RW Homecoming: New Orleans (2022)

[BelleBrit]

4 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

I think that is the way Danny has learned to deal with people he doesn't like. I've noticed a lot of scenes of him talking to Matt as well. We all have our ways to deal with people we don't want to be around.

Agreed. I just think it's a little funny in that context because Matt and Julie are the ones that hug Danny in the preview when he gives the teary "I love you!" speech. We have seen that Melissa has been cordial with Julie, but I think even clueless Julie can sense how Melissa truly feels about her because you don't see much of them interacting one on one.

I will say that I'm surprised that they did not do a generic clip show from the "demon tv" on all the national and world events that happened immediately following their season-US election of 2000, September 11, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Hurricane Katrina. Danny has commented in show press that the show is nostalgic for a lot of people because it came right before this era. But at the same time, I'm grateful that we'll be spared a clip of Julie crying about how she was supposedly almost on one of the September 11 flights.

[snarts]

7 hours ago, BelleBrit said:

Everything with Julie and her husband seemed very contrived.

Yes. That supposed hall pass conversation was completely staged for the cameras. Julie's still trying to make "good tv". I also didn't appreciate her calling Kelley a grandma or trying to body shame Kelley's husband "I don't know what your husband looks like" just because she wasn't interested in looking a nekkid pics of Spencer.

I'm sure Kelley can be just a bawdy when she's hanging out with her true friends and not being filmed. Many of them have teen/pre-teen kids. Do Julie's kids really want to hear about her first orgasm or purported hall pass to cheat? Hell no. 

All of them in the studio re-creating Come on Be My Baby Tonight was the highlight of the season for me. Jamie's "I love you and I think you sorta/kinda like us" to Toyko was super cute. 

[Bastet]

I think Kelley has gotten out of this experience all she's going to get, and is just one giant bundle of frayed nerves at this point; I think the only time she can relax is in that bedroom.  Now she's walking through the front door right into a crazy lady shoving a dick pic in her face.  Good grief.

Her poise being her protection pretty much sums Kelley up.  And having had such horrible experiences in high school when she was shunned by a friend group certainly explains why she basically ran away upon feeling excluded by the Melissa-Julie bond back in the day.

The recording session was fantastically fun; I love how into it everyone was.  And Jamie's "I love you.  And I think you ... like us, at least" to Tokyo was great.  Interesting discussion about Tokyo's history with the song, from his motivation in writing it (and having that go over like a lead balloon) to the Chappelle experience being incredible but also feeling mocked, and now coming back to it as a group experience. 

I had one of the best breakfasts of my life at Brennan's, so that segment made me hungry.

[ljenkins782]

26 minutes ago, snarts said:

Yes. That supposed hall pass conversation was completely staged for the cameras. Julie's still trying to make "good tv". I also didn't appreciate her calling Kelley a grandma or trying to body shame Kelley's husband "I don't know what your husband looks like" just because she wasn't interested in looking a nekkid pics of Spencer.

I'm sure Kelley can be just a bawdy when she's hanging out with her true friends and not being filmed. Many of them have teen/pre-teen kids. Do Julie's kids really want to hear about her first orgasm or purported hall pass to cheat? Hell no. 

All of them in the studio re-creating Come on Be My Baby Tonight was the highlight of the season for me. Jamie's "I love you and I think you sorta/kinda like us" to Toyko was super cute. 

I'm 100% sure that it wasn't a "shirtless" picture and again, Julie misreads the room and thinks it'll be a silly, girl bonding moment, when it was really just weird and inappropriate. and then of course she willfully misunderstood the conversation. It was a fascinating peek into her mind to hear her "repeat" what Kelley said because it was a twisted paraphrase that didn't match what was actually said. 

Beth S is on this season of the Challenge All-Stars and her BS (ha, how fitting that those are her initials) is very similar to Julie, deliberately stirring shit up and then pretending not to understand why people are mad. In Beth's case though, I think it's because she just annoys people and it's easier to pretend to be a purposeful villain than a friendless loser.

As for Kelley, I appreciate the boundaries and all that, but I do think she's taken it a little far with the carefully crafted facade. Like, not everything is a threat and there are plenty of non-Julie people to focus on. The story about her high school days was eye-opening, it makes a lot of things about her make more sense.

Quote

I will say that I'm surprised that they did not do a generic clip show from the "demon tv" on all the national and world events that happened immediately following their season-US election of 2000, September 11, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Hurricane Katrina. Danny has commented in show press that the show is nostalgic for a lot of people because it came right before this era. But at the same time, I'm grateful that we'll be spared a clip of Julie crying about how she was supposedly almost on one of the September 11 flights.

Yeah, that is a little surprising. Looking back, this was kind of the end of the innocence, when our national news events were Y2K and White House interns. And Hurricane Katrina happened IN New Orleans, I'd especially think that warrants a mention.

[Miss Slay]

I enjoyed the episode because it wasn't so focused on Julie. I loved hearing more from Kelley and Tokyo.

I hope Kelley doesn't leave but I respect her decision if she did. Something is off about Julie -- like I don't like watching her so I can imagine what it would be like living with her.

Also, let's face it -- living in a house with a bunch of strangers is FUN in your twenties. In your 40s, when you are used to living with a spouse and kids or by yourself -- not as much. Several Real Worlders have not enjoyed it the second time around and it's understandable.

And I agree - I'd like some mention of Katrina.

Edited June 1, 2022 by Miss Slay

[choclatechip45]

Didn't the reunion air the same night as the 2000 election? 

[Bastet]

6 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

As for Kelley, I appreciate the boundaries and all that, but I do think she's taken it a little far with the carefully crafted facade.

I agree, and my initial reaction to this episode was that I found Kelley exhausting.  But when I try to imagine living this situation, with Julie being a fucking sociopath trying to create "good TV" and no one knowing whether the producers are going to play her game, I can understand the degree of Kelley's reaction better.

[DearEvette]

"You can't be Tardy for the Party unless you were someone's baby tonight."  Oh Melissa!  I just love how naturally witty she is.

Why does Julie have a Batman villain grin on her face everytime she talks? As she continues to push the Jamie agenda.

Also "Spencer gave me a hall pass on national television"  Uh -- no he didn't.  Nobody would have known about this so-called hall pass if you hadn't gone around and announced it to everybody with that stupid shit eating grin on your face. Ugh.  She annoys me so hard. 

Learning that Tokyo was on the entertainment Bar Mitzvah circuit cracks me up.  Very Tiffany Haddish of him. LOL.

Oh hey, it's Elton!  I forgot about him til I saw him that minute and then I remembered him right away.

How do they go from the very deep/serious Kelly segment to Julie and Matt doing push ups?  With no transition??

I loved the whole Come One Be My Baby Tonight segment.  They seemed really relaxed and sympatico.  Also I know I've thought of the song fondly and little campily but I have to say the piano music underneath it was really quite beautiful.

And then is transitioned back to Julie.  Sigh.  I was feeling that Kelly was being a little over-dramatic last week, but just the little we see of Julie talking about her being horny all the time and her hall pass and Jamie is just exhausting to me.  Also watching anyone try to talk to her is exhausting because she speaks over people and everything they say is wrong and she is right.  So I can imagine the constant barrage Kelly is subjected to live with on the regular with Julie  -- not to mention getting a dick pick thrust in her face. I am sympathetic really.

[MerBearStare]

This is Julie but with more sex talk.

Like, we geeeetttt itttttttt, you're not like the other middle aged women. Must be cool to be you.

Edited June 2, 2022 by MerBearStare

[funnygirl]

Will there ever be a Homecoming season where everyone stays until the end? I'm assuming Kelley leaves since she is noticeably absent in most of the preview for next week, but maybe there's a chance it's editor manipulation. 

I get that Julie is absolutely exhausting. I'm not quite sure what else set Kelley off and made her uneasy, though her reasons are valid nonetheless. However, they're there for what? A week? Two or three if you count quarantine? Embrace this very rare experience, I mean you know what you're signing up for. 

I like Kelley. I like that her and Melissa bonded and became friends over this. I loved the studio session and the roommate version of Come On Be My Baby Tonight. (I would like it available for purchase, please! lol) But I feel like Kelley was checked out from the very beginning, just not really participating as much as everyone else. 

Meh.

[Asp Burger]

2 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

Didn't the reunion air the same night as the 2000 election? 

The season finale (really the final two half-hour episodes stitched together) aired the night of the election, November 7. The reunion came the following week.

TV Maze has the right dates. Wikipedia's are all off by a day, and would have the show airing on Wednesdays. It was definitely Tuesdays in that period  

https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/991/the-real-world/episodes

On Tokyo: I'm not buying into this line about how "Come On, Be My Baby Tonight" was intended as a way to reach out to his roommates and help them understand him better, and it was rejected. Maybe he talked himself into that view later. For starters, he was singing and scatting over footage of himself shirtless, talking on the phone, standing next to nice cars and gesturing at the cars as if he owned them. If he were trying to connect with anyone, it was New Orleans women who might be watching public access. The housemates understood that side of him very well from the first week.

Second, their reaction to it had nothing to do with his musical ability. He just hadn't followed a very clear assignment, and he wasn't the episode's producer. Later, when he was the producer (twice), he was dictatorial about being in control and everyone doing what he asked of them. No one ever gave him a taste of his own medicine, although they would have been justified. 

I remember watching that episode when it was new, and I thought it was hilarious. I had never laughed so hard at anything on The Real World, and I wasn't laughing "with" him. How could one, when he was so earnestly full of himself? But as was said last night (maybe a little overstated, by Melissa), it became a great moment in the history of The Real World. 

[1011101010001]

The word thug has become problematic so seeing all those white people smile as they sang it was odd.

[Scout Finch]

On 5/31/2022 at 1:26 PM, Bastet said:

I said this in another thread, but "cancel culture" is right up there with "woke", "politically correct", and "social justice warrior" as excellent indicators, in that anyone who utters one of those with a sneer outs themselves as someone I need not waste a second of my time on listening to the rest of what they say. 

"Virtue signaling" is another phrase that needs to go the hell away!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Asp Burger said:

Second, their reaction to it had nothing to do with his musical ability. He just hadn't followed a very clear assignment, and he wasn't the episode's producer.

Yeah, that was part of his general refusal to be part of the group back then.  They had an assignment to create an introductory segment, and it was decided they'd each answer five questions, and then compile some of those answers into the required "get to know your hosts" package.  So you've got six people whose assignments follow the format, and one who decided he'd answer the questions via his flow.  Except it doesn't answer the questions, and it doesn't match so it will cause editing problems and cause the average viewer to ask WTF?

Staunch pride in non-comformity to the point of absurdity is obnoxious at that age, but that Julie is still patting herself on the back for it over shit like her husband allegedly offering her a hall pass, which of course she'd never use, but she'd offer him one in the same situation, because of course he'd never use it (meaning there's no actual non-conformity) is pathetic.  If you have to keep telling people you're so edgy and cool, you're neither.  She's so stunted.

[choclatechip45]

Danny was on Susie's from Road Rules patreon. Some interesting tidbits they spent a lot of time discussing Matt

• Has no ill will towards Matt thinks Matt wants to be open minded, but his religion is holding him back considers Matt a friend and thinks Matt is a good person.
• Does not like people speculating that Matt is gay and does not think Matt is gay.
• Has love for Matt because he was an outsider growing up due to being Catholic
• Unsure if Matt converted or was raised in the church
• Thought Julie was still mormon the last update he heard was that she was married in Mormon Church planned on having the same conversation with Julie that he had with Matt, but scrapped it when he found she wasn't religious anymore
• Felt that Matt and Jamie came on the show thinking it would a big fun reunion with no heavy subjects covered and came unprepared to handle those topics 
• Cast is all obligated to do social media promotion for the show
• Said the book caused most of them not to like each other (he also thought his season was the only one to have a book). 

Sounds very happy with how Homecoming has been edited and how he has been portrayed. 

[CeeBeeGee]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

I think Kelley has gotten out of this experience all she's going to get, and is just one giant bundle of frayed nerves at this point; I think the only time she can relax is in that bedroom.  Now she's walking through the front door right into a crazy lady shoving a dick pic in her face.  Good grief.

I can empathize quite a bit with Kelley. That time when you're with that thirsty crazy person, who is desperate for attention, for validation, for engagement. And you keep trying to draw boundaries, and they keep stepping over them. And then to hear that it's for TV? Because they think this is what the producers want? You're sacrificing the dignity of not just your entire family (JFC Julie, have some pride) but possibly those of your castmates? That phone call was the death knell. Bye, b****. That last van ride, where every little thing Julie said irritated Kelley--I can empathize.

3 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

I remember watching that episode when it was new, and I thought it was hilarious. I had never laughed so hard at anything on The Real World, and I wasn't laughing "with" him. How could one, when he was so earnestly full of himself? But as was said last night (maybe a little overstated, by Melissa), it became a great moment in the history of The Real World. 

Baby was ridiculous in context. The song itself is ridic, plus the fact that he clearly "lifted" (to use an innocuous word) some of the lyrics from Frank Loesser. But I have complicated feelings about the Chappelle appearance. First off, I can't stand Chappelle. He's an asshole. OTOH, David/Tokyo shouldn't have expected to be mocked by a guy who invited him on the show. I mean, dude, the guy was 20-something. Don't be an asshole. 

Yes, thug is problematic but the Black dude who wrote--excuse me, "wrote" (Frank Loesser)--those lyrics is inviting you to sing them! 

47 minutes ago, choclatechip45 said:

Danny was on Susie's from Road Rules patreon. Some interesting tidbits they spent a lot of time discussing Matt

• Has love for Matt because he was an outsider growing up due to being Catholic
• Unsure if Matt converted or was raised in the church

Sounds very happy with how Homecoming has been edited and how he has been portrayed. 

I thought it was stipulated that Matt had converted to Roman Catholicism? Because he sure doesn't seem like one.

[choclatechip45]

6 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I can empathize quite a bit with Kelley. That time when you're with that thirsty crazy person, who is desperate for attention, for validation, for engagement. And you keep trying to draw boundaries, and they keep stepping over them. And then to hear that it's for TV? Because they think this is what the producers want? You're sacrificing the dignity of not just your entire family (JFC Julie, have some pride) but possibly those of your castmates? That phone call was the death knell. Bye, b****. That last van ride, where every little thing Julie said irritated Kelley--I can empathize.

Baby was ridiculous in context. The song itself is ridic, plus the fact that he clearly "lifted" (to use an innocuous word) some of the lyrics from Frank Loesser. But I have complicated feelings about the Chappelle appearance. First off, I can't stand Chappelle. He's an asshole. OTOH, David/Tokyo shouldn't have expected to be mocked by a guy who invited him on the show. I mean, dude, the guy was 20-something. Don't be an asshole. 

Yes, thug is problematic but the Black dude who wrote--excuse me, "wrote" (Frank Loesser)--those lyrics is inviting you to sing them! 

I thought it was stipulated that Matt had converted to Roman Catholicism? Because he sure doesn't seem like one.

The original source of Matt converting to Roman Catholicism was Danny. He talked about the reason why he thinks Matt converted because Matt grew up in rural Northern Georgia like he did and there are no catholics in the area. 

[PositiveBean]

Danny confirmed on IG that Julie was showing them dick pics of her husband. Just, what the fuck? He also referred to her as “that woman” and said that as awful as she looks on television, she was given a milder edit. 

Edited June 2, 2022 by PositiveBean

[choclatechip45]

2 minutes ago, PositiveBean said:

Danny confirmed on IG that Julie was showing them dick pics of her husband. Just, what the fuck? He also referred to her as “that woman” and as awful as she looks on television, she was given a milder edit. 

Yikes if a male did that it would be considered sexual harassment. 

[1011101010001]

5 minutes ago, PositiveBean said:

Danny confirmed on IG that Julie was showing them dick pics of her husband. Just, what the fuck? He also referred to her as “that woman” and as awful as she looks on television, she was given a milder edit. 

I suppose Julie calling a dick pic “shirtless” could be technically correct lol.

[ljenkins782]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

Staunch pride in non-comformity to the point of absurdity is obnoxious at that age, but that Julie is still patting herself on the back for it over shit like her husband allegedly offering her a hall pass, which of course she'd never use, but she'd offer him one in the same situation, because of course he'd never use it (meaning there's no actual non-conformity) is pathetic.  If you have to keep telling people you're so edgy and cool, you're neither.  She's so stunted.

Julie actually said "I love how we're bucking convention" or something like that. Out loud. Because nothing says edgy individualist like calling yourself one out loud.

Quote

On Tokyo: I'm not buying into this line about how "Come On, Be My Baby Tonight" was intended as a way to reach out to his roommates and help them understand him better, and it was rejected. Maybe he talked himself into that view later. For starters, he was singing and scatting over footage of himself shirtless, talking on the phone, standing next to nice cars and gesturing at the cars as if he owned them. If he were trying to connect with anyone, it was New Orleans women who might be watching public access. The housemates understood that side of him very well from the first week.

Second, their reaction to it had nothing to do with his musical ability. He just hadn't followed a very clear assignment, and he wasn't the episode's producer. Later, when he was the producer (twice), he was dictatorial about being in control and everyone doing what he asked of them. No one ever gave him a taste of his own medicine, although they would have been justified. 

I remember watching that episode when it was new, and I thought it was hilarious. I had never laughed so hard at anything on The Real World, and I wasn't laughing "with" him. How could one, when he was so earnestly full of himself? But as was said last night (maybe a little overstated, by Melissa), it became a great moment in the history of The Real World. 

Yeah, much as I loved them re-recording it as a group, I was not buying the revisionist history around it. His motivations for doing it were the same as his motivations behind the stripper fashion show, he had an image he wanted to project and he was gonna stick to it come hell or high water.

His description of it as "flow" to answer those same questions was just his excuse for going his own way. 

And yes, it did become a viral moment, but it was a viral cringe moment. 

After a wonderful redemption edit for Tokyo, bits of this episode and the previews for next week show a little bit of the old David peeking through. He's still very closed off and not even answering basic questions like "do you have kids?" is true commitment to being overly guarded.

Quote

Danny confirmed on IG that Julie was showing them dick pics of her husband. Just, what the fuck? He also referred to her as “that woman” and as awful as she looks on television, she was given a milder edit

No surprise there, but good to have confirmation since Julie is such a practiced liar with her "shirtless pic" comment. 

And IIRC, she was trying to show that pic to Matt (or was it Jamie)? Either way, who walks around showing ANYONE naked pics of their spouse, but why would she think the guys in particular would be interested is a mystery. Why do I get the feeling that their sex life is entirely performative, like who can be the loudest or most visibly into it. 

[Zizzlezazzle]

On 6/1/2022 at 9:36 AM, Keywestclubkid said:

at this point I would drive Kelly home myself Jesus fucking christ what a wet blanket 

Come sit by me! 😂

Kelley’s “concept about maturity” epiphany she had during their van ride to brunch obviously excluded her own petulant behavior:

(Driving past the parade being set up)

“I know I seem like a party pooper, but I hate that contrived stuff—I don’t like it at all.”

When Jamie proposed house nerf gun wars at brunch: “That sounds like a lot of fun for YOU. YOU all have fun.”

Get it, everyone?? Kelley is NOT happy! Never mind that Julie accused one POC in the house of manhandling her, denied taking money out from under the other, threw the gay guy under the bus, and is trying to jump Jamie’s bones—and yet they are all still toasting with Julie at brunch—Kelley gets to be the most unn-com-for-table (tm Julie)!  

And of course emotional distress isn’t a contest, but Kelley’s comportment here and how much she’s letting Julie affect her into having this kind of reaction compared to the others isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for her life coaching prowess.

On another note, I agree with Melissa that Tokyo is incredibly talented as a musician, and it’s a bummer that he’s moved away from music professionally. I had never considered how self-conscious he would be after “Come on be my baby” and that’s a shame, but very understandable. I got chills when he sang out those first notes again!

[Zizzlezazzle]

1 hour ago, ljenkins782 said:

Julie actually said "I love how we're bucking convention" or something like that. Out loud. Because nothing says edgy individualist like calling yourself one out loud.

Yeah, much as I loved them re-recording it as a group, I was not buying the revisionist history around it. His motivations for doing it were the same as his motivations behind the stripper fashion show, he had an image he wanted to project and he was gonna stick to it come hell or high water.

His description of it as "flow" to answer those same questions was just his excuse for going his own way. 

And yes, it did become a viral moment, but it was a viral cringe moment. 

After a wonderful redemption edit for Tokyo, bits of this episode and the previews for next week show a little bit of the old David peeking through. He's still very closed off and not even answering basic questions like "do you have kids?" is true commitment to being overly guarded.

No surprise there, but good to have confirmation since Julie is such a practiced liar with her "shirtless pic" comment. 

And IIRC, she was trying to show that pic to Matt (or was it Jamie)? Either way, who walks around showing ANYONE naked pics of their spouse, but why would she think the guys in particular would be interested is a mystery. Why do I get the feeling that their sex life is entirely performative, like who can be the loudest or most visibly into it. 

They are SO edgy and unconventional, and SO, SO happy, and Spencer is just dripping with jealousy that other guys get to be in the same house with Julie for two weeks, he misses her SO much!! (🤮)

Yup, it’s always the couples hollering the loudest about how happy and in love they are that get my internal “divorce stopwatch” going.

[mandymax]

I hadn't known that David felt so self-conscious about his music after going on David Chappelle.  That's a shame and so sad.  I hate when people are made to feel embarrassed by something they enjoy (although I do admit that sometimes, like with Julie and her whole schipiel about Spencer and Jamie and sex and the hall pass, a modicum of self-censure IS called for).

As for Kelley's discomfort and increasing anxiety over staying, all I can figure is that there's more going on than we've seen, and that something strikes her as a potential liability to her in some form or fashion if she stays.  I hope we find out the whole story.

[Racj82]

15 hours ago, Bastet said:

I agree, and my initial reaction to this episode was that I found Kelley exhausting.  But when I try to imagine living this situation, with Julie being a fucking sociopath trying to create "good TV" and no one knowing whether the producers are going to play her game, I can understand the degree of Kelley's reaction better.

I still find Kelly exhausting regardless. And people literally leaving right at the end between Becky, David and now Kelly is getting played out. It's one more day and we have to get this grand exit before they are all leaving anyway.

[seltzer3]

1 hour ago, ljenkins782 said:

Julie actually said "I love how we're bucking convention" or something like that. Out loud. Because nothing says edgy individualist like calling yourself one out loud.

Yeah, much as I loved them re-recording it as a group, I was not buying the revisionist history around it. His motivations for doing it were the same as his motivations behind the stripper fashion show, he had an image he wanted to project and he was gonna stick to it come hell or high water.

His description of it as "flow" to answer those same questions was just his excuse for going his own way. 

And yes, it did become a viral moment, but it was a viral cringe moment. 

After a wonderful redemption edit for Tokyo, bits of this episode and the previews for next week show a little bit of the old David peeking through. He's still very closed off and not even answering basic questions like "do you have kids?" is true commitment to being overly guarded.

No surprise there, but good to have confirmation since Julie is such a practiced liar with her "shirtless pic" comment. 

And IIRC, she was trying to show that pic to Matt (or was it Jamie)? Either way, who walks around showing ANYONE naked pics of their spouse, but why would she think the guys in particular would be interested is a mystery. Why do I get the feeling that their sex life is entirely performative, like who can be the loudest or most visibly into it. 

The revisionist history for Tokyo kind of bothers me.  I say this as someone who really likes him in the homecoming. 

For all the frustrations that I have with Julie, I kind of understand her gripes with her being in the hot seat she has been in the "incoming messages".  Like if the incoming messages focused on Jamie/Julie flirting or Kelley/Melissa conflict about Kelley's absence (which were literally one episode arcs, but both Kelley and Julie were in the hot seat for that).  Its really weird that there was no incoming message about David having conflicts with his roomates, and how they thought he was self-centered.  Like that storyline was probably a good 2/3 of the season, and yet they don't even talk about that at all?  I mean the famous clip of Melissa slamming her chair or the giant house meeting all stemmed from that.

Did Tokyo probably make conditions to the producers that they wouldn't discuss about that if he signed on?  I was kind of suspicious that Kevin/Julie did the same (Since they never explored the Kevin/Julie fight in their homecoming)

[BelleBrit]

47 minutes ago, seltzer3 said:

The revisionist history for Tokyo kind of bothers me.  I say this as someone who really likes him in the homecoming. 

For all the frustrations that I have with Julie, I kind of understand her gripes with her being in the hot seat she has been in the "incoming messages".  Like if the incoming messages focused on Jamie/Julie flirting or Kelley/Melissa conflict about Kelley's absence (which were literally one episode arcs, but both Kelley and Julie were in the hot seat for that).  Its really weird that there was no incoming message about David having conflicts with his roomates, and how they thought he was self-centered.  Like that storyline was probably a good 2/3 of the season, and yet they don't even talk about that at all?  I mean the famous clip of Melissa slamming her chair or the giant house meeting all stemmed from that.

Did Tokyo probably make conditions to the producers that they wouldn't discuss about that if he signed on?  I was kind of suspicious that Kevin/Julie did the same (Since they never explored the Kevin/Julie fight in their homecoming)

I'm also surprised that they have not shown a clip of Melissa throwing the chair-it was such a heavily promoted clip when the show was being aired. I was also wishing that they included that Peter had a girlfriend in those clips of when he and Kelley first started dating! 😉

I remember in the book for the season, other cast members/production said that Kelley would spend a lot of time going to the movies before she met Peter, since she couldn't be filmed there. Production also complained about her trying to manage her image on the show.  I hope that one of the other cast members sheds light on how many days were left on the project before Kelley left early (assuming she does). I wonder how their contracts handled payment if cast members exited before the full two weeks was up.

Is it too late to hope that Squirrel makes a surprise visit before the season is over? 😆

Edited June 2, 2022 by BelleBrit

[1011101010001]

I’m not understanding how an attempt at a sexy ballad was supposed to be an ode to his roommates.  And he was pushing them away the whole original season so even looking at it as a metaphor doesn’t make sense.

[Asp Burger]

That was a brutal takedown by Danny's standards, re: Julie. "The world is already awash in reality television full of vanity, broken souls, manipulation, ego-driven antics, shallow platitudes, and mindlessness. We didn't need to add to the stew..." 

When they were discussing the in-season schism between Melissa and Kelley, Julie got off lightly. She wasn't entirely responsible, but she played a big part in it. Melissa and Kelley both have talked about it publicly in the past. But I guess neither of them wanted to go there, since "Julie is held accountable for stuff and evades/denies/cries/apologizes" is so five episodes ago. 

[CeeBeeGee]

4 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

The original source of Matt converting to Roman Catholicism was Danny. He talked about the reason why he thinks Matt converted because Matt grew up in rural Northern Georgia like he did and there are no catholics in the area. 

Ah. Interesting...

2 hours ago, PositiveBean said:

Danny confirmed on IG that Julie was showing them dick pics of her husband. Just, what the fuck? He also referred to her as “that woman” and as awful as she looks on television, she was given a milder edit. 

EW! How disgusting! JFC, Julie!

[choclatechip45]

1 hour ago, seltzer3 said:

The revisionist history for Tokyo kind of bothers me.  I say this as someone who really likes him in the homecoming. 

For all the frustrations that I have with Julie, I kind of understand her gripes with her being in the hot seat she has been in the "incoming messages".  Like if the incoming messages focused on Jamie/Julie flirting or Kelley/Melissa conflict about Kelley's absence (which were literally one episode arcs, but both Kelley and Julie were in the hot seat for that).  Its really weird that there was no incoming message about David having conflicts with his roomates, and how they thought he was self-centered.  Like that storyline was probably a good 2/3 of the season, and yet they don't even talk about that at all?  I mean the famous clip of Melissa slamming her chair or the giant house meeting all stemmed from that.

Did Tokyo probably make conditions to the producers that they wouldn't discuss about that if he signed on?  I was kind of suspicious that Kevin/Julie did the same (Since they never explored the Kevin/Julie fight in their homecoming)

Julie (NY) said in an interview she spoke with Kevin before filming that they agreed they would not discuss the fight on Homecoming. So she probably told the producers as well. 

37 minutes ago, BelleBrit said:

I'm also surprised that they have not shown a clip of Melissa throwing the chair-it was such a heavily promoted clip when the show was being aired. I was also wishing that they included that Peter had a girlfriend in those clips of when he and Kelley first started dating! 😉

I remember in the book for the season, other cast members/production said that Kelley would spend a lot of time going to the movies before she met Peter, since she couldn't be filmed there. Production also complained about her trying to manage her image on the show.  I hope that one of the other cast members sheds light on how many days were left on the project before Kelley left early (assuming she does). I wonder how their contracts handled payment if cast members exited before the full two weeks was up.

Is it too late to hope that Squirrel makes a surprise visit before the season is over? 😆

They get paid per episode. 

[Zizzlezazzle]

52 minutes ago, BelleBrit said:

I'm also surprised that they have not shown a clip of Melissa throwing the chair-it was such a heavily promoted clip when the show was being aired. I was also wishing that they included that Peter had a girlfriend in those clips of when he and Kelley first started dating! 😉

I remember in the book for the season, other cast members/production said that Kelley would spend a lot of time going to the movies before she met Peter, since she couldn't be filmed there. Production also complained about her trying to manage her image on the show.  I hope that one of the other cast members sheds light on how many days were left on the project before Kelley left early (assuming she does). I wonder how their contracts handled payment if cast members exited before the full two weeks was up.

Is it too late to hope that Squirrel makes a surprise visit before the season is over? 😆

That’s interesting about Kelley ducking production by going to the movies, I had no idea!

Another thing I didn’t notice earlier about those comfy oversized FLOW sweatshirts she gave them all is that the cameras openly show the acronym along with the words spelled out on the backs (Finding Love Over Worry)—but blur out the word FLOW on the fronts. Now I’m wondering if she ran into copyright issues across the board on the concept (maybe it’s trademarked by a yoga company or something like that?) which would also mean traditional publishers wouldn’t touch her book unless she first agreed to alter the branding.  

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, seltzer3 said:

The revisionist history for Tokyo kind of bothers me.  I say this as someone who really likes him in the homecoming.

Yeah, I agree about everybody suddenly on board with what he was supposedly saying about his motives for doing the song rather than questions.  It felt like the then David was just being obstructionist. 

However I don't think it the stuff with Tokyo is 100% revisionist.  The first or second ep we did get quite the montage of the roommates being at odds with him 22 years ago and showing him as rather selfish and their talking heads about their frustration with him.  So while he did not get an 'incoming message' where the issues were specific to him, there was definitely conversation about how much he's changed from the guy he was 22 years ago to Tokyo.
 

Obviously Incoming Messages are crafted to provoke conversation on some uncomfortable topics that the roommates might not have started themselves.  Since they'd already brought up Tokyo's past with the roommates and his issues with he he behaved in the house organically there was no reason to rehash.  But nobody was talking about Kelly, so the producers probably felt that needed a prod.

[Asp Burger]

2 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Obviously Incoming Messages are crafted to provoke conversation on some uncomfortable topics that the roommates might not have started themselves.  Since they'd already brought up Tokyo's past with the roommates and his issues with he he behaved in the house organically there was no reason to rehash. 

That's what I was thinking. The David-to-Tokyo transition has been covered in other ways. When Tokyo called his own present-day house meeting over Julie, we got flashbacks to the house meeting about him in the next-to-last episode of the original season. We saw Jamie calling him an asshole, and Melissa saying there's no point in talking to him because he doesn't understand adult communication, We also saw the earlier scene in the Yukon in which he told Julie he wasn't going to be stagnant for anybody, and she got angry and slammed the car door. 

So an "Incoming Message" sit-down for it would have been overkill.

[choclatechip45]

I think they could have done an incoming message for Tokyo. I would be curious what made him change. I do think it is a bit weird that everyone got one except for him. Maybe he gets one next episode. 

[MicheleinPhilly]

17 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Also I know I've thought of the song fondly and little campily but I have to say the piano music underneath it was really quite beautiful.

YES! I was thinking, "Okay Tokyo, you don't want to put yourself out there as a singer, fine. But can we get a piano instrumental album?" I don't think I ever appreciated how talented he is because I was too busy mocking him. 

I'm of 2 minds on the Kelley situation. On the one hand, I think her reaction is a little overblown, but I obviously don't know what the situation in the house was actually like, day in and day out. 

From what they've shown, I would have a hard time dealing with Julie and her constant sex talk too. She reminds me of a 14 year old boy that runs around school pointing out the massive hickey on his neck in many respects. And I knew as soon as she said that she showed Danny the picture to see what he thought that it was not simply a "shirtless" pic. Spencer has been to the house, Danny has met him, he knows what he looks like. No one is interested in your husband's junk. 

And as far as the forced Mardi Gras stuff and a nerf fight and building a fort, I'd politely pass on that stuff too. 

I also get the impression that Kelley has a bit of an anxiety issue. I don't know this for sure, but I recognize some of her behavior as coping mechanisms that I've used. 

[Bastet]

It was obviously a dick pic, and not just him "shirtless" as Julie claimed - no one, not even Kelley, is uptight enough to jump back and put up their hand to block the image of a bare chest - but it's nice Danny confirmed this is yet another instance of Julie being a pathological liar.

I think Julie actually believes the shit she makes up in her head.  She shoves a picture of her husband's junk in Kelley's face, and then by the time she's asked to tell the story, she's turned it into Kelley was body-shaming her husband by being disgusted by a picture of him shirtless.  She knows she showed that picture to other people, any one of whom could be asked about it and say yep, Julie was showing dick pics, but that doesn't stop her.

Edited June 2, 2022 by Bastet

[BingeyKohan]

I feel sure that Julie tried to rig this all as a backdoor pilot for her and her husband to get their own horny post Mormon reality show.

I want to like Kelley, and do, but yes she was a bit extra this ep. I question the timing here. It seems like they’d want the come on be my baby thing and the Mardi Gras like parade to happen late in filming as a capper … so if that is all about to play out why leave with so little time left? Either she left earlier than it seems (and we’ve already seen stuff from after she left, without knowing it) or she always had to leave early for some other commitment and they asked her to turn it into self-care drama rather than … just leaving early for scheduling reasons. I think she thinks she is building a brand so I could see her agreeing to fake out a story about listening to yourself to mask a need to only give them a week.

[Legalbeagle421]

1 minute ago, BingeyKohan said:

I think she thinks she is building a brand so I could see her agreeing to fake out a story about listening to yourself to mask a need to only give them a week.

She is definitely trying to build a brand about being the low-key, no drama, no stress, nature lady. I’m actually reading her book right now (it’s really good). Her and her husband do Instagram lives sitting outside in nature. She posts constantly of herself standing around trees lol. I think it was probably very hard to get her to agree to this and once she did, she said “I don’t want no mess” lol. 

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, Legalbeagle421 said:

Her and her husband do Instagram lives sitting outside in nature. She posts constantly of herself standing around trees lol.

That explains Melissa - who hates all things outdoors - saying something about nature as the big way in which they're different, after listing the major parallels in their lives.

[BingeyKohan]

7 minutes ago, Legalbeagle421 said:

She is definitely trying to build a brand about being the low-key, no drama, no stress, nature lady. I’m actually reading her book right now (it’s really good). Her and her husband do Instagram lives sitting outside in nature. She posts constantly of herself standing around trees lol. I think it was probably very hard to get her to agree to this and once she did, she said “I don’t want no mess” lol. 

Yep and she’s married to an actor so she knows how to negotiate an appearance contract. I’d be shocked if anyone ever thought she was going to do a full two weeks, then just didn’t. 

[1011101010001]

20 minutes ago, Bastet said:

It was obviously a dick pic, and not just him "shirtless" as Julie claimed - no one, not even Kelley, is uptight enough to jump back and put up their hand to block the image of a bare chest - but it's nice Danny confirmed this is yet another instance of Julie being a pathological liar.

I wonder if she asked Spencer permission to show the pic around to both male and female housemates.  Usually provocative selfies are meant for the eyes of the spouse or partner only.

[heatherchandler]

4 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Julie actually said "I love how we're bucking convention" or something like that. Out loud. Because nothing says edgy individualist like calling yourself one out loud.

It's like when someone calls themselves "classy," thereby negating any modicum of class.

3 hours ago, Racj82 said:

I still find Kelly exhausting regardless. And people literally leaving right at the end between Becky, David and now Kelly is getting played out. It's one more day and we have to get this grand exit before they are all leaving anyway.

She thinks she is too good for a reality show, but she is on a reality show, so...  Use some of your own life coaching skills to suck it up buttercup.

[Zizzlezazzle]

1 hour ago, BingeyKohan said:

I feel sure that Julie tried to rig this all as a backdoor pilot for her and her husband to get their own horny post Mormon reality show.

I want to like Kelley, and do, but yes she was a bit extra this ep. I question the timing here. It seems like they’d want the come on be my baby thing and the Mardi Gras like parade to happen late in filming as a capper … so if that is all about to play out why leave with so little time left? Either she left earlier than it seems (and we’ve already seen stuff from after she left, without knowing it) or she always had to leave early for some other commitment and they asked her to turn it into self-care drama rather than … just leaving early for scheduling reasons. I think she thinks she is building a brand so I could see her agreeing to fake out a story about listening to yourself to mask a need to only give them a week.

You take that back from putting it in the universe *right now*!!!  (It would definitely be on TLC, or like Discovery+)

[DrivingSideways]

Oooh, Kelley girl, don't get into your own head.  Hearing about her high school experience was horrible and shocking.  I would not have expected that. 

Julie is exhausting and constantly attempting to make some drama, and doesn't seem to care if it casts her as a racist or a sexual harasser.  I could see how being on a show with someone as reckless as that could have collateral damage to other castmates, so I'm assuming that's why Kelley is spazzing out.  I'm also wondering if she's a bit in her feelings because it seems like Danny is getting along with, and having fun with, Julie?  Like he fully acknowledges that she's nuts, but there are so many scenes where he is engaging in Julie's reindeer games with a twinkle in his eye.

I also feel bad for Jamie - I have a weird feeling that both Julie and the editors let it be heavily implied that he had hooked up with Julie in 2000, and possibly have come close during this season.  I feel like he is going to be surprised by how his story with Julie is portrayed this season.

[snarts]

51 minutes ago, DrivingSideways said:

Oooh, Kelley girl, don't get into your own head.  Hearing about her high school experience was horrible and shocking.  I would not have expected that. 

Kelley actually posted the high school story to her instagram awhile ago. I came across it when going down the 'I wonder where are they now rabbit hole' of former real worlders.

Anyhoo, while the story itself was bad enough, she also shared that reason her friend group turned on her was because she had dated/hung out with a black guy. It made me wonder whether she also shared that with the roommates and they chose to edit it out...not that it was necessarily pertinent to explaining why she was/is so guarded. 

Glad Danny cleared the air on Julie's pics. It was evident she was doing it for shock value. and a storyline. Frankly, the more I see of her, the more I'm amazed she's stayed away from the camera all these years.

Edited June 2, 2022 by snarts

[Cherry Cola]

6 hours ago, Zizzlezazzle said:

They are SO edgy and unconventional, and SO, SO happy, and Spencer is just dripping with jealousy that other guys get to be in the same house with Julie for two weeks, he misses her SO much!! (🤮)

Yup, it’s always the couples hollering the loudest about how happy and in love they are that get my internal “divorce stopwatch” going.

Ick. Julie is so On for the camera at all times. She drives me nuts.  She thinks a hall pass is romantic?? I think her and hubs had this all planned out.  

[1011101010001]

If a hall pass is given with the understanding it won’t be used it’s not a hall pass.

[choclatechip45]

The interesting part about the whole Julie/Kelley incident is Kelley probably came into the house with the most charitable view of Julie. 

[DearEvette]

I LOL's at this tweet regarding the Julie/Spencer/Jamie "storyline":