De-Grime Your Outdoor Furniture — And More for Getting Your Yard Party-Ready
Warmer weather knocks. Will you answer? Will you slide open those glass doors? Unsheathe the patio furniture? Turn on the grill? Wait, does all of that need to be … cleaned?
In order to pull off (and minimize cleanup for) an outdoor bash, you'll need to plan in advance. And no one knows how to do that better than those who crew multimillion-dollar superyachts: the yachties from the Bravo reality franchise Below Deck.
We spoke with two deckhands to get their very best tips so you can throw a celebration without stressing out. A few of their favorite cleaning products and tips? A tablecloth is an easy way to protect your tables and add instant elegance, sparkling water is the gold standard for destaining finnicky fabrics, and a microfiber cloth will be your best friend.
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Time Magazine
10 hours ago
- Time Magazine
It's Time to Put 'The Valley' Out of Its Misery
Television has gotten pretty dark. Tech dystopias, from Black Mirror to Severance, are our water-cooler shows. The true-crime factory pumps out more real-life nightmares every day. Millions of viewers are bingeing on post-apocalyptic misery, whether it takes the shape of The Last of Us' fungal wasteland or Silo's crumbling underground city or the sterile billionaires' stronghold in Paradise. Even realistic dramas increasingly rely on a murder-mystery element to build suspense. And yet, somehow, the most depressing show on TV—with the exception of any news broadcast, at least—is a reality soap about bougie couples in the suburbs of Los Angeles. I am, of course, talking about Bravo's The Valley, the Vanderpump Rules spinoff that follows some of the latter series' most notorious characters from the clubstaraunt to the cul-de-sac. Like the early seasons of Vanderpump, as well as the network's stalwart Real Housewives and Below Deck franchises, The Valley was introduced as light entertainment. In this case, the comedy inherent in the premise was that of hard-partying, adulthood-resisting millennial Angelenos adjusting to marriage, mortgage payments, and parenthood. (The original opening credits placed the couples in kitschy front-yard tableaux, hoisting trash bags or raking leaves.) Instead, viewers have spent two seasons looking on in horror as many of the cast members have torn their own lives and families apart, with public scrutiny only adding heat to the crucible. Far from entertaining, the show has become genuinely painful to watch. Now, as its second season ends in a trilogy of miserable reunion episodes, I wish Bravo would just pull the plug. The series premiere, which aired last March, suggests what producers initially envisioned as the tone of the show. Like the Housewives, this docusoap would center on the big personalities and minor melodramas of a so-called friend group—a term of art for a reality TV cast that may or may not actually socialize off-camera. Vanderpump alums Jax Taylor, a supposedly reformed womanizer, and his wife Brittany Cartwright, a Kentucky-bred sweetheart whose years of saintly self-sacrifice had apparently redeemed him, were positioned as what Jax might call the No. 1 couple in the group. Also back on Bravo, years after getting fired from Vanderpump for racist mischief, was perennial pot-stirrer Kristen Doute, now trying to get pregnant with her boyfriend, soft-spoken L.A. outsider Luke Broderick. A selection of their associates filled out the cast. Jesse Lally and Michelle Saniei were married real estate agents with a toddler. Actor Danny Booko and former Miss USA Nia Booko had their hands full with three kids under two years old (now they have four under four). Janet Caperna was extremely intense and extremely pregnant; her husband, Jason, kept relatively quiet. Finally, we met Jasmine Goode and Zack Wickham, who were both queer but whose personal lives didn't seem to be part of the friend-group saga. While Jax, surely at the urging of producers, tried to provoke Kristen by questioning her fertility choices, nothing major happened in the premiere. The couples bickered and complained about each other, as couples often do. The episode climaxed with Jax pantsing Danny, who turned out to not be wearing underwear, at a country-fair-themed birthday party for Janet. Earlier, Zack had made an observation whose accuracy was never in doubt but that would only seem more prescient as the show progressed: 'All these people move to the Valley, get a house, pop out a couple of kids, and then they think they're so grown-up. But these people don't grow up.' As tends to be the case in shows like this, tensions between and among couples escalated as the season wore on. But unless you'd been following the ever-expanding constellation of tabloids, podcasts, and social media gossip accounts that track reality stars' every move, it was still jarring to see a six-month time jump in the finale that checked in with two couples—Jesse and Michelle as well as Jax and Brittany—who'd separated since production wrapped. Alarming reports trickled out during The Valley's hiatus, mostly about Jax: his cocaine addiction; his stint in rehab, during which Brittany filed for divorce; his diagnosis, after years of Bravo fans' armchair psychoanalysis, of bipolar and PTSD; a second rehab stay. Much of the above was chronicled in this year's anhedonic second season, which opened with Brittany's account—and Jax's confirmation—of his violent, table-smashing response to his discovery of some racy text messages she'd exchanged with a friend of his, even though they were separated and free to date at the time. Viewers learned that he'd also been surveilling his estranged wife via home security cameras, and watched as he bombarded her with rage-texts from rehab. Repeating a pattern of behavior familiar to any Vanderpump completist, he sometimes lied, sometimes expressed remorse and promised to change, and sometimes played the victim, insisting it was Brittany who had destroyed their family by separating him from his son. (I mean, who could blame her?) Every episode seemed to bring a new, terrible revelation. Jax wasn't the only man in the group whose actions went beyond the pale—even for reality TV. Though he and Michelle both had new partners and were co-parenting… well, not peacefully, but at least more functionally than the Cartwright-Taylors, Jesse became obsessed with the idea that she'd been cheating on him with her current boyfriend before their separation. He called her a 'hooker' to her face and spread an unsubstantiated rumor that a billionaire was paying her for sex. The exes went back and forth over whether Michelle could take their daughter on a trip to visit her dying mother. Less predictably, it came out that nice-guy Danny had drunkenly groped Jasmine and her fiancée, Melissa Carelli, at a Halloween party between seasons. Although he apologized and they forgave him, the incident fueled a season-long arc that divided the cast over whether they believed he had a drinking problem that Nia was helping him hide. Whether or not you're inclined to invoke loaded and in some cases legal terms—domestic violence, emotional abuse, sexual assault, stalking, slander, slut-shaming, etc.—to describe these behaviors, only a sadist could enjoy watching real people inflict and endure such a litany of tortures. It's particularly disturbing to see them normalized within the conventions of a TV format designed to escalate petty slights and rivalries into social wars so stupid, they're funny. Real suffering is kryptonite to rich-people-problems entertainment (which is probably also why The Real Housewives of New York City imploded, this past January, in a season finale where one cast member accused another of insensitivity towards the former's traumatic experience as a rape survivor). This is not the stuff of juicy gossip, to be gleefully dissected with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. Yet there Cohen and The Valley cast members often were, on his post-game talk show, polling viewers about whose side they were on in the Jax-Brittany breakup or how they felt about Janet labeling Danny's blackout transgression sexual assault. As the RHONY meltdown illustrates, The Valley isn't the first Bravo docusoap to get darker than the genre is equipped to go. But the sheer number of horrible storylines and moments in its second season suggests something uniquely rotten at the show's core. I think it's the focus on the specific varieties of dysfunction that can arise within heterosexual marriages and families. While husbands and kids are part of all the Housewives menageries, they're never the main characters. Frequent girls' trips, among other contrivances, keep the focus on female friendship, which for all its discontents does not usually conceal sexual violence, abuse, or infidelity. Cheating has been a constant source of drama in Vanderpump (before Scandoval, Jax was the resident recidivist cad) and other coed 'friend group' shows like Summer House. The thing is, those casts tend to be younger, unmarried, and childless; the stakes of their drunken antics are lower, less likely to land them in court or rehab and their kids, who in the case of The Valley families are too little to be consensual participants in the Bravo universe, in therapy. Which is why, as unlikely as its cancellation seems at this point, I'm convinced there's no fixing The Valley. Sure, Taylor's recently announced departure from the show is a relief, especially for Cartwright and their son, whether or not he's capable of staying out of the spotlight or maintaining what he enumerated in a statement as 'my sobriety, my mental health and coparenting relationship.' No one's livelihood should be contingent on interacting, on camera or off, with a person who caused them pain. Yet Brittany isn't the only cast member in that boat. Even if she were, what would be left to salvage of a show whose central clique has no real chemistry, whose cast has no charming breakout star (much has been made of Vanderpump villain Doute's emergence as the most likable of the bunch), whose episodes are devoid of the silly hangout shenanigans found in the best seasons of Vanderpump and Housewives? (The slapstick comedy of Jax pantsing Danny was immediately followed by Nia bursting into tears over her husband's humiliation.) The producers of The Valley were right to presume that chaos would ensue when people who'd been partying for 20 years tried to settle into more tranquil, suburban existences. They just didn't anticipate what a tragic form that chaos would take.
Fox News
21 hours ago
- Fox News
Teddi Mellencamp struggles with speech following cancer treatment
Teddi Mellencamp opened up about the toll cancer has taken – not just on her body, but on her ability to speak. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star, 44, revealed that her treatment for stage 4 cancer has left her struggling with her speech. "I feel like my words are a little stuttery sometimes, and it doesn't mean I'm telling a lie," Mellencamp said in a sneak peek of her appearance on the "Jamie Kern Lima Show" podcast, obtained by People. "Some people have to relearn to talk after having these surgeries that I had. The fact that I can do as much as I can do, I'm so blessed for. But it still happens to me, and some days are very bad." The Bravo alum admitted she's concerned about how she might be perceived if she were to return to television. "Some days, I'm just stumbling word over word," she explained. "And I would hate to be on a show like that and have somebody think that I was not being honest and really I was just struggling. And then get the heat for it, because how could you do that to someone that has cancer?" While the reality television veteran isn't ruling out future appearances, she explained she's hitting pause. "I don't think it would be the best for the cast, and it wouldn't be the best for me right now." WATCH: KYLE RICHARDS CALLS TEDDI MELLENCAMP 'INCREDIBLY STRONG' DURING CANCER BATTLE Mellencamp was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer earlier this year after her melanoma metastasized in her brain and lungs. She underwent surgery to remove several masses and has been receiving immunotherapy and radiation. During her podcast appearance, the "Real Housewives" star also candidly spoke out about what she's "most fearful" of during her battle with cancer, with the most obvious answer being death. But when reflecting on what truly weighs on her, she said, "I'm fearful of feeling alone." She continued to call it "an irrational fear," acknowledging that she has so "many friends and family" around her. Her vulnerable admission comes as Mellencamp navigates a divorce from husband Edwin Arroyave. The estranged couple put a pause to their separation as Mellencamp continues her cancer treatment. "I always knew he'd do the right thing by me," Mellencamp said during a previous episode of the podcast. "If he wanted to, he could still be filing and finishing this divorce off right now. But, my dad [singer John Mellencamp] and family just said like, 'I don't think this is the right thing for her to be able to try to navigate right now or figure out.' It was like, 'Yeah, of course. No, we'll wait. We'll wait until she's better, and then we'll figure it out.'" "To this day, I don't hate Edwin," she said. "I just want him to be happy, and I want our kids to be happy, and I want us to be able to have a good friendship and relationship, and I don't want to do anything to hurt him. I kind of know how our marriage works." Mellencamp filed for divorce from Arroyave in November 2024 after 13 years of marriage. The pair share three children – daughters Slate and Dove, and son Cruz.
CNET
a day ago
- CNET
12 of the Best Peacock Shows to Stream Today
Peacock costs more after a July price hike, but the streamer's reliably entertaining lineup of NBC and Bravo favorites could mean you're keeping it around. If you aren't dropping it, the platform's original series are also worth checking out. Some highly rated options include season 2 of the Natasha Lyonne detective show Poker Face and the 2024 Eddie Redmayne assassin series The Day of the Jackal. If you're poking around Peacock for something to watch, here are 12 standout shows to try. Peacock now costs $11 a month, or $110 a year for the ad-supported version, but eligible Comcast and Instacart subscribers can stream for free. Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited The Day of the Jackal (2024- ) If a 10-episode show with Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, elaborate assassinations and a cat-and-mouse game sounds like a binge you want to go on, this thriller awaits. Redmayne plays an assassin who can hide his identity like a chameleon and execute targets from more than 2 miles away. Lashana Lynch also stars as a British intelligence officer attempting to stop him. You can look forward to a second season of the show, which reimagines the 1971 novel and 1973 film of the same name. See at Peacock Peacock Poker Face (2023- ) What if you could always tell when someone is lying? That's the talent possessed by Natasha Lyonne's Charlie in Poker Face, a 10-episode detective series created by Knives Out writer and director Rian Johnson. Each episode introduces a crime and wraps things up before the next entry starts. With the charisma of Russian Doll star Lyonne and an eye-popping list of guest stars such as Adrien Brody, Chloë Sevigny and Rhea Perlman, Poker Face is thrilling, addictive TV. See at Peacock James Dittiger/Peacock Laid (2024) If you like dark comedies or are a fan of Everything Everywhere All at Once star Stephanie Hsu, look no further than this hilarious half-hour show. Hsu plays a 33-year-old woman who learns that her exes are dying, and she has to inform her past lovers and attempt to figure out the cause. Girls actress Zosia Mamet stars as her helpful, true crime-loving best friend. See at Peacock Fernando Decillis/Peacock Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (2024) This Peacock crime drama has a show-stopping cast and is based on true events. Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist centers on Kevin Hart's Chicken Man, a hustler who must clear his name after a bold robbery. The show is set in Atlanta in 1970 and also stars Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard and singer Chloe Bailey. See at Peacock Peacock/Screenshot by CNET The Resort (2022- ) If you're a sucker for resort-set TV shows that will get you speculating, you should check out this Peacock series. Cristin Milioti and William Jackson Harper star as a married couple who begin to explore the disappearances of two young people more than a decade earlier. Pack a trunk for paradise and get ready for the twisty story to take hold. See at Peacock Peacock Dr. Death (2021- ) Wondery's popular 2018 true crime podcast Dr. Death led me to think in disbelief, "How did nobody put a stop to this guy?" Watching Peacock's TV adaptation of the podcast is a similarly maddening affair. Christopher Duntsch, a Dallas neurosurgeon, killed two patients he operated on and injured 31 others. Watch for a captivating, chilling tale about a surgeon's horrific crime spree that lasted far longer than it should have. See at Peacock Peacock We Are Lady Parts (2021- ) This British comedy spotlighting an all-female Muslim punk band is extremely fun and boasts a cast of talented young people. The series kicks off introduces 26-year-old Amina, a secretly skilled yet shy musician. Enter Lady Parts, an uber cool group in need of a new guitarist. Time spent with these ladies flies by, making We Are Lady Parts a Peacock pick worth your streaming hours. See at Peacock Euan Cherry/Peacock The Traitors (2023- ) Three seasons of deception in, The Traitors' mix of reality TV personalities, creative challenges and secret identities is still extremely enjoyable. Based on the Dutch reality series De Verraders, the show rounds up cunning game-players who try to win a cash prize by succeeding in challenges and identifying the "traitors" among them. Any backstabbers in the group that aren't outed in time take all the moolah. See at Peacock Peacock Mrs. Davis (2023) Artificial Intelligence is inescapable these days, so no wonder it's a major part of a Peacock series. The show follows a nun (not named Mrs. Davis) who tries to take down an all-powerful AI (named Mrs. Davis). For a wild show with lots of ideas, don't miss this risk-taking, globe-trotting Peacock series. See at Peacock Ben Symons/Peacock Love Island USA (2022- ) Reality TV is one of Peacock's strengths, and Love Island USA is a dating competition show known to spark lots of conversation. You'll find a variety of Love Island series in the franchise on the platform, but this one drops American contestants in a tropical location vying for coupledom and to make it to the end. Making a romantic connection earns love and prize money, but the gossiping, scandals, betrayal and drama raise the stakes. See at Peacock Peacock Rutherford Falls (2021-22) Ed Helms of The Office, The Hangover and other beloved comedies stars in this sitcom focused on the small town of Rutherford Falls. Helms plays Nathan, a descendant of the town's founder and an advocate for his family history. The show is charming and funny (even as it tackles weighty subjects) and it's also been lauded for its Indigenous representation on-screen and in the writer's room. See at Peacock NBC Parks and Recreation (2009-2015) No, it's not an original Peacock series. But I'd be doing anyone reading this a huge disservice if I didn't mention that the seven-season sitcom focused on the zany occupants of Pawnee, Indiana, has a home on Peacock. This goofy, big-hearted show has drawn genuine belly laughs out of me countless times. It's buoyant, witty and just as good on rewatch. The point is, you'll want to keep this one handy for a mood refresh when you can't get creepy Dr. Death and his spooky scalpel out of your head. See at Peacock
