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!