[PREVIEW] Reunion Recap Special: 'Ultimatum: Queer Love' & 'Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives'

Let’s talk reunions, y’all! We’re back from our summer vacations, rested and ready to reunite for all the reunion specials we missed during our OOO week: “The Ultimatum: Queer Love” and “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” Hosts Joanna Garcia Swisher and Nick Viall took their best swings at the Andy Cohen crown, with varying results, but each reunion offered at least a few juicy moments. In “The Ultimatum: Queer Love,” there were more happy updates than usual. And we love to see our queens thriving! But the reunion drama was somewhat dampened by all the couples who showed up ready to protect their relationships. Only the single cast members came out throwing elbows. Ashley and Marita shared a particularly bruising exchange, while Marie seeped poorly suppressed rage throughout the special. In a surprise twist, Mels’s Brussels sprout recipe played a key role in the conflict. Joanna was present and warm as ever, but ineffectual, leaving many intriguing questions and follow-ups unasked. We get into all the updates from the couples and former couples, assess the hosting, and try to make sense of the hot-button topics that weren’t even broached. (Like… what do Magan and Dayna have on Joanna??)Next, the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” reunion! The questions were sharper and the follow-ups were on point, but the absence of season villain Demi took the thrill out of most of the conversations. (She was, she alleges, unable to cancel a family vacation to Disney.) Instead, the women have to respond to clips from a pre-taped interview with Nick, in which Demi talks shit with the confidence of a woman who does not have to actually face her targets. Meanwhile, Jessi has a lot to say about how she can’t say anything at all regarding Marciano’s allegations that they had an affair after meeting on “Vanderpump Villa” (to learn more, we’ll have to watch season 3). But there are some explosive moments — notably, Jen and Zac producing an audio recording of Demi instructing Jen to positively spin Demi’s own rumored dalliance with Marciano during “VPV” — as well as some poignant ones. We get into it all in the second half of this episode.Hope you enjoy! xoIf you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Patreon!Give us feedback or suggest a topic for the pod • Subscribe • Request a free subscription