Sanya Richards-Ross, a four-time gold medal winner in Olympic track and field, is the newest member of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” debuting Sunday, May 1, for its 14th season.
In recent years, Bravo has tried several new women, none of whom have been able to last more than a couple of seasons. That includes Claudia Jordan, Shamari DeVoe, Kim Fields and Eva Marcille.
Richards-Ross , who moved from Austin, Texas, to Kennesaw last fall with her husband and former NFL player, Aaron Ross, and her 4-year-old son, Aaron II, has been taping since last October.
“For the most part, it’s been a very good experience,” said Richards-Ross in a brief interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week. “I feel like I’m very trained on not getting caught up in the negative stuff on social media and not tap into that stuff. I try not to get too high or too low and just enjoy the ride.”
She is the first serious athlete to ever be a cast member on the series.
Richards-Ross became the first female athlete to win gold in the women’s 4 x 400 meter relay at three consecutive Olympics as part of U.S. team in Athens (2004), Beijing (2008) and London (2012). She also earned an individual gold medal in the women’s 400-meter race at the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as a bronze in 2008.
She is also familiar with Atlanta. She lived in the city for a time after producer Will Packer in 2019 hired her as a co-host on his syndicated pop culture news show “Central Ave.,” which aired two seasons but was canceled last year.
Richards-Ross is Jamaican American and later in the season she will take the ladies to her home country of Jamaica to share her culture and history. “I’m going to show off some Jamaican spice,” she said. (The show went to Jamaica in 2016 as well.)
Based on the first episode, it’s too soon to say who Richards-Ross ends up bonding with or clashing with. Her first scene is with fellow cast member Drew Sidora at a gym where they work out together with their husbands. Later, we meet her parents, who live with her in her new Atlanta home. (Her dad’s Jamaican accent is so strong, he gets subtitles.)
Sanya Richards-Ross still looks like she’s in Olympic-ready shape.
“I used to say I was training before,” she said. “Now I have to work out. It’s not as appealing as it once was. For me, I try to eat healthy and I have a very active son who keeps me on my toes.”
She did not reveal her feelings about the other women, saving that for the show itself. The show’s Queen Bee is now Kenya Moore. “She was a beauty queen and always has that crown on,” she said, noting her relationship with Kenya “ebbs and flows.”
Richards-Ross’ current project is Mommi Nation, an online community focused around physical and mental fitness for mothers of color. It is not mentioned in the first episode, but she said the show will feature a photo shoot she did for the business.
She hopes the audience likes her enough for her to get more seasons.
“I feel like I’m authentically myself throughout the season,” she said. “The blend of the ladies and personalities really works well. I brought a lot of me to the platform. I hope the fans love all of us together.”
ON TV
‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” 8 p.m. Sundays on Bravo
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