Flaming Bros San Fernando - Season 1 (2015)

Season 1 (2015)

 

18 episodes (that's a lot) for this very first season of Flaming Bros San Fernando were filmed between August 2014 and November 2014, and aired from March to June 2015. This season tells you everything that you need to know about the official cast members. And for most of them, it's NOT positive at all.

 

This season introduces us to the official inaugural main cast, half of whom graduated from the sizzle reel – Enrique Sapene, Jason Caceres-Lopez, and Estuardo Alvizures – and the other half of whom was specifically cast for this season – Alex Paredes (aka Alex P), David Ty Reza, and Rafael Luis Silva (aka Rafa).

 

And joining the cast as friend-ofs are Alex Caceres (aka Alex C) - who was also from the sizzle reel - and Alastair Patton.

 

Compared to later seasons, Season 1 feels like a different show almost, because of its “Jason & Friends” roots. Yeah, it's mainly Jason's show this whole season, and it seems like everyone else is just living in it, except for one. So, there’s a heavy focus on the people who made it past the 2013 sizzle reel, at first. This bothers most people because it always seems like the majority of the cast is always out attacking someone who doesn’t fit their status quo. 

 

Most of the main cast of Flaming Bros San Fernando is part of an unlikable clique that viewers mockingly refer to as the Bullies & Snobs (or B&S). It's a label that none of the said bullies or snobs care for, nor do they ever refer to themselves as such onscreen. But their attitude and behavior make it more than fair to refer to them as such. And their heavy influence on the show (especially pre-Season 5) makes the viewing experience feel like a chore rather than a delight to watch. Or, at least it would’ve felt that way, if the true highlight cast members never showed up, especially one in particular who at first was last heard at the time sitting on a bus stop, reading a therapy pamphlet.

 

Until then, let’s get the mean girls out of the way, shall we?

 

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“Hola, my name is Enrique Sapene. I'm an international mega superstar and citizen of the world, from the magical world of telenovelas.” - Enrique via confessional, Episode 1

 

The first person we meet is the leader of the B&S crew: 31-year-old Venezuelan actor Enrique Sapene, who is also a journalist and FBSF⛈️'s supposed executive producer. He is a self-proclaimed "citizen of the world" and " International mega superstar," having acted his whole life and starred in multiple telenovelas.

 

A lot of people don't believe that he's also a journalist, but he is; at least he’s honest about that. But before that, he had grown up acting since he was a little kid. Enrique has lived in Venezuela, France, and the United States, the latter of where he attended the West Hollywood-based Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute for method acting in 2001 and received an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) in Acting degree two years later. This is also where he met classmate and future FBSF⛈️ costar David Ty Reza, with whom he has a rocky relationship. His family was involved in the world of television (including Marcel Granier and Eduardo Sapene, both from Venezuela's RCTV), so if someone in the family wasn't carrying buckets of water, they were working on the set of a TV series. And in Enrique's case, he was always cast as a villain, so you can guess what his role is in this reality show, with his manipulative method-acting skills. He doesn’t have crazy eyes for no reason, but he meets his match eventually. According to Enrique, telenovelas are typically the center of a story that happens over and over again. "Just look at yourself in the mirror as a Latino, and you're gonna find a telenovela," Enrique confidently says in his Episode 1 confessional.

 

Since finishing his education at the LSTFI, he was living in West Hollywood until early 2009 when he moved to the city of San Fernando, with his now-sidelined brother Carlos Sapene and their mom Helena Gonzalez following suit. But his work knows no location as he can be in Los Angeles, Miami, Caracas, Paris, Barcelona, or Mexico City.

 

Enrique is very... cruel. He is manipulative to his enemies and very classist and racially insensitive in a way that goes over most people's heads, commenting on certain cast members’ behavior instead of acknowledging his own behavior or that of his alliance. Despite being the leader of the unlikable gang and the creator of the show, he’s nowhere NEAR the face of his alliance, nor is he the face or lead of the show, or the first one people think of when they think of  FBSF⛈️.

 

Side note: His 35-year-old brother Carlos Sapene would appear sporadically. But if you didn't watch the sizzle (meaning you weren't an exec), you would've never guessed that he was almost an official cast member. He's very much the equivalent of an extra this season (you either notice him or not), while Enrique happily does nothing as a so-called EP. Given how quickly FBSF⛈️ evolves from its "Jason & Friends" era, Carlos would've never lasted on this show anyway, friend-of or full-timer.

 

Yeah, Enrique doesn't really give us anything other than what he chooses to share: that he and his family never feel guilty about being privileged. If there’s anything else worth noting, he and his partner Daniel Garcia (who he had been with since March 19, 2010) privately got married on March 19, 2014 (literally 5 days before his protégé Jason and his fiancé Christian got married). We just see Danny (credited as Enrique's husband) as an extra like Carlos, and we're just like, "Um, okay, does he talk?" 😅🤣

 

Enrique is very close friends with Jason, Alex C, Estuardo, and Alex P (or at least that’s what we're supposed to believe), and does *NOT* like David, Alastair, or Rafa (especially Rafa). And while he obviously can’t stand David’s “crazy ass” (Enrique’s words, not mine), he has no problem helping David when need be. But Jason is Enrique’s *true* golden child (so to speak).

 

“Being as great as I am always comes with a price. This group of mine is always dealing with some craziness. From people who question your authority, to an outsider’s behavior threatening your status quo. And trust me: there are way too many people in the City of San Fernando who wanna be in my circle. I think it’s really important that we stick together, and make it through as a unit. And anyone who can’t respect that, can happily exit stage left.” – Enrique via confessional Episode 1. 

 

Little does good ol' Enrique realize how expendable the bullies and snobs really are.

 

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Alongside Enrique is his 30-year-old best friend and fellow Venezuelan immigrant local of San Fernando, Alex Paredes (aka Alex P), the husband of 42-year-old Peter Monn (who we never see until Season 2) and a lifestyle guru who lives and breathes music festivals and traveling, always going to a Coachella music festival since moving to San Fernando in 2010. He describes himself as the life of the party. There’s very little else about Alex P - allegedly by choice - except that he’s kind of… ditsy, gullible, and biased, especially against friend-of Alastair Patton. It's never clear why he's so anti-Alastair.

 

Yeah… we don't know anything about Alex P. The whole season, the audience is asking, “Why is he here? What does he do? What is he hiding? Why does he hate Alastair so much? What does Enrique have on him? Why is he even a main cast member?" Seriously, what is he there for?! We never get an answer.

 

Even Rafa hilariously forgets about him multiple times throughout this whole season - and, really, throughout Alex P’s time on the show, which isn’t that long, spoiler alert - until someone has to remind him! Alex P is really THAT forgettable this season, and it's honestly a mystery how he ended up on this show as one of the three people specifically cast for this season (the other two being David and Rafa), beyond the fact that Enrique recommended him. He easily blends in perfectly with the sizzle crew as a result, so you'd be forgiven if you thought that he was part of the sizzle reel from 2013.

 

Also, "life of the party?" Shit, it must be a quiet party with only crickets. 😆😅🤣🤣

 

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If anyone from the B&S side of the cast deserves their flowers - no matter how dead those flowers might appear to be - it's the resident evil heartthrob himself, Jason Caceres-Lopez, the lead of the show – at least for this season. The first time we see Jason in the season premiere, he lets us know in his confessional that he brings the *HEAT* from Miami - “What’s up, everyone? My name’s Jason Caceres-Lopez. I’m 24 years old, and I bring the *HEAT* from Miami!”. Now *THAT* is how you introduce yourself as reality TV villain! But I'm here to tell you, he doesn't get a lot of compliments or praise from yours truly, because I'm actually not a fan of his. And he is a PERFECT example of a reality villain who is easily rewarded for his behavior more than anybody else, for the time being.

 

This 24-year-old Miami-born Cuban-American actor has that adorable presence that makes you think that he would never hurt a fly. But that fantasy changes very quickly in Episode 1, as soon as he opens his mouth, and you realize that he LOVES to pick on other people and gossip about them, and is often one of the *BIGGEST* reasons why the B&S crew is so dysfunctional for seasons to come. He shows himself to be a bully towards David, Rafa, and friend-of Alastair - the three likable people that we'll discuss momentarily.

 

Believe it or not, according to his older brother Alex Caceres via confessional, "Jason was a very shy and reserved child growing up, which clashed with the more over-the-top personalities that our parents [Alejandro Sr and Aymee] and I have always had. It wasn’t until his freshman year [2004 - 2005] in Miami Beach High when he decided that he didn't just want to be more expressive, he wanted to be spicy and assertive. And he didn't want to be nerdy, cute or adorable anymore; he wanted to be HOT, so that way no man could ever dump or reject him." And somehow, it worked, and he became one of the hottest guys in his high school, hence why he brings the heat from Miami. The bad thing about his transformation is that he ended up having a cocky attitude, and belittled/bullied anyone who reminded him of... him, pre-transformation (including the old friends that he ditched). Ironically, post-transformation, he became very popular in high school (where after 9th grade he joined the Creative Arts Academy) leading to a lot of peers being drawn to him, thinking like him, and following his lead, not even thinking about the possibility that he could discard them whenever he wanted to.

 

Shortly after finishing high school in 2008, Jason and his family moved from Miami to the City of San Fernando, with his lifelong dreams of becoming a celebrity in Hollywood, no matter what it took. Oh, goody... another transplant with overhyped Hollywood dreams. Why doesn't that surprise me?

 

Jason is currently married to his 21-year-old sweetheart of a husband (and fellow actor and makeup artist) who now goes by Christian Gabriel Caceres-Lopez. The two met in 2011 (when Jason was 21 and Christian was 18) shortly after Christian graduated from San Fernando High School with the class of 2011. And according to Jason, he himself was very charismatic and confident while Christian was a little shy but very lovely and warm; "Our first date was at an empty Starbucks, and for Christian, it was the most natural conversation he ever had with anyone," Jason says via confessional in Episode 1. They got engaged in 2013 and got married on Jason's 24th birthday on March 24, 2014, when Christian was going on 21.

 

Christian is not a cast member, but in a similar fashion to certain husbands in the Real Housewives franchise, he appears frequently, being the peacemaker between the two and convincing Jason to stop with the hostility towards others. In fact, Jason's storyline away from the group is his complicated relationship with Christian. Jason's family is... too involved in their relationship, which NEVER makes for good television or a healthy relationship. His parents (Alejandro Sr and Aymee) and older brother Alex C find Christian to be the most boring person ever simply because he's a nice guy and a little shy, which clashes with the family's more spicy and feisty personalities. Hmmm, without saying so, I'm guessing this is how they felt about Jason, which would be kind of sad if that were the case. Jason doesn’t openly disagree with them, nor does he seem too affected by their thoughts of Christian (he left that “shy boring” side of himself behind at age 14, after all), which does NOT go unnoticed by viewers. Even Enrique and Alex P wonder how Jason ended up with Christian "of all people" (Enrique's words). Estuardo disagrees, only because he’s Jason's follower. Don’t worry, we'll get to that Goddamn Estuardo later on, but just know right now that he is a piece of work who ends up going from Jason's parrot to a worthless target. Keep the words "parrot" and “worthless” in mind because both words are quite a pair of supporting characters. Anyway, even Jason has his own way of treating Christian. Jason's condescending sense of humor (usually towards Chris's personality or criticism) doesn't always land with viewers because what feels like a joke to him, is viewed by us as a dig at Christian, and self-hate towards who he used to be pre-transformation. And some of the things he says kind of implies that he's more concerned about his status and ego, and less about having a healthy relationship with his own husband. Seriously dude, that's your fucking husband, for goodness sake! Christian, blink twice if you’re doing alright. It doesn’t help that Jason looks up to Enrique as a person, an actor, and a manipulator/gaslighter.

 

And actually, if Jason is that ashamed of who he used to be, not only does it explain how he acts towards Christian, but it also explains his behavior towards Rafa.

 

Jason - a gossip queen - is also a target for gossip himself when midway through the season, David claims that he saw Jason in Sylmar making out with another man who is White and sounds, dresses and acts just like Jason, which may sound familiar if you pay very close attention ("I mean, seriously, bro, single white female much?" says David via confessional in Episode 7), and accuses Jason ON CAMERA of cheating on Christian... multiple times. Now is David exaggerating? We don't know because there's nothing to prove anything! This isn't Jason's first conflict with David, as evidenced by Episode 1 (more on that when we discuss David), but it leads to the infamous fan-dubbed "Tidal Wave Trilogy" this season. Also, if David’s description of this mystery guy he allegedly saw with Jason sounds familiar, then you must have been one of the execs who watched the 2013 sizzle reel.

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't like Jason and the show's not unwatchable without him, trust me. But he's an essential part of the Bullies & Snobs alliance in particular, for better or worse. And without him, that "friend" group is doomed to bore us to tears.

 

There is, however, a dark side to Jason which lets you know that not only does he (try to) control the narrative of whatever goes on with his enemies, but he also controls what goes on in his marriage to Christian. He is THAT insecure with himself, that anyone who acted like his pre-transformation self (Rafa, Christian) gets punished, while anyone who acts like his post-transformation self is immediately accepted or (allegedly) desired.

 

So yeah, Jason… is a heavy hitter this season. He’s kind of the anchor on the B&S side of things. However, despite being the star and the lead cast member that I’m sure many fans of trash TV were craving for, he is actually not the real protagonist or the “bookender” for this season.

 

 

 

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Next up we have Jason's 26-year-old older brother Alex Caceres, aka Alex C (born Alejandro Caceres Jr), who is always down for a good time and a *long* time - TMI dude. 😆😅🤣😂

 

One Caceres is bad enough, but two? Now, that’s just pushing it too far, honey.

 

What to say about Alex C... well, he's a friend-of this season, who is just as messy and thirsty as Jason. Not much else is known about him, especially outside of Jason. And that’s probably why Alex C didn't become a main cast member and was instead demoted after the sizzle reel. Besides, two brothers on the main cast with the same personality probably would've been a little redundant, hence why the least interesting Carlos Sapene was given the axe. Just look at the personality and attitudes of Alex and Jason’s parents, especially towards Christian, and you already know that Jason already has too much power which becomes one of the major criticisms of Season 1.

 

But the friend role certainly doesn't stop Alex C from joining in on the chaos and confusion that Jason causes. Alex C enables Jason too much, but it becomes clear that Jason can handle himself and survive a scene without his brother. The other way around? Uh-uh.

 

I guess if anything else is worth bringing up, it's that Alex Caceres was the first B&S brat to openly say via confessionals, “I’ve never liked Estuardo anyway. Never will,” on the season finale (Episode 17) after Estuardo has his, uh... meltdown.

 

Speaking of…

 

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Rounding out the Bullies & Snobs is Jason's 26-year-old Bostonian best friend Edgar Estuardo Alvizures who describes himself as a dancing fool, baby. To that, I say, “Dancing fool? More like a parrot fool, period!” He prefers to be called Estuardo, so that's what we shall call him out of reluctant respect. Estuardo was born in Guatemala City and raised in Boston, before moving to the City of San Fernando in 2010. Estuardo is a dancer from Boston, who many viewers will recognize from the 4th and 5th seasons of the 1999 revival of WGBH's "Zoom." On this show, he's normally Jason's sidekick. If Jason doesn't like you, then neither does Estuardo, and that's really Estuardo's personality in a nutshell. And viewers don’t really buy that Estuardo and Jason were really all that close (absolutely no way). Neither does Rafa.

 

And later on in the season, after the second of three tidal waves between David and Jason, Estuardo finds out that he's been another victim of Jason's gossiping and shit-talking, which becomes his karma. How did he find out about what Jason's been saying about him (more on what exactly, later)? David.

 

But that's not as memorable or widely discussed as his conflict with new guy Rafa in episode 2, when Estuardo calls him "worthless" via flashcard, and that word comes back to haunt him sooner than he thinks. More on that later.

 

Still wondering about that supposed potential? Me too.

 

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Alex P, Alex C, Enrique, and Estuardo start a trend (exclusive to most villains on the show) of not sharing much/any of their personal lives, which ends up working against them, not once but definitely several times. So, you best believe, viewers, future fans, and even co-stars criticize the Hell out of them for not sharing anything about themselves outside the group.

 

And when you put them together with Jason, all five men create a dynamic that can only be described as toxic beyond repair, with Jason being the main reason, the Alexes enjoying it, and Estuardo eventually being Jason's newest main target. And Enrique is just there seeing dollar signs because this is "good TV." And while the Bullies & Snobs clearly have issues with each other, they also have no problem coming together to go after our next two main cast members; three if you count a friend-of who forced himself into the show (thank you Jesus!) and became *way* more important than Estuardo, and the Alexes ever were.

 

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Now for the more likable/tolerable cast members.

 

First up is 32-year-old Chicano electrician and short film/stage play actor David Ty Reza, straight out of Compton and living his life in Dronfield, Sylmar. In fact, he’s been living in Sylmar since 2011. But why Sylmar, and not the City of San Fernando? Because it’s much larger and more spread-out, spanning approximately 12 square miles. In particular, Dronfield can be a pretty rough area, and David is rough around the edges, so it worked out. This ghetto hood bitch's "don't mess with me" face against the B&S makes him a fan favorite with viewers. He is brash, funny, outspoken, and real. But underneath that tough guy GAYngsta exterior (yes, I said gayngsta, not gangsta) is someone who’s internally battling with himself.

 

In his Episode 1 confessional, he mentions that he comes from a very dysfunctional family of athletic brothers, sisters, as well as homophobic parents who immigrated from the State of Mexico during the 1970s and married VERY YOUNG. He’s still not close with any of his immediate family members. He even admits that he never truly felt safe as a gay kid in Compton had to stay on the DL (or downlow) as a gay teenager while living there to avoid harassment and gay bashing. Basically, it was a very different and more dangerous time to be gay in Compton in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. But what’s intriguing and very human is that because David lived in Compton for most of his life, of course he doesn’t hate or dislike everything about where he came from. Maybe that’s why he sometimes defends his past as a Compton kid. “I guess you can say that I’m a, uh… walking contradiction? Maybe?” he says in his Episode 1 confessional.

 

 

 

He is the first non-B&S cast member we meet in Episode 1 after the Bullies & Snobs have all been introduced. He's brought into the show by LSTFI classmate Enrique Sapene – they never liked each other, mainly because David is beneath Enrique socially and financially. But David needed *someone* to bring him into the show, so… it is what it is. In fact, it was actually because of Enrique that David was able to finally move out of Compton and start fresh in Sylmar, get his electrician job, and even land work as an actor in the stage play and short film circuit. So… unfortunately for David, Enrique is David’s meal ticket. But David will never be in the same circle as Enrique’s, and on Episode 1, it’s clear that Enrique's group is not feeling him. You would think that his outrageous comic relief personality would be enough to let him into their circle. Nope.

 

 

 

In fact, in Episode 1, David meets with Enrique, Jason, Alex P, Alex C, and Estuardo in a local bar in San Fernando Road called El Potro Bar. “I got butterflies, man. Enrique and I got this stupid tension that’s been goin’ on since 2001, and then everybody else looks like they got their guard up,” says David via confessional. When David meets the guys, the B&S group is giving their questions – who are you, what do you do, what’s Compton Like, why Sylmar, and so on, all of which David answers. And when Jason in particular mentions that he would never go to Compton on his own time because it’s too noisy and ghetto, David mentions with a smile on his face that he wouldn’t go to Miami because it’s too rude and bougie for him. OOP! “Woo… I didn’t know I was having a sit-down with Jason Trump,” David jokingly says in his confessional. “After awhile, some of their topics were just like Charlie Brown’s teacher; ‘Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah’ *giggles* like, ‘look how fabulous I am’ and then you got me, *laughs* all the way from Compton, bitch,” David via confessional. “My relationship with David is definitely weird and awkward, to say the least. But there is an old saying: keep your friends close and your enemies even *closer*,” says Enrique via confessional. When Enrique and David take a break from playing pool to talk outside, the others continue to play, but at first they don’t really talk or make much eye contact. Okay... that’s… interesting. I thought they were supposed to friends. But to break ice, Alex Caceres asks Alex P, Estuardo, and Jason, “So, fellas… what do we think about good ol’ David, huh?” Alex Paredes says to Alex C, “ Hey, don’t look at me, I ain’t got nothing to say about that man.” Estuardo says, “He definitely seems like a wildcard, from his clothes to his face,” the others laugh, with Alex C saying, “Oh, damn!” Jason has more to say, of course: “I just look at a million things about David that kind of disturb me, honestly. The baggy skeleton shirt that’s clearly from that Sid character from Toy Story. And it’s tucked in black double-knee pants. And he’s got the converse all-star shoes. I mean, he’s clearly a fuckin’ cholo guys.” Estuardo says, “Yup, you took the word rights out of my mouth, dude.” Jason goes, “Yeah, so I’m really not feeling him.” Alex Caceres asks, “Would y’all say that the jury is still out?” Jason, Estuardo and Alex C all say yes. And Jason says in his confessional, “I just feel like he’s a little too aggressive, animated, messy… and just simply all over the place… I don’t really see me and David being friends. Not happening. He’s definitely not the sophisticated type. Maybe he should’ve auditioned to be the new member of NWA, I don’t know.” OKAY! So, Jason is RACIST! But because Season 1 was filmed in 2014 and Jason is such an iconic villain, production does nothing about Jason’s insensitivity. Thank God Jason didn’t say the full name of NWA, which is “Niggas With Attitude,” but still…

 

Also notice that after Enrique and David excused themselves outside the bar, Jason, Estuardo, and Alex Paredes didn’t start talking until Alex Caceres asked them what they thought about David. Remember this moment, because even though it’s a tiny detail it becomes very important almost immediately, and leads to a pattern that can no longer be ignored, especially by Rafa.

 

During the last 20 minutes of Episode 1, at Enrique's birthday bash (his 31st birthday) in his house, when Jason and Enrique make fun of David's living situation in Dronfield, Sylmar (often viewed by Sylmar residents as the ghetto), and Alex P, Alex C, Estuardo, and a cameoed Carlos join in (because they're bored and need stuff to do), David takes this very personally and confronts them. The Alexes, Estuardo, and Carlos just stand there quiet, almost scared. And we even get a cameo from a close friend of Enrique’s – a 28-year-old journalist and future cast member named Patrick Gomez who - along with many others - witnesses David arguing with Jason and Enrique.

 

David: Y'all have been so fuckin' mean to me since we met, and I ain’t done nothin’ to you guys.

 

Enrique: Oh okay. And you've been very sensitive since you met my friends. Try focusing on that.

 

David: Sure, and y'all can work on your ignorance. Talking about my clothes and my living situation? Y'all don't know shit about what it's really like growing up underprivileged or in the 'hood!

 

Jason: And you don't fit in this part of Los Angeles! You don't belong in the suburbs, so just go back to Compton already!

 

David: I don't give a fuck if you guys think I don't belong here! You two [pointing at Enrique and Jason] don't belong in Hollywood!

 

Jason: Whatever, I'm not ghetto.

 

David: Bitch, I ain’t ghetto either!

 

Suddenly, Jason puts his finger nearly at David's face when saying, "Alright, first of all--", and David backs up and cuts him off by saying, "WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, HEY!" and demands, "Don't put your finger in my face. That's what you're *NOT* going to do, okay?" 

 

Jason: *sarcastically monotone, holding his hands up in fake defeat* Okay, Compton Crackhead, I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Satisfied?

 

Damn, not “Compton Crackhead.” Disgusted, David shakes his head.

 

Christian: *walks to Jason to break up the fight* Jason, babe, come on, that's enough.

 

Jason: *annoyed with Christian* Christian, chill, okay? We’re just talking--

 

Christian: *cuts Jason off and softly says* I know what you guys are doing. Just stop.

 

Jason is shocked by "goody-goody" Christian’s plea.

 

Christian: Please?

 

Jason rolls his eyes at Christian, but smirks at David, and says (while giving the shoo signal), "Shoo." And David scoffs and says to Jason, "Whatever, man. You ain't worth my time. This party's *WHACK*, Enrique, just like you."

 

The B&S crew is just... confused and amused, with Enrique saying via confessional, "I don't know if they do that gangsta shit in Compton, but here in San Fernando, that is absolutely unacceptable. It's a good thing he lives in Sylmar and NOT San Fernando." That won't be the last time Enrique says something ignorant like that, and David is often the brunt of Enrique’s jokes and Jason’ aggression.

 

That’s another thing viewers immediately understand about David vs Jason; David is passionate and defensive, yes, but he uses his words. Meanwhile, Jason is not afraid to fight his enemies verbally or physically, no matter the ramification. But because he’s the hot one, the heartthrob, and the light-skinned Cuban from Miami, he often gets a pass, compared to David who is only SLIGHTLY tanner than Jason, looks rougher and tougher, and is a Mexican from Compton. And for Enrique to say that David is doing the “gangsta shit” when it’s Jason who’s acting a goddamn fool? You already know where Enrique stands.

 

And that "Tidal Wave Trilogy" between Jason and David begins midway through the season.

 

Also, as with the El Potro Bar scene, did you notice that during Enrique’s birthday bash, the B&S crew (minus Jason and Enrique) didn’t hang out, or stick together until Jason and Enrique started talking about David’s living situation? In fact, they didn’t even talk to each other (minus Enrique and Jason) that whole evening until David’s life became a hot topic. That’s all it took. Granted, friends don’t have to hang out with each other every five minutes, but while David didn’t notice the group’s strange distance (he was minding his own business prior to his argument with Enrique and Jason), it quickly becomes something that even Rafa (who we meet in Episode 2) begins noticing in Episode 2 shortly before the “worthless” incident. And it becomes a constant pattern.

 

But back to David.  David’s dynamic with Enrique was always strained and contentious from the moment they met in 2001 at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute during David's second year in the campus (he graduated in 2002) and Enrique's first year. But perhaps Enrique’s manipulative power and privilege prevents David from really going there with him, no matter the temptation. Still, it’s clear that their tension is rather deep, and unsettling for viewers. As many viewers pointed out, David is the underprivileged while Enrique is the white savior despite not actually being White himself.

 

David’s tension with Jason is very petty but also may be deep, as Jason alleges during their first Tidal Wave incident that David wanted him (if you catch my drift), which David vehemently denies. After all, Jason lies a lot, so just take that accusation with a grain of salt.

 

When it comes to the clothes he wears, even though he's not living in Compton anymore, David tends to still wear mostly black, white, and/or navy blue to not draw any unwanted attention. And when he was living in Compton, he never dared wear blue or red for obvious reasons. Yes, even the non-Black Mexican-American David Ty Reza knew what not to wear for his own good. He didn’t need to be Black, African-American, or Afro-Latino to know this.

 

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"Hey guys. I'm Rafael Luis Silva. But you can call me Rafa, if you want. I'm 20 years old, and originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. I'm an athlete, a farmer, an observer, an artist, and a survivor in life. To be continued... 🙂" - Rafa via confessional, Episode 2

 

And then we have the REAL protagonist and saving grace of the show: Rafael Luis Silva, who we first meet in Episode 2. At the time, most would actually argue that he’s also the lead (not that he ever wanted to be one) because it’s believed that “lead” and “protagonist” are the same thing, but not quite. The lead has the primary role, but the protagonist is *THE* central figure who drives the narrative forward and undergoes significant change, acting as the real main focus. Either way… I agree with that Rafa is definitely THE soul of the show, and while he may not be the lead this season, he immediately becomes way more important than we think as the season (and the rest of the series) progresses. And I think the producers saw something special in him from the moment he was scouted for this show; more on that later. But know this: without him, the Bullies & Snobs collapse, and perhaps even the show as a whole. With him, the show eventually adapts.

 

Rafa is also the *real* bookender for this season. And to that, I hear you ask, “How? He wasn’t even in the first episode.” And… you’re right that he wasn’t. So, the bookender role actually works if you disregard the first episode. He opens Episode 2 and closes Episode 17 (the season finale).

 

While the rest of the original main cast are immigrants, too (Estuardo, Enrique, Alastair, and Alex P), or immigrant-adjacent (Jason, Alex C, and David), Rafa is the only original main cast member who actually shares his experiences as an immigrant (past and present). And we actually see that he’s not the most appreciated in the city for who he is: a Brazilian immigrant. He is also the only cast member to date who (in addition to English and Spanish) also speaks Portuguese, his first language. And when a producer asks him via confessional in Episode 2, "How do you say, 'Hi, my name is Rafa,' in Portuguese?" Rafa says with a warm smile and blush on his face, "Oi, meu nome é Rafa." And perhaps most importantly, he is the only original main cast member who was actually raised in the City of San Fernando, once he immigrated from Brazil, making WAY more essential than Jason will ever be. And in case you were wondering, yes, he is the off-screen "sad-looking country kid" that Jason saw and was mocking in the sizzle reel. He also deliberately speaks Portuguese whenever he is seen talking to his family, even though they also speak English and Spanish very fluently.

 

He was born and initially raised in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, but he and his family moved to the City of San Fernando in the summer 2007 when he was 13. His one and only school year in the San Fernando Middle School (8th grade) was very controversial as he endured the type of racism that made him stand out. Rafa’s family is a farming family, he grew up riding horses, and at first, he only spoke Portuguese. So, once he moved to California, he experienced a big culture shock at school, where he had to take ESL (English as a Second Language) and SSL (Spanish as a Second Language). And because of that, he became more introverted, shyer and afraid to be himself, the Brazilian with deep agricultural and equestrian roots and love for nature. He even admits to have been called the N-word in particular (despite not being Black himself) by a white middle school classmate, and that a Mexican teacher even told him to just stick to speaking English and Spanish, because according to that teacher nobody in California cares about the Portuguese language, to which Rafa bravely said to the teacher, "A língua que eu escolho falar não é da sua conta." When the teacher asked what that meant, Rafa said this: “I said, 'The language I choose to speak is none of your business.'” This shocked the teacher and Rafa’s classmates. Needless to say, the teacher never crossed Rafa again, and to my knowledge, it seems as if the teacher might have actually been scared of Rafa. The teacher revelation that he shares to David (who was pretty shocked by this) in early Episode 2 gives us a now-established warning about Rafa and nice guys in general: “Nice guys don’t finish last. We haunt you forever.”  Rafa learned very quickly in the eighth grade what it meant to be an immigrant and that life was not so easy for immigrants, young or old.

 

"I suffered a lot of bullying in this country for being a ‘farm boy’ in the suburbs, even from adults," Rafa admits via confessionals, Episode 2.

 

He attended the San Fernando High School (“The same high school that Ritchie Valens attended,” as he points out to the B&S crew in Episode 2, to which Jason says in his confessional, “Kid, that's cute, but no one cares.”) for all 4 years (2008 - 2012), where after his freshman year, he was part of the VPA Academy (Visual and Performing Arts). But in walked the same problem: despite being around other Latinx teenagers in high school, most of them were Mexican/Chicano, and had no interest in getting to know him as a Brazilian. “As long as I was Latino and living in San Fernando, I was forced to just say that I was Mexican or Chicano, which I always refused. I’m not gonna lie about myself to impress other people," Rafa says when opening up to the rest of the cast in Episode 2. I’m sure his refusal to impress other people triggered Jason, whose sole purpose of changing himself was to impress other people and stopped getting rejected constantly.

 

As far as Rafa knows (at least at first), the only schoolmate who actually wanted to know Rafa as a person and as a Brazilian/Portuguese-speaking immigrant was his best friend Alastair, a Mexican immigrant who transferred from Texas, and was two years older than Rafa and two grades ahead of him (Alastair was a senior while Rafa was a sophomore). More on Alastair in a moment, but by the time the two met in Fall 2009, Rafa (along with his family) had become more fluently trilingual (Portuguese, English, and Spanish). Little did 15-year-old sophomore Rafa realize at the time, a 16-year-old Cuban-American from the VPA Academy – Christian Gabriel Lopez (high school junior, and the future husband of Jason Caceres, now known as Christian Gabriel Caceres-Lopez) – also wanted to know who Rafa was (they shared a few VPA classes between Fall 2009 and Spring 2011), but was too scared to approach anyone beyond the occasional hello/hi/good morning – having his own experiences of bullying, racism, and even homophobia – and mostly kept to himself. Rafa (who remembers Christian) wouldn’t know this until Christian bravely approaches him at Enrique’s mixer in Episode 4. But they’ve crossed paths many times before, even whenever Christian would shop at a local Rite Aid store that Rafa used to work in.

 

Rafa had his share of racism and colorism throughout his time in America, and it’s truly inspiring that he never lied about his background or identity no matter what. Occasionally, he even showed up in middle school and high school in shirts that had the Brazilian flag, Brazilian colors, anything exclusively Brazilian/Portuguese, which turned the heads of teachers and classmates for the wrong reasons. But it didn't disobey the dress code so he couldn't get in trouble, no matter who thought wearing a Brazilian shirt in a predominantly Mexican campus was "racist."

 

As for homophobia, Rafa managed to not face as much of that, because he was largely in the closet for his own safety, only being out to Alastair in the summer of 2012.

 

In addition to riding horses, another two of his only safe havens have always been acting and martial arts. Rafa learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he was 10 for self-defense, and never stopped, ultimately becoming a jiujiteiro at the Mission Hills-based Phenom Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Mixed Martial Arts, aka Phenom Academy. And he started studying theater during his sophomore year in high school, and that’s right there when he discovered his love for acting. But instead of pursuing it out of the fear that he wasn't good enough, he decided to just work a regular job in a local Rite Aid.

 

Rafa now attends CSUN as a freshman after taking a 2-year gap from school, following his high school graduation in 2012 to work. Before he was even approached by a producer at the San Fernando Mall for this show in 2014, Rafa was laid off from his retail job at a local Rite Aid by early 2013, and had struggled to find a job elsewhere, ANYWHERE, since then. He saved as much as he could to afford school if he ever decided to attend college or university. But like many people who were constantly rejected from working, Rafa was ready to give up. It was during one of those mornings in 2013 that he was feeling absolutely down, and he was sitting at a bus stop reading a therapy pamphlet for depression while waiting for bus to take him home (he admits via confessional that he has yet to go to therapy). Because he was deep in thought and focused on his pamphlet, he didn’t notice someone from behind - a certain Cuban-American from Miami - passing him by and seeing what Rafa was reading, only to talk shit about him during the filming of a sizzle reel. Notice the connection yet? What he *was* aware of in 2014 was that by joining this show, he was stepping into a cast of an already-established friend group (which he later realizes is actually a fake friend group of people who don't really like each other). And he dreaded that, because he always hated being the new guy. But at the time, he had nothing to lose. Key phrase: “at the time.” He didn’t have a job, he didn’t have privilege, he didn’t have connections, he barely had money to his name, and he wasn’t famous.

 

Shortly after filming starts for FBSF, the still-unemployed Rafa makes a life-changing decision during the last 15 minutes of Episode 3: he finally comes out to his family.  His parents and brother knew that he was going to be on a reality show, but Rafa never told them that it was a reality show led by gay men. That all changes during this scene. The Silvas are just having a normal lovely conversation while hanging out in the living room of their home, and out of nowhere, the revelation begins, even though Rafa wasn’t really giving them much eye contact at first.

 

Rafa: “Vocês lembram quando eu disse que ia participar de um reality show?”

 

Lorena: “Lembramos, sim. Por quê? O que aconteceu?”

 

Rafa: “Bom, hum... Eu não fui totalmente honesto com vocês. É um reality show gay e, hum... eu sou… gay.”

 

The next few seconds were quiet and Rafa was still not looking at his family, worried about their reaction. His older brother Dominic cried and hugged him, telling Rafa in English, “I’m so proud of you, little bro.” And they all started hugging him, and accepted him immediately. Via confessional, Rafa admits, “That was the first time I just said it out loud to anyone in my family, and I still think about that to this day” and lets out a tear when discussing this.

 

Since Season 1, Rafa's main arc has always been… himself. Finding his purpose in life. Understanding himself. Wanting to be accepted for who he is, not in spite of who he is.

 

And we see him literally live his life in front of the camera. He is showing us his love for theatre, acting, and riding horses, and is actively searching/applying for jobs. We see him acting in a couple of short films made for school and local film festivals, and we even see him working on-stage. We also see him showcase his skills as an equestrian and a Brazilian jiujiteiro, both of which plays an important part in Rafa's emotionally and spiritually grounded personality going forward.

 

It's also because of Rafa that viewers get to see the San Fernando City life from the perspective of a Brazilian immigrant who was raised in the city. You would think that the Bullies & Snobs would share their immigrant experiences before and during their time in San Fernando, or at least share what they like to do as locals in the city, but nope.

 

And after Rafa was cast on this show for his authenticity and his fantastic knowledge of the City of San Fernando (because, again, he has been living there since he was 13 years old, unlike the rest of the main cast who moved to/near the city when they were legally adults), he was told immediately that he could be the one missing puzzle piece for this show because Enrique’s clique was boring, didn’t want to share their experiences as San Fernando residents, didn’t grow up in the City, and didn’t seem to know or understand the City itself.

 

And that is exactly why in the opening scene of Episode 2, Rafa’s first appearance is with his best friends Alastair Patton and David Ty Reza, and they are getting their haircuts at the Town Barber Shop, while talking about Rafa’s continued quest to find a job. The fact that Rafa was very honest about not having a job (besides this show) was probably the most unusual (yet welcoming) introduction that any reality show cast member has ever had. We even see Rafa confiding in 26-year-old close friend, theatre classmate and future cast member Calvin Seabrooks (a 26-year-old African-American and Mexican-American comedian, singer and actor from Pacoima) about Enrique’s friend group in Episode 5 after they make it to Calvin's Pacoima apartment after leaving the local El Super. And in Episode 7, while hanging out at the Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Park, he is talking to his older brother Dominic about something that Dominic heard in the grapevine - about David spreading the word about Jason cheating on Christian ("Look bro... I don't exactly like Jason either... but I also think that David may be looking for trouble, like he wants to get back at Jason. Just... be careful, okay?") By simply living his life on-screen, Rafa unintentionally became our tour guide for the City of San Fernando. Even locals who don’t typically watch reality television agree that Rafa would be perfect “face of the city.”

 

But just because Rafa loves the history and culture of San Fernando City, doesn't make him any less Brazilian, nor does it mean he is trying to be Mexican. In fact, we also get invited into the Brazilian culture via the Silva family. In a small town that has often invalidated non-Mexican/Chicano identities (the greater SFV is guilty of this, too), Rafa became the poster child for owning who you are, no matter what.

 

And in Episode 2, before Rafa has to meet the cast for the first time ever, we see him and his family doing their things as farmers: waking up the farm, the pigs, the chickens, the goats; feeding the animals, and making sure every animal’s okay, basically. Rafa and Dominic are even seen cleaning up the chicken coup. So, even without a job that he would like to do outside of the home, Rafa is always busy; a workaholic.

 

It's really cool that people behind the scenes saw something special in Rafa. BUT it can be argued that he was set up (most likely by Enrique) to fail. He was much younger than the rest of the cast - barely 20 years old - and therefore still treated like a kid; a “stupid little kid,” as Jason refers to him in Season 2, but of course, we’re not quite there yet.

 

Socially, the B&S guys do not like Rafa at all, especially Jason who already found Rafa to be too soft and dull, before actually meeting him. By now you probably got the picture: Jason is drawn to people who remind him of his past life, and he hates that. He has a lot of insecurity problems that he refuses to admit, spoiler alert. So, Jason's personal slave Estuardo proceeds to call Rafa “worthless” via flashcard and fails to accept accountability for his part. And there's only so much Rafa can say to Enrique because Enrique is the self-proclaimed "boss" (sure, Enrique), so he never really bothers engaging with Enrique throughout their time on the show together, until the season finale which takes place at James’ Restaurant; the breakfast from Hell. And the Alexes (Alex Caceres and Alex Paredes) are just forgettable non-personalities to Rafa. It gets to a point where Rafa particularly forgets who Alex Paredes is (multiple times) until someone (if they bother) reminds him. For example, during the Season finale when Rafa, David, and Alastair enter James’ Restaurant and they see that everyone else is there being very quiet as per usual. And Rafa does not recognize Alex Paredes, whispering to Alastair "Wait, who is that again?" to which Alastair rolls his eyes, giggles, and whispers back, "Alex Paredes" And Rafa whispers, "Oh okay, thanks." Such a cute Rafa moment lol. Hell, even at the Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Park (Episode 7), after discussing David and Jason, Rafa talks about the rest of the cast and accidentally leaves Alex Paredes out. And Dominic literally has to let Rafa know that he left out Alex P, when he says, "Wait *laughs* isn't there another Alex in the group?" Rafa’s reaction? "OH! Um... Yeah. Um... Alex... Peterson…?” Dom shakes his head, and Rafa says, “Parker?" And Dominic says while laughing, "Paredes. Alex Paredes," to which Rafa says, “Right, whatever. Him." Rafa and Dominic’s father Ricky might have something to do with Rafa always forgetting about Alex P. More on that later, but I find that belief to be a little ridiculous and funny. The only reason Rafa remembers Alex Caceres (kind of…) is because he's just Jason's brother and Christian's brother-in-law. That’s literally it.

 

And speaking of Christian, in Episode 4, at a mixer (that David does not attend) hosted by Enrique (who proves to be a pretty bad host), we see that Rafa is the only cast member who actually gets along with Christian. This bothers Jason, which is so ironic given what he's allegedly been doing behind Christian’s back. And what Jason fails to accept as the truth (but thankfully the footage was shown) is that Christian and Rafa literally don't talk about Jason (or their marriage) at all, and they're not flirting with each other. They're literally just talking about life, fashion, outdoor activities, acting, their experiences as non-Mexicans in the City of San Fernando and attending San Fernando High School (Christian attended from 2007 to 2011 and Rafa attended from 2008 to 2012), and what the other has been up to since high school. They both recall seeing each other around many times during high school and even after high school, and being too shy to really go beyond saying hi to each other most times. And what really seals the deal for Jason is that Christian, a Cuban-American, who – like the Brazilian immigrant Rafa – has had his share of racism and being othered in the City, allows himself to just get to know Rafa as a person and as a Brazilian immigrant in the very Mexican City of San Fernando. Jason sees this as a personal betrayal, which is kind of stupid because Jason and Rafa are not friends, Rafa was not trying to steal Christian, and Christian was not trying to cheat on Jason.

 

When Jason confronts Rafa about this outside Enrique's house, Christian quickly and bravely defends Rafa, admitting to Jason, "I approached Rafa, because I wanted to talk to him. I recognized him from high school, and wanted to get to know him. I don't have a lot of friends, and this is a mixer. We should be free to talk to whoever we wanna talk to, right?" Jason doesn’t believe this, and sticks with his belief that Rafa wanted to steal his man, which leads Rafa to say, "Jason… just watch the footage and you'll see that you're wrong." And immediately a producer shows Jason footage of Christian and Rafa’s conversation, and... even though he won't admit it, he felt dumb. All he could say was, "Oh. Well, alright, fine." Rafa and Christian look at him with an expression that can only be read as "We're waiting," to which Jason says, "Okay, I'm sorry! Damn." And Rafa and Christian say in unison, "Thank you," which makes them look at each other in shock by the unison and trying not to chuckle. Interestingly, Jason doesn't forbid Christian to see or talk to Rafa again. But he still doesn't trust Rafa, and sees him as a potential threat to his and Christian’s marriage. "You gotta watch out for the boring ones," Jason says via confessional. But was he referring to Rafa as the boring one, or Christian? Hard to say, knowing how Jason's brain works. For all we know, he could've been talking about his past life. And the fact that Jason sees Rafa as a threat to his and Christian’s marriage is very ironic and hypocritical given what is being alleged about him, and given what we observe and learn, the more we get to know Jason during his duration on the show.

 

If Rafa and Christian *did* receive pushback for their friendship from viewers (aka the B&S stans who are strongly and vocally anti-Rafa), it's because many haters see it as Rafa being messy and Christian being two-faced, when really, all the two "boring" guys are doing is coming together and getting along, laughing, officially connecting after crossing paths for many years as strangers, having a nice stress-free conversation, pretty much forgetting - or perhaps not caring - that one is a fan-dubbed Amigo (and associated with someone – David – who was rude to Christian in Episode 1, leading to Christian to immediately snap at the guy) and the other is married to a bully/snob (who used to be like Christian and Rafa once upon a time, is very mean to Rafa, and hardly defends Christian against Christian’s in-laws). They don’t even talk about each other’s alliances.

 

As of this season, Rafa is the only cast member that Christian dared approach on his own terms, and as we'll see in the future seasons that they never stopped interacting or being friends, but are nonetheless very careful, unfortunately keeping most of their interactions to a minimum because of Jason. If there’s one thing that both Rafa and Christian respect better than the B&S crew, it’s boundaries. There are certain things that Christian tells Rafa that we never know about because Rafa can keep a secret - and vice vera - and does not repeat other people’s secrets. This could sadly reinforce haters’ shared opinion on Rafa: that he’s boring. Still, the fact that Rafa was able to get along with someone that audiences would consider B&S-adjacent, and Christian was able to do the same with a fan-dubbed Amigo is quite the accomplishment if ever I’ve seen one!

 

Rafa doesn't really interact with the Bullies & Snobs until he has to. You can only avoid them for so long when you're a full-time cast member.

 

But it's actually during the solo scenes after choosing to disengage with the B&S that we see that he is less claustrophobic or defensive outside of the City of San Fernando, especially when he’s fooling around in his theater class at CSUN.

 

In Episode 11, during the latter half of the season, his theater class is doing improv raps which look like so much fun. It's actually during the improv rap scene that we see another cameo appearance from classmate and future cast member Calvin Seabrooks. Rafa sucks at rapping (according to Rafa himself; I’m not trying to be mean), but he has a great time, and Calvin is cheering him on, which helps Rafa be less nervous and more comfortable. Rafa is really in his element in his class, showcasing his acting, comedic timing, and ability to act out words. "The class definitely showed me that I don’t have to be perfect at everything, and that my passion and love for the arts always outweighs any imperfection," Rafa says via confessional.

 

To viewers' shock, the only main cast member who seems to like Rafa is David. But considering the fact they had known each other since 2012, I wouldn’t say it was shocking at all. In Episode 2, during the scene where Rafa, David, and Alastair are getting their haircuts in Town Barber Shop, each person is saying in their respective confessionals how they met. In David’s confessional, he says, “I’ve known Alastair and Rafa for two years now. We actually met after I had finished doing a show at CSUN’s Plaza del Sol Performance Hall; it was a theatre adaptation of the 1995 film Mi Familia where I played Esai Morales’s character Chucho.” Alastair says in his confessional, “I had scored two tickets to see the play, and I dragged Rafa along with me against his will.” Rafa says his confessional, “I’ll admit, I really loved the show. And David’s portrayal of Chucho really stood out to me. I really don’t know why; I just liked him on the show.” David continues in his confessional, “Shortly after the show ended, the cast was doing meet-and-greets, and I approached Rafa and Alastair. Alastair – who’s an aspiring writer – praised my acting and performance, and told me how connected he felt to the show, as Mexican immigrant himself. But Rafa – who also acts – was really nervous to talk.” Rafa says in his confessional, “David just had this extroverted personality that Alastair was used to but it intimidated me a bit. But eventually I got comfortable enough to tell David how much his role stood out to me.” And Alastair says, “And the three of us were just talking and talking and talking about pretty much anything else; it’s as if we knew each other our whole lives, honestly.” David says in his confessional, “They just reminded me of me in so many ways that I was just like, ‘Where have they been all my life?’” Alastair says in his confessional, “We just hit if off very quickly; it was amazing!” And Rafa says in his confessionals, “Since meeting David, he’s become a really great friend, and a mentor to me and Alastair. I truly appreciate that.”

 

Rafa’s friendship with David and Alastair is one of the FEWEST positive highlights of the season. And it helps Rafa feel even more at ease in the show… for the time being. Midway through the season’s airing fans dub the three friends as the 3 Amigos.

 

"David and Alastair are buddies with Rafa? Well, hopefully David and Alastair treat him right," says Jason sarcastically, via confessionals (Season 1 Episode 3).

 

 

 

If anyone on the show withered the storm better than anyone else, it was Rafa. He has the honor of eventually becoming the main focus throughout a great portion of the season’s latter half, especially during the majority of the Season Finale (Episode 17) with his dragging of the group’s overall dynamic at James' Restaurant (I can't wait to talk about that), and later applying for a job in the Sylmar-based Monteverde Ranch Equestrian Center, as suggested personally by Alastair's fiancé Zachary Garcia, who ironically is deathly afraid of horses lol.

 

One fascinating (yet overlooked) trait of Rafa is that by simply observing and listening, he’s kind of a detective without realizing it or presenting himself as such. It’s not about being suspicious or paranoid. It’s about pattern recognition and self-protection. And he acts only when he has enough information — never impulsively. You’ll see what I mean real soon. But for now, let’s just say that Rafa is a detective under your nose.

 

Oh, and it becomes clear by his rural and equestrain lifestyle that he gets along better with animals.

 

---

 

So, about that “worthless” comment…

 

In Episode 1, the bullies and snobs were not impressed by David’s… everything. Therefore, in Episode 2, David warns Rafa at Town Barber Shop that the cast may not like him, telling him, “I don’t know, man. I could be wrong, but if they don’t like me, they’re may not like you either.” And David was right. The B&S crew were not looking forward to meeting Rafa, who already sounded like a boring person to be around, according to Jason in Episode 2 who recalls seeing that “sad-looking country kid” at a bus stop reading a pamphlet about therapy back in 2013, leading to a flashback of the unreleased 2013 sizzle reel, in which Jason says, “I mean, if y'all saw the way he looked, and dressed… shit, y'all would be depressed, too.” This flashback is the only sizzle reel scene that viewers – as well as David, Alastair, and even Christian - have ever seen to this day. Execs who watched the sizzle reel themselves will instantly realize that Jason was referring to a then-unknown Rafa Silva, who would’ve been 18 going on 19 during the making of the sizzle reel in 2013. And if Jason doesn’t like someone… you guessed it! Neither does anyone else in his clique, especially that spineless-ass Estuardo.

 

After Enrique, Jason, Alex C, Alex P, and Estuardo meet Rafa for the first time and each get a feel for him, it’s very clear to anyone with common sense that the Bullies & Snobs are very judgmental towards Rafa, with Jason being the harshest throughout the season, especially after Rafa says to Jason, "And yes, Jason, I'm that ‘sad-looking country kid’ that you saw at a bus stop reading a therapy pamphlet last year. Hopefully my presence doesn't make you depressed." OOOOH... This sly comment instantly takes Jason by surprise, and Jason (who doesn’t even try to deny saying such a thing) asks him, "How did you know about what I said?" to which Rafa calmly says, "Don't worry about that; that's not important." The rest of the cast is just speechless and in shock, with David saying in his confessional, "Jason said that about you? Wow..." And Rafa says in his confessional, "If you're the type of person who judges and jumps to conclusions without getting to know someone, then that says everything about you." So because we – the viewers – have never seen the sizzle reel, we are left wondering, “Wait… how *did* Rafa know about that ‘sad-looking country kid’ comment? And why was that the first thing he said to Jason? I NEED CONTEXT!” And we get context in the reunion. At least we know that Rafa is nice, but not above putting a bully in his place if he has to. And this shakes Jason to his core a lot. And Rafa is a lot more confident than he gives himself credit for.

 

The next day, Enrique decides that everyone should come into his house so they can all do some… group activity thing (?) with his life coach. Who the hell died and became Enrique’s life coach (although to be fair, after looking back, he does need help for his delusion)? It just felt like a setup. I can see why Jason looks up to Enrique.

 

Remember that little detail in Episode 1 about B&S not really interacting at the El Potro Bar until Alex C asked Alex P, Estuardo, and Jason about what they thought of David by first impression? And remember when later that same episode, they didn’t interact at Enrique’s birthday bash until Jason and Enrique started talking about David’s current living situation? Well, David never noticed those two moments because the first time, his we outside with Enrique, while the second time, he was minding his own business. But Rafa immediately notices the weird B&S dynamic himself in Episode 2 after finally making it to Enrique's house to see the life coach. Everyone else is there, but it’s quiet because no one is acknowledging each other. Rafa is very critical about what he sees when saying in his confessional, “I expected everyone to leave out David after the way they treated him at Enrique’s birthday party. But I thought everyone else would be talking to each other like, ‘Heehee haha’ since they’re supposed to be this ‘friend group.’ And yet… no one is acknowledging each other’s presence. I don’t remember seeing them this distant when I met them the first time. What did I get myself into?” The unspoken rule in trashy reality TV is that you never expose a friend group as fake, which makes Rafa refreshingly anti-reality TV.

 

For one of the very last of a few activities, the female life coach named Tamika Williams suggests that each cast member write an adjective in a flashcard to describe each costar and put it in a box (each box has a cast member’s first and last name, which is perfect for the Alexes lol). Of course, the B&S group wrote positive adjectives towards each other (which is all bullshit in retrospect because of what we know now thanks to Rafa), and the life coach reads them out herself.

 

But when Tamika got to David and then Rafa, the vibe was different. She was clearly bracing herself.

 

 

The words to describe David were

 

· Passionate – Rafa Silva

 

· Ghetto – Enrique Sapene

 

· Dramatic – Estuardo Alvizures

 

· Immature – Alex Paredes

 

· Hideous – Jason Caceres-Lopez

 

· Annoying – Alex Caceres

 

 

And the words to describe Rafa were

 

· Authentic – David Ty Reza

 

· Passive – Enrique Sapene

 

· Sneaky – Alex Paredes

 

· Questionable – Alex Caceres

 

· Boring – Jason Caceres-Lopez

 

· Worthless – Estuardo Alvizures

 

 

David has heard worse, but Rafa was hurt and did *not* hide it. David, with his charisma, tries to soften the blow and tells Rafa that he is not worthless, and nobody deserves to be called that.

 

 

But Tamika ends up putting each B&S brat on blast, revealing who wrote what to David and Rafa, respectively, which left every B&S brat looking like fools. Is that even legal? But no one was as embarrassed as Estuardo (ooooohhh, BUSTED!) who is COMPLETELY caught off guard after the life coach revealed that Estuardo wrote “worthless” for Rafa. And, surprise surprise, Estuardo couldn’t explain why he called Rafa such a word, stuttering, "Look, I-I’m… I'm sorry Rafa, but... I don't… I don’t think this is the time or the place--" until Rafa cuts him off by saying, “Make time,” which shocks everyone, even Estuardo who looks… scared.

 

"The boring kid's got balls. I stand corrected," says Jason via confessional, unimpressed by Rafa’s “stank attitude”.

 

And Estuardo gives this big speech about how he doesn’t have a lot of gay friends because a lot of them can be very messy and needy, and blah blah blah. I mean, I get it. A lot of gay people are like that. But if only he knew at the time what his so-called best friend was saying about him. And Rafa cuts him off again: “That has nothing to do with me. Now focus. Stick. To. The subject.” Estuardo is just speechless by Rafa's cold response, going, "Um… I'm—eh…" before letting out a frustrated sigh and holding his hands up in defeat, completely giving up at that point, and silently saying, "I don't know. I'm sorry. Never mind." David says not-so-quietly, "Well, Estuardo, that was pretty typical of you," which causes Estuardo to give David a dirty side-eye.

 

"This is what happens when you use Jason as your personal brain. If you can't even think for yourself, just zip it," David says via confessional, Episode 2. Yeah… whatever potential Estuardo had based on the sizzle was nowhere to be seen throughout the WHOLE season. Yes, Estuardo was an instant flop from this episode forth.

 

When Tamika asks Rafa how he is feeling, Rafa explains to her, “I’m really disappointed. Though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” Tamika asks, “How come?” And Rafa says, “Because since moving here from Brazil, I’ve had to deal with horrible people. Even as a 13-year-old, I’ve had to put up with hateful adults. And uh… for the second time in less than two days, I’ve had to put two people in their place: Jason and now Estuardo.” Jason and Estuardo stare at Rafa like he’s crazy and then look at each other in confusion. Rafa then looks at the both of them and gives them (and us) the ULTIMATE prophecy that immediately affects every antagonist who sets foot in this show: “But I can promise you all one thing: nice guys don’t finish last. We haunt you forever.” Intriguing. Forever memorable. Accurate. Timeless. Downright haunting. Straight-up foreshadowing.

 

The B&S brats give faces that scream disbelief mixed with uneasiness and confusion, and David is just as surprised. Are the Bullies & Snobs scared of Rafa? Do they think he’s crazy? Or do they think he’s just being dramatic? Even Enrique says in his confessional, “‘We haunt you forever?’ What kinda so-called nice guy says that? This kid makes no fucking sense.” Whatever the case may be, Rafa has to know that he had them in stitches, not that I’m bothered, honestly. Rafa was certainly not impressed with any of the B&S brats.

 

But what we the viewers realize by the end of Episode 2 is that Rafa is indeed a nice person until you cross him, a lesson that many villains learn in the future, some worse than others.

 

"As far as I’m concerned, I never tried getting off on the wrong foot with anyone, except Jason and Estuardo, but they deserved it. I know David has my back. But as for the rest of the group, I don't think they're gonna grow on me. It's clear that I remind Jason of himself, and that’s… sad. Estuardo... he's Jason's parrot. Enrique is Enrique. And Jason's brother Alex... I don't know what to make of him. This is gonna be a *long* season," Rafa says via confessional in Episode 2, and unfortunately, he was right because the season ends up having 18 episodes in all. Geez. Also, did you clock that he left out Alex Paredes? 😂 Even viewers are like, "Wait... he just left out the other Alex!" You could say that his forgetfulness of Alex P was foreshadowing Alex P's relevance on the show, but as mentioned earlier, it is believed that Rafa’s own father is responsible for that, which sounds absolutely unhinged.

 

Now, all you viewers are probably wondering, "How did Rafa know about what Jason said about him? He wasn't even part of the pitched cast from 2013." Well, it’s not revealed until the reunion. But I’ll spare you the suspicion and give a behind-the-scenes fact, and it’s an example of his unintentional detective work: after being cast on the show in 2014, Rafa was given his own copy of Enrique's sizzle reel of the show to help himself get familiar with who's who, who's in, and who's out. So yes, he was aware that Carlos Sapene and Aiden Lee were left out - especially the latter for painfully obvious reasons. And when it got to Jason talking crap about a "sad-looking country kid," Rafa immediately recalled sitting at a bus stop in 2013 reading a therapy pamphlet. And he knew right away that he was not going to like Jason. This is on Jason for absent-mindedly pitching Rafa in 2013 before he ever knew Rafa’s name; all it took was for him to talk about Rafa, only for it to come back and haunt him the first time he officially met Rafa. But to say that Rafa was connected to Jason (albeit loosely) in any kind of way would be doing a disservice to Rafa, who never needed Jason to be relevant; it was always the other way around, leading to the belief that in the sizzle footage, Jason was mocking a then-unknown Rafa because Jason had nothing about himself to talk about. Hence why I said earlier that the show is not unwatchable without Jason.

 

This sizzle reel callback is the first real sign that Rafa sees more than he lets on. While the B&S crew and their loyal supporters convince themselves that Rafa is “boring” and “passive,” he’s actually SMARTER than B&S and is already proving he’s one step ahead. He doesn’t need to yell or throw shade back immediately. He just needs to wait for the right moment and let the truth do the work. Plus, if he’s so boring, why is his name constantly in B&S’s mouths?

 

It’s also the first time we see the “nice guy” weaponize politeness. Rafa could have come in hot and accused Jason of being mean. Instead, he delivers the line with a gentle smile and a touch of sarcasm (“Hopefully my presence doesn’t make you depressed”), which makes the burn land even harder.

 

From this moment on, the audience knows: Rafa is paying attention. He remembers (until he doesn’t [cough-Alex Paredes-cough]). And when he decides to speak up, it counts.

 

This early detective skill is the foundation for later moments throughout Rafa’s time on the show. The pattern is consistent: Rafa doesn’t forget (unless it’s Alex P), and he doesn’t let people rewrite history when it suits them.

 

It’s a small scene, but it’s one of the first times we see why Rafa becomes the show’s moral and emotional center.

 

---

 

And then we have 22-year-old Alastair Patton, who joins FBSF as the show’s second friend-of. We briefly meet him in Episode 2 when he, David, and Rafa are getting their haircuts at the Town Barber Shop and talking about Rafa’s search for a job. But it’s in Episode 3 where after learning from Rafa and David about the "worthless" incident, and how judgmental most of the cast is, Alastair makes it a point to join them on this journey, officially making himself a friend-of without needing to audition or be scouted first. Enrique would never allow such a thing to happen, which makes Alastair the biggest rebel. At least, in the minds of the B&S cult and their fans. But this is not really Enrique’s show ANYMORE (despite what he says). And frankly, Alastair couldn't care less because Enrique is NOT his boss, something that Alastair has no problem reminding Enrique during the reunion.

 

Retired from the army, the Mexican-born Alastair shares with us how he was eventually frustrated with always having to leave his family and Rafa.

 

Alastair is a fellow immigrant himself, being born in the Ciudad de México in 1992. His family moved to Arlington, Texas in 1997 when he was only 5 years old. He has two older sisters (Amanda and Tiffany) and a younger sister (Jamie) and has always been very close with them, as well as their mom. But as of the making of Season 1, he and his dad have a very strained relationship, that isn't explored this season. Either way, his family does NOT get involved in his relationship with his fiancé, 20-year-old Zachary Garcia, which is more than I could say about Caceres family’s involvement in Jason's marriage to Christian.

 

While living in Texas, Alastair and his family pretty much adapted to the Tejano culture, and this is despite Alastair being a “Mexican with White skin,” a racially insensitive label that he would receive during his time in the army. At age 17, he and his family moved to the City of San Fernando in the year 2009 ahead of his Senior Year in San Fernando High School where he joined the CTE Academy (Career Technical Education) and graduated with the Class of 2010. In school, he didn't feel completely safe to be an openly gay teenager. And it was especially unacceptable at home, as per his father’s orders. Shortly after the beginning of the Fall 2009 semester, he met his Sophomore best friend 15-year-old Rafa, after the two bumped into each other during their lunch break. And the two instantly clicked, and became inseparable, like brothers. Eventually, Alastair would come out to Rafa during that same semester, and Rafa would do the same to Alastair in the Summer of 2012 after Rafa graduated from San Fernando High. They always stayed in touch when Alastair was in the army, and Alastair would visit as much as he could.

 

What Alastair doesn’t reveal to us until next season is how much of a mental toll the army took on him, but his family and Rafa were immediately made aware years ago of what happened to him. David would know about the situation in 2013 after he and Alastair have gotten to know each other very well. Until then, what ends up being a symbol for Alastair is his dog tags that he always wears around his neck for good luck, which (because of the superstition behind good luck charms) you wouldn’t expect from someone who grew up in a devout Catholic family. But for Alastair, who’s a progressive liberal Catholic, his dog tags were his only army friends, during a traumatic time in his life when he could no longer trust a single person in the army.

 

Alastair reminisces about the first time he saw Zachary Garcia, a Tejano who (unlike Alastair) is NOT fluent in Spanish. In 2013, he saw that “Zach had such a magnetism when I looked him up on Instagram, and so I followed him right away.” Zach also followed Alastair and they started “liking” each other’s pictures, which led to private messages, and then an in-person meeting after Zachary (who already had plans to move to Los Angeles anyway for better job opportunities) moved to the City of San Fernando for work. They decided to become official boyfriends when they met and never looked back. Were they moving a little fast? Uh, yeah. Maybe a little too fast, by traditional standards. But whatever, they got to know each other as they were dating, so it worked out regardless.

 

He currently works as an usher for the Regency Granada Hills 9 movie theater. But while he’s a very social person in his job, which is always great, and he's a real nerd with movies in general, his real passion is writing, something he felt forced to give up before joining the army because “it doesn’t pay the bills,” according to his father. But even David can tell that Alastair still has that creative spark verbally and misses writing, and he thinks that Alastair should return to it, even with his current full-time job.

 

We get to see Alastair's relationship with future husband Zachary Garcia (who sometimes refers to Alastair as “daddy,” “papi” or the more popular "Big Daddy Al," and is hardly comparable to Christian Gabriel Caceres-Lopez, because Zachary is Alastair's rock, not a forced babysitter – sorry Christian, I like you though), which becomes another highlight in addition to scenes that Alastair, Rafa and David have together, individually, and/or 2 at a time.

 

And Alastair has his good eye on those damn bullies, especially Enrique, who Alastair never treats like a boss or EP, calling him a bitch at the reunion (Episode 18).

 

Yeah, Alastair makes it crystal clear (in the most quotable moment possible) to Enrique during the reunion that he is not buying the EP act; never mind the journalism part: “You want me to bow down to you and be scared of you, while you keep saying, ‘This is my show, this is my show, this is my show.’ Bitch, sit down. You may have the EP title for whatever reason, but it’s only a VANITY title, honey. You don’t write our checks. You don’t pay our bills. You don’t have the authority to hire or fire anyone. And everyone knows that, man. Everyone.” Every cast member, and host Ross Matthews are shocked by Alastair's (arguably iconic) monologue, and Enrique is LIVID.

 

Buuuuuuut, because of his already-established history with Rafa and David, we're not supposed to like Alastair at all. You know, if we were that dumb to be on the side of the Bullies & Snobs.

 

And throughout a large chunk if the season, Estuardo constantly harasses Alastair because in the end of Episode 3, when Estuardo is trying to be his typical mean girl self (under Jason’s mind control, that is), Alastair calls Estuardo something that literally reinforces Rafa’s opinion on Alastair having a verbal creative spark: "Estuardo, you are a spineless moron." As a result, many viewers continue to refer to Estuardo as a spineless moron, in addition to “parrot” thanks to Rafa, for many years to come, and he HATES it.

 

Even Alastair was tired of the constant attacks from Estuardo, so much so that on Episode 15, while the cast is on a trail walk through the Pacoima Wash Natural Park (renamed Cindy Montañez Natural Park in September 2023), Estuardo and Alastair nearly got into it, FACE. TO. FACE. With Alastair confidently asking, “What are you gonna do to me? Huh? What the fuck are you going to do?” But luckily, David and Rafa (and his dog tags) were there to break it up. Most viewers agree that the intimidated Estuardo would've lost that match. “You may be from Boston, but I’m a veteran for life, understand?” Alastair says to Estuardo who says, “More like a veteran for five minutes, bitch.”

 

And it becomes clear that Alex P absolutely despises Alastair, but it’s never clear why (outside of Alastair's close friendship with the group's mortal enemies Rafa and David, which is such a biased reason), because that would require us to actually get to know SOMETHING – ANYTHING – about Alex P. No wonder Rafa constantly forgets who Alex P is.

 

------------------

 

Early in Episode 4, Enrique invites David to a sit-down at Truman House Tavern. And it’s… quite sad. Like, DAMN, Enrique.

 

Enrique cuts to the chase and says, “Now, I just wanna make something perfectly clear so that we’re on the same page: I brought you into this show, but that doesn’t mean we’re friends.”

 

David shrugs and simply says, “Okay. Noted.”

 

Enrique continues, “And you really need to work on your attitude because the way you behaved at my birthday party was absolutely unacceptable, and you know it.”

 

David is bothered that Enrique won’t take responsibility for the fact that he and Jason started that, and says, “Excuse me, you and Jason were the ones who decided to talk shit about how I’m living. I don’t play that shit. If you mess with me, I will give you the same energy. Believe that.”

 

Enrique is over David’s defensive delivery, saying “Seriously, David? If you can’t take a joke, that’s on you,” to which David says, “That ain’t no joke, Enrique. Stop it.”

 

Enrique: “Okay, we’re not even on the same level David. I will not put up with your antics or your bullshit. It’s obvious that you’ve always wanted to be me.”

 

In shock, David asks, “I wanna be you?” And Enrique says, “Yeah, you do. You do. Meanwhile, you are down here [lowers his left hand], and I’m way up here [raises his right hand]. And that’s how it’s always gonna be.”

 

David is offended by this and insists to Enrique, “Enrique, the only person who wants to be like you is Jason. I ain’t trying to be your friend, I ain’t trying to kick it with you, I ain’t trying to fuck your husband. You’re a non-factor to me, you know what I’m sayin’?”

 

Enrique responds, “So why do you always reach out to me?”

 

David doesn't have an answer for that and can't think of anything to say

 

Enrique then says, “Okay, let me dumb it down for you: why did you reach out to me about this show?”

 

David, shaky voice and all, confesses, “Because… I needed your help. I wasn’t doing much in Sylmar and I needed a fresh start.”

 

Enrique throws the infamous accusation, “Oh, so you used me, okay. I got it.”

 

David reminds Enrique, “Enrique, you’re the one who reached out to me on Facebook about this show first, so you started it.”

 

Enrique: “You didn’t have to take the offer, especially since I’m a non-factor.”

 

David is struggling to argue back but says, “Every job has assholes. You can’t avoid them forever.”

 

Enrique: “That’s true. But you also have the power to turn me down. And you didn’t. And for 13 years, you have always needed me. So just own it, David. Because it seems to me like you need this job more than it needs you. And if it wasn’t for me, you’d still be living in Compton slacking off.”

 

David has glassy eyes and says to Enrique, "You’re a real piece of work."

 

Enrique says with a sinister smile, "Sure, David. Let's go with that. But remember this: you need me. You always have, for 13 years and counting, and you always will. I'm always gonna help you because no one else will, or you'd still be struggling to find work in Compton. We wouldn't be caught dead being friends with each other. But I'll always be the man that you need, whether you like it or not, Mr. Reza."

 

David looks defeated and just calmly says, "Okay, fine."

 

Enrique, "Uh-huh. So, I'll leave you alone to think about what I just said. God bless you."

 

David says nothing and stares down at the table, visibly upset. And now you know why he doesn’t go to Enrique’s mixer later that same episode. And it’s also why David mostly avoids Enrique for the rest of the season, even though he just said and I quote, “Every job has assholes. You can’t avoid them forever.” Walking contradiction, but I get it. David does not have it in him talk to Enrique the way he would do Jason because… he's scared of Enrique and sees him as superior and powerful (not that David will ever admit that).

 

---

 

So, one of those unintentional detective moments of Rafa is subtly revealed in Episode 5,

 

Rafa visits David in Sylmar and they eat at the Glenoaks Blvd, a Sylmar-based El Tarasco Mexican Restaurant. As they’re eating, Rafa tells David about what he noticed from going to Enrique’s mixer.

 

Rafa: I don't know if you noticed this yourself, since you've met these people before I did. But last night when I was at the mixer, I noticed that whenever I wasn't around the other guys in the cast, they didn't seem like this close-knit group that they always claim to be. But as soon as Jason started complaining about me talking to his husband, all of a sudden they were talking like BFFs.

 

David: *wide-eyed and shocked* You don't think they're close?

 

Rafa: No. I don't even think most of them care for each other like that. At all. I mean, for sure, Jason and Enrique, they love each other. They look out for each other. I really don't think that anyone likes Estuardo. And Jason and his brother Alex are always gonna have each other's backs. They have to. But as a unit, I don’t think these people would’ve bothered to talk to each other if Jason wasn’t in their orbit, or they didn’t have a common enemy.

 

David: Geez... *comes to a realization* wait a minute.

 

Rafa: What?

 

David: What about the other Alex? Alex Paredes?

 

Rafa: OH! Um... right. I don't think he and Enrique are really close like that. They’re both Venezuelan, and Enrique brought him on the show, but I never see them interact. Ever.

 

David via confessional: Oh, man. I never actually noticed this dynamic that the others got with each other. But if what Rafa’s saying is true - and I betchu it is - that's bad look for those fools.

 

This conversation becomes very important when Rafa is being ganged up on during the last fifteen minutes of Episode 17 (the season finale). And throughout the season, whenever he IS around B&S, he studies these people and watches their every move and body language.

 

--------------------------------

 

Also in Episode 5, David and Alastair (the only Mexican cast members on the show) are hanging out at Paxton Park in Haddon Ave, Pacoima, and it’s the first of a few times that they are seen without Rafa. He had to go to school that day and train at Phenom Academy, but it gave viewers time to get to know who Alastair is without Rafa. Alastair and David both talk about their Mexican backgrounds, with David being a child of immigrants, and Alastair and his family being immigrants themselves. 

 

This is actually where the viewers first learn about Alastair being born and raised in Mexico until he was five years old and moved to Arlington, Texas. When they talk about their complicated family dynamics, David says that he is still not close with his immediate family, while Alastair says that even though he still very close with his sisters and mother, he is not close with his father at all, and knows that Zachary is not wanted by Alastair’s dad.

 

And we see that they both love horror and action movies (so does Rafa), and are both very militant and serious, even when they don’t mean to be.

 

It's a really nice scene between the two, and shows us that Rafa isn't needed for every scene that has nothing to do with him. You just need cast members who are willing to allow us into their worlds, something that the B&S side fails to do.

 

-------------------------------------

 

Also in Episode 5, we see another trait from Rafa, that he is a fighter. He is seen training at the Phenom Academy. And it’s another example of Rafa feeling less claustrophobic when he’s outside the City of San Fernando. “I learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu when I was 10 years old and still living in Brazil. For self-defense, of course, and physical fitness. And I just never stopped. My parents didn’t want me to learn martial arts initially because to them, it was all about fighting, but I had to tell them that it’s all about discipline, strength, confidence, respect, and connection,” Rafa says in his confessional.

 

After his training is over for the day, Rafa hangs out with his CSUN friend and future cast member Calvin Seabrooks. And after they leave the El Super supermarket and head to Calvin’s Pacoima apartment to get dinner started, Calvin asks him about the overall vibe of the rest of the cast, Rafa says to Calvin, “They’re just, like, a little bit older than me, much more conservative and judgmental, and I’m just this lame and boring little kid in their eyes. But my friends David and Alastair are a part of the circus, too,” both Rafa and Calvin chuckle at this and Rafa continues, “So they both give me a reason to just get through this season, for better or worse.” Calvin asks, “The rest of the group is that bad, though?” Rafa says, “Yeah, and they’re not very open to me or even each other.” This takes Calvin by surprise, “Wait, what? What do you mean they're not open to each other?” And Rafa, “Well, the few times I’ve seen them, most of them don’t really interact much or even acknowledge each other. It feels like they only speak when they have a common enemy. I’m like, ‘Are they even friends?’ I never feel this brotherhood when I see them. They don’t even get out of San Fernando to see the rest of the valley!”

 

Calvin asks what a lot of us are wanting to know, “Were they even raised in San Fernando?” And Rafa answers, “Nope. Just me. They’re not even from California. And it baffled them how much I knew about San Fernando’s history and culture and lifestyle, whereas they knew nothing about the City. They didn’t even know that Ritchie Valens went to San Fernando High or that James’ Restaurant is a favorite amongst locals.” Calvin says to Rafa, “Oof, if that ain’t transplant energy…” which makes Rafa stifle a laugh. And Rafa says, “To my knowledge, there was already a lot of criticism that no one in the group was even 1% Mexican until David joined, and he’s from Compton. Everyone else was either Venezuelan, Cuban, Guatemalan, or in my case, Brazilian. Like, I’m all for diversity, but I was the only non-Mexican in the group who acknowledged that San Fernando is historically a Mexican city.” Calvin says to Rafa, “It seems to me like, in this group, you might have accidentally become the, um… how should say… the Brazilian Bridge… between the non-Mexican old guard of mean girls and the new Mexican blood in David and Alastair.” Rafa’s listening and says, “Oh yeah?” Calvin: “Yeah, because you’ve been living in the area since you were 13 and immediately accepted that San Fernando has deep Mexican roots without ever losing yourself as a Brazilian.”

 

Rafa says, “Wow, I… I never thought of that. But I think you’re right.” And Calvin jokes, “I’m always right, boo,” which makes both men laugh. And Calvin asks, “Have they seen your ‘don’t make me mad’ side yet?” Rafa is taken aback by that question but answers with a deep breath, “Yeah. They… they did. After one of them called me worthless – and you’ll see who it was when you watch the show – I had to let him and the rest of the cast know that I’m a nice guy but I can also haunt them.” Calvin is stunned and says, “Oh Rafa! You did not say that.” And Rafa says, “It's out there now, so I can’t take it back.” Calvin chuckles and says, “Well they better not get on your nerves or nothing, I know that.”

 

----------------------

 

About that Tidal Wave Trilogy...

 

ROUND ONE

 

Since Episode 1, there was always tension between Jason and David, over David just being David. And in Episode 7, we find out from Rafa’s brother Dominic during his talk with Rafa at the Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Park that David claimed that he saw Jason in Sylmar with another man recently, and that Jason was cheating on Christian with this man multiple times. There were already rumors within the city’s gay community that Jason "got around" which Jason denies and Christian doesn't believe (or at least to the viewers, he doesn't WANT to believe). While we never really see Rafa’s perspective on these rumors, it’s believed by fans that Rafa was put in an uncomfortable position because he’s a new friend of Christian’s, Jason doesn’t like Rafa, and David and Jason don’t like each other. And when Jason finds out from his brother Alex C that David was making this latest accusation and spreading the word, Jason is pissed and wants to kill David, showing you who’s really the volatile one. Hint-hint: his name starts with "J".

 

Accompanied by Alex C, Jason confronts David who is hanging out with Rafa and Alastair at Carrillo's Tortilleria, a major staple restaurant in the City of San Fernando. Rafa and Alastair are already aware of what David was saying, with Alastair saying to David, "Oh, dude, he’s coming your way." When Jason and Alex C show up with Jason saying, "So I hear you been spreading lies about me, bitch," David is blindsided by this but owns it by saying, "I wasn’t lying, Jason. If anything, I was doin' a lot of folks a huge favor by warning them about you." After denying that he cheats and gets around, Jason deflects by accusing David of wanting him; "Bitch, you're just doing this because your old ass wanted me and I rejected you." David's response: "I DON'T WANT YOUR CRAZY ASS! WHAT THE HELL YOU TALKIN' ABOUT?!"

 

Jason says, “Oh really? You could've fooled me,” to which David insists, "I CERTAINLY don't wanna be with a cheater, bruh. Ain't you married?" Jason: "Yeah, I am married, something that *you* will never be!"

 

Rafa notices people staring at Jason and David, which makes him very uncomfortable.

 

David hits a nerve when he says, "Well I'm surprised Chris is even married with you. You don't even give a damn about him, man."

 

When Jason mutters, "You know what? You better watch it, you understand me?" while walking forward to David, both Rafa (who goes, “no no no no no”) and Alastair try to keep Jason away from David. But Alex C makes things worse by tag-teaming Jason. David shuts Alex C down real quick by saying, "Yo, Alex. You ain't even in this, man. This is between me and him." Jason says, "Don't talk to my brother like that, you fuckin’ *puto*!” which warrants a gasp from Rafa and a stunned look on Alastair's, while David goes, “Really?”. Jason continues to say, “At the end of the day, this shit is your fault! You're the one spreading lies, you fraud-ass bitch!"

 

And David – who’s been trying to remain calm – asks the one question you should NEVER ask: "So what? Are you gonna do something about it?"

 

Jason happily DOES do something: while he is yelling to David, "I WILL FUCKIN' DO SOMETHING, YOU BITCH!" he throws Pepsi in David's face, and throws the cup at David's head.

 

And just as Jason is ABOUT to actually put his hands on David - because he really wanted to kick David’s ass at that point - Rafa and Alastair block Jason, with Rafa shouting at Jason "WOAH WOAH WOAH" and Alastair saying "HEY HEY HEY, THAT’S ENOUGH!", and a worn-out Jason says to Alex C, "You know what, that actually felt good enough. I think we're done here. Come on, Alex."

 

And as they're about to leave, David (who has barely finished wiping his soda-stained face with his shirt) stands up and shouts to Jason, "MAN, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHO THE HELL DOES THAT?!" Jason turns around and says, "I DO, YOU FUCKIN’ FAGGOT!" leaving David stunned.

 

Alastair is in shock and says under his breath, "Oh my God," and all Rafa can say is, "Wowww..."

 

In Rafa’s confessional, he says, “Everyone wants to paint David as this crazy volatile person because he’s from Compton and slightly tanner than Jason. But it’s really Jason who is VERY aggressive verbally and physically. Not to mention, racist, colorist, and homophobic, for a gay guy himself.”

 

 

 

 

ROUND TWO

 

After that crazy altercation at Carrillo's Tortilleria, Jason decides to get back at David by basically going on Instagram and Twitter to BASH David and air out David's alleged dirty laundry (aka make up shit about David), at one point calling him a "lonely and desperate old bum who always needs Enrique’s money among other things" (if you know what I mean), and even threatening on IG to sue “the old hag if he ever lies on me again.” We find all of this out on Episode 9, during which Jason is absent the whole episode. But if one thing is true about David, it's that he was smart to screen-record opening the apps of IG and Twitter to open the threatening and disparaging messages. Yes, he also took screenshots, but everyone does that. Almost no one thinks to screen-record, which is an even more effective action. He's the reason why I screen-record to this day.

 

It's not until Episode 11 that David decides to confront Jason about this once and for all. And this time, it's just the two of them in person, no one else. Jason meets David at a picnic table at the San Fernando Recreation Park and Aquatic Center, and does his usual, "Hey babe, how you doing?" David doesn't play that shit, and he just cuts to the chase.

 

Jason: "Damn... why you look so pissed off? Someone took your imaginary boyfriend?"

 

David: "I have a better question: when have I ever attacked?"

 

Jason: "Well, lying on me counts, as far as I'm concerned."

 

David: "Well since then, have you been DM'ing me?"

 

Jason: "No."

 

David: "Have you been posting false disparaging shit online about me?"

 

Jason: "Nope."

 

David: "Well that's not according to what I have found and kept as receipts."

 

Jason: [Annoyed and Confused] "Excuse me?"

 

David: "Yeah, that's right. I recorded and took screenshots of everything you said about me, you lying-ass bitch."

 

In his confessionals, Jason denies saying these vicious things about David, even though it came from his ONLY IG and Twitter accounts. He doesn't even try to say that someone else was using his account (which is always a possibility, to be fair). So, because he talks a lot of crap and lies A LOT, it's easy to believe that it was him. Of course it was him, but he will take that to his grave, honey! "Shame on him to think that I would do that. Not that he doesn't deserve it," he says in his confessional with a smirk on his fance.

 

David shows the printed receipts to Jason and says, "I printed everything you said to me, so you can save your lies for your minions! And by the time this scene airs, you’ll already be exposed! EXPOSED!"

 

Jason is calm yet sinister and unbothered when saying, “I know what I said, ya old hag. And now that I think about it, I just might sue you.”

 

Fans clocked that quote immediately and said, “Wait a minute. Does that mean that you DID say those things about David, or not? WHICH IS IT?!” Classic Jason – the Master of Confusion. And he does it so effortlessly.

 

David: “Wha – so – wha— What's the point of all this?! I’ve never attacked you!”

 

Jason: “You did when you call me a cheater, dumbass!”

 

David: “You know what? You are wasting my time right now.”

 

Jason: “You wasted my time by existing! Why don’t you do what you normally do and go hide behind Enrique!”

 

David: "Really, Jason? Let me tell you something: at least I don't hide behind a keyboard or a cellphone! That's what you do! I deal with my problems head-on! THAT'S the fuckin' difference between me and you [throws his water from a bottle at Jason's face] you stupid bitch! [Gets up from his seat and shouts] TRY ME IF YOU WANT TO! TRY ME IF YOU FUCKING WANT TO! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TV, YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! I WILL FUCKING TAKE YOU DOWN, BITCH! ALRIGHT? JUST TRY ME! YOU’RE LUCKY I’M NOT GONNA SUE YOUR ASS, ‘CAUSE YOU AIN’T GOT SHIT BUT 10 BUCKS TO YOUR NAME!"

 

Jason gets up from his seat, and nonchalantly says, “No, baby, I have way more money than you ever will. And when you find out it’s not me, then what? Whatchu gonna do?”

 

The fans yelled at their screens saying, “Jason, MAKE UP YOUR MIND! Did you or did you not say those things about David?”

 

David goes “Hey, You better stop with those mind games, man. You know EXACTLY what you’re doing, okay?”

 

Jason: “Alright so whatchu gonna do, Compton Crackhead? Call Rocky and them to whoop my ass, Mr. 'I’m from Compton'? I ain’t scared of you.”

 

David: “I AIN’T SCARED OF YOU! You da one who SHOULD be scared!”

 

Jason: “Men from Compton don’t throw drinks, old man!”

 

David: “Oh, I’m an old man, and yet you worship Enrique like he’s fuckin’ Jesus Christ? 

 

Jason: "Well at least I don't ask him for money, bitch!"

 

David: "You don’t understand my situation with Enrique, and that ain’t none of your damn business. We ain’t even talkin’ about that. You are the biggest slut in San Fernando and everyone knows it, okay? Everyone! No matter who denies it. And now you also talkin’ shit about that boring-ass Estuardo [walks away and mutters] Man, I can’t wait to see the look on his face...”

 

Jason: [dries his face off] “Whew. Well, that was a waste of time. I wonder what my hubby’s up to right now.” [evil chuckle]

 

Notice that Jason didn’t look shocked when David brought up the accusation that Jason’s been talking negatively about Estuardo.

 

 

 

ROUND THREE

 

During the reunion – which was thankfully only one part because the season had gone on LONG ENOUGH – David is tired of arguing with Jason, who just has to have the last word every time.

 

David: “I ain’t even gonna talk to you no more, ‘cause you are a big waste of my energy, honey.”

 

Jason: *talks to Enrique* “Mm-mm-mm, he’s gonna talk to me again, just watch. Thirsty ass…”

 

David: “No, your whole *family* is thirsty.”

 

Jason: *chuckles to Enrique* “I rest my case.”

 

David: "That’s why your own brother wasn’t invited to the reunion. Okay? Remember that. Just pray to God that you’ll be back next season, okay?”

 

Jason: “I thought you said you were gonna stop talking to me. Yet I contradict myself, right? Right?”

 

David shuts up after that, and gives the “talk to the hand” signal. And Jason mogkingly gives the signal back.

 

Moments later, the cast is taking a break backstage when Jason sneaks up behind David (who was minding his own business) and deliberately spills a pitcher of water on his head, shocking David who now has soaking wet clothes. He is livid, but takes the high road and gets himself dried up, and changes into a spare pair of clothes (same type of outfit) that he brought just in case. Child, at least he was smart enough to do that. One underrated thing about David is that he thinks and plans ahead. 

 

TIDAL WAVE VERDICT

 

So, did Jason win that Tidal Wave match? As much as I hate to admit it… yes. He absolutely did.

 

However… he did NOT win by likability; he only won by technicality.

 

Clearly Jason wanted his way or the highway. If anyone on this cast is exhausting, it’s not David. It’s Jason. But colorism and class protects Jason and makes David look bad.

 

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In Episode 12, after the previous episode’s Round Two of the Tidal Wave Trilogy, something miraculous happens: apparently Jason has also been talking trash about Estuardo not having a backbone, which baffles Estuardo. This only makes an off-screen Rafa’s belief that B&S don’t like each other even more believable. But it was David who (again, off-screen) bragged to Estuardo that Jason’s been talking behind his back.

 

In a rare moment of Season 1, we actually get a scene between Estuardo and Alex Paredes, away from the rest of the group. Finally. Did anyone else forget about them? Because I sure as Hell did. Anyway, they’re at McDonald’s hanging out, and we find out from Estuardo that he heard from David that Jason has been telling people what he really thinks about Estuardo. Alex P says, “Yo, what the Hell is going on with Jason and David?” Estuardo tell him, “Well, David has alleged with Jason’s having an affair and talking shit about me.” Alex P is shocked and asks, “Jason’s talking shit about you?” And Estuardo bluntly says, “Supposedly. According to David, Jason has said that I don’t have a backbone, my fashion is fucked up, I’m a crappy dancer, I’m fat, and all this other bullshit.” And Alex P goes, “Oh, my God… do you believe that Jason would say those things?” And Estuardo says, “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess you never really know what’s going on in Jason’s head until he just says it. But if he’s really been saying these things about me, I’m gonna be really pissed off,” Estuardo says to Alex P. And Alex P sees Jason coming in McDonald’s and says to Estuardo, “Shh, here he comes.” And Jason shows up, sits next to Estuardo, and tell him and Alex P about his meeting the previous day when David was acting ferocious and threw water in his face (conveniently leaving out the fact that it was all over the things that Jason said about David on Instagram, again making David look like the bad guy in the situation). In his confessional, Estuardo says, “Jason’s telling us what had just happened to between him and David. And whole time he’s talking, I can’t help but think that maybe Jason HAS been talking all kinda shit behind my back. But I’ll let it go for now.” Alex Parades says in his confessional, “Jason and Estuardo’s friendship is very interesting to me. Jason’s usually the first one to speak, and Estuardo will easily agree with Jason or echo Jason. And when there’s tension between the two, you know they can both feel it, even if they never. They sure do a great job acting like everything’s okay between them. I’m just like, ‘Did you guys *ever* trust each other?” Uh-oh, did Alex P just imply that Jason and Estuardo are not as friendly as the show initially wanted us to believe? Maybe Rafa was right about the Bullies & Snobs after all. Notice that when Rafa’s not there, the cracks within the B&S dynamic start to show.

 

 

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In Episode 13, in Jason’s neighborhood, he and Estuardo take a walk. “This is the perfect time I’d like to talk to Estuardo without everyone else. He’s been very distant with me, and I know it’s because of what David said to him,” Jason says in his confessional.

 

As they’re walking, Estuardo says to Jason, “Obviously, we can both tell that there’s been some distance between us. And basically, it was just a whole lot of he-said/she-said going on.” Instead of denying anything, Jason asks Estuardo probably the last thing you should ask if you’re trying to clear your name: “Why didn't you come to me, if you felt like something was wrong between us?” And Estuardo admits, “Because I didn’t know what to believe. And you know that I always stayed down with you like four flat tires.” Huh? That’s the dumbest simile that I’ve ever heard. But it basically, means that Estuardo was always loyal to Jason. Anyway Estuardo continues with, “And I thought that we were always cool with each other. And for you – of all people - to say all these things about me” And Jason cuts to the chase, “Do you know me, Estuardo?” Estuardo says, “I know that those things about aren’t true,” and Jason says, “That’s not what I’m asking you. Do you know me? Yes or no?” Estuardo pauses for a bit, in shock by Jason’s demanding question, and says, “I don’t if I do.” Well, at least was being honest, right? Every time Estuardo is asked a serious yet simple question, he can never give a simple answer. Why do you think he struggled to explain to Rafa the “worthless” comment? Because he doesn’t have his own independent thoughts! Anyway, Jason says to Estuardo something quite surprising, “Well evidently you don’t know me at all if you’re just gonna listen to what my sworn enemy alleges about me.” Estuardo struggles to defend himself when he says, “No, it’s not that I’m listening to someone else—” until Jason cuts him off by saying, "Okay, let me take it back to one place: what did David tell you, exactly?” Estuardo looks very uncomfortable by Jason’s harsh delivery, and hesitantly answers, “According to David, you said that I don’t have a backbone, I’m a hater, my fashion is fucked up, I’m not trustworthy, I’m a crappy dancer, and I’m fat.” Jason looks disgusted but not surprised, and goes, “Mmm… so you just proved my point: the you *have* been listening to someone, i.e. David.” Estuardo has nothing to say all of a sudden, but looks uneasy. In his confessional, Jason says, “I’ll deal with David later. But for now, Estuardo’s got me all the way fucked up. Like, why are you even listening to someone I don’t like? First my husband connects with Rafa because they apparently went to school together. Now this spineless-ass bitch is listening to David’s ghetto ass?” Damn, Jason. And notice that he doesn’t deny anything that David was accusing him of saying about Estuardo; Jason literally called Estuardo a “spineless-ass bitch” in his confessional! Back in the scene, Jason says to Estuardo, “Well then, I guess I may as well just tell you what *is* true about you, so I hope you’re ready,” and Estuardo looks confused and uncomfortable, “You’re not fat, but you certainly ain’t skinny either. And that’s why you’re not a good dancer. Uh, I really don’t trust you to stand up for yourself because you don’t have a backbone. You’re not a hater towards me, but you are a hater towards David and his two dumbass friends, so that was actually a compliment, in case you didn’t notice. And you don’t have a fashion sense. And buddy, I love you enough to say that to your face—” Estuardo cuts him off by saying, “But you didn’t. I had to hear it from David.” And Jason’s only excuse, “Well, if you don’t ask me what I really think of you. Don’t expect me to tell you what I think of you.” Estuardo says, “I thought we were friends, Jason.” And Jason says, “Apparently not,” and walks away.

 

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At Enrique’s house, Jason’s constant shit-talking about Estuardo causes Estuardo to reach his boiling point with Jason early in the Season Finale (Episode 17) when they along with Christian, Alex C, Alex P, Rafa, Alastair, David, Enrique, and Carlos (Enrique’s brother) are all hanging out at Enrique’s backyard. Even Christian can't save Jason out if this one. But at least Jason's brother Alex Caceres will always have Jason's back; Alex C never liked Estuardo anyway and he never will.

 

And that’s Estuardo’s problem that nobody in the cast likes him. NO. BAH. DEE. Except maybe Alex C????? You kinda wanna feel bad for Estuardo, but then you're immediately reminded of how mean and nasty he is.

 

Estuardo: YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!

 

Jason: *talking over Estuardo* BABY, I AIN’T GOTTA MAKE *NOBODY* MY PARROT; THAT’S ON YOU, BOO! FLY AWAY!

 

While the two are yelling over each other, poor Rafa accidentally breaks the fourth wall when he rolls/crosses his eyes to the camera, pretty much wanting to get out of there.

 

Rafa via confessional: I have had it up to here with this group. They are so exhausting. I just want both of them shut up already. Today.

 

Estuardo: Be a man and tell me what the fuck you said about me! Talkin’ about I have no backbone?!

 

Jason: You don’t.

 

Estuardo: And I don’t think for myself?!

 

Jason: You don’t!

 

Estuardo: [Stands up and walks to Jason but is immediately blocked by security] You never said it to my face! You don’t know who the fuck you’re dealing with, bitch! [tries to fight off security while still yelling at Jason who's calmly sitting down laughing at him] I WILL FUCK YOUR ASS UP, YOU HEAR ME?!

 

Alastair via confessional: [trying not to laugh] Ohhh shit. It’s about to go down now!

 

Estuardo: YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I WILL FUCK YOUR ASS UP! [to the security] Gte the fuck off me. [to Jason] I WILL FUCK YOU UP, BITCH!

 

The rest of the cast, Carlos, and Christian get up and move out of the way for their own safety

 

Rafa via confessional: [looks down on the floor and shakes his head] I feel like an awful person. I wanna feel bad for Estuardo. But they’re both horrible people, so… whatever.

 

Estuardo: YOU WERE LIKE A BROTHER TO ME, YOU STUPID BITCH! [Jason walks back into the house unbothered as always] YOU’RE WHACK! YOU’RE WHACK AS FUCK, YOU FUCKIN’ BITCH! HOW FUCKIN’ DARE YOU?!

 

Jason via confessional: If Estuardo wants me to be his worst nightmare, I will be that for him. Fuckin’ parrot. [rolls his eyes]

 

Estuardo: DO YOU KNOW HOW I FELT WHEN I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID? HUH?!

 

Estuardo via confessional: I really thought that he was my friend and would never do anything to hurt me. But when you are shamelessly talking crap about me, that just shows me who you are.

 

Estuardo: HOW FUCKIN’ DARE YOU?! *to Christian* YOUR MAN’S A FUCKIN’ DICK!

 

Christian: Why are you yelling at me? I don’t have anythi-

 

Estuardo: ‘CUZ THAT’S YOUR HUSBAND AND YOU HAD A LOTTA SHIT TO SAY, TOO!

 

Christian: No I didn’t!

 

*everyone tries to break it up*

 

ESTUARDO: YES YOU DID, BITCH! YOU THINK I’M SCARED OF YOU?!

 

Christian: I don’t even know you like that! What is wrong with you?!

 

ESTUARDO: You know what?

 

Christian: Have another drink Estuardo. I don’t have time for this.

 

Rafa: *takes Christian out of the situation* Chris, come with me.

 

David via confessional: Jason is a fake-ass bitch. And he always will be. But Edgar – yeah, I said your government name. You ain’t no better, okay? Grow some balls, and a backbone. And find Jesus on your way out. *rolls eyes* Girl, bye.

 

Christian: *to Estuardo* DROP DEAD, ESTUARDO! DON’T YOU EVER COME FOR ME!

 

*Estuardo tries to break free from security, but they won’t let him go.*

 

Rafa via confessional: Who does Estuardo think he is? Trying to get Christian involved, just because he’s Jason's husband? Like, dude, leave him alone, and get over yourself.

 

*Rafa and Christian walk back into the kitchen*

 

Rafa: Chris, are you okay?

 

Christian: Oh, I’ll be fine… as soon as he *referring to Estuardo* leaves.

 

Rafa: Luckily, the security’s way ahead of you, dude. *both men chuckle at that fact*

 

-----------------------------------

 

Later in Episode 17, a couple of days after that meltdown from Estuardo, the all mains (minus Estuardo) and friend-ofs are inside James' Restaurant, a historic, family-owned diner in the City of San Fernando. So the attendees are Jason, Enrique, Alex C, Alex P, David, Alastair, and Rafa. What could've been a brunch from Hell for Rafa was eye-opening for viewers. Jason says in his confessional, “Rafa needs to make sure that everything is about him. And once somebody says something he doesn’t agree with, he’s gonna play the victim as per usual. He just has to control everything because he’s the baby of the bunch. All he’s missing is his binky and farmboy overalls.” Enrique immediately scolds Rafa for talking about the group – “Rafa, you’re gonna stop playing with me right now. You know what you said and what you’ve been doing. And you should be man enough to just stand up and say it.” Rafa asks, “What, that I don’t like you guys? That’s not a secret. Y’all started it by deciding not to like me, before you even met me. And none of you listen to me anyway, so why *would* I talk to you?”

 

Enrique says in his confessional, “I can’t believe Rafa would even have the balls to try to buck up. Like, bitch, you are nothing. If you continue to talk crap about us, you will be sorry.”

 

Defending Rafa, Alastair says to Enrique, “Well you can’t be saying that your group has an unbreakable brotherhood when there is none.” Enrique quickly says, “No, I just don’t have a brotherhood with you, Rafa, or David.” And David asks Enrique, “Well are you ever gonna put the truth on the table? Because the three of us see right through you guys.”

 

Alex P asks, “What the Hell are you even talking about?” And Alex C says, “Yeah, if anything, we see right through you, David! Why are you constantly needing Enrique’s help anyway? Don’t you work?” David doesn’t have an answer for that, but is caught off-guard with Alex C’s question. “Yes I do, but we ain’t talkin’ about that.”

 

Enrique says via confessional, “We're not getting anywhere with Rafa. He’s not admitting to anything, he still hasn’t apologized to Jason for talking to Christian behind his back at my mixer; yeah, I didn’t forget about that. He never acknowledges Alex Paredes. Everything always has to be about race and color. He's making everything about himself and always using Tweedledee and Tweedledum [referring to David and Alastair] for validation. He's constantly talking shit about us. 🤷🏾 You know? Like, just own your shit so we can move on.”

 

Rafa calmly says to Enrique, “Look, I’m just doing what you’ve done to me, and everyone else: talking behind your back. You’re not gonna sit there and suddenly say that what I’m doing is sinful when you’ve been doing the exact same thing and did it *first*--” At the same time, Enrique talks over Rafa off by yelling, “RAFA! WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT US?!” Rafa gets heated and yells, “Will you stop cutting me off?! Stop talking!” And Alastair says to Rafa, “No, just keep going, Rafa.”

 

Enrique says, “If you didn’t wanna have a problem with me, you should’ve kept your fucking mouth shut.” Rafa shouts over Enrique, “No, let me finish! Stop disrespecting me!” Enrique gets even louder when he says, “NO, I’M NOT GONNA LET YOU FUCKING FINISH! IF YOU’RE NOT GONNA TELL US THE TRUTH, YOU CAN JUST BE QUIET!”

 

While Enrique is shouting, Rafa (who has had enough) yells over Enrique by saying, "ALRIGHT YOU KNOW WHAT, ENRIQUE? DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! I'M GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR BIG-ASS MOUTH [bangs on table very hard while he says, "BIG-ASS MOUTH!"]! SHUT UP!" Everyone - even Enrique - jumped when Rafa banged on that table so hard ("Oof, go ahead Rafa!" - David via confessional), minus Alastair who says via confessional, "Rafa had all that he could take. Enough is enough.” And a stunned Enrique, who stopped talking after Rafa banged the table while yelling “BIG-ASS MOUTH,” lets out a frustrated sigh and says, "Whatever. I've nothing more to say to you. You win." In his confessional, Enrique says, "Are you fucking kidding me? You're gonna attack me on my show? You are lucky that I can’t spank you, little boy." Um… why did he say that? And after a producer behind the camera tells everyone to be quiet so that Rafa can say whatever he needs to say, Rafa says the truest following to all the bullies and snobs, "I'm sorry, I know I'm new to this group, and my opinion doesn't matter to you guys, but I gotta say: whatever dynamic you guys have with each other is SO fake, it's not even funny. Y'ALL DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER! You guys talk so much shit about each other ALL THE FUCKING TIME! And I bet this has been going since before this show was ever thought of. But then all of a sudden, you're one big happy family when I show up, or when David shows up, or when Alastair shows up. But I'm the problem because I'm 'boring,' I'm the 'nice guy,' I'm 'quiet,' I’m ‘just little kid.’ MEANWHILE, Y'ALL ARE FULL OF SHIT! Get help." And with that, Rafa gets up and leaves the restaurant, and Alastair and David leave with him. And the rest of the table stays quiet... Yeah, not only are they stunned, but as long as the amigos have all left the restaurant, and the B&S brats don’t talk about them, what else is there for the B&S brats to talk about? Nothing! Absolutely nothing.

 

Jason’s confessional is quite menacing, “Well kudos to Rafa for finally standing up for himself... I guess. But if he thinks that Enrique is gonna let him off the hook, then *bay-bay*... Rafa’s got another thing coming, and I can’t wait to see what that is.”

 

Also, notice that Jason was quiet during that whole table scene. He didn’t have to say anything.

 

----------------------

 

The last twenty minutes of the episode is all Rafa. He and Zachary visit the Sylmar-based Monteverde Ranch Equestrian Center. Since living in San Fernando, Rafa had been to the Ranch plenty of times to ride horses. And Zach - who is deathly afraid of horses despite being a country kid himself - suggested that Rafa apply for a job there. He figured that working with horses would be a special and unique job for Rafa, something that he has grown up familiar with, and bring him closer to his Brazilian roots. Being a horse-rider and farmer, Rafa manages to look the part (wearing navy blue overalls and a black t-shirt underneath, and riding boots) when visiting the stables to speak to the owner Thomas Hobson (African-American), who’s seen and ridden with Rafa enough to know and remember who he is, and is always happy to see Rafa. Zachary almost looked the part himself, but didn’t even wear mucking boots (not that it’s a requirement if you’re a visitor), so you can imagine his embarrassment when he – while wearing sneakers – accidentally stepped on manure. Hehe, poor Zachy. Rafa could not help himself and started laughing at Zach’s accident. Anyway, they’re both given the tour in and around the stables and Rafa is an awe of what he’s seeing and hearing, and Zachary can tell that Rafa is most likely gonna apply. And we see him do just that when he and Zach are hanging out at the stable’s lounge. To be continued, as they say…

 

------------

 

Also, one thing that Rafa never points out is that the Silvas seem to have a special gift of foreshadowing things. His mom Lorena Silva once said to Rafa early in Episode 2 that one day Rafa may have to do more than just scold a future boss (“Querida, um dia você vai ter que fazer mais do que apenas repreender um futuro chefe.” Lorena says in Episode 2). And in the same episode, when Rafa revealed that six other people are already on the show – the only time Rafa remembered that Alex Paredes exists – his dad Ricky Silva said to Rafa, ““Filho, tem muita gente. Como você vai lembrar o nome de todo mundo?” (which, in English, translates to, “Son, that’s a lot of people. How are you going to remember everyone’s name?”). Heck, even Dominic’s concerns about David wanting Jason to react were foreshadowing. Interestingly, Rafa's observation of the group allegedly not liking each other (dating all the way back to the life coach scene in Episode 2 when Rafa noticed that no one was speaking to each other) and his suggestion that they get help is perhaps the most iconic foreshadowing from Rafa himself. The drama that B&S had with each other occurs not once, but a few times, and Rafa can either be present or omnipresent. What the Silvas don’t realize is that certain predictions can end up painful and unforgivable, especially for Rafa. They watch quietly, listen carefully, and notice inconsistencies or tensions that others miss (like how David didn’t notice B&S’s dynamic until Rafa pointed them out). This isn’t psychic ability — it’s the kind of attentiveness that comes from living in a tight family unit where reading the room (and each other) was necessary for harmony and survival. Having moved from Belo Horizonte to San Fernando when Rafa was 13, the family developed a heightened awareness of social dynamics, power imbalances, and how environments can change people. They learned to anticipate problems before they explode because they had to navigate culture shock, racism, and the pressure to assimilate without losing themselves. Unlike many of the other families on the show (especially the unseen Reza family or the obnoxious Caceres family), the Silvas encourage open expression of feelings. They don’t shame vulnerability. This creates space for honest conversations that often reveal underlying truths early. When someone in the family says something offhand about the future, it usually comes from a place of genuine care and pattern recognition rather than gossip or drama. And it’s the type of dynamic that even Alastair was blessed to experience between himself and Rafa after his traumatic time in the army.

 

The Silva family’s “gift/curse” of unintentional foreshadowing feels deeply rooted in authentic Brazilian cultural values: sharp pattern recognition, emotional attunement, strong family bonds, immigrant pragmatism, and a blend of Catholic, folk, and relational wisdom that emphasizes reading people and situations before they fully unfold. In Brazilian culture, families — especially immigrant ones — often develop heightened observational skills. Close-knit extended family life (where loyalty, mutual support, and frequent interaction are central) trains people to notice subtle shifts in mood, tension, or behavior. This isn’t magic; it’s practical survival and care. Brazilians value warmth, affection, and living in the present, but they also carry a cultural tendency toward intuitive understanding of social dynamics, influenced by the country’s rich mix of Indigenous, African, Portuguese, and folk traditions. Superstitions (like upside-down flip-flops signaling death, knocking on wood to dispel bad omens, or avoiding certain combinations like mango and milk) show a cultural comfort with signs and patterns that hint at what’s coming. While the Silvas don’t lean heavily into overt superstition on the show (it is a reality show, after all), their foreshadowing echoes this broader Brazilian comfort with noticing “omens” through everyday observation and emotional intelligence.

 

Brazilian families often prioritize collective well-being and open expression of care. The Silvas talk honestly about worries. This openness creates space for intuitive insights to surface naturally. They don’t shame vulnerability; they express concern directly, which allows patterns to become visible early. As a Brazilian immigrant family in San Fernando, the Silvas learned to navigate cultural shifts, social hierarchies, and potential conflicts. This heightens awareness of power imbalances and hidden tensions — exactly what Rafa uses when he clocks the B&S crew’s fake unity or David’s unpredictability. Immigrant families often develop a “read the room” skill to protect each other, turning observation into a quiet form of foresight. Brazilian culture blends affectionate relational focus with a grounded acceptance of life’s complexities. The Silvas’ comments are caring but realistic.

 

In Brazilian cultural context, this kind of intuitive wisdom is a strength — it helps families stay connected and protective. But for Rafa, it can feel like a curse when the predictions highlight painful truths that he can’t always prevent or accept. The “haunt you forever” prophecy captures this perfectly: his gentle, observant nature lingers with people because he sees them clearly, even when doesn’t want to believe it. The Silva foreshadowing grounds Rafa in something culturally authentic rather than contrived. It makes his growth feel real — he inherits his family’s observant wisdom, refines it through painful experiences, and uses it to set boundaries and protect his peace. It’s never flashy or supernatural on the show (it’s a reality show, after all). It’s just a Brazilian family being Brazilian: warm, watchful, honest, and quietly wise. This cultural thread makes Rafa’s “nice guy who haunts” energy feel even more layered and believable, never sociopathic. It ties his personal growth to his heritage in a subtle, respectful way.

 

At the time that the show was airing, Rafa was aware that viewers found him and his family to be rather superstitious (some would even say “creepy” because of their foreshadowing), but he’s naturally in denial about such a belief. He doesn’t even want to believe that he has any gift/curse of any kind, nor does he want to believe everything his family says. But some even say that his father "cursed" him with forgetting Alex Paredes once he doubted that Rafa would remember everyone’s name. So, take your pick. 😆🙈

 

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Season 1 Reunion Seating Chart

 

At the reunion, the cast is seated from left to right as follows: Alex Paredes in the fourth chair, Estuardo Alvizures in the third, Enrique Sapene in the second, Jason Caceres-Lopez in the first, host Ross Matthews in the center, then Rafael L. Silva in the first chair on the opposite side, followed by David Ty Reza in the second and friend-of Alastair Patton in the third. Alex Caceres is completely absent and does not participate.

 

The good thing about these reunions is that nobody has to dress all fancy; this isn’t Bravo or VH1. They can just show up in whatever makes them comfortable.

 

Rafa (who reveals in the beginning of the reunion that he got hired to work at Monteverde Ranch) shows up like a cute country boy, in navy blue overalls, a black t-shirt underneath, and sneakers 🤭😄. David wears all-black in a tank top, jeans, and converse. Alastair is wearing his dog tags and has a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Estuardo has on a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts (uh, okay). Jason looks so preppy, like a gay Zack Morris. Alex P’s clothes are a mess, as if he woke up hungover; even his hair is a mess! And Enrique is wearing... a suit, making him the most overdressed. It's almost like Enrique FORGOT that Ross Matthews was the host. And Alex Caceres did not attend the reunion because he wasn't invited. He wasn't even missed, honestly.

 

The reunion was something crazy.

 

A truly underrated moment is when Jason says to Rafa, "You didn't like me calling you boring, did you? You are VERY exciting. I swear."

 

Rafa: YOU'RE WHOLE FRIEND GROUP IS BORING. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER... *points at Alex P*... THAT GUY'S NAME!

 

*Alastair and David burst out laughing, while Jason and Ross Matthews cover their mouths, not wanting to chuckle.*

 

Alex: *annoyed* My name is Alex.

 

Rafa: ALEX WHAT? THERE’S TWO ALEXES!

 

Alex: *more annoyed* Alex Paredes!

 

Rafa: And there's another problem: you and Alex Caceres have last names that sound *WAY* too similar.

 

Alex: *yells at Rafa* Well, what the Hell do you want me to do, Rafael? Change my full name?

 

Rafa: That would be helpful, thanks.

 

The audience laughs, and Ross Matthews quietly chuckles and shakes his head, and says, Oh, Rafa.”

 

--------------

 

Of course, Jason didn't get in trouble by production for saying "puto," an anti-gay slur towards Mexicans. But in the reunion, the 3 Amigos call him out for it. Rafa doesn’t actually repeat the word, refusing to do so because he’s not Mexican. But Alastair – who IS Mexican – is more than fine with telling Jason point blank, “You had absolutely no business saying ‘puto,’ period.” And David (who is tired of wasting his energy to Jason) says, “You really think that you can call me a puto and get away with that?”

 

And Jason's excuse is, "Ugh, so what?! I'm Latin! Every Latin person says the same shit and speaks the same Spanish language. Who cares? What, you gonna punish ALL OF US?"

 

Alastair says, "You *should* be punished physically" which gets an "OHHHH" from the audience.

 

Rafa says, "And Brazilians don't speak Spanish; they speak Portuguese. I had to learn the Spanish when I came to this country," and Jason says very loudly, "Oh, my God, Rafa, here you go again making everything about you! I GET IT! YOU'RE BRAZILIAN! YOU'RE NOT MEXICAN! YOU SPEAK PORTUEGUESE! NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THAT!" 

 

Rafa (who looks and feels attacked) quickly hits him back with, "And *you* appropriate Mexican culture despite being Cuban! Why is that you’re older than me, yet I’m *way* smarter than you?" 

 

And the audience lose it when Rafa says that!

 

I think at this point, Jason knows that he can't intimidate or outsmart Rafa.

 

-------------

 

Another iconic moment during the reunion also came from Rafa.

 

After Round Three of the Tidal Wave is over and done, everyone is back to their seats. And Enrique brings up his disgust with Alastair’s "vanity title" insult, leading to a debate of who's the real reason that the show exists.

 

Ross Matthews asks the cast, "Well, is there anyone on this stage who thinks they're the reason this show exists?"

 

Jason: Well, I'm sure those 3 losers [*pointing to the 3 Amigos*] believe that they're the reason. But the truth is, *I'M* the reason. I’m star. The show revolves around me, at the end of the day.

 

David: *to Jason* Well it ain't none of your so-called friends [*pointing to Alex P, Enrique, and Estuardo*]. They brought nothing to the show. *Nuh-thing*.

 

Enrique: Well, I beg to differ. I created the show, and I cast everybody in this stage. And if it wasn't for me, there would be no Flaming Bros in the City of San Fernando, period.

 

Rafa: Um, you didn't cast *me*; I was scouted by a producer at the San Fernando Mall.

 

David: I'll admit, Enrique, you brought me into the show, but *only* because you offered it to me. But you don't even do shit on the show."

 

Alastair: I just showed up uninvited, so... *the audience laughs* ... it is what it is. 

 

Rafa: And your name is not on our checks; *to Ross Matthews* I brought one to show you if that's okay. *the audience is reacting out of shock and amusement*

 

David: *laughs* You brought one of your checks? Oh my God!

 

Rafa: *shy* Yeah, I- I did.

 

Ross Matthews: Well then, yes I’ll take a look at it right now.

 

Rafa ends up showing the check to Ross, and Ross (without the need to reveal who actually writes the check) confirms that Enrique does not write their checks.

 

DAMN!

 

Ooh, poor Enrique. 🤣😅😭 His reaction to Rafa is just a death glare.

 

----------------------------------

 

Ross Matthews says to Rafa, “So, Rafa, you said that you wanted to admit something to Jason during this reunion. Would you like to do that now?” The rest of the cast is confused, but Rafa bravely says, “Yes. Jason, since you’ve been wanting to know how I knew about your ‘sad-looking country kid’ comment, it should be obvious, but here it is: shortly after I was casted on this show, I was given a copy of Enrique’s sizzle reel, so I saw *exactly* what you said about me. And just so you know, I also saw what – or rather *who* – was left on the cutting room floor because of you.” The “cutting room floor” revelation (which just SCREAMS “foreshadowing” to me) causes the audience to go, “Oooooooh…” Rafa doesn’t say who the person is or describe the person, but says, “Don’t worry. I can keep a secret, because my job, unfortunately, is to protect you. But *you* need to start being honest… about yourself.”

 

Jason says nothing, but is clearly shocked and embarrassed, because he knows exactly what – or rather *who* – Rafa is talking about. The audience doesn’t know, obviously, because they’ve never seen the sizzle reel. Unbeknownst to a shocked David, who’s never seen the reel either (neither has Alastair), he *has* seen this rejected person before.

 

Jason may have too much power, but he has absolutely nothing on Rafa, and he knows it.

 

As for Rafa, he was a clear reminder of why nice guys haunt villains forever. Unfortunately, karma is a bitch, and she comes for Rafa next season, no thanks mainly to one Enrique.

 

-----------------------

 

Oh perhaps, I should note that after Jason poured on water on David while backstage at the reunion, Christian was livid with Jason. But Jason ignored Christian’s “How could you do that? That was a horrible thing” lecture.

 

-----------------------

 

By the end of the reunion, a nonsensical moment occurred from none other than Jason. 

 

Jason: *says with fake joy* So anyway, I love you guys. Y'all have been amazing. *all cast members give confused and amused looks over this bullshit, and Rafa shakes his head trying not to laugh* We've all gone through our ups and downs. But y'all are still my friends. Well, some of y'all. *the 3 Amigos roll their eyes at that shade and Estuardo looks down* But that's neither here nor there. I brought gift bags for everyone! 

 

Jason brings the gift bags with everyone's name labeled on it, and gives each bag to a cast member. And each member picks out gifts that stand out to them. 

 

David: *takes out an unopened can of Pepsi* Really, dude? Pepsi? *and the audience goes oooh while Jason shrugs*.

 

Jason: Yeah. ‘Cuz you’re always thirsty.

 

David: *says quietly* Okay.

 

Enrique: Ooh, I got candy!

 

Alex Paredes: Me too! And a mixtape of gay club songs! 

 

Rafa picks out a pocket-size Brazilian flag from his bag. The back of flag reads, "Your personality in a nutshell. ♡ Jason." And Rafa is embarrassed by this after JUST being told by Jason to shut up about being Brazilian, saying to Jason, “You know what, Jason? You’re an asshole.”

 

Jason: What’s the matter Rafa? You don’t like your flag?

 

Rafa: I don’t like racist people, and that’s what you are. For you to say in the back of this flag that being Brazilian is my personality in a nutshell, your obsession with me is your WHOLE identity in a nutshell. And it makes you look uglier. Go to Hell.

 

The audience goes ‘oooooh’.

 

Jason looks pissed when Rafa says this to him.

 

As Alastair opens his bag, he looks shocked and completely perplexed.

 

Alastair: Um... is... this supposed to be *me*? *Pulls out a ventriloquist dummy that is dressed in an army combat uniform and is meant to represent Alastair. The dummy freaks out Rafa (who lets out a loud GASP) and David (who is wide-eyed), and even Ross Matthews looks disturbed, and the audience is confused and a little freaked out themselves*

 

Jason: Yeah man, 'cuz you're always so damn serious. Laugh at yourself for a change.

 

Rafa: *says softly to Jason* What is wrong with you?

 

Jason: I just have something that you guys don’t: a sense of humor.

 

Alastair: You’re gonna get fucked up one of these days. Just watch.

 

Jason: Oh, I’m so scared, babe.

 

Estuardo looks in his bag and immediately throws it off stage, shocking the cast and the audience.

 

Enrique: Uh... why did you just throw your bag?

 

Ross Matthews: What's wrong Estuardo?

 

Enrique: This bitch is trying to play me.

 

Ross Matthews: Why? What happened?

 

Rafa: What was in your bag?

 

Estuardo: The fucking flashcard that says "worthless."

 

The 3 Amigos appear shocked by the revelation, and the audience is gasping or laughing. 

 

Jason: Well... you wrote it for Rafa, he never took it home with him and neither did you, so I thought I'd keep it with me just in case in needed it later. 

 

Alex Paredes: Wow...

 

Estuardo: Well that just lets me know that you're a hoarder - in addition to being a whore. 

 

Jason: A whore?!

 

Estuardo: Yes, and not just an attention whore. And you are a bitter-ass bitch and you need to get a fucking life. 

 

Jason starts to get angry at Estuardo's insult

 

Estuardo: *gets up from his seat* YOU NEED TO GET A FUCKING LIFE *throws an unlit pillar candle at Jason* WITH YOUR SKINNY ASS! 

 

The throw shocks the cast and audience, and catches Jason off-guard, and Enrique and Alex quickly get up out of the way

 

Jason stands up ready to fight but security quickly comes to restrain him.

 

Jason: HEY, YOU DON'T WANT A WAR WITH ME, MAN! ALRIGHT?!

 

Estuardo: You talkin' about, you bring the heat from Miami? You better be lucky that the candle wasn't lit, 'cuz I *REALLY* wanna burn your ass alive, you punk!

 

Jason: Yeah, so why you walkin' away from me, bitch? You're a coward! 

 

Estuardo: Kiss my ass, ho!

 

The rest of the cast is shaken by what just happened. And Alastair looks at his dummy one last time and says to David and Rafa, "Well, *this* is going in the dumpster," which makes Rafa, David, and the audience laugh.

 

------------------------

 

So yeah, already a jacked-up dynamic within our cast of young queer Latinx men, and not much was resolved.

 

And while the B&S team are insufferable, it's the 3 Amigos (especially Rafa) who are truly the most likable and essential cast members of the bunch. And if I had to give a bully/snob any credit for relevance, it would be Jason, without a doubt. At least he has an interesting storyline for a villain, which is more than I can say about most villains who end up on this once-asinine show. But it ends up working against Jason (if David's cheating accusation is any indication) and gets stale sooner than you think. He also turns to be the EXHAUSTING one in the group. Most people thought it was going to be David. NOPE. It was Jason. Fight me on that one, I dare you. David, at the very least, knew when to back off. Jason just kept going and going AND GOING.

 

I know one thing: without the dynamic known at this point as the "3 Amigos," we would have no REAL reason to watch Season 1 of Flaming Bros San Fernando ⛈️ (or FBSF⛈️). They are the real stars this season. Jason is, too, but he’s just tolerable – barely – until he isn’t.

 

Season 1 is a classic example of "early installment weirdness" (thanks TV Tropes). What begins as a vanity project created by Enrique is mostly led by Jason, but gets stronger and more transformative following the addition of Rafa in Episode 2.

 

And whether you thought Rafa was boring simply because he wasn't a bitch, a baddie, or a bully (the three B's) and he did not start conflicts or play by the reality TV rules, you cannot deny that the show got better because of him. He took us into the world that is the City of San Fernando, while the rest of the main cast just happened to live there (or live in Sylmar, in David's case).

 

It’s even argued that the show would've been canceled after Season 1 had Rafa not joined, and had the show not been largely told from Rafa's POV, especially as the season progressed. Yes, Enrique was the first person we met on the Season Premiere, and Jason was the star, Rafa wasn’t present in every episode, Rafa was not a good fit for the messy trashy vibe, and Rafa may not be the lead. But lead or not, he's what many trashy reality shows fail to have: a trustworthy protagonist.

 

Also, the diversity within the cast in Season 1 (2015) was still not perfect, but definitely better in comparison and contrast to that in the Sizzle Reel (2013), especially with Rafa being (according to Calvin Seabrooks) that Brazilian bridge between Enrique’s non-Mexican “friend” group (Jason and Alex C being Cuban, Alex P being Venezuelan, and Estuardo being Guatemalan), and the Mexican new blood (David being Chicano & Alastair being a Mexican immigrant raised in the Tejano culture)

 

And poor Carlos Sapene didn't get a chance to at least be a friend-of, but given how the show eventually turns out, I'd argue that maybe the show was better off without Carlos. 🤭

 

Rafa being the unintentional tourist for the City of San Fernando (simply by just being Rafa) is honestly the coolest and most adorable thing ever. It introduced even a bunch of locals of Los Angeles and SFV to a world that they had never noticed or heard of before Rafa's first appearance on the show.

 

And the fact that B&S found Rafa boring, while production found B&S boring is just absolutely telling!

 

Having said that, the fact that Rafa briefly mentioned in his Season 1 Episode 2 confessional that he had actually YET to go to therapy may have implied that he didn't need it. But it is a little concerning. Yes, he managed to get hired for Flaming Bros, go to university (his first semester in CSUN) after a 2-year break following his 2012 high school graduation, trains in BJJ martial arts, get a job in Monteverde Ranch, and has friends and family who love and care about him. But he's also a giver. And he probably hasn't realized that none of those make him magically outgrow his depression. It just keeps him busy and makes him a workaholic. Getting therapy is never the easiest decision to make. It makes me think that Karma might hit him hard next season and make him reconsider therapy.

 

Queer fans of the show appreciated that because of the additions of David, Alastair, and especially Rafa, Flaming Bros San Fernando was able to go from being just another typical gay reality show to a show where the cast just happened to be queer.

 

 

"Enrique's show," my tail!

 

 

Flaming Bros San Fernando - Sizzle Reel (2013)

Sizzle Reel (2013)

Now let’s get in-universe, shall we?

 

In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

 

---------------------------------

 

So of course, FBSF⛈️ wouldn’t be possible without its self-proclaimed secret sauce: Enrique Luis Sapene.

 

Girl bye, that’s what he wants you to believe. Hell, I’m sure that’s what HE wants to believe.

 

But whatever, we shall give Enrique the floor.

 

The concept of this show (the affluent lives of gay men living in the City of San Fernando) came from Venezuelan immigrant actor Enrique Sapene who, back in 2010, moved from West Hollywood to the City of San Fernando with his mother Helena Gonzalez and his brother Carlos Sapene. Ironically, Enrique said that he moved to the City of San Fernando because he preferred the peace and quiet over the wild nightlife of West Hollywood. Television’s interest in the reality genre was continuing to grow, and by the end of 2006, Enrique was already a fan of such shows as The Real World, The Hills, Laguna Beach, and The Real Housewives of Orange County. And after watching the short-lived A-List New York in 2010, its spinoff The A-List Dallas, and the first season of Flaming Bros Chatsworth in 2012, Enrique came up with this “astounding” idea in 2013 of a San Fernando-based spinoff for the latter series, not realizing how big it would turn out to be. And indeed, it became a cultural phenomenon, but it was never because of Enrique. Remember that, because it’ll be much clearer, once we talk about the cast momentarily.

 

Prior to the development in 2013, Enrique already gave the show the working title Flaming Bros San Fernando, to make it clear to future networks and audiences that it was always meant to be a spinoff of Flaming Bros Chatsworth. And… I’ll give Enrique credit where it’s due; he made the right call to name it “Flaming Bros San Fernando,” as it helps specify the main location, even if a future cast member might live somewhere else in the Valley rather than the actual City. And it’s true some people didn’t even think that basing a reality show in a not-so-well-known city was a good idea because the City of San Fernando is not a glamorous/celebrity-heavy location in Los Angeles. Enrique did not care about that and went with the location and title anyway.

 

The now 30-year-old Enrique himself would be the first person to join the show as an official cast member. The first person he considered as well was his 34-year-old brother Carlos Sapene, the Vice President of Digital & New Media for NCBUniversal who has a gift for starting shit, just like Enrique. Enrique also invited Miami-born Cuban-American actor Jason Caceres (aged 23) into the cast. After finishing high school in 2008, Jason moved to San Fernando with his older brother Alex C and their parents, always wanted to be famous, and looked up to Enrique as his muse and mentor. He would scout his older brother and fellow actor Alex Caceres aka Alex C (born Alejandro Caceres Jr; aged 25), as they each have a similar spicy, feisty personality that Jason felt would work well for the show. Yes, two sets of brothers, all messy gays. Jason also approached his two best friends – dancer Estuardo Alvizures (aged 25) and film producer Aiden Tyler Lee (aged 24). Estuardo is a Guatemalan immigrant who was raised in Boston, Massachusetts before moving to the City of San Fernando in 2010. And despite being fluent in the Spanish language, the West Hollywood-raised Aiden was non-Latinx, being of Norwegian and English descent (and Caucasian), and moved to the City of San Fernando in 2009.

 

And with that, Flaming Bros San Fernando was born. Or so we thought. We know it best as both Flaming Bros San Fernando and FBSF⛈️. But for Enrique, it was more than that; it was his life being documented for the world to see. Lol, you know he’s lying because NEVER has his own life (outside of the cast) been documented on this show, and that seemed to be his choice. The idea was to center FBSF⛈️ around Enrique and his five close friends, all of whom happen to live in the City of San Fernando and hang out, gossip, talk shit; basically stale trash reality TV tropes that we have seen OVER and OVER and OVER (2 hours later) and OVER again.

 

And in early 2013, with their skills in production, Enrique and Aiden put together a sizzle reel to help the cast sell the show, and miraculously the pitch was a huge success.

 

However, the sizzle wasn’t without its issues. While Jason was definitely the standout, the messiest, the most open, the most expressive, and sometimes the most honest (emphasis on SOMETIMES), Aiden's "boss bitch " personality really shined, and Estuardo had his mere moments of potential (whatever that was), everybody else was so sterile on-camera, even Enrique himself. But it all, everyone was very, uh... snobby and obnoxious; a sign of things to come for Season 1.

 

Enrique and Carlos were the judgmental types who had a tendency to comment on other people’s behavior as being “ghetto,” “classless,” “ratchet,” or "immature." Carlos lacked anything memorable as an individual, making him the most forgettable one. Jason and Alex C gossiped a lot, with Alex C enabling Jason a lot. Aiden and Jason had a special type of friendship (more on that concern later). And Estuardo didn’t have a lot of original thoughts, from agreeing with Jason on EVERYTHING, speaking on Jason’s behalf, to disliking you because Jason disliked you. Nearly everyone attatched to Jason (sans Enrique) would fall into that "lack of original thoughts" trap, as the series progresses. Oh, and Enrique bragged (onscreen) about the show being more real than The A-List franchise and Housewives. OOP!

 

So there was a pattern: it’s was Enrique’s show (and don't you forget it), but it was all about Jason this and Jason that. Jason, Jason, Jason.

 

It’s amazing that the sizzle’s pitch was successful, because it was awful, boring, and fake as Hell. There was nobody to root for or truly care about, unless you were a fan of Jason’s everything. It was just a bunch of young men in their 20s and 30s hanging out to talk about somebody else who wasn’t even on the show, most notably when Jason talked about seeing a “sad-looking country kid” at a bus stop reading a pamphlet about therapy; “I mean, if y'all saw the way he looked, and dressed… shit, y'all would be depressed, too.” Remember this moment, as that will come back to haunt Jason in Season 1. 

 

The majority of that sizzle was nothing more than just a “Jason & Friends” type of show that just *happened* to be led by Enrique, barely. In fact, going back to Jason and Aiden’s special friendship, they vocally sounded alike and sometimes dressed alike. And they were always VERY close to each other. VERY. There were some not-so-subtle moments between the two that made you think that they were either a couple or friends with benefits. The way Jason called Aiden ‘Aidencito’ in a flirty tone, and Aiden called him ‘Jay’ in a seductive way made it too risky to have both on the show. And because Jason was clearly the standout, Aiden was rejected. It actually makes sense, given Aiden’s engagement to fellow film producer Z Halley (born Zachary Halley) at the time, and Jason's engagement to fellow actor and makeup artist Christian Gabriel Lopez at the time. And their respective fiancés have never seen the sizzle real in full to this day, so they're not aware of what exactly Jason and Aiden were doing or saying to each other.

 

And Jason and Estuardo’s close friendship feels rather forced, largely based on Estuardo's dependance on Jason’s approval. Alex C and Carlos were just annoying. Alex C in particular is just too involved in Jason's life and relationship with Christian, and even too dependent on Jason despite being the older brother. Hey, I'm all for siblings getting along; I strongly dislike family drama - especially onscreen. But two sets of brothers with the exact same personality feels redundant. Yet Jason and Aiden having the same personality wasn’t redundant? Mmm... 🤨 And of course, Enrique is Enrique. What can I say?

 

And the cast just happen to live in the City of San Fernando, but you would’ve never guessed that, because there were no montages of the city itself, beyond Enrique’s neighborhood.

 

One thing that was often unnoticeable about the sizzle’s cast was the diversity at the time. Was it true diversity or technical diversity? I would say, “technical,” but it really depends on who you ask, and here’s why, I'd argue that the diversity was only technical:

 

I appreciate the diversity, even if it was never actually touched upon: Enrique and Carlos are Venenzuelan and describe themselves as “citizens of the world.” They've been all over the world basically. Jason and Alex C are Cuban-Americans who were born raised in Miami. Estuardo Alvizuers is Guatemalan; born in the country and raised in the United States (Boston, MA). And Aiden, who was born and raised in West Hollywood, is of English and Norwegian descent, and is fluent in both English and Spanish language.

 

But none of the potential six was of Mexican descent. Perhaps back in 2013, it was never seen as a big deal because everyone (minus Aiden) was Latinx.

 

But I’m sure there would have been plenty of mixed reactions behind the scenes about the sizzle cast’s lack of Mexican blood. And I can definitely see how this would have added to the racial insensitivity that would follow the show going forward (some being more subtle than others).

 

If nothing else, the sizzle reel can be seen as a reminder of how far the show has come since 2013, especially given how different the cast lineup is today compared to this sizzle reel’s cast.

 

Either way, Enrique created the show and was given executive producer credits. But he never actually WORKED as an EP a day in his life. He never had to, so he didn’t. So, he was never a real executive producer when you think about it, not that he’ll ever admit that. He will swear until he’s blue in the face, "This is my show!"

 

Not much about the cast is that different between the sizzle reel and Season 1. Jason’s brother Alex C was demoted to a friend-of, and Carlos and Aiden were OUT.

 

Meanwhile, Jason, Enrique, and Estuardo stayed in the main cast, becoming three of the official main cast members for Season 1 (2015). And they would be joined by three more cast main members, who I can’t wait to talk about when we discuss Season 1. For now, just know that one of those three new cast members had to endure many storms in his life and would actually save the show, even at the expense of his own mental health, at the time.

 

More on the official Season 1 cast is coming up next. But until then, that was the messy backstory of how Flaming Bros San Fernando started as an astounding idea from the now-infamous method actor Enrique Sapene.

                   

                   

Messy as Hell.

                   

                   

⛈️

Flaming Bros San Fernando Backstory

Here's the backstory of how this show came to be:

By 2017, I had watched a small handful of queer reality TV shows, including The A-List New York, The A-List Dallas, RuPaul's Drag Race, and more recently at the time, the YouTube reality web series Chasing: Atlanta (which has went on to have spin-offs in Dallas, Orlando, and Los Angeles - the latter spin-off was just horrible). And of course, I watched all-female reality shows like Rica Famosa Latina, The Real Housewives, Married to Medicine, and Basketball Wives. No matter which shows I was watching, I would always think, "Wow... these people are... crazy as Hell. Do they even like each other at all?"

 

But on my latest visit to the City of San Fernando that year, I randomly started to ask myself: what if I wrote a reality TV show that mainly focuses on the young gay Latino community in/around the City of San Fernando, CA, diversifying to varying degrees before eventually "getting it right" in that diversity department?

 

The City of San Fernando is a general-law city in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County in Southern California. I grew up in the Lake Balboa area within the San Fernando Valley, and have been to the City plenty of times to visit family, to work, to eat, and to just simply explore. And as a Black person with West African, Native-American, and Irish roots, one thing I always noticed as a kid was that the City of San Fernando was predominantly Mexican/Chicano. Welcome to California, right? Although there are plenty of people of Latinx, non-Latinx, and non-Mexican descent who reside in the City of San Fernando as well, which is something that the show often points out, visually more than verbally.

 

To this day, there's just something unique about the City that separates it from the rest of the Valley, and I'm not sure what it is. It just feels more... cozy and intimate... and cultural… and HOT & HUMID! I'm not saying that everyone who lives in the City feels these ways (minus the HOT/HUMID part), but as a quasi-tourist from the Lake Balboa area, that's the vibe I still get to this day.

 

Anyway, I know some would probably find it strange and limiting that this fictional show would be based in the City of San Fernando, given its heat and that it's only about 2.37 miles long with a population of 24K (which would immediately make for a claustrophobic environment, in hindsight). And I totally get that, but there have been enough SoCal shows that take place in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Malibu, Orange County, the greater Los Angeles... and I like being different and unusual. That's just how I roll lol

 

And hey, cast members (from mains to friend-ofs) don't HAVE to live in the City; they could live anywhere in the broader San Fernando Valley. That's totally fine! A lot of housewives from the Real Housewives of Potomac don't even live in Potomac proper (or even Maryland, for that matter); some live in Washington DC or Virginia, which makes sense as the show is based in the DMV Metropolitan. And a lesser-known fact about Love & Hip Hop New York is that plenty of cast members were living in New Jersey or Yonkers, if not NYC proper. So why not apply that to this San Fernando-based show? If I was on the show, it would make sense because I live in Lake Balboa (which is 15-30 minutes away by car; closer than you'd think) and have visited the City of San Fernando so many times throughout my life, to the point where I've grown personally attached to it.

 

And the name I came up with back in 2012 is kind of... hilarious and thought-provoking: Flaming Bros. Now I'm sure most gays don't mind being called bros, but some would question the choice to use "flaming" in the name. "Flaming" is actually a derogatory way of describing a queer male's stereotypical manner or appearance. In a world where minorities continue to claim a derogatory term/phrase as their own (which I do feel torn about, as a Black person who *HATES* the words “nigger” and “nigga” with a deep passion, and as a bisexual male who would never reclaim "faggot"), I figured "flaming" would be just another one of those terms.

 

Put the location "San Fernando" in the title, and now you got "Flaming Bros San Fernando" (or FBSF⛈️ for short)! No need for a colon between "Bros" and "San", or an "of" between "Bros" and "San".

 

And out of all the Flaming Bros shows I’ve come up with since 2012 (Starting with Flaming Bros Chatsworth aka FBChatsworth🕊️), FBSF⛈️ (which I created in 2017) is definitely my personal favorite show, and the most consistently updated and developed. Why, I hear you ask? Well... to be honest, it's not because it follows the problematic structure of VH1/Bravo/WeTV-type shows AT FIRST before eventually (or rather quickly given the timeline) outgrowing that toxic dynamic, especially when we see how it takes a mental toll on certain cast members. But the real reason is this: the more I visit/research the City of San Fernando (and its neighboring areas like Sylmar, Mission Hills, and Pacoima, and my hometown Lake Balboa), the more inspired, curious, and creative (fitcion-wise) I get, which always helps with world-building and character development for a fictional reality show built around the slightly fictionalized lives of REAL people.

 

Despite the early toxicity and the fact that certain cast members fall into the typical "snobby" or "ghetto" trope, the show eventually prioritizes personal growth over just toxic dynamics. And hey... believe it or not, you can learn a lot about a reality show, including what NOT to do when dealing with conflict. That may sound boring if you're a fan of trash TV, but it ends up working out for this show, for the better. 

And while, this show would've been a great addition to possibly VH1 or Bravo, I chose first-run syndication, because I could, meaning it could air during the syndication hours on at least one/two of the broadcast networks of ABC, NBC, CBS, The CW, and Fox, as well as MyNetworkTV. But I also think LATV (Latin Alternative Network) would be a great network, too.

Flaming Bros San Fernando Intro

So, I came up with this crazy concept (try saying “crazy concept” three times fast) that actually grew into something quite fascinating:

 

A fictional first-run syndication reality show called "Flaming Bros San Fernando" (FBSF⛈️, for short) - no colon between "Bros" and "San", and no "of" between "Bros" and "San".

 

The show (which would have premiered on March 2015) mainly focuses on a predominantly Latino group of queer men who live within/around the City of San Fernando, California. But the show has diversified to varying degrees (and varying success) since its early days. As you can imagine, this initially leads to three things: (1) classicism especially from the original cast, (2) racial tension towards the more likeable people before evolving into a more inviting show that people wouldn't be ashamed to join, and (3) prejudice against queer people who identify as anything other than gay, or only happen to be queer but it's not their personality.

 

At first, the show would be best remembered for its many villains who ironically form a thunderstorm of drama and bullying in one of the most blazing hot areas in the SFV, refuse to accept accountability and just deflect or gaslight, and hardly allow us viewers into their individual lives. And it becomes clear that many of those cast members just wanna act a fool by being the most evil bitches they can be. By the time we’ve reached Season 5, however, only ONE original villain remains. But drama will always follow the more likable cast members.

The big takeaway from the viewers is that the villains are the most replaceable (unlike most typical reality shows where villains are the most rewarded). And while this is refreshing for people who want authenticity even with conflict, it's a living nightmare for viewers who want ratchet mess rather than people who learn from their mistakes. Luckily - or perhaps unluckily - for trash TV fans, the villains rotate, while the more likable cast members continue to evolve, often without villains, which shows you who are often the most relevant. 

I can't wait to share more with you as I discuss each season at a time (one season per entry), after I talk about how I came up with the idea, and its in-universe sizzle reel. Better buckle up because this is an unforgettable ride!

The appropriate emoji for Flaming Bros San Fernando is ⛈️

Flaming Bros Jersey City - The Origin of a Chaotic Reality Fanfic

 

After watching a handful of reality shows based in the East Coast, including The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Mob Wives, Made in Staten Island, Growing Up Gotti, and Families of the Mafia, one element that stood out to me the most was family drama. And to this day, I'm asking myself, "What is this obsession with family drama in the East Coast?" I have gotten to the point of believing that "family" is the East Coast's entire personality. And if I'm wrong, I refuse to believe that I'm wrong.

Anyway, back in 2018, when I was thinking of what other location had the potential to join the Flaming Bros universe (aka the greater Jordie-Verse), I looked into the state of New Jersey. Admittedly, I was way too scared to even bother with New Jersey because the people who live in the Garden State are just... unhinged, intense, uncontrollably annoying, and too loyal to a toxic fault. I've never even BEEN to the East Coast, so what would I know, right?

Eventually, Jersey City caught my eye the most, and to this day I don't know why lol. So naturally, in 2018, the title ended up being Flaming Bros Jersey City. I dig it, hehe.

Some might ask why "Jersey City" instead of "New Jersey," as many still thinking of New Jersey as a city within the state of New York, and others say state's name "New Jersey" is more marketable than "Jersey City"or any other name of an NJ area. Even the state capital Trenton isn't something you ever hear about, unless you live in New Jersey. But again, I like being different. And calling the show "Flaming Bros New Jersey" is a bit too easy and lazy for my taste.

But as with San Fernando, CA, the cast I chose for Jersey City didn't have to literally live in the city; they could live around it, and that would be fine enough for me.

In fact, the inaugural cast I chose for Season 1 (of currently 10 seasons) was not related to each other or familially tied in any way, and I still thought they worked very well with each other... until they didn't. More on that when I talk about Season 1 later. The cast overall did prove to be harder to rotate after a few seasons, and that can be a problem. In fact one of the biggest cons of East Coast-based reality shows is that after awhile, the cast becomes harder and harder to move on from. Just look at what happened to the Real Housewives franchises in New York and New Jersey. And in the case of FBJC, the addition of relatives in the cast, many seasons later, became the catalyst for the show struggling to move on from that family dram trope that dominated East Coast reality TV for roughly 20 years.

Still, if I could place this show in any network, I would go for...MTV. I'm not sure why, honestly. But MTV needed new shows then, and still do TODAY.