EP. S2E59 — The Roys & Righteous Gemstones w/ Brooke Siffrinn & Aricia Skidmore-Williams

Ashley Ray [00:00:04] I always think that the live camera streaming idea of reality shows is so much, like, I couldn’t do it. And then I think, “Okay, if they actually did that for Below Deck, I would absolutely watch them 24/7.” I would watch them sleep.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:00:18] Yeah, it becomes background when you’re home alone. It’s like, “Oh, these are my friends. They’re on TV doing nothing, like me.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:00:27] Yeah, we are definitely adjusted to social situations for sure here  

Ashley Ray [00:00:30] Yes. Welcome to TV, I say with Ashley Ray–your go-to podcast for discovering what to watch on TV and getting behind the scenes insight from the people who make the shows you love. You just heard a little tease of my chat with Even the Rich hosts, Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore-Williams. And let me tell you, this is a really exciting episode. We get into some of our favorite rich TV families–you know, like the Roys and Gemstones–but we also talk a lot about the real rich people and the crazy stuff they’re up to and the wonderful documentaries about them. Yeah, let’s talk about that TMZ, Britney Spears doc because we got to break that one down. We’re also going to get into Dark Side of the 2000s and what is going on with The Bachelor and how it’s made. I bring in Brooke and or Aricia to break down all of this with me. You’re not going to want to miss it. We’ll be right back. Brooke Siffrinn. Aricia Skidmore-Williams. Welcome to TV Club. I’m so happy to have you here. Before we dive in, do you want to tell us a little bit about yourself and your podcast, Even the Rich?  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:01:42] So we are best friends–former roommates. We met parking cars for famous people–rich people. We hit it off immediately. And Aricia saw a casting in a Facebook group for… They were looking for funny best friends to host a podcast about rich people. And we were like, “Okay, this is us. We already do this, and we don’t get paid for it. So maybe let’s try to get paid for it.” So, we sent in an audition, and the rest is history, as they say. I think we did three auditions, and then they picked us. It’s based on a telenovela called The Rich Cry, Too.  

Ashley Ray [00:02:24] They really do.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:02:26] They do. They cry a lot.  

Ashley Ray [00:02:28] And that is, I think, something you learn listening to Even the Rich is–wow–like, even they have it pretty hard. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:02:37] They really do. Yeah, they go through it.  

Ashley Ray [00:02:40] I just revisited the Free Britney episodes you did because–I don’t know if you watched–TMZ just did a big Britney Spears exposé documentary. Did you watch this?  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:02:51] I haven’t watched it, but I’m like, “They literally waste zero time over there.” 

Ashley Ray [00:02:55] TMZ is just like, “This just happened this morning. Let’s get the documentary team on it.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:03:00] It’s insane–the speed with which these documentaries come out. Like, I feel like with the submersible or whatever that it’s called–there was a documentary before it had even been determined. 

Ashley Ray [00:03:12] Before we even knew if they were dead. Yeah, it was straight up like, “The BBC has a documentary on this coming out tonight.” And people were like, “Aren’t we still, like, counting down the oxygen?” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:03:20] It was just like Hollywood’s like, “We’ve got no time to waste. We got to be writing these before they even happened.” 

Ashley Ray [00:03:25] I swear in the TMZ Britney doc, they had a TikTok or Instagram video she had posted that morning. I was like, “How are you moving this quickly?” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:03:35] I was going to say, it takes Aricia and I, like, eight hours to create a 30-second reel. So, the fact that they’re putting out documentaries like this, it’s like, “Wow, that’s impressive.”  

Ashley Ray [00:03:44] Yeah, it’s just nonstop. And the Britney one–if you did get to watch–it is not good. It’s like they’re rushing. And the quality is just not there. Like, half the people–the experts–it was just some guy who was like, “Well, I have listened to a lot of Britney Spears songs, so I am an expert here. And I have a TikTok, so let’s not disregard that. Here’s why I think Britney Spears is the saddest she’s ever been.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:04:11] “I once saw a yellow snake. And she famously had a snake that was yellow on her shoulders. Therefore, I’m a Britney expert.” And it’s like, “Yup, that’s how that works.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:04:17] That’s how it works. These are the things where I’m like, “Call us. We’d love to do this. We’re experts.” 

Ashley Ray [00:04:23] You’re experts. Like, put you on the TV. What are we doing here, TMZ? If we’re going to do these weird documentaries… And this is a series they’re starting because this is the second. The first one was about another plane on 9/11 that people thought was being hijacked. And the people on the plane have created a conspiracy where they were like, “We also were hijacked on 9/11. But we stopped them.” But then when they interview the people, it’s truly them being like, “There was just a lady who was acting really weird. She was just acting, like, so, so weird. And then because she was, like, so weird, our flight got delayed. And so, then we didn’t take off. And so, we stopped the next 9/11 attack.” And everyone’s just like, “Did she get arrested?”  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:05:10] It sounds like that woman was the hero who stopped the plane from going–   

Ashley Ray [00:05:16] Right? It’s like she was acting so weird. And that was the whole thing.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:05:22] It’s like the real phalange. In Friends, when she’s trying to get Rachel off the plane, she’s like, “There’s something wrong with the phalange.” 

Ashley Ray [00:05:31] And she saved the day. And so TMZ made an entire hour-long documentary about it.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:05:36] Of course they did. They just have dollar bills for eyeballs. 

Ashley Ray [00:05:39] Truly. And I also think it’s just Hulu being like, “We will take anything and call it a documentary. Like, please just give us anything.” Out of the rich that you’ve covered, who do you think is ripe for the next documentary because I know you did a Kardashian episode that I visited. And I mean, we did just get the Kim Kanye divorce documentary.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:06:00] Yeah, I saw that. I’m like, “Wow, okay. We do need a documentary about everything.”  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:06:05] They’re churning them out! 

Ashley Ray [00:06:07] And half the time it’s just like, “Here’s what some people on YouTube and TikTok said.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:06:11] Well, yeah, it has nothing to do with quality anymore. I feel like the documentary phenomenon–if we want to call it that–really blew up with the conservatorship. 

Ashley Ray [00:06:23] Oh, yeah.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:06:24] Entertainment news in general just, I feel like, exploded chasing the story. And, like, we watched one of the documentaries for one of the things we recorded. And I feel like it’s now just a matter of getting something out first. They don’t seem to care that much about accuracy. They don’t really care about quality. Like, watching some of these documentaries–I mean, it would take me longer, but I could do a better job.  

Ashley Ray [00:06:48] I could do a better job. I could cut together better TikToks and YouTube videos, find some experts, and do a better job. The Kim and Kanye one especially was so bad.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:06:58] They’re like, “We don’t care. We just need to get something up there, so people are tuning in.” 

Ashley Ray [00:07:02] Yeah. “So, we get the views.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:07:06] I feel like maybe Will Smith… I’m surprised there’s not a Slapgate documentary yet. So, of the people we’ve covered, I feel like that’s the one most likely.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:07:16] Yeah, I could see that.  

Ashley Ray [00:07:17] I could see that. I could also see people being like, “We don’t really need a documentary because they just share everything. Like, there’s nothing we don’t know.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:07:25] That’s true.  

Ashley Ray [00:07:26] Yeah. When I read the part in Will Smith’s book where he talked about how he had so much sex that, like, that idea of it made him just want to throw up, I was like, “Why did you…?” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:07:36] Stop bragging.  

Ashley Ray [00:07:36] Yeah. Come on.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:07:38] We get it. You have sex. 

Ashley Ray [00:07:39] You have so much sex that just even the thought of it–you want to vomit. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:07:46] I wouldn’t be surprised if there was, like, a Black Widow-ass documentary about Ariana Grande. Not like the killing, but, like, just taking men and leaving names or whatever. 

Ashley Ray [00:08:01] I would absolutely be in. I’m a big Ariana Grande fan. Like, truly, I love her so much I let her be Black sometimes. Not all the time. Not all the time. Not during February or anything, but just…  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:08:16] The shortest month needs to be left the shortest month for us to celebrate. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:08:24] Yeah, She’s messy in a fun way.  

Ashley Ray [00:08:28] I would absolutely watch a documentary about just, like, all of her relationships.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:08:32] I could see that. Like, I’m actually kind of surprised. I feel like we don’t really see many… I mean, I guess Kim vs Kanye: The Divorce started, but I feel like we don’t really see… Because, you know, how US Weekly will do a breakdown of their relationship whenever something happens with someone’s relationship. Yeah, they do a timeline. Like, I could see those starting to become documentaries.  

Ashley Ray [00:08:50] Oh, absolutely. I feel like people already treat them like they are, where they’re just, “This is a history of every person she dated. What a wonderful documentary.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:08:58] And, like, “dating” is like, “She was seen in the same restaurant as this one person. So obviously…” 

Ashley Ray [00:09:03] “So they were together.” Yeah. That’s how it works now.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:09:06] So I always try to go to restaurants where Chris Evans is.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:09:11] That’s crazy that he’s not at Wendy’s all the time. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:09:16] I know! What’s a girl gotta do?  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:09:17] You got to branch out to different restaurants.  

Ashley Ray [00:09:20] So I want to get into your watchlists. What have you been watching? What have you been into? Do you only watch shows about rich people, or is it just kind of different things across the board?  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:09:32] I’m a huge reality TV watcher. Like, maybe there should be a documentary about my problems because I literally… Like, we sent a list to Sarah, our PR person, and she’s like, “I’m surprised by how many shows you watch.” I’m like, “Honestly, same. I have too much time apparently.” 

Ashley Ray [00:09:51] I will say the list was forwarded to me. It is one of the longest we have gotten from a guest. I was like, “Oh, okay, yeah. Finally, someone is, like, up there with me.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:10:01] I’m just, like, obsessed with reality. I don’t know what it is. It’s just stupid trash, but it’s fun, you know? It’s simple. It’s good for my anxiety. It doesn’t make me think too much, you know? It’s great. So Big Brother is currently airing, which I have been watching since Season One. I was, like, a child when this show came on. They’re on Season 25 now. I watch the live feeds. I’m, like, fully invested.  

Ashley Ray [00:10:25] Oh, you’re really into it.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:10:26] Quick sidebar. This is a quick spoiler. Who won that? So, we have sleepovers on Thursday. And this past Thursday, it was something where… I’m not as nearly as big of a reality watcher as Brooke. But the live feeds–there was, like, a challenge on them, and they just had to, like, hold on to a pole or something. But who won? They were still holding on when we went to bed.  

Ashley Ray [00:10:45] They’re just holding this pole for hours. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:10:52] Literally, they’re just standing there for hours.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:10:55] So Season Six of Big Brother–aka the best season of Big Brother of all time in my opinion–  

Ashley Ray [00:11:01] That’s a hot take.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:11:02] It is. They had a competition called the Pressure Cooker, and they were in this dome outside. And all they had to do was keep their hand on a button and outlast each other. And so, they decided to bring it back for Season 25, and so you could watch it on the live feeds. And I forced Aricia at our sleepover to watch this play out. And it was literally still going on when we woke up because I, like, immediately got on Twitter or X or whatever the hell we’re calling it. And I was like, “Is it over? Who won? Who won?” And it was still going on. So, Cameron won. He’s the one with, like, curly hair–dark curly hair. He’s kind of Southern. I don’t know if you remember him. But it went for, like, almost 14 hours. It’s wild. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:11:46] That sounds literally like a torture–like what happened at Guantanamo.  

Ashley Ray [00:11:51] Yeah, like, that sounds like a Saw challenge. That sounds like a horror movie.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:11:56] The room they were in was, like, very dingy and dark and, like, very Saw-esque on this one.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:12:03] Plus, at some point, there were no lights on.  

Ashley Ray [00:12:07] What? 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:12:08] So it was night vision filming. 

Ashley Ray [00:12:09] That seems so unnecessary. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:12:13] Just, like, torture tactics. There was one point where they had, like, a strobe light and this death metal playing.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:12:19] And they had, like, gusts of air. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:12:21] I was like, “This is torture for us, too–watching this.” 

Ashley Ray [00:12:24] Torture. Okay.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:12:26] And yet we watched it.  

Ashley Ray [00:12:28] I always think that the live camera streaming idea of reality shows is so much like I couldn’t do it. And then I think, “Okay, if they actually did that for Below Deck, I would absolutely watch them 24/7. I would watch them sleep. I just would watch them clean the boat. I absolutely would be into it.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:12:47] Yeah. It, like, becomes background. When you’re home alone, it’s like, “Oh, these are my friends. They’re on TV doing nothing, like me.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:12:57] We are definitely adjusted to social situations for sure here.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:13:01] “These are my good friends.” 

Ashley Ray [00:13:03] “These are my besties. This is Aesha from Below Deck: Down Under. Every day, I just watch her fold napkins.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:13:11] I also watch Below Deck. I love Below Deck. It’s one of the few reality shows that my husband will watch with me. There’s something about Below Deck that men like.  

Ashley Ray [00:13:20] Men like it because it’s about, like, the work. They’re like, “Oh, yeah. It’s about them doing the job. Are they going to be able to dock the boat right? Oh no. I hope they don’t mess up.” And every time they make it so dramatic, and then they’re just like, “Yeah, we docked the boat just fine.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:13:33] Yeah. And it’s like, “You can tell yourself that’s why you like it. But you like the messy drama, too. You’re into it, too.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:13:40] My brother, like, notoriously loves… Like, I remember when I was younger–he’s three years younger than me–I would, like, watch reality shows and tell him about it. And he would, like, start watching them, and they would be one of those things where he’s like, “Oh, you don’t have to turn it off if you’re leaving the room. You can leave it on.” And I was like, “I guess it’s not that stupid, is it?” He watches more than I watch now.  

Ashley Ray [00:14:02] I mean, Below Deck: Down Under has been so good this season. Too many things are happening. Every episode, it’s like a new person is fired. In this newest episode, someone started choking and, like, having anaphylactic shock or something at the middle of dinner. And everyone is, like, freaking out. I need this season to chill. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:14:22] I know. It’s very intense. And you’re right. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:14:26] The bar is high. I think Vanderpump just raised that bar really high.  

Ashley Ray [00:14:31] Oh, yeah. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:14:31] Like, because that’s unfortunately still everywhere. And it’s like, “What’s next? Murder?” 

Ashley Ray [00:14:39] You’re not a Vanderpump person? 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:14:44] I reluctantly know about it because of the nature of my work where we talk about it because it’s entertainment news. But there’s a lot of reluctance. I used to watch it more passively when I lived with Brooke, because she always had it on. And I’m not being hyperbolic when I say, “Always had it on.”  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:15:01] Not always. Come on. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:15:04] Every morning I woke up to that theme song. Brooke was watching it in the mornings with her cereal.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:15:09] That’s only because Big Brother wasn’t on.  

Ashley Ray [00:15:11] Yeah, it’s one of those ones where, like, I decided to catch out because of Scandoval obviously. And once I decided it was just kind of like, “Okay, this is what I’m dedicating my life to catching up on…” Below Deck–I did the same thing. During quarantine, I watched all ten seasons of the main one, I watched all the spinoffs, and that was a little… Like, I could just put it on and kind of fall asleep to it and still know what was happening. Once you kind of get the groove of Below Deck, it’s easy. But Vanderpump Rules–that was another beast. I was like, “Truly, I need to know all the drama of these people’s lives.” The fact that they work at the same place doesn’t actually matter. Once you accept that, it’s like, “Okay, this is a wonderful show.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:15:52] No one even works there anymore. It’s like maybe one person works there and the rest of them are just, like, off recording horrible music.  

Ashley Ray [00:15:59] Yeah. And I feel like the one person who also works there is, like, very poor. It’s like, “Wow, you don’t have an influencer deal to make up for this income?” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:16:09] “How sad for you.” 

Ashley Ray [00:16:11] “Yeah. Get it together.” Aricia, what are you watching?  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:16:19] I’m more scripted. I’m one of those people that watches, like, old shows all the time. Like, I’m always watching Frasier. I’m always watching Desperate Housewives. I’m always watching Seinfeld. 

Ashley Ray [00:16:27] Okay, so quick question then. Are you excited for the Frasier reboot we’re getting, where Frasier moves to Boston to live with his oldest son and there are no other characters from the original in it except for Frasier? 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:16:41] Yeah. So, okay, I’ve been getting into it. I’m in a couple of Frasier fan clubs, which I really try to avoid speaking about publicly for obvious reasons. But obviously these fan groups have been going off with this reboot to the point where I’m like, “We gotta stop posting all this. This is too much.” But here’s the thing. That’s what Frasier was when Frasier started. I’m not looking forward to this reboot, but I understand it because Frasier was you took one character from a wildly successful show, left all those other characters behind, and it’s a completely new world. And that’s what they’re doing again. I have very low hopes. I’ve seen the stills. I actually was supposed to go to one of the tapings, but work got in the way. But it just doesn’t… David Hyde Pierce? 

Ashley Ray [00:17:28] What are you doing without Niles? 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:17:30] How do you not have Niles?  

Ashley Ray [00:17:33] It’s not…  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:17:35] I hate these characters. I don’t even know them, and I hate them.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:17:38] They’re not the ones that I love. That’s also the difference between Cheers and Frasier. Cheers with such a big ensemble cast. Whereas, like, Frasier–the dynamic between Frasier and Niles is so hilarious…  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:17:51] It’s the whole key.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:17:52] Yeah. So, to take that away–it’s tough. 

Ashley Ray [00:17:56] I didn’t even remember he, like, had a son. So, I’m just like, “Who is this guy?” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:18:00] Yeah. He randomly pops in.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:18:03] Well, it’s weird because he’s played… The original son, Freddie–he was played by a bunch of people–but the most recent actor who played him is Trevor Einhorn, who was in Mad Men. So, it’s not like he’s not acting. So, it’s weird. Why wouldn’t you keep–? But they’re really, I think, trying to do, like, completely fresh, except for this one character. And then, of course, we have guest stars from Roz, which I’ll definitely watch just to see what they claim is the story.  

Ashley Ray [00:18:34] Yeah, I think it’s going to be a lot like the Samantha cameo we got in And Just Like That where I’m like, “That’s it?” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:18:40] That’s barely a cameo.  

Ashley Ray [00:18:41] Yeah.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:18:42] Yeah. What’d you guys–? Okay, so I just watched that. I watched And Just Like That–the first season. So, this season, I tried. I was like, “I just want to get to one set of Samantha comes, and I lasted through maybe 10 minutes of the first episode.” And I was like, “Fuck this.” 

Ashley Ray [00:19:00] Okay, Season Two is better. Although I’ll say I’m one of those people who started as a hate watcher. And now I’m a genuine lover of the show. I don’t know what I’m going to do without it in my life every week. I’m truly sitting here in my home. Like, this is the first week post And Just Like That, and I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know what I’m going to do without Carrie and Miranda and Charlotte getting into hijinks. Once you accept that this show is basically someone who heard about Sex and the City through a wall and then tried to make her own show–once you accept that–it’s like, “Okay. I’m in.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:19:47] Well, I made the mistake of I just finished rewatching Sex and the City, the original series, and I mean… I hate just about all the characters. I dislike the characters because they’re all, you know, caricatures of, like, one specific trait. Charlotte is like, “I can’t. I have to get married. Romance is real.” 

Ashley Ray [00:20:07] But now in And Just Like That, she’s the sexy, horny one. Now she’s the horny, sexy freak. She’s the one who’s like, “Let’s talk about coming on tits. I’m Charlotte. It’s just wild.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:20:23] I saw her little speech to Harry that everyone’s saying is the TV version of the Barbie monologue that America Ferrera’s character gives, where she’s like, “You did it for, like…” Like, taking care of the kids in the house–he’s like, “You got to help me or whatever.” And she’s like, “This is me literally every day.” And I was like, “Okay, okay,” because I watched past the Samantha scene.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:20:47] Wait, so they’re trying to make Harry a bad guy now?  I will not tolerate it.  

Ashley Ray [00:20:51] No, no, it’s not so much a bad guy. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:20:54] It’s an oblivious man.  

Ashley Ray [00:20:55] Yeah, like, he’s not ready. He’s like, “Well, I’ve never had to really step in the role as father. What does that look like now that you have a job again and our kids are older and, like, kind of assholes also?” That’s, like, a big plot point. Lily and Rock are assholes.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:21:13] I’m not sugarcoating this. I hate shitty kids. I’m like, “Come on.”  

Ashley Ray [00:21:15] Yeah. And Lily, like, becomes this emo musician who writes a song that’s, like, “the darkness of privilege.” The show is really smart because they make fun of her and the song. And you see Charlotte be like, “Oh my God, this is horrible.” But the second season is so good and so much better and kind of feels closer to the original Sex and the City until the end. And then if you just came back to watch the Samantha episode, that one episode is horrible. But the ten before are great. And then it’s like someone who hadn’t seen any episode prior was like, “Let me write the finale. I got this, guys.” And it’s written by Michael Patrick King. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:21:59] I was going to say, wasn’t it written by what’s his face? 

Ashley Ray [00:22:01] The guy who made the show. But it’s just like he was like, “I don’t need to read any of the previous scripts. I know what we’re doing here.” And nothing he does makes sense.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:22:11] Well, did you like the cameo? Like, how did you feel about it?  

Ashley Ray [00:22:15] I was disappointed, honestly. I was like, “How is this what we’re getting?” I expected more, even though I knew it was just a phone call. And you can tell they shot it in separate cages to keep them apart. Like, you can just tell. I don’t even think they played each other’s voices for each other because it just feels so edited to seem like a conversation. And I don’t know. It just seems weird that this is when we’re getting Samantha–that she was considering coming back to New York from London to go to a dinner at Carrie’s house to say bye to her apartment. But she never considered flying back to New York for Big’s funeral.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:22:52] Right.  

Ashley Ray [00:22:55] All this other stuff has been happening, and Samantha’s like, “Eh.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:22:57] I wouldn’t have flown back for Big’s funeral, either. That guy sucked. 

Ashley Ray [00:22:58] I mean, same. Same.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:23:00] But I understand what you’re saying.  

Ashley Ray [00:23:02] But it just kind of felt weird that it was kind of like, “This is Samantha’s big moment? This dinner where Carrie has invited two friends and, like, eight strangers she barely knows?”  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:23:16] You might be selling it for me. Not that part, but, like the rest of it.  

Ashley Ray [00:23:20] I need people to watch it. And you know what, though? I’ll say it. I am a Che Diaz supporter. And this is what– 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:23:34] That is a bold– That’s one of the reasons. I was like, “I cannot stand this character.” I cannot stand Che. I also can’t stand Miranda and, like, whoever she was on in the process of becoming. But I was just like, “I’m done. I’m done dealing with these characters.” 

Ashley Ray [00:23:49] And Che Diaz as a character makes no sense in the show. And half the time, anytime they focus on them, you just want to go, “Why? Why are we learning about this person?” But I just am obsessed with every choice they make with Che Diaz. And when you’re just kind of like, “Why did we need to see Che and make out with an NYU student? Why did we need to see this?” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:24:15] My favorite thing that I didn’t actually see, I just saw on social media… And I think it’s just because, you know, we’re in LA and in the comedy scene–so a lot of stand-up comics. But I guess Che did, like, a standup routine in the first episode of the second season.  

Ashley Ray [00:24:28] Yes.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:24:28] Just, like, the lines from their jokes were horrible. But like they made it seem like they were amazingly hilarious. And it’s just like, “Who’s writing this stuff? Have you been to a comedy show?” 

Ashley Ray [00:24:42] My favorite thing about Che is that every episode, they’re really, truly trying to convince us Che is the most beloved comic in the world. Every scene, they try to have someone, like, walk up and just be like, “Che Diaz! Oh my gosh!” And you’re just truly supposed to believe that Che, who had a failed podcast and a failed pilot, is the biggest comedian in the United States.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:25:06] Yeah, maybe that’s a strategy. Should we have people just come up to us and be like, “Oh my God!” 

Ashley Ray [00:25:12] That’s what Sinbad used to do. I worked for Sinbad.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:25:17] There was a video of, like, a social experiment where they took somebody and just were like, “Oh my God! That’s him from that show.” And it ended up being this huge, like, mob of people around this person who none of them actually knew because it was a nobody.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:25:31] That says so much about us.  

Ashley Ray [00:25:35] Oh man. We really live in a society.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:25:37] We sure do. We really do. 

Ashley Ray [00:25:56] Also, I want to say on the list of shows you sent over, Brooke, you also had The Afterparty, which I want to talk about because no one is.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:26:07] I know!  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:26:08] I’ve never heard of it. 

Ashley Ray [00:26:10] The Afterparty. It’s on Apple TV. Each season focuses on a different murder. And basically, there’s a party that happens, and a murder is discovered. And each episode is a parody of a different genre from the perspective of one of the suspects. So, the first season was the murder of this pop star. And it’s a wonderful ensemble comedy with Sam Richardson, Tiffany Haddish, just so many great people. And then this new season is a murder at a wedding. And again, just a lot of the same people come back. But there’s a parody of Ocean’s 11. There’s a parody of modern, teen TikTok movies that was really funny that’s from Ken Jeong’s character’s perspective.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:27:00] The Wes Anderson parody. 

Ashley Ray [00:27:01] The Wes Anderson was my favorite.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:27:04] Mine, too. It’s really good.  

Ashley Ray [00:27:06] It’s really funny. And I feel like the first season got a lot of traction. The second season hasn’t gotten as much. Part of that is because of the strike. You know, the cast can’t promote it. But at the same time, it’s one of those shows where you would think people are waiting for this, like, “Oh, Sam Richardson in the lead. Oh, it’s coming back.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:27:25] He’s so good.  

Ashley Ray [00:27:26] He’s so good. I love him. And so, I was like, “We’re back. Afterparty.” It’s one of the shows I look forward to every week. But people were saying that shows like The Bear and The Afterparty should have been released all at once. Well, The Bear was released all at once, but The Afterparty should have been released all at once because then people would actually binge it and remember it. And instead, it’s getting weekly released. And people, I don’t think, are remembering it.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:27:52] I know. Well, honestly, I think Season Two is better than Season One. Just in my opinion, I think the ensemble is funnier. What’s her name? Anna. Anna from Pen15.  

Ashley Ray [00:28:05] Yeah. Anna Konkle? 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:28:07] Anna Konkle. Yeah. She is a genius. She is so funny. She’s amazing in this show. I love her. I’m so glad that Pen15 wasn’t just a one-off for her because she’s so funny. Her character is probably my favorite in the whole show. And it’s so fun because it’s funny. I mean, there’s a murder, but it’s such a funny show. And Sam Richardson is just… 

Ashley Ray [00:28:31] The best.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:28:31] A gem.  

Ashley Ray [00:28:32] They do such a good job of balancing the comedy and the mystery. Like, you know, you think, “Oh, the gimmick is going to get tired of seeing the same events but from different perspectives.” I don’t know. It just gets funnier and funnier every single time.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:28:44] I gotta watch this. 

Ashley Ray [00:28:47] Yeah. I am begging people to watch The Afterparty. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:28:50] Don’t get canceled! 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:28:53] I know it’s going to be a very full graveyard once the strike is over.  

Ashley Ray [00:28:57] Same. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:28:58] They’re already canceling shows.  

Ashley Ray [00:29:00] Yeah. And they’re canceling things that were, like, already filmed and done and ready to go, like The Spiderwick Chronicles on Disney TV they’re not moving forward with. And it was already done! 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:29:12] It’s just got to be devastating from so many perspectives, but especially somebody who has acted and was like, “This was going to be such a cool opportunity. And now that’s over.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:29:24] That’s something that would happen to us. We’d get our big break and then it would get canceled.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:29:29] I’m sure will happen at some point.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:29:32] Yeah. Everyone watch The Afterparty. Keep that show going! 

Ashley Ray [00:29:35] And I know you’re like, “Apple TV? Really? I only had that for Ted Lasso.” But trust me. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:29:40] I did only have it for Ted Lasso.  

Ashley Ray [00:29:42] They have good shows. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:29:43] There’s other good shows. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:29:45] I’ve heard there are. I tried to watch Severance. I couldn’t get into that. It was too weird for me.  

Ashley Ray [00:29:49] It’s a good one, but it is weird. It’s a really slow build. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:29:54] It is. And I watched Loot. But that was just… I don’t know. I made it through the first season. I was like, “Eh.”  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:29:59] I loved Loot.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:30:00] It’s not enough for me to, like, want to come back to. Our time is just so precious. And, like, for TV watching, it’s become this, like, perfect storm of variables where it’s like, “I have TV shows that I watch while I’m cleaning, so it’s like I’m not really paying attention. It’s just background noise.” I have TV that I watch where it’s like I’m falling asleep. I always watch Frasier to fall asleep. And then I have TV where it’s like I watch while I’m working. Or I have TV where I have to pay attention. And it’s like the pay attention shows where I can’t be on my phone–they’ve got to be so good. And if it’s a show where I have to pay attention and it’s not that good or I’m not really into it, then it’s like, “Onto the next.” 

Ashley Ray [00:30:37] Yeah. I watched the entire last season of How I Met Your Father and… Yeah. Every episode, I would just be on my phone for the full 20 minutes. And I realized– Someone was like, “What happened this season?” And I was like, “I truly couldn’t tell you.” I watched every moment of it. I know I laughed at some jokes. I could not tell you, like, if she ended it in a relationship. I have no idea.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:30:59] I can tell you.  

Ashley Ray [00:31:01] I’m not alone in watching that show? 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:31:03] I loved How I Met Your Mother.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:31:04] No, she watches it. Don’t know why.  

Ashley Ray [00:31:09] I liked the first few seasons. I got really into it. I fell off because, you know, it just was going for so long. And I think that’s why I was like, “Okay, I’m just going to give How I Met Your Father a shot. Let’s do it.” And it just is on. She made out with Aidan from Sex and the City, which I thought was so weird because Samantha plays her in the future.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:31:33] Her older. Yeah. Yeah, that was weird.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:31:34] That’s really why she and Carrie had that fight. 

Ashley Ray [00:31:38] It had nothing to do with the PR thing. Nothing to do with that. It was all about past her as Hilary Duff making out with Aiden. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:31:45] Yeah. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:31:47] Well, Aricia also doesn’t like Hilary Duff, so that’s a big thing. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:31:50] I don’t dislike Hilary Duff. I don’t think she’s a great actor. There’s a big difference. And I will say… What was the show? Oh, Younger. I started watching Younger and I gave her props for that. I was like, “She’s not bad in this.” But I don’t think she’s a good actor. And there have been stories about when she was on Lizzie McGuire, they had to keep bringing in acting coaches. I say this because I watched Gossip Girl. 

Ashley Ray [00:32:14] She was a child! 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:32:16] But, like, even on Gossip Girl… This is why this came up. Gossip Girl–she has a three, four-episode guest arc. And it’s painful to watch. She’s just not good.  

Ashley Ray [00:32:26] Yeah.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:32:27] And it’s such an easy role to play.  

Ashley Ray [00:32:29] It’s not hard to, like, act in Gossip Girl at all.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:32:34] She’s playing a celebrity who’s just trying to be normal? And I’m like, “So you. This should be easy.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:32:39] Did she keep drawing the Disney mouse in the air? 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:32:44] She kept talking like there was a cartoon version of her. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:32:49] It’s like, “This doesn’t fit into Gossip Girl at all.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:32:51] Come on, dummy. 

Ashley Ray [00:32:53] I feel like she is, I guess, the weakest link of How I Met Your Father.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:32:57] She is kind of. Yeah.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:32:58] More so than Kim Cattrall.  

Ashley Ray [00:33:00] Okay, Kim Cattrall. Kim Cattrall is an angel and a genius and a wonderful, talented being. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:33:09] Well, so we’ve been judging the acting abilities of the four Sex and the City women. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:33:14] This is what we do at our sleepovers. We rank acting. 

Ashley Ray [00:33:16] Kim Cattrall is the best actress because she was–every moment–forcing down the fact that she hated these women. And she managed to move past that to make scenes happen. So that automatically, I think, makes her the best.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:33:30] That is a good argument for sure.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:33:32] I’m rewatching it again just because it, like, started playing. I was like, “Okay. Whatever.” And I’m like, “At what point…?” I would assume in the first season there wasn’t that animosity because it seems to have come from… A big part of it was salary negotiation.  

Ashley Ray [00:33:47] Yeah. And also, Samantha being a more popular character than they thought she would be. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:33:52] Yeah. So, I’m like, “At what point did she really have to dive into, like, acting?” You would never tell. Like, I just finished watching the movie. God, it sounds like all I do is watch Sex and the City.  

Ashley Ray [00:34:03] But it’s one of the best shows.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:34:06] And you would never know. And I’m, like, looking. They deliver their lines and then there’s, like, another person delivering the lines. What is she doing while they’re delivering their lines? And like, you know, she’s got her hand on one of their backs. She’s very good at hiding the animosity that she has. And I will give her that. I’ll give you that. She does that. I’ll give you that, girl.  

Ashley Ray [00:34:28] Also, I don’t know if you watched Glamorous on Netflix. No? No one has. Everyone is like, “Samantha Jones needs a spinoff.” Guess what? She got one on Netflix. It’s called Glamorous. It’s basically about Kim Cattrall playing this woman who’s older and she owns a makeup company, and she realizes, like, “My makeup company is no longer relevant. I have to spice things up and hire some gays.” And so, she hires this young gay boy who’s like, “I’m here to spice things up. You’re, you know, the biggest thing in modeling and makeup. And now you’re old, and I’m going to show you how to be young.” And it’s like him taking her to, like, drag shows and showing her, like, how to diversify the makeup line. But it’s basically just Kim Cattrall playing Samantha Jones in this show as someone with a different name, and it’s so good.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:35:24] That sounds like the kind of garbage I would want to watch.  

Ashley Ray [00:35:27] It’s kind of like Emily in Paris but with a little gay boy in New York. And then Samantha Jones is there just kind of being like, “Your TikTok campaign failed. I can’t believe it.” And you’re just like, “Okay.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:35:41] Yeah. Because literally when you said that, I thought of Emily in Paris for some reason.  

Ashley Ray [00:35:44] Yeah, it’s just like that. It’s just mindless fluff. And I just love that with any Kim Cattrall role at this point, I think you can tell she’s getting paid so much money to film for, like, one day. Like, How I Met Your Father–she just records on one set and just narrates. And then it is.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:36:04] It is a dream job.  

Ashley Ray [00:36:05] Yeah, exactly. That cameo. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:36:06] Kristen Bell as Gossip Girl. She doesn’t do anything. 

Ashley Ray [00:36:10] The cameo in And Just Like That just truly one day’s shoot in a car. You get paid money and go home. Glamorous is pretty much the same thing. She’s just in these office scenes–some in the house–but there are not a lot of, like, group scenes. So, I mean, who did you think was the worst of the Sex and the City actresses? 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:36:42] Charlotte. Kristin Davis. It’s hard, though, because they play such, like, exaggerated versions of people.  

Ashley Ray [00:36:47] Yeah.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:36:49] But I was just watching the movie where she, like, Poughkeepsies in her pants, as they call it, because she’s not eating or drinking. And she, like, gets water. And, like, her eyes while she’s trying to get into the room, but it’s locked because they’re cleaning–her eyes were just going insane. You’ve been in this role for so long, you don’t have to overact like that.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:37:09] Yeah. Yeah, she’s the one where you can just tell she’s acting. She’s a little over the top.  

Ashley Ray [00:37:17] And I’d say even in And Just Like That, it’s kind of the same. I was gonna say, like, Sex and the City–I agree with that. And Just Like That–I almost wanted to say Cynthia Nixon. But I think honestly, that’s just because they gave Miranda so many scenes with Che that genuinely Cynthia is just confused as to how to even react to what she’s being given in this material. She’s like, “So, wait. Miranda is putting a strap-on while…? What is happening?” And so, I truly think Cynthia has the hardest material to deal with.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:37:49] That’s fair.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:37:50] Well, we said we said Cynthia and Sarah Jessica Parker were, like, tied for being pretty strong actors in these roles. But I can’t speak to And Just Like That. The fact that you’re hype, I’m like… 

Ashley Ray [00:38:05] I loved it. And let me tell you Aidan comes back Season Two. And here’s the thing–that guy–he can’t act. He’s good in How I Met Your Father. In And Just Like That, it’s almost like he can’t believe they’re doing this in every scene. Every line of dialogue–everything he’s in–there’s this sense of, like, “Are we for real? Like, what are we doing here?” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:38:29] Interesting. I accidentally started watching Season One on Episode Two. 

Ashley Ray [00:38:37] I think you really wouldn’t miss much honestly. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:38:40] Honestly, I didn’t even realize it until it was over. Like, you would have never known. But that was the only episode I watched. And then I was like, “Yeah, whatever.” But I would watch it. I feel like it’s something I would probably enjoy. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:38:52] We should add it to our sleepover. 

Ashley Ray [00:38:54] Yeah. It’s a perfect sleepover show. One from my watchlist–and I think you both talked about this on your show–Dark Side of the 2000s. They just did an episode on The Bachelor that I watched. Blew my mind–this episode.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:39:14] I know. Well, we talked about– Did you watch the show Unreal? 

Ashley Ray [00:39:17] So, yeah, I watched the show Unreal. And I loved Unreal–obsessed with it. Even when it was not that good, I still loved it. But I truly thought, “Oh, that’s just a fake show. It’s not really that dark.” And then you learn, “Oh no. They basically pulled all of these personalities directly from The Bachelor. It was all 100% real. And I need the show that is them filming how they made The Bachelor in real time.” It sounds so evil.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:39:46] I know. I feel like someday when The Bachelor is finally done… My God.  

Ashley Ray [00:39:49] When will it end? 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:39:53] It’s so boring. Bachelor in Paradise is fine. Like, I can get on board of Bachelor in Paradise. But they can’t find a way to make anything new. So, I feel like it’s on its way out at some point.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:40:04] Even when they found a way to make something new–when they did the two bachelorettes–I was like, “Okay! We’ve got some spice coming!” And it was even more boring. 

Ashley Ray [00:40:16] And now they’re like, “What about an old guy?” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:40:21] But I feel like maybe when that show’s done, we’ll get more contestants speaking out. And we’ll get down to, like, the nitty gritty of what’s really going on. The only thing from Unreal that, like, no one’s talking about is how the host was banging people. It was Chris Harrison? 

Ashley Ray [00:40:39] I mean, I’m sure he was. When they talk about how they would just put these girls in limos in these fancy dresses, feed them alcohol, and not even give them a bathroom to use, I was like, “Oh, people, I am sure, on the crew production were hitting on these girls as soon as they were off the show probably before they even were on The Bachelor.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:41:01] I’m sure.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:41:02] Yeah. Yeah. I want to watch more of the Dark Side of the 2000s. That was, like, our time. You know, that’s when we were growing up and, like…  

Ashley Ray [00:41:10] It’s our formative years. I’ve watched every episode out so far, which is up to The Bachelor one. And it does make me feel very old. It makes me feel so old because they’re recounting these moments that I’m like, “Didn’t that just happen five years ago?” And they’re playing it with Ken Burns slow music with black and white photos. But the black and white photos are just TMZ paparazzi bothering Kanye West. And I’m just like, “That wasn’t that long ago, guys. Like, I’m not old.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:41:45] This is like when we’re supposed to be watching E! True Hollywood Stories about, like, Charlie Chaplin, not people that I know that are about my age or a little bit older. 

Ashley Ray [00:41:55] I really did love… They did a two-part episode on Shock Jocks, and it looked at the transition from Howard Stern to Mancow to Opie and Anthony to how we have Joe Rogan today. And that one was really good. It was two parts. I don’t know. I was, I guess you could say, a good person as a child. So, I was never into Opie and Anthony. The whole thing though is that the talking heads try to be like, “Everyone loved Opie and Anthony and Howard Stern. Everyone loved this. No one was going, ‘Hey, guys, this is kind of messed up.’” And I’m just like, “No, I remember as a teen girl being like, ‘Hey, guys. It’s kind of messed up that Howard Stern talks to 19-year-olds about sex. It’s kind of messed up.’” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:42:42] Yeah. They just don’t want to listen to those people. 

Ashley Ray [00:42:45] Hey. No. Dark Side of the 2000s, some of us were good people, and we were right there going, “No, thank you.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:42:52] There was a whole slew of 12-year-old girls who were like, “Hey, he’s bad.” 

Ashley Ray [00:42:56] But then every talking head is just like, “Look, it was 2003. We just didn’t know any better. We just didn’t know. It was 2004. How could we? We just didn’t know.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:43:05] But somehow 12-year-old girls did. It’s weird. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:43:08] It’s our intuition.  

Ashley Ray [00:43:09] Yeah. Like, somehow, I was sitting there, like, “Hey, I don’t know. I think putting a bunch of, like, 18-year-olds naked on a van and driving around Times Square is a bad idea.” 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:43:18] Yeah. Man, I got to watch more of that.  

Ashley Ray [00:43:22] That one is on my watchlist. I definitely recommend it. Also, on my watchlist is a BS High, which just came out on Max–on HBO. I don’t even know if it’s a Max or an HBO Max documentary. I’m going to just say HBO Max because it’s good.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:43:39] I think it is HBO Max. I saw a reel where someone was talking about it, and they’re like, “BS High is about this, like, fake football team.” And I was like, “Sign me up.”  

Ashley Ray [00:43:49] Yeah. It’s incredible. I’m not a sports person unless it is catastrophe and chaos. And that’s what this is. And I remember back when it happened, basically it’s about Bishop Sycamore–this fake high school that was started as a real charter church school. And then this guy said, “Hey, instead of actually teaching students, what if I just turn it into a football program–get a bunch of kids who I lied to?” Some of them had already graduated high school. Some were in junior college. And he would go to them and say, “Hey, what we are is a temporary charter program so you can come here, play for a year, get experience, get your grades up, and then apply for a collegiate program,” which doesn’t exist. But he lied to all these kids and was like, “We can do it. We’re, you know, like, a collegiate prep school.” So, they pay all this tuition, go out to where this guy is in Ohio, and pretty quickly realize, “Oh, he has us living in hotel rooms. There’s no real school. There’s no school.”  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:44:50] Is it out? It’s out already? 

Ashley Ray [00:44:52] So it’s out. It came out last Tuesday. And it’s truly so good I watched it twice. What makes it so great is that they bring in the coach who is behind the entire scam. And somehow, like, everyone involved is like, “I’m telling you, he’s so egotistical. This guy is going to love being interviewed for a documentary.” And from the get-go, he proves them right. He is a true sociopath. Like, he comes in, and he’s like, “Do you want me to sit like this, or do you want me to sit like this? Do I look like a con man if I sit like this? Or I can sit like this.” Definitely worth watching. On my watchlist. Just please. It is incredible. It’s probably one of my favorite documentaries that’s come out this year–also with Telemarketers, which just ended.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:45:39] Yeah, I started watching that, too. I’ve only seen one episode of Telemarketers so far.  

Ashley Ray [00:45:43] But I think that’s enough to understand the energy of it, which is if you met a heroin addict who had a best friend who was a 17-year-old and they decided to make a documentary together. It’s about telemarketing. And basically, this company that works with fraternal police unions to get the… I’m sure you’ve heard. You hate when they call. You’ve had those calls where they’re like, “Do you want to support the Fraternal Order of Police?” And I’m always like, “Fuck you. No.” And I hang up.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:46:20] Like, “Do you know my race?” 

Ashley Ray [00:46:23] “Why are you calling me?” And it turns out that the company that does that for those people–they aren’t cops. They aren’t even affiliated with the police or the Fraternal Order of Police. They’re a third-party company that is hired by the police because they basically scam people out of all this money and only give 10% of the money to the Fraternal Order of Police, which also is not actually part of the police union. Technically you find out the Fraternal Order of Police is basically, like, the Event and Activities Board of the police. They’re not the people who help when someone is shot. They’re the people who are like, “We’re going to throw a police party.” And so, people think they’re giving to this good cause. But really, it’s these two companies screwing people over. And they also basically will hire anyone. So, most of the people who work there are ex-convicts who can’t get a job somewhere else or high school students. And so, they show this 17-year-old who started working there because he dropped out of high school. He befriends all of these ex-cons–people who, like, live in halfway houses.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:47:27] It sounds like the makings of a great buddy cop movie, though.  

Ashley Ray [00:47:30] Exactly. It’s really good. All three episodes have now aired. And I got to say, it’s worth watching, too.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:47:38] Yeah. It is. The first episode I was like, “Okay. I’m in.” 

Ashley Ray [00:47:58] So I do want to ask you both about some rich TV families and if you feel they would be worthy of an Eat the Rich episode.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:48:09] Even the Rich. 

Ashley Ray [00:48:10] I just said, “Eat the Rich.”  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:48:11] “Eat the Rich” works too. 

Ashley Ray [00:48:16] But I want to know if you think these families are worth an Even the Rich episode.  We’re going to start with one that I think is pretty easy. The Roy family from Succession.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:48:26] Succession. Well, I mean, given who they’re modeled after…  

Ashley Ray [00:48:31] Yeah, exactly. You did cover them.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:48:33] Yeah. The Murdochs. And we talked a lot about succession during that, too. Like, we interviewed some people who wrote about Succession. I think that family was one of the bases of this show starting in the first place–Even the Rich–our show.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:48:55] The guy who started Wondery–the show was his original idea–he, like, mentioned that when we first met him. The Murdochs, I think, were kind of the inspiration because that family is just the quintessential family full of just obscene amounts of wealth and power.  

Ashley Ray [00:49:16] I really want to see the, like, CNN documentary on them that is so hard to find. They did a CNN documentary for a little bit. It was on Max or HBO or whatever. And then sometimes it’s on Hulu if they air it that day on TV. Somebody put the kibosh on it getting out because… 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:49:36] Of course. Being the head of a media empire, I’m shocked. 

Ashley Ray [00:49:39] “I’m shocked they were able to limit this damning media on them.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:49:43] “I’m truly flabbergasted.” 

Ashley Ray [00:49:44] Yes, I absolutely love the Roy family. And I love them because I just feel like they’re a little sillier.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:49:51] They are silly. Yeah. They are definitely silly.  

Ashley Ray [00:49:53] What do you feel would be the Roy family’s, like, most interesting controversy? 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:50:01] Well, I haven’t seen the whole series.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:50:03] I only thought I started watching it very recently. Based on everything I’ve heard about, like, who ends up taking over–I don’t want to say anything–but I feel like that in itself is a controversy. No? Like, don’t tell me, but I feel like that’s wild. 

Ashley Ray [00:50:17] I’m not going to spoil anything. I would go with that or Roman when he accidentally blew up the rocket.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:50:21] Yeah, that’s not good.  

Ashley Ray [00:50:24] That wasn’t good. You don’t want to blow up rockets. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:50:26] No, they’re not supposed to blow up. 

Ashley Ray [00:50:28] They shouldn’t blow up. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:50:30] No checks and balances when you have a ton of money.  

Ashley Ray [00:50:35] So, next family… Are you watching The Righteous Gemstones? How do you feel about those Gemstones?  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:50:41] I haven’t. My husband loves The Righteous Gemstones, and I haven’t seen it. He, for some reason, started watching it thinking I wouldn’t want to watch it. But I’ve, like, come in here and there, and I’m like, “I think I would want to watch this.” 

Ashley Ray [00:50:55] It’s a really funny parody of just, like, the rich Christian religious family evangelical church taking advantage of people–one of my favorite categories of scams. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:51:08] I mean, we did the show In God We Lust about the Falwell family and, like, their whole religious… 

Ashley Ray [00:51:16] There was a good documentary about them too on Hulu with, like, the guy that they used as their…  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:51:22] Pool boy?  

Ashley Ray [00:51:24] Yeah, the pool boy that they used for their weird sex stuff. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:51:28] Giancarlo? Yeah. Yeah, that was a wild story in general. 

Ashley Ray [00:51:33] Truly. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:51:34] So yeah, I think that family is definitely deserving of an ETR arc. That stuff’s gold. So juicy.  

Ashley Ray [00:51:41] This one. The Lyon family from Empire.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:51:46] Definitely.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:51:47] Yeah. We need more families of color.  

Ashley Ray [00:51:51] Yes, we need more diversity when it comes to rich families scamming. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:51:55] Yeah, we really do.  

Ashley Ray [00:51:56] And with that one, I feel like you also get a lot of fun and drama outside of the cast. Within the real world, it’s like, “What are we going to tell? Like, come on, Jussie. Let’s get into it.” 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:52:06] I was going to say, that’s the one… Yeah. 

Ashley Ray [00:52:09] To this day, one of my favorite scams.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:52:11] That’s right. Something else happened where Jussie’s name kept coming up, and it was because of that fake kidnaping.  

Ashley Ray [00:52:16] Yeah, that girl.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:52:17] Where that girl saw the baby.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:52:18] Oh, right. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:52:21] This world is not well. Society in general is just crumbling.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:52:26] Off the rails.  

Ashley Ray [00:52:27] It’s going off the rails. And at the very least, we have rich people to entertain us. I want to thank you so much for joining me. This has been so much fun. You know, usually at the end of the episodes, I like to give people some homework to watch. Based just off of what you’re saying, I’m going to tell you to watch Big Brother. You got to get into Big Brother. I’m also going to ask you to keep up with Below Deck: Down Under because way too much is happening in this season, and I just need people to break that down with me. Project Runway All Stars–also back. And I have been really into this season, and I got to talk about it. We’re going to do a Project Runway thing where we… This is going to be controversial. Christian Siriano? A better cohost than Tim Gunn.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:53:25] I don’t watch it, and I would agree.  

Ashley Ray [00:53:27] Oh, thank you. 

Brooke Siffrinn [00:53:29] I can see that being true. 

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:53:36] That is a controversial take. 

Ashley Ray [00:53:37] Controversial, but it’s on the watchlist. Also on the watchlist–I’m going to recommend to you Hijack with Idris Elba on Apple TV.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:53:46] Oh, you can just end it there. Idris Elba? I’m in. 

Ashley Ray [00:53:51] Idris Elba saving a plane that’s been hijacked. What more do you need? It sounds like a movie, but it is a TV show. So, check that out. That’s the watchlist this week. We have a bunch of, like, fun stuff coming up, TV-wise. I will be watching the new season of The Ultimatum because you have all asked so many times. And you’ve also asked me to watch Deadloch, so I will be getting into that. And then we still have, like, three different versions of 90 Day Fiancé that are airing. There’s just so much TV right now.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:54:19] There’s so much TV.  

Ashley Ray [00:54:21] Yeah. Oh, there’s another documentary coming out about the Murdaugh family.  

Brooke Siffrinn [00:54:27] Those crazies.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:54:27] Alex. 

Ashley Ray [00:54:28] Yeah, he just did an interview today. A third documentary is coming out that is him being like, “My dad is innocent. I swear he still is,” and him mostly being like, “No, I can’t explain all the evidence they had against my dad, but I still think he’s innocent.”  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:54:41] Give it up, dude. It’s enough.  

Ashley Ray [00:54:46] Thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for joining TV Club. This was so fun. And also, listeners, if you want to support the actors and the writers of all these amazing TV shows we just talked about, if you are in LA or New York, you can join a picket line or drop off food and water–particularly water if you’re out here in LA, because it has been so hot.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:55:05] Very hot.  

Ashley Ray [00:55:06] And if you don’t live in LA or New York, you can still donate money to the Entertainment Community Fund, which helps non-actor Hollywood crew members who suffer hardships due to the strike. You can donate at entertainmentcommunity.org. And make sure to direct your gift to the film and television category when asked. I want to thank you so much. Brooke. Aricia. Thank you so much for joining me. Is there anything you want to plug? Where can the people follow you?  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:55:31] Yeah, we’re both on socials. My handle is at @ariciaskidmorewilliams. And Brooke’s is @brookesiffrinn. Really getting original. And then we have a daily show that’s out Monday through Friday. It’s called Rich and Daily the Podcast. And then we have a weekly show called Even the Rich out every Tuesday. Both wherever you get your podcasts.  

Ashley Ray [00:55:48] And let me tell you, you’re going to get obsessed with Even the Rich. You will sit–the next thing you know, you will be four episodes deep on the Kardashians.  

Aricia Skidmore-Williams [00:55:56] It’s a good binge.  

Ashley Ray [00:55:59] Thank you so much for joining me. And we’ll be back next week with another episode. TV, I Say with Ashley Ray is an Earwolf production made by me, Ashley Ray-Harris. It’s engineered by Abby Aguilar, produced by Anita Flores, executive produced by Amelia Chappelow. And our original theme song is by RaFia. It means so much to me if you go rate, review, subscribe. Follow TV, I Say. Let us know what you think and tell your friends. Share with your Golden Girls. Tell your Boys. If you love my TV recommendations, let everyone you know know. For special TV Club members, join my Patreon.