A Summer House Deep Dive
Going over the SH scandal from the perspective of a Black Bravo superfan
As a reality tv fan, a Black woman and a person named Ciara who has watched all 10 seasons of Summer House, 3 seasons of Winter House (yes, there was spin-off) and 11 seasons of white men with Peter Pan syndrome prancing around a city with deep racialized underbelly better known as Southern Charm you could say I have a lot to say about the news surrounding Summer House.
The Simplified Breakdown
On Tuesday, March 31 at 1:00 PM EST Summer House co-stars Amanda Batula, 34, and West Wilson 31, posted a joint statement of their Instagram stories saying they are currently exploring “our connection” after rumors had been swirling for weeks around the pair’s alleged affair.
This has blown up for 3 reasons:
1) Amanda was married to Kyle Cooke, 43, another Summer House cast member and staple of the show since season 1. They recently announced their plans to file for divorce in January of 2026 before the season 10 premiere of SH.
2) Amanda is close friends with Ciara Miller, 30, who joined the show in season 5 and dated West Wilson after his first appearance on the show on season 8.
3) Ciara as Black woman on reality tv has been disrespected multiple times on screen specifically by white men (Luke Gulbranson, Austen Kroll, West Wilson) and now a white woman (Amanda) and even after having a heart to heart with her castmates on this current season about the hardships of being a Black woman on reality tv.
Aside: After posting the joint statement, several women have come forward to say they have been seeing/sleeping with/talking to West as recently as March 2026. Here’s a link to a rough timeline as collected by the gossip account Deux Moi.
A Note on Dating as a Black Woman
I was in denial about the rumors in the weeks leading up and was sadly part of the contingent who slightly believed maybe this is all just an April Fool’s Day prank to promote Buffalo Wild Wings (yes I know it is a ridiculous sentiment in hindsight). But I just did not want to believe it for Miller’s sake and also my own. Yes we watch reality tv for escapist entertainment and we don’t know these people on screen in real life but I also see it as a mirror (albeit dramatized) to society at large. The interpersonal relationships and sociological and moral questions reality shows pose can be a direct reflection of our own lives and day to day experiences. I can say that dating as a Black woman in New York my experiences have been similar to that of Ciara Miller. You can be smart, well-educated, driven, kind, beautiful and still not be “picked” among your peers for long term commitment because of all the race, class and gender dynamics at play. I’ve known and reckoned with that as a teen, a college student and now in my late 20s, things have remained relatively the same and I am currently single and happy. I’ve found solace in the fact that you cannot compare your dating life to that of your non-Black friends. I see it like this: would you rather be overwhelmed by the idea of “choice” in a sea of suitors where you have to question their motives + politics or have people self-select out because of how you show up in the world to begin with and go from there. They’re both different and exhausting.
Main Event
Now, I’m not here to give a timeline of events or or question whether or not this is bigger than Scandoval, compare screenshots of IG photo dumps or point out flirty captions or spot clothing swaps of hats + sweaters or ties made of pony hair. There are valiant people on TikTok, Reddit, Threads and surprisingly Dave Portnoy (LINK 1, LINK 2) for that.
I’m here to bring some levity and also pose both questions and predictions for the reunion.
A list of West Wilson’s slimy behavior
Asking Amanda if filming the season 8 reunion was only going to take an hour
Saying he didn’t want to end up as “Ciara’s puppet” at his first reunion
Texting the cast group chat that this is the best season yet after Lindsay and Carl went through the real heartbreak of ending their engagement
Showing his pit stains to Andy Cohen after being grilled by Paige DeSorbo and Ciara at the season 8 reunion
Doing a profile with the New York Times to tell Ciara he doesn’t like her (LINK 1, LINK 2)
His himbo / cool guy accessory choices that in reality make him look like a poser
Eating dumplings on TikTok with his nuts out (yes this happened, yes I unfortunately saw it before it was deleted)
Shortening pickles to pickies and futther to p’s
His unexplained fear of commitment as a 30+ year old man
When he made Ciara’s comments on interracial dating on reality tv about himself
Fucking three women who are currently on the show literally and metaphorically (Dara, Ciara, Amanda)
Wearing a horse hair tie of a female artist, Meija Moreno (ie. Montana girl), he’s been “seeing” (not Amanda) on WWHL (LINK 1, LINK 2, LINK 3)
Lying to Andy Cohen and Symone Sanders Townsend about his rumored “relations” with Amanda
His inability to answer a direct question as a journalist who’s worked for two well-known digital media companies
Having situationships with women of color for cultural capital (Ciara, Dara, Meija)
My favorite questions posed to Andy Cohen on Threads for the SH reunion
Ira Madison III from NY - For Amanda and West, was joining Raya not an option?
Raven from Charleston - Amanda, do you think West will treat you better than he treated Ciara? If yes, why?
Jenny from Dallas - West were you pretending to flirt with Ciara as a decoy for your shenanigans with Amanda?
Cookie from Michigan - West, when you were in the pool with Jesse you stated that “anyone in my position would call you a weirdo and a dickhead for asking” referring to Jesse asking if he could make out with Ciara. Did you ask Kyle if you could sleep with his ex-wife Amanda? And would you consider yourself a weirdo and a dickhead?
Ciara from Long Island - Why would West entertain a relationship with Amanda after already experiencing the fallout of reality tv break up with Ciara? Is he a clout chasing ego maniac who seeks out controversy through flings with his castmates?
What I want to see at the reunion
All of the women who have had relations with West Wilson in the past 12 months come out in a single file line Maury style. They each state their name, age, the last time they communicated with West and the last time they had sex with him. Several get to ask him one direct question which he must answer.
Ciara brings out a white board or Powerpoint presentation to go over the timeline of her West’s relationship in comparison to Amanda and West’s relationship
A supercut of every scene from season 9 + 10 of Amanda and West being oddly close to one another
Lindsay Hubbard takes down West followed by an equally powerful takedown of Amanda
Influencers who were at the Abercrombie + Fitch activation at the Super Bowl (Connor Wood aka Fibula, Brianna Chickenfry, Kip from Heated Rivalry, etc.) Zoom In and explain what they saw going down between Ciara + West that weekend (LINK 1, LINK 2)
Paige DeSorbo
Kyle slaps West in the face
Amanda throws West under the bus and says he pressured her into posting the joint statement
Ciara has her Ariana Madix moment
What I expect to see at the reunion
Ciara remains stoic and gracious with a tear here or there while asking the tough questions of her ex and ex best friend
Amanda blaming her mental health and recent divorce for her deplorable actions
Word salad West gives a non-apology apology Ciara and a slightly more sincere apology to Kyle
What I want to happen post-reunion
Ciara is dating Michael B. Jordan (Rihanna is allegedly setting that up as we speak)
Ciara at the Met Gala
Ciara, Kyle, Amanda and West all remain on SH for one more season (a girl can dream!, I want an entertaining show not one where the protagonists experience zero conflict)
West Wilson is forced into a monogamous sexless relationship with Amanda for the next two years and no woman in the tri-state area will have sex with him for the next five
West Wilson gets a Travis Kelce post-Taylor Swift re-whitening makeover
What I expect to happen post-reunion
Ciara does a sit down interview with Rachel Lindsay on the podcast Morally Corrupt
Ciara is a Victoria Secret angel and model at Miami Swim Week
Ciara hits 1 million followers on Instagram
West gets the reality tv villain treatment + goes on House of Villains and/or the Traitors West continues to juggle multiple women in New York, Miami and Chicago
Amanda Batula fades out of the spotlight
Loverboy has a spike in sales but then eventually goes bankrupt (sorry Kyle)
Amanda and Kyle get back together
The Future of Summer House
I genuinely don’t know how this show and its cast will shake out after all this. There are so many things at play here including a new spin-off show, In the City, that now feels irrelevant given the current situation. We have real life friendship loyalty between Kyle, Lindsay and Carl; the reality tv Black caucus of Ciara, Mia and KJ; the package bromance deal of West and Jesse (which I think might flip if it means Jesse could stay on the show). One thing I don’t see many people taking into account is cast seniority. For example, Kyle and Amanda have both been on the show since season 1. Kyle as a regular and Amanda as a friend of, until season 2 where she became a regular. Here’s a breakdown of some possible summer house season 11 casting scenarios.
Lifers (10 seasons): Kyle, Amanda, Carl, Lindsay
Veterans (5 seasons): Ciara
Old Newbies (3 seasons): West, Jesse
Newbies (1 season): KJ, Mia, Bailey, Ben, Levi, Dara
Scenario 1: Seniority Split
In the City: Kyle, Amanda, Lindsay, Carl, Ciara, KJ, Mia, Dara
Summer House: West, Jesse, Bailey, Ben, Levi, +4-5 new people
Off the Show: N/A
Note: Ciara would have to film some scenes with Amanda but would have her crew with her as well. I could see Kyle taking pity on Amanda and try to make things work for another year or two. Also idk if Lindsay would be cool with Carl being on the spinoff. She moderately tolerates him on SH after their broken engagement.
Scenario 2: Bye Bye Bromance
In the City: Kyle, Amanda, Lindsay, Carl
Summer House: Kyle, Lindsay, Carl, Ciara, KJ, Mia, Bailey, Ben, Levi, Dara, +2-3 new men
Off the Show: West, Jesse
Note: The West-Jesse bromance dies and Ciara and Amanada are on separate shows for one season and Ciara exits after season 11. This again only works if Kyle and Amanda reconcile. This is my personal favorite.
Scenario 3: Bros Before Hoes
In the City: Kyle, Lindsay, Carl
Summer House: West, Jesse, KJ, Mia, Bailey, Ben, Levi, Dara, +2-3 new people
Off the Show: Amanda, Ciara
Note: I feel like this would be the worst case scenario for me. I would hate to see two women get kicked off the show because of an ego-driven man who couldn’t keep it in his pants (two really).
Scenario 4: Start from Scratch
In the City: Lindsay, Carl
Summer House: KJ, Mia, Bailey, Ben, Levi, Dara, +5 new people
Off the Show: Kyle, Amanda, Ciara, West, Jesse
Note: A complete reboot without those involved in the scandal + Jesse just to level the playing field (imagine a show where Jesse is the most senior cast member, yeah I can’t either). We’ve been saying the show needs a fresh start and this would be the extreme version of that. Kyle would not take leaving the show lightly and out of everyone on the cast wants the show to work the most. Look at these interviews (part 1, part 2, part 3).
Reunion seating chart predictions
Option 1: Left of Andy (closest to farthest) - Ciara, Lindsay, Jesse, Carl, KJ, Dara, Mia / Right of Andy (closest to farthest) - Kyle, Amanda, West, Ben, Bailey, Levi
Option 2: Left of Andy (closest to farthest) - Kyle, Ciara, Lindsay, Carl, KJ, Dara, Mia / Right of Andy (closest to farthest) - Amanda, West, Jesse, Ben, Bailey, Levi
If you want to dive even deeper into all the Summer House drama:
GQ - Summer House Drama Has United Our Fractious Nation by Chris Black
NYT - What You Need to Know about the ‘Summer House’ Scandal
The Cut - The Art of Winning (and Losing) the Bravo Divorce
Refinery29 - Amanda & West Just Blew Up ‘Summer House’ For a Situationship & Ciara Is Collateral Damage
Ira Madison III’s Substack - Summer House is a television show
Sirius XM Radio Andy / Virtual Reali-Tea - Andy Cohen is doubling down that he didn’t know about West and Amanda’s romance
Morally Corrupt (podcast) - Emergency Pod: West and Amanda of ‘Summer House’ Confirm Relationship
Chicks in the Office (podcast) - Amanda Batula & West Wilson Scandal Deep Dive
Everything Iconic with Danny Pelligrino (podcast) - BREAKING: Summer House Scandal Summit
Josh the RHONY Stan (TikTok) - Ciara Miller World Domination Let’s Lock In
Kate Riccio Reality TV (TikTok) - Summer House drama explained for non-watchers
My TikTok Collection of Summer House content - Link to folder
Ciara Miller (Instagram) - If you can’t trust your friends and neighbors who can you trust
The past three weeks in the reality tv world have been insane! Have a nice weekend!