Amanda Batula has never once given off the feeling that she had eyes for anyone other than Kyle Cooke. Their entire storyline has been around their love story, from the first date to the televised wedding. But for Summer House Season 8, Bravo threw a screwball as they cast two new men into Summer House. Cue Jesse Solomon. He was tall, dark, and handsome. And even though he had the looks going for him, many of the girls thought he might be a bit of a player.
Jesse has been bold when it comes to flirting with almost everyone in the house. The cancer survivor has also been more than happy to party with the roomies but then go on sleepovers at other girls’ houses. Who can blame him? Jesse is single and ready to mingle, but could he have eyes for Amanda? Fans haven’t seen Amanda or Jesse directly interact on the episodes, especially because the rookie first spent his time flirting with Paige DeSorbo. However, there have been sparks that have been hard to ignore. But after rumors of tryst spread between the two, Amanda had to work on a bit of damage control.
The theory
It’s all going down on TikTok, as earlier in the month, fans went nuts over a video that Jesse posted. The footage showed Jesse, Amanda, and a few friends hanging out. But what caught viewers’ eye was how Amanda continued to rest her head on Jesse’s shoulder. One eagle-eyed follower reposted the video, writing, “This is bonks, right?” Wasting no time, Amanda replied, writing to Jesse’s video, “Why do you hate me?!!?!”
Adding fuel to the fire, Jesse replied, “Lol whoops, you look so hot in the video, tho!!” This isn’t the first time Jesse has left some alluring compliments on a simple social media post.
Flirts or compliments?
In other screenshotted posts that will live in infamy, Jesse has written “Holy f*ckamole” and “MILF in training.” In a TikTok where Amanda was wearing only a bra, he wrote, “All my comments would be inappropriate, but just know I was here. I’m rarely at a loss for words.” Okay, well, it doesn’t help that Jesse comments on Amanda’s Instagram posts with comments like “Snack on my faaccee.” Obviously, some fans are going to read a bit too much into the jesting comment. But that seemed to be enough proof to be pause for concern.
Amanda acknowledged the flirting
The timings of the flirtings feel a bit odd, especially since Amanda and Kyle have experienced some turmoil in the most recent episodes of Summer House. Kyle recently stated to the cameras “I’m having a good summer, but I want to feel like I’m on the same page with Amanda. I don’t want to be sitting there scratching my head, wondering if you even like me. Or if you’re bothered by my presence. But that’s often how it feels.” But in a recent video posted on May 15, Amanda noted, “You guys are out of control.”
Nothing to see here
While on a Watch What Happens Live episode, fans called Amanda out for having more chemistry with Jesse than with her own husband. When asked if she was intentionally flirting with Jesse, the graphic designer, who became a little hot under the collar, Amanda stated, “I feel like every summer people are like ‘Amanda likes this person. Amanda likes this person. These people are good together. I think I’m just a very friendly, flirty, harmless person. I love Jesse. But not like that.” Neither Andy Cohen nor Patti Stanger continued with any follow-up questions after Amanda made her stance clear.
Personally, I doubt anything is going on. Amanda loves Kyle and has stood by his side for a very long time. I don’t believe she would do anything to risk their marriage. Also, Summer House is a reality show; people do need some form of gossip to talk about so why not some unintentional flirting?
