So, what can viewers expect from “RHOP” this year?
“You’re going to see relationships that you thought were solid, you’re going to see get tested. And relationships you thought would never be mended, mended,” Samuels told WTOP in a recent interview.
Samuels taped the fourth season of “RHOP” while pregnant with her third child, Chase Omari Samuels, who was born Nov. 26, 2018.
“It was a long season,” Samuels said. “I’ve never in my life been that far pregnant in the heat of the summer.”
Unlike her first two pregnancies, this one wasn’t easy. It came after a previous miscarriage that Samuels said taught her not to take pregnancy for granted.
“To actually have a challenge and actually have a miscarriage and then get pregnant again, it kind of made you feel like, ‘Woah, I’m not indestructible and this could actually happen to me,'” she said.
“According to BravoTV.com, other story lines this season include Darby’s journey to become a mother, Bryant’s book deal, Dillard’s wedding planning, Dixon’s love life, and Huger’s ongoing troubles, as well as a new venture she has in the works.”
Watch the official Bravo trailer for RHOP below. (Story continues below video.)
In addition to the show, Samuels is also busy with some entrepreneurial endeavors of her own. Samuels told WTOP her experiences as a mother inspired her to create NotForLazyMoms.com, a parenting website that shares lifestyle tips and information on natural living. She’s also started a podcast with the same moniker.
The name has raised some eyebrows, but Samuels said she loves the controversy.
“It’s tongue-in-cheek,” she said, “because what mom is lazy? In actuality, being a mom in itself, it’s a hard job. It’s 24/7, it’s like constantly you’re being superwoman. So it’s a way of saying this site’s for everyone.”
Season 2 of the podcast, produced in partnership with WTOP and Podcast One, will debut in June. Samuels hosts the podcast with her husband, Chris Samuels, a former NFL player for the Washington Redskins, and Aly Jacobs, a former D.C. radio host and mom of two young boys.
Her vision for the site’s future includes an online store, mobile app, books, mixers, workshops and even a nationwide tour. Right now, the website includes the podcast, blogs, a confession wall for parents and information on natural living.
Samuels is allergic to antibiotics, so she leans heavily on natural remedies — for herself and her kids.
“My first go-to is going to be something natural,” she said. “But if all else fails, if I have to use western medicine, then I’m going to do it.”
It’s a topic she discusses on her podcast, which is her way of giving other parents and couples a leg up — and some laughs.
“It’s literally our experience and we’re not saying we’re experts in any field, but we like to basically put out there what most people think in their minds, but they won’t say out loud,” she said.
This season on the podcast, she wants to bring more to the table by turning to others who have had different experiences from her own.
“It’s going to be laughs, it’s going to be some tears, it’s going to be everything,” she said.
At least once a month, the 35-year-old mother of three said she takes what she calls an “ugly day” where she won’t shower, wash her hair or put on makeup. She’ll sit in bed with food and watch TV while her husband or a baby sitter watches the kids.
“There was a time when I had my son, and it was just me and him,” Samuels said. “I didn’t have help and I was so against it because I felt like as a mother I should be able to do this. But then I realized, I’m tiring myself out to the point where I can’t even enjoy my son.”
Now, she takes office hours to answer calls, catch up on social media and attend to the outside world, while she says her husband has helped her learn to slow down more.
Samuels said nothing in her life has gone quite how she expected it. A tomboy growing up, she went to Duquesne University on a full academic scholarship. She left school after a few semesters to pursue a career in music in D.C. It was there that she met her husband and started her career in reality television.
“I remember being young and I said, ‘I’m going to be famous one day, I’m going to be on TV, I’m going to be an entertainer,’” Samuels said. “But I didn’t know how I was going to do it and I had no idea it was going to be by way of ‘Real Housewives of Potomac.’”
But it happened. And her loquacious nature is fueling not only her TV dreams, but also her podcast.
“God gave me the gift of gab.”
Season 4 of The Real Housewives of Potomac debuts Sunday, May 5, at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
