by Chandra Clewley
Here we go again! The Real Housewives of Washington DC premiers on Thursday, August 5th on Bravo. Can we expect to see the drama that the rest of the franchise has given us? Will Washington DC get fans as riled up as the other shows? Stacie Scott Turner is a Harvard MBA, mother of two, wife to husband Jason, successful real estate broker and director of her own charity “Extra-Ordinary Life” which she is passionate about. Mary Schmidt Amons is a blue blood who spent her summers with the Kennedy clan as a child. Married for 20 years to her husband Rich, when she is not trying to keep her five children out of trouble (while on the conference call, her youngest sent a baseball bat through a window) she is devoted to her charity “Labels of Love”.
Today, Reality Wanted joined a conference call with these two housewives, to find out what to expect from the latest Real Housewives franchise!
Q. How did you decide to come on the show?
A. Mary: We were approached and we did some real soul searching about whether it would be a good decision for our family. Basically, if I was going to do the show I was going to have to include my entire family, because that is my primary priority in life, to be a mother and I am at home, and I work out of the house. It was a challenging decision to make. There is a risk with exposure to your home life, but I am so proud of who we are as a family, I think we are a lot of fun to be around and to watch, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to really launch my charity. It has been a great fun thing for our family, very positive.
Q. In what way do you believe that the Real Housewives of DC will be different than the other Real Housewives franchises?
A. Stacie: Just the backdrop of DC makes for a different story. There will be different story lines that you haven’t seen before. There are lots of cool places in the city that will serve as a setting for the show. Also, we have some really important, provocative conversations about issues, political issues, and other issues that haven’t been explored in the other franchises.
Q. How well did you know each other before the show?
A. Stacie: I did not know any of the ladies before we started shooting. I had met Mary a couple of times, socially at events. It was really great getting to know them. We got along well, I think it is going to be really interesting between Cat and I. Cat is the last person that I met. I didn’t realize that Cat is about as direct and as opinionated as I am. The other ladies, we all get along great. There are times where we just have very strong differences of opinions, but the way she looks at stuff is just different and we clash a lot in the beginning but have since become really close and she is one of my favorite cast members.
Q. What do you make of the Salahi incident and the attention they are getting the show?
A. Stacie: Viewers will be so surprised to find out that the White House “party crash” is not the crescendo of the show. It is a small part of five really interesting story lines and it by no means is all the drama with the show. We were all really caught off guard when the incident happened and considering that most of us had interacted (with the Salahi’s) it was so unbelievable because they had been nothing but nice and normal around us. Things did change a little bit after that point and we are fully interested to see how that part of the show unfolds.
A. Mary: It is just going to be one small snippet. It is something that is probably featured in the beginning but overall it’s very clear to us that the show is not all about the Salahi’s. We spent five months together and a lot of time sharing our stories, I think the American public will be interested and inspired by our stories.
Q. Were you surprised about the party crashing or does that sort of fit Michaele Salahi’s personality?
A. Stacie: I was just shocked that anybody would have the gall to crash a party like that. I couldn’t imagine, so it makes you wonder, did they really believe they were invited? I just can’t imagine who would have the gumption to do that. Michaele is a very friendly, light hearted, outgoing person. She is nothing but friendly and just a social butterfly so where it might seem contrived, I think it might just be really her.
Q. Stacie, you basically represent African American’s on this show. Do you feel pressure from that?
A. Stacie: I feel so much pressure! As you know, DC is historically known as a chocolate city, so I am sure there was some expectation that there would be more African Americans. I think the show has done a good job showing the diversity of the city. The city is so racially diverse; I can only hope that I represent the African American lifestyle well, with just being a woman, a mom and Washingtonian.
Q. Are you at all concerned given what the franchise is known for? There seems to be a lot of backlash for Stacie being the only African American on the show.
A. Stacie: I really haven’t felt any backlash and I didn’t do the casting! I was hoping that I could be a really positive portrayal for African American women, and I love my city, I love my life to the extent that I can share it and it can be positive and entertaining!
Q. Will we still see you in your work environment?
A. Stacie: Being a business woman is a big part of who I am along with my charity. My charity is called Extra-Ordinary Life. I was adopted out of foster care when I was six months old and I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Meanwhile there are over 2000 teen women aged 13-18 in DC foster care that don’t have homes and don’t have parents, so I wanted to do something for them and provide them to exposure to people and places that could help them turn around their lives and really make a difference. One of the ways we do this is through travel. This summer I took 8 girls to South Africa which was amazing for them! These girls just really blossomed and were able to see that all things are possible.
Q. The other franchises of Real Housewives have all been affected by the economy. Is this something we will see on the show in DC?
A. Mary: I think that that economic crisis has touched everyone in this country, we are all feeling it. No matter how much money you have, we are struggling a little bit as a nation financially. Everyone is cutting back and reorganizing their priorities. I don’t think you will really see it on the show.
Q. What has the reaction been to the show in Washington DC?
A. Stacie: It has been 50/50. Most of my friends thought I had lost my mind and that it was so crazy. Half of the people have been supportive and the other half thinks I need to be careful
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