Sanya RichardsRos
ATLANTA — Sanya Richards-Ross, the first Olympian in a “Real Housewives” franchise, survived a full season of the Atlanta version last year and has been asked to return for a second.
Season 15 of the Bravo staple returned earlier this month and Richards-Ross threw the first big party of the season, her husband Aaron’s 40th birthday which she spent $100,000-$60,000 on. more than planned. (She wasn’t the nexus of controversy at said party. Kandi Burruss got angry at a young newcomer, Courtney Rhodes, who came to Burruss with too much attitude.)
“This season is very fun but very explosive,” Richards-Ross promised in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Last season we reset a lot. There have been changes in the cast. This season, we really have the impression of being well established. I feel like I fit in with the group. And I have a lot to do with my family.
Before joining the show, she moved from Austin, Texas with her parents, sister, and family. They have all been domiciled under the same roof, which brings typical tensions. In addition, her husband Aaron Ross still spends part-time in Austin running a chauffeur service and she plans to have a second child with him.
The good news is that her marriage seems to be going well and she expects her extended family to move on soon enough. “I love sharing my life and my family with everyone,” she said.
As has been the case with most women joining the show, the first season was a major adjustment, Richards-Ross said.
“You have all these expectations in your head,” she said. “Then it ends up being completely different. I had a lot of fun. But I feel so much better in the second season, especially because I was able to really build real, meaningful relationships with the girls. I had real skin in the game. I’m able to show more of my personality.
She learned how “Real Housewives” forces a cast member to experience a potentially traumatic event three times: first, in real time, then when it airs on Bravo months later, while learning what the other women say your actions behind your back, and third during reunion shows when they’re forced to rehash it again with Andy Cohen and the other ladies in person.
Richards-Ross found this sometimes uplifting. “You get to know yourself,” she said. “You see how you relate to others and how others see it. I like this part of the experience.
She felt like the first season, she tended to overthink things. “I’ve learned to say it now,” she said. “I don’t need to look perfect. I say what I feel much more this year. And it’s easier to express yourself when you know people better.
Learning personalities
The hardest actor to get to know was Kenya Moore, Richards-Ross said. “She can be intimidating if you disagree with her,” she said. “She is quite the craftsman of words. Of all the girls, she’ll read you for real.
But behind his bluster, Richards-Ross said Moore “deep down, has a big heart.”
She said she’s become particularly close with Burruss, noting that off-season they vacation together with their children at Disney World.
“Kandi is the GOAT when it comes to being smart and strategic,” Richards-Ross said. “Everything she does is on her mark. I try to do the same.
Off-season, Richards-Ross focuses on her online community Mommi Nation and does sports analysis for NBC for track and field and the Kentucky Derby.
Here is a brief summary of the other main players:
Kandi Burruss has some tension with her husband Todd Tucker, who is focused on building their restaurants in town and producing his own movies while she works on her music and acting career. Restaurants have faced some challenges, including the pandemic and a shooting at Blaze Steak and Seafood.
Drew Sidora opened season 15 out of town to visit his sick father and didn’t appear until the second episode. She and Ralph Pittman were in a good place last fall when recording began and had released a musical single in which she sang and her husband produced. But a few months later, they filed for divorce. Presumably, the final cracks will be shown as the season progresses.
Sherée Whitfield had broken up with Tyrone Gilliams, who was released from prison in season 14. Instead, she was dating “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” member Martell Holt. It’s a long-distance relationship and we’ll see how it blossoms or fades.
Marlo Hampton is still raising his two nephews as his own. The first two episodes really didn’t show much, but that could change.
Kenya Moore. As the season opens, she is still trying to finalize her divorce from Marc Daly, and they are dating. Otherwise, she uses the first two episodes to get into Sheree’s dating business because new pressure from Sherée had him DMed two years earlier.
“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on Bravo and airs the next day on Peacock.
