The Real Housewives of Miami was great on Bravo before it was canceled. Now it’s great after being brought back from the reject pile. The current cast consists of Guerdy Abraira, Lisa Hochstein, Julia Lemigova, Nicole Martin, Alexia Nepola, and Larsa Pippen. With Kiki Barth, Adriana de Moura, and Marysol Patton as friends of. While some of the faces have changed, it’s like heading back to Cheers, where everyone knows your name.
The Nostalgia is Real
During the pandemic, I rewatched the Real Housewives of Miami, and there were a few things I noticed. The franchise accurately represents Miami—a tropical city of bright colors and a melting pot for Latino Americans. The women are chic and alluring and give me a wistful affection I haven’t felt for a long time. The updated seasons, just like the original, are pure perfection. Full of luxury and delusion, and pure camp in all its glory.
The franchise gives a sense of romance, with fans being able to pick up right where cameras left off. It was nice to see the women haven’t changed much, except maybe their faces. They still spoke a mix of English and Spanish, wore avant-garde clothes, and had fun like no one was watching. The Miami cast is extremely cosmopolitan, with the ladies genuinely being a part of the elite social scene in Miami. They are all insanely well-connected in the Magic City and attend countless events during their off time.
Drama is Muy Caliente in Miami
From day one, the Miami women made sure to bring the drama. It helped that many of the ladies were already a close-knit group of friends. But even the newbies didn’t mind getting their feet dirty. The cast has always been open about their private lives, with Alexia talking freely about her former husband’s secret lover. This season shows Lisa detailing every moment of her terrible divorce. There are never any questions left unanswered, and fans appreciate that.
The Pause Did Wonders for the Franchise
After an eight-year hiatus, Bravo made the best decision of their life to bring back the ladies of Miami. The reboot was so well received that the series was moved from Peacock to Bravo once again, where it reigns supreme. Currently, the Real Housewives of Miami is the benchmark, in my opinion, for how Bravo should produce the rest of the franchises. RHOM is presently the trendiest, with production often being called out for its contemporary viewpoint when it comes to some other cities.
The Miami franchise is able to embrace the women who are also extremely on brand as they mix older and younger, down to earth and delusional seamlessly. Years earlier, Bravo tried to do the same thing on the Real Housewives of New York when they introduced Leah McSweeney, but the move wasn’t organic, and fans saw right through the charade. Investing correctly in the new cast, as the network did with Nicole and Guerdy, gave depth to the franchise. Instead of joining the show to find their niche, both women came in with already set careers and a strong sense of self.
Julia Made History
It was a big moment when Julia was announced as a cast member because it marked a change in society as Julia was the first openly gay Real Housewives star. Julia shares her life with retired pro tennis player Martina Navratilova, and the duo is the first same-sex couple on the franchise. Whether Bravo knew it or not, it was about time to showcase a lesbian couple as the Russian beauty navigated her life in Miami and on her farm.
The Real Housewives of Miami seems like a perfect blueprint for how Bravo should really embrace other cities and incorporate more than just the 1% who live behind the Golden Gates. I am ready to keep watching the franchise religiously as long as the network doesn’t try to fix what isn’t broken.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK BRAVO DID THE RIGHT THING BY REBOOTING THE RHOM?
