Only two episodes into its sophomore season and The Valley just keeps proving itself to be one of the best shows on Bravo. Kristen Doute and Nia Sanchez Booko, both of whom are expecting baby girls one week apart from each other this June, are part of what makes this reality series so great — and they stopped by DECIDER’s studio this week to break down all the drama going on in their friend group.

So far this season, Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright‘s separation has taken center stage — particularly in Tuesday night’s (April 22) episode when Cartwright called him out for his cocaine addiction for the first time in front of cameras. Doute said she watched the dramatic scene back with Cartwright, who was “affected the most” when she saw herself crying.”I am grateful that it aired the way that he treats her behind closed doors … Now the viewers really get to see the way that he was truly being during that time,” Doute, who began her reality TV stardom on Vanderpump Rules, said.

Weeks before The Valley Season 2 began airing, Taylor finally opened up about his decades-long cocaine addiction and revealed that he had been practicing sobriety. For Sanchez Booko, the timing of his confession seemed “convenient” since he knew Cartwright was going to out his addiction early on in the show. While she was hopeful for some “real deep change” within the reality TV veteran, she also felt like he was trying to “get the storyline” out there before he had to face it in Season 2 and at the reunion.

On a lighter note, both Doute and Sanchez Booko said it’s been “so fun” getting to share their pregnancy journeys with one another. Doute, who is expecting her first baby with fiancé Luke Broderick, joked that there’s “no one better suited” to parent a mini version of herself than her, noting that she probably won’t be telling her daughter about her chaotic time on Vanderpump Rules until she’s much older. Sanchez Booko, for her part, said she and her husband Daniel Booko have finally “gotten past the nervousness” of having four under four and they are “ready to rock and roll with it.”

The two women also opened up about Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, and Tom Schwartz‘s jump to The Valley, Doute’s shocking reconciliation with Jesse Lally, and which cast group chats are still active. Check out the full interview below.

DECIDER: You both are glowing! Congratulations on your pregnancies, on your engagement. I feel like every girl who wants to be a mom dreams of having a pregnancy at the same time as her best friend. What has this journey been like for the both of you?

KRISTEN DOUTE: That’s such a good point. I never thought I would be so lucky. It is very wild, I think, for me because it’s obviously my first time, but when I found out I was pregnant, it’s like different friends were like, “So am I, so am I.” And then a few months later, Nia told me that she was. So it’s been very cool to have someone in my LA home, who’s one of my LA closest friends, going through it with me, who’s done this so many times recently, especially. All of my friends back home have, like, 15-year-olds. So it is really nice and actually getting to physically witness her and Daniel parent, and for Luke and I both to be able to take a lot from that, because her kids are obviously so smart, so well-rounded and it’s what we want for our daughter, too. 

NIA SANCHEZ BOOKO: I mean, it’s been so much fun. And I feel like we’ve had so much to connect on already before getting pregnant with our fertility journeys to becoming pregnant in the first place, but then talking through everything during pregnancy and then planning things for after. It’s just so fun to be able to plan these moments together that we’ll have forever, because our daughters will be the same age. 

Kristen, your evolution on reality TV has been everything. Will you share your journey with your daughter when she’s older? What do you hope she’ll learn from your story? 

KRISTEN: If that footage is still around in like 30 years, maybe by the time she’s 30 she can find out a little bit about the Vanderpump Rules. I myself like to forget the beginning seasons of Vanderpump Rules, so telling her, my daughter, about that, I don’t think so. But I feel like, even if I have like a straight up mini me, which I hope it’s the things I love the most about Luke, the things that I love most about myself. But there’s no one better suited on this earth to parent a mini me than me. Like, I know exactly what to do, I know what not to do. So I think we’re gonna have a great friendship and a great journey together. 

Nia, in the Season 2 premiere, we see that you’re ready for another baby but Danny was a bit more on the hesitant side. Has he gotten over that nervousness of having four under four? 

NIA:  We’ve gotten past the nervousness. We’re here. We’re ready to like rock and roll with it. But also I feel like it was just a multi-year conversation with how many kids do we want and then also where do we want to live and like what’s realistic and all of that. So it’s definitely been a lot of back and forth trying to figure it out. We both compromised a bit. So, baby is coming a little earlier than he had maybe envisioned. And then we’re also figuring out our home situation and getting a bigger house, which is definitely needed for us. 

You’re embracing your momager status! Your twins were Baby CeCe on Young Sheldon. Are there any momagers you aspire to be or take inspiration from?

NIA: No, absolutely not. Because I am always family first, kids first, kids’ happiness first. I don’t have any desires for them to be on TV even though they are on a show, because it went from Young Sheldon to the spinoff, Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage, which they’re now baby CeCe on that, or now she’s a toddler, they’re a toddler. But I just want them to be happy. So if at any point they say, “I do not like this,” it’s like, “OK, we’re done, bye.” My kids’ happiness is more important than anything else.

KRISTEN: I’m so helpful that that’s literally what Daniel does for a living. So I think it’s just something that ends up being more natural for you guys because that’s Daniel’s career. 

NIA: That’s such a good point. It is more natural for our family. Daniel has been in the industry for over 20 years. And then my son, Asher, even though we don’t have him on anything right now, he wants to act. He wants to voice act. He wants do all of it. Daniel did an audition with the twins for a commercial and Asher said, “Can I do an audition with mommy? I want to be in a commercial!” Our kids do enjoy it. So as long as they enjoy it, I’m happy to let them just thrive in that world and we’ll just always be their little protectors.

I want to get into this season. Kristen, you were happy to hear Alex Baskin kind of shut down the idea of having Scheana and Lala join The Valley last year. We know now that Scheana Shay, Lala Kent, and Tom Schwartz will all be making cameos this season now that Vanderpump Rules is getting a new cast. How did you feel about that? Were you and Lala able to squash your feud? 

KRISTEN: I’ve eased up on the idea. I did not ease up on idea pre-Season 2. I was still very like, “We don’t need this.” And it was not truly, no matter what the internet says, it wasn’t a personal dig at any of them. I just felt like, it’s Season 1, we have such a big cast as it is, and I’ve done this for so many years with a small cast and a big cast. And once you have such a large cast, it kind of becomes difficult to show everyone’s journey and everyone’s story. And I think that Season 1 proved that not only did we not really need additional cast members, but I think everyone did such a great job and everyone was so vulnerable and authentic. Like, they deserve to have their stories told. So it was more about that. But now, having them around, I also wasn’t as close to, obviously, Lala, or really even Scheana. Just Tom Schwartz and I. I’m very close to Tom Schwartz. But seeing all of that now, I’m not pushing so hard to say, “They don’t get to be on our show.” I mean, they’re fantastic at reality TV. They’re authentic, they are vulnerable. So as long as they’re giving that. I think, to be very frank, watching the very last season of Vanderpump Rules, I felt like there was a celebrity amongst some of that cast that I hadn’t seen before or interacted with. And that’s what sort of deterred me from wanting them to be part of it. But I’ve shifted my viewpoint now, so I’m welcoming them with open arms if that is what the universe wants for our show. 

Nia, it seems like you are such a calm, cool, and collected person at all times – but there’s one thing that seems to get you upset in the Season 2 trailer and it’s the allegations surrounding Danny and his drinking. How did you handle that? Is there anything you can say about those rumors? 

NIA: Yeah, actually. The way it all gets put together kind of gives a storyline and we’ll see how that all pans out. You guys will see it all pan out. But at the end of the day, Daniel and I are good. Like, we are solid in our relationship and I’ve always told him before we ever joined the reality TV world, “That’s most important. As long as our relationship is solid and we feel confident in who we are as individual people and together, then we’re good to go. But if not, then we need to reassess the conversation.” So we are good and we’re happy. 

KRISTEN: I would like to say, as their protector, that what I have noticed and what I noticed during filming, is that unfortunately a lot of, even including myself pre-Luke, a lot our friends are not used to healthy relationships. That’s very clear over the course of Vanderpump Rules. And I think it’s really, unfortunately, easy for people who don’t know what a healthy adult relationship looks like to say that it’s fake or they’re not being themselves or they are hiding things because they don’t know what that really looks like. And Luke and I know Nia and Daniel like inside and out and we strive to have a lot of things that they have in their relationship, such as a marriage counselor and a relationship therapist and all the things that are really, really healthy and that’s why I think a lot of people like to say that you guys aren’t being authentic. 

NIA: It’s not true. All we can do is just be ourselves and people can have their opinions and that’s their right to have an opinion, but like we know who we are and that’s all we could do is show up fully as ourselves. So, people will see and they can decide for themselves if they like who we are or not, but it’s just truly just 100% who we are.

Kristen, obviously you and Janet are still in a bad place at this point in the season. I want to talk about that moment in the trailer where you called Janet a fan. What did you mean by that? 

KRISTEN: I was angry. There are some things that I do regret saying over the season. In that moment, that is not one of them. I meant what I said in the moment. I don’t think it’s any surprise to anyone, I’m pretty sure it’s out there on the net, that Janet was introduced to our friend group years and years ago as a fan of the show. This is not to say that I don’t love and appreciate fans of our show. That is why we do what we do. For me, it was the Janet that I had been very close to pre-Season 1 is not the person that I saw when the cameras went up. And really, even after the cameras were down, but like over the last two years, there’s just been this, for me personally, just this huge shift in her personality. So now I’m seeing someone who is trying to be on reality TV. Especially during Season 1, I felt like I was seeing glimpses of like, “This is how Stassi Schroeder was on Season 1 of Vanderpump Rules,” or, “This was like Lala Kent on Season 5 of Vanderpump Rules.” So that is what I meant by effing fan. 

There’s a really tough scene to watch between Jax and Brittany in this week’s episode, where he’s really trying to turn everything around on her – even his addiction. As people who are friends with both of them, what was it like for you to watch that scene?

NIA: I think it’s hard to watch for us even as friends with them. We have a bit of an inside view on what they experience, but no one’s there behind closed doors and just to see those hard conversations happening and the Jax of it all, it was so hard to watch for me. And you’ve known him so much longer. 

KRISTEN: Yeah, it was really hard to watch and I watched a little bit of it with Brittany and I was a little nervous. She had to see it but I didn’t know which parts were going to kind of affect her more and it was watching herself cry that affected her the most, that affected me the most. I am grateful that it aired the way that he treats her behind closed doors. Because I think we’ve all said it, like, I’ve said it, Brittany has said it, but then there’s a lot of rebuttal coming from Jax, especially on podcasts as of the last six months or so. So now the viewers really get to see the way that he was truly being during that time. But it doesn’t make it any less difficult. I’m really excited for the viewers to see Brittany over this season above any other season of the show that she’s ever filmed – like, really watching her be strong, come into her own, and stand for herself and for Cruz.

Jax recently came out about his struggles with addiction: was that something you both were aware of? As far as his sobriety, do you think it’s going to last? Or are you a bit skeptical like Brittany? 

KRISTEN: I hope that he is sober. I hope he’s telling the truth. I haven’t seen anything that has made me think otherwise as of late, so kudos to him, of course. I told him when he came out publicly with the addiction, “I can’t imagine anything being more difficult than to say those words out loud, let alone say those words out loud on a camera, on a podcast.” However, I think Jax’s personality will always trade one addiction for another. So what that next thing will be, I don’t know, and I’m not saying a substance necessarily. I’m just saying in general, that’s just kind of how he is and until he’s willing to truly do the work – like, seeking help is one thing, but doing the actual work is quite another, and that I haven’t seen yet.

NIA: When he came out with, you know, sharing his addiction and all that, I had two thoughts. I had one of, like, “Good for him. That’s got to be hard to do.” But also, the timing seemed to be convenient. Like, “Oh, you also know that for the first time ever, Brittany’s been strong and been open and said what she’s been experiencing with you and your addiction and you know that’s coming.” So in my mind, I was like, “Good for him, I really hope there’s some real deep change, but also, it’s convenient, the timing … right before [the season began airing] so he can get the storyline before everything. So, that was my second thought. 

Kristen, in a shocking turn of events, you and Jesse are back on good terms. What did it mean to you to get that apology from him? And do you think there’s any path forward for you and Michelle? 

KRISTEN: I would like there to be a path forward for me and Michelle. I don’t think at this point we’ll ever be where we were. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just my life has changed dramatically with Luke and planning to get married and having a baby. Our village has gotten a lot smaller. But I care about Michelle. I, of course, care about her well-being. I just think we’re not on the same path in life. But with Jesse, it really was just kind of seeing him around and Luke was becoming sort of buddies with him so I was willing to let there be a conversation. And when he gave the apology that did not come with, a “butt this,” or, “let me,” it was just an apology, I have to just like greatly applaud something like that because it is really, really difficult to do, especially when it’s because you’ve seen all this stuff on TV. I’m sure there are things that he wanted to defend, but he just chose not to. And I think that that takes a lot of courage. I really appreciated it. 

Nia, last season you revealed that you once had to use some of your taekwondo moves on Donald Trump’s creepy friends at the Miss Universe pageant.

NIA: Yeah, sure did. Multiple times. When I say multiple, [I mean] twice.

Do you have any other crazy stories from your pageant days that you can share?

NIA: Yes and they’re not even all my own. I’m like, “Where do we start?” Especially at the Miss Universe level, like, the things in the pageant community that women have done in the past — I feel like it’s not as common now. We’re in a bit of a healthier place, but there are wild things that you would not even like … I mean, I’ve heard stories, like, when you see someone and you’d be like, “Oh, she got a rib out.” But they don’t actually take the ribs out. I think they break them and they put a body cast on for six months. I know that sounds extreme, but it’s actually happened. That’s done in the pageant community at times. Not necessarily here in the U.S., but more international. 

KRISTEN: What’s the healing time like? Asking for a friend. 

NIA: Like, six months. So, like, wild. I could tell you so many things where you would just be like, “No, is that real?” But nothing too crazy when it comes to my personal stories, thank goodness. It is just like with the pageant community and the fan base people feel very much like they have an ownership over you so they feel like they can just grab you almost like you’re a statue and pull you and touch you and you’re like, “I’m still a human.” It’s more so when it’s the creepy old men that just feel right to like grab you tightly around the waist and you’re like, “I’m gonna remove that hand, thank you.” It’s sweet when it’s another pageant girl that’s so excited wants to give you a hug. That’s a different story. 

It’s not uncommon for casts to have group texts. Is there one big group text between the cast of The Valley? Or are there lots of little splinter groups? How many are you each a part of?

KRISTEN: There’s not one big group text.

NIA: There was in the beginning of Season 1. 

KRISTEN: There was. And that did not last for long.

NIA: People started removing other people. I’m like, “You can’t remove someone from the text. Get yourself out of there if you don’t want to be in it.” And then we had a girls text and a guys text. 

KRISTEN: Which no longer exists. There is a guy chat with no Jax in it. All of the guys from the show but no Jax. The girls have lots of different ones. And Zack’s in some of both.

NIA: Yeah, I had definitely started a group chat while we were filming Season 2 and I had texted something and literally by the end of the night, people left. People were, like, getting all upset. I was like, “Dang it.” I was, like, “What happened? Did I miss something? I left early again and I missed something that happened.” 

KRISTEN: Jason cannot be a part of any chat though, because he’s the only one with an Android and it’s so annoying. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Valley airs Tuesday nights at 9/8c on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.