In an ideal world, I would have chatted with Amanda Batula, star of Bravo’s Summer House, in person, over a cocktail. Amanda would look effortlessly chic and my curls would be brushed out in a try-hard kind of way. But alas, I sat alone in the corner of my cold apartment for my Zoom with Amanda and in my hand was a White Claw I wrapped in a sheet of paper I painted with watercolor. I was trying to make it look like a Loverboy, you guys, because I didn't have one on hand.

Why am I like this? Why am I covering a perfectly fine can with my “art”? I have no idea. I’ve just accepted that this level of try-hard chaos is kind of my brand at this point.

Amanda and I talked about everything during our Zoom together: Her relationship with Hannah, her vibe with Lindsay, her vibe with Luke Bobby, her job, her nickname, how she and Kyle met, the social media backlash, how she handles being on surveillance cameras 24/7, and yeah. We talked about her boobs.

There was so much great stuff, I had to split it up into three parts!

Below, part one of my chat with Amanda. Parts two and three will be coming soon.

Enjoy, my lil Batula Hoopers.

Samantha Bush for The Dipp: I think we have to start with the most burning question of all: What’s the status of your relationship with Hannah? I hate to ask that, but it's honestly like the number one question that people want to know.

Amanda Batula: I'm sure, because I’ve been reading everything that they’re reading, as well. So, I mean, I have not spoken to her about our relationship. We left the house in what I thought was a really good place. So I'm not quite sure what happened other than, you know, the show airing has changed opinions, but we haven't really spoken about it.

Have you guys talked since the show, or not really?

We DM as normal friends do, and we text. But these last few weeks, it's gotten a little awkward.

Well, it's probably hard to rewatch all the drama between you two.

When I watch the show, I like to let bygones be bygones. We got through it there, we made up, we apologized, we said everything was OK and we moved forward. And yet, when we watch it aired on TV, we get everyone's opinions, but like, we already made up. There's no point in fighting again. And I'm not talking just about Hannah here.

Some people struggle with watching it over again, feeling all the emotions and then, you know, changing their mind or, feeling like they need to get other things out that they didn't say before or whatever it is. I'm just, the whole thing is like, we're doing this again?

What is your relationship like with Lindsay? I feel like Lindsay is an essential worker in Summer House. You know, we need her. How was it seeing her and Stephen’s relationship basically dissolve in front of fish and chips?

Lindsay is really smart. She's really intelligent. She has a really good head on her shoulders. I think she just fights really hard for things that she wants to work out. So, I have a relationship with her where she's like a sister to me where we'll fight and we'll get into it, and then we brush it off the next day. We're really close.

The whole Lindsay and Stephen thing … you could sense that there were so many red flags for her in that relationship. And she wanted it to work so badly because there was so much about him that she really did love, but so many things that she was like, “these things need to change.” And I was like, it's not gonna work.

The only thing I told him to do was make her a birthday cake and she'll be so happy. She goes above and beyond every summer for her own birthday. And I know he tried his best 'cause you can't go out during COVID.

This is something that's been on my mind because there was something in Luke last year that you and Paige saw that obviously, viewers didn't see. I was a Luke Stan last year, I was like, “Oh my God, him and Hannah, I'm onboard.” I love them. And now this year… I hate him and all of his hats.

I know, listen, Luke and I have come so far. I have an extreme, soft spot for him in my heart. I love him so dearly now I think it just took me longer to fully understand him. I love him for who he really is... his guitar playing and the hockey and all of his cursing and his jewelry making and bench building. He's just like a very special and adorable person.

I think that first summer, um, full disclosure, Hannah was telling us her version of a story that was making me feel a certain way about this guy, and it's not necessarily her fault. I think sometimes, you know, we do over-exaggerate things to our friends and then when the guy's giving us attention again, we're like, “Oh, I never said that.”

I think we've all done that.

It was kind of a mix of that, that first summer, or, you know, two summers ago where the story I was being told was getting me all wound up and I was like, yeah, screw this guy.

Well, it's hard when you have a friend who only tells you bad things about whoever they're dating and then they bring them around and you're like, how am I supposed to like look at this person? Right?

Yeah. How am I supposed to be like, “Oh, I'm so happy for you,” when you just told me all these horrible things. But now I fully understand and I've taken the time to understand Luke’s side of things, but I still honestly don't know like, who's right. Who's wrong. What's the truth. What's not the truth. I've kind of just tried to form my own conclusion and just be like, OK, miscommunication, you guys don't understand each other.

And I think people this year have whiplash with regard to Hannah on some level... [My cat Barb enters the chat]. Um, I hope you don't mind. My cat is doing the most right now. Um, so OK. Trying to focus. She's literally crawling inside of a bag. Oh my God. She's like making me sweat.

When you're mad, do you call her Barb or Barbara?

Barbara Lynn.

Oh, wow. Middle name.

What was I saying? Oh yeah. Whiplash. I had total whiplash with Hannah and Luke, because one minute they're fighting and she's like, in love with him. And the next minute she's engaged to this guy Des. So what do you know about Des and their relationship that you can tell me? Because he is a mystery.

She was talking to other guys before the summer. I don't know how many, but she was talking to other people. Luke was in Minnesota for months. It's not like the girl was just going to sit around and wait for him to come back. So she was doing her thing and I think that's when she met Des. I think they hung out like once or twice.

And then, you know, she's back in the house with Luke. I'm pretty sure her and Des were kind of keeping in contact that whole time we were in the house. Like friends, you know, I don't know. I'm sure we've all dated multiple people at a time when you're on the different dating apps and you're talking to multiple guys. You shouldn't have to only talk to one person.

That is something that I don't think people really understand, especially if they're watching and they haven't been single in 2020 or recently on dating apps.

Especially during the pandemic where you're not able to see people in person. So like, yeah, you're going to talk to multiple people at a time. Because what else are you going to do?

So I think, you know, at that point when things fell through with Luke, it picks up more with Des. I don't know a ton about him. But you can see that they really connected when he came to the house, they really hit it off.

This is why I love your show. And I think what so many people connect with, is that you're more real. I think people find you guys more relatable than they do a Vanderpump Rules.

Well, because with our show, it's 24/7. I mean, even when we were doing it just on the weekends there, you're still getting all of us. So even if you try to hide something, if you're fake, you're caught on surveillance.

You know, the truth always comes out. You can't be anything but real. I think with some of these other shows, you know, they're not with each other all the time. You're not seeing every aspect of their life like you do with ours.

And you guys aren't wanting to be actors or models. You guys have real jobs and you're entrepreneurs. And I think just that's way more relatable.

Some people don't think we're very relatable, though. I get the idea people think we're all very wealthy and come from trust funds. And it's like, I didn't pay for this house! I didn't purchase it for all my friends.

Samantha: I need to know. Have you met a Bravolebrity that wasn't very kind to you?

Not anyone that wasn't very kind, but more so ones that just had no idea who I was, naturally. But we were at Bravocon and I'm hosting a brunch with some Housewives and they think I'm a fan. They're like, “Do you want a picture?” I'm like, “Do you want a picture with me? I've been on the show longer than you've been on yours. So you want a picture with me?” [Laughs]. You know, the [Housewives] love what they do. That's why we love watching them. They're very into who they are.

Amanda: So … I have a question for you. Can you explain to me, “Batula Hoops”?

[Editor's note: Let the record show that Samantha affectionately calls Amanda “Batula Hoops” on Instagram and in her Dipp recaps of Summer House.]

Samantha: So that started on Twitter. This guy Dan Calabrese said it one day. Fans of yours on Twitter started calling themselves Batula Hoops, like a hula hoop.

That's amazing.

Now, with Kyle, his fans call themselves “Cookie Crumbs.” So there's Batula Hoops and then there's Cookie Crumbs.

I love it. My mom is like, "What is this? Are they talking about your earrings?" I was like, “I don't think so, Mom. I never wear hoops. They're not talking about my earrings.”

Parts two and three of my interview with Amanda are coming soon ... we talk about how she and Kyle met, what it's like filming the show, and those comments she gets on her body.

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For more on 'Summer House,' follow The Dipp's 'Summer House' stream!

This interview has been condensed for clarity.