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If the Real Housewives of Orange County hold oranges in their opening credits, the Real Housewives of New York hold apples, and the Real Housewives of Atlanta hold peaches \u2014 then the Next Gen NYC cast should hold carrots. Who would have thought that the vegetable would play such a dramatic role this season? But alas, ever since Gia accidentally grouped Liam and Ariana\u2019s carrots and Brussels sprouts together on the Friendsgiving menu, Hudson has been spinning out, convinced that that\u2019s proof that they\u2019re dating. And granted, he\u2019s not wrong.<\/p>\n
The misstep led to Riley finally kicking Hudson out of the chat, per Ariana\u2019s request \u2014 and despite his hissy fit, Hudson maintains he doesn\u2019t care. \u201cI don\u2019t give a fuck about carrots, ew,\u201d Hudson says in his confessional, echoing the sentiments of picky toddlers everywhere. But it\u2019s not just Liam that he thinks is after his ex. Despite their friendship, Hudson knows full well that Charlie will inevitably try to hook up with Ariana, too, and says that that\u2019s actually part of the reason he\u2019s staying close to him. \u201cKeep your friends close, but your enemies closer,\u201d he explains. But ultimately, what\u2019s he going to do about it? Ariana is single, Hudson is barely on the show anymore, and nobody owes him anything. Staying friends with Charlie just means Hudson will have a front-row seat if that betrayal ultimately happens.<\/p>\n
While Hudson is spiraling in Atlanta or wherever he is, the rest of the cast is preparing their Friendsgiving dishes \u2014 turning the show into a mini-episode of Worst Cooks in America. But thankfully, these rich kids who I doubt have ever cooked a day in their life have some help. World-famous cookbook author Teresa Giudice (who could forget Fabulicious?) is assisting Gia with her dish, while Brooke Shields is helping Rowan, once again drawing a false equivalency between the reality star and movie star. Don\u2019t get me wrong, both are icons \u2026 just in different ways.<\/p>\n
When Georgia FaceTimes Gia, Teresa lights up \u2014 a gorgeous connection that warms my heart. Brooke was similarly enamored with Georgia after running into her at a charity event and sings her praises to Rowan. She\u2019s so effusive about Georgia that she sounds like me. Parents love her, Georgia explains, though that love might be on shaky ground after she accidentally calls them boomers.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Emira is FaceTiming her grandmother as she bakes, and I\u2019m instantly obsessed with this woman. \u201cAre ya making candy?\u201d she hollers over the phone before calling Emira\u2019s boyfriend Kevin a \u201ckook.\u201d Get this woman a full-time contract immediately; I need her on my television every week.<\/p>\n
Though I wish Ariana would keep the trend going by cooking with her mom, Kim Zolciak, the wig-wearing icon is still MIA this season, but she\u2019s with us in spirit. Freshly off her probation, Ariana is enjoying a glass of wine as she cooks out of a red Solo cup, which was famously her mother\u2019s beverage vessel of choice on RHOA. The peach doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree. And fear not; she\u2019s not drinking alone. Validating Hudson\u2019s worst fears, she\u2019s making her carrots with Liam, whom she keeps kissing as they cook together like they\u2019re in a parody of a rom-com.<\/p>\n
As if things could get any worse for Hudson, his car explodes \u2014 which thankfully keeps him from coming to Friendsgiving and exploding himself. Nobody was in it at the time, luckily, and it does give our resident volunteer firefighter Liam a great opportunity to shout out the firefighters who put out the blazing vehicle. As for Charlie, he suggests Hudson lit it up himself, and to be fair, people will go to desperate measures for a concerned Instagram Story reply from their ex. But then again, nobody seems particularly concerned about a rich boy losing his Lambo.<\/p>\n
Before we get to the Friendsgiving itself, I have to shout out Georgia for talking about the annoyances that come with her boyfriend Prez\u2019s unconventional name. That being said, she still says the one baby name she has picked out is \u201cSushi.\u201d And you know what? One day, Sushi McCann will be a star. And speaking of food, Brooks and Shai manage to squash their beef, even though neither squash nor beef is on the Friendsgiving menu. Actually, technically, Rowan made butternut-squash soup, but just let me make my little joke. They talk things through, and Shai says he doesn\u2019t understand why he\u2019s still being punished for being friendly with Charlie, especially now that the whole cast seems to be on good terms with him after Vegas. Brooks seemingly hadn\u2019t realized that Shai was a real person with feelings and emotions, so he decides to have a change of heart and give him some grace, and the pair make up and agree to a fresh start. It\u2019s a Friendsgiving miracle!<\/p>\n
The gathering proves to be the perfect time for Riley to shine, using every opportunity she has to absolutely cut up and rib Ariana for her Vegas flirtation with Charlie. When they sit down at the table, Riley asks her if she wants to swap seats to be closer to him, and I laugh out loud at the pure glee in her eye as she does so. But that\u2019s not all, because soon enough, they\u2019re playing a Friendsgiving game where they pull each other\u2019s names out of a hat and dole out compliments. Charlie pulls Riley\u2019s and compliments her good heart and directness, after which she\u2019s back at it again and says she\u2019d swap out her first-class ticket for him anytime. I\u2019m dead \u2026 much like Hudson\u2019s car, the girl is on fire. Meanwhile, Ariana pulls Charlie\u2019s name, which was either divine intervention or these producers being masterful at their job. She talks about his character under his hard exterior (gross) and the fun time they had in Vegas \u2014 all of which is particularly awkward given that she\u2019s sitting next to Liam. And despite those kind words, Liam is the one she wakes up next to the following morning.<\/p>\n
After the holiday gathering, the news hits that Riley\u2019s mom and stepdad \u2014 Kandi and Todd \u2014 are getting a divorce, and while she knew that was happening, she didn\u2019t realize it was going to be announced publicly right at that moment. She meets up with Ariana and tells her that they\u2019re co-parenting well, but she\u2019s still adjusting to it all and worrying about how the general public is going to treat her mom. It\u2019s a lot for Riley to process, especially on-camera, and it definitely contextualizes some of her more out-of-character behavior earlier in the season. But what I really need is for her grandmother, the infamous Mama Joyce who hated Todd with a passion, to come visit to help Riley through this. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for real Thanksgiving, the show has Emira catch us all up on everybody\u2019s plans in a Gossip Girl\u2013like voice-over, the highlights of which are the fact that Georgia walked in the Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Day Parade dressed as a candy cane (main-character energy) and that Ariana bizarrely spent the holiday with Liam\u2019s family. Too much too soon? Perhaps. But that doesn\u2019t mean we should count Charlie out just yet (unfortunately) \u2026<\/p>\n
Because after the holiday, Shai FaceTimes Charlie, who tells him that Ariana came over drunk at 1 a.m. the night before with a few friends. But the thing about Charlie is that he will use any and every opportunity he can to suggest and allude to things that never really happened. He will say he doesn\u2019t kiss and tell when there was never any kissing in the first place, because he wants us to think that something might have happened. But let\u2019s be real; if something \u2014 anything at all, really \u2014 were to actually happen, he\u2019d be shouting it from the tallest tower the first chance he got. Until then, we can rest easy knowing that Ariana has self-respect \u2026 and that\u2019s what I\u2019m thankful for this Friendsgiving.<\/p>\n
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