100 Days of Summer: Jay Michael’s Blog

If there is one thing that really stands out to me in this episode, it’s the fact that I am stuffing my face in almost EVERY single scene. What’s worse is that these indulgences aren’t even easy-to-eat foods. As much as I love an amazing Vietnamese pho, who would ever think to order that mess while filming a TV show? It’s not even kosher, literally or figuratively. #embarrassing

To me, the real common thread of this episode is the fact that each of us, no matter how strong and male we may be (I am obviously not talking about myself here), has a very special relationship with our mothers.  Some have passed, as is the case for Vince and now Ray, but what’s really endearing is the fact that all of us are willing to share those personal moments and memories of our mothers on the show. I can’t think of any other reality TV show that has been able to do that as well as we have with such a diverse bunch of people.

Fran, my mother, is obviously a big part of my life, and when we went together to the surrogate agency, I was sort of amazed by how well-behaved she was when it came to telling them what she thought. The minute the price was announced (over $100,000) I thought she was going to start a negotiation! I mean, the agency was very good, but telling a 76-year-old Jewish mother of three boys and several grandchildren that her gay son needs to spend nearly what it costs to buy a home for his baby is a tough nut to swallow. Considering we were essentially at the “baby car dealership,” Fran was doing a great job of acting like it was a totally normal thing to do with your single, 32-year-old gay son, when we all know she’s thinking something very different in her head: “For that kind of money, I am going to talk to my girlfriends at the mall [the ladies she mall-walks with every morning] and find a granddaughter who can cheaply expedite this process!” Full disclosure: Fran and I share a guilty pleasure of deal-hunting at TJ Maxx and Marshalls, so paying full price for anything, even a baby, is just not in our DNA.

I really had a moment watching Pascale pitch her jewelry line to Steve Quick because it brought me back to a time in my life when I put it all on the line to do something that I really loved. I was also in my early 20s, and there is this sort of live-or-die mentality that comes with the type of person willing to take the plunge. And it’s really sweet to see Pascale not only go for it, but to win. The first person she calls to share the sweet news is her mother, and I love that! We haven’t seen a ton of feel-good moments on this series, but this episode really takes the drama down a few notches and gets far deeper into each of our personal stories. I really enjoyed that for a change!

Curious what happens next? Tune into BRAVO Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. CST/10 p.m. EST to check out the excitement and find me here each Wednesday as I dish on what really happened. Want in on the action? Tweet me at @jaymichaeliving.

By: Jay Michael