[killer_carlson]

I still have to watch the episode, but my thought on Brandon coming back was that i suspect there was relentless ridicule once he got home.

His uncle has a whole career now over being a jerk on tv. Most memorable reality tv star of the last decade. Appearance fees, reality tv shows, amd more because he was a jerk.

Juxtapose that with Brandon who tried to be a nice guy, and ended up being another also ran. His opportunities will pale in comparison to what Russell's are. Having lived with that realization, him coming back and wanting or being encouraged to be the bad guy or more extreme to become memorable is not a surprise.