Have you ever seen someone who is so fucking chic, who's so totally put together, but it’s authentic? Like, there is an effort there, but it doesn’t feel over-the-top. If you have, it’s probably because you watch Summer House and have seen Paige DeSorbo.
I chatted with Paige over Zoom, and it was like chatting with your friend’s super cool sister. You want her to like you, but you also just want to be her.
During our conversation, Paige and I talked about her relationship with Hannah, Hannah's edit this season, Luke's hats, the Carl of it all, Lindsay's Leo energy, getting drunk with Ciara, the Vanderpump Rules cast, Love Island, what it's like to be 28, BravoCon, and of course, her break up with Perry and her current dating life on the apps.
There was so much to talk about that I had to split up our conversation into three parts so that the length wouldn't crash your phones. Parts two and three of my interview with Paige are coming soon! (Also, Amanda and I hung out, and here's the result of that convo, too.)
OK before we get into it, I have to say: whenever Paige is in her bathing suit on Summer House, I yell at my screen, “Oh she got that top ab,” which is a Monique Samuels throwaway quote that I say waaaay too much. OK, on to it!
Samantha Bush for The Dipp: I asked my Instagram followers what they wanted to know, and I don't think it will be a big surprise ... they really want to know about you and Hannah. Or just, Hannah in general, because this season is kind of a rough one for her. I'm assuming you and Hannah are good?
Paige DeSorbo: So Hannah and I have never really gotten into a big fight and if we've ever disagreed, I don't think it's lasted longer than two hours. I am in such a weird position because I have such an amazing friendship with Amanda and such a great friendship with Hannah and they don't get along. So I find myself directly in the middle and the last thing I ever wanted, was either of them to think I'm betraying them or I'm being two-faced.
But I really, as a friend, try and listen to both of their sides. And I see both points a lot of times. And I'm no one's mom, you know. I'm not Hannah's mom. People are always telling me, "call her out!" and I'm like, but that's not really my place.
My place is as her friend and whatever decision she makes, I then have to support the aftermath of like, look, this is how we'll deal with it in the future. Or, maybe this is how you were wrong or something like that. And I do the same thing with Amanda.
I feel like you're good at that. I feel you're very good at not playing both sides, but just being a real friend to both girls.
It was really hard for me to have two separate friendships with them because when the three of us are together, it's amazing. But when they fight, I really do get put in the middle and I never want to pick sides.
Do you have any insight on what's going on with Hannah this season? I love Hannah, it might be the editing, it might be COVID and being in quarantine, but, people are really not happy with her this year.
I love Hannah and it makes me so sad. I watched the episode [where Amanda and Hannah fight] and, obviously we go on Twitter and we look at things and I'm just like, that is so not the Hannah that I know. Hannah has such a pure heart. She's such a good friend. She really doesn't want confrontation with anyone, but Hannah is fiery and she's Italian and she's got to stand up for herself. So if she ever feels wronged, she's so emotional about it.
You also have to remember that we worked in quarantine together for like, six weeks. And this is after we were just quarantined for like, four or five months with our families. So we're in the height of the pandemic and we're going crazy. There were so many days that Hannah and I just sat in our bed and cried because we were like, what's even going on in the world, let alone what's going on in this house.
So I think that a lot of the fights that Hannah got into this summer, if they happened any other summer, it would have blown over in a day. But because that's all we had to think about the whole time it just got out of control. It just escalated a lot quicker.
I think Hannah and Kyle will be fine. And I think that Hannah's in such a different place now.
I also got a lot of questions about you and Carl. Are you guys dating? There was this little moment at the dinner table, where he touched your shoulder. I rewound it multiple times.
Carl is a very, very affectionate person. He's very touchy. He loves a good hug. For how big and tall he is, he really is just a small little baby. So, we're always hugging and being flirty. And I always say to everyone, I never say never when it comes to Carl.
Well, especially like the new and improved Carl.
I mean, he's an absolute gem.
We got a lot of Perry questions.
Yeah. I was waiting for this.
So what happened? Because we were rooting for you. We were all rooting for you, Paige! When he showed up — do you mind if I thirst for a second? — when he showed up with your bags, I was like, that's a king.
So Perry is — and this isn't just me giving you a politically correct answer, it's genuinely how I feel — Perry is one of the best people I've ever met and by far, the best person I've ever dated. He was a great boyfriend and would be the most amazing husband.
But Perry is 10 years older than me, and there were just a lot of things that he was ready for, that I was not ready for. I think sometimes he liked the idea of what I could be in 10 years. Like when I'm a mom and a wife, and I'm going to Pilates at 7:00 a.m. and drinking a green juice. And that's just not who I am right now. And that might not ever be me.
We just, we had a great friendship before and I was really nervous that we were going to hate each other and not speak but four months after we broke up, we were right back to being friends and chatting together.
I've seen him a few times. He called me the other day. But I just didn't see him being my person for the rest of my life. He's very reserved. We just had a lot of differences and I think he's going to meet the most amazing woman. And I think he will be fine.
Will you be fine? Because sometimes that's the worst. You're like, “I am happy for you. But also, how dare you move on?” I know because I've been there before.
I don't want her to be in any way, shape, or form better than me, but if he called me right now, and was like, I've been seeing a girl and I'm really in love with her. I would be very happy for him.
Do we see him on the show at all this season? Or did he just not want to do the show?
It’s this weird thing where it's real life because we're with our friends and we're living in the Hamptons, which is very relatable, but we also are filming a TV show. And some people just aren't down with that and I get it and I would never want to force anyone to do something they don't want to do.
You know, if he called me and was like, “Hey, I want you to work in my tech office,” I'd be like, "Get outta here." You know, it's hard for me to say, “Hey, can you come and film this national TV show with me?”
Would it be a red flag for you if a guy wanted to go on the show? Because I remember Bethenny Frankel said that she would never want to be with someone again who wants to be on TV because it's just a nightmare.
It's so funny because this is the first time I have really been single. Well, my first summer [I was on the show] I wasn't with anyone, but no one knew me. So this is the first time that I've been on Summer House and been single. And I've gone on some dates with guys where it's the first question they ask me, like, “Would I be on the show?” And it is my biggest turnoff, number one red flag. I don't go out on a second date with them.
So no, I would never date someone who wants to be on it. But then there's also the opposite end of the spectrum where I've gone out on dates and people have been like, "You still do that show?" and they think it’s trash and they put it down.
You want a good medium.
Yeah. I want a good medium where a guy is like, "Cool, that's your thing. If you need me, call me, if you don't, great." I look at Kyle and Amanda for all of these years and they've had to have people comment on [their relationship] relentlessly. And I don't know if I'm strong enough to have that, to have a relationship on display.
So are you on the apps?
I'm on some apps. I've definitely been going out on a lot of dates, having a lot of fun. I've only been single for six months, though. And I've met some really great guys, but I'm just not in a place where I want to be anyone's girlfriend. And I feel like it's really selfish, because like, I am 28 and I'm going to be turning 30. This is when you should be falling in love and getting married. And I just don't feel it at all.
I mean, if love came and smacked me in the face. I would obviously be open to it, but I haven't really thought about being anyone's girlfriend. And I think I really want to stay single for a year.
You're very wise.
I feel like I made it sound smart, but really, I just want to go out with my friends.
I personally find it so hard because I don't know if have the emotional or mental bandwidth to take on another person right now.
And I've gotten into such a good routine on my own that like, messing up my sleep schedule for anyone or not doing what I want to do is just not something I'm interested in right now, you know? So if they come in and they fit in seamlessly, amazing.
I'm 28, too, and someone asked me the other day, “Oh, do you have kids?” And I was shook by that question. I was like, “Oh no!” And then it hit me later on that day. I was like, that's actually not a really weird question to ask because I'm almost 30.
And sometimes I'm like, "Oh my god, am I so immature that I don't want to like, buckle down into being an adult and get married?" But being in a serious relationship or being engaged doesn't mean you're more mature. You've just made different decisions.
Parts two and three of my interview with Paige are coming soon ... we talk about her fashion, what she thinks of Luke, getting drunk with Ciara, her time at BravoCon, and her status with Lindsay. In the meantime... read Part One of my chat with Batula Hoops.
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This interview has been condensed for clarity. Feature image: PaigeDesorbo/Instagram