Already have an account?
Get back to the

‘Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars’ Premiere Recap: Tanner Tolbert Rips Into Jade Roper for Lacking ‘Value’

It’s probably not a good sign if you’ve only been married for two months and you’re on a show called Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, but for Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert, that’s the spot they’re in. But while they were the newest couple on the WE tv relationship show’s season premiere on Friday, October 7, they weren’t even the pair with the most trouble.

Related: PHOTOS: 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' Engagement Rings Through the Years

They were joined on the show by former Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Amber and Jim Marchese, hip-hop diva Keke Wyatt and husband-manager Michael Ford, Love & Hip Hop‘s Margeaux and girlfriend Merika, and Mob WivesKaren Gravano and boyfriend Storm.

Related: PHOTOS: The Most Ridiculous ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Job Titles Ever

Why They’re All Here

The season kicked off by providing background on each couple. Amber and Jim have been married for a decade but have suffered because of the way they speak to each other. He called her spoiled, and she called him condescending. Additionally, he didn’t think she was up for sex nearly enough.

Related: PHOTOS: Quickest Celebrity Engagements Ever

Keke and Michael suffered from working together — or, as Keke put it, from the fact that Michael couldn’t accept that he worked for her. Margeaux and Merika were having issues because Merika was insecure about Margeaux’s commitment (or not) to their relationship. Meanwhile, Karen argued that Storm was a terrible communicator, and he asserted that she doesn’t use common sense.

Related: PHOTOS: The Bachelor After the Final Rose: Broken Engagements, Weddings, Babies, and More!

As for the newlyweds, Jade and Tanner insisted they were looking at this camp as an opportunity to improve their marriage, rather than a Hail Mary to fix things that were wrong with it. Uh-huh. Sure.

Judge Lynn Toler Lays Down the Law

The couple then met with Judge Lynn Toler, who would be presiding over their progress throughout the camp. One by one, she called each couple up to the podiums and dolled out some thoughts on the current state of their relationship. Most of her commentary was just a repeat of what the couples had themselves readily admitted during their introduction videos, but with Jade and Tanner she got a little deeper.

After Jade admitted she apologizes for things she doesn’t think are her fault in order to avoid fights, Toler said the most dangerous word the Bachelor in Paradise star ever said was “OK.” Jade agreed with this statement immediately, and Toler encouraged her to speak up in her relationship more. (Tanner didn’t comment on that.)

Toler was sensing Jim was resentful that Amber had gotten cancer again, and that he was footing the bill for her treatment. Amber was relieved that her health had been brought up by the judge because she thought it was definitely an issue, but it was unclear if Jim agreed with what Toler was speculating.

The biggest bombshell, however, came for Margeaux and Merika.

Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert
Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert

Margeaux’s Husband Shows Up

In a strange turn of events, Toler revealed she had a secret guest. That guest was Nikko London, Margeaux’s husband. Not only was he there for court that day, but he also would be remaining at boot camp. This meant Margeaux was at relationship camp with both her girlfriend and her husband. Oops.

It turned out that Margeaux and Nikko had separated four years ago but had never filed the paperwork to make their divorce official. Judge Toler argued that the fact that Margeaux had not gone through with the filing meant she was not completely over Nikko, which Margeaux vehemently denied.

“Why is everybody ganging up on me?” she shouted. “You don’t know me!”

After the “court” session ended, Margeaux, Merika and Nikko got another surprise: They would all be sleeping in the same room and potentially the same bed. “Get the f–king divorce!” Merika screamed. Nikko was clearly reveling in the situation, but Merika was struggling and wandered around the house drinking a cocktail, complaining to anyone who would listen.

For the most part, the houseguests were sympathetic to Merika’s situation, agreeing it was pretty lame for her. Merika asked Karen if she could call the mob to help her. Karen laughed it off, so her assistance seemed unlikely.

Tanner Really Thinks Jade Is a Waste of Space

It had been revealed that Tanner said, “Jade doesn’t do s–t” and called her a “lethargic slob,” but later that night in their bedroom, it became clear just how resentful he was getting.

As they settled in for the night, Tanner told his wife, “You don’t have a ton of value as a teammate in our marriage.” Jade burst into tears and said she would never say such a thing to him. “You make me feel like all I am is my weaknesses,” she replied.

He went on to say that all of his friends’ wives who don’t have actual jobs take care of everything else for their husbands, and pointed out that Jade couldn’t even do the laundry. She snapped back that it was that she couldn’t remember to do the laundry (umm … no comment). Tanner insisted he just didn’t want to feel like he was pulling all of the weight, and they went to bed without being any closer to a resolution.

Tell Us: Do you think there’s any hope for Jade and Tanner?

Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars airs on WE tv Fridays at 9 p.m. ET. 

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!