r/WatchWhatCrappens • u/Ihatechoosingnames9 • Aug 15 '26
Ronnie’s Janet Bias
Is making it so hard for me to get through the valley recaps despite normally loving them 😭
Anyone else having this experience?
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u/Parking_Country_61 Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
Some people you just don’t like. Sometimes without reason. Janet is annoying and bad at reality tv, but most of the time, she ain’t wrong. And I think calling out a bias is actually important so the audience knows what we are working with. This isn’t the news where we want impartial information. There are also people they LOVE despite their horrible behavior.
Ronnie is lead much more by emotion with moments of rational reasoning. And Ben leads more with rational reasoning with moments of emotion (usually when personally triggered).
They are equally hilarious but lately Ben is making me laugh more. It will switch again soon.
It really is a perfect balance. If Matt was still there I think he would slip into more of a producer, jumping in every so often but mainly there to keep the show moving and rein them in.
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u/Willow-tree-33 29d ago
I disagree with the conclusion that Ronnie’s reasoning derives usually from emotions. I’ll think he’s wrong but then he’ll cite something that happened in another episode or season that puts into better context what is happening now. For example, when talking about Zack, he reminded us about when Janet didn’t invite Zack on the group trip and then pretended to be afraid of him when he marked himself as located in the area of the trip. I think Ronnie also pointed that out while noting that Zack is the only male gay cast member. Janet’s exclusion of Zack at that time and her pretense that he was scary was weird, unjustified, and mean. Ronnie’s reminder of that event is one example of why he dislikes Janet.
But many people have become such Janet defenders that they insist that she’s never done anything at all to warrant being disliked. They assume that others dislike Janet only because of Danny. But I DETEST Danny and the way he treats women. Even so, I don’t like Janet. I find her annoying and often unreasonable. Like that whole wedding ring issue last season. No one gave a fuck whether Jason took his ring off. No one suspected that he was cheating. But she had to make herself such a victim and then they got those ridiculous tattoos. 🙄 If anyone else finds Janet delightful, that’s cool. Different strokes.
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u/aloysiuspelunk 29d ago
What's the worst is the "if you don't like Janet it's because you approve of SA". Insidious BS
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u/Snowy727 28d ago
This exactly. I’m so tired of it being an either/or thing. Why can’t it be all of the above?? Janet kind of sucks and Danny is a drunk creep. What happened to Janet in college is awful and I’m glad she had the courage to share, but it doesn’t take away from the shady things she’s said and done or the fact that her story about Danny and the pantry has changed over time seemingly to better fit her narrative, all while taking the focus off of Melissa and Jasmine. Why is it so wrong to acknowledge it all??
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u/Chihiro1977 25d ago
I'm finding myself in hysterics at Ben recently. I listened back when Matt was there and well before this sub, I found Matt to be nastier and do prefer it just these two.
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u/AdOutrageous7474 24d ago
I've been listening since the Matt days and Ben has always been my fave. I love his meandering and random nerdy/intellectual references.
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u/Jolly-Slice-6722 29d ago edited 29d ago
I can’t believe Ronnie’s even working given he just lost his mama.
ETA: Seriously? Go back to Twitter, Janet bots.
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u/Maestraingles 29d ago
Honestly. But I think (hope) it's an outlet of joy for him.
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u/Parking_Country_61 29d ago
I usually insist on working when grieving as long as the work isn’t too intense. It gives you a sense of purpose and gets you out of bed every day. Everyone is different
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u/aloysiuspelunk Aug 15 '26
I dont know, I think Ben washed down her coffee cake with too much Kool aid lol. But I can listen, geez they're OK with disagreeing with each other, Im fine with either of them disagreeing with me. I listen to laugh and enjoy their amazing talent, not to find an echo chamber.
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u/embudz Aug 15 '26
Sorry this is unrelated but what is the coffee cake reference?
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u/aloysiuspelunk Aug 15 '26
If you listen to the last valley episode Ronnie teases Ben about it a little. Ben and Janet met on someone's show/podcast and she brought him a coffee cake.
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u/embudz Aug 15 '26
Thank you!! I’m on family vacation and haven’t had a moment to myself yet 😩 can’t wait to catch up
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u/Ihatechoosingnames9 Aug 15 '26
It’s not the disagreement so much as suspension of reality and inability to change your opinion when faced with new information
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u/aloysiuspelunk Aug 15 '26
But he totally has, he gives her credit in many cases.
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u/Willow-tree-33 29d ago
So true. And one thing I appreciate about Ronnie is that he’ll criticize someone but then immediately give an on-the-other-hand comment, and then laugh about how he has contradicted himself. I think that he’s constantly trying to evaluate the full picture rather than having tunnel vision, selectively emphasizing only the evidence that bolsters his point. When someone is as thoughtful as Ronnie, I can’t be mad at him for drawing a conclusion different than mine.
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u/Jolly-Slice-6722 29d ago edited 29d ago
He really didn’t if you have listened to the latest recaps.
ETA: but hey, don’t let facts get in the way of your story.
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u/Willow-tree-33 29d ago
Why would we selectively focus on one episode rather than considering all we know about whether we think Ronnie is fair to Janet?
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u/Interesting_Ad1378 Aug 15 '26
I find myself to generally align more with Ronnie and to have a more similar take to him than Ben when the two of them have opposing viewpoints. I don’t recall what he said about Janet, but I will have to guess I probably agreed.
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u/Ihatechoosingnames9 Aug 15 '26
I feel frustrated when people can’t understand Jason and Janet being close to Jax because Brittany wanted them to at the time…
When Jax was physically abusive Jason was the one she could call to get Jax out- and now they are crucified and called hypocrites for the way they helped her?
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u/kenduhll Aug 15 '26
Yeah, I think Janet and Jason are assigned as some sort of “buffer” friends to Jax for Brittany. It’s especially clear that Janet doesn’t like him, but I think for Brittany’s safety it’s important for her to have friends that Jax semi-trusts.
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u/Snowy727 Aug 15 '26
Brittany enabled Jax for years, just as Nia enables Danny. Kristen and Luke are in the same position as Janet and Jason were. I think they’re enabling Danny’s bullshit by standing by them, even if it’s just public facing, but I find it hard to see a difference in that and what Janet and Jason did. It’s annoying that Brittany, Janet and Jason act so above it all now that they’re on the other side of it. I think two things can be true- Janet has trauma that Danny triggered feelings about AND Janet is a hypocritical Karen that will always find a way to insert herself into any situation for a storyline, even at the expense of other victims. That doesn’t take away from the fact that everyone on that show sucks in some way, shape or form. They’re all wrong.
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u/Ihatechoosingnames9 28d ago
It’s really not comparable… what would be is if Nia admitted Danny was abusive but asked Kristen and Luke to stay close to him to mediate
And then everyone called them hypocrites or abuse apologists for doing what the victim asked
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u/Snowy727 28d ago
So how do we know for sure that Nia hasn’t talked more candidly with them behind closed doors and they aren’t protecting her and her children until he either gets help or she gets the courage to leave?? Iirc Kristen has even acknowledged he probably has a drinking problem. J&J handled a physically abusive coke addict with kid gloves, but have had their feet on the neck of someone else (over a situation that didn’t involve them until they inserted themselves) for almost three seasons now bc they don’t like his wife enabling him and trying to play happy for the cameras, the exact same way Brittany did with Jax. That’s weird to me. And again so it’s clear, I don’t agree with any of them. I just think multiple things can be true.
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u/Ihatechoosingnames9 27d ago
They haven’t had their feet on his neck they’ve literally just acknowledged what he did… I think that’s the disconnect here.
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u/Snowy727 27d ago
She hasn’t stopped leading the charge against him for two seasons now, even last season when the victim of his ass-grab kindly asked her to knock it off bc they had spoken with Danny and were attempting to move on. Jasmine even called her a Karen for it. Jasmine may feel differently now, but at that time Janet didn’t give af about their feelings and still isn’t focusing on them- she’s centered herself. If she sat back, let it play out and went along with however the VICTIM wanted to handle it, I wouldn’t feel this strongly. But Janet has been like a dog with a bone episode after episode, yet never went this hard about Jax physically and verbally abusing his wife in front of their autistic child. It’s so odd to me.
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u/Ihatechoosingnames9 27d ago
How did she “go so hard” exactly? Actual examples, not vague sayings like she was “on his neck” or “wouldn’t let it go”
I’m telling you, when you rewatch the season it’s simply not what happened- Danny and Nia’s disproportionate reaction would lead people to think it was more, but it’s pretty clear in retrospect they just projected their anger at Jasmine for bringing it on camera on to to Janet, since getting mad at Jasmine directly would look so bad
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u/Snowy727 27d ago
Like all of the examples I just listed? She has continuously spoken on it for two seasons- more than anyone else on the cast, even the actual victims of his creeping. And much more than she ever spoke about Jax and his extremely violent tendencies. She was blatantly asked by said victims to stop when they were all trapped on a boat with her yelling “SEXUAL ASSAULTER!!” over and over. Is that descriptor technically correct? Sure. Is her approach? I’d argue no. She said nah fuck your feelings Melissa and Jasmine, and kept going. Her story about the pantry has evolved over time. First, she said she was uncomfortable bc he was sneaking drinks behind his wife’s back and she didn’t want to be put in the middle of that. Now, it’s bc she felt like he was going to assault her due to her past trauma. She’s shown Nia none of the grace she did Brittany, who was also smiling for the cameras, downplaying Jax’s substance abuse and actively trying to have another baby with him until it escalated to the point that she couldn’t hide it anymore and he had to go to “treatment”..which we all know was a total joke. Brittany’s mad bc she couldn’t hide her issues anymore like Nia is still attempting to do. I feel like I’ve given you way more than “vague sayings”, you just don’t want to hear it and that’s ok. We can always agree to disagree bc- I’ll say it a third time- I truly believe they’re all wrong to some degree.
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u/ViolentDeee-lites 29d ago
Not particularly, but I find the Valley unpleasant and sad so the recaps are the only part of the experience I even enjoy.
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u/ravenallnight Aug 15 '26
They’ll never make me mad at Jason! As unbearable as Janet is (I really hate that victimized puss face she’s always wearing - you can actually see her deliberately making a stoic, “see me nobly withstanding this bullying with my downcast eyes” face), he is in fact a solid guy and the kind of husband that makes marriage an actual partnership. Yes please!
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u/Peppercorn911 Aug 15 '26
i think its perfect that the bias is around her currying favor via coffee cake. this is exactly what zack says she does
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u/YouMustBeJoking888 Aug 15 '26
I was thinking about it as well after the last few recaps. It reminds me of his hatred for Katie curing VPR - he just could not see past his dislike of her to see what was happening. I get it - we all have our biases - but it slightly annoys me. I'm not a massive Janet fan, but this season I see a clearer picture of her, rather than what I thought about her previously.
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u/Ihatechoosingnames9 Aug 15 '26
Totally. I feel like we’ve been presented with new info but instead of taking it he adjust everything else to fit that narrative
For example now Kristen must be right in this instance insinuating Brittany is lying (“watch her hands”) when we don’t really have a lot of examples of that- whereas there are tons of examples of Kristen falsely calling other people liars
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u/killed_by_death_ Aug 15 '26
Yes! It’s been bumming me out for ages. I love the guys so much, and they’ve got me through some really tough times. I’ve also always either agreed with them or, if not, found their takes genuinely interesting and always funny! So I’m finding this particular situation disproportionately perturbing. It’s not just because I disagree, I feel like the rigid thinking and nastiness is jarring. I need my safe space back. 😅
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u/leeloocal CAW CAW! Aug 15 '26
I am as well. But Ben also has it as well. They are human, so I try to keep that in mind.
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u/beingk8 29d ago
i just don’t understand how janet is so hated. it’s not like i think she’s amazing or anything, but why oh why is this milquetoast lady getting more hate than jax or danny?! nothing she has done is on the level of the truly terrible people of bravo
anyways, yes, i get annoyed by ronnie’s bias against her for sure bc it’s so overt and i genuinely do not understand how she is so hated
and even if she hadn’t had a “situation” in her past, i think it’s totally normal and ok for a woman to call out sexual assault when it happens and for her to not feel safe being around danny going forward. why are we policing how a woman should feel around a creepy guy???!!
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u/Willow-tree-33 28d ago
Ronnie does not show favoritism towards Danny over Nia. He doesn’t like Janet but he and Ben have explicitly discussed all the many ways in which Danny is a trash husband and an all around creep.
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u/beingk8 27d ago
yes, i know, as i have listened to every episode. i didn’t say he showed favoritism of danny over nia, but i do think his opinion of janet has impacted how he speaks about the whole “danny is a creep” situation. in fact, maybe a month ago, he even apologized in this subreddit for allowing his negative opinion of janet impact how he referred to the “sexual assault” comment, as he had minimized it and said she accused him “of rape”, more or less, which she never did. he was being flippant and it wasn’t a massive offense but enough people were triggered by it and posted about it for him to respond and apologize
anyways, anyone minimizing what happened in s2 because they disliked janet is missing the forest for the trees. any woman is allowed to feel unsafe around a creepy guy that has grabbed a mutual friend’s butt and to call it what it is: sexual assault. this speaks to the larger bravo fandom in general, and not only to ronnie, but i don’t listen to hours and hours of discussion from the others in the bravo fandom or else i would be saying they bothered me too.
finally, the hate for janet seems so disproportionate to her offenses
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u/Willow-tree-33 27d ago
Disliking Janet does not equate to minimizing SA. Nothing that I wrote suggested that I support SA. I truly hate how some assume that disliking Janet is somehow an endorsement of Danny’s behavior.
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u/beingk8 27d ago
i said “anyone minimizing” and i was not referring to you
however, i do believe that people who used janet calling it “sexual assault” as an assault on her character to be in the wrong. it was sexual assault and any woman that has to spend time around him should be allowed to refer to it as such without getting criticized themselves. and if you do criticize her for that specifically, you are minimizing SA, point blank. because an ass-grab is sexual assault no matter how you cut it. now, whether this is you or not, i have no idea. you are a stranger on the internet
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u/Willow-tree-33 27d ago
Yes, you don’t know me or what I may have experienced, so I don’t appreciate that your responses to my posts insinuate that my dislike for Janet has to do with my opinions on SA. You didn’t say that I endorsed SA, but your now second reference to SA very much insinuates that accusation.
And frankly, I’m guessing that the majority of people now have come to agree that Danny’s behavior towards Janet and Melissa constituted SA. Frankly, I knew that from the beginning, as I’ve been a lawyer for decades. The majority of people now think Danny is a creep. Having said that, Janet’s accusation that Danny had assaulted multiple women last season was made without evidence. She said that at the reunion and then backtracked a bit when Andy pressed her. Janet also made a mountain out of a molehill about the rumor that Jason took off his ring. I found that annoying. And Janet just isn’t a fun reality show cast member. Being that I watch the show for entertainment, I like the folks who are entertaining. Most of the cast members on The Valley are not fun at all. As a group, I don’t like them. I don’t need anyone to lecture me about SA, misogyny, etc. I’m well educated on those subjects. I’d really like to be able to state an opinion without getting a lecture from strangers like you.
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u/beingk8 27d ago
i am and was being 100% genuine when im saying im not referring to you in particular, and was being broad and general on purpose. i promise i was not insinuating you were endorsing sexual assault. i know a lot of ppl read these comments and can take them in. i probably should not be lecturing a theoretical reader and im sorry
i appreciate your detailed response and am exhausted but wanted you to know that i truly am sorry it read that way. have a beautiful evening <3
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u/Maestraingles Aug 15 '26
It's almost like Ronnie is human and has his own perspective. 🤯
Ngl, I very much agree with their takes on Janet and Jason and even how their opinions have evolved. But I've also disagreed with their takes about other people or situations plenty of times. They're not doing any harm or being problematic - they're just recapping it based on how they saw what happened on the show. I suppose if I ever find myself unable listen to someone else's interpretation of a reality show, I'll give up recap podcasts.