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The Challenge: USA’s Xavier, Shan Break Down ‘Big Brother’ Betrayal: Watch

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July 28, 2022

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A Big Brother betrayal? Xavier Prather, who won season 23 of the show, was eliminated from The Challenge: USA alongside his partner, Survivor alum Shan Smith, during the Wednesday, July 27, episode after a surprising move from two former allies.

The attorney and pastor were thrown into the arena by his BB23 castmates Alyssa Lopez and Kyland Young, which came as a shock to many, including Xavier and Shan.

While the former says he “had gotten tipped off” by David Alexander (against whom they eventually lost the elimination), he still felt blindsided, especially because the entire cast “knew Alyssa and I were thick as thieves.”

So why did Alyssa and Kyland take the shot at their own so early? “I don’t think Alyssa and Kyland are very smart players,” Shan exclusively tells Us Weekly in our exit interview, which you can watch above. “I just don’t think that they are. And I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but it was very short-sided. They were blinded by revenge and blinded by pettiness. I get it, this was a former castmate of yours. He won. We all, at some point, were thinking X should not win this Challenge, but in terms of Big Brother’s survival and longevity in the game, it just didn’t make much sense.”

While Kyland was a member of The Cookout on Big Brother 23 that made history and helped crown Xavier as the first-ever Black winner, Alyssa was his No. 1 ally outside that alliance.

“We understand they felt slighted or betrayed or backstabbed, and we expected that, as members of The Cookout,” X says. “We expected the only people we talk to after the show to just be Cookout members after the show. We felt everyone else was going to feel wronged. And they weren’t necessarily wrong in feeling like they had been betrayed because they had, but we’re not betraying you guys because we don’t want to work with you guys, or don’t like you guys. We’re doing this because for 22 seasons a person who looks like us has never won that game.”

As for where they stand with Alyssa and Kyland today, Shan tells Us, “I think [Kyland] is a user. I think he’s a manipulator. I just don’t really enjoy him as a person, and I’ve been honest with him about that – that I don’t want to be your friend. And Alyssa, I don’t believe her as a person. I think she’s always playing Big Brother. I think she’s got a lot of issues she’s gotta work through in her life that she just hasn’t taken the time to do.”

She adds, “There’s no friendship for me, moving forward, with those two, but X, I hope the best for you and Alyss going forward because I know you guys were really close.”

Xavier, who previously had a friendship with the two, says, “I would try to take out of Dr. Will [Kirby]’s book, which is where he viewed people he went on these shows with more as coworkers than friends. I think that’s probably an approach I’m going to take similarly moving forward.”

“I don’t find them to be bad people, and I’m not going to address anything they’re dealing with personally because I think everyone has their own battles that they’re fighting, and I’m not going to undermine anything they could be going through,” he explains. “But I would say my relationships with them moving forward, I would just approach more like a coworker type of relationship. I’m not here praying for your downfall and I’m not here hating on you or anything. We come in, we go to work. We do what we do. You go home. I go home.”

The Challenge: USA airs on CBS Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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‘Vanderpump Rules’ Stars Who Left the Series: Where Are They Now?

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March 20, 2023

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The ghosts of SURvers past. Laura-Leigh, Faith Stowers and Vail Bloom are among the Vanderpump Rules stars who have stepped away from the Bravo hit.

Cameras started following the staff at Lisa Vanderpump’s West Hollywood restaurant SUR in 2012 after she rose to fame on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Season 1, which premiered in January 2013, starred Lisa, Stassi Schroeder, Jax Taylor, Kristen Doute, Tom Sandoval, Kristen Doute and Scheana Shay. Tom Schwartz, Tina McDowelle, Peter Madrigal, Laura-Leigh, Frank Herlihy, Mike Shay, Kristina Kelly, Jen Bush and Jeremy Davidson had recurring roles on the series.

By season 3, several faces had come and gone, and Schwartz was upgraded to a full-time cast member. Ariana Madix and James Kennedy were also officially part of the cast. Lala Kent, Faith and Brittany Cartwright were first featured on the series in season 4.

“You can all tell that we’re very much evolving, so it’s almost like grown-up fighting now, as opposed to high school fighting,” Jax told Us Weekly exclusively in November 2018. “I mean, there’s still high school fighting. Certain people on our show like to keep the high school vibe going, but for the most part, it’s getting into adult fighting now.”

Season 8 saw several new additions to the cast, including Dayna Kathan, Max Boyens, Brett Caprioni, Danica Dow and Charli Burnett. Stassi’s then-fiancé, Beau Clark, and James’ then-girlfriend, Raquel Leviss, were also featured more heavily.

“When we started this show it was our real group of best friends,” Katie told Us in November 2019 ahead of the season 8 premiere. “[The newcomers] have just met at SUR, they didn’t know each other before so it’s kinds of interesting. It’s a different dynamic because they didn’t have the history that we have. So you can’t really compare us to them.”

Vanderpump Rules underwent a major cast shakeup in 2020 after it was confirmed Stassi, Kristen, Jax, Brittany, Max, Brett, Danica and Dayna wouldn’t be back for season 9. The show also didn’t film at all in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and returned in September 2021.

Scroll through for an update on the former Vanderpump Rules stars:

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Alyssa Milano Gushes Over Shannen Doherty’s ‘Charmed’ Reunion

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March 20, 2023

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Sisters forever. Though she wasn’t in attendance, Alyssa Milano gushed over the Charmed reunion that happened at 90s Con.

“This makes me happy for the OG Charmed fans. What a gift!” the actress, 50, captioned a photo of Shannen Doherty, Rose McGowan and Holly Marie Combs at the Charmed panel.

The three women were joined by Brian Krause, Dorian Gregory and Drew Fuller for a reunion at the convention in Hartford, Connecticut, on Sunday, March 19. Milano was the only main cast member missing.

The original Charmed ran from 1998 to 2006 on The WB and followed the three Halliwell sisters — played by Doherty, Combs and Milano — who discover they’re witches. After the third season, Doherty shocked audiences when she left the series amid a rumored feud with Milano, and her character, Prue Halliwell, was killed off.

“There was too much drama on the set and not enough passion for the work,” Doherty, now 51, detailed to Entertainment Tonight in 2001.

In October 2022, Milano said she felt at fault for some of their tension on the Charmed set. “I would say we are cordial,” the actress, who played Phoebe Halliwell, said of their current relationship during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “You know, I could take responsibility for a lot of our tension that we had. I think a lot of our struggle came from feeling that I was in competition rather than it being that sisterhood that the show was so much about. And I have some guilt about my part in that.”

She added that she has reconnected with Doherty after she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. The Riverdale guest star went into remission in 2017 but the cancer returned in 2020. “I will send her DMs every couple of months to just check in,” Milano added in October.

While her issues with Doherty had long been rumored, tension between Milano and McGowan started building in 2018 amid the #MeToo movement. McGowan joined Charmed amid Doherty’s absence in the fourth season, playing long-lost half-sister Paige Matthews for four seasons.

The Brave author famously called Milano “a lie” for her involvement with the Time’s Up organization in a January 2018 interview with Nightline coanchor Juju Chang.

Milano responded to McGowan’s comments in a statement to Nightline at the time. “I am and always have been completely supportive of Rose and admire her bravery and speaking out about her experiences,” she said. “My goal throughout the past few months with both #MeToo and the TimesUp movement has been to use my platform to give others a voice so we can all work together to stamp out sexual harassment and sexual assault.”

The following April, Milano said she didn’t interpret any of McGowan’s comments as hateful. “[I don’t] see that as the same thing as hate,” she exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “I see that as a beautiful soul that was hurting so badly that she was talking from that hurt. And I understand.”

For her part, McGowan remains close with Combs, 49. “I really love my Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs. This juman means a lot to me. Blessed be forever! #Charmed,” the Jawbreakers actress captioned a February selfie with her pal via Instagram.

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Clueless’ Breckin Meyer Remembers ‘Talented’ Brittany Murphy After Death

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March 19, 2023

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Forever the Tai to his Travis. During the Clueless reunion panel at 90s Con 2023, Breckin Meyer opened up about the death of his late costar, Brittany Murphy, 14 years after her tragic passing.

“The one thing that really bummed [me out] about Brittany not being here [is thinking about] what she’d be doing now because of how talented she was,” the 48-year-old Good Girls alum said during the cast’s convention panel on Sunday, March 19, which was attended by Us Weekly. “Brittany could sing like nobody’s business, and I look at things like [how] they’re doing the movie Wicked now. I hear about that, [and I know] Brittany would be killing this stuff right now. You know, [projects like] West Side Story, all that stuff.”

Meyer, who played Travis Birkenstock in 1995’s Clueless, added: “The [tough part] is, like, we all don’t get to see the incredible work she was gonna do, which sucks.”

Murphy, who played new girl Tai in the iconic ’90s flick, died in December 2009 at the age of 32. Her death — which was ruled as “accidental” — was a result of pneumonia, anemia and multiple drug intoxication.

Following her tragic passing, her Clueless pals have frequently been candid about her enduring legacy, including Meyer.

“10 years ago this magical, fantabulous angel left us WAY too early. So crazy talented & the sweetest lil fairy ya ever could meet,” the Franklin & Bash alum, who played the Uptown Girls star’s love interest in Clueless, tweeted in December 2019. “Full Disclosure: Travis kisses Tai on the head because Brit was always like a lil sister to me. Missing Brit lots today.”

During Sunday’s panel, Meyer — who was joined by costars Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash and Elisa Donovan — revealed that he had known Murphy “forever” prior to their Clueless audition.

“So Brit and I played boyfriend and girlfriend in a couple things [before Clueless],” the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past actor recalled during the convention, which was held at the Hartford Convention Center in Connecticut. “I was tight with someone who played her big sister on a sitcom and I had no job, so I was around the set a lot [and] so I played Brittany’s boyfriend there. We were tight already [when we got the Clueless roles].”

He added: “When I auditioned, it was nice because any time you audition with someone you know, you’re just like, ‘One box, I can check: Comfortable.’”

Meyer, who arrived via skateboard to meet director Amy Heckerling at his Clueless callback, noted the roles of Travis and Tai nearly went to his pal Seth Green and his then-girlfriend, Alanna Ubach.

“It was just kind of one of [us or] the other,” the Garfield: The Movie star added. “It was between the two couples and luckily [Seth and Alanna are] not together anymore. So it worked out! But, yeah, when I saw Brittany [audition], I [thought], ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna get the part, but obviously, if you don’t make a movie with her, don’t make the movie,’ she’s that great. She was.”

Several of Meyer’s fellow 90s Con panelist also shared their fond memories of the late Just Married star.

“I remember Brittany coming in, and she was so great,” Silverstone, 46, said on Sunday.

With reporting by Stephanie Webber