Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
The Pop Culture Audit Season 1, Episode 4 - "Birthday Suit"
68 Plays1 year ago
We have finally ARRIVED. The gloves (and clothes) come off in this episode, and your Audit Baybeez have A LOT to say about it. Let's get into predator culture, Hugh Heffner, and pivot into whatever the hell a Vanderpump Rule is.
This isn't getting any better, friends. Someone needs to go to jail!
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
Pulled up, made my appearance You can't sit with us without clearance That lame shit, never let it near us And your girl will choose my team cause you still living with your parents
00:00:14
Speaker
Good morning, auditors.
Introduction to Pop Culture Audit
00:00:16
Speaker
Welcome to the Pop Culture Audit, where we review reality TV and talk about all things pop culture through a contemporary and critical lens.
Focus on Kardashians Season One
00:00:24
Speaker
So what exactly is a pop culture audit? Very easy. We take a deep dive of pop culture source material. In this case today, we are doing Keeping Up with the Kardashians season one. Come through it, highlighting some cringy and historic moments in pop culture discourse. If you're into that, you're in the right place.
00:00:42
Speaker
If you're not, you're still in the right place. You'll just learn something new today. Today, we have a longer episode, friends, because we have so much American history to talk about right now. My name is Keela. Hey, everybody, this is Jasmine. Hi, it's Brim. All right, this has been a crazy pop culture week, so.
00:01:05
Speaker
We just have to get into it. Yeah, I was like, where do we begin? I guess we just start from the beginning. Yeah. Picking off at the episode like we do and just go from there. Yeah, let's do it. All right, let's do
Kim's Playboy Photoshoot: Setup and Reactions
00:01:16
Speaker
it. We're going to dive in. We're doing episodes first. OK, I love it. So for new auditors listening, I have never seen Keeping Up with the Kardashians before. So this is my first romp. We're on episode four of season one. And even as someone who never watched the show before,
00:01:35
Speaker
I've heard of this episode, so I was super excited to get into it because this is the Playboy episode. Overall, we're going to watch Kim Kardashian do a Playboy shoot, and that is what the whole episode hinges on, but it's so much deeper than that, so let's get into it. Season one, episode four, Keeping Up with the Kardashians is called Birthday Suit. It's 22 minutes long.
00:01:59
Speaker
And the first sentence of dialogue is, hey, Chris, this is Michelle calling from Playboy. So our stage has been set. Playboy wants Kim to pose for the celebrity December issue of Playboy. And I'm going to pause for a second. From now on, from now until the end of this podcast, until we stop recording,
00:02:21
Speaker
Assume that anything I recap is happening in the phoniest, most poorly staged way possible. No matter what you're watching. Community theater, integrated to a drama class in terms of phoniness. I wanna play this out quickly, Jasmine, if you would be so kind. If I was to say, hey, Jasmine, I would love for you to come to my party this weekend. Jasmine would say,
00:02:51
Speaker
Oh my gosh, I'd be so delighted to come. I've just always wanted to come to one of your parties. Let me call Kela. And then Kela would say, yay, I can't believe this is happening to me. Too real, Kela, too real. Right on the nose. And then someone would say straight to camera, I've always wanted to go to Bryn's parties and then she invited me.
00:03:16
Speaker
It is threatening. But now that we get that out of the way, just know that that's how every interaction goes. We won't have to call attention to that any longer. We're just going to hit the plot points. So back to Playboy. Kim is skeptical of Playboy. She says, ever since the sex tape scandal, she has to be careful how she is perceived. And so Playboy is obviously tense. Chris says it's going to be a ton of money, but Kim still has to think about it, even with the guarantee that she won't have to take her clothes off.
00:03:46
Speaker
Uh, because apparently she's never seen Playboy or knows what it is. I do want to pause here and just, and again, I don't want to get out of my lane, but I was distracted at this point with Kim talking straight to camera by her baby hairs. And I hope that someone wants to talk about that. Happy to hop in there. Okay. Yeah. We don't have to talk about it now, but I made note of it because I couldn't stop looking. Wow.
00:04:12
Speaker
If Kim talks about this with her sisters, Chloe makes an actual genuinely funny comment about it being really classy. And then, of course, the number one concern of the group is what will Caitlyn Jenner think about this? Because remember, we're fresh off the heels of this very classy bikini shoot for Girls Gone Wild. Now we've upgraded to- Couture. Couture is for you. Couture. Yeah, don't forget. Of course. That was, dare I say, Balenciaga.
00:04:38
Speaker
Caitlin comes into this conversation. Also, it's a side note that Caitlin was on the cover of Playgirl. So this is all very hypocritical, right? We keep bringing that up as well. Caitlin wanders in, so there's no time like the present to tell her what's going on. Chloe says, I think you should do it, Kim. Go for penthouse. Do it with class to undress that ass, which Kim then turns into a new slogan. Do it with class, because I got a big ass. And Caitlin seems pretty fine with all of this.
00:05:07
Speaker
So Kim decides to do it, surprise, surprise, as long as the contract says she doesn't have to be all the way naked. As soon as she decides to do it, Chris tells her to go outside and run around the block. And I'm presuming that's because she needs to lose weight, because she's fat. Cut to the house, Chris is cooking. And I did want to make note of this too, because my hunches as we progress, we're going to see lots of people cooking in their own kitchens. And so I'm always amazed when we see Chris making dinner.
00:05:37
Speaker
And she was really cooking. I had the same thought. Yeah, she was like, we need to get dinner out immediately. Yeah. She had a job. She's explaining the difference between the celebrity spread and the centerfold to Caitlin. Caitlin says, what would her father say, which is pretty aggressive and intense. And Caitlin also says, Playboy needs Kim more than she needs Playboy. And I cannot imagine that that is accurate. But that's what we're going with.
00:06:05
Speaker
Another side note, just a pattern, now we're on episode four, so a pattern that I see, and this is fun, it happens kind of often, is Chris and Caitlin start their staged conversations, and then they really turn into fights.
Family Dynamics and Real vs. Staged
00:06:17
Speaker
You can see that they have started this from a like, we've been, the producers want us to say this, but then they actually start getting into it, and it gets heated, and I really enjoy that. At the end of this kitchen dinner conversation, they are clearly really actually pissed at each other.
00:06:33
Speaker
So now that Kim has decided to do Playboy, the whole plot pivots and now we are getting her ass in shape. Caitlin is going to show her how to work out. And I just have to mention with no context that Chloe caused Caitlin Hitler. Apparently we were doing that then. Yeah. Caitlin says it's time to get her in shape. Kim wants to know how many calories she needs to burn to lose a pound. And Caitlin says it's not about calories, it's about sweat. But Kim does not sweat.
00:07:01
Speaker
We cut to a weird clip of Kim and Serena Williams for one second that I thought was like an accident with her playing tennis, and then we're back to the gym, so that was really out of context. We know Kim and Serena are friends. And then out of nowhere, time skipped to two weeks later than when you were at the Playboy headquarters. Kim's right at home. Holly Madison is there. She immediately says, you're gorgeous. I'm sure everyone tells you that.
00:07:29
Speaker
Back to hair comments, besides for the baby hair. At some point, we have to talk about Chris's weird fringe. The flip. Yeah, it's giving Kate Gosselin. It's amazing. Chris tells us that it's always been a lifelong dream of hers to pose for Playboy, and then maybe they can do a mother-daughter issue. So that seems healthy and normal.
00:07:52
Speaker
Now shit is getting real on set. Kim is getting photographed in a one-piece deep V bodysuit, but all of her things are covered. The photographer asks her, how much nudity are you prepared for? Can you do it without the top? And out of tears, I just have to, just so you can kind of hear how this goes down, the instant thing that came to my mind when this photographer talks, his voice is exactly like in the movie Silence of the Lambs, the guy's voice who says,
00:08:22
Speaker
put the lotion in her basket. It's totally exactly what he sounds like. Stop it. Accurate. Stop it. He is pulled this young naked woman aside and asks if she's comfortable taking off more clothes in the exact same way. I was scared. It was horrifying. Kim really does not want to, and truly does not want to. That is coming through loud and clear. Kim and Chris are back in the green room. Chris is insisting that Kim doesn't have to take her top off.
00:08:52
Speaker
Kim says they are pressuring her and that they're clearly getting upset because she won't do it. And she needs someone to say she's not doing it. She'll write you a check for double. She'll walk out of here. And it doesn't seem like Chris is prepared to say that. So we're back on set. The creative director is putting the pressure on now. He says, Heff is very serious about trying to get this pumped up, which we're supposed to know means take your clothes off. Somehow they all move on. They wrap the photo shoot. It's very unclear.
00:09:21
Speaker
And it's a big relief to be out of there because it almost felt abusive and illegal for a second didn't it friends? Absolutely Now they're home looking at photos just like a regular family And their takeaway seems to be that Chris should get a taste of her own medicine and she should do a naked photo shoot obviously
00:09:42
Speaker
And now we're back in a photo studio. Chris is posing in a flag and gold shoes. There's lots of gold digger jokes. She gets to do one with her boobs out. Looks like this whole plant backfired because Chris loves being naked. And now we're on a new day and a new pussycat doll. Kim is meeting Melody Thornton. Also, side note, Melon and Alert, one. We're now at one. I thought about you when I saw her. I was like, oh, this is one for the books. Or two as we count the Serena Williams edit.
00:10:12
Speaker
weird chop. Yeah. Well, let's let's count Melody as the she's number one. I think she's the first I think. Yeah, I think she would count as the first glass ceilings shatter. The lunch is interrupted by Chris who calls to tell him that Playboy wants more photos apparently half was excited about the pictures but he really wants to talk to him directly. He invites him and Chris to the Playboy mansion because he would like her to show a little more skin.
00:10:42
Speaker
They go to the mansion. It's Kim and Chris to see half. She loves saying that. Chris tries to get Kim to steal a soap or a water bottle from the mansion because it has a logo on it. And I'm reminded. I love that. And now firmly in 2023, we're like Kim is doing all this Gucci stuff or gun Gucci Dolce & Gabbana stuff. And we keep being reminded that Dolce & Gabbana called her
00:11:07
Speaker
called their whole family, like the trashiest people alive. And I come back in my mind to this moment and I'm like, facts, actors.
00:11:16
Speaker
All right, here comes half. He is a fucking creep. These women are fawning all over him. He says they want to see her boobs, but discreetly and in a very good taste. He says he had Marilyn Monroe on the first December issue. And my friends, this is where Kim's obsession with Marilyn Monroe started. And all of these things are in my notes. I was thinking foreshadowing this. Yeah.
00:11:39
Speaker
how we sit here and she's buying this dead woman's dress and doing all like, here we go. This is where it started with this creep show in a fucking row, but telling her that Marilyn was the first person to play boy. Uh, okay. This man should be in jail. We'll get to that. I'm sure.
00:11:58
Speaker
After the commercial break, at least on what I was watching, there was a strange title screen of text that just thanked Hugh Hefner and the Playboy family. Oh, I didn't see that. It's the way they were editing back then, like how they do the Ryan Seacrest productions and then like they didn't do credits the way that they do them now. But it wasn't even at the end or the beginning. After this commercial break, it was so bizarre and also like
00:12:25
Speaker
I feel like I would be going back to, anyway, we'll edit it, we'll audit it, we're getting there. Back at the photo shoot, Kim has come up with the idea, skeptical, that she is totally fine being nude if she is draped in diamonds and pearls. We have a solution, folks, this is going to work. Kim's sisters make fun of her from home, saying she pushes her butt out and her mouth is open, which both are true as we look back at set.
00:12:51
Speaker
And then back on set, Chris is encouraging her as she sort of wiggles around in pearls. You're doing amazing, sweetie. She yells from the sidelines. They start to look at the photos and Kendra Wilkinson is there for moral support. Kim loves the photos. She is so glad she did this. Hugh Hefner and Playboy are such great people. This should age really well. Back at the ranch.
00:13:14
Speaker
Cam surprises the family with an enormous framed print of Chris and her flag and metal pose. What a wholesome family at the end of the day. The end. Thank you for that. Beautifully done. Purge. Let's get
Playboy's Influence and Legacy
00:13:33
Speaker
into it.
00:13:34
Speaker
Okay, so my first audit point is viewers, this is an iconic episode because it gives us a line that has had a grip on me for years. You're doing amazing, sweetie. The iconic Chris taking a handheld camera from her purse and getting shots of Kim from the side telling her she's doing amazing. Chris really
00:14:00
Speaker
She really stepped out this episode. Just everything about her being like, it's fine. Take your boobs out. Her doing her own nude shoot. Like Chris is- Clay, they look gorgeous. It's not that hard. Yes. She's one of a kind. She really rode for the cause. There's a lot of dynamic here, but she said, you know what? It's not a big deal. I'm going to do it. I'm going to have fun. This connects to my next point.
00:14:22
Speaker
Family Dynamics this episode, we're all over the place. Over the place. Let's get into it.
00:14:31
Speaker
Caitlin, as a child of divorce, I'm always fascinated how blended families talk about their relationships to one another. But there are two lines that set me into a spiral. The first when Caitlin and Chris are making dinner and they actually end up fighting and Caitlin says, please, this is your daughter. And then do you think her father would, what would you think her father would say?
00:14:55
Speaker
was unfair. That's not cool. That's not cool. She went ballistic after that and it was so triggering that, you know, to this day, you know, as a person who has lost a parent, like anyone just casually bringing up my dead parent, absolutely not to make a point, like, no, no, no, no, no. And not to just even make a point, but to just try to condemn what I'm doing present day and use my deceased parent as like a,
00:15:25
Speaker
What would they say about this? Awful. So Chris goes crazy on him as she should, or on her as she should. I mean, it's just so wild because they've been married for 16 years. So when we think about
00:15:40
Speaker
This is a counseling tip. But when you think about fair fighting in 16 years of marriage, why are you bringing up your ex-husband and the father? That was just so weird and inappropriate. It gave me the ick in like a weird way. And then Caitlin wouldn't let it go. And when Caitlin, Rob and the other Jenner son were golfing, Caitlin says, I'm her stepdad. That's your sister. How are you feeling about this? And I'm like, what is? What are you going for?
00:16:10
Speaker
Keep in mind, these children were, they were children when Bruce at that time, now Caitlin came on the scene. And got married. Yeah, they're a blended family. Yeah, so why is there still this big disconnect? And, you know, I like you. I'm fascinated as well with the blended family dynamic because I didn't grow up in a, you know, I guess kind of did, but not really. I grew up in a two-parent household.
00:16:35
Speaker
We were all raised just one unit. You know what I mean? It's just interesting to hear how people talk about it. I thought that was weird that Caitlin was so far removed from any of the Kardashian kids. But pushing that removal. Any other time they're like, it's a family and we're on vacation and this is how we do this as a family.
00:16:58
Speaker
And this is different even from the Couture bikini shoot where it's like, you know, we would never do something that would reflect negatively on you. And then this episode is like, well, your father, I don't, I didn't like, I just, I didn't like that. That happens a lot throughout all of the seasons too. I didn't like it. I didn't like it, especially when they argue about things and they're like, we're a family, we need to come to consensus or I'll be okay with it. So that,
00:17:22
Speaker
I just, ugh, there's really no resolution. I just don't like it. And the way it edited those scenes in and it just jumped out haunts me. Do you think that because Caitlyn was so, or is so conservative that that was her way of trying to separate herself from like, oh no, they're trashy. I'm a Jenner. We don't do that kind of stuff. You know what I mean? I think maybe because it was,
00:17:51
Speaker
just like, ooh, you have a sex tape. You're going to be on Playboy. You're like, that's not what, how would your father feel? And you guys are, you guys are crazed. You know what I mean? I think that was just kind of like wanting to separate herself from all of that maybe. I put, and that's in my notes too, that I didn't do in the recap that they, they referred to Caitlin as conservative so many times, right? Between the tour and then this Playboy thing. And it reminded me that in 2000, whatever,
00:18:19
Speaker
conservative didn't mean what it does now except for it did. We didn't hear it like conservative just like more modest or more reserved or just not as like Ralph Lauren. Yeah, right. Thank you for bringing in the fashion because that's exactly what it meant. It was where you probably go. It was about comfort level not
00:18:39
Speaker
like political specter of her ideology. Even though it was, we just didn't mean it that way. Because when Chris is saying Caitlin is conservative, she's not saying Caitlin is a Republican, even though she is. It means it in this like modest sort of pseudo Christian, I guess is what I take it, like family values sort of way. And it's just wild to look back and see like the dotted line between there and here and how
00:19:05
Speaker
We just let that be like, well, that's great. You're every, you know, it's a spectrum of acceptability. Now, we also know that folks with conservative values are the people doing the sex taping most often. True. And I'm like, Playboy does have you don't have to be left to be on Playboy, which is really interesting, especially like this is fast forwarding into the future. When Caitlin talks about exploring their femininity before transitioning, they talk about like wearing
00:19:32
Speaker
the girls clothes or like trying on chris's clothes and so i just think like this this idea that conservatives are separate from sexuality are separate from this you know i can't think of a better word like tantalizing femininity is not true it's not true so it's just
00:19:51
Speaker
Yeah, that didn't sit right with me spiritually. But I do, can I give you one more audit point that I feel like might connect to a bigger conversation? Please do. Okay, celebrity appearances this episode, Melody Thornton of Pussycat Dolls, which for viewers at home,
00:20:07
Speaker
Melody was part of the incredibly iconic sing off with Nicole Scherzinger at a live awards performance. You have to YouTube this performance in which I guess Nicole was supposed to get the final run of the song of buttons, if anyone is curious. And Melody steps up and they are riff battling to the end of buttons. Everyone looks confused. It's iconic. She has very few lines, but they go out to lunch and they want crispy rice, which is very good. Crispy rice is good.
00:20:36
Speaker
And then the second set of cameos are Holly Madison, who I actually think is probably very nice in real life. I've read her books. And then Kendra Wilkinson. I've read her books as well. But also just like randomly showed up on the set of Cam Shoot, which I think is like a good transition to talk about the playboy of it all. Where do you want to start? Do you want to start with half the playboy?
00:21:03
Speaker
Can I kick this off? Please, please. So those of you that obviously you wouldn't know, but maybe if you know me for real and you're listening to this, I spent some time watching this A&E 10 part documentary style.
00:21:23
Speaker
10 parts. Oh, yes. I didn't realize it was that deep. 13 year. Yes, taking a deep dive into this playboy space. I went undercover at playboy FYI. He went to the mansion after he was sorting through the documents.
00:21:42
Speaker
Yes. It was so haunting. I was having nightmares getting through each episode. And I didn't watch them weekly when they were putting them out. It was a binge thing for me. And so I...
00:21:58
Speaker
It made me feel like, oh my goodness, all of this predatory, crazy things were happening right under our nose. And not only did we allow it, so to speak, but we were celebrating it during that time and watching how Hugh Hefner was a mastermind in manipulating the public, a PR genius in the way that he supported
00:22:26
Speaker
women's rights that directly benefited him and his gang of predators. It blew my mind and watching him, I really wish that he was here to receive the backlash that he so greatly deserves. And he's not. He got to live his entire life being horrible. In a dirty mansion.
00:22:49
Speaker
And no one was speaking out against him, but it was just like Hollywood's dirty little secret for so long. And if you haven't seen the documentary, you have to go see it. It's very dark. So my audit notes about Playboy was watching the directors come over to Kim and say, which by the way, that guy was in the documentary. They mentioned him. Oh, yeah. So I was triggered watching him in TV. The Silence of the Lambs, man.
00:23:18
Speaker
who bullied her. Also, wasn't it weird that they shot those scenes like the camera was hiding behind bolts of it? We are going to get there. I have those notes. I'm like, so y'all are scared too. Yeah, everyone's scared. We're all scared. It was a scary film. It was just, yeah. So a horror film, actually. It was fine.
00:23:36
Speaker
He walks over and he says, can I show you what it looks like, you know, to basically have your boobs out? You don't need to show me what it looks like. I know what it looks like. That's why I don't want to do it. She really did seem nervous and scared. And I was watching it trying to, you know, like we say, oh, it's fake, it's fake, it's fake. But I'm watching like she really was scared. And also just seeing them say, well, half wants to, you know,
00:24:04
Speaker
to pump it up like trying to you know, coerce her to do these things using half it was just so nasty to watch and what really bothered me speaking back to family family dynamics was she had to tell her mother.
00:24:21
Speaker
You need to go out and advocate for me. You need to tell them that I don't want to do this, that I know I will pay them double. I will walk out of here. I don't feel comfortable. And I shouldn't have to tell my mom that. What part of you?
00:24:36
Speaker
My mom and manager. As a mother, it doesn't kick in to go into protection mode of me. I don't care who we're here to see and what we're here to do. I'm your daughter and I'm uncomfortable. And watching Chris be so hesitant to speak up and advocate for her daughter was also really hard to watch. But I also noted here that that was just how much of a hold that Playboy had on the culture and the opportunity, quote unquote,
00:25:05
Speaker
that she would be giving up from taking her clothes off in front of these disgusting, gross men. It just, it all didn't sit well with me. It was really gross. And then also too, I don't want to like suck up the air. Wait, can I say a point to what you're saying? Yes, please do. So this is a point in
00:25:23
Speaker
American pop culture were being sexy, slutty was cool. We had low rise jeans. Yes. I can't do this because, well, I didn't do this because I'm not white, but where the girls were going tanning and getting the shapes, the Playboy bunny thongs were cool. Um, like the whale, like girls next door was popular. The show.
00:25:45
Speaker
Belly button rings, crop tops, baby doll tees, like this, like, not full elitification, but there was a very, like, baby spy sexy type of thing going on. I just want to give that context. Continue, queen. No, that's so true. No, that's completely true. Because Jasmine, you're talking about this and it's making my brain go nuts. Okay.
00:26:09
Speaker
Zooming out, just to reset the context, in one calendar year, this mother has pimped out Kim's sex tape for everything it's worth. I've heard you a Joe Francis, girl's gone wild photo shoot. Oh my gosh. And then presumably within the next couple of weeks, I've been at the Playboy mansion. Yeah.
00:26:31
Speaker
What's the, what's the bitches name who was working with Jeffrey Epstein? Like this is giving me. We've done like trying to pouring out your own daughter.
00:26:46
Speaker
And actually just thinking about that too, it's just like, it's almost kind of a little bit of a miracle that they've built what they have based on how that kicked off. It absolutely is. It absolutely is. I want to give some Playboy like also additional context. I'm not a half apologist and I'm not a Playboy supporter, but it's just such a wild, like I think by design, Playboy history is incredibly chaotic. The person who made the bunny suit mockup is a black woman.
00:27:15
Speaker
have paid black seamstresses. For a while, Playboy, I know people are like, what are you reading about the articles? For a while, there was some really interesting discourse taking place in the letters to the editor. People were writing in, particularly queer men, debating the merits of being able to be legally openly queer. There were some pieces about segregation, have allegedly hired black models, even though they didn't get center roles.
00:27:38
Speaker
He also had black male celebrities appear within the house. Roxane Gay has been a contributor to Playboy. So there's just this complexity about
00:27:52
Speaker
what was able to take place on this platform that made it just like historic enough. And for women and people who felt uncomfortable, they either disappeared or they were scared into submission. And so it's just a really fraught like I'm sure, you know, Jasmine is our leading scholar, dark history of this man, 100 percent. But I feel like when half died, people were like, but then he did this thing and he did do that thing and.
00:28:20
Speaker
hundreds, thousands, maybe even thousands of women have been impacted so negatively, traumatized or died because of their connection to this magazine. And all of it, you have to know that all of the things, all of these activist moments all contributed to making sure that he created an environment to
00:28:45
Speaker
continue to do whatever he wanted to do in plain sight. So yes, people like Bill Cosby and Don Cornelius. Or even the set, like the creative director, the Silence of the Lambs man, the other people who work on set, Mary, who ran the office.
00:29:03
Speaker
all of them accomplices. Oh, 100%. And so, but you have those people, I mentioned those Don Cornelius and Bill Cosby in particular, because they were among many men that were highlighted in the documentary as having a playground to do whatever they wanted to do to sexually abuse women. And
00:29:26
Speaker
So yes, sure, you were hanging out with people of color, specifically black people and all of this, but like, look at what you were allowing, you know what I mean? Like, it was just like, and then also, of course, you're going to
00:29:38
Speaker
champion LGBTQ plus right, because he was a bisexual man. Hugh Hefner was a bisexual man. And so every single thing that as I pointed out in the documentary that he supported was to help him, which the LGBTQ thing was fine. But then it was all this rape and things like that that was going on too at the mansion. Yeah.
00:30:07
Speaker
you know, within that set, you know what I mean? Like, it was just like, it's hard because yes, it was, we're right. It's just very complex. And it was- No, I mean, it was bad. It was bad. There's just some cherries on top of different tiers of the cake that you're like, oh, that was, that's confusing. But it's, the cake is bad. The way the documentary set it up was the show, the exact parallel to everything that he supported versus how he abused.
00:30:36
Speaker
every single cause that he supported in that home. Every single thing that he supported. That's what I'm trying to say.
00:30:48
Speaker
I don't know if I need to send it to my language, but like titty politics from 1960, whatever, like titties and Bush, like existed. And now we're in like wax string laser era where Kim posted, Kim, Courtney, I think actually all the sisters have done topless
00:31:08
Speaker
Instagram post, which don't make you, they make you money, but they don't make you that type of, well, actually I can't even contest to that. I'm going to stand corrected. Like they're doing that on their own account. Like they don't even need Playboy anymore. Like the Kardashians and nudity and body and the way they have like taken that level of sexuality, like the taboo of Playboy and put it on their own personal account is so
00:31:34
Speaker
interesting to me of like, you don't need Playboy to put that kind of content out anymore. And they do. They create it on their own and put it on their page, which is so this episode was so interesting. Again, the titty politics of it all of in this year, you could be sexy, but not that sexy. And now in this year of our Lord 2023,
00:31:56
Speaker
It's a free place. It's a free place to take it out. Yeah, it is. I will say too, going back to the episode, the way this was shot was just so... Even if you didn't think or have the background that we had or that I have from watching the documentary and being haunted by it. As a story. Correct.
00:32:15
Speaker
But just let's just say you didn't have all of that, even watching the slow motion shots of the director holding Kim's hand as she's in a robe and walking her into what we would think is a back room and her opening her robe to show him her boobs. And it just was so disgusting to watch. It was so cringy. And I just don't know how they didn't watch it and say, cut, you know, we don't want to
00:32:43
Speaker
We don't want this to be portrayed this way, including Playboy, including Playboy. Wouldn't you think that'd be bad for your brand for it to be shot that way? They did not care. It was just, it was, yeah, it was pretty rough to watch. And then my last point about it all was just that the Co, the Coercive meeting where they walked in to meet Hef, and he's like, oh, yeah, she's definitely gonna have to show everything. And, you know, it's just like,
00:33:10
Speaker
Can we talk about how weird that edit was? Like, the edit was so weird. It was like being like, you definitely have to show anything. Jump. Marilyn Monroe did this and then they just left. And she was so comfortable. Like, why? Because Marilyn Monroe was on the cover. Like, yeah, it was just it was just a lot. It was
00:33:32
Speaker
It was too much, actually. But while we're at the Playboy mansion, it's really ugly. I didn't stop looking at all of the ugly panels. It was just so it looked like it hadn't been dusted since 73. It is such an ugly place. Talk about it. Holly Madison talks about in her book of like the girls were kept on such a I think it was like $1,000 a week.
00:34:00
Speaker
And that was how everything they needed to manage themselves. And if they wanted to like pitch labia plasti or a boob job, they had to pitch it to half. Like what are you going to do to make this worth my investment? I say this because she talks about how the house is just dirty. Like all the girls have dogs and like all this stuff. It's old. He doesn't want to redesign the house. And so the house is dusty. There's like P like animal escrament. It's just a gross. It's a gross house. It's all of the side.
00:34:28
Speaker
Queen of Versailles. Did you all see that documentary about that person who built that fake Versailles? Yeah, same though. Huge house, disgusting animal shit everywhere. Those are some horrible... It just sounds so gross. It looks gross to me. Mary's office, who's the receptionist office manager, has a bunch of
00:34:48
Speaker
It just looks... Oh yeah, she did have papers everywhere. It looks like it smells... Yeah, it just looks crammed. It always looks crammed. But the places that the public could go, like the grotto and whatever event space, they'd clean that. But the places where they lived... Inside of the house was really gross. Yeah, was not. Yeah.
00:35:08
Speaker
It looks old, like it looks dusty. Yeah, it was really gross. It was disgusting. And then while we're on it, talking about furniture and like the way I can't keep looking at this red couch at the Chris Jenner's house.
00:35:23
Speaker
with the Paisley print. Stop. Horrible, horrible rugs. That's your grievance? That's your grievance? All of those floral pillows and chairs everywhere. If I see it again, I just stop. But think about how she lives now. It's like all. I kind of love it because it grounds us in this like Malice Duff era of the 90s through the 2000s where you're like, you were a normal person subject to this kind of trash that the rest of us were. Yeah.
00:35:52
Speaker
Yeah, to watch how the homes evolve from like Cheesecake Factory to like Carnival Cruise ship to like Minimalist Mansion is That furniture I can't wait to get out of this era.
00:36:11
Speaker
I actually like Chris's house now. I think I like her house now. Yeah. Oh, her house now now. Her house now is probably the coziest in my mind. I like the Palm Springs house that she has. Okay. I can't speak to all the homes. Super nice. I would love to go to Palm Springs. You guys, they have all of these houses from all the things. The like,
00:36:39
Speaker
the insanity of it all. I cannot think too hard on it. They are rich. I follow Kim Kardashian on Instagram and yesterday or the day before she posted a story that was her in her garden. She said, I love my garden so much. This bitch did not plant a
00:36:56
Speaker
seed in this garden. She loves the concept. She has like persimmon, and they all have these little like labels, you know, they're all like have their own little records. And she has seven kinds of oranges and she had like all the things. And I'm sitting here listening to you all talk about groveling in the dirty animal mansion. And I'm like, how? Who is going to jail for this?
00:37:24
Speaker
But she wanted, like, she needed that level. Everything that Kim is doing right now sets the groundwork for the story and the narrative telling that we have today. We needed that episode to get the Marilyn Monroe context to feed us up to last year's Met Gala.
00:37:43
Speaker
like all of these seeds that she plants. So she does plant seeds, no? She does. She is a farmer. She's cultivating something. I'm also cool. Yeah. She's a popular farmer. There you go. She's a famous farmer. Yes, she is. Yeah. Maybe that'll be her podcast. The fact that this bitch has a pomegranate tree. Slay. That sounds so nice. Good for her. And started here with-
00:38:07
Speaker
Yeah. And Kim Kardashian can smell cavities. This is a thing about her. So I know she knows the house stank, but she needs to do what she needs to do. She didn't even seem that impressed when she was looking around and they gave that shot of her looking up. No.
00:38:29
Speaker
Like that's why Kim was like no Yeah, it was still Playboy was still iconic at that time it was a bigger deal for Chris because it was I want to say like more polarizing during her era and time and
00:38:45
Speaker
You know, so that was definitely Chris's dream, for sure, that she was living through her daughter, obviously. It's so abusive. It's so abusive. Yeah. All right. Anything else we want to audit? You got anything else, Keela?
00:39:03
Speaker
just how truly chaotic the gym scene was. I just cannot let us go without talking about. Oh, I forgot about that. How now. I mean, they could work out. They also could get a procedure, but also how everything is filtered in Photoshop, like even video context that we consume, that it's just it's just fascinating to me that she's like, I have to go to the gym immediately and get on like. What is that gliding thing? I used to do this elliptical, the elliptical.
00:39:30
Speaker
and think like that's what it's going to do was just so, Chloe in the gym being an absolute menace, knowing that years later she'd get the show revenge body.
00:39:41
Speaker
is absolute chaos to me. Yes. They wake up at 5 AM with trainers to work out now and seeing her run around. Yeah, her content is about 80% workout content on her training. Yes. Like her stage. What? The whole wing of her house. She's basically a fitness influencer, you know? And to see her run around, you know, it was just, yeah. It's so strange. Just a different time. A different time. Yeah. But that's all my edit points. Anything else, team?
00:40:11
Speaker
Well, no. We do have a very important thing to discuss. Yeah, I am. I've been dying. So this episode is later, right? We had to we had to postpone recording this episode and it's been killing me, but perhaps for the better because I feel like things are like finally coming to the surface.
00:40:30
Speaker
I am new to the pop culture realm. And I have to admit that Vanderpump Rules is not on my bingo card. I don't know what the fuck is going on. I saw this I saw this tweet, which kind of spoke to me it says an explanation on why the Vanderpump Rules drama is such a big deal. Here's a reference for those who don't watch the show. Imagine if Chandler cheated on Monica with Rachel secretly for seven months and Joey knew all along.
00:40:58
Speaker
Yes, that is the perfect way to describe this. I literally don't know what that means. What is happening? What is going on? Well, luckily, readers, we are here with a preeminent Verde Pompa Rules scholar.
00:41:11
Speaker
who knows that we are coming here with open hearts and open minds to lend our support to the Bravo community during this difficult time. I also must confess, if I know you and you're listening to the show, I still have not watched Vanderpump Rules and I apologize to you. I said I would and I haven't started, I've been busy. But Jasmine, please, what is going on? And no one died. Wow, she's collecting her notes for us.
00:41:42
Speaker
What in the name of Andy Cohen is happening? I opened my Instagram and there was so much about Vanderpump. I thought somebody died. Actually, I was coming out of a musical, which is very on brand for me. And I thought somebody died and it was, this is not just, but it was a Vanderpump cheating scandal. And I was like, I know this is going to involve so many people. I check TMZ every day. And usually I have some idea of what the headlines are about. And in this case,
00:42:11
Speaker
I don't know a soul about it. Were you just confused? Well, when I started to pick up on it, again, I don't know any of the players. And I have to be honest, too, I feel like cheating scandals, because that's what I'm gleaning is like the crux of this is like pretty pedestrian these days. So I'm kind of amazed that like that it like I'm eager to hear the details because
00:42:42
Speaker
For Itza B to suck this much air out of a realm, like this couple must have been like William and Kate or something. Like what is that? What is that?
00:42:55
Speaker
It's been... Okay, so for additional context, Vanderpump Rules has been going on for years. It's a spin-off. Lisa Vanderpump was on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and this is about...
Drama in Vanderpump Rules
00:43:06
Speaker
Yeah, so it's all connected. So this is about her chain of restaurants, clubs, businesses in Hollywood. And so this group of basically
00:43:17
Speaker
friends, foes, lovers, enemies have been working on like the food and beverage scene, club scene in LA for years. So the magnitude, like we've seen these people, I mean, grow up is kind of a
00:43:32
Speaker
I don't want to be condescending in this. We've seen them evolve. Yes. So this relationship is eight years in the making. Okay. All right. Jasmine, come in. Take us. Okay. I am back. Sorry. I was having technical issues. Where did I leave you guys? We need the background. I've just told the readers and Brent about Lisa Vanderpump and the connection to Vanderpump rules and how this relationship was eight years
00:43:59
Speaker
down. Yeah. So it was OK. So you talked about the background. So basically, the reason why this show was such a big deal for those who've never seen it is because things like the like Kardashians and everyone, all these glamorous shows, reality shows were out when Vanderpump Rules was rolled out and they were really broke for real driving crappy cars. We were in their crappy apartment.
00:44:27
Speaker
And it was very grounding to see people who were eating at Taco Bell and splitting bills and all of that on reality TV because we had the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that was their, you know,
00:44:43
Speaker
lead in show. So it was really great to see a group of friends who had really known each other. At the time, the polarizing character was Jax Taylor, who was running around and, you know, cheating and lying. And he was awful. And he had Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz as his best friends. And, you know, Jax even slept with Tom Sandoval's girlfriend at the time, Kristin Doty. It was just like a whole thing cut to
00:45:13
Speaker
Cut to Tom Sandoval ending up with Ariana and Ariana being this cool chick very laid back. And so now we're we're here right so DJ James Kennedy is introduced into the fold.
00:45:30
Speaker
And we meet him and his girlfriend, Raquel, who is, you know, kind of doe-eyed and unassuming. And everyone thinks that she's just this person that would never hurt a fly. And even in the episodes that are currently running right now, she is being set up to be seen as someone that
00:45:54
Speaker
It's going through a tough time because her and DJ James Kennedy broke up and still wouldn't hurt a fly, but yet somehow she's kind of crushing on Tom Schwartz who breaks up with his wife before this season, this current season kicks off. And the whole season was set up to be this scandalous thing that, you know,
00:46:18
Speaker
DJ James Kennedy's ex-girlfriend, Raquel, is crushing on Tom's shorts. But meanwhile, in the background, she's really been having this seven-month-long affair with Tom Sandoval.
00:46:34
Speaker
It pulled like this has been it like the big wool that's been pulled over all of our eyes this whole time and I think the audience of Bravo Watchers that we watch everything we kind of have everyone's number we've been watching these shows for so long and for so many years.
00:46:52
Speaker
that we felt like, oh, so people can still get one over on us. And I think that's why this is such a big deal to all of us, because we feel completely duped and we didn't see this coming at all. It's being covered by the New York Times, TMZ,
00:47:12
Speaker
Lisa Vanderpump flew in to do an emergency watch what happens live episode with just her and Andy. And so this has just been such a huge deal, pretty much in the news everywhere. And if you've never heard of Vanderpump Rules, then you have now, which is really interesting because previous to this season, the ratings were starting to slip. So that's why this is kind of a big deal. Wait a second, pause.
00:47:43
Speaker
what you just said. This is not manufactured, is it friends? Are we being set up? You said the rate of Jasmine. What do you think? I think her, her audio is not working. All right. Not her, not her. Shake your head. Jasmine is this a set up by Bravo lost. She's not worth it.
00:48:10
Speaker
Okay, so I'm sort of following, I'll say a couple reactions. I love when these Bravo shows, when the cast can pull one over on Bravo, because not only is it like, oh, we have their number, but there's these cameras everywhere, right? Yeah. You know, I'm a below deck.
00:48:32
Speaker
Let's just call it what it is. Stop. That's what the fans are called. And so not only that, there's cameras everywhere and they're on a fucking boat. I mean, it's a big boat. But so when you find out later, later, later that two people were hooking up and the cameras didn't catch them, because the cameras catch you, at least on Below Deck, they will play the audio of you having sex. They do not care. You will hear the noises of sex. She said that.
00:48:56
Speaker
somehow evade the cameras and managed to hook up without the cameras ever annoying. I like pour one out for that because that is impressive. It is if they were really able to do this and evade the camera crews like I just have 10 years outstanding. It's pretty good. Also, how stressful how can you even be taking pleasure in that affair?
00:49:22
Speaker
when you're lying, sneaking, and then also trying to hide it from cameras. In your own relationship, yeah. You're hiding it from the other. You're hiding it from the Andy Cohen. You're hiding it from your friends, your cast mates. In Lisa Vanderpump. I cannot imagine that you're getting any joy out of your affair in that, which makes me wonder if it's a setup, because the ratings were lagging.
00:49:48
Speaker
I I can't I can't argue with that. I think that's a fair question. I also have to say Bravo has been taking some L's lately in the Bravo Cinematic Universe. So there's everything with Real Housewives of Salt Lake. Heather Gay, mysterious skitly gets punched in the eye during a girl's trip. Jen Shaw and her case like she's going to jail like this. And Bravo doesn't they didn't know she's in jail. She's in jail now. Like there's all of this.
00:50:16
Speaker
they don't know. So like also Real Housewives of Potomac, Robin's husband, Juan, has been cheating her on her on the side and she knew but didn't tell the kids. So there's just this year- Tellurism issues over there at Real Housewives of Potomac.
00:50:34
Speaker
This is a separate episode to get started on that. But this year, Bravo has taken some L's because the cast have really pulled one over on them in multiple spaces. Not to transition, but can I tell you about another cheating scandal? There's been a lot of cheating and divorce this week in Bravo universe. OK. So this is about Real Housewives of
Cheating Scandals in Reality TV
00:50:56
Speaker
Atlanta. Drew Sidora, who was on Step Up and is just like very cute, is married to a man.
00:51:02
Speaker
Her husband on the first season, first episode that they are on, they get an argument in front of her mother who lives with the two of them and their sons about how her husband went to Florida, did not tell her he was going to Florida, didn't tell her what he did, didn't tell her when he was coming back, comes back and refuses to give her any of the details about that trip.
00:51:26
Speaker
So Drew is arguing with her husband. The mom can hear them. Their kids can hear them. And this is a thread that carries on throughout the entire show. She still does not know what he did in Florida. And he maintains the right. He's like, I don't need to tell my wife these things. Oh, my God. Being rich is...
00:51:46
Speaker
Such chaos. And we don't even know if they are truly that rich. So anyway, the drama this week is that Drew and her husband filed for divorce. But child, they were racing to the Atlanta courthouse because Drew delivered the papers an hour before her husband. And then an hour later, he drops them off. Can you admit? It's so stressful. So stressful.
00:52:15
Speaker
Besides for the fact, take out of the equation that I hate these people. Yes. I'm so sad for that. I'm so uncomfortable. You have no chills in your heart. None. I have sweaty palms. You might have a huge closet full of designer things that I can't have, but how do you sleep? You must have so many pills in your life, right? And I'm like pro meds. It's true. But I'm telling you that they cannot sleep without Ambien. There's no chance.
00:52:43
Speaker
I think that's why so many of them have worked through substance abuse or drink too much on the show because you cannot possibly be sleeping well if the person you're sleeping next to is stressing you out. The stress is unreal. It's unreal that, again, I don't know who we hold accountable for all of this. I hope it's not us, but I worry. I do have concerns.
00:53:07
Speaker
I'm going to keep following this Vanderpump thing and try to understand. Do I need to watch it? How many seasons deep are we? There are a lot of seasons. There are a lot of seasons. We're 10 seasons in. Okay. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah. I don't know if you could start. Maybe that's the two of the pop culture audit. We'll see.
00:53:25
Speaker
Yeah, maybe we will audit them so that you can see kind of how this is all started. But even just now, just keep up with what's going on because everyone is talking about it. And it's just really interesting. So having these fairs in the year of 2023 is like so
00:53:45
Speaker
basic, I feel like. I have so many theories about cheating. Having a marriage is so 2020. Yeah, it's time to stop. It's time to stop. It's time to stop. We live in a world of polyamory and situations. I agree. And living without marriage is fine. So to get married and have a sneaky affair is just
00:54:08
Speaker
like so basic. It's giving like 2007. I just don't think you can be sneaky. Like I don't think we live in a time where you can be sneaky about anything. You don't need to. You don't need to. You're absolutely right. It's ridiculous. You're sneaking on yourself. You just enjoy being sneaky at this point because you don't have to be.
00:54:31
Speaker
This sounds like a workshop. Like, Oh, don't cheat the workshop. Yeah. We just host a workshop. Like, are you thinking about cheating? Don't. Here's where I got it. Don't. Yeah. Let's see if we get funding angel funding angel investors. Don't cheat 2023. Oh, we've done it. Full circle.
00:54:58
Speaker
Thank you all for listening to this episode. Follow us on Instagram at The Pop Culture Audit and rate and review us on Spotify and iTunes. We'll see you next week or speak to you next week. Bye, auditors. Bye, babies. Bye.