Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Part 3 of the Season 10 “Summer House” Reunion, streaming on Peacock as of June 10.
“I think it will be a little easier.”
Those were the famous last words uttered by Westling “West” Wilson when she broke up with him for the final time in Part 2 of the “Summer House” season 10 reunion. The fact that the video was spliced with footage of West’s secret ex-girlfriend Meija Moreno confessing to Ciara Miller and Kyle Cooke over FaceTime that he had been lying like crazy about his relationship status was a sure sign of doom.
Part 3, and yes, dear reader, I’m exhausted at this point, began with Amanda Batula and West’s 10-minute straight denial that anything physical happened between them before she broke up with Kyle, but West admits that an emotional connection was formed over the summer during the White Knight campaign, and that the Situation Changers gassed all of his friends into thinking that the online rumors surrounding their coupling were fake news.
Mia Calabrese thankfully takes a sledgehammer to the monotony and asks some pressing questions.
“Amanda and West: Did you come forward honestly because of all the speculation, or were you planning on continuing to lie to us?”
Amanda admitted that they came forward “due to speculation” and not because it would damage her friendship with Ciara, but “because there was so much we were still trying to figure out and figure out, including the Meija situation.” And after his usual cryptic behavior and denials, West finally confessed that Major had been seeing a number of women over the summer, even though he “thought we were in an exclusive relationship.”
When he learns this fact, Amanda gives him a stunned look.
Part 3 of the Vanderpump Rules reunion didn’t have any big bombshells like season 10 of Vanderpump Rules, but it did provide some catharsis for Ciara, who was able to tell Amanda how much she cared about her and the damage she caused by giving in to West’s bidding.
Turning to Amanda, Ciara tearfully recalled how hurt she was by Amanda’s lack of transparency.
“You texted me 24 hours before the statement finally admitting the truth was released. Meanwhile, I’m calling Kyle saying, ‘What the heck?’ when I’m not doing anything but being there for you?” she exclaims. “And then Lindsey picks me up from the bathroom floor and I have to come to work, okay? Because I couldn’t imagine sitting here today and being mad at you for having sex with my ex.”
Ciara went on to accuse West of going after Amanda to get revenge.
“If anything, I’m sure he wants revenge on her because he hates her so much. But it never even crossed my mind because he wants to embarrass me and want to hear the last word. These are his last words. I hope it works because he’s going to taunt me along with you. So, have fun.”
In the third part, tears stream down poor Jesse Solomon’s face (“I feel like I lost a brother,” he mutters), and Kyle cries several times out of sympathy for his ex-wife, even hugging her deeply during a break. However, Amanda continues to show little emotion, only registering the amount of pain she has caused not only Ciara but Kyle and her entire group of friends, repeating unconvincing lines of apology (such as “I did something really bad” and “Knowing that I caused you this pain kills me”). Throughout the third part, host Andy Cohen repeatedly confronts her about the grave cost of her actions, but Amanda can’t seem to muster an ounce of sincere remorse.
Still, Ciara, who is truly ride-or-die, doesn’t regret forcing her former best friend to break up with Kyle. Because it was the best thing for her at the time, and it evoked her mother.
“At the time, my friend seemed unhappy. I wanted her to be happy and feel safe,” she says. “I wanted her to be able to think about herself and what she wanted in this life. It saddens me to see a woman not believe in herself and think she’s worthless. She doesn’t think she deserves anything great and her worth is equal to the man she’s dating. I have never seen a relationship like that in my life, but I have also never seen a healthy marriage in my life.
The question of West’s (and Amanda’s?) lack of emotion during the reunion is finally answered at the end of Part 3, when a frustrated Cohen finally asks West: West responded, “I took a beta blocker…I apologize for not reading your emotions well enough.”
It is telling that West apologized for not being able to “read” his emotions well enough. This man is constantly performing, and for the sake of the female and “Summer House” audiences, he is primarily concerned with how his portrayal comes across, rather than how his actions affect others or himself. And that’s also a big reason why when Mia says during a break, “I’ve been doing this for 10 hours and I still don’t get it,” she’s expressing the audience’s frustration. You can’t get clarity from a man who can’t see clearly, or from a vulnerable woman under his spell.
I would like to give Ciara a final word about reunion. “I think it was cathartic in a way. I’m glad I was able to move on with my life.” Amen.
But wait. After the three-part reunion ended, Bravo announced that it would give fans one more episode of “Summer House.” Yes, “Summer House: The Aftermath” airs next Tuesday at 8pm EST, three weeks after the season 10 reunion, and will feature conversations between Amanda and Lindsay, West and Kyle, and Ciara and Major. I hope it provides Mia (and viewers) with the “clarity” they so desperately need.
