Summer House returns on Wednesday, February 12 on Bravo. The trailer released in December promised yelling, summer romances, and a heated exchange between exes Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard. What more could you ask for?
While I’m excited about the new season, I’m unsure about the show’s future, especially since Carl and Lindsay spit last summer. We know reality TV stars are used to living in weird circumstances but sharing a home with your pregnant ex-fiance may be too much even for a Bravoleb. In November, news broke that the Bravo series Vanderpump Rules will return for Season 12 with a brand new cast. The announcement made me think about the Summer House crew and ponder what a reboot would look like. There are a couple of reasons why I think a reboot may be a good move for the network. Let’s discuss them together.
Too many exes on Summer House
Like Vanderpump Rules, The Summer House cast is haunted by their exes. When the series first began, breakups between the cast were no biggie. Most of the failed romances were summer flings, but as the show progressed (and the cast got older), the flings turned into full-on relationships, making the splits far messier than before.
Last year, Carl and Lindsay ended their engagement three months before their wedding. The split put the cast in a difficult position and made fans question the show’s future. Unlike VPR exes Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix, Lindsay and Carl agreed to film together the following season. The Season 9 trailer teased that the former couple will get into multiple heated arguments this season, including one debate about whether Carl was unfaithful in the relationship. Big yikes.
After watching the trailer, I can’t help but worry about the long-term trajectory of the show. Spending the summers with your former fiance cannot be good for a person’s mental health. It doesn’t seem sustainable. Not to mention, Lindsay is pregnant with another man’s baby. I know reality TV is built on dysfunction and mess but this feels like another level of insanity.
The Summer House cast is growing up
Initially, Summer House was marketed as a series about twenty-something and thirty-something singles partying in the Hamptons and hooking up with each other. The cast was always a bit more professional than the Vanderpump Rules gang but they were still young, messy, and careless. Eight seasons later, that is no longer the case. The cast has grown up a lot since the series first aired in 2017. Paige DeSorbo created a podcast empire, Kyle Cooke is a CEO DJ, and Lindsay is starting a family. The days of passing out in the pool after a booze-filled rager may be behind them. After all, Kyle is a 42-year-old man! A DJ-ing 42-year-old man.
The cast’s achievements made their parents proud but reality TV fans were less enthused. We miss the mess. We can’t help it. A reboot could revive the show and allow the OG cast to enter a new phase of life.
Not enough authentic relationships on Summer House
Season 1 of Summer House followed a tight-knit friend group spending the summer together in the Hamptons. The drama felt authentic because it was a real friend group, but as the years went on, the real friendships dwindled, and the series began to feel over-produced. While there are certainly some real friendships on the show (Paige, Ciara Miller, and Amanda Batula are adorable together), the cast chemistry overall is not what it once was. It may be time to invest in a new friend group.
I love the cast of Summer House and would love to see them explore new avenues on Bravo and reality television after Season 9. For example, if Paige isn’t on Season 4 of The Traitors, I’m protesting. But despite my affinity for the cast, I’m unsure if Summer House is sustainable after Lindsay and Carl’s split. There is too much tension. It may be time for the network to consider other options.
Season 9 of Summer House premieres on Wednesday, February 12 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK SUMMER HOUSE NEEDS A REBOOT AFTER SEASON 9? WHY OR WHY NOT?