Wait a minute! Real Housewives of Atlanta newbie Sanya Richards-Ross is not at all new to reality television. In fact, about a decade ago, the highly decorated track and field star had her own reality show with her husband and NFL player Aaron Ross on WE TV called Sanya’s Glam & Gold. Filmed in Austin, TX in 2013, the short-lived series focused on Sanya’s marriage and her dynamic with her family as she made track a top priority. The tea-sipping series only lasted for one season but set a precedent for the rising star as she dabbled in television.
Fast-forward to 2022, and the Olympic gold medalist is now featured on Bravo’s RHOA and although the announcement of her arrival made dedicated fans perk up for the 14th season of the Scott Dunlop and Andy Cohen creation, the latest episode was a hard pill to swallow.
Episode 7, titled “Who Gon Check on Me, Boo?” should’ve been titled, “How Low Can You Go?” The MommiNation entrepreneur goes the extra mile to fit in by targeting who she thinks is the weakest link amongst the group, the very zany Drew Sidora.
In her attempt to befriend Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Shereé Whitfield, and newly-minted peach Marlo Hampton, Sanya proceeds to ignite a feud with Drew over her beef with Shereé, something that had nothing to do with Sanya. That then transformed into an argument about Sanya not paying a makeup artist $25, which then parlayed into Sanya accusing Drew of being a shady con.
This, after Drew showed up to help Sanya following a scary car accident and having a couple’s heart-to-heart with Drew and her alleged cheating husband. Sanya’s fast-tracked escalation of a non-factor issue was so pretentiously fabricated that it made Drew, who is known for trying to drum up unnecessary drama to stay on the show, look sane. Yes, Drew with the edges and weird pastor problems! The same Drew that believed her husband was just chilling by himself when he went on an unannounced vacation.
Oh, Sanya! All the hope we had for a sophisticated college graduate with honorable accolades under her belt to elevate the show and add spice in a more classy way, that is all out the door! The bottom-feeding argument with Drew seems like a desperate ploy to maintain a show check and we wouldn’t be mad at you if it was a beef that stems from a real place.
In the real world, when you don’t like the way someone is moving, you move on. What grown woman — a grown Black woman, at that — explains herself in detail over and over again on why an acquaintance is not a friend fit for you?
What Sanya projects in this head-scratching drama with Drew is a tidbit of competitiveness, mean-girl tendencies, and a desperate need to be accepted. But, we know a person can’t reach the highest of heights being a messy follower with nonsense on the brain, it’s just sad that Bravo and Sanya are allowing this side of the champion overwhelm her entire persona.
