The Real Housewives of New York City Season 16, Episode 6 picks up on day two at Moskito Island. I pre-recorded this one and didn’t edit a thing, so I fourth-walled it up. I’m giving it a seven or eight. Not bad. The newbies are delivering, and Erin, Jessel and Sai are working overtime, which tracks with the tea I got that this season was thin. The White Lotus edit is still winning awards in my house. Then Carole brought up her name in the Epstein files herself, Sai asked the questions, and I walked away with a feeling I didn’t expect. Let’s get into it.
I Wasn’t Going to Hold the Epstein Files Against Carole
Here’s the thing. Plenty of rich and famous people are named in the Epstein files, and being named doesn’t mean you did anything. People with power and privilege run in the same circles. So I gave Carole the benefit of the doubt. Then she’s the one who brings it up, after a bit about people Googling her, and it felt like the segue production wanted. She says she never knew Jeffrey Epstein, never met him, and Ghislaine Maxwell never mentioned him. They were casual friends through mutual girlfriends, Ghislaine was a social climber, and they drifted. I expected something like, we ran in the same circles and I had no idea. Instead she downplayed the whole friendship, while the internet keeps pointing to a framed photo of Carole on Ghislaine’s bookcase. I don’t have a photo of my own family on my bookcase. She also mentions that after she met Ghislaine, the Duke of York, formerly Prince Andrew, called her up and took her to dinner. Girl, you have been around a lot of questionable people. Do I think Carole did anything? No. Did her answer make me look at her funny? Yes.
“I didn’t think anything before until I saw you talk about it now.”
Sai Is a Mother — That Isn’t a Sword and a Shield
Sai asked when they stopped speaking, which was a very good question, and she brought up the emails. The episode put one on screen where Ghislaine jokes there “had better be lots of sucking up this week” or a new girl will replace Carole, then signs off because her boyfriend is on the phone. Was that boyfriend Jeffrey? I’m just asking. There’s another one circulating online, dated September 2, 2005, with the recipient redacted, where Ghislaine allegedly asks someone writing a Tatler piece to look after Carole and calls her “one of my closest friends.” I can only go by what’s out there, but pretty damning, Carole. Pretty damning. When Carole said good, f him about Epstein’s arrest, Sai asked why you’d say that about someone you didn’t know. Then in her confessional, Carole says Sai used her daughter as a sword and a shield. That was gross. Sai is a mom asking who she’s around, and this is not a Jon Gosselin story. Carole also shared that she was sexually assaulted. I’m sorry that happened to her, and I’m not saying it didn’t. But it moved her out of the hot seat, and I read it as a deflection.
Daisy Defended Carole — Then Wanted Sai to Defend Her Popcorn Ceilings
Daisy jumped in for Carole and said Sai’s approach was a lot. Haley compared it to going through her own scandal in the public eye, and Daisy told her Gen Z doesn’t even know about Jon & Kate Plus 8. I agree with Daisy, that’s apples and oranges. Then Haley said she wasn’t getting into it because she needs Daisy to do her lashes later. That’s the realest thing anyone has said all season. At the bar, Carole asks Daisy about Sai’s “colorful past.” What about Sai’s past? Her mother struggled with addiction, and that’s no reflection on Sai. When a white woman says that about a woman of color, it has undertones, and people need to be cognizant of the words they choose. At the pool, Daisy says she’s mad because Sai didn’t defend her over the popcorn ceilings, which is interesting since she just jumped in for Carole. Sai admits she doesn’t love going to Daisy’s apartment. That was a read. Still, bring Daisy back. She complained about making her own coffee, called the house a great Marriott and FaceTimed Martha Stewart in a face mask. She’s delivering.
I Feel Bad for Pavit, Not Jessel
Then Sai turns on Erin and says Jenna Lyons told her Erin talked about Sai’s separation before it was public. I don’t see careful Jenna volunteering “I knew all along,” so this feels produced, and Sai repeating Erin’s insurance details to Jessel is its own hypocrisy. Sai tells Erin her lips are loose, then says Erin said something terrible about Jessel’s husband. Sai calls her makeup artist, Chris, and I didn’t like how she spoke to him. He says that at a BravoCon dinner, Erin claimed Pavit was gay and that she had proof he got caught at Equinox. Erin says she never said anything about Jessel’s husband. Jessel says he has a dad bod and doesn’t go to the gym. Her reaction wasn’t giving truly upset or surprised, but everyone reacts differently. People claim receipts all the time and then the receipts aren’t receipts, and now Pavit is a storyline whether any of it is true or not. Erin cuts her foot leaving the pool, and Sai pops her knee at tipsy tennis while Erin just stands there looking. How would you rate this one, and do you believe Carole? Let me know. Here we go.
Disclaimer: This post is based on publicly available information and credited sources. All allegations are unproven
