Season 2 ofThe Valleyis truly so toxic that I can’t help but wonder how this nation ever legalized heterosexual marriage. It’s no secret thatJax Tayloris a menace to societywho leaves a trail of devastation and destruction in his wake. While it was funny when he would be a jerk to his butt buddiesTom SchwartzandTom Sandovalor be a laughable bartender for his bossLisa Vanderpumpat SUR, where the only cocktail he has mastered was a glass of water, Jax stops being entertaining when he takes advantage of power imbalances.
Cringe is integral to reality television’s brand DNA, but betweenVanderpump RulesandThe Valley, it became evident too long ago that viewers are less titillated and more triggered by Jax Taylor’s behavior. The most triggered of all has to be his ex-wife,Brittany Cartwright, who has been the object of Jax’s ire, especially since deciding to leave him. In order to make a good reality show, you need controversy to move the story forward among a group of mostly maladaptive and high-conflict personalities. However, it’s become abundantly clear that Jax cannot handle conflict, especially with Brittany. He also can’t handle this massive platform that Bravo continues to give him because he weaponizes it against Brittany.By continuing to support and humanize Jax, Bravo is failing Brittany, and it’s only going to get worse.
Reality Television Shouldn’t Be Treated As a Documentary
Jax has demonstrated a pattern of abuse towards Brittany, and he even admitted to some of it as long ashe could make flimsy excuses for himself. To resolve this issue, he “chose” to go to rehab, but only because Brittany had been begging him to do so. Jax insists that he did seven hours of therapy a day, which is misleading because it’s highly unlikely he was having one on one sessions all day with a professional. A lot of rehab activities are called “art therapy” or “nature therapy,” and those are optional. Let’s be so for real: instead of coloring in mandelas and forest bathing,he was abusing Brittanyvia text message any chance he got.
Alex Baskincountered the assertions made by vocal fans who were aghast with Jax’s behavior in a recent interview withVariety. “We’re all trying to figure out how to tell the story responsibly and fairly, in a way that is entertaining and real,” he maintained. “But that doesn’t put a gloss on what is really happening.This subject matter is dark!” Baskin also acknowledged Brittany’s trauma, noting that what she endured from Jax “was really scary” and that she’s “a different person” since she first started onVanderpump Rules. He also added that he wanted audiences to take note of “her growth and her assertiveness…This is Brittany’s real life.”
Brittany’s mental fortitude has been acknowledged and revered by many fans of the show, but what Alex fails to acknowledge is how dangerous it is for Brittany to tap into “her growth and her assertiveness” if Jax retaliates in a violent and volatile manner. To act like a Bravo show likeThe Valleyhas this noble intention of exposing the dark side of abuse as if it’s some gritty, award-bait docuseries is giving this show far too much credit. Reality television is certainly an art form, but it’s less like a documentary and more ofa mix of trash and fluff caked in fake tanner and stripper glitter.
On top of that, if every single person involved is aware that Jax has gone way too far, why do they continue to platform him onThe Valley After Show,Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, and on press tours for the show? Jax uses this platform to continueemotionally terrorizing Brittanyand manipulate audiences while playing victim.
‘The Valley’s Jax Taylor Gets Candid on His “Very Conservative” Upbringing
Jax Taylor gets real about sex and sobriety.
Bravo Doesn’t Need Jax Taylor
The biggest misconception about Jax Taylor that his own castmates seem to have internalized is that he is indispensible to the show. How could we forget the timehe referred toVanderpump Rulesas “my show"during his final episode before he got fired? He said it again to Zack Wickham during the most recent episode ofThe Valley. Zack was the only one who had any sense when he responded with a smirk, “It wasn’t your show for the past thirty days!”
The assumed hierarchy among this friend group seems to be emboldening Jax as well. This man treatsThe Valleylike it’s the Stanford Prison Experiment, and while Jax surely needs to be studied in a lab for obvious reasons, pedastalizing him on Bravo just emboldens him.Janet and Jason Capernahave no problem making drama out of nothing but coddle Jax. It’s appalling that Jason and Janet pick apartDanny BookoandNia Sanchezall season long for Danny’s drinking and even exposed Nia for going to Al-Anon, which is private. Meanwhile, they’re coddling and enabling Jax, whoquite literally threw a coffeetable at Brittany. Janet and Jason would never associate with Jax if he didn’t have Bravo clout, and they’re kowtowing to him because, like many other, they see him as indispensable.
Jax has been a “work in progress” for far too long now. The only thing Jax has learned during his time as a “work in progress” is how to descend to even lower depths of rock bottom. After all, how could we forget when Jax told on himself during Season 3 while he was claiming that he was really trying to change when he said in a confessional, “Girls are weak.Girls can be broken.“Brittany has proven that girls are anything but weak or broken, but to what end does she have to suffer withJax doing everything he canto brutalize her? Brittany will likely never know peace in her personal life given she has a child with Jax, but Bravo can put a stop to a huge chunk of the abuse she endures by deplatforming Jax.
