“The girls are the girls,” says Stacey Rusch of her sophomore season on RHOP. “They are pretty consistent in their nastiness, so nothing has changed.”
Photo: B’jon Bass/Bravo

The idea that there are certain boxes you have to check or formulas to follow to be a great Real Housewife is a misconception, one perhaps best disproven by Stacey Rusch. Now in her second season of The Real Housewives of Potomac, Rusch has become one of the franchise’s biggest breakouts in recent memory thanks to a singular personality that has simultaneously gripped fans and perplexed her castmates. While the audience was instantly compelled by her newscaster cadence, pearl clutching, and disastrous, celibate relationship, her fellow Housewives thought it was all put on for the cameras. She’s been accused of hiring an actor to play her boyfriend on the show, faking her divorce, and — worst of all — having bad breath. But, to quote Rusch quoting Maya Angelou at last year’s reunion, “still she rises.”

“I thought that being vulnerable and opening up to the group would make us closer,” Rusch says of her approach heading into her sophomore season, “but I wasn’t even allowed that chance to be vulnerable because I was constantly fighting accusations that were unwarranted.” So far, some of those accusations have included whether she lied about her new cannabis company, the timeline of her rekindled relationship with her ex-husband, and whether or not she dated a former Potomac Housewife’s ex. But her highly scrutinized on-camera experience couldn’t be more different from the overwhelmingly warm response she’s gotten from fans, who are sure to give their favorite QVC host a hero’s welcome at her first-ever BravoCon.

You’re heading to BravoCon this weekend — what are you most excited about?
I’m super-excited to meet some other Bravolebs. There are other Housewives who I’ve connected with on social media, which I love. There’s this wonderful sisterhood that comes with Housewives across all franchises, and this will be the first time that I’ll see them in person. We’re gonna get together and kiki and party and love on each other.

What’s it been like seeing your old QVC clips going viral? 
Oh my gosh, I loved my time at QVC, connecting with people all times of the day and night and really just finding joy in shopping. Like, come on, who doesn’t love to shop? But I have to be honest, because I worked so much and I sold so many items, I’m looking at some of the clips and I don’t even remember saying the things that people are laughing about, because I was just in the moment. So it’s really funny to revisit that time, and I’m laughing right along with everybody else.

It’s an impressive medium to master because it’s just you out there. Walk me through what that prep process is like.
It is 100 percent live all the time; you are on your feet and you are in charge of that airtime. But that comes with a lot of hours spent learning about brands and products. And then when you get on air, it’s really just talking about what you love about the product and relating things to your everyday life. Thankfully, I have such a colorful and full life. I mean, from being a wife and a mother, to traveling the world, to teaching yoga at the White House, to having modeled when I was younger, to crazy nights out with my girlfriends. You just draw from those experiences.

And now you’re selling something very different. After Gizelle alluded to this at last year’s reunion, you officially announced your new cannabis brand, Shayo. How did that come about?
Before I got into television, I was a yoga teacher. When you look at the duplicity of my life, I can’t help but laugh. Ten years ago, I was spending my days without makeup, bare feet, teaching yoga — fast-forward, here I am with a glam team, with inches down to my waist, looking fabulous on national television. You can’t make it up! But I’ve always been grounded in wellness, so I always wanted to come back to it. So when I had the opportunity to enter the cannabis industry, knowing the power of cannabis, it was just too good to be true. But I didn’t want to just partner or be the face of a brand, I wanted to own my brand. And to make history as the first African American woman in the state of Virginia to own her own cannabis brand is one thing, but now I’m expanding. I’m launching in Las Vegas this weekend as we celebrate BravoCon, so I will be in multiple states, thank you!

Will we get to see you partake in some Shayo on the show?
Um, you’ll have to tune in! Maybe not just me, my friend, not just me!

You touched on this earlier, but what was it like teaching yoga at the White House, the CIA, and NASA?
I think those are the people who need yoga the most. People with high-pressure jobs and high levels of stress. I was requested in those spaces because of my teaching, my voice, and my vibe. Now people are always asking me, “How are you able to deal with your so-called friends coming for you and being so mean to you?” And it’s because of who I am. I know that it’s not me; the issue is with them. They aren’t living fully and they aren’t happy in their lives.

Do you think your castmates’ attitudes toward you have changed at all after seeing how the audience has embraced you?
The girls are the girls; they are pretty consistent in their nastiness, so, no, nothing has changed — they are who they are. However, I do talk to Wendy. I do have a good friendship and found sisterhood with my girl Wendy, so we are enjoying this season together.

You joined the show just before a legally tumultuous time, with Wendy having now just been arrested and Karen just released from prison. You mentioned that you’re in touch with Wendy — have you had any contact with Karen? 
I haven’t spoken to Karen since she was released, but I am looking forward to seeing her at BravoCon. I prayed for Karen. I’ve been concerned about her well-being and, you know, despite where we ended up after season nine and the heaviness of her legal situation, I still want the best for her and I care for her.

This week, the conversation about your connection to Chris Samuels continued, and we got to see you explain that further after filming had wrapped via a mounted “producer camera.” When did you find out that that conversation was filmed? 
I saw that moment from the producer cam right along with the rest of the world. I didn’t know that that was captured. It didn’t shock me, because what I said is what I have said, and that is that Chris is a great guy. I know him socially. I would consider him a friend, and that’s exactly what I said, so I don’t think that it was some big reveal or ta-da or dun-dun-dun! That was the end of the night, after a couple bottles of Champagne, just having a girls’ chat. You think cameras are down, but apparently they aren’t. I gotta watch out for that producer cam, huh? This is only my sophomore season, so I’m discovering things.

What’s been the most surprising part of the Real Housewives experience for you?
The love that I get from people. I have received so much positivity, and it just fills me every day. And I wasn’t expecting that. We can keep it real; with Housewives, there are a lot of moments that aren’t so positive that we have to deal with, but receiving so much support was so profound. It just feels really good to be loved.

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