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The Pop Culture Audit: Season 3, Episode 4 - "The Girl With the Worst Photo Ever"
50 Plays1 year ago
After last week's medical emergency, we're looking forward to things calming down for our girls. Alas, doesn't seem like "calm down" is a vibe in Tyra's world.
Join us as we gasp and scream our way through all the ways this program causes harm. And remember to let us know if you'd like to join our class action lawsuit against Tyra Banks. We're having conversations.
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Transcript
Introduction to Pop Culture Audit
00:00:12
Speaker
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the Pop Culture Audit, where we review reality TV and talk about all things pop culture through a contemporary and critical lens. So what exactly is a pop culture audit? Easy. We take a deep dive of pop culture source material, in this case, America's Next Top Model Cycle 4.
00:00:32
Speaker
Come through it, highlighting some cringing and historic moments and pop culture discourse. If you're into that, you found the right place. And if you're not, you're still in the right place. You just might learn something. I'm cute and I'm bad.
00:00:46
Speaker
And this is Brent, I never left. I'm always here.
America's Next Top Model: Cycle 4 Overview
00:00:53
Speaker
Okay, y'all. I'm going to get right into it because I know we have more than this to talk about. And this was kind of a short episode in the scheme of things, right? 40 minutes. I thought so too. Yeah. It could have been, yeah. Like how they made it so chaotic and so short at the same time. I have no idea. Like.
00:01:14
Speaker
Truly. So we're going to get through this so that we have time for all the current events things we want to talk about. This episode, cycle four, episode four is called the girl with the worst photo in history. So that's how we started. I mean, it's just literally me.
00:01:39
Speaker
It is on a cycling floor. There's no possible way that the world is better. In history. Not only the history of the show, in the history of the world. Right. History of the world. Let's see if we stand by it. Okay. Let's go through the recap. It's morning time in the loft slash production studio, and we have to remember that Rebecca fell completely backwards and slammed into the floor at the end of the last episode.
00:02:04
Speaker
They are reminding us of that at the beginning of this episode, and she is reminiscing about this moment, saying it won't affect her career or her modeling life. It's just kind of a pain in the butt, which I believe cannot medically be correct. No, you- That can't be true. She's being blamed against the back of the floor, and she's like, uh.
00:02:27
Speaker
I'm just a little sore on my shoulder. This won't affect my modeling life. Baby, it already did. What are you talking about? What are you talking about? Girl, you have a concussion. All right. Anyway, we're putting it behind us. We're also remembering and being reminded that Brittany got a lot of feedback about being too porny in XXX. She's still processing how she can address it, which is very unclear to me how she can address it, but we'll find out.
Contestant Dynamics and Drama
00:02:52
Speaker
All the girls are in a circle in the living room deciding who gets to use the landline phone first and Some of them are holding phone cards in their hands. It's very cute and precious They decided to go in order of East Coast to West Coast because of the time difference But Brandy is mad because she called dibs on the phone from the kitchen But then all the girls got together and they made different rules Tiffany pulls her aside to try and calm her down and then they show the clip again and
00:03:21
Speaker
of Tiffany getting a beer poured on her and getting mad. I want to stop seeing that. What did you, what was she supposed to do? Every time I see that clip, I'm like, you poured a beer on her. Like whatever her reaction is, is a hundred percent appropriate. She was so out of control. She was crazy.
00:03:42
Speaker
She was attacked. And I also I didn't go back and add this in talking about the phone thing. It didn't occur to me till later when they talk about it. Some of these people have children. So like, you're like draw straws for the phone is garbage. Let the ladies with babies. Yeah. Are you kidding me? That makes sense.
00:04:01
Speaker
Incredible point. Incredible point. Anyway, Brandi's mad. Don't worry. Tyramale comes. There's nothing more useless on this planet than Tyramale. I'm just going to say that as a blanket statement. It bears no information. Wow. It does nothing.
00:04:15
Speaker
It like they shouldn't they might have just text them and they can't I get it. Okay. Yeah. It says you better be on point. So they're going to take a ballet class that all of a sudden we teleport to a ballet studio and that's where they are. The instructor has a bamboo cane and he walks around smacking them with his cane. If he doesn't like their posture.
00:04:34
Speaker
That's it. Now it's time for dinner. Side note, as I've said before, the timeline of this edit is so weird. Like I'm telling you in the span of six minutes we have been in yesterday, today, and now it's dinner time.
00:04:49
Speaker
They are just cruising along. What is going on in the 20 hours in between this? Anyway, they're in a private room at a mid-tier restaurant. Tiffany does, as you all know from Summer House, one of my least favorite things where she says she doesn't drink and then proceeds to get wasted. Don't even drink. It's giving to Alex. It's an Alex drink, but don't drink. I will have this drink.
00:05:15
Speaker
She has four glasses of wine. This woman weighs 108 pounds, like four glasses of Chardonnay. And she's young, so you don't have my grisly old tolerance. Yeah. You don't have the suffering enough. All of a sudden.
00:05:32
Speaker
This is with the suddenness of the fainting. She's barfing in her actual seat. I was so disgusted. Why did they show that? She's just barfing. She's just barfing. They show the barf. She doesn't even try to get up. The girls were disgusted. Yeah. She was raw. She just starts barfing. Poor girl. Also, I'm going to go on my track record that we have seen a lot of meals and never a single morsel of food.
00:06:00
Speaker
Oh, I also want to say that they were talking about how fancy this restaurant was and everyone had French
Challenges and Controversies in Modeling
00:06:05
Speaker
fries on their plate. Oh, they did have food. They had like fries on their plate. So how fancy is this place? They're French.
00:06:13
Speaker
So I'm surprised they didn't do a fixed menu, like not to be too hard in the logistics, but where like readers, this whole episode organization is a mess and probably could have been split into other episodes. But I'm surprised based on the lack of logistics, they didn't just do like a fixed menu of like salads and like two pieces of chicken. Oh, yeah. Like also like, again, the way that
00:06:36
Speaker
You called them that, now they can have fries? What's going on? The way the producers have gained control of the alcohol intake for their own good these days, but this was a mess. This was a mess.
00:06:46
Speaker
100% they're back at the loft. Tiffany and Michelle are lying in bed together, which is the she she's barfed everywhere. They're just like lying like nose to nose. What happened? Did she shout? Seemingly sober at this point. So it makes me feel like they filmed this later. Because if you have for a whole bottle of wine by your little bitty self, and you don't drink that often, and you barf, you're not just like coherently talking to your friend in bed later, you
00:07:15
Speaker
I feel like they did a little like wrap around film. Tiffany feels bad for getting drunk and throwing up. Tiffany is sad because she's not home with her child. Remember, she has a child like a whole baby. And all they want to do is talk about how she yelled at someone who poured a beverage on her.
00:07:45
Speaker
Uh, side note, Michelle's bleach job has destroyed her hair. You can see when she's laying in bed. It's so bad. I would be. You look so bad. Like the burned ends. Okay. Don't worry. Next day. Next day. We're going to a restaurant.
00:08:04
Speaker
A woman says welcome. Her name is Beverly Johnson. She's the first black supermodel. They all sit down and have lunch. Beverly is the first black woman to be on Vogue in 1974. They do a little chit chat. Then the lunch is over. Tyra mail. So hectic.
00:08:20
Speaker
Now they're on a tennis court, like June, teleport. Jay is, so here's the setup. Mr. Jay is secretly watching them on a hidden camera. So this is a challenge. They are at a tennis court. They're going to do these like action tennis shots. So they're supposed to be incorporating what they've learned through ballet and all the grace and being hit with an actual cane and what they gleaned from Ms. Beverly about how to deal with tough things. This is where they're supposed to be putting it all to the test.
00:08:48
Speaker
They hired this photographer and they've told this photographer to tear them to shreds so that Jay can watch and see how they handle the pressure. Jay says, this is actually a very realistic situation because everyone in this industry fucking sucks. They rushed the girls through their hair and makeup to try and stress them out, give them
00:09:09
Speaker
vague direction and then this photographer acts like a dick. So immediately the first girl is crying. This is really fun. We just watched a really fun montage of girls being shattered and then it's time for the black girls and I already can't wait for this to be awful. Tiffany's first. The photographer decides to give her a beat so she will dance a little.
00:09:33
Speaker
and then kicks her off the tennis court and starts smoking a cigarette. We can come back to that later. It's Brandi's term. They don't have a great time together. The photographer and Jay both have comments about her anger and attitude, which they have intentionally provoked. And then once she is done, she's inside complaining and another girl, Tatiana, who is lying under the bed, starts making comments and Brandi says she's gonna slap her and now they are yelling at each other.
00:10:03
Speaker
Okay, so the whole time that Brandy and this Tatiana girl are yelling, this Tatiana girl is under the bed. No one acknowledges this. She's lying under the bed. Brandy is in a chair like a normal person. Tatiana says to Brandy that Brandy doesn't belong here, which, yeah, right?
00:10:25
Speaker
Now they're all back on the tennis court and Jay walks out and tells them the whole game about how they were set up and isn't that funny and everybody's laughing because it's so funny. And then the fake, it's not funny. The fake photographer gets to pick the winner who will get to go to an elegant dinner and the winner is Naima. And she gets to pick two friends, Kayla and Tiffany, to go to the dinner with her. Yay.
00:10:50
Speaker
Okay. Cut to dinner. All of a sudden vamp for dinner. They get seated, but there's a fourth chair. So who could it be for? Well, I'll tell you it's for Serena Williams. Oh my God. I screamed. I screamed. Cause this was her fashion era. I didn't remember this either, but readers. Oh my God. I'm going to let that slide, but
00:11:17
Speaker
readers, there was a point where everyone in tennis was just wearing tennis skirts, whatever. And Serena Williams was like, no, I'm going to wear tennis outfits. And she teamed up with Nike and was doing these creative, like, the girls were gagged. They had never seen color on a tennis court. And so I was just so gooped that she was here. I thought this was a wild connection display. No, it ages really well, y'all. Like, what? Amazing.
00:11:47
Speaker
She did look gorgeous. And she brings an autographed racket for Naima. I'm like, girl, do you still have that? I hope so. Great question. She's by far the biggest star. Like Tyra who? Serena should be hosting the show and building up black women. True, Karen. OK, so they're in this little private room. They practice their walk for Serena. I do not think they eat dinner. Tyra male.
00:12:17
Speaker
Tyra Mail tells them they have to wake up in the morning. Per usual. So thanks for the Tyra Mail. Now it's the next day and they are somewhere else and Tyra and Mr. J are there. Tyra is wearing a shirt that says Sagittarius and I'm not making a comment because I know for a fact one of you is going to get into this in the audit.
00:12:37
Speaker
So no comment. Tyra says we're all going to be signs of the Zodiac because there's 12 girls left and it's a calendar because there's 12 months and there's 12 girls and there's 12 all of it. They're going to be modeling Calvin Klein and Olga and JLo and every other brand you've never heard of. They start the shoot and they look cool. I'm going to say this and they look really cool.
00:13:00
Speaker
Yeah. I agree. I think it could have gone harder. It's a good challenge. It could have gone harder. There's a small sidebar where they're wondering why Brandi's hair isn't done since she was done with makeup first. And she says that the white man hairstylist just doesn't want to admit that he doesn't know what to do with her hair.
00:13:19
Speaker
They tell Brittany that she isn't hoochie at all. She looks great, which is maybe what having a female photographer will get you is not being over sexualized. They give Tiffany these giant ass sparkly crab claws. They still haven't done Brandi's hair. I know she loved it. The girls who have already gone are sitting around talking and one of them says, I don't like that Brandi threatened Tatiana.
00:13:45
Speaker
because when Brandi and her were yelling at each other, Brandi said, if we wouldn't get kicked out for hitting people, your ass would be tore up. That's like a fact or whatever. Yeah, it's like a promise, honestly. So I won't, but I do want to. And you're under a bed. That's weird. Tiffany's like, nah, that's not. They just both talk shit.
00:14:08
Speaker
Tatiana has like no idea what Brandy has against her. And then Tiffany stands up for Brandy and calls Tatiana bitchy and I'd say thank you, Tiffany. Jesus. Um, Brandy finally gets to go. She looks amazing. But of course they are disappointed in her for some reason.
00:14:25
Speaker
And now back in the green room, Brandy and Tatiana are shouting again. Tiffany says, you know what it's about every day, every day, a group of girls gangs up on her. And then to the camera, she says, Look, Brandy does something and most of the time she's wrong, but I do protect her. I just love Tiffany. I know. Tell me says all y'all bitches are evil. Oh,
00:14:52
Speaker
Absolutely. And then the best advice of all time, because again, you've seen Tiffany show up as like a wise woman many times. She says, just leave her alone. Like leave Brandy alone. That's all you guys have to do is stop and they can't.
00:15:10
Speaker
Okay, they go back to the loft. Tyra mail. Um, it's judging time. We already know this happens every time. Okay, so we're back in the judges place. We've teleported there. They're going through like the main group of girls pretty average objectifying feedback. But hey, that's the gig. Now Brandy is up. Tyra's upset about her negative attitude. The judges say her photos are great and she looks great, but her attitude sucks.
00:15:37
Speaker
Uh, Kenya comes in, they hate her tennis photos. They say they should never be seen by anyone. Ha ha ha. They're on television, but they like her Taurus shot. Okay. Um, Noelle is here. They call her tennis pictures disastrous and that she's not taking it seriously enough. She doesn't know what she's doing.
00:15:56
Speaker
They don't like UV at all. They think she looks like a dead fish and she failed miserably. Wait, timeout. That was so unnecessary. Wait, can we wait? Because I am so... Okay, now it's the private judging time. So here's the things they say that are apparently not for the girls ears, even though they'll see this on TV. She looks like Jay Leno.
00:16:21
Speaker
I'm over her. This is one of the worst photos in the history of America's next top model. Hence the headline. She's exotic, but so angry. So angry. She looks like death warmed up. She doesn't smile. She does not know how to model at all. Okay, prepare yourself for this. There's 12 girls and 11 photos. And that's not enough photos for everyone to make it through. Okay.
00:16:48
Speaker
If they go through, 10 of them, nine of them get their photos, and then we're down to the final two. It's Brandy and Yuvi. One of them has an attitude with a capital A.
00:17:00
Speaker
And one of you has only taken one good photo, which is, this is hilarious because this was a very obvious pickup line in ADR. Like, so what did Tyra actually say? We'll never know because it was very clear that this was edited in afterwards. So I would just love to know what the actual line was. One of you has only ever taken one good photo this whole competition.
Racial Tensions and Fairness in Reality TV
00:17:21
Speaker
And in this competition, you took the worst photo ever. So I just want to pause. I just, oh my God. Yeah, I just want to say that one of you, we don't,
00:17:30
Speaker
like your vibe. And the other one of you is a hideous beast who cannot model
00:17:37
Speaker
And there's also a dead fish. That's how I heard it. That's exactly how I heard it, too. It's a bit more potential. You're like, oh, OK. It's the person with the fixable, with the fucking, like, indescribable attitude issue, or whatever you can't put your finger on. Oh, guess what? It's Yuvi. She has potential, because even though she's the worst model in the world, it's better than standing up for yourself. So Yuvi wins, and Brandi loses. Tiffany is sobbing.
00:18:04
Speaker
Brandi is sobbing. This is so mean. I cannot believe how mean this is. They show all of Brandi's previous pictures and she's absolutely destroying the other girls in this competition. How fucking could they? They make her take her own suitcase down the stairs and fade her picture away. And my last line is what a crock of shit. The end. Yeah. Wait, what did what did Brandi say as they were interviewing her and she was crying? She said
00:18:33
Speaker
I don't regret anything, like this is who I am. And if they would have taken the chance to actually get to know me, they would have seen me for who I really am. I was like, exactly. When she said that, I thought, there is so much of the editing that we did not see. This is completely by design. I feel like the girls. Girls because that's the terminology of the show.
00:18:56
Speaker
whatever, are truly just getting harassed. We talk about how love is blind is having that unionization effort and that lawsuit. The girls were getting beat the fuck up in this show. She left pissed. She said, I wouldn't change a single thing. And that's how I knew. I was like, okay, so they got under your skin. Good as she should. Why did she just say thank you? We all kicked her out and made her carry her own suitcase. Deep flight of stairs. She is 108 pounds.
00:19:26
Speaker
What? How could you say one of you has potential? And it's the person who can't model, but it's better to be nice and what? That's literally what they said. They said nice and be shrek versus you get a be honest about when someone's pissing you the fuck off. Ugly, so ugly.
00:20:01
Speaker
Okay, so since I'm already heated, I'm gonna jump right into this. I strongly believe that this episode should be divided across other things. I don't think it was standalone. I don't think there was enough clam for it to be its own thing. But the biggest standout for me is that the editing was truly chaotic. And you could tell that the producers wanted to capitalize on the stereotype of black women and centered a whole episode about the attitudes of black women.
00:20:18
Speaker
Oh yeah, let's get into it. I was really simmering.
00:20:26
Speaker
And when I really, the whole thing was grating to me, right? But when we finally got to the end and the judging, Regina's goes, Tiffany, I know you wanted to slap the photographer. And Tiffany was like, no, I know. Like, I was annoyed. But what am I going to do? Like, this is a job.
00:20:43
Speaker
And they go back and forth, and then that's that. And it's just about their attitude the whole time. But then when Tiffany and Brandy come back from the shoot, and even before they go in, the girls are like, Oh my God, I can't wait for Brandy and Tiffany to yell at the photographer. And I just think it's
00:21:00
Speaker
I'm trying not to swear. It's so deeply problematic to profit off of black women's anger when it's convenient. And I feel like this is just such an irritating lived experience of like, nobody enjoys black women until it's time to get the work done and read somebody to filth and then everyone waits for the black woman to do it.
00:21:18
Speaker
I saw this TikTok while I was away from you all. It was this woman saying, she's a black woman saying, I'm trying so hard to defeat the angry black woman allegations, but I'm always black and I'm always a woman and I'm always angry. And I feel that so deeply of like, I think living, it's not being a black woman that makes me angry. It's the existence and the intersection of all the things that are horrible for me, like racism and then sexism and then baphobia.
00:21:44
Speaker
and like all of the look at them. And it just pissed me the fuck off that y'all had enough had the audacity to try to stitch together an episode about black women's anger and profited against them. I really like UV as a model. I think she's fantastic. And for them to give so much praise to her and then turn around and posit it against Brandi is so deeply problematic and hurtful. It just doesn't make sense.
00:22:12
Speaker
It's just ugly behavior. I share a sentiment that was definitely an audit point for me about everything felt like a setup for the black girls to be targeted the entire episode. And specifically that tennis photo shoot and everyone's like, wait till they get downstairs. I'm like, why? Y'all were upset too. Why?
00:22:37
Speaker
Caitlin, you do it. You tell them off. Why couldn't any of you do it? You had to wait for them.
00:22:43
Speaker
I also think that because the judges have decided that the black girls are the angry ones, although Kenya is skating by away from that. Yeah, and Naima is their cover because they're like ethnically ambiguous and she can do it. Exactly. So I think that like, you know, for them, I think it gives everyone permission to continue on the narrative that Tiffany and Brandy are the angry.
00:23:10
Speaker
Black girls who come from the hood, their ghetto, their uchi, their this, their that, and it's giving everyone permission to keep the charade up, and it's really hard to watch.
00:23:23
Speaker
It's ugly. It's mean-spirited. I wasn't here for the episode y'all slayed, but asking questions, particularly as a black woman, about what people are doing to your hair is not an attitude. If anyone who has had a hair extension, a wig, braids, you know not all hair is created equal. And it makes all the difference when the person who's doing your hair knows what they are doing.
00:23:46
Speaker
It is not the same. It is not the same. And y'all repeatedly, there are white people on the show who do not know how to do hair and makeup. I think it's also intentional that they keep leaving Brandi last. Everything about the way she was treated so far before she got kicked off the show was to target her. And that was very clear to me in this episode.
00:24:11
Speaker
Agreed. This whole episode was manufactured to get Brandi off and make Tiffany look like a vulnerable. Now what is she gonna, she's the only person with an attitude. Can I actually pivot us to a slight, my like only other for this week? Yeah, it's connected to this. Okay. So when I was in high school, I went to a high school where the military came in recruited and they make people do pull ups or whatever, and then they'd sign them. And then those same people would come back and be like, the military breaks you down to build you back up. Don't laugh.
00:24:39
Speaker
I thought when people said that, that they were just going to like basic training and people were yelling at them in the manner that people are yelling at the models on the show. Like I thought that's what basic training was. And now I'm just kind of like, what in the hell are y'all preparing these girls to do? Because you treat them like absolute shit. Like if this is what it takes, what are they called green berets? Like do we need models to be green berets? Because this is, this is so
00:25:07
Speaker
nuts. They do no physical workouts together, but y'all are like, you're 105 pounds. Get out of here. You have no feedback on your opinion and you're getting these weird weaves. And if you ask a question, they tear you up. You can't snap up photographers. People talk shit to your face. Like why? I mean, we'll talk about this in a later episode. I'm sure about, okay, how do we start dismantling the system? But what in the absolute fuck is going on here?
00:25:34
Speaker
What is going on? It's worse than bootcamp. This is a context to bootcamp. There's no context to any of this. And you are tearing people's identities away because because Tyra feels like she went through this.
00:25:50
Speaker
And so you can get through it. She's helping. She thinks she's helping. I'm so glad you brought it up because the supermodels documentary is out and I've only been watching clips through TikTok and Tyra has repeatedly spoken to Naomi Campbell about like, I wish you would have paid more attention to me. I wish you would have been friendlier to me. I wish you would have blah, blah, blah. Why are you treating people like this? Because she feels like she comes from that era. If I had to go through it, you have to go through it.
00:26:18
Speaker
That's such an ugly, and y'all talked about this while I was gone too, this ugly millennial Gen X tension. Why? Why does anyone need to struggle? You have a show and you're creating the most chaotic environment for people to gang up on black women just so you can be like, I feel vindicated for my struggle.
00:26:36
Speaker
Seek help. This is so horrible. This is horrible. The worst is that it's being done at the hands of another black woman. So that's also just like, okay. Like it sits a lot. It's a lot to take in. It's weirdo behavior.
00:26:51
Speaker
The last connecting point to this is I can't imagine someone tearing me up over a low-budget astrologer shoot. You know I'm a sister to you. How on God's earth y'all gonna have an astrology shoot that doesn't eat the house down boots and then tear people up for having the worst photo in the world? You know damn well that's a lie. That it's just- The man on the god-awful harnesses and the balance trusts the harness. I'm slinging around. This is weird. What?
00:27:18
Speaker
No, it's not even a full body harness just to be super clear. It's just on their hips. It's like you could do a full ass flip on these things. And if you think this crew that is housing you and a production. Let Rebecca fall. Let Rebecca almost die.
00:27:33
Speaker
If you're trusting them to be Cirque du Soleil and they're like safety checks, hell no, I would be scared. Absolutely not. Like even pair them up by their astrologers. That really annoyed me too. I was like, is Kenya even a tourist? What is going on?
00:27:51
Speaker
Because what does that mean? How would I even emote being a Pisces if I'm not a Pisces? Like, that's just goofy dressed up like a fish and put her in a net. Like, what did you want from this woman? I was furious. You know what? I need to calm down. You had all of my points, actually. So I'm in sync again. One of my points specifically was it's also about Britney and how
00:28:19
Speaker
she is like, oh, I'm really, really trying to not look like a bimbo. I don't want to be associated with that. And I just felt so bad for her because I'm just trying to figure out how do I, how do you not look like what you were born? Like, you have a
00:28:34
Speaker
counting in these beautiful big eyes, you have a sexy little body. Like what are you supposed to do? Like, and they're like, Brittany focus on the photo shoot. And she's like, I'm just trying to make sure I'm not looking too sexy. What does that mean?
00:28:50
Speaker
What? So I think it's just unfair. It pisses me off because she's so gorgeous. So beautiful. I agree with you. She's so beautiful. She's so unique. And y'all are tearing her up for being too sexy. But this is also like a lingerie shoot. Also, what is too sexy? Who gets to make, who makes that decision? Period. What is sexy to begin with? Like, I'm sorry. You're, you know, you're looking to see like, oh, she looks like she's a triple X. I think they call her like triple X, 34.99 porn, whatever. Like,
00:29:20
Speaker
Who gets to determine that, you know, and now this girl's like, don't let me not look like myself in a photo shoot. It was just too much.
00:29:31
Speaker
was annoyed. I was very annoyed with that. I also just to go back to your earlier point, one of the girls were like, Tiffany used to be really violent. Oh, nah, you must said that I'm like violent and then they just flash back to her getting a drink thrown in her face. She did nothing. She was being aggressive. That's her being violently. Yeah. What? Like, how was that an example of her being violent? So
00:30:00
Speaker
When she got drunk, they were like, Tiffany likes to say she's changed, but that old Tiffany comes back. So now she's an alcoholic in addition to being violent. Like, I just didn't like any of it. On Chardonnay. On Chardonnay. She is the whitest girl drunk I've ever seen where she drinks Chardonnay and then barks in her seat. It immediately throws up at the table. In what picks me up is Tiffany went home and really thought about her behavior. And as a reminder, they're like all under 23.
00:30:29
Speaker
So for this near teenager, young adult to go home and really be like, aside from being a mother and doing whatever, thinking that she did something wrong, which is why she had to. She didn't take that for herself. Is absurd. But the person I don't know, I don't remember if the girl who threw the drink got removed, I'm imagining not is mean spirit. Like it's just evil. I cannot believe that. Oh, yeah, bitches are evil. I also think
00:30:58
Speaker
Just to move on to Segway, I think they just don't think Yubi is pretty. And so all of the comments that they're making about her is just one comment away from just straight up calling her ugly. Like that's probably next week.
00:31:14
Speaker
And she's one of my faves. I think she's so uniquely beautiful. And they even said that. They talked about her looking like Liza Minnelli. And then they just dogged her look so bad and in such a mean way this week in front of her face.
00:31:31
Speaker
And then how do the girls not weaponize that feedback towards each other? I feel like if that was happening now. I think they do. It would be weaponized in that house. Like, oh, you have the worst picture with your dead fish face, you know? Like, yikes, yikes, yikes. 100%. How do you not give a glass of wine at the law flash studio and be like, you know what, you mean you have a dead fish face, you know? I mean, talk about giving the girls ammunition. Gee.
00:32:03
Speaker
Yeah, I agree with you. And I think that's also what happened in the edit with Tatiana and Brandy. I think that shoot took an astronomically long amount of time. And I don't think all of the girls were in the same room together, which also added to why they were like sitting on the floor. They were under the bed.
00:32:21
Speaker
Tensions were running high and I think that was by design. And so it just added to this whole thing of like, y'all created an environment of tension, of scarcity. So I do think they fight behind the scenes and that adds to some of the missing pieces of the conversation. Like when Tiffany says, all you bitches are evil and just leave Brandy alone. Leave her alone.
00:32:40
Speaker
One side note that I didn't like this is off topic slash on topic was that when they went to the ballet instructor He told one of them you better be glad I'm a gentleman. I was like, what does that mean? I hated that too. I hated that too. Didn't like that at all.
00:32:59
Speaker
He was so weird. I wonder like if I were a parent, like seeing someone and I don't mean to do that thing where it's like, it has to be to you to make it relevant, but seeing someone you love and seeing their body disrespected and just like the weird mental gymnastics of like.
00:33:17
Speaker
how I see myself and perceive beauty and fat phobia in this child I love so much, and then watching these people repeatedly put my child in danger with people who are not safe and constantly degrade their body, like what that does to you. If I were Rebecca's parents, I would be livid. I never thought about it that way, but thinking about like my niece being on that show, now it makes it even worse. It's even worse now, you know? Yes.
00:33:43
Speaker
Because I'm like, I think I would probably be unhinged or have a whole mental breakdown. But if someone I loved was on that show, you would never see that on me. Totally. How dare you? This is also something that I wrote in my notes. What do you think about Kenya not really riding for the other black girls in the house? So I remember Kenya's run from originally watching this show.
00:34:14
Speaker
I don't, I think there are some editing pieces that came into that, but I also think Kenia was really minding her business. Like she was supposed to be in college or something like studying biology. And she often I feel got overlooked by the group and she just was kind of like out of her depth. And I think she, cause she's not really close to anyone. Like she's just staying in the business, being real quiet. But the way her edit comes out,
00:34:40
Speaker
It's also really abusive of how they do. So I don't, without spoiling it, I just don't think she's going to get her harassment. Okay. Yes.
00:34:56
Speaker
Um, yes, her, she does not have peace in the kingdom. I think like watching this so far, it's just like seeing Tiffany and Brandy ride so hard for each other. And Kenya is like out on the fray. I'm like, girl, get in there. You know? Um, but I guess it was every man for them to sell, you know, every woman for themselves in this competition, but I don't know. I just kind of felt away about that. I think so. Yeah.
00:35:22
Speaker
And I think that goes to the show, like not every black woman is true. And they don't have to be. You're right. It's just hard to see. I don't know how you'd show up in the house. Yeah. Yeah. It's just hard. It's just hard to see, you know, these two black women crying when they're late. And I'm just like, I don't know, just watching it. I'm like, I'd be in there with them, you know? But I'm also not a part of a competition, you know?
00:35:47
Speaker
Yeah, I'm also not 22. Oh, yeah, you're right. They are really young. That's true. Like being 19. What my reaction? True, true, true.
00:36:01
Speaker
So I have two audit points. They're pretty slim. But one of them goes back to something Jasmine, you and I were talking
Societal Reflections in Reality TV
00:36:10
Speaker
about. And I'm calling this one the oracles because what the orca? I think it's appropriate. Not us. We aren't the oracles. But Jasmine and I were talking in a previous episode about like, isn't it wild how far we've come? Right. Like we're so evolved now and we watch this and you're like,
00:36:29
Speaker
Oh my God, we just would watch this like wouldn't think twice about it. And we didn't know any better back then. Oh my God. But what the show is showing me is that consistently, I see people who do know better, right? These women have gut instincts constantly that are saying this is not right. I am not angry. This man doesn't know what to do with my hair. And they just keep getting gaslit and drowned out. Like many women in the show have said this is not good.
00:36:56
Speaker
And the people in power have been like, Yes, it is. You are the problem. Which, like when we say like, Oh my god, we were all so behind. No, not all of us. Right? Like, that's a good point. There's always people in it saying, No, this is this is not this is not it. It reminds me of something one of our other colleagues said once Fasi she's like, Oh, so and so is ahead of their time. And I'm like, No, there is no ahead of your time. You're like of your time.
00:37:24
Speaker
And we create this idea of we were also behind and it was a different time, but that's not true. These people knew they shouldn't be treated this way.
00:37:38
Speaker
they weren't taken seriously. And like, yes, did we sit there and watch it? But I'm, I have to believe on some level, we were like, is this right? But like, and we were tricked more because they were allowed to edit it however they want to, and present it in whatever package they want to. But the people experiencing it
00:37:55
Speaker
had very obvious moments of clarity that they didn't even edit out, which makes me think they had even more moments of clarity. And so it just, it makes me like double, triple sad to watch and want to go hug them and affirm them and hope that they have peace now because they were correct and they did know it wasn't right. Yeah, that's really valid. And also this week in particular is just making me think about all of the things we didn't see, you know?
00:38:24
Speaker
So it makes it even worse. Yeah. And they probably destroyed it. Like literally liability. Like, I mean, we had to get this from Amazon and pay for it. And this particular thing, though, you know, this particular this in season three are the two that just they won't sell the rights to.
00:38:47
Speaker
So here's my other audit point and this is self-reflective bookend to my first one. Why do I still like this show? Like I genuinely get excited to see the shoots and I genuinely get excited to see the final photos. I do like seeing the final photos and the shoots. I love seeing the final photos. I get excited about it.
00:39:04
Speaker
I love that. I could do without the commentary, but I love seeing, you know? Yeah, same, same. I love a reveal. I love, I love when they're doing the shoots. Yeah, I could mute it and just watch the glam and the posing and how pretty they are and then see their final best photos and then we all just hug and get ice cream. That would be an issue for me.
00:39:25
Speaker
This show makes me so uncomfortable and I am into it in a way that is much different than anything else we've watched. Really? Yeah. I love it. I love a reveal. It's just everything about it. I love the idea and it's just executed. It is executed really bad, but those girls looking at those photos, I get so excited for them.
00:39:48
Speaker
You know, I'm so proud of them. I'm like, you were just, I don't know, somewhere at home. There's no way I'd be able to take red claws and make them look sexy.
00:40:00
Speaker
period, period. It's so fun. Fashion is so fun. Fashion is fun. The formula to the show is genius. Like challenge, photoshoot, prep, photoshoot, and then you get to see their like photoshopped image. Brilliant. Execution, questionable. Random, random, those random challenges leading up to it. Like they're just so corny.
00:40:28
Speaker
Well, yeah, no, they could remake like, can you imagine like, yeah, remaking this show with different people and a different like undertone and premise? I don't know. Maybe. I don't know. I don't know if it could work, but I don't know if it could work and where we are today. Like get Winnie Harlow, right? And like, let's let's dwell. Oh, is she a band? Don't tell me. She's made some colorist comments that are. Hmm.
00:40:56
Speaker
I mean, another time. Yeah, we'll get into another time. All right, Jasmine, did we audit away at this one? Do we want to pivot into some current events? Or is there more to say?
Kardashians' Media Presence: Authentic or Not?
00:41:13
Speaker
What do you think, Kela? Should we flip over? I'm down for a current event. Yeah. OK. OK, let's get into it.
00:41:23
Speaker
Please. Where do you want to start? I mean, always, always. Four. Four. I don't know. I'm just four. Okay.
00:41:59
Speaker
Hmm. Great question. Oh.
00:42:32
Speaker
What? Well, yeah, so jazz, you know, again, this is an example of exclusion because Kela heard some of my thoughts yesterday. And I have I have come to believe that this entire thing with with Courtney and Kim is a setup. Like, I think that this show was boring.
00:42:59
Speaker
And it was boring last season and off season, Courtney and Kim said, what, what can we make up that gives it some spice that we control a hundred percent, right? Like it's not external drama. I think it's completely fabricated now.
00:43:14
Speaker
Yeah, I think they completely like let's pretend we're like really fighting over this DNG thing. Also, the other thing it does is have people repeat Dolce and Gabbana over and over and over and over and over again. That was right. So I think it's a total because it's also contrived some of it like
00:43:31
Speaker
the number of just absolute obvious lies in this show. Like, we have this group chat. No, no, no, you don't. And the other random things and Kela, I know you've seen this in the mess newsletter. We've never had a beer. Yes, they have. Why would they say they've never had beer? And then last night, Chloe says, I've never had a martini. Yes, you have never had an olive. I've never had a martini. She said,
00:43:56
Speaker
That's not true. Like that, that literally can't be true. It's a lie. Like, why are you just saying, right? Like they're just saying things that are not true to see if they can get away with it. Please. That is weird. I, I'm following the theory. What was the context of why Kim would tell Courtney that they don't have a, like, why would she tell her about the group chat? Like, what were they talking about? All of your friends. Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:28
Speaker
Again. They were resurfacing.
00:44:44
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. They were resurfacing. They all worried about you. Her wedding. I think Courtney wants off the show. She's been figuring out this way to do it. They got the maximum drama. You were showing up and you know Courtney's going to be with this baby. All of my friends said so. And Kim's retaliation was like, oh yeah? Like, well actually we have a group chat with your closest friends. And you know, so that was the retaliation. Yeah.
00:45:21
Speaker
It's really, really fake. This is what really did it for me. When they were in the kitchen having a random martini moment with Corey and Tristan and Chloe and Craig, and the kids were like, mom, mom, mom, to Chloe.
00:45:37
Speaker
And I just watched the skims in America. Like a 45 minute infomercial of a scam. Like the whole thing is in a podcast. That's what it is. It's a media company.
00:45:52
Speaker
All they did was talk about Skims. She went to Harvard Business School to lecture about Skims, talk about Skims, Skims, Skims, Skims. It's just like, especially compare it to America's Next Top Model. Look how savvy the brand has gotten. They are just a company and then it's good American. Oh, the good American stores aren't going to open and oh, we're having a conversation with them. Like everything else is just filler around their brands in this company. That's it.
00:46:21
Speaker
Oh yeah. What's the glamification? They look terrible. Stop. They look terrible. They look terrible. Who do you think looks good on that show?
00:46:34
Speaker
True. She's cute. True is cute. She's very cute. The kids are cute. They also seem extremely overdressed now everywhere they go. Not in the way that people said they don't like dead fish, but it's just like so much. You think they look terrible. The kids. The kids.
00:47:04
Speaker
Full face. Yeah. Yeah. No. So the fact that they tried to visualize it is not something I was pleased to back away. You can tell that they all give in to hours of glam before shooting a scene where they just go and
00:47:22
Speaker
you know, drink a martini. I mean, it's just, it's so crazy. And wait, I also don't think people talk enough about how weird his relationship is. That's not true. You're just illustrating more that this is strange. No, he's not younger. He's younger than Chloe. And he looks old as hell.
00:47:49
Speaker
Yes, he's the same. Google it right now. We are. He's the same age as Kim. Yeah. Yeah. He's Corey Gamble is young. So like, so Kela and episode, they're like trying to be cute. And they're like, do you remember our first kiss? And yeah, your only reaction is so weird. I don't like that. He's younger than Courtney and Ken. Okay. Oh, he's the same age as Kim. Okay.
00:48:19
Speaker
Oh my God. Yellowstone. Yeah, you gotta watch this. It's so weird. It sounds like y'all are literally making things up from like an air simulator. Like I trust Jasmine, but I'm so confused. That's what he said. He said I was supposed to be on Yellowstone. And then the episode when they talked about how he was supposed to have a part on Yellowstone and Chris said no because she- With Kevin Costner?
00:48:51
Speaker
Have you ever actually seen them be affectionately? They talk about it. They talk about that, but they don't actually touch each other. And then the reason why we didn't do it was because Chris said there was going to be like a kissing queen and she didn't want him kissing anyone else.
00:49:06
Speaker
Jasmine Nelson. Please don't get us into a Fonzworth spiral. Do not do this to us. Okay, but since we're talking about PR setups, never really, it seems like it's the assistant. He feels like Fonzworth Bentley or something.
00:49:32
Speaker
Nothing is going on. I'm ready to share my truth. For a long time, readers, I have been very suspicious of Travis Kelsey.
Celebrity Relationships and PR Implications
00:49:46
Speaker
Because he had Google, I'm still finalizing my argument. He had a reality show about dating, like a dating reality show. It was mostly black. Everyone is talking about it everywhere. Yes. Then he had a girlfriend, Kayla Nicole, who I think is gorgeous, beautiful. We stand, we stand, we stand. They dated for years. Then they broke, they like broke up, got back together, kept dating. They were dating through the Super Bowl.
00:50:11
Speaker
Then they broke up. Then Travis, I guess, started dating again and rumors came out that he was cheap. And then he went out and was like, yeah, I've had a long relationship before. I don't mind throwing like a hundred dollars here and there. When he was dating Kayla, Kayla lived in LA and Travis lived in Kansas City and she would come to his games. That is more than a hundred dollars.
00:50:34
Speaker
So that was my first no, that there's so much. There's a lot of no's, but that was like, I got a no. So now Taylor Swift, who famously has been dating men that I don't want to know about, has been hanging out with Travis. We've seen them in a car together, but not much else. Travis and his brother have a podcast and Travis all summer shooting podcasts.
00:50:59
Speaker
He has been shooting. And when I say shooting shot, it's not even like a gun. It's like arrows. Like he is rapid fire cubiting effort to get with Taylor. He's like, I have friendship bracelets for you at the heiress tour. Taylor call me dadada. Okay. Everything but just about stalk the girl. Then all of a sudden Taylor shows up at a Kansas city chiefs game and is sitting next to Travis's mom and the crowds lose it. Then they leave the game in a two car convertible. Now.
00:51:28
Speaker
Taylor and a bunch of people I never want to hear about Blake Lively, newly divorced Hugh Jackman, a bunch of other people have a boss. Sophie Turner at the Jets versus Chiefs game. And they're all up in there cheering. There's a bunch of pictures. Taylor famously has the PR agent tree pain.
00:51:49
Speaker
Taylor also has one of the worst carbon footprints in America based on her jet usage. So now when you Google Taylor Swift jets, you get Taylor Swift at the Jets game and not Taylor Swift like hurting the earth. There's so much about just like
00:52:10
Speaker
politics of dating and how dating works. And I think in 2023, we need to be honest that PR relationships are just as powerful as real ones. They're just not as interesting to watch. But Travis' play to fame, like pop culture fame, is just irksome to me. And I don't want to hear about him anymore.
00:52:31
Speaker
It's interesting because I agree. Everything you've said, this is not real, but like what even is real? Right. Right. She also has a movie coming out. What's the movie? Her tour. Thank you, girl. Yes. She has her tour movie coming out. And so like this is, you know, and God knows the NFL is always looking for an Americana PR boost, right? NFL is a movie. Forget Colin Kaepernick exists.
00:52:58
Speaker
And then the Jets thing is really interesting. And it's true. What a brilliant PR. I mean, someone does slay. She has some brilliant moves. Yeah. But then like, you're like, what is to your point, we're getting into this era of era of
00:53:18
Speaker
what is even real because you're watching like you watch any of this love is blind. You watch any of these influencer marriages and you're like, this is an arranged marriage. You all made a deal in these pods to be together. No, my like and that you're going to take it all the way. And like, is that real? Is that fake? Is this real or fake? I don't like is Cory and Chris. Yeah, well, like I don't. What is even a real relationship anymore? Come on. What?
00:53:44
Speaker
Sure, it's real, I guess. They could take this all the way, I guess is what I'm saying. Trash, Kelsey, and Taylor Swift. They could get married. They could make this go on for 20 years, and we'll never know. We'll never know, but they don't want us to know. Until they get divorced. Until they get divorced, then we'll know. But even then, you're like, oh, there's plenty of trash, stupid marriages that maybe there actually is love or lust, and then they get divorced.
00:54:07
Speaker
And this is, as somebody said to me early this morning, which is not what you want to hear early in the morning. They had just watched a TikTok that asked the question of, do we live in a society or a marketplace? And like, oh, we live in a marketplace. And this is what that says, right? This is what marriage in a marketplace looks like. And so here we are. Here we are. I do think Travis Kelsey is probably one of your most
00:54:34
Speaker
Um, understandable enemies because I, you have your rule about white men and podcasts. And I'm telling you this man, all he does is go on podcasts. And I love, like, I really, really like Kayla Nicole, his ex-girlfriend. And so I just don't.
00:54:53
Speaker
I don't know. I just I'm looking at him sideways. I'm looking at. Well, I've heard. I've seen a lot of comments and this is I don't know any enough. I do know enough about Travis Kelsey, but I've seen enough comments to to glean together that he used to date like mostly black women. Period. He did. OK. I didn't know how to. There's a lot of comments. Yes. Are like.
00:55:13
Speaker
What's going on? Taylor? What's going on? There's something about race here that is significant. Exactly. And readers, I'm still doing my research, so I'll let you know when the essay is published, but some don't sit right with my spirit here.
00:55:31
Speaker
No, there's something happening. Something don't feel right because it doesn't feel right. That's what Beyonce says. And Beyonce don't lie. I've never heard a lie come out of her mouth. She can't tell a lie. You guys talk about arranged marriage. At least do it at that level. Leave me alone.
00:55:53
Speaker
I just like don't want to hear about it maybe because it's labor season and it's like getting close to my birthday I don't want to hear about anything but real love
00:56:02
Speaker
Leave me, I don't want to hear about anything, especially because it's a year where everyone's getting divorced. And by everyone, I mean celebrities. Regular dagglers are doing fine. But I know they're getting divorced less, I feel like. Honestly, our real buddies. Yes. The real the real people are comrades. They got divorced like during or right after pandemic. Like they're done. The rest. Yeah, they're going strong. They're happy. They're dating again. The famous people getting divorced this year. They've done. They've had enough.
00:56:32
Speaker
Everyone's getting divorced. Yeah and it's true chaos. I just I don't want to hear about this type of PR relationship. I need someone to be in love immediately. I want someone to fall in love with like I need more like I fell in love with a fan or like a normie. You know what I mean? Come on. I need like a sweet like your dog walker and you fell in love with them or he was a I don't know what's a job that people do.
00:56:54
Speaker
He works in an office. He's a biologist and she's an upper singer. Give me something of that. We live in a marketplace where y'all, we're not getting enough love. There's not enough love in the marketplace. No, we need to start like proletariat TV or something on our own channel. Just leave me alone. The labor force falling in love. They met on the picket line.
00:57:18
Speaker
They met on the wild. They met on the sag after a picket line. That's beautiful. Please. Please. That's what I want to hear. Hollywood. That's what we want to hear. We need inspiration. That's the story we need. I don't want to see Jonah Hill as Jerry Garcia. Nobody wants to see that. I don't want to see what's the other. It doesn't matter. The point is that we don't want to see it. We want love on the front on the hot labor summer love. That's what we want.
00:57:45
Speaker
All right. We've got to get out of here. Let's do it. Do you want to wrap us up? Oh, I do. We're wrapped up. It's over. We're done. We've wasted an hour of your time almost. And but listen, if you liked it, you can follow us. You can listen at the Pop Culture audit on Instagram. Download wherever you listen to podcasts. Apple, Spotify. I don't know. There's got to be other things. MySpace. Do they do podcasts? MySpace. Facebook. Wherever podcasts are available, we will be there. Oregon Trail.
00:58:15
Speaker
We're gonna keep doing it. So you might as well keep listening. And we'll see you next time. Bye readers. Have a good week.