Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Temptation Island Season 5, Episode 10 Recap: Final Bonfires Get Underway

Temptation Island Recap
(Photo by: USA Network)

With Temptation Island Season 5 close to reaching its dramatic conclusion, two couples have headed to their final bonfires. In Episode 10, we watched as Christopher and Marisela, and Roberto and Vanessa, got the chance to say everything that’s been on their mind throughout the experiment. Of course, nothing is simple in the world of reality TV. The episode ended on an explosive moment. Here’s everything that went down in Temptation Island Season 5, Episode 10.

The calm before the storm

Temptation Island recap
(Photo by: USA Network)

Ahead of final bonfire, it was time for everybody to say their goodbyes. The singles would be sent away, while those who came to the island in a couple, would prepare to make their final decisions.

Kristian noted how “proud” he was of Marisela. She was finally standing up for herself. “I can’t continue to put myself second,” she said. “I’ll keep my bed warm for you,” he teased.

Meanwhile, Bryce was feeling “appreciative” of the time he’d spent with Vanessa. He loves spending time with her, and she gets butterflies when they’re together. “I don’t know where to go from here,” she admits.

As for their partners? Christopher wants to say “see you later” to Alexius, but is unsure he can commit to that before hearing Marisela out. For her part, Alexius is worried that Chris’ mind could be swayed.

Then there’s Rob and Desiree. He promises that he’ll hear what Vanessa has to say, and then follow his heart. Desi is grateful for the experience they’ve shared.

Not forgetting the others

Temptation Island recap
(Photo by: USA Network)

Though their final bonfires won’t be shown until Episode 11, we do get to check in with Hall, Kaitlin, Great, and Paris.

Kaitlin doesn’t even want to go to the bonfire. She has no idea what she does, or what she’ll say. Sebastian jokes that he wouldn’t mind going on her behalf, so he could “kick his ass,” speaking about Hall of course.

Hall’s too busy to worry about getting his butt kicked, however. He’s declaring that he is “in love” with Makayla. She says it back, and they kiss. We all know how this is gonna end, but it doesn’t stop it all being a fascinating watch. Like when you slow down to look at a car wreckage.

Paris is sad to be leaving Tahjjic. “We’re gonna walk outta here together,” he envisions. He tells her that it’s time she made him her man. Tahjjic also promises “ain’t nothing gonna change” when it comes to his feelings for her.

Great is giving a similar talk to Nafeesah. She’s visibly emotional that the experience has come to a close. He wants her to “trust whatever decision I make.” That’s not exactly commitment from the guy, but it seems to be enough to keep Nafeesah happy.

Christopher and Marisela’s final bonfire

Temptation Island recap
(Photo by: Patrick Ecclesine/USA Network)

Going into the final bonfire, Christopher can see a future with Alexius. He came into this experience thinking he would be proposing to Marisela at the end of it. But that’s all changed. Marisela is “happy” when she’s with Kristian. The journey started out “dark” on Temptation Island, but she’s found her light. Deep down, she knew her “purpose” for coming to the island was “to break free.”

As the bonfire gets underway, Chris tells Marisela that their relationship lacked “emotional vulnerability.” He apologizes for his role in all of that. Chris claims to have been broken when he saw Kristian in Marisela’s bed, and now realizes what she felt like when they shared a similar experience outside of the experiment. At the end of it all, he still loves her, but feels she has now moved on.

Marisela says she came to the island expecting to prove she was good enough. She claims Chris took her voice from her, and she never felt up to his standards. Allowing herself to accept herself, flaws and all, has been freeing. She’s never felt this good, and is sorry he saw her in bed with another man. Marisela says they both contributed to a toxic relationship, but she loves him for helping her, and won’t forget it.

When it comes time to ask questions, Chris doesn’t have any. Marisela wants to know why he didn’t send a video message. He says he didn’t want to, because of the clip he’d seen of her with Kristian. She asks if that was before or after he made a comment about getting “hard” in a hammock with another woman. This catches him off guard entirely. He’s glad she’s found clarity, and will love her forever.

In the end, Chris wants to leave the island with Alexius. Marisela, however, is going to leave on her own. She wants to learn how to love herself completely before she can commit to another. Alexius agrees to leave Temptation Island with Chris, and their journey comes to a close.

Roberto and Vanessa’s final bonfire

Temptation Island recap
(Photo by: Patrick Ecclesine/USA Network)

Vanessa lights up with excitement when she sees Rob. He, however, looks nervous. Rob needs to see change from the woman he walked in with, to now.

He tells Vanessa that while she constantly strives for the best, and pushes him to do the same, that can be draining. Rob thinks Vanessa treats the relationship like a “business” at times, and she constantly talks over him. He hates heated confrontations, and would prefer a debate, but takes the blame when he knows he’s not actually in the wrong. Rob questions if Vanessa could find another man like him, and when he struggles to reach the end of his thoughts, Vanessa is there for him. He admits his own flaws, and says the biggest one was expressing himself. He has, however, now learned to do that efficiently.

As Vanessa’s time to speak comes around, she thanks Rob for his honesty. She says she is “proud” of the journey he’s been on, and explains that her relationship with Bryce was to serve a purpose. She was “devastated” to see Rob getting intimate with another woman, but stuck to her guns and refused to do the same. Vanessa recognizes a need to work on her approach, and got similar feedback from her fellow islanders. Now, she’s ready to be a better woman.

The good feelings don’t last too long, however, as the floor is opened for questions. When Rob admits he shared a bed with Desiree, Vanessa blows up. The old V is back, shouting at the top of her lungs. And that’s where we’ll pick up when Temptation Island returns next week.

Temptation Island continues Wednesdays at 9/8c on USA.

TELL US – WERE YOU SHOCKED THAT MARISELA LEFT THE ISLAND ON HER OWN? DO YOU THINK SHE’LL RECONNECT WITH KRISTIAN ON THE OUTSIDE? WILL ROB AND VANESSA LEAVE THE ISLAND TOGETHER?

The post Temptation Island Season 5, Episode 10 Recap: Final Bonfires Get Underway appeared first on Reality Tea.



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Ariana Madix’s Behavior at Pump Rules Reunion ‘Was Uncalled For,’ Says Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss

Ariana Madix, Andy Cohen
(Photo by: Nicole Weingart/Bravo via Getty Images)

How is it August 2023 and we’re still so wrapped up in the Scandoval of it all from Pump Rules? Like many stupid conversations in the Bravo universe these days, Bethenny Frankel is partially to blame. Bethenny thought it’d be a good idea to get Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss on her little podcast to join her crusade against the network. Two women who have a penchant for lying and acting manipulative — it’s just what the fandom wanted (not).

Rachel hopped on Bethenny’s “Just B with Bethenny Frankel” podcast to join B’s “Reality Reckoning” of biting the hand that fed her. Rachel had plenty to say about her affair with Tom Sandoval, her status with the Vandepump Rules cast, and beyond. Oh, and she decided it’d be a good idea to throw some shade Ariana Madix’s way. As if Ari hasn’t been through enough with this Bambi-Eye B-word.

Rachel Leviss comes for Ariana Madix again

Rachel was provoked by Bethenny to give her opinion about Ariana’s rising star power following the Scandoval of it all. Instead of recognizing that Rachel’s bad decisions were the immediate catalyst to Ariana becoming America’s sweetheart, she did the “poor me” act. “It is hurtful to me just to think that my nature is very kind and forgiving and understanding of other people,” Rachel said. “So, the concept of me being the ultimate reality TV villain just blows my mind.” Again, you did that all on your own, sweetie.

She also decided to call out Ariana for being full of rage at the reunion. Let’s not forget that the reunion was filmed mere weeks after Ariana’s 10-year relationship imploded. Many of us would say she had quite a right to be angry.

“The way that she spoke to me at the reunion, I feel like it was uncalled for,” Rachel said. OK girl, what did you expect? Her to shrug it off and say that it was OK for you to sleep with her boyfriend? Get a grip. Hey, at least Rachel found a new friend in Bethenny who is equally glad to be living life in a delusion. Good for her, I guess.

TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF RACHEL LEVISS CALLING OUT ARIANA MADIX ON BETHENNY FRANKEL’S PODCAST? DO YOU THINK ARIANA’S REUNION BEHAVIOR WAS UNCALLED FOR?

The post Ariana Madix’s Behavior at Pump Rules Reunion ‘Was Uncalled For,’ Says Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss appeared first on Reality Tea.



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Carole Radziwill Drags Former Bestie Bethenny Frankel: ‘Gaslighting Dum-Dum’

(Photo by Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic)

Real Housewives of New York alum Carole Radziwill dropped a very interesting tidbit of information regarding an iconic Bravo storyline. “It’s about Tom” became “It’s about Michael Cohen” and Bethenny Frankel was none too pleased with her former friend.

Carole alleged Donald Trump’s former lawyer was the man behind the lens for Tom D’Agostino’s infamous kissing photo sent to Bethenny. Naturally, Beth ran to TikTok to dispute her claims and call them “insignificant and stupid.” Now Carole is firing back so Bethenny doesn’t have the last word.

The girls are fighting!

If you aren’t fighting publicly on social media, are you really fighting? Princess Carole hopped her Instagram Story where they conveniently disappear, to respond to Bethenny’s TikTok diss. She accused Beth of gaslighting and clocked her “moronic” comments.

Bethenny previously shared, “No, Michael Cohen did not take the photo at the Regency of Tom. The woman who did take the photo at the Regency is texting me right now. People should not quit their day jobs, and you need to trust and check your choices because it’s dangerous to listen to just anybody spew their mouth off about something they know nothing about.” Wow, what a lucky break “the woman” who took the photo was texting Beth at that moment. This video has since been deleted.

Carole said, “I normally do not respond to moronic comments by ‘a source close to Frankel.’ But it’s a masterclass in gaslighting [and] deflection of narcs.” She added a screenshot of an article where Beth says, “Who cares? Carole Radziwill has talked extensively about her journalism career. Maybe she should call Michael Cohen.”

“I did speak to Cohen… that was the point of the story. He was the source, dum-dum,” Carole responded. NOT DUM-DUM. At this point, Bethenny might not respond because she’s moved on to sucking information out of Rachel Leviss on her podcast.

That said, someone is not telling the truth here.

Real Housewives of New York City season 14 airs Sundays at 9/8c on Bravo.

TELL US – WHO TOOK THE PHOTO OF TOM, MICHAEL COHEN OR “THE WOMAN”? WHY WOULD CAROLE LIE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

The post Carole Radziwill Drags Former Bestie Bethenny Frankel: ‘Gaslighting Dum-Dum’ appeared first on Reality Tea.



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Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss Breaks Silence: ‘I’m Trying To Be a Better Person’

Rachel "Raquel" Leviss
(Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss has finally broken her silence, since going under the radar after filming the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion. Spending 90 days in a mental health facility, Rachel now feels ready to speak out about her experience. Perhaps shockingly to some, she has chosen to do that as part of Bethenny Frankel’s podcast. Here’s everything she had to say, about trying to be a better person, going back to her real name, and reintroducing herself to the world.

Bethenny asks Rachel how she’s doing

After a deep sigh, Rachel said she was “hanging in there.”

“It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been chaos. But I’ve taken some time to myself to reflect, and try to understand my actions and I finally have come to the place where it makes sense to me.”

Rachel continued: “Part of the reason why I wanted to take some time away was just because it was so chaotic and loud, and there was such vitriol online. But then the other part of the reason why I wanted to go to a treatment facility was to understand my behaviors, and my goal was to really get down to the bottom of, ‘Okay, why am I choosing men that are unavailable? Why do I keep finding myself in unhealthy relationships? What are the things that I need to change about my behavior?’ And in knowing that I needed to make a change, I first had to know what it was that leads to those behaviors.”

For some time, Rachel thought she “was going crazy.” But in speaking to Bethenny, and in receiving treatment, she recognized just how blown out of proportion the events of a reality TV show can become.

“It is contrived to create a certain storyline, and so it’s not all factual,” she said of her experience. “So as a viewer tuning in, it’s easy to get wrapped up in that, and then the concept of an affair hits really hard to a lot of people. So I think there was a lot of projection happening. A lot of emotions came up for people. Unfortunately, I was the punching bag for a lot of that.”

Can Rachel take responsibility?

While this may all sound like an excuse, from someone incapable of taking responsibility, Rachel wanted to do that as well.

She explained: “I do wanna take a moment though to just acknowledge the hurt that I’ve brought to a lot of people. I was not careful in my actions and I was not thinking long-term. I was completely wrapped up in heartbreak and wanting to get certain needs met. Looking back now, I can see that I was still healing from a relationship from somebody who I thought I was going to marry, and in ending that I still haven’t healed yet. So when I was filming, I was drinking a lot to ease that anxiety, and in a reality TV environment, I wasn’t getting that safe space for me to express my emotions in a healthy way.”

Bethenny asked, “How does it feel to be able to just tell your story with your own voice right now?”

Oh my gosh, it feels like I have this opportunity to share how much I’ve grown, and how hard I’m trying to be a better person,” Rachel responded. “That person that I saw watching back on my TV was someone who’s completely out of character from who I truly am. And so, I feel like having this opportunity to share my side of the story and to represent myself in a way that I feel like is true to who I am, is all I could ever ask for.”

TELL US – ARE YOU READY TO MOVE ON FROM SCANDOVAL? WAS THE PUMP RULES DRAMA BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION? DO YOU BELIEVE RACHEL IS TRYING TO BE BETTER?

The post Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss Breaks Silence: ‘I’m Trying To Be a Better Person’ appeared first on Reality Tea.



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Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss Questions ‘Authenticity’ of Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval’s Relationship

Rachel "Raquel" Leviss, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix
(Photo by: Nicole Weingart/Bravo via Getty Images)

When it comes to reality TV, authenticity is always being called into question. The genre purports to be real, but sometimes, it’s all just too good to be true.

Many Vanderpump Rules viewers felt that way with Scandoval — that the drama was all too convenient. Tom Sandoval cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss. While it seems believable enough, theories circulated nonetheless.

And frankly, some things felt a little beyond explanation. Like Tom and Ariana living in the same house. They can’t afford separate places? Well, Rachel has her own theories. But let’s not forget she’s got skin in the game.

Tom said he and Ariana were “business partners”

Rachel went on Bethenny Frankel’s podcast, Just B, for a two-part tell-all interview. Part one dropped on August 16. Bethenny asked, “How much do you think [Tom and Ariana’s] relationship is real?” Rachel laughed before responding.

“Honestly, I don’t … no, I know. I would not be involved in this affair, secrecy-type of situation if I thought there was longevity in this relationship between Tom and Ariana.” But of course, she would say that. A cheater would say anything to rationalize their behavior. And she proves that by sharing what Tom told her.

She continued, “The people closest to them could see that their relationship hasn’t been what they portray on camera, and Tom always told me they’re a brand, they’re an image, they work together to make brand deals and they are business partners.” But again, obviously, Tom would say anything to have his cake and eat it too. Rachel cannot be that naïve.

Rachel claims she gave Tom a key

Beyond that, Rachel commented on the fact that Tom and Ariana have been living together. She questioned why that might happen if they supposedly hate each other. She even claimed, “I actually gave Tom the key to my apartment while I was away at the Meadows, and he had a free place to stay and chose to stay in the house with Ariana.” Interesting if true.

But she has the burden of proof. Granted, she gave a slight concession regarding Tom’s finances. “I know that a lot of his money was wrapped up in the bar, Schwartz & Sandy’s, and I know that Ariana’s been doing a lot of brand deals.”

But even then, she continued with the theories. “I don’t know their situations but I do know it isn’t really that surprising that they’re living together in my eyes because it’s been this way. They haven’t been an authentic couple, romantic, intimate…”

Again, interesting theories, but the burden of proof is all on her. Vanderpump Rules is expected to return to Bravo in early 2024.

TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE ANY OF RACHEL’S CLAIMS? IS THERE A SLIVER OF TRUTH TO WHAT SHE’S SAYING? WHY ARE TOM AND ARIANA LIVING TOGETHER?

The post Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss Questions ‘Authenticity’ of Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval’s Relationship appeared first on Reality Tea.



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Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss Says She Was Never ‘Best Friends’ With Ariana Madix

Ariana Madix, Rachel "Raquel" Leviss
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Vanderpump Rules Season 10 sold us a narrative, and we were all on the edge of our seats. We were told that Tom Sandoval cheated on his girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with her best friend, Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss.

But now, Rachel has come forward to claim that narrative is false. It all went down on the August 16 episode of Bethenny Frankel’s podcast, Just B. And this is only part one of Bethenny’s interview with Rachel.

Bethenny set the stage, telling Rachel that the “best friend” narrative was being called into question. “The world thinks that you slept with your ‘best friend’s’ boyfriend of 10 years,” she told Rachel.

Rachel and Ariana never spent time together

Rachel said, “Yes, that is the narrative that is being written for me. It is more salacious that way.” However, she denied it. “Ariana and I were not best friends. We were acquaintances who became friends through the show. She’s always been somebody who’s been very sweet to me. She would stand up for me and encourage me to pursue whatever I was pursuing, and that was all great.”

But Rachel said crucial elements were missing that would make them truly close. “But, we never had a deep conversation that I would have with a best friend. It’s painful to think that I hurt her in this way because that wasn’t my intention. I wasn’t trying to be a malicious person. I just got wrapped up in this and wasn’t thinking clearly. But we were not best friends.”

Rachel also claimed that she and Ariana never spent one-on-one time together off-camera. But no matter the extent to which any of that is true, it doesn’t justify anything Rachel did. If this is her attempt to rationalize, it’s a poor attempt at best.

Tom made her look like Ariana’s friend

She went on, “I don’t expect her to forgive me. I think once trust is broken with somebody from personal experience it’s really hard to come back from that. And the fact that I was able to keep those secrets from her — I don’t expect her to ever forgive me. But I am remorseful.” No matter how she says it, it sounds like she’s fishing for sympathy.

Still, she tried to take some modicum of accountability. “I do recognize that I’ve caused her a lot of pain, and there is a lot of secrecy [and] deception.” And for good measure, she also threw Tom under the bus. Which is fair.

“Although I wasn’t hanging out with Ariana off-camera to begin with, I did start hanging out with her in a group setting, because Tom would always invite me out. So, it did seem like we were close friends from the outside looking in, but in those situations, I was hanging out with Tom more than I was hanging out with her.”

Vanderpump Rules is expected to return to Bravo in early 2024.

TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE RACHEL’S CLAIMS? WHAT DO YOU THINK ARIANA’S RESPONSE WILL BE?

The post Rachel ‘Raquel’ Leviss Says She Was Never ‘Best Friends’ With Ariana Madix appeared first on Reality Tea.



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