#2859 Love Hotel 0105 Part One: Santa’s Back in Town w/ Guest Amy Phillips

Summary

Watch What Crappens - Episode #2859: Love Hotel 0105 Part One: Santa’s Back in Town w/ Guest Amy Phillips

Release Date: May 26, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode #2859 of Watch What Crappens, hosts Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam dive deep into the latest happenings of Bravo's reality TV sensation, Love Hotel. Joining them as a special guest is Amy Phillips from the Drama Darling podcast. Together, they dissect the nuances of "Love Hotel 0105: Santa’s Back in Town", offering a blend of insightful commentary and their trademark humor.

AI Banter and Lighthearted Moments

The episode kicks off with the hosts and Amy engaging in a playful conversation about the pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI). They humorously speculate on AI's takeover, with Ben remarking:

Ben Mandelker [03:44]: "You cannot even joke about that anymore because it is happening now."

Amy chimes in with her own amusing takes:

Amy Phillips [03:54]: "It's scaring me. It's terrifying me. But then I'm like, is it funny?"

This segment sets a lighthearted tone, showcasing their chemistry and ability to infuse humor into everyday topics.

Recap of Love Hotel: Santa’s Back in Town

The core of the episode revolves around the detailed recap of Love Hotel's fifth episode, titled "Santa’s Back in Town". The hosts break down the episode's pivotal moments, focusing on the intricate relationships and dramatic twists that define the reality series.

Key Plot Points and Character Dynamics

• Shannon and Earl's Tense Reunion: The episode highlights a dramatic scene where Shannon confronts Earl about his past actions. Earl's emotional vulnerability is evident as he sobs upon receiving a heartfelt envelope from Shannon.

  Shannon [12:18]: "She'S like, earl, I have wanted to give you this envelope with something in it."

  Ben captures the essence of this moment with humor:

  Ben Mandelker [26:53]: "this line. This could only be a Shannon line."

• The Return of a Controversial Character: The unexpected comeback of a character named Broccoli Earl reignites tensions and speculations among the cast and viewers alike.

  Amy Phillips [10:55]: "Broccoli Earl. I was gonna say, yeah, totally, because that's the only person that I was like, oh, did they make him leave and then bring him back?"

• Relationship Maneuvers: Amy and Ben dissect the evolving relationships, including Shannon's interaction with new character Adam and Giselle's involvement with Phil. The interplay between the characters reveals underlying motives and personal growth.

  Gwen Pentland [25:02]: "Phy, I mean, Phyllis?"

Notable Scenes and Memorable Quotes

Throughout the recap, several standout moments are highlighted:

• Shannon's Determination:

  Gwen Pentland [25:31]: "I am better than this. I found a new man named Adam."

• Earl's Emotional Struggles:

  Ben Mandelker [16:32]: "You could have done this. You know what I mean? Here's what I was thinking. You fucking deadbeat stepdad."

• Humorous Takes on Character Traits:

  Ben Mandelker [05:26]: "I'm gonna put you up another baby if you go to Santa Clarita."

Insights and Humorous Commentary

Beyond the episode recap, the hosts and Amy provide insightful yet humorous analyses of the characters' actions and motivations. They delve into the complexities of relationships portrayed in the show, often highlighting the absurdity and entertainment value of reality TV dynamics.

• On AI's Role in Reality TV:

  Amy Phillips [03:54]: "It's scaring me. It's terrifying me. But then I'm like, is it funny?"

• On Character Development:

  Ben Mandelker [25:35]: "She's super happy where Phil and I are right now. He's like, thank you, Bella."

Their banter not only entertains but also provides a deeper understanding of the characters' psychological landscapes, making the recap engaging for both regular viewers and newcomers.

Conclusion and Tease for Part Two

As the episode progresses, the discussion builds up to pivotal moments that leave listeners eager for more. The hosts wrap up the first part of their two-part recap by highlighting unresolved tensions and setting the stage for upcoming revelations in Love Hotel.

Ben Mandelker [59:46]: "You've reached the end of part one of a two part recap for part two. Go look for the recap that says part two. See you over there, suckers."

This effective cliffhanger ensures that listeners are hooked and anticipating the continuation of their in-depth analysis in the next episode.

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Tune In Next Time: For those who missed the first part or are eager for a continuation of the lively discussion, stay tuned for Part Two of the Love Hotel recap on Watch What Crappens. Join Ben, Ronnie, and Amy as they further unravel the drama and delights of Bravo's beloved reality series.

Transcript

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[Ronnie Karam]

Who cares what happens when there's so much that crappens?

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, hello and welcome to Watch what Crappens. I'm Ronnie and today Ben is in Norway, Norwaying it up. So I picked the most gorgeous, talented, voice activated friend I could find, Amy Phillips from the Drama Darling podcast. Amy, hello.

[Amy Phillips]

Hello. Thank you so much for letting be here today. I am not an AI. I am a regular person, not AI. I am happy to be here filling in for Ben.

[Ben Mandelker]

You cannot even joke about that anymore because it is happening now. People are very upset about AI taking over the world. It's already taken over. What are you going to do?

[Amy Phillips]

People are sending me those like Real Housewives kids, babies doing reenacting the scenes and I can't. I'm like, I can't do it. I don't know. I can't. It's scaring me. It's terrifying me. But then I'm like, is it funny? I don't know.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. People are like, don't you worry that you're just going to become irrelevant? I was like, you missed that train.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, yeah, for sure. And then like every other day it's sag is like, we're trying. We're trying. We're storming the Capitol.

[Ben Mandelker]

We can't control the robots. I know. Everyone thought it was going to be like Terminator where the robots were going to kill us. No, they're just going to take all your jobs.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, that's it. It's worse.

[Gwen Pentland]

It is worse.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's worse.

[Amy Phillips]

We'd all rather just die than work. Wait, would we? I don't know.

[Ben Mandelker]

I don't know. We get to live, but we don't have. Wait a minute.

[Gwen Pentland]

We don't have to live.

[Amy Phillips]

Hold on a second.

[Ben Mandelker]

This is amazing.

[Amy Phillips]

I love it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, those AI babies, I was watching those yesterday. Someone posted one in the Atlanta Reddit and I was cracking up. I thought it was so funny. It was so cute. And then I read the comments and they were like, f everybody who likes.

[Gwen Pentland]

This, you Goddamn monster.

[Ben Mandelker]

And I was like, okay, well, I'm a horrible human being.

[Amy Phillips]

But I thought it was funny, separate people.

[Ben Mandelker]

It already has. Yeah, it's bad. It's really bad. Well, anyway, we're. We're real.

[Amy Phillips]

Hi. Yes, we're real. Thank you so much for having me. Hi, Ben.

[Ben Mandelker]

As far as we know. Yeah. Well, welcome back, Amy. It's so good to talk to you. Always. So you're. You've been doing drama, darling, for a while?

[Amy Phillips]

Two years.

[Ben Mandelker]

Raising your daughter.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

How's it been going? Are you loving it?

[Amy Phillips]

I love it. I love working from home. It's amazing. And I'm up here in Santa Clarita. If you're watching the Valley, which I know you are, of course, we refer to Danny as Danny Clarita because, you know, he's up here in Santa Clarita in my neighborhood. I'd like to say I put Santa Clarita on the map before anyone even knew it was there. And they still are like, where is it? So I'm really happy that the Valley is starting to embrace my neighborhood and thrilled that they moved up here.

[Ben Mandelker]

Santa Clarita.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm going to Santa Clarita. I'll give you another baby if you go to Santa Clarita.

[Amy Phillips]

That's so good. That's so good. I can't quite get her voice down, but she's kinda like rolling nails.

[Unknown]

Like, rolling nailing.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Amy Phillips]

Is she not so nasal like that?

[Gwen Pentland]

I was. I lived in my car. I lived in front of us.

[Ben Mandelker]

She's kind of got the Rachel Raquel.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, yeah. It does have that vibe. You're right.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. So Santa Clarita. Tell me about it. Is it. Because I feel like. Do you feel like Danny kind of tarnished? Santa Clarita?

[Amy Phillips]

You know what? I feel like Nia did, because she was like, I don't want to have anything to do with that trash pit, you know? And I was like, listen, give it a try. She's right. It's. You know, it's a lot of open space. It's. It's the suburbs, you know? But you. So you really have the best of both worlds. You have. It's great for kids. The public school system is amazing. The restaurants suck. But that's why I'm always at Chili's, which I like to say. I mean, Chili's is really the only place that we go. Like, that's pretty much it. If you want to get good food, you have to go into la, and that's great. But I do love it up Here. And I've made a lot of good, like, mom friends, you know?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Santa Clarita, ma' am.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, the Santa Clarita Bonitas, you know?

[Unknown]

Is it the Santa Clarita Bonitas?

[Amy Phillips]

I don't know if they know that I call them that, but I do.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm from El Paso, Texas, so everything there is kind of like Spanish based as well.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, I like that. I love it. Santa Clarita Bonitas. And that's how you pronounce it, too.

[Amy Phillips]

You do.

[Ben Mandelker]

The Santa Clarita's Bonitas. I think it sounds so fancy. I mean, it's a saint.

[Amy Phillips]

Thank you. It's a pretty.

[Ben Mandelker]

Although most saints are poor, you know, I guess is the thing.

[Amy Phillips]

This one, no offense.

[Ben Mandelker]

This one, like Santa Ana, you know, the Santa Ana or wins. The Santa Anita is a shitty racetrack. Like, the saints can't really win.

[Amy Phillips]

No, they can't. The Santa Claus, those are just the A's, right? Santa Claus.

[Ben Mandelker]

Santa Claus. He got better. He actually came back to Love island today, which was good.

[Amy Phillips]

What?

[Ben Mandelker]

He was brought back.

[Amy Phillips]

Love Hotel, dude. I call it Love island like no one's business. I can't not call it that. Thank God someone else is doing it to me, because I'm sick of being corrected.

[Ben Mandelker]

It's making me crazy. And then Love island is coming back. We're covering that. So of course I'm calling that Love Hotel.

[Amy Phillips]

You know, you trade one out, you.

[Ben Mandelker]

Put one in, which I kind of wish it was, because I could use six hours of Love Hotel a week. I love it.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, my God. Don't you think that Luann should host it next time?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes. Or Giselle. I saw someone online suggesting Giselle because Giselle really doesn't want to be there anyway.

[Amy Phillips]

She does it. And you're right, Luann is. She would host it, but then she would just hook up with all of the men anyway.

[Ben Mandelker]

She would fuck everybody.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, 100%.

[Ben Mandelker]

I used to cover the Bachelor, and the running joke was that Chris Harrison was banging everybody in the Porta Potties because, like, why else is he there? You know, he's always disheveled and kind of greasy. His hair is always kind of a mess.

[Amy Phillips]

He's worse than Jeff Probst. I mean, Jeff Probst is like, you know, fruity put together.

[Ben Mandelker]

Jeff Probst does, like, push ups before takes, you know? And Chris Harrison. Yeah. And Chris Harrison's like, I'm tired. You know, he's like a little golf thing in a porta Potty. And that's it.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

Especially on that bachelor one. The bachelor on the island or whatever it is. The bachelor on the beach.

[Amy Phillips]

The bachelor. Beach. The beach Bach. The beach bachelors.

[Ben Mandelker]

That's right. Paradise and bachelor. Yeah, beach bachelors.

[Amy Phillips]

They're gonna throw in golden bachelors and bachelorettes with these beach bachelorettes and bachelors. Did you know that?

[Ben Mandelker]

Are they really? They're gonna put it. Put Ashley in there. Ashley's a proven test case. God. You give Ashley a decent meal and.

[Gwen Pentland]

She'S like, I'll take the expired Milk.

[Ben Mandelker]

Duds in the freezer for $5.

[Amy Phillips]

You're right.

[Ben Mandelker]

Poor Ralph.

[Amy Phillips]

All expense paid shopping trip to Bloomingdale's. Ashley. Ooh, a thrift shop.

[Ben Mandelker]

Totally. Yeah.

[Gwen Pentland]

I love em all.

[Ben Mandelker]

We know. Ashley. I love when they put up the pictures of Ralph Michael Darby to compare them, you know. And you've got one with the watery eye, the, you know, the old dog that's about to be put down eyes. Michael Darby.

[Amy Phillips]

Full Gollum, you know?

[Ben Mandelker]

Full Gollum. Then you've got exhausted. Ralph.

[Amy Phillips]

I don't know how I got here. How did I get this beautiful woman in my big arms?

[Ben Mandelker]

Starting to get that slightly confused look at his eye. Bless his heart. Okay, let's do this. Love Hotel Season 1, Episode 5 Guess who's back. That's the episode title.

[Amy Phillips]

Guess it. Really clever.

[Ben Mandelker]

They've been getting pretty creative with their episode titles. But this one, this one was just happening.

[Amy Phillips]

How could it have been? Yeah, I know. I'm like, who? Right? I couldn't think of one person, not.

[Ben Mandelker]

Even him, like, who's going to be the star of the season. Like, wow, they're going to bring him back. I can't believe he was. It was cut so soon. If it wasn't ahead of Broccoli, I was gonna be upset.

[Amy Phillips]

Broccoli Earl. I was gonna say, yeah, totally, because that's the only person I was like, oh, did they make him leave and then bring him back? Because I couldn't think of anybody else, you know?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, it's Earl.

[Gwen Pentland]

Earl the Pearl. What do you mean you don't eat vegetables?

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm gonna go to my grave thinking about that.

[Amy Phillips]

I know.

[Ben Mandelker]

The last thing I'm gonna see before I die.

[Gwen Pentland]

What do you mean you don't eat vegetables?

[Amy Phillips]

And look, she did come in hot. I'll give it to him. She did.

[Unknown]

She's like, he was just joking. I was joking.

[Amy Phillips]

It's like, no, you were. You were genuinely angry. And that's okay.

[Gwen Pentland]

I can't joke.

[Unknown]

I.

[Amy Phillips]

Just stuck.

[Ben Mandelker]

I call her a verbal strobe light Everything slows down like it's slow motion.

[Amy Phillips]

That's so good. Shannon is a rave.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes, exactly. Bless Shannon's heart. So, okay, so we start with this scene with Shannon and Earl where Shannon sits on the couch last week, and.

[Gwen Pentland]

She'S like, earl, I have wanted to give you this envelope with something in it.

[Ben Mandelker]

And then he starts sobbing, and she.

[Gwen Pentland]

Tells us, this is Earl's envelope. Goodbye note or parting gift or.

[Ben Mandelker]

She says something like that. And so all week, the Internet, the world, Macron has been wondering what was in that letter. I just saw a clip today of Macron getting off the president of France. Macron, okay. Getting off the plane in France. And his wife was hitting him. Did you see it?

[Amy Phillips]

What? Really?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. She smacks him. They open the plane door, and the wife is, like, slapping, like, pushing his face. And then he turns to the camera. He's like, hello. And then they kind of reset. You see all the plain steward ladies, like, okay, back up there.

[Gwen Pentland]

Back up.

[Ben Mandelker]

Old lady Macron.

[Gwen Pentland]

Let's try this again.

[Ben Mandelker]

And Macron comes off the plane. First lady. She's like, I was joking.

[Gwen Pentland]

I was joking.

[Ben Mandelker]

But rumor is she hit him because he guessed what was in that letter wrong. So what do you think?

[Amy Phillips]

I don't blame her. Did she have, like. Like a pair of gloves where she was like. Or was it with her hand? I feel like there should be gloves. What did I think was in that letter?

[Ben Mandelker]

It was with a cheese. It was with a big slice of cheese.

[Amy Phillips]

Of course. I was like a star. Like, you know, do you. Do you give someone a. You know, one of those stars in the sky? Was it, like, a penguin? Was it a Sheena thing? Remember when Sheena got someone? Was it a penguin?

[Ben Mandelker]

It was. She got Adam. She adopted a penguin. Adam. Yeah.

[Amy Phillips]

So I thought, like, it's a penguin or a star. And then I definitely want a baby.

[Gwen Pentland]

The baby penguin.

[Ben Mandelker]

I can't believe Adam left me after I adopted a penguin with him.

[Amy Phillips]

They're furry when they're that young. I don't know. That's what I thought. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I'm like, what could it possibly be?

[Ben Mandelker]

I thought it was gonna be a food pyramid, but it was not. It actually surprised me. It actually surprised me. What? It was shocked.

[Amy Phillips]

Cause I completely forgot about that story.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Gwen Pentland]

She was like, well, Earl, you know, you talked about your stepchild never speaking to you again, and you've kept his motorcycle in your living room 30 years or whatever. And he changed his name and grew a mustache and got a Different haircut. But I found him. I called my lawyer and I found him.

[Ben Mandelker]

Way to get rid of those rumors that you were sicking private investigators on people, Shannon.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, my God. That's so funny. I'll tell you what I was, like, thinking. Yeah. If you want something done, like, these guys have no idea. If you want to be. Learn how to stalk, find something. You put a housewife on it. You're gonna get receipts, timeline, screenshots, a child from your past, like, you will find them. And the fact that she just made one call and was like, I. You know, Shannon with her, like, she is so. You know how she can be really charismatic. But I love, like, the softer side of Shannon when she gets really quiet and she's like.

[Unknown]

Like, I just called my attorney and I said, you have to find this little boy. He says he has a special boy.

[Gwen Pentland]

Three days later, he did got a call also, he told me that this boy pushed Kelly Dodd's mother down the stairs.

[Amy Phillips]

This boy.

[Ben Mandelker]

And so she found the son in Santa Clarit.

[Gwen Pentland]

He's doing zombie voiceovers in Santa Clarita.

[Amy Phillips]

He's chugging tequila behind a pantry door.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. And this was really actually kind of a sweet scene because Ralph starts sobbing. He's like, oh, my God. I can't believe you did this, Ralph. You could have done this. You know what I mean? Here's what I was thinking. You fucking deadbeat stepdad. All you had to do was look him up. And second of all, was the son happy? Because you know that the son changed his address and his phone number the second he was blocked, this aired. And he was like, what the hell? We have to move again.

[Amy Phillips]

He did. He did. It is very concerning to me because this was all. And then she's like.

[Unknown]

And everybody knows.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, my God. Because he's thinking, now I really have to step up to the plate. I could have before I didn't. I mean, I don't think it would have been that difficult, do you?

[Ben Mandelker]

You know, I mean, maybe he was. Maybe he was doing. Maybe he was respecting his privacy. You know? I mean, I don't know. If a kid tells you, I never want to speak to you again, and then they leave, and then they don't tell you their information, are you allowed to? I mean, I don't know. Is that assault?

[Amy Phillips]

Well, respecting the right. Respecting the mother's privacy if she took. You know, because he had no rights. So he clearly was like, okay, I guess I'll just step aside.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Cause at first I thought, this is so sweet. Oh, My gosh, Shannon. And then I thought, well, maybe he didn't want that on purpose. And you just. I mean, I've watched a lot of Lifetime movies, but I could just imagine this guy like, we're packing up the car, get everybody in.

[Amy Phillips]

He gets an alert.

[Ben Mandelker]

Earl just standing out there in the bushes like, you're never getting your motorcycle back.

[Gwen Pentland]

Little shit.

[Amy Phillips]

I know. He's been riding it and he loves it. I did such a deep dive on Earl the Pearl's Instagram.

[Ben Mandelker]

Did you tell me what you found?

[Amy Phillips]

Well, I was. Okay. So positives for Shannon. A lot of celebrations of St Patrick's Day. So a lot of Irish, you know, top of the morning, you know, so a lot of that.

[Gwen Pentland]

I love Earl. He smells like whiskey. It smells like home.

[Amy Phillips]

He has a boat. It's like, called the Irish Pearl, I think so Boat, obviously. Boat, obviously Irish drinking dogs. So those are the two, three positive things. Now, my friend Emily, who co hosts with me, those are big positives, by the way. Are big positives.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay, so Emily, co host of Drama Darling, she said.

[Amy Phillips]

I was like, I don't know. What do you think? She goes, they. They are definitely not a match. They would go day drinking, like, Friday through Sunday and fight, you know, Monday through Thursday.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm sorry, Emily. Do we look for different things in people? Like, that sounds. That sounds like a marriage. Em. Yeah, what the hell? It's time for a commercial. It's time for a crappin's commercial.

[Unknown]

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[Ben Mandelker]

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[Unknown]

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[Amy Phillips]

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[Unknown]

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[Amy Phillips]

Also, he. He dressed up for like a murder mystery dinner. So I feel like he as an actor, which was an interesting twist. So I don't know if that was like a one time thing or if he does that occasionally, but.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, well, we're both improvisers. We're no stranger to the murder mystery parties. It's embarrassing. Okay? It's embarrassing. We know it is. Nobody wants to marry us when we're at dinner. I did one where I was. I had to play an evil queen and I was like the Snow White evil queen. I mean, kind of. But those pictures are forever.

[Amy Phillips]

No, but we'll just send them to Earl. He'll. He'll gladly put him up.

[Gwen Pentland]

Want to come on my boat?

[Amy Phillips]

Let's go find my stepson.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm really into Shannon and Earl, but I guess they're not into each other. I don't think they've lasted. Earl had kind of a post season glow up. I've seen him on his insta. Oh, and I think he dropped a little. You know, he's looking pretty hot, but I don't think he's with Shannon. All the guys got real thirsty on their own instas after shooting the show. Have you been doing. Have you been looking at the instance?

[Amy Phillips]

Only Earl. A lot of selfies, so. Yeah, I hear you there. I don't know. I haven't seen anybody else. I haven't stalked down anyone else. I'm waiting for Shane.

[Ben Mandelker]

I just read Reddit, but I'll see. I'll see stuff occasionally. The only one I really want to know anything about is Love Hotel.

[Gwen Pentland]

Hey, Luann. Yes, I'm gonna stick it in. Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

All right. Get on over here.

[Amy Phillips]

They. The fact that their voices are on completely separate. He is so High and she is so low. They really do blend very well. I hope that he makes a cameo on her cabaret tour.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, he will.

[Amy Phillips]

You think so? Wow. That was really confident. You were really confident.

[Ben Mandelker]

I think so, yeah. Well, you know how at first she was like, oh, Luann. And guests. It was like the Countess and friends.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

So the first time we went, we both went to that show. Remember? I got wasted and got kicked out. They had. Well, at the end.

[Amy Phillips]

I don't remember that. I don't remember that because that must have been.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, we went to Ben's house before for, like, a cocktail party.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, yeah.

[Gwen Pentland]

Amy, it's so good to see you.

[Ben Mandelker]

And I, like, slammed three drinks back, and by the time we got to the show, I was inebriated, which was fitting for a cast. You know, I was flinging around my nappy and screaming. And then at the end, it was the time for the VIP line, and they were like, can I talk to you outside, sir? I was like, why does the. Why does the security guard want to.

[Gwen Pentland]

Talk to me outside, Luann.

[Ben Mandelker]

Love hotels and being dragged out of there.

[Amy Phillips]

I remember that.

[Unknown]

Damn.

[Amy Phillips]

I would have come with you. I'm sorry, my friend. I should have been there for you.

[Ben Mandelker]

I don't blame you. You were probably out of there, like, the first 10 minutes into Miami. I was not fucking. Anyway, the point is, she had all these special guests, and at first they were like, you know, it's Elphaba from the Broadway production of Wicked.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah. It was like Meryl Streep, Angels of america from the 1992 production on Broadway.

[Ben Mandelker]

Murray Abraham playing Roy Cohn in Angels in America, right?

[Amy Phillips]

Yes. A lot of Broadway stars.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes. And then by the end, it was like, you know, bongos. This guy. Oh, it was who?

[Amy Phillips]

Bongos.

[Gwen Pentland]

Just bongos.

[Ben Mandelker]

Just bongos. She's gotten pretty good at those bongos.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, dang. Real good.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah.

[Amy Phillips]

She doesn't do it anymore with the friends. She's just. I even. I straight up asked her because I interviewed her right when she came back from Loeb Hotel, and I was like, yeah, are you going to have, you know, any other friends? She's like, I don't do that anymore, darling. I just do myself.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, my God, you sound just like her.

[Amy Phillips]

Well, you have to evolve. You got to evolve.

[Ben Mandelker]

I do it like this because I've been trying to get her lower voice, but you gotta do it like this, darling.

[Amy Phillips]

Like, you're kind of like, opening up the crypt, you know, just strolling, like, I'm coming out.

[Ben Mandelker]

Just like her. That is so funny.

[Amy Phillips]

But, yeah, she. She's doing it on her own. She just wants. She doesn't need people. She doesn't need them.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. So that's why, I mean, like, she started with these huge, like, Broadway stars, and then she's like, by this time, it's like this guy from Love Hotel.

[Amy Phillips]

Yes.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, we went from Diane Wiest to this person.

[Amy Phillips]

Diane Wiest. Yes. Yes, Wiest. Wait, that. Yeah, go ahead.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, no, no, that reminds you of. We don't have to actually talk about this show.

[Amy Phillips]

No, I love this show. This show is amazing. So, yes, we should definitely talk about it.

[Ben Mandelker]

This show is amazing. Okay.

[Gwen Pentland]

So she's like, well, my heart's been breaking for Earl because he's never known the joy of having a child. So I ignored the human trafficking warnings in the airport and I human trafficked.

[Ben Mandelker]

His son back to him.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, man. Oh, God.

[Ben Mandelker]

There's trafficking signs in the airport.

[Amy Phillips]

They are so intense. And I was in. The daughter was like, what is trafficking? I was like, there's just like a lot of people in the bathrooms, so you have to really watch out. And she's like, but it says human traffic. I'm like, oh, my God, I can't have this conversation with like a 7 year old. But I was like, it's basically stranger danger. But it's, you know, I mean, I didn't want to have that conversation, like, in the middle of like an. Or the Orlando Nightmare Airport.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, yeah, especially when you're with a kid and you're like, what are you supposed to say? Well, you're supposed to beware of strangers in airport bathrooms. But they're all strangers. I don't know everybody in the airport bathroom. It's like, your kid's going to be terrified to pee.

[Amy Phillips]

That's the thing. Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

Anyway, so, yeah, God, stop warning about human trafficking. Am I right?

[Amy Phillips]

Please, it's ruining my vacation.

[Ben Mandelker]

Can you just warn me about something real? Like carbs.

[Gwen Pentland]

Watch out for carbs. They're everywhere.

[Unknown]

Vegetables.

[Ben Mandelker]

She gives him this letter. He starts crying and he's like, I can't remember the time somebody gave me a gift this meaningful. Besides the motorcycle. I'm shaking. I'm literally shaking right now. Shannon.

[Amy Phillips]

I'm shaking. I'm literally shaking.

[Ben Mandelker]

This line. This could only be a Shannon line.

[Gwen Pentland]

Well, after the fiesta date, I got some basic information from Earl, and I called my attorney and said, we need to find this boy. And three days later, my attorney found him. Thank you, Milk.

[Ben Mandelker]

So they found the kid. So he cries and she's like, well.

[Gwen Pentland]

You know, the producers wanted me to do it in front of everybody. Everybody knows, Earl. Everybody knows the good deed that I did. It's up to my. This was like wearing a push up bra for my reputation. Earl, you're welcome.

[Amy Phillips]

Earl was like, I thank you. So you're saying everybody knows. Like, we can't cut this part out. So are you saying.

[Unknown]

Yeah, there's a party downstairs. Everyone's waiting for you.

[Gwen Pentland]

Everyone knows, Earl. Everyone knows. So after the fiesta party, I sat everybody down, everybody. The cast, the crew, the lighting people. And I said, earl has a son that hates him and won't speak to him. And he's stolen the son's motorcycle. We need to find the son. Find the son. They're all waiting down there to see sad, sad Earl. Sad, lonely Earl.

[Unknown]

So put your best sad face on and let's go. Also, I don't think it's working out for us because I just really feel like the vegetable thing is getting in the way.

[Ben Mandelker]

I love that she will never dump Earl. It's so hilarious to me. Every week she's like, I'm dumping Earl.

[Gwen Pentland]

That's it. I am better than this. I found a new man named Adam. He wears scarves and degrees.

[Ben Mandelker]

So I'm. Yes, I love that I will now be with Adam. And then five minutes later, she's like, oh, God, Adam.

[Gwen Pentland]

I'd have to wear makeup and Earl, I could just take off my Spanx and. I mean, who cares? I don't even have to have eyelashes. Who needs them? I can be eyeless. I could not have a tongue. What would he care? One elbow, one elbow. Earl would love me. No more. Still sticking.

[Unknown]

Neck tight, face tight.

[Amy Phillips]

No more of those.

[Unknown]

No more tights. No more Spanx, no more nothing. It could be a great life. Just on the water, on the. Maybe not on the ocean, but a lake. Oh, no, I can't do lakes. I can't do lakes. I can't do door. I can't do Earl. Earl, you're fine.

[Gwen Pentland]

Lakes are the only green thing in Earl's life, so I should learn to accept them. Poor Earl. Oh, Earl. I wanted to write our own vows, so here's mine. Earl, I have to make no effort with you. I can fart in front of you and be as ugly as I want to be. Wow. Okay, your turn.

[Amy Phillips]

All right. Thank you, Shannon. Well, I. I got this shell here. If you open it up, you'll see a pearl. It is a lake pearl, which means.

[Gwen Pentland]

How dare you.

[Amy Phillips]

How. How do you look at me like you hate My guts, Shannon, you hate.

[Ben Mandelker]

Used to it. Get used to it, buddy. I love that. He's like, why is it that every time something. You look like you want to kill me?

[Unknown]

I'm joking. It's my sense of humor.

[Amy Phillips]

I love that. She's like, I was joking.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm like, earl, this is called the honeymoon phase. Just you wait, Earl Higgins. So wait.

[Amy Phillips]

Can I ask you a question? When Shannon was like, I'm just drinking Diet Coke and tequila, were you shocked? Because I was. I thought she was still not drinking.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, no, I think they just do that when they're like, no, I don't think she ever stopped drinking, did she? Even on Real Housewives of Orange county, she's like, I didn't stop drinking. Cause Tamara was like, why are you drinking, bitch?

[Gwen Pentland]

You almost killed the house.

[Ben Mandelker]

And she's like, I don't know.

[Gwen Pentland]

I don't. Why would I stop drinking? I don't have a drinking problem. I have a driving problem. Stop drinking cars.

[Amy Phillips]

I just thought that she stopped drinking after that. That season, though. And then she started doing community service, and she wasn't drinking at all. I was completely under. No, I think I'm wrong. I think I'm dead ass wrong.

[Ben Mandelker]

So I don't remember that. I feel like that would have come through on my Google news because I have, like, a Shannon Beador, you know, Google alert.

[Amy Phillips]

That's amazing. You must have seen that she got a new dog. Did you see she had a new dog?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes, she did.

[Amy Phillips]

That is so excited.

[Ben Mandelker]

I feel so bad for Archie. You're excited? Okay, let's debate.

[Amy Phillips]

Okay, I. Okay, I'm. You're right. It's bittersweet. I'm excited because I know that look when Archie passes, and it's gonna be within the next soon.

[Ben Mandelker]

How old is Archie?

[Amy Phillips]

I don't know. Oh, no. Where did I go?

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm here. I'm just hitting a vape like a teenager, so I do it off the camera.

[Amy Phillips]

Thank you. Okay, good. No, feel free to do that.

[Gwen Pentland]

Hi.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, my. Close up, Mr. DeMille. I don't know how old Archie is. He's got to be, like, 12 at least. He's got to be at least 12. So I'm thinking she knows what's around the corner. She's gotta bring in a new guard in order so that it's not as hurtful when Archie, you know, crosses the Rainbow Bridge. And honestly, I don't blame her for that. I think that that's the best decision for Shannon. I think it'll help keep Archie Young, because, you know, when you bring another pup in and it just. It helps things. So is that true?

[Ben Mandelker]

Because I feel like gays try to do that. Like, we'll bring in a younger model, like, to make us feel younger. It does not make me feel younger.

[Gwen Pentland]

I'm like, oh, my God, this waddle is really getting out of control here. Is this a pashmina or a neck? I'm not really sure.

[Amy Phillips]

It's Mark's scarf.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm getting a neck waddle scarf. Yeah. The reason I think it is depressing is for all the reasons. You're just gay for it being a positive. I think it's because my dog, like, my dog Bueller is old, and so it's probably getting time for the Rainbow Bridge, but I'm not. I can't let him go. And, you know, I love him so much. And my sister's like, no, you have to get a puppy. Because for all the reasons you just said, because it'll make it easier to transition. And then, plus, Bueller will have somebody. I don't know. To get old with. I don't know. I don't know. It was along the lines of what you were saying, but I just felt like Bueller would know. I think Bueller would be like, oh, okay. Did you bring home a syringe as well? Jesus Christ.

[Amy Phillips]

Then do not do it. I mean, I completely. I just don't. I don't know if Archie knows. I believe Bueller probably knows. I think it depends on your dog. I think it depends on you. And I have a cat, so what do I know?

[Ben Mandelker]

Doubts are like, bye.

[Amy Phillips]

Right, right.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm leaving now. Leave me alone. Get out of my. Okay, so, yeah, she's getting the art. What were we talking about? Oh, yeah, her drinking.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

The housewives. I don't know if they ever really quit drinking like they say. Cause remember when Luann went to I've to prison? Would you say I've been traveling. I've been to prison. So when she did her whole sobriety storyline, and she's like, oh, come over to my apartment. She told somebody. And then she's like, do you want a Diet Coke or something? I'm not drinking. And then she opened her fridge and it was all rose bottles. Do you remember that?

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah. Yeah, you're right.

[Ben Mandelker]

So I don't know that they ever quit. Good call, good call.

[Amy Phillips]

Okay, I'm set straight. I'm set straight.

[Ben Mandelker]

No, yeah. I mean, I don't. I have no facts, so this is a show of no facts. So Adam okay, so now she goes down to the bar, and Earl's like, crying, and the guy's like, we know, we know. Go get him. Go slash his tires. Put a brick through his windshield. Do whatever you got. Get back to stalking.

[Amy Phillips]

See you on the Lifetime movie.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. And Adam is talking to Shannon, and she's like, well. Well, you know, she's doing that humble, like, play with the side of her hair thing.

[Gwen Pentland]

Well, you know, I did find his. His long lost son. I'm a very good person, Adam. I don't know how many languages you can say good person in, but.

[Amy Phillips]

And his, like, he just keeps distancing himself. Like, he walks back a little further and a little further. He does not see. He doesn't really seem to want to be there either. And when he said last week, if I could put you, Shannon, and Lou, and me them together, I'd have the perfect lady, I was like, please leave, sir. Like, what are you doing?

[Ben Mandelker]

No one wants to hear that.

[Amy Phillips]

I know.

[Ben Mandelker]

What a disgusting thing to say to somebody's face.

[Amy Phillips]

To someone's face? Yes.

[Ben Mandelker]

Like, Ashley says it today behind some. You know, she's like, if I could take those two guys. Yeah, but you don't say it to the person.

[Amy Phillips]

Absolutely.

[Ben Mandelker]

You're such a good. You're such a perfect half a person.

[Amy Phillips]

And then, of course, he doesn't kiss Shannon. She's real upset about it. You know, she. The night before, she was like, you missed this.

[Unknown]

These lamps. You had an opportunity to go here, and you did it.

[Amy Phillips]

And then it's like, you have not.

[Gwen Pentland]

Been to paradise, and you have not been to me.

[Amy Phillips]

Paradise.

[Gwen Pentland]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

The ladies on this show really want the men to jump them. And I'm like, guys, we're in a different time. I don't like. Especially Luann's like, why didn't you jump me? Like, in this episode? She's like, all right, you had your chance with this. You didn't even do anything. So now I am here, right here. What are you gonna do? He's like, really? And she's like, oh, Jesus Christ, I'm gonna poop. I can't even take this.

[Amy Phillips]

I know. She did. She was like, get your shit together.

[Ben Mandelker]

Who do I gotta blow to get someone to blow me in this? I'm like, but it's a different time. I think the guys are trying to be respectful and not just, like, grab your butts and jump all over you.

[Gwen Pentland]

Right?

[Amy Phillips]

They're not watching the Bachelor every week to see that. You have to do that on the second. The second you Have a one on one. You got to go in. They don't know. They just.

[Ben Mandelker]

Earl knew. Earl knew because Earl saved up his trauma. He shot his trauma wad and then he made out.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, that was smart. That was smart. You have to do that, especially with these ladies. Except for Giselle. Giselle doesn't want that.

[Ben Mandelker]

No, Giselle. Giselle's trauma is having to go on dates.

[Amy Phillips]

What do you think of Phyllis? Phil, I mean, Phil.

[Gwen Pentland]

Oh, I love living in Bel Air. It's just so different than normal places. You know, we eat in Bel Air, but their restaurants are just so different. Sidewalks are different. People aren't allowed on them, for one thing. That's nice. Bel Air.

[Amy Phillips]

So psychotic. You look so psychotic. I love it. I love it. The fact that he said gated community so many times, I was like, is that all he knows about the housewives? Is that what he thinks is, like, their buzzword to, like, get them exc. Gated community.

[Ben Mandelker]

Gated community.

[Amy Phillips]

He has his priorities, right? I really appreciate that about him. He prioritizes the son that doesn't have a restraining order on him and loves him. I like, I'm so glad that Giselle gave him a chance, but I don't know how far.

[Ben Mandelker]

Giselle gave his bank account a chance.

[Amy Phillips]

That's right.

[Ben Mandelker]

Like Phil.

[Gwen Pentland]

Phil.

[Ben Mandelker]

What does Phil give you? Phil gives me, like, Eartha Kit impersonator in Palm Springs.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Oh, my God. Maybe he is, actually.

[Gwen Pentland]

You think you've got one up on me, Batman? You've got nothing on me.

[Unknown]

I've got the special power of Bel Air Gated community.

[Ben Mandelker]

No one is getting a boner for Phil. I can't believe it. But she's like, he has an rr. Okay, so Shannon is very proud of herself. And the producer's like, so, Adam, is Earl your biggest competition? He's like, there's no competition here. I don't really have any idea what's going on with her and Earl, but I have a scarf.

[Unknown]

Be.

[Amy Phillips]

Flatlined. Seriously, this guy needs to look alive. I can't figure this dude out.

[Ben Mandelker]

Look alive, Adam. And then when you do get him talking, he's like, well, I opened Telehealth Communications Group in Kalamazoo.

[Amy Phillips]

I. Is that. I have no idea what he does because I. It put me to sleep whenever it is dozed.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, I felt like it was money laundering. I don't know. It sounded fishy to me, but Ben assured me that telehealth and catamaran or whatever is great, but I don't telehealth and catamaran.

[Amy Phillips]

They go hand in hand. Telehealth and Kalamaran, they go hand in hand.

[Ben Mandelker]

Whatever he was saying last week, Ben's like, no, no, totally. Telehealth and Kalamazoom ran or whatever. It was totally normal, but I still left hesitant.

[Amy Phillips]

Shout out, kalamazoo. I'm from Michigan. What's up? Here's the mitten. Here's the mitten. I'm from here.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, yeah. Mittens.

[Amy Phillips]

Mittens. Shout out, mittens.

[Ben Mandelker]

Mitten it up. Mittens. Okay, so Shannon's like, oh, yeah, I.

[Gwen Pentland]

Did that for Earl. He was shaking. He was crying. Pooped on the floor. Earl. God, I changed his life.

[Ben Mandelker]

So she's like, well, and now Adam.

[Gwen Pentland]

Wants to see where he stands, clearly from his line of questioning. So get over here. Break open the seal, buddy.

[Unknown]

I glossed it up. I used the plump plumping, and he didn't even take a taste.

[Amy Phillips]

Commercials.

[Ben Mandelker]

Here comes one right now.

[Unknown]

At 24, I lost my narrative, or rather, it was stolen from me. And the Monica Lewinsky that my friends and family knew was usurped by false narratives, callous jokes, and politics. I would define reclaiming as to take back back what was yours. Something you possess is lost or stolen, and ultimately you triumph in finding it again. So I think listeners can expect me to be chatting with folks, both recognizable and unrecognizable names, about the way that people have navigated roads to triumph. My hope is that people will finish an episode of Reclaiming and feel like they filled their tank up, they connected with the people that I'm talking about talking to, and leave with maybe some nuggets that help them feel a little more hopeful. Follow Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Reclaiming early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts.

[Ben Mandelker]

Speaking of watching someone live through their trauma on television, here comes Joel. Welcome, Joel, everybody.

[Amy Phillips]

Wait, who's. Oh, Joel. I'm like, which one of the guys is Joe? Oh, right, the host. Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

He's like, oh, Jesus Christ. Is it too early to take this off my LinkedIn?

[Amy Phillips]

I mean, that is such a wild ride to see this, you know, happening, knowing what went down, like, at what point this happened at the wrap party. Yeah, that's right. It's what happened off of this. But he.

[Ben Mandelker]

I know, it sucks.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, it is a bug.

[Ben Mandelker]

But I want to see him. I want to see him turn.

[Amy Phillips]

I know. I wish we could see It.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, but we don't. We just hear him kind of drone on about. Because this man hates his job. And I can't really say that I blame him. But you know what? If you already hate your job, let me tell you one thing that's not gonna help. Showing up in a Speedo.

[Amy Phillips]

Ooh.

[Ben Mandelker]

That doesn't help your job. That doesn't make you like your job more. I find, of course, I have a very different build than Joel, but to me, that's like nightmare fuel.

[Amy Phillips]

I think he loved it, and I think the ladies loved it, too.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, yeah. Well, you know, I should work out.

[Amy Phillips]

Shouldn't we all? I have swig on my. Yes, I noticed, Stanley, because I'm recapping. Well, mom talk. You know, we all call it mom talk, but. Oh, yeah, so I put that on there for later.

[Ben Mandelker]

Swig. The soda shop they go to?

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, it's the soda they drink if you don't watch it.

[Ben Mandelker]

I watched the first one. I haven't watched the second one yet because I'm waiting to see if we're going to recap it, but Ben's in Norway, and I don't know, it just seems, like, too late because don't they all come out at one time?

[Amy Phillips]

Yes, but what I'm doing is I'm like, we did one the first episode. We just did one. Recap the first episode. Then we're going to do two at a time. And then the last one we'll just do on its own, because there's 10 episodes. But I found that if you just take your own time through them, people still listen because it happens so fast. I mean, everyone is binging, but so much happens in an episode that it's worth taking your time through it. And there's only 10.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay. Yeah, well, I'll definitely be watching it because I love the first season of it. They're all so weird.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, I know.

[Ben Mandelker]

They're just so weird.

[Amy Phillips]

It's a crazy, wild world. Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

Anyway, it really is. Like, I'm used to the Christian repression or whatever, but the Mormons take it to a different level. I'm like, you can have. You can't drink, but you can have orgies.

[Amy Phillips]

Right.

[Ben Mandelker]

I mean, I'm down. I'm Mormon. I'm just kidding. Can you imagine? I'm too lazy for a single that's less multiples.

[Amy Phillips]

I'd be like, no, I can't do it. I can't commit.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, it's too much. So Joel comes out and he announces that they have to solidify their Connections. Because guess what? Tonight.

[Amy Phillips]

What?

[Ben Mandelker]

New men are coming in.

[Amy Phillips]

What?

[Ben Mandelker]

Fresh used sail rack men are coming in. Watch out, ladies.

[Amy Phillips]

I can't believe that twist at this point.

[Ben Mandelker]

I said, how long is this show? Because I think this. This was going to be. I think it should be six episodes, right? I mean, it's Love Hotel. How many do we need?

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, I think. Is it six total?

[Ben Mandelker]

No, no, I thought it was gonna.

[Amy Phillips]

Be because six seems about right. Five or six seems about right.

[Ben Mandelker]

But they didn't say next week on the season finale.

[Amy Phillips]

Right? They're gonna keep it going.

[Ben Mandelker]

Oh, how long is this? Because don't the girls trips last six?

[Gwen Pentland]

Huh?

[Ben Mandelker]

So I figured it was six, but it's not.

[Amy Phillips]

It's not.

[Ben Mandelker]

No, because they didn't say next week someone dies.

[Amy Phillips]

Are we ever going to get in the ocean, by the way? Like, speaking of, have they even Are there near an ocean, right?

[Ben Mandelker]

Like, yeah, we haven't even seen Luan. Like, look at me.

[Amy Phillips]

I know we haven't seen. We should be seeing her on the beach at some point. All we've seen her is just walking around this concrete. It's not right.

[Ben Mandelker]

Well, we saw her do that fake scene where she's like, all right, let's take a walk. Let's take a walk on the beach. And then she walked. She walked two steps and then turned around. She's like, all right, I'm done. You get that? Is that in the can?

[Amy Phillips]

You're right. Earl the Pearl and Shannon did walk on the beach, too. You're right. Okay, I apologize.

[Ben Mandelker]

We saw the beach, but. Yeah, they haven't gone in it. I don't think so. Then. See, I'm skipping through some of this because I can't stop talking about stupid shit.

[Amy Phillips]

James steals a heart for Louis.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes, yes. He steals a glass heart from a tree.

[Gwen Pentland]

He's like, okay, read the note. Read the note. It says you stole my heart, so I stole a heart for you, motherfucker. I hope you like it. I'm gonna stick my penis in you later.

[Ben Mandelker]

She's like, oh, God, I love it, love it. I love a man that steals from me. We're gonna be the Bonnie and Clyde. The Bonnie and Clyde.

[Amy Phillips]

She would love it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Housewives vibes.

[Amy Phillips]

That is. I love your James so much. It's so perfect. Oh, my God.

[Gwen Pentland]

Doesn't it sound like that?

[Ben Mandelker]

That's also how I do Bronwyn's husband from Salt Lake City. So it's kind of cheating. And he. Bronwyn's husband doesn't even sound like that. I just make him sound like that.

[Gwen Pentland]

What do you mean? You're talking about my wife like that? You better back up, buster. You're gonna get one right in the soccer.

[Amy Phillips]

He has that vibe. Totally, though. You're so right. Nailed it. Nailed it.

[Gwen Pentland]

That's my lawn, you. Damn it, kids. But James really does talk like that. I can play the guitar. I can play a G and a C. Love Hotel.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

So they joke about their mug shots, and they put the worst mug shot of James up. He's just like, that was so fun. So then we go to Giselle's relationship, and Jason is having to wait for Ashley because Ashley's just leading all sorts of men on. Ashley's got them all.

[Amy Phillips]

What a ride. Yeah. Joel says Ashley verse, which is actually perfect.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, he's in the Ashley verse. And isn't Ashley still dating Beavis from Potomac?

[Amy Phillips]

Yes. The timeline of this is very sus because it's almost like she said, wait for me. I'll be back. I just have to do this show real quick. And just so I, I. I think they are still doing it's all for.

[Ben Mandelker]

Tv because I think they shot this show in. I mean, it lasts a few hours, but I think they shot it in five minutes, which I'm not sure how that works. But, yeah, because they don't even get the men rooms. Like, when the new men come on later, they're like, do you guys have rooms? Like, nope. They've been just having us sit out here all day.

[Gwen Pentland]

And so I guess this is.

[Amy Phillips]

That's the worst. Like, when you go, you have to travel, and then you get somewhere and your room isn't ready. You just don't have a room. So you have to sit in the lobby or go, you know, do something or the city and just, like, leave your luggage there.

[Ben Mandelker]

In the summer.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, in the summer.

[Ben Mandelker]

On a beach in your full clothes. I'm sure they love it. So Giselle's talking to Adam, and she's like, so, Shannon, you've been connecting with Shannon, so you know, you need to make out with her or something.

[Gwen Pentland]

Come on, Solidify. That's my two cents.

[Amy Phillips]

Shannon. Yes. I love it. I love it.

[Ben Mandelker]

I love it. And he's like, yeah, well, Shannon and Luann told me both to jump Shannon's bone or no, Luann and Giselle told me both to jump, God damn it. Told me to jump Shannon's bones. But I don't know if my scarf is ready for that yet.

[Amy Phillips]

What is he hiding behind that scarf? It's so tight and so short.

[Ben Mandelker]

I don't know what it is. Because when he takes it off, you know? Cause you take it off and I'm like, waddle patrol. Cause you know, I want to get my waddle under control. So I'm like, what did he do with his. And I think he had the thing where he got it, like, put behind his ears. I'm gonn. But he doesn't have a waddle or anything, so I don't know what he's hiding. But he does shave the. He does shave his beard in that shape. You know how guys do that where they're like, look, I have a square jaw, right? Oh, my God. I totally fell for it.

[Amy Phillips]

It's like the contouring that women do, right?

[Ben Mandelker]

Yes. It's Lincoln logging your face for men.

[Amy Phillips]

Yes. I don't know. I thought maybe I was like, does he have a cold? Does he have a sore throat? Is that. Cause like, that's tied in such a way where you're like. Like, I just had a lozenge, you know? And you're like, yeah, I'm feeling better. I don't know.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. Did you just shoplift in old time? In the old times.

[Amy Phillips]

Right.

[Unknown]

Hello.

[Amy Phillips]

Oh, wait, Oxford.

[Ben Mandelker]

I was preparing him for the town square.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

So congratulations on making it halfway through your journey. Okay. Damn it.

[Amy Phillips]

He does seem so boring.

[Ben Mandelker]

He's like, so some people are gonna check out of the Love Hotel. Gentlemen, if you want to say anything to these ladies now. Someone picked Joel up.

[Amy Phillips]

He fell over weekend and Bernie's host.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Jay's like, okay, before Giselle tries to eliminate me, I'm out of here.

[Amy Phillips]

Here.

[Ben Mandelker]

I'm gonna self eliminate this place. All of you. I'm hot and have a job and nobody gave me the time of day.

[Gwen Pentland]

Okay?

[Ben Mandelker]

So thanks.

[Gwen Pentland]

Bye.

[Amy Phillips]

Bye. Bye. Good for her.

[Ben Mandelker]

Does her.

[Unknown]

Tear wipe. Tear wipe, tear wipe, tear wipe, all that.

[Amy Phillips]

All the tear wipes of these housewives. I can't, you know, stop with your tear wipes. Stop, stop, stop. You're not real.

[Gwen Pentland]

If anybody needs me to cry in any scene, just please say Wale is eliminated. And I will cry. I will cry. Wale has to stay. Wale has to stay.

[Ben Mandelker]

She loves him.

[Amy Phillips]

She does.

[Gwen Pentland]

She's like, anything but getting rid of Wale. Please, please. I will give you Archie. Please keep Wale.

[Amy Phillips]

That's why she got the new dog. Now we know she gave away Archie during Love Hotel. Oh, gosh.

[Ben Mandelker]

Made a deal. She made a deal.

[Amy Phillips]

Gave her firstborn.

[Ben Mandelker]

Giselle's like, are you going to cry? Yeah. And so they all hug Jay, and he gets out of there with some self respect, which is nice.

[Gwen Pentland]

And Shanna's like, wow, Giselle really dropped the ball on that one. God, I'm going to scratch my head and do this with my lips.

[Ben Mandelker]

So then. I'm sorry. So Jay's out of there. So Joel's like, yeah, I don't think any of us saw that happening, but I think it speaks volumes about Jay.

[Amy Phillips]

Wait, who said that?

[Ben Mandelker]

Joel.

[Amy Phillips]

I don't remember him saying that, but.

[Ben Mandelker]

I was like, what does it mean? And then he goes. And I think it speaks volumes about the men here. Here. What are you talking about?

[Gwen Pentland]

Shannon's like, well, God, this is so hard. This is so. Oh, God. I don't want to go first. Please tell me.

[Ben Mandelker]

Shannon, you're first.

[Gwen Pentland]

Like.

[Unknown]

I, I, I, I, I, I. I said I, I said. I said. I said I. I didn't want. Is anybody listening to me? I take Earl.

[Gwen Pentland]

Adam, I love that you have an education. I pick idiot Earl. Stupid, uneducated Earl. Turns out I get turned on by uneducated people. Earl, Come on. I guess Earl.

[Amy Phillips]

I can.

[Unknown]

I can be in control until he won't let me. And then I will find another person from his family, and then we'll get back on track. I have an unlimited supply of investigators and detectives. Don't get me started on how I know someone from Jersey. I will use those sources. I will.

[Gwen Pentland]

Don't make me use my source.

[Ben Mandelker]

So Luann is like, well. Well, would I have picked Earl? No, but, you know, Shannon's a Shannon. Shannon's gonna. Shannon, basically. So now Giselle gets to pick. And she's like, well, I'm super happy where Phil and I are right now. He's like, thank you, Bella.

[Gwen Pentland]

It is my honor and privilege to accept this key.

[Amy Phillips]

Freeze frame.

[Ben Mandelker]

And Luann, well, you know, I'm giving my key to James. He's the only man who can play the guitar and a penis at the same time. Play guitar with his penis. James, you're in.

[Gwen Pentland]

I'm so grateful. Gosh, it's like opening her heart.

[Amy Phillips]

My vagina.

[Gwen Pentland]

My pinkness in it.

[Amy Phillips]

It's my vagina, Earl. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It wasn't Earl. What's your name again? James. It's my vagina, James. That's what it is. I'm like an oyster, Earl. Don't get any ideas. You're disgusting.

[Ben Mandelker]

Earl's also textured, kind of like an oyster, but in the much less sexy way. So Lake.

[Amy Phillips]

Oyster.

[Ben Mandelker]

Lake.

[Amy Phillips]

Oyster Lake. Oyster.

[Ben Mandelker]

Okay, but last, last but clearly not least is the Ashley verse. Ashley.

[Gwen Pentland]

And she's like, well, I. Wale, we have such a great time, but, you know, you just want to have children. And I'm not sure if I want children, so I'm picking the old one. Ralph, come here.

[Ben Mandelker]

What are you talking about? Ashley? Because she sat Wale down and was like, do you want children? And he said, yes. And she said, when? And he's like, in a few years. And she's like, wow, that's a really long time, Wale. And he's like, okay, well, I can have them in 30 days if you want. Do you want them now? And so now she's taking that, and she's like, oh, my God, you guys.

[Gwen Pentland]

Well, they stressing me out because, like.

[Ben Mandelker]

Now he wants kids and I don't want kids. And he said he wants them within 30 days. Okay, that's.

[Amy Phillips]

He literally has them on layaway. Like, we have to go get them right now. I mean, he gave a range. He was like, it could be a year, could be four, anywhere in between. Right? She just.

[Ben Mandelker]

I could want kids. I could not want kids. You tell me what, what I need to do to win this show. She's like, okay, you've given the correct answer.

[Gwen Pentland]

Wally gave me the incorrect answer.

[Ben Mandelker]

He's trying to pressure me to having children.

[Amy Phillips]

I have a boyfriend waiting for me in Potomac, somewhere in the Potomac area. I mean, honestly, like, the fact she cannot be with someone who wants to have a child. You cannot do that, Ashley. You're done. You cannot have another baby. Like, it's, it's. Please, just have fun with your life. You know, I, I. What do you think? You don't think that she should have another child, do you?

[Ben Mandelker]

I, Well, I, I don't know, because I have kind of a cynical view with Ashley because she was married to Michael and you don't. I don't care what Ashley says. No one marries Michael Darby for love. I'm sorry, I just don't. I never bought it. I'll never buy that. I don't think it's that crazy to say it. So I think that she will have babies, but I think she loves having kids. I just think that she needs money, you know, she needs a moneyed man. She's nice. And I don't know that Wale's not. What does Wale do? I forget.

[Gwen Pentland]

Got.

[Amy Phillips]

Don't know what one of these men do. I. I'm not interested.

[Gwen Pentland]

Catamaran.

[Ben Mandelker]

Catamaran's a country.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah. Catamaran's a country. I hear the, the words, I see what's typed up, and it just washes right over me and into the drain. I just let it go.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. They are kind of those, like, generic guy jobs.

[Amy Phillips]

Yes. Right.

[Ben Mandelker]

So I don't know what he does either, but I think that Ashley. But then she's with Beavis, and I don't know what Beavis does either, so I don't really know. I. I've always thought Ashley has some kind of weird relationship with Michael Darby where even if she didn't get with him for love, they've come to some sort of thing over the years, like some kind of comfort where he's just always going to be there. I don't think he's going to be one of those exes that's gonna just go away. And I think that she probably likes having him there in some way. She does remember when he was like, well, I'll just buy a house, we'll put it in the llc, and then I can still come over whenever I want. Check. Oh, my God.

[Gwen Pentland]

God. Okay, great.

[Ben Mandelker]

And her family's like, no, you can't do that.

[Amy Phillips]

Michael wants to open an Oz too, in the new house and he can come over. Like, what? It's a good idea. I talked to my lawyer about it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah. So I don't know. I don't think that Ashley's gonna. If she dates young, like Beavis, I think it's just gonna be dating. I don't think she'll get married. I think if she gets married again, it's gonna have to be a heavy hitter.

[Amy Phillips]

And you're right. If she does find somebody who she really does feel like she's in love with and, and has money and is interested in really being hands on raising a family, then maybe you're right, she do it.

[Ben Mandelker]

Or maybe if, like, Beavis does threesomes with her in Darby or something and then he can like accept both of them and take care of both of them.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah.

[Ben Mandelker]

Then she would be into. She needs something like that. She needs like a TLC marriage.

[Amy Phillips]

Yeah, she does. She's gonna move on over there. Yeah. She's gonna outgrow Bravo with some life changes and go over to dlc. Smart.

[Ben Mandelker]

Yeah, I would love that. Ashley and Michael Darby married to Beavis, raising a big crazy family.

[Amy Phillips]

It would be kind of amazing, actually. But Michael's never seen. He'll never be on camera.

[Ben Mandelker]

No. No. Unless. Well, maybe on TLC you're allowed to grab people's asses. I don't know. Cause wasn't that his thing when he left? He's like, I will not be called a predator for trying to take a free sample off a sample tray like Michael. That was not a sample.

[Gwen Pentland]

That was. I was an employee of the the company.

[Amy Phillips]

Well, it was there we at Costco.

[Ben Mandelker]

I was just trying to be nice, you know, so if they let him sexually harass people, he'll be back, but who knows?

[Amy Phillips]

Yes.

[Ben Mandelker]

Congratulations. You've reached the end of part one of a two part recap for part two. Go look for the recap that says part two. See you over there, suckers.

[Ronnie Karam]

Watch what crappens would like to thank its premium sponsors. Ain't no thing like Allison King. It's always a party on Alice in block.

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Get on the right foot with Chrissy Offutt. She's not just a Sheila, she's a D. Daniella Etchels. We never miss her call. It's diane Call Aaron McNicholas.

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She's our kind of mess. It's Jennifer Messer? Sip some scotch with Jessica Trot.

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She's our favorite streamer.

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Caroline Peacock, Kristen the Piston Anderson. Get a bee in your bonnet, Lacey.

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With bringing the funk It's Leslie Plunkett.

[Ben Mandelker]

She gets a name from us It's Lindsey D. Let's give a kisserino to Lisa Leno. Fresh as a daisy. It's Maisie McHenry we love her on the rocks. It's Melissa Cox, Megan Berg. You can't have a burger without the berg.

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This is living with Michelle Vivian I.

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Love a YA Olivia Williamson. Tastier than Flanderson. It's Rachel Manderson.

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She sure is swell.

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Cast a spell with Shannon Spellman. Let's share with Sharon Eldridge the Bay.

[Ben Mandelker]

Area and our super premium sponsors. She's VVIP It's Amanda V. Can't lose when you're with Amy Baldwin.

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Somebody get us 10cc's of Betsy MD.

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We'Re taking the gold with Brenda Silva.

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Let's get real with Caitlin o' Neal.

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Tubbs who, what, why, where?

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And Gwen Pentland it's our queen It's.

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[Ben Mandelker]

McMurdo she gets an A It's Kelly.

[Ronnie Karam]

B We love him madly It's Kyle Pod Shadley we're ride or die for Lisa Ryder Baron She's a wiz It's Liz Sarthi always killing it It's Lola.

[Ben Mandelker]

Al Kalani the incredible edible Matthew Sisters she eases our woes it's Melissa St. Rose we're on the floor with Molly Dorsett There's a chance of meatballs It's.

[Ronnie Karam]

Rebecca Cloud she's the queen bee It's Sarah Lemke Shannon out of a cannon Anthony, let's take off with Tam A.

[Ben Mandelker]

Plan it's always a good time when you're wasting time with Bravo she ain't no shrinking violet Cootard. We love you guys. If you like, watch what crappens. You can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.