Summer House: 5 Ways Newbies West and Jesse Saved the Series

They're real people, creating real friendships

The last few cast additions for our favorite Bravo series have been lackluster, to say the least. (We’re thinking Real Housewives of Beverly Hill’s Annemarie Wiley and Summer House‘s own one-season wonder Chris Leoni.) Or, in recent years, we’ve seen a slew of narcissists join Bravo with the ulterior motive of getting famous and rich — quick! (We’re mainly looking at you, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s Jen Shah.)

But West and Jesse? These are two whole humans, people with whom we could imagine playing recreational kickball by the East Side River. These are two guys with things beyond “reality TV storylines” going on in their lives. Jesse has shared his fears about his testicular cancer returning ahead of his five-year check-up. The man isn’t holding back. He’s let us in on his deepest anxieties while his new buddy West has stepped up to help him through it.

West, too, has shared his authentic life, talking about being laid off and wanting to be close to Ciara. These are just two imperfect guys who likely were not Bravo-fanatics before joining the series, which already makes them likable. (Yes, the bar is that low.)

We finally get to fawn over a man with a mustache

Mustaches are having a major moment — just hop on a dating app in any moderately populated area and you’ll see what we mean! Finally we’re getting some representation, some style, some… honestly anything other than Kyle’s overgrown and hackneyed mullet. (If you didn’t know, Kyle’s locks have been an official cast member since forever.) We can’t remember the last time a mustache this good graced this network. Kudos, West.

They're bringing new energy to the Hamptons

Last year, how tired were we of Kyle’s late-night antics, Lindsay’s immature explosions and Paige’s bed potato nights? Are we still getting all of that? Yes, yes we are. But now, we have the welcome and necessary interjections from our two favorite Bravo boys! They’re letting the show breathe amid the heaviness of watching people drink too much and spiral out of control in a way that seems totally and completely miserable and unhealthy. And, they seem to be bringing the best out of their fellow cast members. Apparently all Paige and Ciara needed to get out of bed was a couple of semi-annoying, rambunctious boys!

They’re a little bit dumb (in a lovable way!)

There’s something charming about a couple of dumb boys talking about whether or not they “want a shorty” for the upcoming colder months. And there’s something interesting about watching West’s dumbness play out in his romantic dalliance with Ciara and witnessing the girls’ negative reaction. We can sit back and feel smug about ourselves knowing, “Aw, they just don’t get him like we do,” despite knowing full well we’d react exactly the same way in real time. West the real boy? Probably would enrage us! But West the TV character? A lovable, misunderstood goofball! You know what they say, TV adds 10 pounds of charm.

They're asking all the right questions

The friendships run deep on Summer House, and conversations are sometimes lacking in meaningful exploration because the cast members simply understand each other too well. In recent seasons, there’s been a disconnect between what the viewers were thinking and wanting to know, and how the cast responded in real time. With West and Jesse, however, we get the sweet, sweet gift of a fresh pair of eyes; of a couple of guys who have no skin in the game to dryly deliver a question without sugar-coating, like Jesse asking Carl, “Did [Lindsay] end up apologizing for accusing of you doing drugs?” back in Episode 5. Without Jesse there, Carl probably never would have directly confronted the fact that, no she had not, because the rest of the group would already know: Lindsay doesn’t apologize! The woman is a publicist and knows how to spin a story! But Carl’s response was instrumental in giving viewers the color they needed to fully understand the looming breakup.

What do you think of the Summer House Season 8 newbies? Let us know in the comments!