Overview of Bailey Taylor’s First Summer House
In this Not Skinny But Not Fat episode, Amanda Hirsch sits down with Summer House newbie Bailey Taylor to unpack her first season on the show, her now-viral confrontation with West, the Amanda/West scandal, her relationship with Carl, and what it was really like entering a long-running Bravo house as a new cast member. Bailey comes across as self-aware, candid, and surprisingly calm about the chaos around her, while also making it clear that West’s behavior left a bad impression.
Main Topics Discussed
Bailey’s experience joining Summer House
- Bailey says she was terrified to enter an established cast and worried both the housemates and the audience would reject her.
- She initially struggled to relax and even cried early on in the house, which she assumed would be edited out.
- Despite her fear, she felt the cast was generally kind to her, especially when she was vulnerable.
Her surprise at how much of her storyline aired
- Bailey expected to be a minor background character, not a major part of the season.
- She was surprised by how much screen time she received and says she was happy with how she came across.
- She admitted she had not watched all prior seasons and only knew season 1 well.
The Carl connection
- Amanda and Bailey spent time on Bailey’s dynamic with Carl, including their kiss.
- Bailey said the kiss was genuinely good, but she and Carl are in very different places romantically:
- He’s older and more settled.
- She is still recovering from a prior relationship and not really in a dating groove.
- She said they speak often and are close, but she doesn’t think a long-term romance is realistic right now.
Her relationship with Jesse, Lindsay, Mia, and the house dynamics
- Bailey said Jesse was never really an option because he was seeing someone.
- She said Lindsay was especially welcoming and supportive.
- She also praised Mia and Sierra as strong, kind people who made her feel comfortable.
- Her best friend Levi being in the house helped a lot, even though Levi wasn’t always present every weekend.
The West/Amanda scandal and reunion fallout
- Amanda and Bailey spent a lot of time on Bailey’s reaction to West’s behavior and the broader fallout around his relationship with Amanda/Sierra.
- Bailey’s central view:
- West did not handle women well
- He seemed calculated and avoided accountability
- His reunion behavior felt emotionally flat and evasive
- She said she felt misled by him and believes he should have been more direct and honest earlier.
Why Bailey made the Amanda joke
- Bailey explained that her comment about Amanda and West was intended as a joke, not an accusation.
- She said she found the skinny-dipping/sexual joking around weird and inappropriate, but she regretted making the joke publicly.
- She also clarified that she did not intend to imply abuse and was upset that the situation escalated far beyond what she meant.
- Bailey said she made her comments to defend Sabrina and push back on the idea that West had treated women badly behind closed doors.
Her broader take on accountability on reality TV
- Bailey argued that people were too willing to excuse men’s behavior while holding women to a stricter standard.
- She pushed back on the idea that West should be treated as a victim, and said he has a pattern of being misleading with women.
- She appreciated Amanda checking in on nuance and separation between criticism of behavior and false abuse accusations.
Kyle and Amanda’s relationship
- Bailey sympathized with Amanda while still holding her accountable for her own choices.
- She said Kyle and Amanda’s marriage looked painful and emotionally draining, and the reunion made that even clearer.
- She strongly agreed with calling out Kyle for cheating/inappropriate behavior rather than pretending it was less serious than it was.
- At the same time, she described Kyle as funny, lovable, and a genuinely good friend to Amanda.
Bailey’s Personal Background
Her toxic ex and why she’s guarded in dating
- Bailey opened up about a toxic, emotionally abusive two-year relationship that deeply damaged her confidence.
- She said her ex used her insecurities against her, insulted her repeatedly, and destroyed her self-esteem.
- He eventually broke up with her, and she admitted she would have stayed if he hadn’t.
- She believes the relationship was one of the biggest heartbreaks of her life and still affects how she dates now.
OCD, depression, and therapy
- Bailey shared that she has OCD and depression, and that her OCD is rooted in obsessive, ruminating thoughts.
- She described it as something that can completely take over her mind.
- She said medication helps, but therapy is still an ongoing process.
- Her therapist tends to focus on childhood/root causes rather than her current dating life.
Her career before Summer House
- Bailey explained that her prior platform, It Girl, started as a street-style/fashion concept focused on women who shape culture behind the scenes.
- The project eventually grew into a podcast-focused media brand.
- She described fashion as her “bread and butter” and said she wants her platform to feel positive, fun, and not overly invasive.
Key Takeaways
- Bailey made a strong first impression as a new cast member because she was honest, likable, and not afraid to speak up.
- Her read on West was consistent: she believes he was manipulative, inconsistent, and unwilling to fully own his actions.
- She thinks the reunion highlighted a larger Bravo reality: women often get judged harder than men for similar or worse behavior.
- Her vulnerability about her ex, OCD, and depression adds context to why she’s both guarded and emotionally perceptive.
- She is open to returning to Summer House, but only if the fit feels right.
Notable Insights
- Bailey on West’s silence at the reunion: he seemed to believe that saying nothing would protect him.
- Bailey on women in Bravo and fame culture: people love to build women up and then tear them down.
- Bailey on dating after trauma: her love life has gone from “a disaster to non-existent.”
- Bailey on her overall approach: she wants her platform to be a positive space where women can talk, not get ambushed.
Final Thought
This episode is part Summer House debrief, part character study of Bailey Taylor herself. She comes off as thoughtful, funny, and unusually measured for someone who just entered the Bravo ecosystem — while still giving plenty of sharp opinions about West, Kyle, and the emotional fallout of the season.