Once upon a time, Kristen Doute was the messiest cast member on Vanderpump Rules.
After being fired in 2020 and claiming on the first episode of The Valley that she’s at a different stage of her life, she can’t seem to give up getting caught up in heated debates with her co-stars.
Truthfully, it seemed like Jax Taylor would be the person stirring up the most drama in this spinoff, but Doute is wasting no time pulling the strings in this new friend group behind the scenes.
That came back to haunt her in a big way on Tuesday’s episode when she claimed Janet Caperna told Jasmine Goode that Michelle Lally was a “racist and a Republican.”
The episode ended on a cliffhanger with Michelle’s then-husband, Jesse Lally, claiming that Doute got fired from Vanderpump Rules for being racist.
In a first look at The Valley Season 1 Episode 4, Michelle called out Doute again, but the Vanderpump Rules alum shockingly blamed Zack Wickham for the situation.
Michelle Lally says Kristen Doute is not sorry
“You’re not f—ing sorry,” Michelle shot back as Doute had to stop herself from raising her voice.
In a confessional, Michelle believed she was brought into this situation because of a “crazy person” who didn’t want to be attacked anymore, “so she attacked me.”
“You need to grow up a little bit,” Jesse seethed at Doute, claiming that she was repeatedly doing the same thing to people who were supposed to be her friends.
In perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the series so far, Jax Taylor stepped in to defend Doute, telling the cast that everyone attacking one person was not the best look.
Before anyone could react to Taylor defending her, Doute made the situation even worse by complaining that her cast members brought up the word “racist.”
Doute’s boyfriend, Luke Broderick, then pointed the finger at a stunned Janet, yelling that he heard her mention it on the phone to Doute.
Kristen Doute drops a bombshell about Zack Wickham
As Doute and Broderick prepared to walk away from the dinner party, Michelle yelled that Doute should “suck it up” and apologize.
In a confessional, Doute revealed that she only said what Wickham repeated to her and Broderick, claiming she didn’t change any of it and doesn’t believe her co-stars are treating her fairly.
Taylor then egged Doute on to call out Wickham, but it didn’t get them anywhere. Wickham affirmed his belief Janet was the “instigator” in the situation and had somehow come out of the argument “smelling of roses.”
It’s an intense scene, but it’s far more authentic than the drama we’ve been getting on Vanderpump Rules lately, so it’s positive.
The Valley didn’t start on the best terms but quickly solidified itself as one of the better Bravo series.
If it can sustain the momentum, it will cement itself as one of the year’s best new reality TV shows.
We did not think we’d say that a couple of weeks ago.
The Valley airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. Stream Season 1 on Peacock.