After surviving a historic race and a dinner party from hell, the ladies of Racing Wives seemed intent on playing nice through Episode 3.
But…yeah, that didn’t last very long.
After an incredibly awkward meal, which found Samantha insulting Whitney’s wardrobe and Mariel delivering an…unflattering…impression of Ashley, BFFs Mariel and Whitney seemed divided on how to proceed.
Mariel called Whitney out for rolling over and taking judgment, something that Mariel said wasn’t previously a part of Whitney’s character. Whitney, though, insisted she was just playing nice, and had to “act the part” to ensure she wasn’t left behind in North Carolina’s elite racing social circle.
And while Whitney was prepared to let bygones be bygones, she still thought it was best — so that Mariel didn’t offend any of the party’s other guests — that the two of them fly the coop. And so, they did. But not before Sam apologized to Whitney for insulting her.
“This is a very hard life to have,” Samantha warned. “You’re under a microscope and I was trying to give advice, but I don’t think it came off that way.”
As far as Whitney was concerned: No, it didn’t.
Someone who managed to fight her way out from under the microscope, though, was Amber. After unintentionally offending Samantha at a KBM fan event by signing autographs without official sponsorship, Amber called to apologize. And while Sam was still wary of Amber’s potential to slip up, she said she believed in Amber as a racer, and was still eager to get her a formidable sponsor.
Still, Samantha had other concerns — namely, her son Brexton’s third birthday party. Sam went all out with dinosaur-themed decorations, which left her husband, Kyle, scratching his head. Sam said that while she was from a big, loud, Italian family, Kyle was raised more quietly and conservatively, and that when they clashed, it usually centered on that discrepancy.
And their latest source of discord? The prospect of a second child. Samantha explained that she and Kyle struggled to conceive Brexton, and that they ultimately resorted to IVF to finally secure a pregnancy. Still, in spite of the ensuing struggle, Sam said she was desperate to have a little girl. Kyle, though, remained skeptical, and said he wasn’t sure if he and Sam were ready to put themselves through such pain again.
Coincidentally, Amber and her boyfriend, a Canadian football player named Jordan, were similarly having couple’s troubles. While it seemed likely that Jordan, who was a free agent, would soon be moving to North Carolina to be with Amber, he was, instead, recruited by a team at the eleventh hour. In an instant, not only did Amber lose the prospect of finally living with Jordan, she was suddenly forced to wonder whether their relationship would survive the distance.
And while some duos were busy sorting through struggles, Whitney and Mariel sought to mend fences. During a spa day, Mariel insisted that she was acting out at the dinner party in defense of Whitney, and promised that while she’d try to be more open to the Busch wives, she still had a bad feeling about them.
“Hearing what Whitney says about wanting to be friends with Sam and Ashley makes me think,” she says. “I need to put myself in her shoes more often. But that doesn’t mean I have to trust [the Busch wives] or their intentions with my best friend.”
(Still, the distrust was mutual — when Brexton’s dinosaur party finally got into full swing, Sam admitted she invited neither Mariel nor Whitney out of fear that a confrontation might follow.)
Sam would, however, come face to face with Whitney and Mariel again at Pocono, where — as part of official racing promotion — the ladies essentially got to just hang out at water park and drink cocktails the size of their heads (our career ambitions are suddenly shifting toward something more racing-oriented…).
Less sweet than any spritzer, though, was an eventual conversation between Whitney and Mariel.
After spotting Samantha from a distance, Whitney chased down the Busch wife, and eventually, the two got to talking about work. Sam disclosed that two models had dropped out of her upcoming photo shoot (Sam was thrilled about a new clothing line venture). And, eager to please, Whitney volunteered both herself and Mariel to fill in.
The only problem? Mariel had no intention of helping Sam out, and chided Whitney for volunteering her.
“I’m not doing it,” Mariel said sternly.
Yikes.
Welp, what goes up must come down — are Whitney and Mariel headed for a real rough patch? Or, will they finally come together to help Sam out? Check out an all new episode of Racing Wives Friday at 10/9c!