Who knew? All I needed for the winter pick me up was Jax Taylor and his band of loony friends back on my small screen. When I heard that some of the Vanderpump Rules OG cast members would be given their spinoff, I was hesitant at best, curious about the authenticity of it all. Kristen Doute, Brittany Cartwright, and Jax were not exactly the best of the best. All had been shrouded in some sort of cancel culture scandal, and to be honest, they all, except for Brit, who might be a saint, came off as kind of mean.
The latest season of Vanderpump Rules is pretty boring. And stars like Scheana Shay and Lala Kent are trying to figure out how to make the jump to the newest Bravo spinoff, which I’m not sure how I feel about that. But that’s a different type of article. So imagine my surprise when, after the premiere episode, I found myself wanting to watch The Valley.
New cast, who this?
I think we can all agree that Jax and Kristen’s antics on Vanderpump Rules became exhausting to watch. It was the same formula of constant cheating and lying with an underlying fight or two over the years. However, the new additions to The Valley are pretty fantastic. The new cast, which consists of Nia Booko, Danny Booko, Jesse Lally, Michelle Lally, Janet Caperna, Jason Caperna, Jasmine Goode, Zack Wickham, and Luke Broderick, compensate in a big way with their own set of issues.
Zack perfectly states, “All these people move to the Valley, get a house, pop out a couple of kids, and then they think they’re so grown up. But these people don’t grow up.” We’ve already seen some pretty childish and flirtatious moments like Jax pantsing Danny at a pool party. Watching these grown adults struck with Peter Pan syndrome has been the most entertaining I’ve had in a while, to be frank.
Rocky relationships
Like all good reality TV, there are not one but a few relationships hitting the skids. The tension is palpable between some of the married couples, and I can’t get enough. Jesse and Michelle are just not working. Sadly, I think Jesse is way more into his wife than she is into him. Michelle has already noted that she can’t get over her resentment for him and just wants out. There have also been some hints that Michele might have cheated with a famed Hollywood director.
Jax and Brittany announced their separation shortly before The Valley premiered. Whether it was a PR stunt or a sign of the times is still up for debate. I found myself tuning in to see just how badly their marriage was going. Jax is still very much living in his delusion, toting a man with a multi-hyphenate career choice. Jax is not kind to B, and she is getting fed up. I’m holding on to see if Jax turns into a form of Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval. All who own bars and have let their love life suffer.
Crazy Kristen
I feel like Kristen has run headfirst into her relationship with Luke, which might be premature. But don’t tell Kristen that because she is happy within her love bubble. Kristen is still unapologetically Kristen as she shares how she met Luke. The OG Bravo star noted, “I thought, he’s sweet, he’s kind, he’s funny… Then we had sex behind a tent, and the rest is history.” The big drama for these two is Luke is not about to move to Tinsel Town but Kristen isn’t about to leave it either.
I’ll also say the tension between Jax and Kristen is pretty great. They claim to have a brother/sister relationship, but siblings don’t have sex. Four episodes in, and I’m still trying to figure out if they have a true friendship. But something about this group of semi-wealthy Valley middle-agers has me hooked. In my opinion, The Valley is worth its weight in gold. Whether it is Jax’s love of his leaf blower, Janet’s ninja-like fight moves, or Brittany’s tequila hangovers, I am here for it all.
Watch The Valley every Tuesday at 9 PM/ET on Bravo.
TELL US – HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING THE VALLEY? ARE YOU HOOKED LIKE ME?
