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Amanda Batula has returned to Instagram after deleting the app from her phone after the reveal of her controversial romance with West Wilson at the end of March.
Nearly two weeks after she and her castmates filmed the reunion special for Summer House season 10, after which a series of leaked clips were shared online, Amanda, 34, took to her Instagram Story, where she shared a photo of herself in a glam room.
“Boo,” she wrote in the caption of the May 5 post.
Following the April 23 taping of the Summer House reunion, Andy Cohen, 57, described the leaked audio clips as “disgusting and illegal,” and Bravo conducted an investigation. Weeks later, an insider told Us Weekly that things between the cast are changing “day by day” as they look ahead to the series’ potential 11th season.
“There are daily internal conversations about how the cast is feeling and how they want to proceed,” an insider shared on May 5.
According to the source, Amanda and West, 31, have suggested that their romance is the real deal, but their co-stars aren’t convinced.
“Amanda and West have said it’s serious and that they’re officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but no one would be shocked if it were just a fun hookup that they now have to take seriously,” the insider revealed.
As for the mood at the reunion, a second source said that emotions were high.
“The guys were emotional for most of the day [while] filming and several of them cried,” the insider shared, as the first source said the reunion “was torturous and emotionally draining because they just wanted to get answers and move on from it.”
“The cast is relieved it’s behind them,” they added.
Although the cast was hoping for transparency from Amanda and West in regard to when their relationship began, they didn’t feel they got it.
“Everyone wants real, straightforward answers,” a third source noted, “but there’s a feeling that parts of the story are still being held back or carefully spun, which has only made tensions worse.”
Following the taping, Amanda is reportedly only in touch with her estranged husband, Kyle Cooke, 43, and West is on the outs with everyone. As the first source revealed, the former couple knows each other “better than anyone else” and has been able to remain on “OK terms.”
“Their relationship is definitely more tense than it was a few weeks ago, but they still talk,” they shared.
Meanwhile, a fourth source made it clear that the cast was “mad at West and Amanda because of the way they handled things at the reunion.”
Regarding Ciara Miller, 30, who was rumored to be rekindling her romance with West just weeks before he went public with her former best friend, the first insider said she was doing “surprisingly well.”
“She has good and bad days, but she’s not the type to sit around and mope. She won’t give Amanda and West that power,” they reasoned, as the fourth source clarified that she was still “extremely hurt and angry” with the couple.
“Ciara will never be friends with them, especially after the reunion,” they said. “She wanted answers [about their relationship] by the reunion to make up her mind, but she is finally finding out who Amanda really is.”
As Ciara looks ahead to her role on Dancing With the Stars, the fourth source suggested that she may not return to Summer House “so she can focus on the positive in the next chapter of her life,” and the first source said she doesn’t think she “needs” the Bravo show anymore.
“But she’s torn because being on reality TV has given her so much. She has more opportunities than ever coming her way, so she’s deciding what makes most sense for her future and, more importantly, her mental health,” they shared.
While Summer House producers initially planned to phase Amanda, Kyle, and Lindsay Hubbard, 39, out of the series as they moved to their new spinoff, In The City, and “bring in some fresh faces who’d gel naturally with the remaining cast members,” according to the first source, things have changed due to Amanda and West’s romance.
“Kyle and Amanda are very much still integral as things are evolving in real time. Producers are aware that people will be tuning in to see them, not newbies,” the insider explained.
Then, the third source said producers were exploring their options.
As for West’s potential spinoff in the Ozarks, the first insider said it was unclear “if that’s moving forward,” as they added that filming on Summer House usually begins in about two months.
“It’s crunch time,” they stated.
Summer House season 10 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.