bestie approved: pop culture, reality TV, and deep dives with Travis and Emma.

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Hi glamorous divas- sorry we've been gone for a little bit (we've had stuff going on), but we couldn't miss the RHONY premiere with our premiere besties. This week, we get into:

• the last gay songs we listened to (obviously)
• unpacking the RHONY premiere
• how we feel about Vicki Gunvalson

Check out Husbands Watching Housewives (friends of the pod) ❤️

• website: Husbands Watching Housewives
• Apple Podcasts: Husbands Watching Housewives
• TikTok: @husbandswatchin
• YouTube: @HusbandsWatchingHousewives
• Linktree: Husbands Watching Housewives

🫶🏽 from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

⭐️ rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!

💻 check out the bestie approved website: dub.sh/1vgFdNf

📱 follow us on social media: dub.sh/utwkxGq

✉️ email us: [email protected]

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We're back with our returning champions and premiere besties, Scott & Geoff from Husbands Watching Housewives to unpack the season 20 premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County (20 YEARS OF HOUSEWIVES)! Admittedly, this wasn't our favorite episode of Housewives, but we managed to put 9 lemons in a bowl and turn these oranges into orange juice by the end of the episode.

Check out Husbands Watching Housewives (friends of the pod) ❤️

• website: Husbands Watching Housewives
• Apple Podcasts: Husbands Watching Housewives
• TikTok: @husbandswatchin
• YouTube: @HusbandsWatchingHousewives
• Linktree: Husbands Watching Housewives

🫶🏽 from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

⭐️ rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!

💻 check out the bestie approved website: dub.sh/1vgFdNf

📱 follow us on social media: dub.sh/utwkxGq

✉️ email us: [email protected]

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The Real Housewives of Rhode Island delivered one of the strongest first seasons in Housewives history and the second half of the reunion gave us enough receipts, questionable timelines, and terrible husband behavior to keep us talking long after the Dirty Shirleys were poured.

Our returning champion, Chantel, is back with her best friend Andreas to unpack it all.

🔗 learn more about Chantel here: https://dub.sh/chantel

👀 follow Andreas everywhere: @andreasvellios on TikTok and @andreas_mrpotomac on instagram.

🫶🏽 from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

⭐️ rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!

💻 check out the bestie approved website: dub.sh/1vgFdNf

📱 follow us on social media: dub.sh/utwkxGq

✉️ email us: [email protected]

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‼️ 📢 VOTE FOR THE NEXT SHOW WE WATCH FOR REALITY ROUNDIUP: dub.sh/jhs4t5N. 🎙️🎧

⚠️ Trigger warning: this episode includes a discussion regarding Carole Radziwill and her connection to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislene Maxwell.

Travis and Emma are hanging out with Lauren from the Conspireality podcast for a Bravo breakdown that starts with conspiracy theories, detours through old-school RHONY chaos, and a deep dive into part one of the Real Housewives of Rhode Island reunion.

timestamps

0:00:12 introductions & conspiracies.

0:03:20 what’s the last song you listened to?

0:06:17 Carole is ruining the last good summer on RHONY. ⚠️ trigger warning from 0:08:40 to 0:19:30 for anyone that wants to skip this discussion ⚠️

0:22:11 Bravo state of the union.

0:40:10 unpacking part 1 of the RHORI reunion.

in this episode:

🤝 We get to know Lauren from the Conspireality podcast and she explains that conspiracy theories are just basically gossip now.

😩 The group reacts to Carole Radziwill’s RHONY return even though she’s out of good summers.

🤬 A rundown of Carole’s connection to Ghislaine Maxwell and unpacking some feelings aobut that.

📺 All the Bravo content we’re being blessed with.

😹 Travis gets ANOTHER vocal stim from Drew Sidorah.

🤩 A deep dive in the Ocean State with the women that gave us the best introductory season of Real Housewives in history!

🌊 Our final RHORI friendship picks.

more about today’s episode: dub.sh/rhori-reunion-pt-1

Follow Lauren and Jessica from the Conspireality podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s seriously such a good pod. ❤️🎙️🎧

more about Lauren: dub.sh/lauren-s

also meet her cohost, Jessica: https://dub.sh/jessica-r

from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

⭐️ rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!

🔗 check out the bestie approved website: https://dub.sh/bestie

🤝🏽 follow us on social media: https://dub.sh/bestie-socials

📧 email us: ~[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])~

Listen if you love: pop culture, Bravo deep dives, reality tv commentary, conspiracy theories, and two best friends just having an absolute time.

your husband's a slut | RHORI reunion with Conspireality. © 2026 by Travis Rhoden and Emma Hesser is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

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We just wrapped up the best first season of Real Housewives that Bravo has ever produced. This week, Travis and Emma are joined by a very special guest- Bravo content creator and Karen Huger’s NUMBER ONE supporter, Chantel (@purplepandapants), to dive deep into the The Real Housewives of Rhode Island season 1 finale (The Ferry-Tale is Over)!

timestamps

0:05:01 Chantel's approach to watching Bravo.

0:07:18 why we love RHORI.

0:10:51 chaos is entertaining for Emma.

0:13:14 predictions for season 2

0:24:18 diving into the RHORI finale.

0:39:55 our lack of professionalism is charming.

1:15:08 which housewife would you want to be friends with?

in this episode:

🤔 We try to figure out who’s going to change their personality because they become self-aware in season 2.

🤩 We share our thoughts on why the women in Rhode Island beat every other city in the country.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 The magic of Block Island repairs Liz and Jo-Ellen’s friendship.

💍 Billy gives Alicia the proposal she has deserved for 9 years.

💪🏽 Gary becomes even hotter when he stands up for his Jo-Ellen to a troll that lives under a bridge with the audacity to cheat on his perfect wife.

💜🐼👖 a very special thank you to our new friend, Chantel! When she’s not at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility to support her friend with legal troubles, she’s examining the friendship dynamics on Bravo and still finding time to be really cool. 🫶🏽❤️

🔗 Learn more about Chantel here: https://dub.sh/chantel

🫶🏽 from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

⭐️ rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!

💻 check out the bestie approved website: dub.sh/1vgFdNf

📱 follow us on social media: dub.sh/utwkxGq

✉️ email us: [email protected]

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Travis and Emma are joined by Kam (aka gay4bravo) for a very special reality roundup all about The Real Housewives of Rhode Island season 1 episode 8 (Splitting Hairs). Listen if you love a cracker, slam pigs, and Bravo!

• What's the last song you listened to?! Get the bestie approved playlist here: https://dub.sh/rg568aV
• more about this episode: https://dub.sh/slam-pigs

timestamps

0:00:12 introductions & last songs

0:04:27 all about Kam

0:08:36 complaining

0:13:42 RHORI recap

follow Kam everywhere!

• more about Kam: https://www.bestieapproved.com/guests/kam-khalifa/

from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

• rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!
• check out the bestie approved website: https://dub.sh/bestie
• follow us on social media: https://dub.sh/bestie-socials
• email us: [email protected]

The Real Slam Pigs of Rhode Island © 2026 by Travis Rhoden and Emma Hesser is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

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What's the last song you listened to?! Get the bestie approved playlist here: https://travisandemma.kit.com/playlist

This week, Travis and Emma are taking on the most chaotic corners of the internet.

In this episode:

• Travis discovers the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest exists
• The angel and devil of hot dog culture
• Only Franks deserves the world
• Joey Chestnut’s alleged slap era
• James Charles vs. Amber Vargas
• Why influencers do not need to respond to every DM
• Dr. Oz says America is “under-babied”
• The real reasons people are having fewer kids
• AI “chiefs of staff” and the rise of vibe coding
• Why convenience is not always harmless
• Steve Wozniak’s reminder that humans still have “actual intelligence”
• Meghan Trainor’s TikTok-coded music rollout
• Chris Olsen catching criticism for defending his friend
• Emma’s disastrous morning
• Travis vs. Xfinity’s internet data cap

Listen if you love: pop culture, Bravo-adjacent commentary, internet drama, anti-AI rants, public apology breakdowns, hot dog discourse, influencer accountability, and two best friends slowly losing patience with society.

from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

• rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!
• check out the bestie approved website: bit.ly/4cEkgl5
• follow us on social media: bestie approved Linktree
• email us: [email protected]

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It’s our one-year anniversary episode and we’re celebrating by spiraling through family discoveries, conspiracy TikTok, Hello Kitty identity politics, Reddit moderator tyranny, reality tv chaos, and the end of a deeply unwell trip to Vegas with the women of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

timestamps

0:00:12 what’s the last song you listened to?

0:01:44 looking back on one year of bestie approved.

0:06:32 Travis's Kentucky family found the pod.

0:09:03 5G is stealing our thoughts and prayers.

0:20:41 our favorite new book about Donald Trump.

0:24:13 Hello Kitty isn't a cat?!

0:29:31 complaining.

0:36:09 our feelings about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

0:49:01 manifesting refund policies with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

0:57:20 reworking bestie approved & reality roundup.

1:01:36 The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 1 episode 12: “Sinners in the City”

1:38:45 attention from The Real Housewives of Atlanta on social media.

1:39:46 we love you!

This week, Travis and Emma look back on a full year of bestie approved. Then we head straight into the weirdest corners of the doomsday-prepping internet with EMF-blocking hoods, 5G thought theft, and the very important question of what exactly “the waves” think they’re going to find in our brains. Spoiler: probably not national secrets. We also discuss Rihanna Teixeira’s gloriously empty Trump “biblical proof” book, the horrifying revelation that Hello Kitty is apparently not a cat, and the deeply upsetting math of her being five apples tall but only weighing three apples. Emma mourns the loss of Jeopardy sweetheart Jamie Ding, while Travis airs out the 3D printing subreddit moderators after being banned for not having enough karma.

In reality roundup, we get into the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Orange County spinoff, the problem with trying to build a Housewives-style universe out of MomTok, and why Taylor Frankie Paul’s chaos may have been the engine holding the whole thing together. We also discuss Scamanda Frances and her remarkably low refund rate.

Finally, we recap The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 1, Episode 12: “Sinners in the City.” The Vegas trip fully detonates as Jen Shah rejects peace, Meredith disengages with Olympic-level grace, Baby Gorgeous navigates a hostage negotiation, and Heather somehow remains loyal past the point of reason. Then everyone heads to a hypnotist/mediator/psychic, where the group collectively confirms that nobody trusts Jen.

from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

• rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!
• check out the bestie approved website: bit.ly/4cEkgl5
• follow us on social media: bestie approved Linktree
• email us: [email protected]

the government doesn’t want my thoughts. © 2026 by Travis and Emma is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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This week, Travis and Emma are unpacking politics, Needohs, moms hiding in closets, and a wild reality roundup. Nothing is off limits this week, so hang out with us while we go on this wild ride.

timestamps

0:00:12 last songs we listened to

0:01:00 Emma's hiding in the closet

0:03:34 Bryon Noem's lovely big tits

0:11:36 Nēdos

0:16:16 Heidi healing her inner child

0:23:07 complaining

0:34:30 reality roundup

0:34:46 new rules on RHOSLC

0:39:51 our thoughts on Ladies of London

0:42:13 Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

0:54:08 some love for our podcast friends

0:55:42 RHOSLC season 1 episode 11 recap

this week we dive into:

• Emma hiding in a closet during Auggie’s nap time and the unimaginable lengths moms will go to for a moment of peace.
• tittie time with Byron Noem, hypocrisy, and performative homophobia. (McCreesh 2026)
• grown ups being so obsessed with Nēdos that they’re mowing families down in Target to get one. (Notopoulos 2026)
• the woman dressing up like Junie B Jones and dancing up and down the aisles of Target to heal her inner child. (Heidi (@classicheidi) 2026)
• Emma complains about the hellscape of elementary school soccer leagues and Travis complains about his Pappaw’s new obsession with Facebook Marketplace.

reality roundup:

• the new rules in contracts for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. (Smith 2026)
• our thoughts on Ladies of London.
• our complicated feelings about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and why it might be the end of #MomTok. (Chinman, Mandell, and Flam 2026)
• Travis and Emma finally get to revisit The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City!

RHOSLC season 1 episode 11: “All Bets Are Off”

• the unsettling dynamic in the Cosby household.
• Whitney’s family dinner with her dad, brother, and sister brings up some feelings for Travis.
• Heather goes on a dream double date with Jen and Coach Shah. Hopefully Big Daddy got his Slurpee on the way home…
• the women (minus Mary) go on their first cast trip to Las Vegas and are greeted with a fun poem.
• Lisa and Meredith seem to find some resolution with Whitney on the racetrack.
• Jen has a complete inability to let literally anything go.

from Indy to wherever you listen to podcasts, we love you!

• rate and review the pod on Apple Podcasts!
• check out the bestie approved website: bit.ly/4cEkgl5
• follow us on social media: bestie approved Linktree
• email us: [email protected]

this might be the end of #MomTok. © 2026 by Travis Rhoden and Emma Hesser is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

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We got to hang out with our premiere besties, Scott and Geoff, twice in one week (what an honor and a privilege) to unpack another season premiere. This time we covered the season 17 premiere of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and we had an absolute time!

Connect with us

• check out the bestie approved website: bestieapproved.com
• all of our social media: bestie approved Linktree
• email us: [email protected]

Check out Husbands Watching Housewives (friends of the pod)

• website: Husbands Watching Housewives
• Apple Podcasts: Husbands Watching Housewives
• TikTok: @husbandswatchin
• YouTube: @HusbandsWatchingHousewives
• Linktree: Husbands Watching Housewives