You Want To Get Popped’: Nia Sanchez Reveals Lala Kent’s Shocking Confrontation and Exposes Jax Taylor’s ‘Jealous’ Sabotage in The Valley
The transition from Hollywood’s relentless spotlight to the relentless chaos of parenting is a well-trodden path for many celebrities, but few have navigated it while simultaneously filming a reality show as high-stakes as The Valley. Nia Sanchez and Daniel Booko, stars of the hit Bravo series, have found themselves at the epicenter of both domestic chaos and dramatic upheaval, balancing a new, demanding life as parents to “Four under four” with the brutal, often manufactured, conflicts of reality television.
In a candid and revealing exclusive interview, the couple peeled back the curtain on the exhaustion of their home life and the surprisingly cleansing—yet immediately replaced—drama of The Valley’s upcoming third season. Nia, known for her candid vulnerability, and Daniel, known for his enthusiastic commitment to their family’s new life, confirmed that the series has undergone a dramatic energy shift, one that has jettisoned a major source of toxic energy only to replace it with a new, more strategic form of confrontation, culminating in a shocking, near-physical challenge from new cast member, Lala Kent.
Life in the Bubble: The Beautiful Chaos of Four Under Four
For the Booko-Sanchez household, the word “sleep” is now a distant, mythical concept. With four children under the age of four, the couple admits their home life is “wild,” “crazy,” and defined by the use of “good glam” and concealer to mask the physical toll of round-the-clock parenting. “We were in such a sweet place with three, and four came a little earlier than we were expecting,” Nia shared with an exhausted, yet beaming, smile. The arrival of baby Adelaide has pushed them to their limits, yet they both confessed an overwhelming love for their six-person family unit, acknowledging they “can’t imagine life without what our current situation is.”
The need for a change of scenery and a sense of grounding led them away from the heart of the Los Angeles basin. Daniel, particularly, waxed lyrical about their move to Santa Clarita, describing it as “heaven,” a “little bubble” of clean air, blue skies, and a large home perfect for their expanding brood. He paints an idyllic picture: five bedrooms, a backyard pool, and a view of what he affectionately calls “Booko Mountain.” It is a life intentionally chosen to be the antithesis of the toxic energy of their previous environment—a conscious attempt to build a sanctuary for their children.
However, the irony is not lost on them. While Daniel boasts about the distance—20 miles from the Valley—Nia is quick to interject with the brutal reality of L.A. traffic, correcting his claim with a more realistic “22 to 50 minutes depending on traffic.” This commute serves as a potent metaphor for their reality: they willingly undertake the emotional and physical distance to escape the drama, only to have to drive right back into it for filming, a constant, often exhausting, negotiation between their authentic home life and their celebrity commitments.
The Jax Factor: Cleansing the Toxins
The biggest catalyst for change in Season 3 is undeniably the absence of Jax Taylor, who departed the series alongside his wife, Brittany Cartwright. Nia and Daniel did not mince words about the effect of his exit. They both agreed that not having Jax on set was a “breath of fresh air,” drastically improving the energy of the group dynamic. “I actually feel like we had such a better energy overall in the season,” Nia admitted, adding pointedly that Jax “kind of sucks all the energy out of the room.”
But the discussion quickly shifted from relief to revelation, exposing the alleged dark side of Jax’s tenure on the show. Daniel revealed that Jax’s behavior in the previous season went beyond typical reality show antics; he was reportedly “very jealous of how we were received” by fans and network executives. This jealousy allegedly manifested in calculated, behind-the-scenes manipulation. Daniel claimed that Jax was “behind our backs getting other people to come and put a target on our backs” during Season 2, specifically naming cast members like Janet and Jason as falling victim to his attempts to sabotage the Booko-Sanchez pairing.
This exposure paints Jax’s departure not as a clean break, but as the removal of a source of deliberate toxicity. His exit, while making the season “better,” forced the new season to find new forms of conflict, leaving a void that was quickly filled by a new, powerful energy source.
The New Threat: Lala Kent’s Shocking Challenge
The new landscape of The Valley has introduced fresh faces, including Vanderpump Rules veteran Lala Kent and Tom Schwartz. While Schwartz’s presence introduces a familiar, often awkward, brand of conflict, it is Lala Kent who has become the sharp, strategic engine of the new drama. Daniel noted that the atmosphere is now characterized by “sporadic drama” with everyone having their “different beefs.”
Nia, however, revealed that her personal confrontation with Lala was anything but sporadic—it was direct and chilling. Lala, Nia confirmed, came into the show like a “well-oiled machine” who “knew her assignment.” When asked about her biggest dramatic moment of the season, Nia paused, before dropping a bombshell detail about her face-off with the Vanderpump alum.
Nia revealed that during a conversation with Lala, the newly-minted The Valley star issued a shocking challenge, using a highly aggressive phrase, which Nia paraphrased as something along the lines of, “you want to get popped.” This revelation instantly injects a dangerous, high-stakes element into the new season, suggesting that Lala’s presence has replaced Jax’s messy emotional manipulation with a much more calculated and physically confrontational energy. For Nia, this confrontation must have been particularly jarring, contrasting sharply with her current reality of caring for four young children.
The Cost of Authenticity: Postpartum and Pressure
Amidst the revelations of on-set toxicity and shocking clashes, Nia Sanchez brought the conversation back to a deeply personal and vulnerable topic: her post-fourth-baby body image journey. While she expressed happiness for fellow cast member Brittany Cartwright’s decision to undergo a “mommy makeover,” Nia explained that she is currently focused on a different, more gentle path.
She revealed that her current focus is on “doing my best to just give myself grace right now” while she recovers. This is a significant shift from her mindset a year prior, after her third child, when she admitted to being “working so hard” and feeling frustrated that her body wasn’t “getting where I wanted it to go.” Her decision to prioritize grace over rigorous transformation stands as a powerful statement against the unforgiving pressures of Hollywood and social media, contrasting her real-life, human struggle with the often-perfected images of celebrity bodies.
The segment concluded with Daniel teasing the possibility of “one more” baby, playfully challenging Nia’s firm “no more whatsoever” after four children. While their answer remains undecided—”everything’s intact, maybe we’ll see”—the future of the Booko-Sanchez family, both on and off-screen, is undeniably fraught with high-stakes chaos.
Nia Sanchez and Daniel Booko’s candid interview confirms that The Valley Season 3 is a show reborn. The clearing of the toxic air left by Jax Taylor has allowed a new form of strategic and aggressive drama to take hold, primarily championed by the unapologetic power of Lala Kent. By choosing to prioritize their family’s emotional sanctuary in Santa Clarita while continuing to navigate the brutal emotional landscape of reality television, Nia and Daniel remain the grounded center of a swirling vortex, hoping their authenticity will shield them from the calculated attacks that have already begun. The question remains: can their “four under four” energy sustain them through a season where being challenged to a fight is the new normal? Viewers are about to find out.
