The Summer House Reunion and What Beta Blockers Actually Do

Unless you've been living under a rock (or, like, are just not a reality TV person), you know that Bravo's hit show Summer House has been at the center of mega pop culture drama. The TL;DR? Two of the show's stars, Amanda Batula and West Wilson, recently hard launched their relationship, which is a very big deal because...Wilson broke Batula's BFF's heart (all hail queen Ciara Miller).

Oh, and he was also close friends with Batula's ex husband.

So yeah, it's all very messy, and the drama was so big, the show needed a three-part reunion (plus a bonus episode to go over the aftermath of said reunion) to cover it all.

But when the reunion aired, people couldn't help but notice how...well, emotionless Wilson and Batula seemed. Audiences couldn't detect any real remorse, or even any real feelings. Everyone else at the reunion was emotional, yet the two at the epicenter of the drama seemed...numb? Callous? Disconnected?

Many people speculated this meant they were on some sort of substance that affected their responses, and many people wondered if they could have taken beta blockers ahead of filming the reunion. When host Andy Cohen point blank asked Wilson, he received confirmation: Wilson had, in fact, taken a beta blocker before hitting the reunion stage.

But does that excuse his cold, emotionally removed behavior? Spoiler alert: No.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a beta blocker is a medication that lowers blood pressure by making your heart beat more slowly and with less force. Some people use these drugs to calm themselves down before a major event, and research from Harvard University indicates they may make people feel tired or listless. According to Cleveland Clinic, beta blockers may be prescribed for off-label use to help manage performance anxiety. But popping a beta blocker doesn't explain this level of emotional disconnectedness, according to Ciara Miller (who, in addition to being absolutely central to this story, is also a nurse).

"Just a medical note: beta blockers DON’T remove emotion," Miller writes on Threads. "They work by blocking adrenaline from binding to beta receptors in your heart, blood vessels, and muscles (the receptors responsible for the physical symptoms of anxiety like increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, and trembling). The EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE remains, but the physical stress response can’t fully activate. It’s like putting your 'fight or flight' symptoms on DND…. enough with the beta blocker bullshit."

Well, there you have it. A beta blocker doesn't explain a bizarre emotional reaction (or lack thereof). I have no idea how to explain the incredibly unsettling reactions we saw from these two reality stars. I won't speculate on whether they're on other substances, whether it's a personality thing, or whether this is all just a reaction to extreme public scrutiny. It's not my place.

But I can say this: What we saw was weird...right?