In a special free episode of our Patreon exclusive non-hockey podcast, Mike gets a lesson from Dan on Bravo's Vanderpump Rules and the drama known as the "Scandoval."

From a spin-off of a spin-off to a surprise hit to a dire, unwatchable mess, Vanderpump Rules has been a wild ride. But when star Tom Sandoval cheated on his girlfriend of nine years, Ariana Madix, with her friend (and a former fiancé of a mutual friend) Raquel Leviss, it upended what everyone knew about the show and its stars, and re-contextualized everything viewers saw happen on screen. This revelation, coming a few episodes into the season, meant there were effectively two concurrent stories happening simultaneously: one that was filmed and one that was happening off camera. It made for fascinating viewing for fans but confusing times for non-fans like Mike.

Dan tries to get Mike to understand all of this and the history of the show, despite his natural antipathy towards it and its cast. Some headway was made but it's safe to say that Vanderpump Rules won't replace darts or cricket on Mike's watching schedule.

If you like what you hear, consider subscribing to our Patreon! Plans start as low as $2 a month and patrons get ad-free episodes of Islanders Anxiety and Weird Islanders: The Podcast!, bonus shows like Country Club Atmosphere and the Monthly Mailbag, early access podcasts, written posts, discounts and much more.

Here is some further reading and listening if you are interested in more about Scandoval!

Vulture.com, led by Dame Bryan Moylan, the founder of the Real Housewives Institute for the Reality Television Arts, is the go-to place to read all about this nonsense by people that take it seriously but also, thankfully, not seriously at all.

This article by Roxana Hadidi from Vulture got to the heart of why Tom Sandoval's defense of his actions fell on deaf ears (and blind eyes).

There are many Bravo-focused podcasts (much like sports teams have) but the best of them is Watch What Crappens, by Ronnie Karam and Ben Mandelker. The guys are hilarious, knowledgeable and prolific, covering just about every show Bravo produces. Check them out wherever you get your podcasts, on video or at their own Patreon.

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