NeNe Leakes sat down with former Real Housewives Producer and Podcast Host Carlos King to talk all things Real Housewives of Atlanta, Leakes suing Bravo and more.
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Dr. April Carter opens up about being on reality television for the first time, the online backlash she has been receiving due to the way the fans are reacting to the current season. She talked about the sutural differences but also the way it was easy for her to learn a new culture.
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The Real Housewives of Atlanta made their glamorous return to Bravo on Sunday night! Viewers welcomed back the queens of shade Kandi, Kenya, Sheree, Marlo, Drew, and Sanya.
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The Reality Rundown got the opportunity to talk with recording artist William Jones, star of TLC’s new medical series Bad Hair Day! According to TLC, the show is about “Patients with extreme hair-related medical issues seek out Dr. Angie Phipps, Dr. Meena Singh, and Dr. Isha Lopez for life-changing procedures and treatments. From hair restoration to hair removal and every extreme in between, these doctors do it all!” William’s story has over 3 million views on TikTok, and his episode is the 2nd most viewed premiere in TLC history.
When I asked William, how he’s been since the premiere of the show he responded, “It’s been like a roller coaster ride, a great journey and an emotional journey at that.” He credits the shows ratings to fans of TLC wanting to connect to a story that’s genuine and that’s exactly what his story provides. He knows that him being the first male to present their hair story in this way also stood out to fans. He goes on to further say, “I really think that hair technology for women at least has surpassed light years since I was born in 1996. When I was growing up it was the “quick weaves” but now women have hair that look like its growing out of their scalp. For me, having gone through being burned, tumors, cancer, and everything else I just always felt like life never gave me what I needed.”
William admits that he was very adamant about not wanting to do the story because being a recording artist working in the industry, he’d created a façade of how he wanted to look but this show was going to strip him of that mask. He says, “People were hesitant to connect with because they thought I was just a singer that had parties with strippers around and I wanted people to know that I did have a story to tell. I realized people are going to talk about you regardless and I decided to take control of my narrative. I asked William to walk me through when he was a child and had gotten burned. William recalls that some of his memory being muddled. He does recall when he was younger that his parents struggled with substance abuse. He believes that around the age of one he was moving around in his baby walker in the kitchen when he attempted to grab what he did not know was a hot skillet frying food. When he hit the handle, the skillet of grease fell on him which caused him to have reconstructive surgery on his face, back and shoulders.
On the show, there is a moment when William removes his hair unit to reveal his scars that were concealed, and he’s told to look at himself in the mirror. As a viewer, it is clear to see that this troubled him, and I wanted to get more insight on what was going through his mind at the time. William says, “That was the hardest because I felt ambushed. I didn’t know they were going to have me look in the mirror. One thing that a lot of people don’t know is that I didn’t like looking in mirrors prior to this. In my house, I would cover the mirrors with pictures or song lyrics. I hated mirrors and it felt like I was confronting a bully for the first time but he’s glad it happened now because he battled his demons.”
William says he wish the show would’ve highlighted his music because it’s a big part of his story in terms of how it helped his depression. He references a relative (Jordan) that was recently murdered as being his close confidant and how he was glad that Jordan got to see him with hair on the show before his untimely passing. He shared that Jordan was a crucial part of his support and helping him understand how to be confident. So, he’s happy that Jordan got to see this very pivotal moment happen before he passed. William goes on further to say that he knows he has a big personality and sometimes it can get in scuffles, but he’s prepared to pull his hair off and make it do what it does. William says, “I know on the show I had a few outbursts because of my big personality. I know sometimes you don’t know what to expect from me. So, I know there were a lot of things that TLC probably couldn’t sign off on such as my use of the n-word.”
William says that he had several zoom calls with TLC before joining the show because they needed a lot of details. This made him even more skeptical because he knows there are a lot of mean-spirited people on social media, and he didn’t want to become the “butt of everyone’s joke” but in hindsight it would probably go viral and help get his face out their which in turn would help push his music. William credits his song “Scars” to being his way of expressing what he’s gone through since he had already opened up about it on the show. It was important for him to tell his story how he wanted it expressed. He admits, “When I went in to record this song, I was so emotional that I couldn’t get through the lyrics without breaking down. I had to come back another day when I was able to harness that energy and kill it.” He says he’s proud of how great the record is and how people can relate to the songs because it’s a song about people having scars whether physical, emotional, or mental.
As we wrapped up the interview, I informed Will that I saw on his social media he hinted at new projects on the horizon, and I noticed “#Zeus” hashtags as well. I wanted to know what was next on his prosperous journey. William said that he has a few projects coming up that he’ll be flying out for. William further says, “Zeus needs to cast me for real. After the “Bad Boys Show” aired, people kept telling me that my crazy butt needed to be on there.” I definitely cosigned! He says part of him wanted to do it because his personality is crazy and unexpected, but he knows that sometimes he has a quick temper even though he loves to be the life of the party.
Be sure to watch the full interview to get exclusive details on William’s story at therealityrundown.com!
On another episode of Reality Right After with Welington Gomez, we had the pleasure of sitting down with newbie Jacqueline Blake of Real Housewives of Potomac. TRR Correspondent Kaidian Gordon tells Jacqueline that she seems very comfortable in front of the camera and that it was a natural transition onto the show. In giving fans an insight into who she is, Jacqueline says, “Number one I’m a mom of two girls. I’m the CEO of my own company, Ava Blakely Enterprises. Any given day you’ll see me at the grocery store with my kids with my hair on top of my head. I’m simply a regular mom and a professional.”
Kaidian asks, “How did you hear about the show and get on the show?” Jacqueline says she’s always been a fan of RHOP but not a die-hard fan. She says that her castmate and long-time best friend Mia Thornton has been her friend for 10+ years and that’s how she organically showed up on the screen of RHOP. Jacqueline admits that she gravitated towards the women that Mia liked because she was just trying to be a loyal friend. “I’ve been a ride or die from day one. We lived in the same house as kids, we partied together, we had mutual boyfriends together and I mean you name it and we’ve done it.” Jacqueline admits side-eyeing some of the women that Mia didn’t get along with because of her relationship with Mia. Jacqueline talks about how it was someone that recommended her to RHOP. She wouldn’t reveal which cast member recommended her, but she says that Mia was in agreement of her being recommended.
Kaidian commends Jacqueline for standing her ground on the show, especially as a newbie. She asks Jacqueline what she meant by her Instagram post which hinted at something being an “eye-opener and truth telling to who really has her back on the show”. Jacqueline says, “It’s no secret. Everyone saw that Mia blocked me on social media. We had a falling out and you guys may see it later. I found out a lot through filming with Mia. I thought the strength of our relationship was stronger than what it was.” The latest update is that Jacqueline and Mia remain not friends.
Jacqueline admits she didn’t see this coming when discussing her broken relationship with Mia. “I would have never seen this coming. I would’ve never thought that the person that I knew for 20 + years would turn on me the way that she did. This is my real life. Like this isn’t a joke or storyline. This was my best friend. My whole entire family knows this woman from my mom to my dad that’s no longer alive and in the grave. Mia was next to me when my father took his last breath. This was somebody that I truly and genuinely cared about. Honestly, it’s been heartbreaking.
Kaidian asks about any previous animosity that would have existed between the two since she was blindsided once joining the show. Jacqueline admits that they would fight like sisters. They would have little disagreements. She says, “Mia can be particular about how she wants things to run around her, but I understand that because she’s always been that way. I’ve always tried to give Mia grace because of her childhood trauma but when we meet people in real life and in real time, we don’t know what they’ve been through. The woman that you all see today is different than the girl I once knew.”
Moving the conversation forward, Kaidian asked Jacqueline how she felt about Robyn not inviting Wendy to “family fun day” but wanting her kids to attend. Jacqueline says she feels that Robyn was justified to not invite Wendy, but it should’ve been along with her kids because if you have an issue with someone don’t invite them nor their kids. Jacqueline says, “I feel like the mother, the father and the kids are a complete package. It doesn’t make sense to invite children without their parent. It’s either all or nothing. I love Robyn and I think you should invite who you want to invite when having a private event. It’s nothing against the kids because the issue is with the parent. Again, it’s’ all or nothing.
Kaidian asks Jacqueline opinion of Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby’s alleged claims against Candiace Dillard Bassett’s husband Chris this season. Jacqueline responds, “I think it was a bit much. I did see that Ashely did try to pull Candice aside especially with something so private and personal. I don’t think this type of thing is appropriate for a group setting. I don’t believe in messing with someone’s relationship or marriage. People need to relax. Like not every man is coming for you, not every man wants you. Chris knows the women in this group are messy and he has enough sense to not be dealing with them.”
Moving on to the heated Miami trip finally comes into play. Jacqueline talks about how Mia basically blew out of proportion the “toiletries” scene. Jacqueline admits she misplaced her deodorant and simply wanted to borrow Mia’s but because Mia is OCD and doesn’t like to share Jacqueline felt Mia made a big deal about it and it wasn’t necessary. She also did not like that Mia went to tell Robyn and Gizelle about this in an attempt to make her look like she was unprepared. Jacqueline mentions that Karen even stated that she forgot her deodorant, but nothing was ever said about it. She feels like Mia was playing it up for the cameras.
When asked about the “dinner from hell” fiasco between Mia and Wendy, Jacqueline says, “I feel like it was uncalled for. I feel like it went too far. I don’t condone physical altercations. We are professional women. We have jobs and children, and we don’t need to be in that type of situation by any means necessary. I understand that people get upset and make mistakes, but I didn’t agree with it. I did tell Mia that one-on-one, and she agreed how she felt horrible about what she did, but I wasn’t going to embarrass her in front of a group of women. I’m just not going to do that. We’ll talk behind closed doors. There is a place to tell your friend when they are wrong.”
Jacqueline admits, I think everyone have the women that they can’t stand and dislike. I think some of the women maybe were happy that she had a drink thrown on her and was embarrassed. I feel like that was wrong and I felt bad for Wendy. I just felt that was not appropriate and I would never wish that on anybody. Even if you did have a negative opinion about Wendy, right is right and wrong is wrong. I think some of the ladies should have just kept their opinions to themselves. We are beautiful black women, and we are on platform where millions of people look at us and we don’t want to portray that type of woman.”
As the conversation wraps up, Jacqueline says that now she is the closest to Karen Huger. When speaking about Karen Jacqueline says, “she really does rise to the occasion, I love talking to her and she gives such great advice.” When asked about the most exciting parts of joining the show, Jacqueline says, “I was able to see women that do this every single day and it’s a profession for them. I respect them all in their own unique ways and it’s definitely been a learning experience. Aside from the drama with Mia I feel like I would’ve had a great time as a friend of the show. When asked what the worst part was of being on the show, Jacqueline simply states, “You guys just got to watch a few more episodes but overall, what Mia did to me was the lowest. When she posted an alleged video of me, that has been the worst thing someone has done to me. However, I hope to continue to build better relationships, get my company out there, meet great people and celebrate women. I feel like the sky’s the limit!”
Be sure to watch the full interview with Jacqueline Blake of RHOP at the Reality Rundown!
We had the pleasure of talking with the always beautiful, booked, and busy Cynthia Bailey!
Cynthia made it clear that this next chapter in her life is the final chapter, so she is doing many things to make sure this final chapter is closed right! BravoCon was just a few weeks ago and Cynthia mentions that BravoCon came at such a wonderful time. Cynthia says, “First of all, the timing of it was just perfect for me. I was able to have a fun, healthy, amazing, loving distraction from my personal life right now.”
When asked were there any Bravolebs that she met for the first time at BravoCon, Cynthia stated, “You know I’ve met so many of them because I was on RHOA for so many years, but I had never actually met Robyn from RHOP in person, even though we follow each other on Instagram. I got to meet some of the newer RHOM girls, and it was just so good to see everyone. I was really excited that I could be included in BravoCon as a legacy housewife.
Welington validated how much the Bravo community love and adore Cynthia and he could attest to that love being shown at BravoCon. Welington says, “I was there to witness how people cheered for you and how people clapped for you whenever you were introduced on other shows and panels.” He asked Cynthia, “It’s been almost two years since you were on RHOA, how does it feel to still be one of the fan favorites? Cynthia responded, “You know, it feels really good. It was important to me that when I transitioned out to maintain an important relationship with the network, stay connected with my fans. For 11 years, housewives were my life. Although moving into being an actress now, my heart will always be with housewives. That platform has always been amazing for me, and I will always want to be included with the Bravo family because they really did change my life.”
The discussion took a bit of a somber tone when Cynthia was asked about her recent joint announcement of her divorce from her husband Mike Hill. Cynthia states, “I’m doing fine, and Mike is doing fine. This was not an overnight decision and we have been thinking about this for a while now. It actually feels good to go ahead and put it out there and just to move forward. I believe friendship is the nucleus of any marriage. Mike and I were friends before we got married and I’m really glad that we’re able to be friends as we go our separate ways. When asked if she plans to stay in Los Angeles or return to Lake Bailey (Atlanta), Cynthia responded that Lake Bailey will be active and that it has always been active but that she did spend more time in LA to be with her husband but she expects to visit LA often for her acting career and her daughter that lives in LA. Cynthia says that she will remain bi-coastal because she goes where her work takes her.
Cynthia’s acting career is excelling and she remembers how much she enjoyed watching lifetime network with her mother and credits her first leading role in a lifetime film to being as exciting as when she first graced the cover of Essence magazine. Cynthia says she loves comedy and would love to do something in that genre. She feels like she’s learning and growing as an actress and she’s very excited that it feels like she’s on the right path! Cynthia says, “I really want this to be my last chapter. You guys have had some Cynthia Bailey the model, Cynthia Bailey the reality star and now I want to humbly give you guys’ Cynthia Bailey the actress.”
Although Cynthia admits being at BravoCon plus many fans asking her return to RHOA made her miss the show, Cynthia really wants this next chapter to be focused on her acting career that she is working really hard at and taking very seriously.
As for what’s to come, Cynthia says that she is excited that she has two films that will premiere on BET in 2023! She also mentions that she’s excited that her mother’s battle with breast cancer is coming to an end and that her mother is going to be okay. She credits her mother’s recovery to having caught the cancer early. Cynthia says, “To all the queens out there. Do not play around with mammograms. I’m getting mine on Nov. 1 st in Atlanta. I’m looking forward to my mother’s recovery because mentally this really took a toll on her, and it really scared her. She’s an older lady and she has other underlying health issues but I’m glad that I went to Atlanta to go through this journey and process with her.”
When asked how she feels about the cameos that her ex-husband Peter Thomas has been making on RHOP and other shows, Cynthia credits Peter for being able to take the heat that comes with being on reality television. She credits him as being amongst the first of “house-husbands” to get involved with the other women on the show Cynthia said, “If he’s going to be on tv, he’s going to be on tv. I applaud him for that. There are a lot of great seasons that we’ve done together even though he kept me in trouble quite a bit. You can’t take away what he’s brought to the show.” She goes on to mention that her and Peter keep in touch and that he did reach out to her when she announced her upcoming divorce. Cynthia says, “We don’t talk often but we talk when we need to talk. It’s always love and positive.”
When it came to the once circulating rumor of Gizelle from RHOP and Peter possibly being an item Cynthia had this to say. “Out of respect, Gizelle called me to tell me the rumors are not true. It’s nice that Gizelle came to me as “woman to woman” and even if she were dating him, I thought her calling me spoke volumes on how much she respects me and her character.”
We wanted to get Cynthia’s opinion on why the recent RHOA season has been downhill in terms of ratings. Welington asks, “You were on RHOA for years and you were a part of the highest rated seasons. When you and Porsha walked away, what do you think may have been the reason why fans were not tuning into RHOA? Cynthia replies, “I honestly don’t really know. I would see clips on my Instagram feed, and it definitely seemed like there was much drama. I think the housewives’ fans get invested into the OGs and women that have been on the show consistently. Bravo fans love keeping up with our lives even after the show. So, I think there is something to be said about keeping “staple girls” around. It just takes the fans a little time to adjust to the new ladies.” Cynthia also says if RHOA was getting a legacy show like RHONY she would be honored to be invited.
Cynthia wraps our talk by giving us insight into her Seagram’s Escape Spooky Sangria which is an easy cocktail to make! The recipe can be found on their site and Cynthia says, “The best thing about recipes is that they are customizable. The start of this cocktail is the Seagram’s Escape Strawberry Daiquiri. The fruit that I added was oranges, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. You can add almost any fruit you want but just make sure not to leave out Seagram’s Escapes Strawberry Daiquiri. It really tastes like a Sangria but with a more strawberry flavor. This is just a wonderful drink for Halloween and super easy!” For the recipes go to seagramsescapes.com
As always, The Reality Rundown enjoyed talking with Cynthia Bailey and will be on the lookout for what’s to come!
The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip kicked off its sixth episode on Peacock. This episode began with all the ladies waking up and dealing with the aftermath of the previous night’s events. Dorinda and Jill made amends and got to a point of understanding where the other was coming from in terms of how their supposed friendship has been and how they would like for it to be moving forward. However, Brandi wakes still pretty upset with the comment Dorinda made regarding her son. Brandi says, “Dorinda is a sloppy drunk and she went after me when I walked away two times! We’re not going to get up today and brush this off. We’re going to have a f**king conversation cause normally I can let s**t go but don’t talk about my kids.”
As the ladies begin to file in for breakfast, Tamra, Vicki, and Brandi talk about how Dorinda has been saying mean things to each of them and they feel like they can’t reason with her. Tamra says, “I just feel that Dorinda says s**t and then apologizes, and she thinks it’s all better. You can’t just put a band aid on it and be like “oh I was drunk, I was stupid, sorry” it doesn’t like that.” Dorinda enters the room where the ladies are having breakfast and immediately goes to apologize to Brandi. She tells Brandi, “I’m apologizing. I used the wrong reference. I should’ve said imagine if someone in your life died but I was wrong and I apologize for that.” Brandi responds, “Why are you so mad? It’s happening everyday with one of us. Dorinda says, “I think what happened with Jill was very different and we talked it through and we’re good. Last night I definitely drink too much.” Tamra recommends they all drink less, but Jill and Brandi remind everyone that they are all going to wine tasting later. In her confessional, Dorinda admits with tears in her eyes that she really screwed up but that she did try hard to make it nice.
As Dorinda leaves the breakfast table, Eva and Phaedra join the remaining ladies for breakfast. Phaedra says in her confessional, “I’m hoping everybody can let the new day be new and not continue to rehash things from a decade ago, a day ago. It’s too many bitter Bettys holding on to yesteryear. Get over it. Change your panties.” Back in their bedroom, Tamra and Vicki vent to each other about not being able to speak their mind to Dorinda. Tamra starts to cry out of nowhere and Vicki begins to babble on about “we’re all going to die one day” as Phaedra and Brandi enter their bedroom. In her confessional, Tamra says, “No one talks about death as much as Vicki. She’s a Debbie Downer.” Vicki tells the ladies to let everyone know that if she died right now that she died sad. The other ladies laugh off Vicki being dramatic. Jill goes to Taylor’s room to talk about why she decided to bring up a decade old feud that really didn’t have anything to do with her. In the same sequence, Brandi, Phaedra, Tamra, and Vicki are discussing the Taylor argument as well. Brandi says, “She went in. And I was like what? I thought we were fine. I regret going low. I do. I was just caught off guard.” Vicki admits that Taylor’s behavior was weird. Back to Jill and Taylor. Jill says she respects Brandi getting up to walk away and Taylor agrees and says, “Yes, I agree with that. I obviously have unresolved issues with her and it’s something that I’m just going to have to swallow.”
As the ladies break off to do their own things, Phaedra and Tamra go on a walk to get to know each other more. Tamra asks Phaedra to tell her more about her new man. Phaedra says that the man she’s been dating is “a physician that’s really good with kids” and that she’s really enjoying his company. When the topic of divorce comes up Phaedra says that she’s been divorced twice from the same person. Phaedra says, “Our divorce was final, he appealed it and they granted the appeal” Phaedra admits she’s not sure if she wants to get into another marriage. She said, “I don’t know if I want to get into a martial situation. Let’s have some fun and then you go home and pee on your own toilet. I like my bidet crystal clean and fresh.”
The ladies head off to go to wine tasting! Before the ladies begin drinking, Phaedra decides to lead an emotional group prayer in hopes of the ladies having a fresh start to their day and being kind to one another. Dorinda says in her confessional, “Phaedra, a blessing. It couldn’t have come at a better time. It kind of just settled me down a little bit. So, I’m thankful for that.” After a few drinks, Vicki wants the ladies to go around the table to talk about their departure from their respective shows. Phaedra immediately turns this down by saying “I’m not doing that but, in her confessional, says, “My departure was BS. There are always two sides to every story and then there is the truth. And let’s just say that there was only one side heard.” Dorinda says she’s lucky because she got “put on pause” during Covid. Brandi tells Dorinda that “put on pause” is just a fun word for fired. She thinks Dorinda is pissed for being fired from housewives.
Phaedra shifts the conversation and asks each lady about their favorite moment on their shows. Taylor says her favorite moment is when they all went to Vegas dancing as Brandi imitates the infamous Camille dance. Tamra says hers is when she got engaged to Eddie, Dorinda’s is when everyone came to her house in the Berkshires for the first time. Vicki’s favorite moment is when she surprised Michael at college, Eva’s when she got married and when her husband legally changed her daughter from a previous relationship last name to his. Jill’s favorite moment is the Morocco trip, Brandi says her fun times were with Lisa Vanderpump on and off camera while Phaedra’s favorite moments would include the birth of both of her sons.
Before the ladies leave the wine tasting, Dorinda takes this opportunity to talk to Vicki. She explains that she has admired Vicki over the years, and they got off on the wrong foot because it was hard to understand how a woman as beautiful and successful as Vicki could let a man bring her down. Dorinda admits she took Vicki’s behavior personally when she first arrived but now, she understands it had nothing to do with her and apologizes for not being more supportive of what Vicki was going through. Vicki is glad to get a genuine apology from Dorinda.
The ladies arrive back at the house and prepare for Christmas in September! Dorinda’s home is decorated beautifully in Christmas décor. All of the ladies are dressed beautifully, and as Brandi’s dress is brought up and she mentions that it was the dress that she was supposed to wear to the reunion with Denise, but she got “cancelled” the morning of. The infamous topic of Brandi and Denise comes up and the ladies discuss what happened from Brandi’s perspective. Brandi says, “She kind of hit it and quit it and it kind of broke my heart.” Dorinda says, “I don’t know why she would lie about it. Denise was married to Charlie Sheen, and he had an eclectic sex life so who knows, you never what goes on behind closed doors.” Tamra tells the group that she’s known Denise for 10 years and that Denise called her seeking advice when this scandal first happened. Tamra reveals that Denise completely denied having sex with Brandi but admits she believes Brandi, even though she slipped up and said she believes Denise first. Tamra reveals that something happened at BravoCon. It involves Denise soliciting Tamra to hook up and come to her hotel room. Tamra admits that Denise was very flirty and if she were single, she probably would have slept with her. Brandi thanks Tamra for being honest about her experience and is very thankful for Tamra having her back.
The conversation turns a little naughty when Tamra asks Brandi which ladies, she would like to have sex within the room and Brandi mentions Phaedra, Eva and Tamra. Brandi mentions that she wants to show Vicki how to use a vibrator while Tamra admits she’d want to sleep with Eva first, Brandi second and Phaedra third. In her confessional Phaedra says, “They like that chocolate. Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.” Meanwhile, Jill is offended that no one wants to sleep with her. When pushed to give an answer like the other girls Vicki admits “I’d probably do Brandi. She can teach me.”
As the ladies sit down for dinner, Dorinda says that she’s making sure not to drink much because she feels like she’s being watched. The ladies thank Dorinda for putting together such a festive dinner party. Phaedra says, “She made it nice.” Tamra asks, “Is there anyone here you thought you wouldn’t get along with?” Brandi jokingly says everyone but admits, “I wasn’t worried about Jill or Dorinda. I knew we’d get along. I knew Phaedra and I would get along in a weird way cause we’re the same but she’s like a better version of me and Eva I just want to have sex with.” Phaedra jokingly says, “I’m feeling jealous cause I thought I was your top choice. Now what’s going on?” Dorinda brings up that Taylor was worried most about being around Brandi. Brandi says that for people that have known her a long time she’s just a lover. Taylor says, Yeah, you are either f**king or fighting.” Taylor admits that she was hurt by Brandi and was holding on to that but she’s hopeful that they’ll move forward in friendship.
As Tamra and Eva walk outside because Tamra says Taylor makes her snore, Brandi takes this opportunity to “hit on” Vicki after the two shared a “peck” before dinner. Afterwards, all the ladies come outside because there is a snow machine blowing snow for the ladies and it really makes it feel a lot like Christmas. The ladies head back inside to play “White Elephant” and Tamra goes first choosing a gift that is a Gucci scarf. Brandi goes second and chooses the gift Taylor bought and then proceeds to make out with her. That’s classic Brandi. Taylor says in her confessional, “It’s Christmas the drinks are flowing, pillow lips. It was bound to happen.” Jill chooses a gift that’s an ugly Christmas sweater, Eva chooses a gift that is a silk collection, Taylor takes the Gucci scarf from Tamra, Phaedra chooses a gift that is a Jo Malone candle, Dorinda chooses Bluetooth sunglasses, Vicki chooses a vibrator and says she needs it. Dorinda says, “When you take a bunch of middle-aged women and put them in a room it spells vibrator.” Meanwhile, Brandi is ready to hand out lap dances to Jill and Vicki. All the ladies get up to dance and Phaedra jokingly says, “Honey, everybody is twerking and working. Marco better go hide.” Tamra acknowledges that tomorrow is the last day and she’s sad because she’s having a lot of fun with the girls. Dorinda ends the night with a toast and the ladies join in to say, “We laughed, we cried, and we made it nice!”
Be sure to catch the next episode of The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip streaming new episodes every Thursday on Peacock!
Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks., and her 9-year-old son Adam meet to go furniture shopping. Caroline tells Ayan that she’s throwing a pool party and that some of her childhood friends from Boston will be joining. These two seem to have made up and are getting along well. In her confessional Caroline says, “Ayan is very annoying, we fight every single day. We’re having dinner tonight and we fought this morning. At the end of dinner, I’m going to want to rip her head off, by the morning we’ll make-up and we’ll make dinner plans tomorrow. We’re sisters for life.” The topic of children comes up and Ayan advises Caroline to have more than one while she’s still young. Caroline admits that if she gets married it could be possible. Ayan says, “Now we just need to find you a husband.” Caroline responds, “Not so fast honey. I want to have a little bit of fun first, don’t put me in prison immediately.”
It’s 7 days till the wedding and Caroline Stanbury’s parents arrive in Dubai. Caroline S. says, “My family has all arrived and suddenly, s**t just got real. I’m getting remarried. It’s happening and it’s happening now.” Caroline says that since moving to Dubai she only sees her parents once a year. Caroline declares that the relationship with her mom has gotten much better as a flashback of Caroline with her mother shows them as they sit in awkward silence. Once Caroline gets her parents settled in, Sergio hints at having sex but Caroline doesn’t want to because her parents are in the house. The house is super large by the way, but Caroline says this is normal for Sergio because he is so young and wants sex all the time.
Caroline S., Ayan and Lesa meet Nina on the rooftop of her apartment building for high-noon tea. Nina says, “There is a lot of tension between Caroline Stanbury and Lesa. So, I thought let me do something very nice, relaxing, and chill so I invited everyone over for high tea. Cause I’m tired of these b***hes fighting.” Caroline says she doesn’t quite know what she’s walking into because she keeps getting different versions of Lesa. Lesa claims in her confessional, there is no tension between her and Stanbury because she gives her energy to people that are important, basically implying Caroline S. is not of importance.
As an icebreaker, Nina starts by asking Caroline S. how the wedding plans are going. Caroline says she just wants this wedding to be about them and not everyone else unlike her first wedding. Ayan says, “I was supposed to marry my cousin. It’s very normal in my culture but then when I met my husband we got married in Brazil in a small wedding.” As lunch arrives at the table, Ayan tells Stanbury that she doesn’t need to group her and Lesa together because they do not control who each other talks to. Caroline S. says she felt attacked and this sort of aggressive energy from Lesa which Lesa denies. Lesa feels that the comment Stanbury made of “sucking d**k” was trashy. Caroline doesn’t remember saying that but acknowledges that if she did, she was being sarcastic. She also acknowledges that she hadn’t eaten and drink too much that day and could have misread the entire situation. Lesa says she’s happy to move forward and put it all behind them. Nina suggests no more inappropriate words when Caroline admits to having a naughty mouth. However, Ayan welcomes the naughtiness because without it she said life would be boring.
Sara is the host of the Global Citizen Forum. Ayan and her husband Chris come to support the gala. Ayan meets up with Sara to catch up before the event begins. Ayan tells Sara that she got a therapist and her therapist told her she needs to imagine having a garden. He told her water plants but because she lives in an apartment, she only has three fake plants. Ayan said, “Every morning I wake up, I fake water the s**t out of those plants.” Sara is so confused by this and says, “What kind of therapy are you doing?” Ayan responds, “I think my therapist is from LA.” Sara still recommends hypnotherapy because she feels like Ayan needs to tap into the issues plaguing her from her childhood. Sara says, “it’s never too late to become someone like me. I was not born like this.” A stunned Ayan recognizes that Sara is a special person but says that the preaching has to stop because it is too much.
The day of Caroline B.’s pool party has arrived, and we are introduced to her childhood friends Brian and Adam. Caroline says that when her ex-husband couldn’t be there for the birth of their son, it was Brian who was there to cut the umbilical cord. Nina is the first to arrive and orders a pina colada, “Nice and thick please. I like it thick.” Caroline’s friend Adam cosigns “who doesn’t” as they all laugh. Caroline B. talks about how nervous her friends were to come to Dubai because of what they heard regarding the treatment of gay men. All the ladies confess that they have plenty of gay friends in Dubai but that there aren’t much public displays of affection.
Nina tells Caroline S. and Sergio that she had a rough night because her dad is on the other side of the world and has been in the hospital due to Covid. Everyone at the pool party goes around mingling with one another. Ayan tells Nina that she had so much fun at her children’s birthday and Nina jokingly says, “You were like big bird in a cage.” Due to the language barrier, Ayan is not sure what Nina means by this. When she looks up “big bird” in her confessional she says, “Is it this yellow thing? To be honest, I’m black and I would look great in yellow.” Back over to Caroline B., Caroline S., Adam, and Brain as they are all sitting poolside when Caroline B. brings up the topic of her son potentially going to boarding school. Caroline S. informs Caroline B. that her experience in going to boarding school was not a good one. Caroline S. says, “The trouble with people who are newly rich, they do what they think is the best thing that money can buy. Boarding school changes your complete life. You build such a wall through that, that when you come home, you’re so angry and you kind of hate your parents. But who am I to tell someone how to parent their child?”
Ayan addresses Nina by telling her that she doesn’t feel like Nina was there for her when she was dealing with her issues with Stanbury. In her confessional, Nina says, “Let it go. I stand by you and see where you’re coming from, but I cannot accommodate your feelings each and every time.” Ayan tells Nina she feels a weird energy between them, and Nina informs her that her energy has nothing to do with her and everything to do with her father who’s sick. Ayan apologizes for what Nina is going through and Lesa comforts her as well. Nina says she feels so much pressure from her family right now because they always want her to take care of everything.
Caroline meets her father for dinner with her daughter. They all discuss being a bit nervous meeting Sergio’s parents. Caroline says that Sergio’s father offered him money to leave her and that his mother cried four times and they weren’t happy tears. Caroline admits it was harder for her to tell her children that Sergio was going to become her husband because that cemented the chapter with their father being officially closed. She also says people would tell her that because Sergio is so young that he’s going to leave her and run off with a younger model. She feels that if he was going to leave, he would have by now and her father advises her that only her and Sergio know what really works for their relationship.
Caroline B. has invited her friends Adam and Brian over for dinner and they get to meet Sara because she wasn’t in attendance at the pool party. Caroline’s son Adam joins them at the dinner table and once everyone starts to eat, Caroline starts to “nitpick” at the way her son is eating which in my opinion was very normal, but she did mention that she’s a very “militant” mother. After her son Adam is dismissed from dinner, Caroline asks Sara’s opinion on boarding school. Sara responds, “Boarding school is for people who don’t have time for their kids. 70% of them are emotionally closed because they feel like their parents just left them.” Sara further elaborates that she feels Caroline needs to be closer to her son. Caroline responds, “My child putting his fingers into his plate is never going to f**king happen in front of me. How I grew up, children should be poised.” Her friend Brian speaks up and says, “I feel like when you grew up your parents were embracing.” Caroline cuts him off with a sharp “no!” and says that her mother was the opposite of that in the home. Sara asks, “Why don’t you break that generational cycle?” and Caroline says she likes the way she grew up. Sara responds, “You’re bleeding on the people that didn’t cut you.” Caroline’s friends and Sara agree that Caroline will come to her senses once she’s older and realizes that she doesn’t need to be so harsh on something so trivial as to how a 9-year-old cuts his chicken. Caroline is pissed! She says, “Brian shut the f**k up. You’re getting on my nerves at this point. You’re being stupid. He thinks he’s being funny and he’s not! Obviously, Caroline is triggered because she begins to shout, “Don’t f**king talk about me and my kid. It’s not f**king cute and it’s not f**king funny. There is a line you don’t f**king cross. You’re not a parent! I raised that child. My kid that came out my vagina. All of what you see, I achieved that s**t on my own. You know how hard I’ve f**king worked. Don’t come into my house and talk about my parenting!” Sara speaks up and says, “Caroline. You got triggered. It’s okay. Relax.” Caroline is still heated and isn’t listening to what anyone is saying. Sara is trying to diffuse the conversation and Brian is asking to be treated with respect while Caroline is angry that her friend from childhood would cross that line. Caroline ends the dinner by pointing at everyone telling them “No one is going to tell me how to raise my kid” as the episode comes to an end.
Be sure to catch new episodes of The Real Housewives of Dubai every Wednesday on Bravo at 9/8C.
In the latest episode of Real Housewives of Dubai, we meet Caroline B.’s cousin Shawn as they sit down for lunch to meet with the one, the only Ms. Phaedra Parks! Phaedra joins Caroline and Shawn for lunch and they instantly catch up on what each other has been up to. Phaedra wants to know what the men are like in Dubai and Caroline fills her in. Phaedra asks, “What are the men like here? They can have many wives, right? I like a sister wife because maybe she can cook, and I clean.” Caroline responds, “You can marry my ex, he’s available. He cheats.” Caroline makes it clear that it is very expensive to cheat on her honey! She states, “You’re not gonna make me become accustomed to a certain lifestyle, make me put my own life on hold, that I worked so hard to build and then you go and decide to cheat and ruin our home…. oh no darling. If you cheat, it’s gonna be expensive.” The lunch ends with Caroline inviting Phaedra to meet some of the other ladies at Ski Dubai.
The scene cuts to Lesa and her family spending time with the goat that Ayan gifted them. Lesa sits down with her husband Richard to catch him up on the previous night’s events involving Caroline S. Lesa tells her husband that Caroline S. did not like that her fiancé Sergio were sort of “meshing” with Ayan and herself. Suddenly, Caroline S. says to Sergio, “I hope she’s going to suck your d***”, in reference to Lesa. Lesa’s husband says that he’s glad he wasn’t in attendance because they both considered that comment to be inappropriate to say to a married woman and it would have made him angry. Richard throws shade by telling Lesa, “Listen, don’t engage with people like that. We’re talking about a 50-year-old influencer here.”
To further develop their friendship, Caroline S. invites Ayan over for dinner. In her confessional Caroline S. says, “I’ve separated the pole from the puppet so now maybe she’ll have her own brain. Lesa’s head is up Ayan’s a** and maneuver’s her body.” Caroline strongly feels that Ayan and Lesa are codependent on each other and can’t think for themselves. Ayan arrives at Stanbury’s home and makes note that she wants to see Caroline in her natural element to better understand who she is. The topic of more kids comes up and Sergio is wanting one or two kids to add to the family, but Caroline doesn’t share the same excitement. Caroline states, “I’m not a family-oriented person at all. I went to boarding school from age 6 to 18. I went to a therapist once and she said that I basically went to the army.” Caroline credits boarding school to shaping her feelings this way and not being good with emotions.
Sara takes Nina over to one of her family’s homes. Nina and Sara bond over their shared Arab culture as Sara’s family shares some of her childhood stories and viewers get an insight into how her entrepreneur mindset began at the young age of six. Nina appreciates Sara sharing these moments with her family as she is reminded of the memorabilia that her own family lost in the war in Lebanon. Nina talks about how her family struggled after moving to the United States because they started with nothing. It has made her appreciate everything and to take nothing for granted.
In the downtown Dubai mall, Ayan meets Lesa, and they catch up on what has happened since they last saw each other. Ayan tells Lesa that she went over to Caroline’s home and that they each had a nice time. Lesa tells Ayan about the comment Caroline S. made the other night but states that she wants to move forward and have fun with Caroline S. However, the day has arrived, and Caroline B has arranged for Phaedra, Shawn, Lesa, Caroline S., and Sergio to meet up at Ski Dubai. Caroline B. informs Phaedra that she has invited Lesa and Caroline even though the ladies don’t really like each other. In her confessional, Caroline B admits, “Phaedra said she wanted some tea. When she said that I knew exactly the tea bag I was gonna stir. Lesa Milan. Caroline Stanbury. Drink up Phaedra, enjoy.”
Lesa arrives before Caroline S. and Caroline B. takes this opportunity to inform Lesa that Caroline S. is coming. Lesa says in her confessional, “She knows we don’t get along, what is her motive? When I tell you this woman is messy, she is the definition of messy! Sour and bitter messy.” Phaedra, Caroline B., and Lesa are all dressed and ready to hit the ski slopes when Caroline S. arrives and announces that she will not join the other ladies in wearing the ski outfits provided by the resort. The tension between Caroline S. and Lesa ignites immediately because Lesa doesn’t feel like Caroline S. is being a team player. Caroline B. admits that she doesn’t think that Lesa has ever given Caroline S. a fair chance but she says, “If a b***h ever told me to suck someone’s d***, I would snatch that b***h and that would be the last thing she ever says. Period.”
The ladies gear up to hit the slopes! Although Caroline S. won’t be skiing because she’s only there to hang out and meet Phaedra. Caroline S. gives the impression that the baby slopes in Ski Dubai are beneath her. As Lesa goes gliding by, Caroline S. says, “She’s lucky I’m not pushing her faster down that mountain. The way I feel about that woman right now, I don’t care where that pole ends up.” Caroline B. admits that she was hoping this would be an opportunity for Lesa and Caroline S to mend but gives a shady laugh.
Later, everyone gathers for Ayan’s birthday dinner at Shanghai Me. As Ayan arrives with her son, she greets all the guests and thanks them for coming. Ayan asks Lesa how the goat is doing, and Caroline B. jokingly asks Ayan, “Why did I get lemons and not a goat?” Ayan responds, “It started bitter but, in the end, we made lemonade which is sweet.” Indicating that her relationship with Caroline B. was sour but they both decided to make it better. Caroline S. jumps in and says, “Well I got nothing. If that isn’t a subliminal message, then I don’t know what was.” In her confessional Ayan says, “Nothing. That is the best gift that I could have given her.”
The conversation shifts to Sergio and Caroline’s upcoming wedding. Caroline S. brings up the fact that she doesn’t want to spend the entire time sitting with Sergio’s parents because she has tons of friends coming in from LA that she wants to spend time with. Nina interjects and thinks Caroline should spend more time with Sergio’s parents since they’ve never met. Sergio does appear to be a bit saddened about Caroline’s stance even though Nina is doing her best to try to get through to Caroline. She wants her to see the other perspective. Nina states, “Caroline to you it’s no offense but others could be offended by that.” Sergio and Caroline begin to bicker, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll reach a resolution. Caroline S. admits that she doesn’t speak to her parents but twice a year so it’s very foreign to her how Sergio is with his family. Maybe it’s true or maybe it’s just shade but Ayan predicts this relationship not to last more than 3 years.
Stay tuned for upcoming episodes of the Real Housewives of Dubai, Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo!
VH1’s Basketball Wives premiere viewing party was in full swing Monday, May 16th in downtown Los Angeles! The Reality Rundown had the pleasure of being invited to the private event and got the opportunity to talk with the ladies of Basketball Wives and watch premiere with the cast for the first time! In our interview with Brittish Williams she states, “Everything turned out right because it was my year to plan it, so it’s all good!” and good it was because the venue and décor was stunning! The ladies of Basketball Wives were all in attendance for the private premiere except Shaunie O’Neal and Malaysia Pargo. However, it is unclear as to why the pair was not in attendance for the season 10 premiere.
Basketball season 10 began with the Christie’s (Jackie and Doug) getting ready for their 26th year wedding anniversary ceremony! Jackie gave us the tea on her secret to longevity in the industry. She said “It is definitely communication, having fun and we laugh at ourselves. It’s all about really being into your mate. I love the things that he loves! His hobbies are my hobbies.” Their beautiful ceremony brought the entire cast together. In our interview Jackie Christie states, “You are going to see me bring back some of the past women” and that’s exactly what we saw as we were introduced to DJ Duffey, Angel Brinks, Brooke Bailey, Malaysia Pargo, Brittish Williams, Jennifer Williams, Brandi Maxiell, Nia and Noria Dorsey. Shaunie O’Neal phoned Jackie Christie to inform her that due to travel delays she would not be in attendance for the ceremony. As the ladies took their seats the immediate tension between long time besties Brandi and Malaysia was quickly noticed by Jennifer. Jennifer asked Malaysia if the two were not speaking anymore and Malaysia clarifies, “We use to be tight, but we haven’t seen each other in three years and we just don’t talk.” Now one could speculate that this new feud may have had a hand in Malaysia’s absence in not attending the premiere party.
Fans got an opportunity to welcome back long-time vet Jennifer Williams along with familiar faces Brooke Bailey and DJ Duffey. In our interview Jennifer Williams states, “I can’t believe this is season 10! It’s like where did the time go.” Williams told us she’s excited for fans to get to see her personal story instead of the one that fans are used to seeing. She said, “We’ve had some departures and my name has always been attached to certain people so I’m excited for people to see more of my story and get to know Jennifer.” Although Jennifer does not want to give it away, she told us, “I’m definitely not good with everyone.” Brooke Bailey told us she’s excited for fans to see her with her family this season as she attempted to start the season with a clear mind. Brooke laughingly said, “I tried to come in with a clear mind, but I backslid a little bit.” When we got a chance to catch up with DJ Duffey, she says she ready for fans to see her in her family setting. She states, “I’m excited for fans to see me in my personal setting with my family. People see the lit turned up DJ, but people don’t get to see me as a mom and fiancé.” DJ Duffey also proclaims herself as the “peacemaker” amongst the ladies.
In the season 10 premiere, Jackie Christie stunned the crowd in her beautiful emerald gown as she makes her way to the love of her life, Doug Christie. The beautiful couple exchange vows while fans are shown a sentimental montage of the couple over the years. Once everyone arrives to the reception, Brandi decides to go and greet former bestie Malaysia. She informs Malaysia that her father passed away and Malaysia admits she had no idea this happened. Brandi doesn’t believe this to be true. However, to avoid a fight at Jackie and Doug’s reception, Brandi walks off and Malaysia leaves the event.
Days following the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, Jackie and Shaunie meet up for a shopping date to catch up. Shaunie was not able to make it to the wedding due to flight delays and cancellations out of Houston. Shaunie opens up about falling in love with her new boo! Jackie informs Shaunie about the tension between Malaysia and Brandi. Shaunie agrees to meet with Brandi while Jackie will meet with Malaysia as they both devise a plan to try to help the ladies come back together.
The next scene opens to Angel Brinks as we are introduced to her new man RoccStar and her growing belly because the couple are expecting! Angel admits to being nervous about telling the women she’s expecting because early on in her pregnancy she concealed everything due to stress and medical problems the couple were facing. During our interview at the premiere party, Angel mentioned, “I’m excited for the fans to see my growth. I feel like the last time I was on tv I was very naive and not sure of what I was getting myself into. Now I’m grown and I’m just ready to bring it” and we can’t wait to see Angel’s growth as the season progresses further along.
The episode returns with Shaunie meeting up with Brandi and we quickly learn that the ladies dissolved their past issues and are friends now! Brandi tells Shaunie about the breakdown of her friendship with Malaysia and called it a “one-sided friendship.” Brandi states, “Malaysia and I were really close. We’ve been friends for over 15 years. With her not being there when my dad died, she truly broke my heart.” Shaunie states, “I really hope you can talk to Malaysia and giver her another chance. It takes way more energy to be mean, hateful and wish bad on someone than it does to just live your life and enjoy.”
In the following scene, Jackie met up with Malaysia and the discussion starts out light when Jackie brings up her husband’s new career as a coach for the NBA Sacramento Kings. Malaysia having experience with this due to her ex-husband being a coach tells Jackie “He has no time, even when he’s not on the road he must go out, train and scout people. So, he has no time, none whatsoever. I’m proud of him for living his dream but he hasn’t paid child support and it’s not like he doesn’t have money because he does. I just keep taking up for him and busting my ass!” Jackie stunned by this revelation says, “I’m f**king pissed!” When the topic turns toward the beef between Brandi and Malaysia, she further elaborates that she did not know about Brandi’s father passing and makes mention that Brandi hasn’t called her to ask how life has been for her either.
In our interview with Jackie Christie she states, “I’m all about sisterhood! So, the way I bring them together this season is going to blow people’s mind.” Fans get a glimpse of this sisterhood towards the end of the premiere episode. Jackie has all the ladies meet up for a rooftop brunch. Immediately once Malaysia walks into the brunch, she announces to the ladies that she has been having “family issues” and Brandi responds, “What’s up with your energy?” The ladies quickly go on the defense and Brandi labels Malaysia’s behavior as a “character flaw.” Jackie makes it a crucial point that this divide cannot go unresolved. Jackie states, “Seriously guys, we got to keep it 100! These girls were friends for 15 f**king years. There is some hurt and anger between the two of them. We’ve got to come together and help them get through that.” Brandi and Malaysia decide to step away from the group to have a one-on-one discussion. Malaysia profusely says “she didn’t know” about Brandi’s father passing and Brandi remains adamant that she should have know because they share so many mutual friends. The episode ends with Brandi telling Malaysia she has a “character flaw” and she’s rude.
At the VH1 Premiere Viewing Party, in our interview we asked Brandi Maxiell if she had any unsettling issues with any of the ladies? She responded, “I love this group! We all have had our issues at one point in time in the show, but we will always be a sisterhood and I love this group of ladies.” Malaysia’s absence from this event didn’t allow for us to get her perspective on her dynamic with the ladies. Castmates, time will only tell where the dynamic of this friendship leads. Could Malaysia’s absence be a foreshadow of what’s to come ahead of Basketball Wives season 10? We’ll just have to stay tuned and see what happens next! As the Dorsey sisters stated in our interview, “You can expect to see a lot of fights, a lot of love and a lot of drama!” Be sure to catch all new episodes of Basketball Wives on VH1, Mondays at 8pm ET!
