BravoCon 2023: ‘Summer House’ and ‘Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard’ stars on being on Bravo, representation

TheGrio caught up with "Summer House" and "Summer House: Martha's Vineyard" stars at the third fan event.

BravoCon 2023 was held earlier this month in Las Vegas, and theGrio caught up with the stars of “Summer House” and “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” at the biggest fan event for reality TV fans.

While Bravo is known for its tentpole franchise: “The Real Housewives,” the network has a bevy of other popular reality series, many with younger casts like “Vanderpump Rules” and the “Summer House” franchise. Both “Summer House” and “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” follow young professionals as they vacation together in the summer (the former is set in the Hamptons while the latter takes viewers to Martha’s Vineyard).

Preston Mitchum and Amir Lancaster of the “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” television series attend BravoCon 2023 at Caesars Forum on Nov. 3, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

Upon meeting fans at BravoCon, “SH:MV” stars Amir Lancaster and Preston Mitchum called the event “really exciting.” Lancaster explained, “I didn’t understand how invested people were in myself, Preston and our show … it’s honestly really exciting to see that what we do matters and it has meaning to them.” As theGrio previously reported, “SH:MV” in particular has been an exciting hit for Bravo, featuring an all-Black cast compared to the main “Summer House” series, which only started adding cast members of color within the last few seasons.

“It was new,” Mitchum explained when recalling the success of the show online. “It was beautiful to see people’s reactions … everyone has different opinions about what they see, who they see and how they come across.”

For “SH:MV” star Jordan Emanuel, she has another Bravo experience under her belt now, as she is currently starring in yet another “Summer House” spin-off, “Winter House.” Speaking to her BravoCon experience, she called it, “a time.” She explained, “It’s really good energy! The fans are amazing and everybody that is on the channel is amazing.”

Mya Allen and Ciara Miller on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Bravo via Getty Images)

We then caught up with Ciara Miller and Mya Allen, the first two Black cast members on “Summer House,” which is set to return with its eighth season next year. When asked which reality TV icons they felt helped pave the way for their experience, they had one name: “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum NeNe Leakes. “She is reality TV gold,” Allen added.

We then caught up with Gabby Prescod, another “Summer House” star who is set to return for her second season. “It is out of control,” she said when describing her BravoCon experience. “This year’s scale of it is mind-blowing!” She added, “It’s also fun because I am also a fan … like I fan-girled hard!”

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