Summer vacation in a share-house in the Hamptons, what could go wrong?
The new tenth season of Summer House comes with new people and all the same drama. Summer House follows a group of friends from New York City who spend their summer weekends in the Hamptons. Throughout the years, some friends have come, and some have gone, but what will always stay consistent is the drama. In the Hamptons, there is no such thing as a boring weekend.
Meet the cast
This season, we see a house filled with new people and some familiar faces. From the recurring cast, Amanda Batula, Ciara Miller, Carl Radke, Kyle Cooke, Lindsay Hubbard, West Wilson, and Jesse Solomon. As for the fresh faces: Bailey Taylor, Mia Calabreese, KJ Dillard, Dara Levitan, Ben Waddell, and Levi Sebree. As for the couples in the house, Amanda and Kyle are married. They have been married for 4 years and work together for Loverboy Spritz (Kyle’s company). Ciara and West dated in season 8 and are no longer together, and Lindsay and Carl were engaged but broke up in the ninth season.
While this season will be left with big shoes to fill, as beloved house member Paige DeSorbo left last season, it will be exciting to see what this new group can bring to the house. Fun summer vibes or drama that could ruin the summer?
Episode one recap
The first episode begins rocky. The tension between Amanda and Kyle is palpable. We can sense that something is wrong from the second they say goodbye to each other before leaving separately for the Hamptons, which is unusual to say the least.
Once all the housemates greet each other and settle in, the dinner party is on! The house settles in for their first night together, and they hope everything will go well. And it does: the new members share a bit about themselves, and the house feels at ease. Until Amanda and Kyle start to make “light-hearted” jabs at each other at the table.
I felt tense, and I was nowhere near the Hamptons. It felt like that one couple who can never stop fighting tried to put their differences aside for two minutes, but ultimately remembered they’re mad at each other. It is uncomfortable to watch. The whole time I was thinking, “time and place!” We have all season to get to Amanda and Kyle’s fighting; the first dinner of the summer should be a back-handed joke-free zone.
The next day, West hosts a “county fair” party to bring a little part of his home, rural Missouri, to the lavish Hamptons. All seems to go well; everyone is drinking, partying, and talking about their feelings. West and Jesse notice Ciara’s new carefree attitude; Amanda and the girls have a heartfelt conversation about her marital issues; and she confides that it is difficult being in the public eye. She feels that the public is praying for their relationship to end. The constant rumors and gossip take their toll, as she questions her relationship, wondering if staying is the right choice.
All is well; the party is going great! The guests are having fun. The house is having fun. The audience is having fun. That is, until the house partakes in their yearly tradition of jumping in the pool. Some years, they skinny-dip and jump, and others, they do it fully clothed. This time, Amanda decided to forego her clothing, while the others jumped straight in. Kyle is visibly and uncharacteristically angry with Amanda for joining the house. Mind you, Kyle used to join the house in previous years, whether it be with or without clothes. It is incredibly tense, so much so that Jesse tried to make a light-hearted joke, but it landed so horribly that I visibly cringed on my couch.
I wanted to get out of there, and I was, again, nowhere near the Hamptons. This is interesting to see, since throughout the entire show, there has never been a moment when Kyle has shown even an ounce of jealousy towards Amanda. He encourages Amanda to join the house for activities or parties. So, for Kyle to throw a fit over Amanda enjoying herself raised more red flags than ever.
Issues since the beginning
Before the season premiere, Kyle and Amanda announced their breakup on Instagram. They mutually and amicably decided to call it quits. As the season progresses, hopefully, there will be a sort of resolution that allows everyone to enjoy the summer.
The theme of Kyle and Amanda’s relationship issues is not new. In fact, this could be traced back to their first season. From the get-go, Kyle and Amanda have always been that one couple you think are so opposites, but somehow make it work. Kyle is outgoing, a party animal, and has a severe case of Peter Pan syndrome. Amanda is more reserved, a homebody, and just wants Kyle to grow up.
For 10 seasons, Kyle has been the same Kyle he was in the first episode. There has been little to no growth, and that comes with serious consequences. Amanda has always wanted commitment and stability in her relationships, but hasn’t been finding it with Kyle.
There has been instability since the very first season. You may be wondering, ‘They got married, they work together, that must show stability, right?’ In one way, yes, that shows stability and growth, but when you consider that Kyle began DJ-ing to spite Amanda for wanting to branch out from their own business, the meaning of stability gets thrown out the window. With this new career as a DJ, Kyle has stayed out and partied, maybe more than ever. This time, he has the excuse of his job rather than wanting to do it for fun. When you take all these factors into account, there is little to no stability. It also does not help that there are constant rumors about Kyle being unfaithful to Amanda.
In this episode, Amanda explains that she has become numb to the rumors but can also internalize them, which causes her to lash out. It must be incredibly frustrating to be constantly bombarded by cheating rumors and not even care to know if they are true anymore. She expresses that she is nervous about not being nervous. From the outside, Amanda seems checked out. The bright laughter they used to share has been replaced by passive-aggressive snarks at each other.
Awkward first night
This season does not have the same sparkle as when Paige DeSorbo graced our screens, dropping amazing wisdom and amazing one-liners all from her bed. Paige was very good at integrating new members into the house and making them feel welcome. The new and old housemates seemed less like strangers sharing a house and more like a family. Her absence is noticeable as the house’s dynamics seem a bit awkward.
While I am not suggesting that the other older housemates are unwelcoming, watching this episode makes it apparent that these people do not really know each other. Especially when Kyle and Amanda are so passive-aggressive with each other. The house seems not to know how to act around them. It appears no one wanted to step on anyone’s toes, but in past seasons, that would have been an afterthought. Opinions would have been flying all over the table and falling onto everyone’s plate like an unwelcome present.
In this episode, we didn’t hear much about the new housemates beyond the dinner scene and a few sporadic scenes. It seemed that Kyle and Amanda’s issues overwhelmed the time we could have spent meeting the new members. The lingering tension seemed to make the house uncomfortable, so hopefully, they will be able to find a resolution.
Will they or won’t they?
Apart from Kyle and Amanda, West and Ciara seem to be on better terms. This may leave hope for the hopeless romantics who want them back together again. West and Ciara had a previous relationship in the show’s eighth season, and, for lack of a better word, ended horribly. They have since been cordial and coexist in the house. But there is something about this season that just feels different between the two. It may be wishful thinking and rose-colored lenses, but West seems to understand and grow from his mistakes, while Ciara seems to come to the house with a new, carefree, and open attitude. This may be the perfect recipe for a rekindling.
What’s to come?
The beauty of “Summer House” is that it allows the audience to focus on something other than their daily lives. Yet “Summer House” does not promise a luxurious, lavish life. The audience can relate to each person on screen when talking about work or relationships. “Summer House” is not another out-of-touch reality show; they show the busy lives of each cast member, and their problems do not magically go away in the summer. It shows that not everyone has it together. But sometimes, a little summer vacation with partying with old and new friends is all you need.
This season will bring many things: a likely divorce, a possible rekindling, and new dynamics among friends. This is the first time the number of new housemates exceeds that of older housemates. New people come with new drama, so it will be fun to see how everyone gets on with each other. Hopefully, the newer cast will mellow out, refocus away from Amanda and Kyle, and have a good first summer in the house. I am excited to see how this season will go. Will the house allow Kyle and Amanda’s fighting to affect the house, or will they be tired of being collateral damage? Can there be a possible rekindling between West and Ciara? Once everyone gets more comfortable with each other, the audience will get more comfortable watching them, making the summer limitless.
I can’t wait to feel the summer heat throughout this frigid winter, with new episodes on Tuesdays at 8/7c on Peacock.
Kyle and Amanda, illustration by Thu Do.
