Summer House Season 8 Premiere Recap: Trouble in Paradise

Welcome to the premiere of Summer House Season 8. In this week’s episode, titled “Declaration of Codependence,” there’s a new sense of camaraderie in the house when Carl and Lindsay are away for the first weekend. Ciara hits it off with the new guy, and Kyle and Amanda are dealing with serious issues in their marriage. Here are some highlights from Summer House Season 8, Episode 1.

Lindsay and Carl have other plans for the weekend

West Wilson, a sports journalist, is the new guy in the house. He’s carpooling with Kyle and Amanda to his first weekend in the Hamptons, which happens to be Fourth of July weekend. West already knows Carl and Lindsay. Kyle breaks the news that “Mom and Dad are in D.C. this weekend.”

Amanda asks if he knows anything about the house dynamics. “Lindsay mentioned that she might not be everyone’s favorite in the house,” he says, and Amanda bursts out laughing.

Meanwhile, over at Rad House (Carl and Lindsay’s $13,000-a-month apartment), they’re packing for D.C. “I’m kind of excited we’re gonna go to the White House on the Fourth of July,” Lindsay says. “I mean, who gets invited to the White House? We do!”

Lindsay’s best friend is a D.C. publicist. She’s the one who got them the invite to the White House for the Fourth. Lindsay’s excited to have a break from wedding planning.

“This could be my last summer before I get married,” Carl interviews. “It could be the last summer I ever go to the Hamptons.” He wants to “let loose” and leave the drama of last summer in the rearview. Better keep your eyes on the windshield, Carl. I think you’re headed for a lot more drama down the road.

Amanda admits that “it’s not the worst thing in the world that Lindsay and Carl are in D.C. this weekend.”

Kyle and Amanda are in a rough place

“There’s a reason that I come back to the house every year,” Amanda tells Paige, Ciara, and Gabby. “And it’s to spend time with people other than Kyle.” Ouch. That’s a nasty thing to say about your spouse.

Kyle admits, “Despite being almost two years into our marriage, I feel like we’re struggling to really feel like we’re on the same team about anything. We don’t see eye-to-eye on our work/life balance. I’m working because I want to build a future for us and our family. But it’s like we’re on two different planets.”

Plus, Amanda is just not being nice to her husband this summer. She’s really being a bitch to him, which shocks me. Finally, Kyle tells her she really needs “to drop the attitude.” Things don’t look good for this couple’s future.

Kyle announces that another guy is joining the house tomorrow, Jesse Solomon. He’s tall, which causes Gabrielle’s face to light up.

West is already making quesadillas for everyone for dinner, and Ciara is helping him in the kitchen. They’re chatting and getting to know each other while the other girls wonder what’s happening. Ciara never cooks!

Later she admits to the girls that, “West is impressing me. I’m not gonna lie. He is inquisitive. Like how many dudes do you meet in New York City, you go out on a date with them, and they literally only talk about themselves? … It is really nice to meet a guy who is actually inquisitive about, you know, my life.”

When Paige tells West she’s really hungry (so hurry up), he jokingly asks her, “What time do you think you’ll do dishes, Paige?”

“Oh, West,” Ciara laughs. “You’re in for a long summer!”

A more pleasant, relaxed house

Amanda and Paige discuss that Carl and Lindsay aren’t coming this weekend because they’re doing something else. They say Lindsay and Danielle are no longer friends after the crazy events of last summer (and Danielle’s meltdown following Carl’s proposal).

“My plan with Lindsay this summer is the same plan that I’ve had since I met her when I was 25,” Paige says. “[Just] be nice and try [to] be friendly. And then when she does something to me, I will lose my mind.” Sounds like a great plan.

Danielle admits “last year was rough,” which is a pretty big understatement. “I lost my best friend. And then my boyfriend [Robert]. Over the winter, I definitely got my mojo back, but also learned a couple lessons.” Alex Propson from Below Deck Sailing Yacht was not a great choice for a new relationship, but he was a great rebound boyfriend. This summer, Danielle just wants to have fun.

Everybody gets along fantastically without Carl and Lindsay. For the first time, everyone in the house (there’s only seven the first night) piles onto Paige’s bed, and they all talk and laugh. It’s like a sleepover.

The next morning, Paige says she doesn’t feel like she has to worry about running into anyone unpleasant in the kitchen. There are no snarky, passive-aggressive remarks (except for Kyle and Amanda). It’s a different house without Carl and Lindsay.

Could there be a romance brewing?

The next morning, Ciara finds West already in the kitchen, and they make breakfast together. Ciara says she can make eggs if he’ll make the bacon. I think Ciara has a little crush.

Later, West and Kyle talk about how much fun it was going to the carnival the night before. Kyle noticed that West and Ciara went on the Ferris wheel together. “Were you, like, purposely gravitating towards Ciara, or was that just chance?”

“Oh, no, I asked her to go up,” West says. “We just talked, honestly.” But Kyle wants to know if West’s “into her.” And West says, “Oh, yeah.” They’d make a cute couple. They seemed to click right off the bat.

“She isn’t the quickest to warm up to people and let them in,” Kyle warns him. “I think she’s a little more guarded. [But] this is my fourth summer with her, and I’ve never seen her just jump into the kitchen and start cookin’ up a meal … So there’s something to be said there.”

“You’ve got to play it cool a little bit,” West interviews. “No one likes someone who’s trying too hard. But I’m in a great place. Unless this new guy shows up and f*cks it all up.”

And here he comes, right on cue: Jesse Solomon, 6’4” tall. Comin’ in hot, with a sequined cowboy hat for the Fourth of July party. He looks a lot like Carl, and he has a really big smile.

“F*ck,” says West. “I just see this tall guy with a smile that touches his ears. Not worried. Not worried at all.” I think Jesse has dimples, too, which are always a plus.

Kyle confides in Paige

Kyle pulls Paige aside for a chat. “There are a couple things that I just wanna get your two cents on,” he begins. “I’m trying to figure out if I’m, like, overanalyzing, or if I’m in my own head.”

“I think you’ve probably seen a little bit of it,” he continues. “Amanda and I are in a good place, but, I mean, it could be better.”

“I picked up on it right when we got into the house,” Paige says. So did the rest of us.

“She says things that just, like, shut me down,” Kyle says. “I don’t feel like, as a team, we’re really functioning as well as I’d like. We are starting to talk about, like, next steps. We’re talking about a family … about looking for homes. But, my God, I’m a little scared sh*tless. Her number one beef with me is I work too much. How can you give me a hard time for working? I’m trying to, like, set us up, like, financially secure.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Paige responds. “Do you feel like you resent her for not being as 100% as you are?”

“Well, yeah, and I don’t wanna feel that way,” he says. “I want to feel excited about the next chapter.”

Paige says she’s become really good friends with Kyle in the past couple of years. “I get where he’s coming from on certain things that are frustrating for him, but part of that is just his wife’s personality. I don’t think he, like, realized that when they got married.”

Amanda’s side

Later, Paige tells Amanda, “Me and Kyle had a deep heart-to-heart.”

“About what?” Amanda asks.

“I feel like Kyle feels comfortable venting to me,” Paige tells her. “The biggest takeaway I could say from the convo we had was [that] he wants to feel like you’re 50/50 on everything … that you’re his teammate.”

“No, he’s full of sh*t,” Amanda says. “Last night, he said, ‘I want to hang out with you more.’ And I was like, ‘Let’s go on the Ferris wheel together.’ And then he went on rides with the stuffed animal that he won. So, like, he just makes sh*t up. He’s just stressed about work, and then he takes it out on me … It’s only when he’s stressed out about work sh*t that he … comes down hard on me. And I’m so patient about it, too.”

I think Amanda needs to look up the word “patient” in the dictionary, ’cause she’s anything but. Paige also looks like she’s thinking the same but doesn’t know how to say it. Amanda’s being a total bitch to her husband. I can’t believe the way she talks to him.

Paige tries to tell Amanda that Kyle said he’s “scared to get a house … to have kids,” but Amanda’s not buying it.

“Then go be single,” Amanda says. “Like, what do you want? … He f*cking cheated on me, and I took him back … Let’s talk about that. Like, get it together. Kyle is literally full of sh*t.” Sadly, so is Amanda.

Summer House airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.

TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SUMMER HOUSE SEASON 8 PREMIERE? WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, KYLE’S OR AMANDA’S? DO YOU THINK CIARA AND WEST WILL GET TOGETHER? OR IS SHE OUT OF HIS LEAGUE?

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