During the Summer House Season 9 reunion part 1, tensions erupted as cast members faced unsolved issues. Lexi Wood was upset over Jesse Solomon's flirtations with Ciara Miller while she was away, especially the "#Toegate" episode in which Jesse let a lady suck his toe. Additionally, Lexi felt deceived by friends Amanda Batula and Paige DeSorbo, who seemed to minimize Jesse's behavior and even made jokes about him and Ciara possibly dating.
In defense of herself, Paige said that she had forewarned Lexi of Jesse's actions, implying that Lexi was conscious of his propensities. But Lexi thought Paige and Amanda's remarks at the reunion were disrespectful and dismissive of her emotions. With Lexi doubting her friends' faithfulness, the conversation brought to light the difficulties of friendships and love relationships within the household.
The reunion episode sparked intense fan reaction, with many praising Paige and Amanda for how they handled the circumstances. Some viewers believed that their endorsement of Jesse's behavior was improper and betrayed their lack of sympathy for Lexi. Social media discussions over responsibility and the nature of the cast's relationships were triggered by the incident.
An admirer of Summer House shared,
"Jesse flirting with Ciara and Ciara being more than receptive, but none can’t understand why Lexi was feeling uncomfortable, because he did it behind her back and Paige even warned her not to date him. Jesse, Ciara, Paige, Amanda…They were all trash. #SummerHouse"
Another fan wrote on X,
"Paige suggesting that Lexi shouldn’t be bothered because she told her not to date Jesse is bulls*it! Paige stfu you made the decision to date Craig like how is that any different. 🤦♀️#SummerHouse"
"Sure we all could have warned Lexi about Jesse, but that being said I wouldn’t be a d*ck to her about how it all ended. I love Paige, but laughing about her getting treated poorly is feeding into that “mean girl” label she hates so much. #SummerHouse," a tweet read.
More fans shared similar views when Paige defended Jess's behaviour on the Summer House Season 16 reunion.
An X user posted,
"So it’s ok for Jesse to be flirting with Ciara while dating Lexi because he did it behind her back? Is Paige for real? And then her “I told you not to date him”, like, Paige is being a total biotch #SummerHouse"
"Paige saying it’s a good thing Jesse was flirting with other girls behind Lexi’s back but it was an issue when Craig was doing it??? Oh Paige 🥴🥴🥴 Bravo hypocrisy at its finest #SummerHouse," a comment read.
"He was doing it behind your back" — Summer House star Paige defends Jess’s flirting in reunion part 1
Tensions escalated when Lexi confronted Jesse Solomon about his flirtatious conduct with Ciara at Part 1 of the Summer House Season 9 reunion. Paige DeSorbo intervened to defend Jesse as the argument heated up, focusing on the timing and context of his actions rather than the actual deed.
Paige said, "I think if Jesse was flirting with Ciara in front of you, it would have been a totally different story, but he was doing it behind your back. And then we said do not date this man."
However, Lexi remained unconvinced, highlighting the fact that impact is not negated by purpose, particularly when it comes to relational trust.
Watch part of the Summer House Season 16 reunion on Bravo.