(Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty Images) ALFONSO RIBEIRO, ARIANA MADIX, PASHA PASHKOV
Swifties, brace yourself! Next week’s Dancing with the Stars episode is about to be everything and more. The upcoming theme is a Taylor Swift celebration, and all of the teams are going to be strutting their stuff to some of Tay Tay’s biggest songs.
Of course, Taylor won’t be there. She’s too busy running around with her new boo and performing to sold-out crowds. But, Mandy Moore will be guest judging! She did the choreography for Taylor’s Eras Tour, so it’s kind of like the next best thing, right?
PEOPLE chatted with Ariana Madix and her professional dance partner Pasha Pashkov about their upcoming performance for Taylor Swift Night. In the true spirit of T-Swift, Ariana teased that she and Pasha have some exciting Easter Eggs planned for their performance!
For Taylor Swift night, Ariana and Pasha lucked out and managed to snag Taylor’s current hit, “Cruel Summer.” She teased to the outlet, “I think there’s going to be some Easter Eggs, in classic Taylor style.”
Meanwhile, Pasha gushed about the technical aspects of the dance, revealing that they’re doing a rumba. He explained. “In general, as a dancer, when you listen to Taylor Swift’s music, a lot of the songs are perfect for beautiful rumbas, foxtrots, and Viennese waltzes.”
Taylor’s songs might be perfectly matched for a rumba, but Ariana’s life is perfectly matched for a Taylor song. No one navigates a breakup like Taylor, so after Ariana’s cruel summer, this will probably be a cathartic performance.
Of course, Pasha and Ariana couldn’t reveal all of the Easter Eggs they had planned for the performance. But, they did say that their costumes will be a direct nod to an outfit Taylor has worn.
Ariana has been dominating the competition so far in DWTS Season 32. In the past two weeks, she’s delivered killer performances celebrating Britney Spears and Whitney Houston. However, the Vanderpump Rules star hasn’t managed to pull off a perfect score just yet. Perhaps the Taylor Swift celebration will be the night she gets the big 40.
Dancing with the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8/7c.
TELL US – WILL YOU BE WATCHING TAYLOR SWIFT NIGHT ON DANCING WITH THE STARS? WHAT OTHER POP STARS DESERVE A TRIBUTE NIGHT?
Photo By: Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images via Getty Images
Kyle Cooke has made a rather unfavorable impression on Captain Lee Rosbach by proxy of his friendship with Carl Radke. The Loverboy founder was vocal about his concerns for Carl when he was in a relationship with Lindsay Hubbard. When Carl broke off the engagement with his Summer House co-star, Kyle made interview rounds sharing his opinion and what he had seen when they were filming together last.
As a result, Captain Lee puts some of the blame of the failed relationship on Kyle’s shoulders. So when the two Bravolebrities attended BravoCon 2023, they made sure to stay out of one another’s way to avoid feeling uncomfortable.
Kyle admitted to The Messenger that he “kind of walked by” the Stud of the Sea at the event in Las Vegas.
“I was surprised to hear that Kyle Cooke said he avoided me at BravoCon,” Captain Lee responded during the November 15 episode of the Salty With Captain Lee podcast.
His co-host Sam DeCavalcanti asked if the resulting behavior was a “highlight.” The reality TV star replied, “I don’t know [if it was a highlight]. The fact that I didn’t have to talk to him probably might have been.”
“It was funny just to find out he was actually avoiding me. He flatters me. I think, I am not sure. That was an unusual moment at BravoCon,” he added. It seems Captain Lee’s ego enjoyed the lack of interaction.
Captain Lee had blamed Kyle for contributing to Carl and Lindsay’s split
In a previous podcast episode from November 1, the former Below Deck captain explained why he blames Kyle for adding stress to Carl and Lindsay’s relationship.
“You know know the guy who really kind of ticks me off in that whole situation? Kyle,” he stated. “I think he contributed to a certain degree.”
Referring to the infamous Season 7 argument between Carl and Kyle, Lee added, “Like that one night he got totally sh*t-faced drunk and called Lindsay everything under the book that you could think of in front of Carl. And Carl sat there and took it and didn’t get all bent out of shape and aggressive on him. Which he had every right to do.”
He also took offense to Kyle’s post-split interview comments and found them very tone-deaf.
“Kyle comes out and says he could see the cracks in the relationship. Wake up, you were part of the cracks. You are supposed to be Carl’s best friend, and all you do every waking moment that you’re talking to Carl is badmouthing Lindsay,” he opined.
“Is that what friends do? I feel bad for both of them. I think people that don’t know should realize that they don’t know, and they shouldn’t speculate because their words have impact.” He added: “I don’t know how Kyle and Carl stayed friends.”
Indeed, it’s interesting that Kyle and Carl’s friendship emerged unscathed from the break up mess. But perhaps speaks volumes as to the true underlying issues. As for Lee and Kyle, it seems there is little reason or motivation to mend fences.
Summer House is due to premiere in early 2024.
TELL US – WAS KYLE RIGHT TO AVOID CAPTAIN LEE? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF LEE’S REPONSE? DO YOU THINK KYLE IS TO BLAME FOR LINDSAY AND CARL’S SPLIT?
Kourtney and Kylie actually showed up to film several scenes in the latest episode, which is atypical for the sisters. Don’t get it twisted — Kim Kardashian still carries this family and the show that made them famous. However, it’s nice to see some supporting help. Here are five main takeaways from The Kardashians Season 4, Episode 8: “Not Forgotten, Not Forgiven.”
Kim goes Hollywood, for real
(Photo by: Hulu)
Kim embarked on her acting journey this week. She was preparing to join American Horror Story and turned to none other than the theatrical Scott Disick to help her run lines. Scott was ready to support Kim all the way in New York City and split the rent for a place with her — 90 percent to Kim, 10 percent to Scott, of course. Kim took the role seriously by taking acting classes to memorize several pages of lines. She recognized that her goal for 2023 was to slow down.
“That clearly hasn’t worked out,” Kim said. “I’m not going to show up unprepared.”
Khloe cleans her hands of Tristan
(Photo by: Hulu)
Tristan may have finally moved out of Khloe’s house, but he’s still always lingering around in a tracksuit ready to break out a misused metaphor. Khloe partially felt obligated to stay close to her ex as she’s involved in making medical decisions for Tristan’s brother Amari. She promised Tristan’s mom that she would continue to help with Amari before she died.
However, Khloe didn’t get involved when Tristan expressed his desire to apologize to her individual family members for his past cheating. He had apparently spoken to Kris Jenner, Kim, and Rob Kardashian at that point, but not the others. Khloe encouraged the idea but left it up to him to clean up his mess.
“This is between him and each individual family member,” Khloe said. “I think it’s important for him to have these conversations for his own growing journey.” When speaking to her sisters about the idea, Khloe doesn’t lose sight of the immense pain Tristan has caused her in their relationship.
“That’s the biggest mind f*ck of all of this,” Khloe said to Kylie. “You’re all of great fucking things but you couldn’t f*cking be great to me.” And that’s exactly why Khloe should never go back to him.
King Kylie’s starring episode
(Photo by: Hulu)
One person that Tristan had a lot of explaining to do to was King Kylie. Kylie’s best friend Jordyn Woods was in the middle of a Tristan cheating scandal years ago that ruined her best friendship. Tristan took responsibility for ruining that, and Khloe admitted that she had forgiven Jordyn for her part and they were good. Now, Tristan geared up for a one-on-one chat with Kylie.
Tristan came over to Kylie’s for the first time in years for the “long overdue” conversation. He acknowledged that his actions caused her to lose a person who was a major part of her life. Kylie reflected that if the Jordyn situation hadn’t happened, she would still be living with her and, in retrospect, it was probably best for them to grow individually apart. Kylie and Jordyn are apparently on good terms these days, and Tristan asked for Kylie to pass along his apology. Sir, that is probably another conversation you should probably have yourself. It doesn’t make Jordyn’s feelings less important just because her last name isn’t Kardashian/Jenner.
Kim craves the lazy life
(Photo by: Hulu)
Kim was booked and busy in NYC preparing for her TV debut, trying on her dress for the Met Gala, and supporting Kourtney during Blink-182’s stop in the city. She was exhausted and, for the first time in her life, overslept through her alarm. She also was so delirious in the morning during a SKIMS promo that she was spilling secrets to fans without thinking about the future of the brand.
“This whole morning has been a complete foggy dream,” Kim said, half-asleep.
Kim admitted that American Horror Story put her over the edge, but she can’t say no or shy away from a challenge because she feared the opportunity would never return in the future.
“I work hard to make sure it doesn’t go away,” Kim said. “I said ‘no’ to someone and they stopped speaking to me.” Kris remained worried that Kim was going to burn out, but Kimmy clearly wanted to prove to us always that she could do the unthinkable.
Kourtney’s epic comeback
(Photo by: Hulu)
Tristan had a bit tougher time in his one-on-one talk with Kourtney than Kylie. Kourtney showed up with a notebook of grievances and ready to get the hard truth out of Tristan, not flowery language that fits what the family wanted to hear. Tristan admitted it was like being in the principal’s office.
“Tristan and I really have not connected and I just can’t fake it,” Kourtney said.
Kourtney got Tristan to reveal how he feels the day after cheating and realize that he never learned how to love as a child. Tristan claimed that his mom sheltered him from a lot of pain inflicted on her by his dad, so he’s never had to deal with hard emotions. Rather, he masks them.
Kourtney reminded Tristan that he’s made multiple mistakes, including blindsiding Khloe, repeatedly. Then, she hit him with the hardest truth before the show gave us an ominous “to be continued.”
“I don’t think you deserve Khloe or the actions that you’ve done have been something that she deserves,” Kourtney proclaimed. And now, we finally said it.
The Kardashians airs on Thursdays on Hulu.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF TRISTAN THOMPSON’S ONE-ON-ONE TALKS? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE KARDASHIANS SEASON 4 SO FAR?
Hassan, Dr. Simone Whitmore, Brynn Whitfield, Teddi Mellencamp, Dorit Photo By: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images
After seeing the hype and success of BravoCon 2023, it’s clear that fans are willing to spend, spend, spend to be a part of the network and its lineup of hit reality TV shows. As such, connection to Bravo has some marketing value. And one NYC based non-profit organization found a way to use that hype for a good, and adorable, cause.
Waldo’s Rescue Pen prides itself on being a no-kill shelter and saves the majority of its dogs from high-volume shelters where their chance at being adopted are slim. During a recent rescue mission, the shelter took to Instagram to introduce some of their newest editions, some of whom were named after Bravo fan favorites.
“Andy Cohen has the 411 on the newest Real Housewives of NY,” Waldo’s Rescue Pen staff captioned the post. Included were several photos of dogs rescued in this particular mission.
“The RHONY gals arrived with the number one guy in the group and 35 other incredible pups on their freedom ride to NYC today!” the post continued. “They are already winning the hearts of everyone they meet including their Bravolebrity namesakes! They’re all up on our site ready for you to apply to adopt them!”
In another post, the shelter tagged @bravoandy and suggested the animals be featured on Watch What Happens Live. “Call us if you’re looking for some canine bartenders for WWHL!,” the caption read. The photos included several dogs alongside the Bravo stars that they were named after.
Clearly, the marketing is working. The hype is up to check out the pets and get them adopted. In a third post, Waldo’s Rescue introduced the Vanderpuppies that include Ariana Madix, James Kennedy, and Lala Kent.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE MARKETING IDEA? WOULD YOU ADOPT A DOG NAMED AFTER YOUR FAVORITE BRAVOLEBRITY?
UPDATE: Kyle Viljoen reactivated his Instagram account after 48 hours, saying he needed “a social break.” He added on his Instagram Stories: “Being ‘main character energy’ is exhausting!” Original report follows…
Limiting access. After the most recent episode of Below Deck Mediterranean aired, Kyle Viljoen deactivated his social media account. Fans of the show may or may not be surprised given the state of things on the show. But the outspoken South African native arguably could have let viewers have their say.
The interior crew on Season 8 has been an absolute toxic mess. And it’s been getting hard to pinpoint who the real problem is, though arguably one could choose between Kyle and Natalya Scudder. Chief stew Tumi Mhlongo took some heat at the beginning too, but she is finding her stride.
So what is Kyle’s motivation to deactivate his account except to avoid negative commentary? Do the optics from the episode paint the reality TV star in an unfavorable light?
The dynamics within the interior team changed since the full cast finally assembled on board. Kyle and Tumi were delayed due to visa issues. As such, made friends at the embassy and Kyle seemingly bad-mouthed Natalya to Tumi.
The two ladies fought to establish dominance. After Captain Sandy Yawn intervened in an argument, Natalya and Tumi chose to make peace and keep it professional. So in the absence of an outlet for that drama, it seems another one formed.
To her credit, Tumi observed that Kyle trash talking to Natalya, his supposed friend. She said in a confessional interview that she had to assume that Kyle was talking about her behind her back too. Suspicions were aroused.
But the missing link here is the fourth interior crew member who side-stepped a lot of the prior drama. Jessika Asai was team Natalya in the beginning and hung on her every word. In one instance, she thought Tumi was laughing at the idea of her being in service. Yet a professional conversation with her superior nipped that conflict in the bud.
A similar situation with Kyle had the two mend fences while Natalya was left as the sole stew harboring ill feelings. But not before he confronted her for speaking negatively about him. Kyle raised her voice and Jessika was left visibly emotional. Tumi made sure the stews were not in proximity for the rest of the charter. Notably, Kyle also suffered a suspected panic attack shortly thereafter.
So was it the fight that left Jessika in tears the reason that Kyle deactivated his Instagram? Or was it the ongoing conflict with Natalya? Or another reason entirely? Will he return to social media?
TELL US – WHY DO YOU THINK KYLE DEACTIVATED HIS SOCIAL MEDIA? DO YOU THINK HE WILL RETURN? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE INTERIOR DRAMA?
(Photo by: Wilford Harewood/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
With the heaviest of sighs, it’s my duty to report recent, but predictable news about Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann. Kim and Kroy are suffering from massive self-imposed debt. They have repeatedly traumatized their children by fighting in front of them. And the couple are drowning in lawsuits from creditors.
Kim recently appeared on The Surreal Life and Kroy gets about $2k monthly from NFL pension. Despite this, they are unable to pay even the most basic bills and their McMansion is currently on the market. Amid divorce proceedings for the second time, Kim and Kroy must have realized they truly are soul mates, or they simply cannot afford to pay for attorneys. Yes, friends, true love wins once again. The Messenger has the details.
Welp, despite more calls to the cops than you can count and tons of nasty accusations, according to sources, Kim and Kroy are back together. It was obviously the next move after the “estranged” couple celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary and Kim went back to Biermann on Instagram.
I guess Kroy couldn’t stand the thought of his bride making flirty eyes at Chet Hanks in exotic locations. This man is more disappointing than an unsalted pretzel because he was suckered back in. An insider said, “They are back together for now.” I’m happy for Kim and Kroy. Now no one else will be subjected to their penchant for spending money on Uber Eats and Xbox games instead of keeping the lights on.
Over the summer Kroy said Kim was an unfit parent. He also said she lost the family fortune by paying more attention to the slots than her positive income. Kim remains undefeated in being her own worst enemy by living in denial surrounded by a cloud of dry shampoo and stale wine.
During a flurry of calls to law enforcement, while they weren’t getting along, Kim alleged Kroy was possibly suffering from mental instability due to playing football. She also said he blows his money on weed. That said, Kroy is probably proficient in most episodes of Scooby Doo.
What about Real Housewives?
While Kim’s life is certainly dramatic, we’ll have to see if it’s interesting enough for a Real Housewives of Atlanta return. Recently Andy Cohen revealed the door isn’t closed on Kimbo’s comeback. This reconciliation is likely more about money than love, but it appears Mr. and Mrs. Biermann are back in the saddle.
The judge in charge of Kim and Kroy’s divorce is probably thanking multiple deities for getting her out of this mess. But there’s always next week.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED KIM AND KROY RECONCILED AGAIN? DO YOU THINK THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TO KEEP THE HOUSE?
UPDATE: Lisa confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Jack’s visa was delayed. It appears his mission in Colombia is still set to go ahead! Original report follows…
It’s not every day that we’re following rumors about the whereabouts of a teenager, but this gossip is just too good to ignore.
In Season 4 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, the major storyline for Lisa Barlow is that her son, Jack Barlow, decided to embark on a two-year missionary trip. He said, “Fudge college,” and he found another path to follow after high school graduation.
The Barlows held a huge party to announce where Jack was “called” to serve. It was like he was getting his Hogwarts invitation or something, and they all seemed excited that he was assigned Bogota, Colombia as his mission location. However, Lisa did make a bizarre comment in her confessional interview, where she said that Jack might be robbed at gunpoint every day while living there. Of course, she claimed to know someone who had that experience. Sure, Lisa.
Now, it seems like he might not have actually moved to Colombia after all. A Reddit user claimed to have seen Jack in a TJ Maxx in Tustin, California. Are Mormons supposed to be Maxxinistas during their missions?
Fudge college and fudge Jack Barlow’s Colombia mission
Photo Credit: @lisabarlow14 via Instagram
“I just saw Jack Barlow at TJ Maxx/Home Goods in Tustin, CA. He was wearing his LDS badge and was with another missionary guy,” the Reddit user wrote. “I’m guessing Lisa didn’t let him go to Colombia for his mission. Instead, he went to Irvine/Tustin (literally one of the safest cities in the entire United States).”
There are only a couple of logical explanations for this rumored Jack Barlow sighting. He either has a long-lost twin running around Orange County who really loves discount stores, or he didn’t go to Colombia on his mission. Which is it?
The poster on Reddit assumed that Lisa was behind this last-minute switch. Although Lisa is Mormon 2.0, it wouldn’t make sense for her to be able to call up the church and tell them to reassign his mission to somewhere else — unless her reality TV fame has earned her some extra pull around the church.
On Reddit, some users theorized that he may be stateside due to issues with his visa. It could also be as simple as the church reassigning Jack’s mission on their own accord. Either way, Lisa’s comment about the dangers of Colombia makes this all seem a little bit odd. We’re going to need Andy Cohen to clear this up at the RHOSLC reunion.
In the meantime, new episodes of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City air on Bravo, Tuesdays at 8/7c.
TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE THE RUMOR THAT JACK IS IN CALIFORNIA AND NOT COLOMBIA? DO YOU THINK LISA WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET HIS MISSION CHANGED?
The myth, the legend. The controversial figure of Vanderpump Rules who had her own reputation built up from the gossip of the cast has gone public. Katie Maloney most of all had reason to dislike Jo Wenberg after she suspected the hairstylist of hooking up with her ex-husband Tom Schwartz. But is she being unfair?
In Pump Rules Season 10, Jo’s name started coming up in connection with Schwartz and their roommate status after he moved out of the marital home he shared with Katie. The former couple announced their split in March 2022. Now, the eccentric maven is getting some screen time of her own and is sharing her experiences filming with the cast for Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules.
Filming Vanderpump Rules “was very hard” for Jo Wenberg
Photo Credit: @jomygosh via Instagram
On Monday, November 6, Jo changed her Instagram account to public and shared a message to her followers.
“I’m going public with my Instagram tonight. I hope you guys will all be kind to me. I haven’t gotten the nicest stuff on any type of platform. But I wanted just to make sure that you guys could [see] just me with no makeup or filter. This is who I am,” Jo said in the video.
She went on to speak of her experience filming, and credited the producers for helping her feel comfortable.
“I did film this season of Vanderpump Rules, and it was a very big, eye-opening experience. I am usually behind the camera, and being in front of the camera was very hard for me. But I will say the producers were really awesome,” she continued.
Viewers of the show will remember how her name came up in the wake of Tom Sandoval’s affair with Rachel Leviss. It was suspected that Schwartz sought comfort from his friend.
Indeed, Schwartz admitted to a “situationship or a friends with benefits thing with clearly defined boundaries,” during the May special follow-up to the Vanderpump Rules Season 10 reunion. “We were both coming out of long-term relationships, and for a minute there, we were each other’s happy places.”
It will be interesting to see how Jo and Tom’s friendship plays out. Then there’s the rest of the cast who will be welcoming her into the fold! Or not…
Vanderpump Rules Season 11 premieres in January 2024 on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF JO AND HER FRIENDSHIP WITH SCHWARTZ? ARE YOU INTERESTED TO SEE HER IN SEASON 11? WHAT DRAMA DO YOU THINK SHE WILL BE INVOLVED IN?
