Bailey Taylor Didn’t Expect to Become Summer House’s Most Relatable Newcomer

Joining Summer House as a newcomer is no easy feat, especially when stepping into a group with years of shared history and very strong personalities. But Bailey Taylor quickly found her footing, earning praise from viewers for her honesty and relatability throughout the season. 

During her appearance on Not Skinny But Not Fat, Taylor looked back on her first summer in the house, sharing her perspective on the moments fans are still dissecting weeks later, especially after the reunions.

Below are the highlights from the conversation, adapted from the episode.

Were you scared to join an already established cast?

“Terrified, absolutely terrified. Before everything came out, I was so scared. I was like ‘Everyone’s gonna hate me,’ but I’ve gotten such a positive, overwhelming positive response.”

Why did you cry on your very first day in the house?

“I did cry immediately. I was like, I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for myself on that one. It was a bigger conversation, and then I was talking about a lot of loss that I faced during that time and then I just started crying and then I was like, ‘Well, now I’ve cried in front of these people.’”

Did you actually watch ‘Summer House’ before joining?

“I swear, hand to God, and I get so many messages like, ‘Did you not watch every season?’ And I was like, ‘Not even a little bit.’ I saw season one when I was in college. I watched all of season one and then I never watched again.”

Were you happy with how much of you viewers got to see?

“I’m very happy…even when I cried, I was like, ‘No one’s ever going to see that.’ Like I just kind of thought ‘They’re gonna just cut around you.’ I was like, ‘They’ll pop me in here and there,’ like everything’s going to go as it normally goes. They’re going to pop me in, but there was a lot of me. And I was like, ‘Oh man, this is like, real?’”

Is it true that you’re terrible at flirting?

“Yes, yes, extremely true.”

Looking back, what was really going on with Ben?

“At first I thought he was nice…But I said like a million times we did not have a personality connection in any capacity. There was no personality…I just thought he was good looking. That was it. That was literally it. It did not go any deeper. We had no vibe.”

Do you regret making the Amanda joke?

“I always regretted saying that from the second I said it. Well, actually not the second I said it because, I said it, and then I was just like boop boop boop, did not notice that anyone was upset, did not notice at all. I was drunk. Like I just, I literally thought nothing of it.”

What was it like when Ben confronted you?

“I hadn’t [had a guy yell at me like that] since like my last relationship and I just was like, ‘Oh my God’…I’ve never had a confrontation with a guy friend like that and I was, I did not like it as we know. It just felt unnecessary.”

Why did you feel the need to clarify your comments about Ben after the reunion?

“There’s a difference between, ‘Oh, he needs to take a look at how he talks to women when he’s upset,’ versus how he talks to men, and then there’s accusations of physical abuse…It got way too out of hand…but that’s why I said something.”

What is your relationship with Carl like now?

“I adore him. I love him. I love spending time with him. I talk to him all the time. I talked to him the most of anybody without a doubt. I love him.”

Do you think a relationship with Carl could actually work long-term?

“I think long term it’s not realistic…we still were very flirty and, like, I adore him. I love him. I love spending time with him…But for someone that’s older and knows what they want, not to want to date someone who’s like a shell of a human being when it comes to dating is not crazy.”

What was your reaction to the West and Amanda situation?

“I feel like every single one of us deserved an apology. Like all of us got dragged into this huge, huge, huge scandal…I was suspicious because I had seen them and it was the same day Jesse got suspicious.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amanda Hirsch (@notskinnybutnotfat)

What did you think watching the reunion play out?

“I just was like, all of these people are heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for them. Ciara lost a dear friend. Kyle lost his wife, like it’s just sad. I felt sad for almost everyone up there, like, I just was like, ‘Wow, this is really heartbreaking.’”

You’ve spoken openly about being in an abusive relationship. What was that experience like?

“It was two years. It was just a very, very, very toxic relationship and it was just like the heartbreak of my life for real. Like, it’s just like, I really wanted to marry that person and it was just like truly my biggest heartbreak…He would just be really mean when he was mad…just like that guy that makes you feel horrible and says every mean thing he can think of to make you feel as bad about yourself as possible.”

How did you finally get out of that relationship?

“He broke up with me…I’ve said this before, but like, I would have stayed. I did not care. I was like, I could make him love me. I can be different, and he’ll love me, and if I just do what he wants and listen to him like this, it’ll come back together.”

To hear the full conversation, listen to Not Skinny but Not Fat wherever you get your podcasts.

Read More

• Ashley Tisdale Thought She Knew Exactly Who She Was—Until Motherhood Happened
• Bruce Willis’ Diagnosis Taught Emma Heming Willis an Unexpected Truth About Grief
• Samara Weaving on New Motherhood, Horror Movies, and the Myth of Having It Together