Paige DeSorbo sent shockwaves across the Bravo universe when she announced last week that she would not be returning to Summer House for Season 10. The announcement is one that fans were nervously awaiting, seeing how DeSorbo’s career outside the show has taken off with her top-rated Giggly Squad podcast, which she co-hosts with former co-star Hannah Berner, and with her other business ventures (like her upcoming sleepwear line that was inspired by the abundant amount of time she spent in bed while filming the reality series). Like her or hate her, DeSorbo is the moment — and we hate to say it but Bravo cannot afford to completely lose her.
When DeSorbo first joined Summer House in Season 3, she was working as a fashion writer. Her quick-witted comebacks and undeniable ability to clock (and call out) BS quickly made her a favorite for established fans. DeSorbo burgeoned close friendships with Berner (a fellow Season 3 newbie) and Amanda Batula — and later, Ciara Miller when she joined the cast in Season 5. For seven seasons, we watched DeSorbo giggle her way through her summers in the Hamptons, read men for filth as needed (looking at you, Kyle Cooke), and gossip with her besties in bed.
That being said, the network needs to find a way to keep DeSorbo in its orbit. The younger audiences are crucial for successful reality TV — just look at how much Love Island USA blew up when Ariana Madix joined as host in Season 6 — and DeSorbo not only has longtime Bravo fans wanting to follow the next chapter of her life, but she also has a massive following through her podcast, which sold out 70 cities when she and Berner took it on tour last year. The two besties also made a surprise cameo in the latest season of Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia via their podcast, proving that DeSorbo has turned a gig on a TV show about partying into a lucrative business opportunity that expands far beyond the Bravoverse. DeSorbo might not need Bravo, but Bravo sure does need DeSorbo and losing her completely would, in short, be a poor business move for the network — and a disappointing one for longtime fans.
So, what does DeSorbo’s future on Bravo look like? Andy Cohen said on an episode of The View last week that he thinks DeSorbo “will continue to evolve in front of Bravo cameras in one way or another,” though nothing has been confirmed yet. A spinoff series starring her, Miller, Batula, and Lindsay Hubbard has been widely discussed among fans, who seem more interested in watching the women navigate their lives in New York City than watching them party in the Hamptons every weekend. Hubbard is a mother now, after all, and her mended friendship with DeSorbo would make for a seamless transition into a spinoff.
Much like The Valley, which follows former Vanderpump Rules stars and their new group of grown-up friends, a Summer House spinoff that, say, actually allows DeSorbo to talk about her successful podcast could be exactly what Bravo needs to offer in order to keep her around. While fans were initially uncertain about The Valley, it ultimately proved to be one of the best shows on Bravo when it premiered last year. Imagine how popular a Summer House spinoff that fans have already been begging for would become!
DeSorbo is, without a doubt, a cultural icon — and if the future of the Summer House franchise is solely riding on Jesse Solomon and West Wilson, then Bravo needs to get some spinoff contracts out to the girls ASAP.
Until our prayers get answered, you can stream DeSorbo in Season 3 through Season 9 of Summer House on Peacock.