We’re already four episodes deep into Season 8 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, and let me tell you, the drama is off the charts. The cast is deeply split: Candiace Dillard Bassett and Dr. Wendy Osefo hold one fort, while pretty much everyone else stands on the opposing side. Meanwhile, Candiace has been AWOL due to her nine-city tour, and Karen Huger suspects that the group is giving her the cold shoulder. 🌟🔥
Ashley Darby stirred up quite the storm when she unleashed a peculiar rumor about Dr. Wendy’s family being associated with a shunned and outcast group of Nigerians. Meanwhile, Nneka Ihim, the newest Nigerian Housewife, was firmly convinced by her cousin-in-law that Dr. Wendy’s mom had cast a hex upon her. Yes, you read that right! The gossip mill was abuzz with whispers that this was a retaliatory curse in response to Nneka leveraging Wendy’s name to secure her spot on RHOP. It’s a Nigerian-on-Nigerian feud that has set social media ablaze.
Regardless of whether you’re rooting for Team Dr. Wendiace or Team Everyone Else, there’s one undeniable consensus: pickleball. This sport is taking the nation by storm, and thanks to the Grande Dame, it has made its debut in Potomac. 🏓🥒🎾
In Episode 4 of Season 8 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, the ladies convened for a Pickleball Party. This marked the first instance in the entire season where every single cast member assembled under one roof. And let me tell you, the outcome was nothing short of fiery. Here’s the scoop! 🔥🎾🏠
Facebook frenemies
In this episode, despite having only a brief five seconds of screen time together, Nneka and Wendy’s relationship grows increasingly intricate. The focus of this episode was on their respective husbands.
Apart from their cousin-in-law relationship, Nneka revealed that her husband, Dr. Ikenna “Iyke” Ihim, is acquainted with Eddie Osefo. Both of them are University of Maryland alumni and were even Facebook friends—until Wendy’s mother supposedly submitted Nneka’s name to her shrine. Following Wendy’s prayer warriors targeting Nneka, Eddie abruptly unfriended Iyke on Facebook. The timing of this action raises questions: coincidence or something more mysterious? 🤔.
Fortunately, Nneka and Ikye secured an invitation to the Grande Dame’s Pickleball Spectacular, granting them a chance to address these matters with their fellow Nigerian power couple.
A green-eyed spat
In other parts of the DMV, Gizelle Bryant and Robyn grappled with tension in their friendship. During a lunch meeting, we discovered that an uncomfortable incident occurred between Gizelle and Juan Dixon. While not as intense as the alleged situation involving Gizelle and Chris Bassett last year, here we are once more, with Gizelle raising suspicions about someone’s husband.
Gizelle expressed her discontent with Juan’s behavior in Baltimore, where he caused embarrassment to Robyn at hotels, laundromats, and nail salons. Given Juan’s limited participation in The Real Housewives of Potomac, one would expect him to avoid making headlines. Gizelle had a conversation with Juan about his actions, and his response was to yell at her.
“He kinda came for me,” Gizelle told Robyn. “He was talking loud.“
Juan was resolute in asserting that he had not overstepped any boundaries during his widely shared encounters with different women. Naturally, Gizelle didn’t appreciate being shouted at by Juan, but she also felt compelled to defend her friend. Consequently, Robyn found herself caught between her closest friend and her ‘husband.’
Robyn attributed Juan’s heightened volume to his background as a former basketball coach. According to her, years spent on the court have left him perpetually loud due to impaired hearing. While this explanation may seem far-fetched, Robyn’s knack for finding excuses to justify every facet of Juan’s behavior is truly remarkable.
Clearly, the Green-Eyed Bandits, Gizelle and Robyn, are more formidable when they stand united. Gizelle expressed her desire for their bond not to be affected by any external factors. As long as Juan maintains appropriate behavior, their relationship should remain intact. However, it’s worth noting that Gizelle and Robyn are currently experiencing a minor disagreement, which is a rare occurrence on The Real Housewives of Potomac (RHOP).
Tough love with Mama Dot
Candiace, having fallen out of favor with most of the group, experienced a significant moment in this episode during her heart-to-heart with her mother, Dorothy. The appearance of Ms. Dorothy is always noteworthy, as she stands out as one of the few individuals on the show who can assertively keep Candiace in check.
During a convivial moment over a glass of wine, Candiace and Ms. Dorothy engaged in conversation about the current happenings in Candiace’s life. At present, her sole preoccupation centers around her meticulously crafted Deep Space Tour, an endeavor that required a substantial six-figure investment. Candiace recounted an intense exchange with her partner, Chris, who raised his voice in response to her spending decisions. Inquisitively, Dorothy posed the golden question that piques everyone’s curiosity: What is Chris currently occupied with?.
Earlier, Chris was involved in restaurant management, but according to Candiace, this led to marital problems due to his late hoursNow, she has clarified that he earns his income through virtual cooking classes and by selling his line of seasoning salts.
So, Candiace is embarking on a tour with fewer than 15 dates, spending thousands of dollars. Chris primarily earns income from virtual cooking classes. Consequently, Dorothy should be prepared to use her checkbook soon to cover some of the Dillard-Bassett expenses.
The power of Pickleball
Karen and Ray Huger organized a pickleball day, marking the season’s inaugural all-cast event. Karen admirably assumed the task of bridging the widening divides within this group.
“We’re all a mess, and pickleball might bring us together,” Karen explained.
Karen’s pickleball event saw attendance from everyone and their partners (where relevant). Surprisingly, even the new friend Kiearna Stewart made a brief appearance.
Juan’s presence at the event was unexpected. Given the swirling rumors and tension, one might assume he’d avoid the cameras. However, as Mia astutely observed, Juan’s lack of employment leaves him with little else to occupy his time during the day.
Karen worked hard to organize a harmonious gathering for the ladies, but unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned. Upon Candiace’s arrival, she didn’t acknowledge Gizelle, and they continued to ignore each other. The same situation unfolded with Robyn. In their private interviews, all of them expressed that there’s no immediate resolution, and they’re still holding onto resentment from Season 7.
Typically, pickleball follows the format of singles and doubles, similar to tennis. However, during a recent episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac (RHOP), the ladies engaged in an unconventional variation of pickleball: a four-on-four match. The teams were divided into Team Ish Starters and Team Finishers. Surprisingly, despite the entire episode revolving around this pickleball event, the ladies only played for a mere ten seconds before settling down for food and drinks. And that’s when things took an extra chaotic turn.
Wendy and Nneka face off
Karen and her former assistant Matt meticulously organized a fully catered pickleball party, complete with an assortment of pickles, beans, macaroni, and other seemingly unrelated foods. However, before the ladies could even savor their meal, Nneka took a firm stance in addressing her issues with Wendy. Nneka confronted Wendy about the situation involving her mother’s shrine, leading to a tense exchange where Wendy deflected and spiraled into a defensive mode.
Dr. Wendy responded, saying, “I don’t know you. Sweetie, I’ve never called you. That never happened. Pull up the phone records.”.
Wendy was eager to change the topic of conversation so much that she impulsively requested a private discussion with Mia, of all people, to address their concerns. For some reason, conversing with Mia seemed like a better idea than continuing to converse with Nneka. Suddenly, Wendy had a change of heart and wanted to reconcile with the person she had referred to as “slow” in the previous episode. How intriguing!
Nneka has been transparent and unwavering in her account of her association with Wendy and her family. Wendy’s response, along with her sudden fixation on Catholicism, implies that there may be some validity to Nneka’s claims. Why would Nneka’s cousin-in-law fabricate such a detailed falsehood about Wendy and her mother? Gizelle and Mia are both convinced of its veracity. Conversely, Karen and Candiace are skeptical of it.
As if the heated exchange between Nneka and Wendy wasn’t enough to keep the pickleball court buzzing, Iyke decided to confront Eddie about being unfriended on Facebook. Like Wendy, Eddie went into full deflection mode when confronted and claimed that he didn’t know Iyke. However, his demeanor suggested otherwise. Gizelle, who was observing from the corner, remarked, “Eddie doesn’t want that smoke.” Happy Eddie didn’t look too happy.
While playing pickleball, Juan accidentally bumped into a fence, which caused a chain reaction that led to Karen’s beautiful bean spread falling to the ground. The chafing kit caught the carpet on fire, and pandemonium broke out.
Whether it was a demon or not, only time will tell. It seems that Wendy’s mom’s shrine has become a topic of discussion among the entire RHOP cast. Unfortunately, Karen didn’t find peace during this outing, and if anything, the group dynamic just got worse. Perhaps they should try playing dodgeball next time.
The hexes and the drama continue to unfold on Real Housewives of Potomac, Sunday nights at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US “What are your thoughts on the fourth episode of season 8 of Real Housewives of Potomac? Are you rooting for Nneka or Wendy? Do you think Iyke should have confronted Eddie about unfriending him on Facebook? Did the Juan situation affect Gizelle and Robyn’s friendship?”