During part 2 of the 'Summer House' season 8 reunion, Ciara Miller and West Wilson confronted their unresolved feelings.
During part two of the season 8 reunion of Summer House, tensions flared between Ciara Miller and West Wilson as the two confronted their unresolved feelings.
The reunion, hosted by Andy Cohen, delved into the aftermath of Miller and Wilson's flirtatious on-screen relationship and subsequent non-exclusive dating off-camera. Despite the apparent end of their romantic involvement, the reunion uncovered that both parties still harbor deep emotions for each other.
Wilson, visibly shaken, offered an apology to Miller, stating, "I apologize for, obviously, hurting you... My feelings were genuine." His remorseful tone suggested a desire to make amends for any pain caused.
When prompted by Cohen, Miller initially responded with a quiet "It's fine," but her body language told a different story. Upon further probing, she admitted, "I can't sit here and say that I don't still like him," confirming that she still has feelings for Wilson.
Cohen asked if that means Miller still has feelings for Wilson. She tearfully said, "Yeah, of course."
The revelation seemed to catch Wilson off guard, as he expressed, "I mean, same, but I didn't expect to hear that, to be honest."
The emotional exchange led to a brief break in filming, during which cast members offered support to Miller and Wilson. Jesse Solomon assured Miller that her feelings were valid, while Amanda Batula checked in on Wilson's well-being.
However, not all cast members were sympathetic. Paige DeSorbo, speaking to Miller, suggested that Wilson's primary concern was public perception rather than Miller's feelings, stating, "He's most scared about the public not liking him. He does not give a s**t about you."
Last week, part one of Summer House's season 8 reunion revealed the fate of the sports journalist's relationship with Miller: they are no longer together. After three months of flirtatious filming, and three more months of non-exclusive dating back in the city, things fizzled out for the pair, largely due to Wilson's inability to commit.
"People, they're gonna hate me for it," Wilson told ET, speaking to what played out on that reunion stage.
During the all-cast sit-down, a visibly shaken Miller called out Wilson for playing games with her for the better half of a year, including taking her home to Missouri to meet his parents. Wilson's dad unexpectedly posted photos from that trip on Instagram months later, sparking a bit of hope for fans that Wilson and Miller were still going strong.
"Dude, that's crazy," Wilson said, shaking his head. "I had a heart attack when I saw that."
"I was like, what is this?" he recalled. "Like, what is this guy doing? And I texted and I was like, 'Please tell me you asked Ciara for permission!' And he was like, 'Yeah, no, we talked. I guess I should have asked you, too,' but Ciara cleared it with him."
"He's kind of turned into this, like, rancher Instagram guy," Wilson continues. "When he has pictures that he's proud of, I think he wants to show them off and, you know, he got he got clearance from Ciara, so he let 'em rip, and he was sitting on them for however many months that was."
At the reunion, Wilson revealed his parents told him he's an "idiot" for messing things up with Miller, a confession that moved Miller to tears.
"I feel bad," Wilson said to host Andy Cohen after seeing Miller get emotional. "It’s not my intention to f**king hurt someone."
Miller questioned why Wilson didn't take the "out" on their relationship when she gave it to him before filming wrapped. West says he really did want to explore what they had, but just needed more time.
"I think there were a lot of things -- I mean, living in a house with someone is pretty black and white," he explains to ET. "You're with the same people. You're there on the weekends, you're doing XYZ... I think there's a lot of life to be had outside of the house, outside of summer, and I wanted to explore all of the other zillion aspects of life that we didn't get to experience in the summer."
Miller told Wilson he "got everything you wanted out of me and I got, literally, the bare minimum" at the reunion. She questioned whether Wilson's feelings for her were even genuine, speculating he latched onto her as a buoy in reality TV waters; their relationship equaled an instant storyline and potential love from her followers. Wilson defended their romance, promising it wasn't fake. However, he did have doubts about maintaining a romance while being shot out of a fame cannon and wanting space to adjust to his new normal.
"It was never like, 'These are reasons I would want to be alone...' and s**t like that," he says of the concerns he did surface with Miller. "It was more just, I objectively have questions about how life works after you're dating someone on the show."
"I think I've always appreciated making decisions kind of on my own," he adds, "and not needing to worry about someone else's feelings and compromising -- and I know it's a very selfish POV to have -- but I'd also be lying if I didn't address things like that."
Wilson admitted on the show that he didn't love losing his personal identity in the relationship, noting he was labeled "newbie guy" and lumped in with Miller by fan pages for months before the season ever aired. However, Gabby Prescod called him out for using the show as an excuse to avoid commitment, to which Miller agreed.
"F**k my f**king Instagram," Wilson proclaims. "I think for me just being able to like, be West ... is important to me."
Wilson says he and Miller currently exist with "minimal communication," which might change if they both return to Summer House for season 9.
"I think that will be answered within the first day or two, if we do share a house again in the summer," he muses. "I don't know a whole lot right now, which also might be the answer you're looking for."
Wilson thinks some distance is "probably for the best" for the time being, but makes it clear there "never was a knockout, drag-out fight between us."
"There was never anything gross, nasty, evil," he rattles off. "I mean, it all felt pretty mutual and respectful the whole time, so I don't think there's any hatred."
Part 2 of the Summer House reunion premiered Thursday, June 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Extended and uncensored versions of the reunion debut on Peacock the day after they air.
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