A dude’s Vanderpump Rules power rankings: Season 7, Episode 20
By Josh Tyler
Jax whiffed at a dinner with Brittany’s family and James was the most petulant person on the planet on last night’s Vanderpump Rules.
Previously on Vanderpump Rules, Schwartz paid off his share to Lisa in the most gangster way possible, James threw a fit when he wasn’t allowed to DJ Billie’s brunch, and Jax and Brittany continued to hash out their relationship in couple’s therapy. Last night, we got to see Brittany in her wedding dress, Jax flounder at a family dinner, and James return to his old petulant moody self. Who won and lost last night’s episode of Vanderpump Rules?
12. Jax (last week’s ranking: 12)
At the start of the episode, everything seems to be going very nice and calm for ol’ Jax. We get a nice family moment where he and his sister Jenny have some family bonding. Jax even kept a bottle of his dad’s old Fireball whiskey in a very white-trash but touching tribute.
Jax and his sister decide to get matching tattoos together, where they discuss how their mom didn’t tell them about their dad’s condition in his last days. Each of the siblings gets a tattoo of one of his dad’s favorite lines “make good choices.” We’ll see later in the episode that Jax, in fact, does not make good choices.
More from Reality TV
- Get pumped! Vanderpump Rules season 11 coming in Jan. 2024: Release updates, teaser, and everything you need to know
- Strictly spoilers and results 2023: Who is leaving on Strictly Come Dancing Week 9?
- ABC confirms The Golden Bachelor season 2 during the Fantasy Suites
- Whitney Houston did appear on Dancing with the Stars! It was in 2009, 14 years ago
- Jamie Lynn Spears joins I’m A Celebrity season 23: Who else is set to appear in the British reality series?
The main event of the episode comes when Jax meets Brittany’s dad face-to-face for the first time since the revelation that he cheated on her. All he had to do was be polite, respectful, acknowledge his past mistakes, be humble, and try to get out of this lion’s den unscathed. That was his best scenario, but Jax Taylor just has to dig himself an even deeper hole than he’s already in.
He says that he’s not going to back down (read: be conciliatory and accept his place in her dad’s dog house) because he is feeling happy in his life and with Brittany. I’m sure Brittany’s dad, who is constantly giving him a look like he’s dealing with a used car salesman, will be receptive to that.
He takes Brittany’s family (dad and brothers) out to TomTom’s where they discuss the wedding. Her dad and brothers all give him the “talk” about how his faithfulness and motives behind the engagement are still in question. As they should be because thankfully Brittany’s family have a collective IQ higher than room temperature.
Jax tries to throw the “my dad dying gave me perspective” jab but Mr. Brittany slips it and comes right back at him with the cross of “how long is that gonna last?” Then the brothers tag in with the “you better treat my sister right” speech, but Jax is undeterred.
He condescendingly says “maybe that’s how they do things in Kentucky” as if these brothers are somehow upholding some antiquated, patriarchal notion that’s entirely out of line in 2019. And I’d believe that if this treatment wasn’t warranted from seven seasons of behavior caught on film. And, for the record, this isn’t a Southern/good ol’ boy thing because my New Jersey family would be treating this scumbag the same way if he had the same history with my hypothetical sister.
Actually, we wouldn’t. He’d already be in a garbage bag at the bottom of the river.
Finally, Jax gives the family the statement of the episode. “I love Brittany, but I gotta take care of me.” He says to them, like on purpose, not realizing that in their minds he’s done enough “taking care of himself” to last a lifetime. He also has the gall to say that Brittany needs to make sure he is happy as well and I can just feel Mr. Brittany’s disappointment pulsing through my screen.
Once again, Jax Taylor completely misreads the room and demonstrates his complete lack of tact. You need to win their approval dude, you have screwed up in the past. There is no action you can take that will undo that, it needs time, but you just keep shooting yourself in the foot with these dumb statements.