Summer House‘s Amanda Batula and West Wilson cozied up on a New York City outing amid the drama over their newfound relationship.
Photos obtained exclusively by Us Weekly show Amanda, 34, and West, 31, side-by-side while taking her dog for a walk in New York City on Thursday, May 21. (Amanda and her estranged husband, Kyle Cooke, adopted two dogs, Reese and Ryder, in 2022.)
Amanda was dressed casually in a white-and-black striped shirt with matching black shorts and shoes while West looked comfortable in a dark baseball cap, a cream-colored T-shirt and black shorts.
The couple have been spotted around New York City on numerous occasions since going public with their romance in March, including sharing some PDA on the Kiss Cam at a New York Yankees game in April.
Amanda and West sent shockwaves through the Bravoverse on March 31 when they confirmed they were pursuing a “connection.” (Amanda and ex Kyle, 43, announced their separation in January after four years of marriage. West was previously in a relationship with Summer House costar Ciara Miller, who is also Amanda’s former best friend.)
“We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” they wrote in a joint Instagram Story at the time. “It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it.”
The Summer House couple continued, “We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected. Our connection grew out of a genuine, longstanding friendship, which made it especially important for us to approach this with care.”
“As our feelings evolved, we wanted to take time to understand exactly what we were feeling,” they concluded. “We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt or be perceived as careless. We truly appreciate the understanding and respect as we navigate this.”
West clarified on an April 20 episode of his and Sophie Cunningham’s “Show Me Something” podcast that he and Amanda “realized things were maybe a little bit serious” in February. He denied that there was any “overlap” with the end of Amanda and Kyle’s marriage or his own past romance with Ciara, 30.
“There was no overlap,” he insisted. “I know there’s a thousand different theories on the internet right now, but that is one thing that for sure did not happen. Everyone was single.”
Summer House fans can expect some clarity on the timeline of Amanda and West getting together at the upcoming three-part season 10 reunion, which kicks off Tuesday, May 26, on Bravo. A recent trailer hinted at the intense grilling that Amanda and West will face from Ciara, Kyle and other castmates.
“I thought I knew you, man,” Kyle tells West in the preview. “I’ve been going back and forth between being concerned and betrayed.”
Ciara lands a parting shot at Amanda in the teaser, admitting, “Over the past six years, I have been your f***ing champion. I couldn’t fathom that I’d be sitting here pissed that you’re f***ing my ex!”
“[West] wants to embarrass me. He wants to get his last little word in and I hope it works,” a teary-eyed Ciara tells Amanda. “He’s with you to spite me!”
Us Weekly exclusively reported on Thursday that “West and Amanda are still dating” even though the Summer House cast “doesn’t think they’re going to last.”
“West took Amanda to meet his parents already in May,” an insider told Us. “So they are getting serious.”
Summer House airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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