like a lot of our friends got married within a couple years or whatever. But then we got like, we. She got pregnant within six months of us getting married. So like that, I think just like shocked everybody. It was like, oh, oh, you guys are going to do this. You're going to have kids. Like, that means we're going to all like, feel that pressure. It's just going to change. You Know, because we're like, I get it. You know, at that point, we're going out drinking. We're like, yeah. You know, like, we're young people. And then it's like, suddenly when you're like, oh, by the way, we're going to be having a baby, it does change things. And I remember it being weird and, like, being kind of disappointed that people weren't, like, more stoked. But you have to look, you know, you realize, like, it's just other people's insecurities.

[Will Friedle]

They say comparison is a thief of joy. Don't ever. Don't ever put your life onto somebody else's. Don't combine the two. It's not good. Good.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. It's true. Yeah. All right. Then Kenny tells Andrea that Lexi has been great welcoming Whitney. Cut to Lexi and Whitney at lunch. Firefighters hang out. But, yeah, tons of fire trucks, which we never. Trucks. Know why?

[Will Friedle]

Nah, I'm sure.

[Rider Strong]

But I was thinking the production was just going crazy because they were like, sound. We lost this entire scene. So they're just going, we can't do anything. So they don't. Don't use much of a scene. That's all we get is them saying

[Will Friedle]

just to show them that they're sitting

[Rider Strong]

there because they could not use any of that footage. Back at Gavin's, Kyle says that there are times he thinks Amanda's just waiting him to do something stupid so she can bail. Yes, dude, I agree.

[Will Friedle]

I agree.

[Rider Strong]

Yes. This is the second question that Kyle has asked this episode where I just wanted to say, like, that's exactly right. You're right, Brock. Mock neck does not work. And.

[Will Friedle]

And, yes, she's waiting.

[Rider Strong]

Waiting for you to do something stupid.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Rider Strong]

And then he tells his friends that she is moving out, and they absorb that news. Then Lindsay and Yvonne. Yvonne is asking Lindsay to go out all the time because she does not have a kid. And Lindsay has to keep reminding.

[Will Friedle]

New restaurant opening tonight. She's like, okay, I'm. I'm a mom.

[Rider Strong]

It made sense when you got the backstory that they were both, like, restaurant hospitality people. I'm not sure exactly what they did. I'm assuming they were, like, club promoters or something, but, like, and party girl. I mean, they were clearly party girls. Socialite. Yeah. It's insane.

[Will Friedle]

That was their life. And then you literally pick the one thing that makes you not be able to do that for at least nine months. Probably more than that. But it's like you just. Your life is different now, right?

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. Lindsay says is she surprised that Kenny invited her tonight. And I was like, really? I mean, the show must go on.

[Will Friedle]

You weren't surprised?

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. Kenny and Whitney are getting ready for the party, deciding what to wear. And we cut to Danielle and Owen and they explain that this is basically a party that Kenny is throwing to make up for the fact that she has no closet space. And then Owen makes a joke about like, well, when am I getting my party? And it's revealed that he gets one tiny shelf in the apartment, which.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, all his other shelves are with his wife. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

And Danielle is nervous about seeing Lindsay because she turned her down for coffee.

[Martha Stewart]

This is Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. Ever wonder how to make hosting look effortless? Here's a secret Getting ahead of the Mess with New Reynolds Kitchens Countertop Prep Paper Just lightly wet the counter beforehand so the paper grips and stays in place. Then lay down the Reynolds Kitchen's countertop prep paper so drips and spills stay on the paper, not all over your kitchen counter. You can roll out dough, prep a party spread, or cook alongside family. When you're done, cleanup is as simple as lifting the paper and revealing that clean counter underneath. Effortless. You can use it for cooking and baking, prep and even crafting, especially when you need extra working space. Because when the mess is already handled, you can focus on what matters the food, the people, and the moment. It may look effortless, but now you know. It's Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep Paper. Take a tip from me. Wet it, set it, prep it. Done. Make it easy. Make it with Reynolds Kitchens countertop prep paper, available now in the Reynolds Wrap aisle and Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Costco.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Podcast Host/Announcer]

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[Rider Strong]

Then we go to Whitney's. Welcome to New York party at a cool place. This is a good, very cool place.

[Will Friedle]

This is Grand Central, it's called.

[Rider Strong]

Or. Yeah, something like that.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, it's really.

[Rider Strong]

All these amazing places, man. I mean, New York is just so photogenic. It's awesome. Amanda tells everyone that she has told Kyle that she's moving out. We get shots of the, you know, people talking about shaving their legs with lasers.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, of course.

[Rider Strong]

And that's why I was like, yeah, they need to. They need to plan this drama, because otherwise, those are the kinds of conversations we would be having. That's what you're gonna get. Frank is there. Andrea's friend that he brought for Lindsay. They met. They had met before at Andrea and Lexi's wedding.

[Will Friedle]

I have serious high hopes for some comedy in the future with Frank.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. You feel.

[Will Friedle]

I'm feeling that, Frank. I'm feeling that. And again, it could just be the way they shot. Seems like there's not gonna be much there with Frank except for how he looks. And I'm so excited to see where this goes. I really am.

[Rider Strong]

Well, I like the. When Lexi describes why they did this, her quote is, he's a great looking guy. She's great looking. So I think it's a good match. Okay. Some deep analysis going on here. This is how we make decisions.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Rider Strong]

And I. I thought the point of this was that it was not gonna go well. But then Lindsey is like, frank is so hot.

[Will Friedle]

She loves this guy.

[Rider Strong]

She loves this guy. Frank works in milk and dairy, which I was like, what does that mean exactly?

[Will Friedle]

It's a club. Milk and dairy.

[Rider Strong]

I mean, it was really like, you live in New York and you work in milk and dairy. What does that mean? Do you like.

[Will Friedle]

If you have to ask, yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Oh, and Maddie brings up a good point. Aren't milk and dairy the same thing?

[Will Friedle]

Well, no, because it could be like milk and cheese. You could do both. They could be, like, more dairy products than just milk.

[Rider Strong]

Well, then you just be. I work in dairy.

[Will Friedle]

I work at that. Well, it's milk.

[Rider Strong]

Why do you have. Why is she milk and dairy? It's the same thing, I guess.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, like saying, I work in steak and meat.

[Rider Strong]

Right, Exactly. I work in steaks and meats. I work in pork and meats.

[Will Friedle]

But I have serious high hopes for Frank. I'm pinning my comedy timing on Frank. I'm hoping Frank's gonna. Gonna deliver. Cause I think he is. I really think he is.

[Rider Strong]

Well, Lindsay gets flustered. She's immediately worried about her breath. She has to run away. Then Danielle arrives. Lindsay hesitates to say hi to her, but does say hi to her. So I'm not quite sure what this was, but Danielle is somewhat hurt.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, the fake. The Lindsay fake. Like, oh, I didn't even see you there. Hi, how are you? It's like, you knew she was there. Like, you knew she was there.

[Rider Strong]

Is that what you were thinking? I was kind of like, whatever.

[Will Friedle]

At least she knew, but she knew she was there. Clearly. She's like, I think they even said before, like, oh, she just walked in. Oh, she's behind you. And then all of a sudden, it's like, oh, I didn't know you were here. It's like, it's just so, like, ugh. Just, you know, it's just the same kind of passive aggressive stuff. It's very, very high school. Sometimes with. With a lot of these conversations can be very high school. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

And then Nick, who is, as far as I can tell, the least developed character. He is a guy that's always around, but we haven't really learned anything about him. I don't think he's dating anybody. Am I wrong? He's just kind of there.

[Maddie]

Oh, wait, no. Nick. Nick is married to Yvonne.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Nick is Yvonne's husband. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

She wants to have a baby, and he, like, keeps trying that. He doesn't want to have a baby.

[Rider Strong]

Right?

[Maddie]

Yeah. She flew to San Diego and he didn't know that.

[Will Friedle]

Remember, he's the good dog. He's the good dog, dad.

[Rider Strong]

Right. Well, that's what this scene ends up being about is that he's like, he. He's like, this is Jackson's best friend.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

And I love that. Kyle's like, jackson, your dog.

[Will Friedle]

That's your dog, right?

[Rider Strong]

That's your dog, right? Oh, my God.

[Will Friedle]

No, he's in Dogs and Animals.

[Rider Strong]

Okay. Dogs and Animals.

[Will Friedle]

Dogs and milk and dairy.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, I work in Dogs and Animals.

[Will Friedle]

Dogs and Animals. I work in Dogs and Canines. Yeah, no, he. This is gonna sound weird, but I think reality wise, he's probably the quote unquote least interesting and the one that we would probably hang out with the most. Nick does that. Yeah. Cause I think he's just probably like a regular guy. He's like, yeah, my wife's kind of on this reality show and I'm on it every once in a while. That's how he comes off. Yeah, that's. And I kind of dig that, where he's just.

[Rider Strong]

I feel like. I mean, I still want to hang out with Lindsay's ex who refuses to be part of the show.

[Will Friedle]

Hell yes.

[Rider Strong]

I still want to know what his story is because, you know, he's in negotiations and like, child custody, and he's just like, oh, God. I have to deal with the fact that, yeah, this. It's on the show and my kid is part of it and I can't do anything about it.

[Will Friedle]

Well, that's the other problem. That's the other thing, especially with watching these two episodes back to back, is all the women where he's like, I'm getting I hate men energy. A lot of the conversations, they literally like, well, the men are always the problem. I mean, they literally said that at one time. Like, the men are always the problem. And I just want to be like,

[Martha Stewart]

maybe look to yourself a little bit,

[Will Friedle]

you know, like, everyone I'm sure you've met shit men. There's plenty of shit men out there, but there's plenty of shit women out there too. And maybe you just need to look to yourself. And not all men are awful. And so it was interesting. Cause that was the straight up line as they were sitting there in the first episode. She's like, well, it's always the man's. It's always the man's fault. And it was like, it's really not always the man's fault. So that's why I want to talk to Nick, because I feel like he'd be the end to what's really going on.

[Rider Strong]

Well, Nick's comment about Jackson the dog having a best friend made me think of one of my favorite unsung philosophers. Have you ever heard of Jeremy Bentham?

[Will Friedle]

Who hasn't? Jeremy Bentham from the Coney Island Benthams?

[Rider Strong]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Nobody's heard of this guy. Nobody.

[Rider Strong]

No. Jeremy Bentham is, you know, he's a fascinating philosopher. He is from the 18th century, mid 18th century, into the 19th century. English philosopher, really the founder of utilitarianism, which is.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, thank God we got to this, yo.

[Rider Strong]

It is. This is the ethical theory that morally correct action is whatever produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. So, like, okay, basically, the idea. He was moving away from the idea that there's, like, a God given, like, human right, in other words, that, like, there's no, like, soul that we need to protect or that you make moral decisions based on commandments from God, but you make moral decisions based on do they increase happiness or decrease suffering?

[Will Friedle]

Right, okay.

[Rider Strong]

And so these were. That idea was developed by his student John Stuart Mill. You've probably heard that name before, of course. Right, so John Stuart, really?

[Will Friedle]

No, John Stuart the Green Lantern and always will be.

[Rider Strong]

All right, well, so John Stuart Mill is the more famous philosopher known for philosophy. He developed utilitarianism into the way we. Into more practical terms. But the thing about Bentham and the thing about utilitarianism that was so cool is that because he started developing this idea of morality based on decreasing suffering. What that means is that he opened. His philosophy was open to recognizing rights for people that. And entities that might not have been given rights under other forms of moral philosophy, for instance, women's rights. He was a very early adopter to say, if we're just talking about happiness and decreasing suffering, women should be included in this. Also animal rights. He was one of the first people to say we shouldn't torture animals. Like, there's. If this thing is an entity that can suffer, why not protect it? And. And why not try and decrease animal suffering? So he was way ahead of his time. Yeah, he's. He got a little interested. He. He created this whole, like, system of happiness and suffering, like, where he. He tried to make it, like, very scientific, but I think in general, like, just the idea that of utilitarianism was so valuable. He's always been one of my favorite philosophers. He also has this weird fact, which is that his body is still on display at a college in. In London. He. He donated his body. He wanted it to be.

[Will Friedle]

So. Have you gone and met this guy? No.

[Rider Strong]

I'm so creeped out. I've looked at pictures online. It's so creepy. It's so creepy. But, yeah, he wanted his body to be preserved for science, and he wanted to, like, give his body over to, you know, for. For study. And so it's still preserved.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I would argue that people staring at your dead body increases the suffering of the people around you. So just anti utilitarianism right there. He's going against his own philosophies.

[Rider Strong]

No, the biggest critique of his philosophy is, of course, that if you just take a. If you just were to only think utilitarian, wise.

[Will Friedle]

Right, right.

[Rider Strong]

If you could kill one people to save a million, you should.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Rider Strong]

And that's a problem. Right. There's a limit to it that at a certain point, utilitarianism can only go so far. I mean, but as a principle, I find it. It very valuable. And I do think that it's like the driving, you know, and. Because if you think about it, pre 1800s, there weren't a whole lot of people thinking about morality outside of, you know, what the God. Yeah. What God says. So. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

But it's also. It's also shows you how. How easily one word can change things. Because again, it seems like it kind of comes from the philosophy. Does or. Yeah. Does the good of the many outweigh the good of the few or the one? Which is different than asking, can the good of the one or the few outweigh the good of the many? So two. Two different things, but using kind of the same words. So. No, I get. I get. It's an interesting way to look at it, frankly. Yeah. Yeah. All right.

[Rider Strong]

Well, one of my favorite underrated philosophers, Jeremy Bentham.

[Will Friedle]

Jonathan Barfinon.

[Rider Strong]

Jeremy Bentham.

[Will Friedle]

Jeremy Bentham.

[Rider Strong]

All right, back to our dinner. Or back to our drinks. Our welcome party. Welcome to New York party. Kenny makes a toast. I thought this toast was just. Okay.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, no, this is. If you're gonna take the stage, if you're gonna clink your glass, bring the house down. Yeah. I mean, come on. Come on, Kenny. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

I mean, I guess it's good in general that he's doing this.

[Will Friedle]

Right. Can I ask a random question for you? Because you. I have no fashion sense. You have a little bit of fashion sense, but neither of us have good fashion sense.

[Rider Strong]

I have developed my fashion sense, by the way.

[Will Friedle]

You're getting there more than I am, for certain.

[Rider Strong]

I've started to care more. I've started to work at it, and I feel better about it. In the last five years, feel like I have actually developed a pretty good fashion sense.

[Will Friedle]

I think that's good. I Think we both have a long ways to go. But my question is Kenny.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And a lot of men are into these kind of like, almost like, athleisure wear one piece suits where his pants matched his shirt kind of thing. Are you pro or against that kind of almost like gym wear? Look, I'm sure the thing he was wearing was expensive as shit. It was probably cashmere, but I'm curious how you feel about that.

[Rider Strong]

No, it wasn't.

[Martha Stewart]

It linen?

[Rider Strong]

Didn't he say it was like a linen.

[Will Friedle]

Was it linen? Yeah, but the pants, like, mat. It's like a one piece.

[Rider Strong]

I think he. I think he was pulling his look

[Will Friedle]

off whatever that was. I agree.

[Rider Strong]

I don't like wearing work. I agree.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. Okay. Same, same.

[Rider Strong]

I like it. I. You know, I. I realized that I tend to like things being slightly uncomfortable, like, or, like, dress up. Like, I don't like things to look, like, soft and casual or like I'm, you know, cozy. Like, I don't. I don't want to project that. I am, like, you know, in any way comfortable or. Yeah, no, in any way comfortable. Isn't that weird? Like, I feel that way even about sneakers. I'm like, no, no, no. If I'm going out, I should be wearing, like, shoe shoes.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Sneakers are for my comfort. So I don't even think of them as something to put out into the world.

[Will Friedle]

Like women. That's what women do. When I talk to Susan, I mean, there's times where she. She will literally, we have to find out. And I think a lot of women do this. Find out how long it would take to get from the car to the restaurant, then back again to see what kind of shoes she'd wear. So if it's too long a walk, you're not wearing something like Louboutins, because they're gonna hurt.

[Rider Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

So it's like, hey, if we're gonna be out for three hours, I'm not wearing this kind of shoe. If we're gonna be out for 20 minutes and I get to sit in the car most of it, and then just walk to the restaurant, I can wear this kind of shoe. So, yeah, I think it's the same thing where.

[Rider Strong]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

Shoes are comfortable. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. I think. I think you could suffer a little bit for your fashion. I don't think. I think I. I would have argued against that a while ago, you know, like, especially when we were younger. Like, right back in the day, it was all about comfort. I didn't, you know, it was like I was anti fashion. If Anything. I've come to think that, like, fashion is important, and it's important in so many different ways. Like, I just think. But. But primarily it makes you feel good.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Do you know what I mean? Like, I like projecting into the world a version of myself that is the version in my own head. Right. Like, so if I. If I think, like, oh, I look good in this, or I feel good in this, that's going to be what I want to. So maybe I just need to work out more, and then I would be better. Feel better about projecting athletic wear.

[Will Friedle]

But that's the thing is, I'm starting to. I'm starting, like, clothes are fitting better on me, so then I feel better about myself, so then I want different clothes.

[Rider Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

And it's like, it's that horrible cycle, but it's a good thing where I'm like, okay, well, this shirt looks good on me, so now I gotta get it in every color, like, okay. Like, that kind of thing. So I'm getting there.

[Rider Strong]

All right. After the toast, Kyle makes a joke about Lace to Danielle, and they go aside, and Kyle tells her to go squash her problems with Lace. Lindsay.

[Will Friedle]

But he also just stokes the flames

[Rider Strong]

first, because in the process, he says, I'm not gonna use the word slut, which is just, like, a terrible word. Nobody. And she did not say that. All she talked about was that you gave a hand job to her ex a week after you broke up. But he manages to say, she didn't say this, but the word slut. I'm not. It's like, whoa. And then he says, the word boy crazy has come up. And at this point, I was. Was like, kyle, you're drunk. Shut up.

[Will Friedle]

He is clearly drunk, too.

[Rider Strong]

He's so drunk.

[Will Friedle]

Clearly drunk, too.

[Rider Strong]

Yep.

[Will Friedle]

And just saying stuff he shouldn't be saying.

[Rider Strong]

And luckily, Danielle doesn't take the bait. I thought she was going to walk right over and be like, did you call me a. You said I'm boy crazy. And I was. She's just like, no, I don't have time for this. I think she was able to see Kyle for being just a drunken at that point.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Rider Strong]

Yep. Then Lindsay takes Kenny aside. Here's the big confrontation we've been waiting for. She opens it up by saying, you felt grilled by me. And he says, yes, indeed. Everyone was piling on. And she says, that's the way I talk to my friends. Which, you know, just maybe just say, sorry I made you feel that way.

[Will Friedle]

100% I'm sorry. Don't justify it.

[Rider Strong]

I tend to think I. I talked to my. I thought I was being helpful if it didn't come off, though. Yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And it's also like, they've also. They set up beforehand several times in this episode. They don't really know each other. She doesn't know Whitney at all, and she doesn't know him that well either. So it's like, I. You know, obviously, mind your business is not a thing on reality shows. I understand that. But there also can come a point where it's like, maybe just be less abrasive is all I'm saying, you know?

[Rider Strong]

But I will say this because there's a part of me that was like, why is he so upset? Like, because if you're happy to not be engaged and you're happy that your girlfriend moved across the country and, like, moved in with you, that's like, if the fact that some other woman is like, I can't believe she didn't do that without a ring. Okay, right. She did. But obviously it struck a chord because he's insecure about it. He's upset like, oh, I felt like, you're pil. It's like, no. Like, if. Like, if anybody said to me, before my wife and I got married, like, ryder, you should really put a ring on, I was like, well, that's not our vibe. Like, that's not a thing.

[Will Friedle]

Like, that's not for us.

[Rider Strong]

That's not my concern. That's not her concern. If she has that problem, she can bring it up to me. Who are you? Like, it wouldn't affect me. It wouldn't make me, you know? But the fact that it got under his skin means that I think he kind of knows that he asked a lot of Whitney and that Whitney might expect some of these things. That's possible, because otherwise, like, why wouldn't he just be like, well, now Whitney doesn't care. Care. She. She just loves coming to New York, and we're moving in together, and we're happy. So what are you talking about? Instead, he's like, how dare you? You hate men.

[Will Friedle]

I would be much more upset with. Is it Gavin? His friend who owns the bars? Yeah, I would have been much more upset with that, because I would.

[Rider Strong]

He did talk, and he was able to say, I want you to have my back.

[Will Friedle]

Like, but he was able to say it, and then they were like, all right, we're fine. We squashed it. Like, took. Took, like, two seconds where he seemed more angry with her than he did with him. And it's like, dude, that's your friend of many years who's saying stuff like, you, you're a boy. In front of people that you don't know in front of your new girlfriend over there. It's like, that's the guy who'd be like, dude, what the hell? Like that. That's the conversation to me. Whereas this one, I agree with you 100%. Just because I would have answered when she's like, you know, it's big deal to move across the country without a ring. I would have answered, it's a big deal to move across the country. Anytime you're moving across the country, that's a big deal.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. Or just like, yeah, it is.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, Great.

[Rider Strong]

Exactly.

[Will Friedle]

You're right.

[Rider Strong]

She took that risk, and I took that risk, and we're moving into.

[Will Friedle]

We're jumping in both feet. I guess we'll see what happens. Happens. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Cuts to Whitney, who does not want to step in, even though she's aware that this conversation is going on behind her. And Amanda and Georgina tell her that, you know, Lindsay's actually on her side being sort of like a mama bear, which I think is true. You know, And. And I also, you know, as much as Lindsay is kind of being annoying in this moment and also a little drunk, which I guess is just par for the course of the show. They're just always. Because I'm not really great at reading when people are drunk, I sort of assume everybody's sober, but you can tell. But she does clarify what she actually said. And what she actually said wasn't necessarily criticism. It was just, I'm surprised. She's basically like, she moved here without a ring. She's not saying she shouldn't have done it. She's just saying it's a big deal. And that says something about her and your relationship. Which is true. And he could have just said, okay, but anyway. But that's. She points out that she's dramatic, and she says, how am I dramatic? And he goes, you're fighting with me at Whitney's moving to New York party. Isn't that dramatic? Which is a good point. Right.

[Will Friedle]

But didn't he start it?

[Rider Strong]

No, I think. Didn't she?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, did she come over to him? Okay, then he's right, 100%. Then, yeah, you're right, 100%. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Huh.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Weird.

[Rider Strong]

So that was the movie. The movie to New York party. Then we are touring Amanda's new apartment or potential new apartment. She has an incredible list of demands. She wants a doorman. She wants light. She wants tons of Closet space, probably a jacuzzi, helicopter landing pad, helicopter landing

[Will Friedle]

bed, all that kind of stuff.

[Rider Strong]

And then Lindsay and Amanda talk, and Amanda hasn't told her parents. She talks about hating change and describes how she once handcuffed herself to the cast iron railings inside her. Oh. When she was child.

[Will Friedle]

She's not dramatic. That's all I was thinking. Like, thank God she's not dramatic.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, I think there's a, you know, a certain type of person that works on these shows. And then our final scene is Kyle zooming with his mom.

[Will Friedle]

Did you notice the watch?

[Rider Strong]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Go back and watch. The watch keeps going like it's 11 minutes faster. It's now 3. 57. It's now 4:15. It's now 4. O3. It's now 3. So they obviously cut up the conversation with his mom and put it in different orders.

[Rider Strong]

Oh, of course.

[Will Friedle]

Because the watches. The watch time is changing. It's start.

[Rider Strong]

You know, that's interesting.

[Will Friedle]

Like, it ends at 4, 4 14. But then when they cut him with his hands and it says, this watch says 401. So it's like they keep. Like they keep cutting up the conversation.

[Rider Strong]

It's very interesting.

[Will Friedle]

Wow.

[Martha Stewart]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah. Well, so his mom apparently has had surgery. His dad has got melanoma, which felt very familiar to me. Doesn't look like every time you call

[Will Friedle]

your parents, it's like, oh, all the conversations.

[Rider Strong]

Who's walking now?

[Will Friedle]

When was the last time?

[Rider Strong]

Yep.

[Will Friedle]

Said the same thing. Like, oh, this is every time I call my parents.

[Rider Strong]

This is midlife calling your parents.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Rider Strong]

And then Kyle tells his mom that he and Amanda have separated. And I thought this was a really intense moment with his mom starting to cry.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

And just like. Like, this is heartfelt, you know, and the way she's just. I feel so sorry for both of you.

[Will Friedle]

But you know what was really interesting? That the thing that I thought about, too, is unlike in any other normal relationship, this couple that's been together for 10 years, their parents have watched it. Like, you know, they're watching the show. So they're watching these fights. They're watching the. The makeups. They're watching the. We haven't had sex in seven years. They're there for every step of the way in a way that parents are normally not there for their children's relationships. It's such a weird depth of, like, watching this. Yeah. It hit me so strange. Or I'm like, my God, they've been like, imagine having a camera on you and Alex all day and your parents and her Parents are watching it happen. It's so strange to think about that level of. I don't know. And again, they're asking for it. So it's not like.

[Rider Strong]

But I wonder, is it that. I mean, I totally agree. It's like, it's. But is it that different from a lot of people's lives these days with social media? Because I actually.

[Will Friedle]

Not to this extent, but from this. More so than it used to be.

[Rider Strong]

But I do feel like a lot of people engage with Facebook or Instagram and publicize their relationship and their fights and their conversations and their friend groups. And so for I think a lot of people, there is like a sort of audience constantly. You know, whether that's your parents or just your friends. Like, there's this sense of. Sense that other people are always watching or, you know, it's.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

We're all.

[Will Friedle]

Or you want something. That's the thing is you want them to watch. I need. I can't eat the salad till I take a picture of it and let everyone know the salad that I'm having.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Like, really?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Martha Stewart]

Okay.

[Rider Strong]

But, yeah, it's just such.

[Will Friedle]

It's such a different way to live.

[Rider Strong]

It is. Well, we get flashbacks of Kyle and Amanda's history, which is crazy for me, to. So young. Oh, my God. Like, kids.

[Will Friedle]

My God.

[Rider Strong]

And to just be, you know, seeing that they were getting married and Covid issues and, like, it was just. It seems like there's been a lot of drama in the ten Years of Summer House. Yeah, this made me sad. I was sort of like, this is just awful to watch this people. These people going through a divorce. They're. They're breaking up.

[Will Friedle]

It's so funny. So I'm watching it with Susan, and we're.

[Rider Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

We see this whole thing, and we know she's with them, and they show the flashback of the fight for the summer house, and they show the.

[Rider Strong]

The. The.

[Will Friedle]

The reunion and all this stuff, and all of it is finished, and they're yelling and everybody's doing all this stuff, and it's dead silent. And Susan just goes, they'll get back together.

[Rider Strong]

Really?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. She's just. She's just like, they'll get back together. And it was just the way she said it was like this finality to it where it's like, you know, they're going to end up somehow back. Back with each other.

[Rider Strong]

You mean, in the course of this season?

[Will Friedle]

Of this season. I don't know if it'll be three years from now, but at some point, and it's like, you Find that sometimes with people that are. And I'm not saying they're toxic people individually, but together, clearly they're toxic. The relationship is toxic. They might not be as people, but their relationship is. And a lot of times those people find their way back to each other.

[Rider Strong]

They just do.

[Maddie]

I agree with you, Will. A lot of times, like, those people do get back together, but with them, I don't see it.

[Will Friedle]

Really? You don't think it's gonna happen?

[Maddie]

I don't think so. He has like this DJ gig in Vegas now, and she is very much so. And he said this about her. Like, she lays in bed all day. She smokes weed every single day. Like, she's very just like, chill.

[Rider Strong]

Homebody.

[Maddie]

She doesn't. Yeah, almost, but not even homebody. Like, to maybe an alarming extent to

[Will Friedle]

where it's like, like, maybe agoraphobic.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Maddie]

Like, maybe get up and, like, go try something. Like, he said this, that, like in this episode, he was like, we can't play pickleball together. We can't do this. Like.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, he did.

[Rider Strong]

He did.

[Will Friedle]

He said they kind of. She wasn't. So you think she just does. Doesn't do much.

[Maddie]

Yeah, apparently that's what. That's what people say. So. I don't know.

[Will Friedle]

I think, yeah, maybe they. Maybe they.

[Maddie]

Maybe they won't.

[Rider Strong]

I thought it was so sweet when his mom pointed out, like, that his dad was married for 10 years before, you know, she met him. And I thought it was like, yeah, I think, you know, these. It's funny because in my mind, these people are younger than they actually are.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Rider Strong]

Like, I keep thinking that we're dealing with with 30 somethings who got married in their 20s, but we're actually talking about people who are almost the exact same age as us. Like, he's 43, I'm 46.

[Will Friedle]

But there's plenty of people who there. It's their second relationship. Second marriages. Second. Those are the ones that really stick because, you know, you've also been through a relationship where you. You leave. And if you don't know much else, you know what you don't want. And so maybe you. You know what to look out for for your next time. Yeah, I think it happens.

[Rider Strong]

It just also seems like they. They. I mean, and obviously this is heightened, but it just seems like there's been a lot of drama, you know, and like, you get addicted to the drama. You get addicted to, like, we're gonna make it despite the odds. It's a very. It's a Cory Topanga Syndrome.

[Will Friedle]

It is. It is. Yeah.

[Martha Stewart]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

I don't know. Well, I got my new segment, starting with calling it this is what you should drink if you're watching this show. Yeah. Thank you. Tonight. Of course, they. They mentioned it on the show today. So I want to highlight the. The espresso martini to make one at home in under two minutes, you combine 2 ounces of vodka, 1 ounce of fresh espresso, 1 ounce of coffee liqueur, and half an ounce of simple syrup in a shaker with ice.

[Rider Strong]

Shake it. Ice.

[Will Friedle]

Holy crap.

[Rider Strong]

Hold on. That sounds really sweet. Coffee liqueur.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, dude, I don't need anything after the 2 ounces of vodka. And that's just what I have while I'm figuring out what to eat.

[Rider Strong]

I've never had an espresso martini. As much as I love coffee and I love alcohol, I don't like combining these two things together.

[Will Friedle]

You can't fall asleep.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, I've never liked Irish coffees or Jameson's in your coffee. I've never. I can handle tea. I like. I like hot toddies.

[Will Friedle]

But.

[Rider Strong]

Yeah, I've never had an espresso martini.

[Maddie]

But.

[Rider Strong]

But now I literally just set up an espresso machine in my house this morning. So maybe I should go make a 2 ounce of. Can I do it liqueur though.

[Will Friedle]

1 ounce of coffee liqueur.

[Rider Strong]

What is that like amaretto? What is coffee liqueur?

[Will Friedle]

Amaretto's almond coffee liqueur. I think is coffee. Coffee liqueur.

[Rider Strong]

You just go find.

[Will Friedle]

I think so. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

I could probably do it without it.

[Will Friedle]

You could, eh, maybe win a half an ounce of simple syrup, shake it with ice, shake vigorously to create a frothy crema, which is the name of my new band, Frothy crema. And then strain it into a chilled glass.

[Rider Strong]

And there's four shots of espresso today. How is that?

[Will Friedle]

I would be in a panic attack until 2021.

[Rider Strong]

Well, you don't really do caffeine.

[Will Friedle]

I don't do. I haven't done caffeine in like 20 years.

[Rider Strong]

I've had two cups of tea and because I have a new espresso machine, I had to keep trying to froth milk. So I made two different lattes. Is not very good at it yet.

[Will Friedle]

Talk to Susan. Susan makes her morning. She's got. We've got one. She does it perfectly every morning. Yeah.

[Rider Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

No, I do. I. If I have half a cup of

[Rider Strong]

decaf, I want to master the cappuccino because that's like the, you know, the

[Will Friedle]

real, like, thick, frothy one.

[Rider Strong]

Frothy ones? Yeah, because, like, latte is just like hot milk. It's not that, but, like, I gotta figure this out.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, you'll get there.

[Rider Strong]

All right. Maybe I'll go make a martini and have. I'll put two more shots of espresso. I'll be flying high tonight. Night.

[Will Friedle]

My God, you're never going to sleep. Yikes.

[Rider Strong]

All right, you've been listening to Pod Meats Twirled. The parties may end, the friendships may fracture, and the artisanal cocktails may lose their garnish. But our deeply overqualified analysis of televised social catastrophe will endure. Until next time, trap your smoking. Foreign.

[Martha Stewart]

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[Commercial Narrator]

Now streaming on Paramount, the acclaimed series from executive producer Lena Waithe reaches its final chapter. The Shy. For seven seasons, these stories, these streets, this community have stayed with us. Now it all leads to this. As friendships are tested, families evolve, and secrets refuse to stay buried. One thing is certain. The Chi is more than just a series. It's a legacy. Don't miss the final season of the Shy now streaming on the Paramount Premium Plan.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Podcast Host/Announcer]

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[Rider Strong]

Guaranteed human.