When Monique Samuels quit The Real Housewives of Potomac following her binder-shade epic reunion moment in Season 5, she vowed she’d never return to the Bravo franchise. Samuels alleged producers didn’t protect her against vicious lies and rumors her co-stars were trying to bring to the show that could harm her family. She also said that after her physical altercation with Candiace Dillard-Bassett, network executives punished her by blocking press opportunities and cutting her from episodes. The Not For Lazy Moms podcast host says things were made worse when Andy Cohen was biased in his line of questioning about the fight and the fallout from it at the reunion. Despite being offered a Season 6 contract and initially agreeing to sign, she reneged in an email. But that didn’t stop her from returning to reality television. She’s now starring in the spinoff series of OWN’s Love & Marriage: Huntsville in D.C. Samuels jokes that she had “reality TV PTSD” from her Bravo experience.
Her biggest fear of returning to reality TV was editing, noting she was not fairly edited on the four seasons of RHOP. “With reality TV, I am my true real self all the time whether cameras are around or not. I can’t control what other people and their comfort level is when it comes to cameras so if I’m being 100 me but then cameras come around and you’re holding back they’re gonna focus on me and my actions because they– you have to have something, something has to be given right?” she told The Jasmine Brand.
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She continued: “So when it comes down to editing my biggest fear is always, I’m giving you everything but then you’re taking my reality story and you’re turning it into an entertainment story. So that was always like my reservation going back into it because I’ve been down that road before and I get how it works.”
Love & Marriage: D.C. follows three couples navigating love, life, parenting, and careers. The first season just wrapped with a two-part reunion special. A second season has not yet been announced.
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Mel B at the "America's Got Talent" Season 21 Red Carpet held at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on March 24, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty Images) -
“Reverse the Curse” – Back from tribal, tensions rise following the exit of a particularly historic player. The final five immunity challenge ends in a showdown and features one of the closest finishes the show has ever seen. Jeff reveals the outcomes of the remaining in-game fan votes and how they impact the final stage of the competition. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $2 million prize, during the three-hour live season finale, on SURVIVOR 50, Wednesday, May 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Jeff Probst serves as host and executive producer. Pictured: Aubry Bracco Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -
“A Side Dish of Chaos” – One castaway comes clean to the tribe about a previously deceptive move. The crowd favorite SURVIVOR auction returns, with an extra special season 50 spin. Chaos ensues when social media icon MrBeast arrives on the scene, on SURVIVOR 50, Wednesday, April 29 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 28: West Wilson, Amanda Batula and Jesse Solomon attend Bravo's "Summer House" Season 10 at 92NY on January 28, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images) -
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 22: (L-R) Colin Dooley and Baylen Dupree attend the FYC screening of TLC's "Baylen Out Loud" at Pacific Design Center on April 22, 2025 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for TLC)
