Welcome to the Summer House Season 8, Episode 8 recap! In this week’s episode, titled “Imposter Syndrome,” Kyle and Amanda can’t seem to get on the same page, while West and Ciara seem to be going strong. Lindsay overshares about her and Carl’s sex life, and Kyle and Amanda finally get some therapy. Most poignant of all, Lindsay goes to try on wedding gowns with her girlfriends, happily believing, “We’re really doing it!” Here are some of the highlights from Summer House Season 8, Episode 8.
Amanda wants suburban babies
Picking up right where we left off last week, Amanda’s still talking about Kyle and her looking at houses outside of the city. “I’m just thinking about my future and the kids and, like, raising a family,” she says.
“I’m thinking about my sanity,” Kyle mutters at her side.
“I get a little concerned about how disconnected I’m going to feel,” Kyle continues, “cause, like, New York City, there’s no more connected city in the world.”
“As a man,” Lindsay interjects, “you just f*cking get over it. Once you start having kids, your priorities start changing.”
“I don’t know what I really want out of this thing,” Kyle adds. What thing? His marriage?
“Like, you don’t know if you really even want kids?” Lindsay asks.
“We need to be in better lockstep,” he says. Why are they discussing this at the table? This should be a conversation between him and his wife.
“We’re not having kids yet,” Amanda says.
“No, I’m saying, like, for me to feel content,” Kyle says, “I want to feel like you and I are in a better communication place. Otherwise, I’m going to feel very lonely.” Everyone else at the table seems uncomfortable and like they’d rather be anywhere else than watching Kyle and Amanda have this very personal conversation.
“Kyle and I have always been in agreement,” Amanda interviews, “that we want to raise a family in the suburbs. We both grew up with, like, backyards, playing with our friends in the street. It’s one thing that we have always, always agreed on. So for him to be, like, back-pedaling and sort of changing the script on me, I’m just kind of, like, ‘What the f*ck?’”
Lindsay makes Carl a sandwich
Everyone’s going to play beach volleyball. Carl and Jesse both played competitively in high school, so it’s on.
Paige informs everyone to make their own sandwich because food will not be provided. At the beach, Carl thanks Lindsay for the delicious sandwich she made him, and time stops.
“You must be in love! ” Paige says. “She made you a sandwich!”
After the game, Kyle and Amanda walk to the water for a chat.
“Last night,” Kyle begins, “I felt like we were struggling to be on the same page.”
“You’re on my sh*t list,” Amanda says. “You were out till 4:00 am, … I called you out on it, so you copped this whole attitude.”
“That’s not how I would sum it up,” Kyle responds. “I’m, like, very fixated on trying to improve our communication.”
“[That’s] such bullsh*t,” Amanda answers.
“Your intensity level is, like, at a nine,” he says.
“Cause I’m frustrated,” Amanda says. “I’m not in the mood to have a sweet, kind, loving conversation.”
Kyle and Amanda have some growing up to do. If they can get through this, they’ll be stronger in the end. But this is where a lot of people give up and get divorced.
“I can’t move to the suburbs if I’m having a one-way relationship with you,” Kyle continues.
“You don’t like it when I, like, have a stance on something,” Amanda says.
“Your stance is bullsh*t,” Kyle fires back. That wasn’t very loving. “Just cause I go out till 4:00 in the morning once a month is not a reason to hate me … It’s lonely as f*ck being married to you ’cause you don’t talk to me … What the f*ck is wrong with you?”
“I’m good,” she says, walking away.
“Great talk,” he says.
West and Ciara still have sparks
Ciara runs up to her room to field a call from West. He’s in Montana attending a wedding.
“Everyone [else] is going out for drinks, and I’m so excited to stay home,” she says. Lindsay, Amanda, Andrea, and Ciara are staying in.
When he asks if his “presence is missed,” she teases, “We once knew a guy named West. He was cool.”
“Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” she adds.
“Does it surprise you that you are missing West?” a producer asks Ciara.
“Yes,” she admits. “I don’t have chemistry with everyone … and when I like someone, I like them. It makes me a little bit nervous that it might not be reciprocated in the same way.” Those are Austen Kroll scars.
“I’ll save The Bachelorette for us on Tuesday,” West says. That’s a good boyfriend. My hubby can’t sit through more than 30 seconds of The Bachelorette.
Later, Andrea asks how things are going with Ciara and West. “It’s going fine,” she says. “I just FaceTimed him earlier.”
“Do you feel different than ‘Mr. Southern Gentleman?’” he asks. Oh, so now we’re not saying his name, but I’m pretty sure his initials are A.K.
“I don’t know who that is that you speak of,” Ciara says, and Andrea laughs.
“I have a question, though,” Lindsay interrupts. “When he says something, do you take him [seriously]? Like, he’s just a flirty f*cking guy.” That was mean.
“I think he acts differently with Ciara than with other people,” Amanda observes. I think he does, too.
Ciara doesn’t say anything, but if looks could kill …
Paige gives her perspective
In a conversation with Carl, Paige, and Danielle, Kyle suddenly says, “I’m not gonna lie. I’m having a good summer. But I wanna feel like I’m on the same page with Amanda.”
“I know what you should do,” Paige says, tapping him on the arm. “Stop being such a f*cking dick.” That’s not fair. Amanda’s being as much of an asshole as Kyle’s been this summer.
“I’m not a dick,” Kyle says, obviously hurt.
In a confessional, he continues, “Look, I know I’m a lot, but, like, I don’t want to be sitting there scratching my head wondering if you even like me. Or if you’re, like, bothered by my presence. That’s often how it feels.”
Realizing she struck a nerve, Paige backs up. “I do think she starts a lot of things with you, and I’ve said that to her. Like, she’ll throw you some digs, and I’ll be, like, ‘Amanda, that was f*cked up.’”
“To be honest,” Kyle continues, “it’s not even the digs. I know this is gonna sound ridiculous, but, like, last weekend, I was the last one up, and her phone was on the sink. I opened it up, and there wasn’t a single photo of me.”
“And that hurt your feelings,” Paige sympathized.
“Yeah,” Kyle admits.
“She loves you, though, Kyle,” Paige says. “You’ve gotta know that.”
But Kyle’s in tears.
“We don’t have to figure it out tonight,” Paige adds. “Let’s table it, but I see you.”
Lindsay overshares
Back at the house, the four left behind are playing Truth or Dare. “How would you honestly rate your sex life with your current partner on a scale of one to ten?” Andrea reads for Lindsay.
“A two and a half,” she admits.
“What?! Really?” they all react.
“You have to have sex,” Lindsay elaborates. “I mean, we had sex today. It was the first time in a couple weeks. No one came.” Yikes. Super cringe that she’s even talking about that.
“No one came?” Amanda asks.
“You didn’t come?” Ciara asks.
“No,” Lindsay repeats.
“He didn’t come?” Amanda asks as Lindsay shakes her head.
“I’ve always been patient with Carl,” Lindsay interviews. “I love this man so much that I know he wants to make me happy. But if someone is not ambitious and [not] matching my drive, that’s a little bit of an issue for me. Having to constantly light a fire for someone else is not that sexy, and it doesn’t really get my juices flowing.” Then why are you marrying him, Lindsay?
“He gets so in his head,” Lindsay adds back in the kitchen with the group. “Like, I looked at him before I got out of the shower, and I was, like, ‘Look, I think we need to have more sex so that you’re not putting so much pressure on [yourself] the times that we do have sex. Like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to come … otherwise, I’m gonna disappoint her.’” That’s crazy. And I can’t believe she’s sharing such personal information that should be between her and Carl.
“The thing that Carl hates the most in life,” Lindsay continues, “is disappointing me.” Well, isn’t she special?
Marriage takes work
Kyle and Amanda are just hanging out at home when the doorbell rings. Their Relationship Coach, Taryn, is making a house call.
“You’ve been having some communication issues,” Taryn starts.
“[There’s] lots of room for improvement,” Kyle says, and Amanda agrees. “We work together. I started a company, and she quit her job to help lead the creative. Ever since then, whenever we get into it, I’ll bring up the things that she’s not doing. I’m always wanting more.”
“Yeah,” Amanda says. “It’s always more, more, more. Like, you’re not doing this [or] enough of that. It makes me feel … not good enough.” Kyle reaches over and gives her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“I think what you’re talking about … is a really big insecurity for you,” Taryn says. Amanda agrees. “It sounds like it doesn’t just have to do with work.”
Taryn addresses Kyle’s insecurity when Amanda speaks “snippy or mean” to him. Kyle admits that it makes him feel like she doesn’t like him anymore. And any progress gets “erased” if he goes out and has “a bender of a night.”
Amanda thinks that’s a bigger conversation since he knows she’ll be upset if he stays out till 4:00 in the morning. But he does it anyway.
“There’s no reason to be out with people you just met till 4:00 o’clock in the morning and then stumble home wasted,” Amanda says. “And then instead of being apologetic the next morning and regretting hurting me, you just get, like, angry.”
Taryn advises them to stay in the moment and talk about the issues that are bothering them right now while being aware of their insecurities and history. She says to avoid pointing fingers, placing blame, and letting defensiveness take over. Sounds solid.
Lindsay wears white — or maybe it’s cream
It’s Thursday in NYC, and Lindsay is trying on bridal gowns while her bridesmaids drink champagne. Gabby and Danielle are there, along with several women I don’t recognize.
She comes out wearing the dress she’s had her eye on for several months, and everyone is breathless. “Eat your heart out, Carl Radke,” someone says. It’s gorgeous, but I feel kind of sad cause I know she’ll never get to wear it. Danielle even wipes away a tear.
The sales lady brings out a veil to try on with the dress and asks, “How do you feel?”
“I feel like a bride!” Lindsay responds happily.
“What do you think?” she asks Danielle.
“I’m obsessed,” Danielle says. “I cried … I’m just so happy to be here.”
“This is real life,” Lindsay says, amazed. “We’re really doing it … It’s that fairytale ending I really gave up on two years ago.”
“I almost have, what’s it called? Imposter syndrome,” Lindsay admits in a confessional. “Like, you feel like you don’t deserve something. I just never thought that I would be so blessed that I would actually fall in love with my best friend, but here we are.”
“I guess we’re doin’ it,” she tells Danielle. “More champagne, please!”
Summer House continues Thursdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF SUMMER HOUSE SEASON 8, EPISODE 8? DO YOU THINK KYLE AND AMANDA WILL BE ABLE TO WORK THINGS OUT?