The Real Housewives of Miami is currently airing, and has always featured the most Latinas amongst the Real Housewives franchises. So what’s going on with the new and old crop of Latina Bravolebrities? Are they making us proud or is Bravo serving the same, old stereotypes? Let’s dive in:

Dr. Nicole Martin

While she makes just a brief appearance this year, Dr. Nicole Martin, a former castmate, provides my favorite form of Bravo representation: wealthy, accomplished, and smart. New addition Stephanie Shojaee felt poised to take over the role once held by Dr. Nicole, as a fellow private plane owner, but her form of rich isn’t as quiet luxury as the doctor’s. She’s gaudier and meaner with rules around her life to make others feel “less than.” A vibe never given off by a woman far more accomplished.

Back in 2023, we talked to Dr. Martin, and she had this to say specifically about Latina representation. “There are definitely tropes and stereotypes where Latina women are these hot, sexy, spicy tamales – but we’re so much more than that!”

Adriana de Moura

A perfect pairing of the old trope and new, aspiring reality for Latinas is Adriana de Moura, a very involved “friend of” the season. Fluent in five languages (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian), de Moura is currently studying for a Master’s of Psychology at Harvard University. A degree which could possibly influence her relationships with the women. Whether positively or negatively, only the passage of Miami seasons will tell.

Dedicated Shows

Outside of Real Housewives programming, Bravo has attempted to directly appeal to a Latinx audience with 2019’s Mexican Dynasties and Texicanas. Two reality shows centered around Mexican families and friends in Mexico City and San Antonio. Each lasting only one season. Maybe Bravo hasn’t figured out what we actually like just yet.

One-Off Cast Members

Throughout the years, they’ve sporadically introduced varying Latina characters to their popular programming, turning some of them into Bravolebrities. Jo De La Rosa in the Orange County Real Housewives franchise, Joyce Giraud in Beverly Hills, Cary Deuber in Dallas, and Monica Garcia in Salt Lake City. The last three did not go well. Giraud had to endure both overtly and subtle racism from co-stars. I missed the entirety of the Dallas series, but know from Reddit threads that racism played a role in the show’s demise. Monica Garcia ended up being an internet troll, who like Giraud, only lasted one season on her show.

Kelly Dodd, former real housewife of Orange County, is a polarizing character who often took insulting her castmates to an atomic level on the Bravo TV series, and probably isn’t the best depiction of Latina representation, but nonetheless, she is representation. Dodd provides a great contrast against the idea that Latinx people as a whole are any sort of monolith.

The Less Obvious Latinas

There are some Latina Bravolebrities you might not have clocked. Scheana Shay, formerly of Vanderpump Rules, and current part-time cast member of The Valley, recently revealed in her memoir, My Good Side, that her biological father is Latino. Michelle Lally and former Miss USA, Nia Sanchez, of the same cast, each also share one Latinx parent.

Men

Then we have the many Latino husbands of former and current housewives: Mauricio Umansky, Luis Ruelas, Sergio Carrello, Edwin Arroyave, and Eddie Judge who’s wife Tamra called him a “beaner” on camera in season 8 of their show. Umansky and Ruelas are the most notorious of the husbands, having been prominently featured in storylines across multiple seasons of Beverly Hills and New Jersey, two of the more popular franchises.

Beverly Hills has recently followed the fallout of Umansky’s separation from Kyle Richards as well as cheating allegations against both him and Richards throughout the series and their marriage. Ruelas and his wife Teresa had a wedding spinoff chronicling the lead-up to their nuptials and subsequent ceremony unattended by her estranged brother. The demise of the siblings’ relationship has been a prominent storyline since season 3 of New Jersey.

Do Better

If it’s true, you can’t understand what you don’t know, you also can’t know what you’re not exposed to. As a woman who has been exposed to A LOT of Bravo programming, if your limited exposure to Latinas includes 2020’s “Drunk Wives Matter” Kelly Dodd, familiarize yourself immediately with literally anyone else mentioned.