Podcast 220: House of Stassi Premiere Party; What’s Next for In the City; RHOC is making us sad; RHOBH casting tea

In episode 220 of Cocktails and Gossip, B recaps her night at the House of Stassi premiere party where she met the cast and spills all the details. Plus, the In the City reunion had juicy tidbits about Lindsay and Danielle, RHOC is making everyone sad, Leva might be leaving Bravo, a deep dive into the Leva lawsuit, and RHOBH casting tea.

Topics Discussed

• House of Stassi Premiere Party — B met the cast, shares behind-the-scenes details, and gives her thoughts on the first episode
• In the City Reunion Part 2 — Are Lindsay and Danielle friends for a reason or a season? Plus, Eoin calling Yvonne names twice
• Is Leva Going Off Bravo? — The latest on whether Leva is leaving Southern Hospitality and Bravo
• RHOBH Casting Tea — New casting rumors for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
• RHOC Sad Season — Why this season of Real Housewives of Orange County is bringing everyone down
• Leva Lawsuit Deep Dive — Full breakdown of the lawsuit involving Leva and what it means

Mentioned in This Episode

Stassi Schroeder, B, Lindsay Hubbard, Danielle Olivera, Eoin, Yvonne, Leva Bonaparte, Amanda

Join Cocktail Party for ad-free episodes, bonus pods, and exclusive content at bravoandcocktails.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

During the regular season on Summer House, when Kyle said that he and Amanda never had sex, I really thought that was him over-exaggerating and maybe he meant, I don't know, maybe once a month. Maybe there's been some extra dry spells when she was going through the worst of her depression. But three times over four years, I was flabbergasted by that. Like, how does either of them live that way in a relationship? That was honestly the most shocking, and Kyle said it was so lonely, and that kind of resonated with me because I feel like it's almost a worse kind of loneliness to be in a relationship with someone who won't really speak to you or touch you. They're there, but not there for you.

Welcome to Cocktails and Gossip, the podcast where we drink cocktails, but you better believe we're gonna spill the tea. We chat reality TV, celebrity blinds, and the hottest tea from bravoandcocktails.com. And as always, it's all alleged and just for fun. We do not verify our blinds. I'm B. And I'm Amanda. Let's get into this week's tea.

House of Stassi Premiere Party Recap

What's up, Cocktailers? Good morning, Amanda. Yes, it's morning. Hi, B. Hi, Cocktailers. So I feel like there's kind of a lot going on all of a sudden. We were invited to the premiere party of Stassi Schroeder-Clark. You guys will remember her from Vanderpump Rules, so her show is called House of Stassi. Party was at The Corner Store in New York City. B got to go. She had to go on a solo mission, though. I had concert tickets with my daughter that I had for a long time. I couldn't disappoint her. Ended up having kind of my own crazy story. Maybe I'll tell that on Cocktail Party. B, let us live vicariously through you. And of course, the food, I'm sure, was amazing because it was so good last time we were there. The French dip, the lobster roll with caviar on top. So good.

So I got there right on time because what I've learned now is get there on time, because if you're early you can get all the good shots before the venue gets crowded. And I'm an on-time girl anyway. It worked out perfectly because I was able to get pictures of everything. There were actual paparazzi. So we went to the Tell Me Lies premiere. This was like another level. There were two NYPD police officers outside. There were paparazzi outside. It had been raining in New York, but it stopped as I was walking in. So I'm walking in and the paparazzi are taking pictures of me. They're like, "Over here, over here," 'cause I guess they don't know who Stassi's friends are and who's gonna be on the show. So I had a real celebrity moment. My first celebrity moment. Guys, The Corner Store is this absolutely impossible to get into unless you're a celebrity spot. The food is delicious, but once Deux Moi and People Magazine mention a restaurant, it just becomes impossible to get in. They're actually opening one in Vegas, so if you're going to Vegas, definitely check it out. So for a minute with the paparazzi I did sympathize with famous people, 'cause it's really startling to have people shouting, "Look over here," and the camera flashes are bright.

So I got inside. The set-up was gorgeous. You walk in, there's a bar area, and then it goes straight back to two separate dining areas. It's not a huge place. They had their signage, their step and repeat. And of course they always have interactive stuff. So they had a woman who was engraving lighter cases, which was really cool. It said House of, and then you could put whatever you wanted, so I put my last name. And my husband was actually excited, 'cause I come home from these events and I always have swag for my daughter. But very rarely do I have something for my husband. And smoking has fully made a comeback. You used to know if some people smoked, like Dorit and Countess Luann, and then starting to just see them smoke on camera, that would not have happened five years ago. I attribute it to, first of all, guys, don't smoke. It's very dangerous. I myself was a smoker, and it is not easy to quit. They say it's harder to quit than heroin. But I attribute it to the '90s nostalgia, like the love story with JFK and Carolyn Bessette. I see a lot of Instagram reels too where people are like, put the face mask on, and they're like, "I allow myself two of these a day," and they're covering their face so they don't get wrinkles. I don't think that works, but more power to you.

In the City Part 2 Reunion Recap

So the whole cast, I met the entire cast. They were beautiful. When you meet them you're like, "Okay, I am a troll. Reddit's right, I'm a troll." They're beautiful, super friendly. My standout person was Christina Kelly. She was just so cool. I didn't tell anyone I was Bravo and Cocktails. I just kind of mingled, and she stood next to me. I was waiting for my aura reading, which was one of the other setups. What color was your aura? It was like red, which is a nice way to say I'm a bossy bitch. But then there was like a blue, which showed my other qualities. Then Stassi walks over, and Stassi's sister, and I'm just standing with the three of them, and they're just including me in the conversation. I don't know who they thought I was. Then Ryan Serhant walks in. You guys know I love him, but he literally hops in these events. Now you see him, now you don't. He was there five minutes. I think if you're Ryan Serhant, it makes sense to do that. Make your appearance and leave. 'Cause coming out of the In the City reunion, talking about how Kyle would stay out late at these things, I think from a marriage standpoint it makes sense that you pop in, you pop out, you go back home. Kyle Cooke showed up. I had seen on his Instagram that he had a Celsius event. So he showed up later, and I think it was impromptu. They had a DJ and he just hopped on the ones and twos. It was super cute. Him and Stassi made a joke because her dress was like a halter, so she was like, "Of course I had to wear a turtleneck for Kyle." I'm gonna assume it was a coincidence.

I have to say, Beau, very handsome in person. He's very good-looking. What's interesting with reality TV, not that I find him not good-looking, he just looks ordinary to me on camera, but in person he's better looking. Katie, gorgeous. Boyfriend, cute. Christina Kelly, gorgeous. Stassi's sister was very outgoing, friendly. It was just a great vibe, high energy, good food, fun people. Thank you, Hulu. They put on really top-notch events. And it is really striking how much taller people are than you expect. Katie is quite tall, absolutely gorgeous. Looks like a model. I'm 5'7" and I wore heels, and they were probably similar heights. Stassi's sister is petite, but the other girls were tall.

So the premiere got right into the drama. So Stassi has this meltdown in front of all of her friends saying she's going to divorce Beau because he wouldn't tattoo her name, and everybody's got opinions. So I woke up first thing this morning because it dropped at like 3:00 in the morning, and watched it. It's classic Stassi, throwing a fit, making a big deal, wondering why people are uncomfortable with the fact that she threatened to divorce her husband in front of them. But it got me thinking. I'm not a tattoo person. I have one. I call it my jail tat. It's awful. I got it my freshman year in college. But if my husband had his sister's name tattooed on him, I kind of think I'd expect him to get my name. I kinda think so, too. Obviously, if my husband had an ex's name tattooed, that would be getting removed ASAP. I don't even know if I could be with somebody who loved somebody else enough to tattoo them. That should be covered or removed before we even meet. Yes, and I think the timing is what matters. If he had the tattoo before he knew Stassi, that's a little different. If he got it after he knew Stassi, then I definitely think he should get something. And it could be something representing Stassi. But one of the things I really like is that it's showing this family dynamic where the woman is the breadwinner and the dad is the primary caretaker, and a capable caretaker, not one who feigns a lack of knowledge and then he's babysitting his kids like we have seen with some other dads on Bravo. Danny. I think representation matters, and I think it's really good for people to see that this too is normal. It can work well, especially 'cause right now feels like a very loud era of trad wives. I could not agree with you more. I think it should be normalized.

I feel like in my house, my kids see both their parents work. And as a result of this venture you and I decided to do, I go to these events at night. My husband also works, and he travels for work, and so my kids see a very... I like what my kids see because they see both of us taking on. In my household we kind of seesaw between who the primary parent is, depending on the day, depending on the week. And throughout the course of our marriage, it's changed. I stayed home when my kids were little. I went back to work. I took on this venture. My husband has changed jobs. I agree with you, representation matters. In my house when I was little, my mom did not work, and then when I was school age she went back to work, but my mother was a schoolteacher, so she was at work when my brother and I were at school. And my dad has his own business, so it was very traditional. My mom cooked all the meals, and my mom was the primary caretaker. And so when my own life continues to evolve into more of a we both are the primary and we both are the breadwinner, it's good for kids to see different ways, 'cause there's not one way to raise a family. And I think it's good for kids to see what actual partnership works like too. A lot of nights we're both making dinner, but some nights if I have an event, my husband picks up the slack with cooking. I think both of us grew up in the era where having a stay-at-home mom was much more the norm than I think that it is today, but I don't feel like media has quite caught up with that, and in some cases is regressing in this tradwife area. I also think post-COVID, and remote work has become so much more common, which absolutely has changed the family dynamic. When I take my kids to school, I see dads, my husband used to be in the office five days a week, but now that he works from home, there are different options. The world is changing.

Well, God bless Scheana and her hustle, because on the show, Stassi meets up with Jesse from Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which one of the things I think Hulu is doing very well is ingraining cameos and appearances by other people on the other shows. Bravo has done some of it, if you think about the first episode of Summer House, the Vanderpump Rules people are in New York to give it that push. But I think Bravo has kept all the shows separate more historically. And I like that Hulu is doing this because we see all these people talking to each other at these events, and that they all know each other. And Stassi is breaking the fourth wall a lot because this show is about her getting together her group of people to make a show because she was canceled on her old show. The least surprising thing I've ever heard was that Scheana tried to get on Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. God bless her and her hustle. Listen, she's gotta work. This is her career. She didn't get a large enough role on The Valley, and she's trying her hand at Hulu. Scheana isn't stupid. She knows that Hulu pays well. But Secret Lives of Mormon, like what? She rocks a Mormon. Or do you think she knows that she's being so delulu that maybe she thinks acting like that might get her own show on Hulu? I think Scheana comes from the school of you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. She's like, "I'll convert. I'll become Mormon. I just want to be on TV again." She also has been speaking highly of Katie and Stassi on her pod. She's been commenting on all their posts with flames and hearts. And Taylor Schrecker was also at the premiere with her wife. Taylor was interviewing Stassi for press ahead of the show, and she was like, "Did anyone else from Vanderpump reach out to you?" She's like, "I did get a lot of texts from some people that I didn't answer," and she's talking about Scheana.

Is Leva Going Off Bravo?

Watching, I only watched the first episode, and I don't intend to binge it. I'm gonna go episode by episode. So that's how we will be covering it here. We see Ariana in a scene with Katie at the end of the first episode. And I feel like there is room here for Stassi to do whatever she wants. If it's fitting for her to have Ariana come, to have Scheana, to have Tom Schwartz, because it's relevant to her previous life and she thinks it'll get viewers, she can do it. And if she really wants to be like Kris Jenner, she will do it, because the check will take priority. I like the way that she says that she wants to model herself after Kris Jenner, and make sure the people around her also level up. In the case of Katie, they meet up, they have a very honest conversation. They both have valid points to feel how they were feeling. They're cautiously optimistic about going forward. But Stassi's presented with an opportunity, and she's like, "Katie and I make good TV together." And it would be good for her. Katie, you may enjoy life off television, but you're gonna miss that check. And so she gave Katie an opportunity, and she gave her sister and her sister-in-law and all of her other friends an opportunity to make a check. And I saw in the preview, I believe it's Taylor Schrecker's wife says something like, "So, are our lives and careers gonna be dictated by what Stassi wants?" And the show likely will be successful, and she is the head of it. We see it on OC with Tamra with her podcast channel. Now Emily's dealing with having to be subservient to her.

Which, by the way, that whole thing was about exactly what I thought it was about, which was that Emily's podcast was on Tamra's feed, not that she was still part of Tamra's network, but that it was specifically on Two T's feed. The way that it was presented at the reunion was super misleading. What I'm loving about Stassi is she's very much taking this matriarch role, and I love a matriarch, especially a young matriarch. And I also think there's an important message in there. As women who have success, it's very important to help other women out, whether it's advice, actual help, a platform, because there's room for success for everyone who's willing to work hard. And what Stassi's doing, as non-reality television people, it may not clock, but she's got people depending on her, and that's a unique situation. Because if you're a successful attorney, your brother or your friend or your sister-in-law aren't looking at you like, "Okay, help me now." And in the case of a reality star, there is a feeling that, oh, you just got lucky 'cause you were on a show. And so what I like about this is she's like, "No, everybody you wanna come on, come on. Let's see if you can get yourself a spin-off. Let's see if you can command a bigger check." So I think it's great. Similar to what Tamra's doing.

Okay. Wanna move on to In The City. For those of you who are tired of hearing about Amanda and Kyle, this should hopefully be it, but we had part two of two of In The City. It was still pretty juicy. The Lindsay and Danielle beef, of course. Thank you, Bravo. They showed our cocktail post again about the homewrecker point and Danielle breaking up Owen's marriage. It's funny, ironic, how Amanda, during the season, was the one to really double down on that situation, knowing what we know now of what she eventually would do. And we see her apologize. But Lindsay is not wrong. I know that Lindsay comes off as a lot, but what she's saying is 100% on point. The rumor was that Danielle broke up Owen's marriage. Danielle is back on reality TV. Danielle needs to address it on the show. Of course, you have to respect Danielle because she's sharp and she knows how to swerve, and so she chooses to focus on Lindsay going over the top, which is a way to get the fans on her, the season-by-season grievance list, comparing it to Kyle's 17-page email. And while it made me laugh, I recognize that she was minimizing actual, real reasons why Lindsay wouldn't want to be close with her. Danielle did do things, and Lindsay has a right to feel uneasy about trusting her again. I think that Kyle hopped in because Kyle is really unbiased. He's filmed with them both for many years, and he agreed with Lindsay on this point. Danielle did apologize. She's in a good place now. But we can all remember clearly her on Summer House, and especially Winter House post her breakup with Robert, she was really a mess. And we all felt that she treated Lindsay unkind. So while she did apologize, it doesn't mean that Lindsay automatically needs to trust her.

Women's friendships change over the years. There's the saying, some friends come for a reason, some come for a season. I think Danielle was Lindsay's friend for a season when she needed the sidekick. But I'm not seeing the tight connection with them like we do with the other friendships. And who knows? Maybe now that Danielle is also a mom, that will change and bring them closer together. I will also say this, and this is going to sound mean maybe, but I thought Danielle at this reunion was the best she's been on TV. Came off really sharp, and she's obviously dead sober and pregnant, and I really actually kind of liked seeing this version of Danielle more than I've liked her ever. I think Danielle has what she's been searching for, which is a dependable partner. I'm not a huge fan of Owen, we will get to that. But Danielle's very happy with him, and we're getting her best self. I do have to say, speaking of somebody whose best self we are not getting, something I noticed was that grin, our girl Melissa, Your Bish Therapist, gave it a name. When Lindsay and Danielle are going at it, they pan to Amanda, and she does this satisfied smile. A duper's delight smile when other people are fighting. The duper's delight may not be it, because she's not the one doing the duping. But she really seemingly gets off on other people having drama, which is part of the reason why we don't feel sympathy for her when she was getting it. Because for so many years we've watched her just shrug her shoulders and smile as somebody else is being eviscerated. And to manipulate other people into fighting her battles while she stays silent. Those two behaviors go hand-in-hand.

RHOBH and Bravo Casting Tea

Do you think that Amanda will get another season on this show? I think a lot can happen between now and the fall. We know that they're gonna be picking up a little bit later because of the births of all the babies. I think the intention was to have Amanda. I know viewer voice surveys went out and she was included, as was Katie DeLuca. I don't know. I think it depends on where they go with casting. It's not confirmed either way. I don't believe season two is officially green-lit. I think it will be. I think chances are higher that she will be on the show than that she won't. When Danielle and Lindsay are going at it, and Owen inserts himself and points out that Danielle is pregnant and they don't wanna be dealing with the toxic stuff, I am so happy that Lindsay pointed out, "Yeah, well, when I was pregnant, she was telling me on the beach that, 'Oh, you're gonna be single momming it up.'" So that was super cruel when your friend is sitting there pregnant. And Danielle can say she doesn't choose the right words, but there's honest and there's unkind, and Danielle was unkind in that moment. And Owen doubling down and saying that she's the toxic negative drama. Hey, Owen, your girlfriend Danielle, for years she was a part of the toxic negative drama as well. Danielle chose to join this show. You chose to come on with her because she wanted the paycheck. Also, you're not better than reality TV, Owen, because you're sitting on the stage. And when Owen called Yvonne a effing idiot twice under his breath, I had a lot of Irish American followers and our lovely Irish cocktailers say that fecking idiot is like a saying that Irish people say. And it is. My son has a sweatshirt that says fecking idiot that we got when we were in Ireland. However, it's rude, whether you're Irish or American, to call a woman a effing idiot as she's explaining her side of a story. And that's something we've seen some people hide behind when they'll say something mean. They're like, "Oh, it's British humor." I was actually really surprised that Nick didn't lunge across the stage at him, but it actually said something to me that he did show restraint, almost like a who cares about that guy attitude. I'll be interested to see if Danielle and Owen have a future on the show. Why Danielle trusts Amanda the least, I actually thought Danielle's answer was fair, which is they were never that great of friends, and she never really knows what she's gonna get from Amanda. And Amanda apologized via text to Danielle and Owen for attacking them and questioning whether or not Danielle broke up Owen's marriage. Of course, Amanda's sorry now. She has a different perspective now, which I also like Danielle pointing out. I loved when Andy was like, "You gave such a clear, sincere apology to Danielle, but you were unable to do it for Ciara." And of course, Amanda says, "Oh, but I was terrified." The poor me. I'm over it.

I wanna talk about the whole sex conversation, because during the regular season on Summer House when Kyle said that he and Amanda never had sex, I really thought that was him over-exaggerating, maybe once a month. But three times over four years, I was flabbergasted. How does either of them live that way in a relationship? That was honestly the most shocking. And Kyle said it was so lonely, and that kinda resonated with me because it's almost a worse kind of loneliness to be in a relationship with someone who won't really speak to you or touch you. They're there, but not there for you. I felt for Kyle a little bit. But I saw Amanda's points about needing more from him, that she started picking up joints at the end of the night to put a barrier between them because he would work, he would go out, and then come home and wanna have sex. And she's like, "We didn't even have a conversation today." But I can't get over the sex thing. Why even be married? I also found first Amanda was deeply appreciative of him standing by her throughout the scandal, and then she was highlighting that he cheated. And then she goes, "Well, Kyle responded to my attorney, but he wants a walk-away divorce, but he has demands." And she really made it sound like he was demanding her rumored trust fund, and he was like, "Yeah, there's stuff to work out with the dogs. Your stuff is in my apartment." Amanda, you're adults. There are business matters that need to be sorted out. I love when he said, "I still pay your health insurance." I am not saying Kyle is the greatest husband in the world, but she chose to marry him. He was cheating on her before they got married. I'm just done talking about them. And I did cackle when Georgina told Kyle that he was almost canceled, and he's now been handed the golden ticket. Someone needed to say it.

Why RHOC Is Making Us Sad This Season

Okay, let's go to Orange County. Now that we're a few episodes in, what are you thinking? I don't think any of us were super thrilled for the season. It's a lot of rehashing. But to be fair, I am enjoying it more than I thought I would. I feel like it's required watching for us. It's just okay to me. It's kind of how I felt about Atlanta this season. Like, we watch it, but we're not with bated breath. For some reason, this show is making me sad. Shannon seems sad and she's putting on kind of a brave face. Vicki is kind of living in the past, but putting on this facade for the cameras with the boyfriend. I like watching Gina. I am intrigued by Carmella. Tamra, I always liked her on the show. I feel like she's been coming off mean. I think Tamra's drunk with power because of her podcast success. I think that Vicki does have good reason to be sad. Somebody posted a while back that Michael and Briana, Vicki's children, haven't seen each other in 10 years. And Michael responded and he said, "I tried to book a flight to see my sister in Oklahoma a couple years ago. She told me it wasn't a good time. But I was with my mom in California for three months, and she never came." He lives in Portugal or Spain. So as a parent, the idea that our children don't speak and see each other for a decade would create an immense sadness for me personally. I always tell my kids, "You guys need to always choose each other. Gang up on me, I don't care. I want you guys to always have this really tight relationship." So that would be devastating to me. And I think all parents with more than one child feel that way. We also saw Vicki talk with Tamra regarding Don, saying Don lives in the desert near Lake Havasu, and Vicki ran into him after many years. She said they had a nice encounter, but it was hard for her. She wanted to hug him and say, "I'm so sorry I divorced you," and her boyfriend was kind of annoyed. She admits she took him for granted. I think that Vicki is a woman who lives with a lot of regret. It's sad. And I'll give it to Vicki, it's hard to speak up and publicly state your regrets. She also shared she's trying to put up the picture that her and her new boyfriend have a perfect thing going on, but her sadness tells us otherwise. She shared that her boyfriend has a ring for her and he holds it over her head when he gets mad at her. He says, "I'm not gonna give you the ring." Cocktailers know she didn't want him filming, so she was able to keep her tumultuous relationship mostly off-camera. But Vicki, once again, is picking a bad guy. Paging Melissa at Your Bish Therapist, I would love to know her thoughts on this Mike withholding the ring until she's a good girl. Run, Vicki, run. You think things are gonna get better after you get engaged if this is how he's acting? If he's saying these things that Vicki's actually repeating, then I wonder what she's not repeating that he is saying to her at home.

The Leva Lawsuit Deep Dive

I feel like we have to move on to the Leva of it all. Because the OC, if it's a slow week we can get back to it, but cocktailers are probably as bored as we are. First we had the exclusive that Leva won't be back. So we know something's going on. It seems day to day the changes that we're hearing about are being confirmed. We had heard Leva won't be on, and we also heard they love the staff. So we knew that TJ posted about Sir Weiners, and right after we recorded last week, Joe Bradley announced he's leaving Republic, which we actually had that intel before Joe posted. He confirmed that he is going with the competing hospitality group, I believe it's Uptown Hospitality, the same one that Austen and Craig's restaurant is under. So Joe Bradley, arguably the face of Southern Hospitality, is leaving Leva and going with her competitor. I'd say Leva's out. What exactly that looks like, do they change the name? Because she's an executive producer. I would feel comfortable saying our intel that she's out is true. We've been conjecturing about how it could possibly work, and then what she did to upset Bravo. Well, we have a little mini deep dive for you. On June 10th, there was a lawsuit filed against Leva's company in federal court. This information I got from the Charleston newspaper, The Post and Courier. The lawsuit says that Republic has been operating an unlawful tip pool. Imagine a big thing where they all put all of the credit card tips into a quote-unquote pool. So this person who worked there for about six months brought the claims on behalf of herself and a collective of other bartenders that Republic has employed over the last three years.

So here's where it gets interesting. South Carolina doesn't have a tipping or minimum wage law like other states. So these businesses follow the federal fair labor standards, which is why this is a federal case. It allows tipped employees to make as little as $2.13 per hour so long as their tips account for the difference between their hourly wage and the minimum wage, which is $7.25. But restaurant and bar owners are prohibited from keeping any portion of the employees' tips for any purpose. So employers have to notify the staff about how this all works. The lawsuit says that Republic failed to uphold some of these practices, and Republic's lawyer is denying this. But what they're saying is that bartenders were required to share a portion of their tips with managers or supervisors, and that Republic didn't notify bartenders of the tip credit system. And any tips subject to a credit card tip fee, the business deducted, which apparently is not legal. That's 3%, which would be tough if you're just losing 3% off of everything. But the law's the law, which is why business owners always encourage cash for tips. So as a result, Republic bartenders were paid a direct cash wage of less than minimum wage, is what the lawsuit is saying. The article also talked about the fact that this has been an issue for many other businesses in Charleston, and if this is found to be true, Leva could be in real deep doo-doo, because the other restaurants that got sued for the same thing each had to pay big settlements. The lowest settlement was 150,000. One of them had to pay a million dollars. So even at the low end, $150,000 plus legal fees, that's gonna be tough. So this is making me wonder if this is part of what the rumbling has been. And apparently there was a similar lawsuit in 2022, which we have to look into. But just to show the other side of it, one of our cocktailers who is an employment lawyer said that these type of allegations and lawsuits are very routine. Pooling tips used to be very common in the industry, then some plaintiff law firms saw an opportunity to make money by claiming it violated labor laws. So now there is a shift to get rid of pooling tips. But whoever is motivating it, whatever it's motivated by doesn't change the outcome for the business owner. I'm also just curious how that actually works. Imagine a bartender works on a Monday during the day, but then also a Saturday night. Does it average out, or every hour they work has to be minimum wage? I would think everything needs to be minimum wage, but we will find out, because one of you smart folks is gonna tell us.

So that's the legal aspect. But in terms of the show, I do find it very interesting. Are they gonna move away from Joe and Brad and Maddi being in bars and restaurants? Are they gonna lean into the change to Uptown Hospitality Group? Is there a world in which we see Craig and Austen on the show? I actually posted that, and Austen reposted it and wrote, "Never say never," indicating that it's a possibility. Even some crossover appearances, because it is under the same umbrella as their restaurant, and I don't see why Craig and Austen wouldn't wanna pick up a check. They're friends with all the Southern Hospitality people. We know that they are not friends with Leva and Lamar anymore. So that probably stopped them from being on the show, and our boys are petty and probably would love to rub it in that they were on the show that she starred on. But the show is not named Leva's Lavish Life. The show is named Southern Hospitality. So unlike Vanderpump Rules, which is named after Lisa, this show is not. I do think they're executive producers, so depending on the contract, perhaps they would have to rename the show. But I believe more now than ever that we will see the cast. We won't see Leva, and legal troubles may have given Bravo pause. There may be a lot of layers to this. I feel like every week more becomes confirmed. And we have so many great contacts and sources in Charleston.

Before we wrap, some tea about Beverly Hills so we can wrap on a little gossip. We had an insider who shared, very anonymous, that there are rumors that Tracy Tutor, you guys will remember her from Million Dollar Listing, is in talks for Beverly Hills Real Housewives. We had heard this before, but it didn't happen last season. It would be very interesting because if Kyle Richards is around and on the same cast, there were some rumors about Tracy and Mauricio last summer. Apparently Tracy shut those rumors down, but the fact that the rumors exist at all means somebody's gonna bring them up on the show. I absolutely love the idea of Tracy Tutor. Million Dollar Listing is a wrap, which I'm sad about. Love Tracy. She's the daughter of a multi-multi-millionaire, and she's supremely successful. I don't wanna take away from her own success, but she's also a person of incredible wealth. So that's a fit. She's in the Bravo world. She seems to like being on camera. Bring on Tracy Tutor. I wonder what the block is. Although it's funny that she was rumored to have had a fling with Mauricio, she also is his competitor in real estate, which could have previously been a block. And Kyle and Mauricio are not divorced, so it does interfere with Kyle's interests both professionally and money-wise. But with Mauricio going to other networks, you kind of wonder how much Bravo feels the need to protect that ask on Kyle's part if it's somebody who can really add to the cast in the way that Tracy can. She obviously was great on the shows. She's a really interesting person, and I find her really inspiring, her message about working hard and working smart and also looking great. The way she dresses is impeccable. I really hope we get her. Look at what a great addition Rachel Zoe was last year. Rachel Zoe breathed new life. I really think that Tracy would be a really good fit. I hope Bravo makes the smart decision, because we're seeing our other OGs of the Housewives franchise flail, like OC, like Atlanta. Bravo needs to take note of that, and Beverly Hills is on an upswing, and we could really capitalize on that by adding Tracy. I am so interested to see who they confirm for the cast, because we don't have confirmations. Sutton's blowing in the wind. Dorinda's blowing in the wind. Erika, we've received the email on her. I would be surprised for Erika not to come back, and maybe Tracy's that trick. I'm just speculating based on things that we have heard. Nothing is confirmed. Guys, if it's a money thing, pay Tracy. Pay her.

We love you guys. Till next time. Bye.

What's up, Cocktailers? We wanna thank you, as always, for listening to Cocktails & Gossip. Because of you, we've hit some amazing milestones, had some hilarious conversations, and have grown a truly amazing community. If you haven't already followed our podcast, hit the follow button in the top right of your Apple Podcast player, the follow button under the show logo on Spotify, or the subscribe button on Google Podcasts. We thrive on you, our audience, so make sure to tell all your gossip-loving friends about us, too. And if you wanna get all the tea, join our membership, Cocktail Party, by going to bravoandcocktails.com/join. Our members get access to the exclusive tea we post, the weekly podcast without ads, plus another additional bonus podcast every week. And of course, members also get to join us on our monthly live Cocktail Party Zoom, where we talk about the latest tea and even share tea that's just too hot to put in writing. Last, but maybe best, our members get access to the Cocktail Party Discord. Thank you guys so much for listening. We appreciate you.