Credit: Clifton Prescod/Bravo, Instagram
Summer House stars Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke sat down to share their hopes on what would be accomplished at the season 10 reunion prior to it taping.
Ever since Amanda and West Wilson confirmed their relationship on March 31, the Summer House world has been in a tizzy, especially since West had been in an on-again-off-again entanglement with Amanda’s best friend, Ciara Miller. He was also friendly with Amanda’s husband, Kyle.
“This is obviously the most nervous I’ve been, easily,” Amanda shared prior to the reunion beginning.
Regardless, she insisted she was ready to “face the chaos” and “clear everything up.”
“Clearing up the timeline and that there was like no affair and nothing malicious and it’s just two people that had feelings for each other that shouldn’t have,” she continued.
Amanda acknowledged that making amends with everyone may not be possible, although she hoped to be able to move forward with some of her co-stars.
“I know that I might, like, not be able to make amends with everyone, but I’m hoping that after I say my piece and I clear everything up, we’ll be able to walk away with more understanding, process, and hopefully there’s some people I can move forward with.”
“I know it won’t all be forgiveness, but I’m hoping that there will be a path forward in some capacity,” Amanda added.
Kyle, for his part, said this reunion “hits a little different.”
“I’m just trying to rise above and… not let my emotions get the best of me, which is pretty much what I’ve made a living here on Bravo doing,” he said. “I feel very misunderstood last summer, and I’m just trying to still own my flaws, take accountability. I think like a lot of people, you watch some footage, and it’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Kyle also noted he was hoping to “get to the bottom of the truth and the timeline” surrounding Amanda and West and the “emotions of it all,” as well as “why” it happened in the first place.
“Like literally, why?” he reiterated.
“Amanda and I were working so hard to like have an amicable and just being great, and we were doing kind of okay,” Kyle elaborated. “And then this just… This was like an uppercut. The real question is, who is West? And will the real West please stand up?”
When Amanda and West first confirmed their relationship, they wrote on social media they had “seen the growing speculation” and thus decided to “provide some clarity,” even though this was “still very new.”
“It was never our intention to purposefully hide anything,” they stated at the time. “Given the complicated dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it.”
“We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing that either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, long-standing friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care,” they added.
Amanda and West also noted that they kept quiet about their relationship as their “feelings evolved” because they wanted to “take time to understand exactly what [they] were feeling.”
“We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt or be perceived as careless,” they also claimed. “We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”