The Big Picture
- New cast in Summer House: Martha's Vineyard mixes old friend groups, sparking drama with deep ties and new dynamics.
- Major confrontations in season one result in Mariah being asked to leave and clashing over relationships.
- Season two promises more drama, with some cast returning and new additions causing tension and love triangles.
Summer House: Martha's Vineyard had an impressive first season, as a spin-off to the popular Bravo realityseriesSummer House which features a group of young Black professionals vacationing together in a shared house for the summer. Similar to Summer House and Vanderpump Rules, the cast has an almost electric energy as they party together in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. In the season one premiere episode, cast member Jordan Emanuel points out that the vacation destination is exclusive, requiring those who travel to arrive by either "plane, boat, or helicopter." As trip organizer and newlywed Jasmine Cooper points out, "If you are melanated, Martha's Vineyard is the place to vacation during the summer." The area of Oak Bluffs has a storied history of attracting wealthy and elite African-Americans to the vacation destination.
The cast is a blend of old friends and new acquaintances mingling together in their summer share house. Many within the group either have a history of working together, or attending school together. So the ties run deep for some, and are quite new for others, as the different friend-groups blend under one roof. Season two promises to bring the roommates back together to continue building on these friendships. As Preston Mitchum points out: "Now y'all know, when you put a bunch of grown people in a shared rental house over the summer, it's gonna be some drama." The trailer shows just how much drama is underway.
Summer House
TV-14Reality-TVFor years, this group of friends has been spending their weekends, from Memorial Day to Labour Day, at one of the most exclusive beaches on the East Coast. As soon as they arrive, they throw themselves into this luxury lifestyle.
- Release Date
- January 9, 2017
- Cast
- Kyle Cooke , Lindsay Hubbard , Carl Radke , Amanda Batula
- Main Genre
- Reality-TV
- Seasons
- 8
Bria and Mariah Were Breakout Stars of 'Summer House: Martha's Vineyard'
Preston's prediction that the shared house would cause drama proved even more prophetic than anyone bargained for. In the first episode of season one, the diva causing most of the drama arrives in the form of young Bria Fleming, carrying her emotional support puppy, dachshund Milo. Jasmine met Bria, Jordan, and the share house weekend warrior Shanice Henderson when they all worked together as Playboy Club bunnies. Jasmine immediately clocks Milo's presence, taking umbrage over the fact that Bria did not feel the need to request permission before bringing her dog on the trip. The puppy eventually becomes the center of one of the biggest house blow-ups of the season. Jasmine's writing partner, Mariah Torres, fights with Bria over her dog towels being mixed in with the rest of the house towels during a laundry cycle.
Bria is not interested in hearing anyone's complaints, solidifying her diva status within the group. The laundry confrontation escalates to both women disrespecting one another and invading each other's personal space. Bria tells the group that Mariah pushing her when she passed her the dog laundry during the altercation is "not cool," and she is no longer comfortable around her. The roommates have a house meeting and consequently, Mariah is asked to leave. The real tea from this confrontation is that, roommate Amir Lancaster low-key caused all the drama by actually being the one who mixed the dog laundry in with the group laundry. But when the women were getting heated over the mix-up, he chose not to get involved, saying: "It was too far gone."
Jasmine and Bria also clash over the longevity of Bria's relationship with her overseas boyfriend, Simon Marco. Jordan notes that there is something strange occurring within their friendship, noting she senses "judgment" coming from Jasmine towards Bria. Because Bria is young, and her relationship is long-distance and relatively new, Jasmine feels it might not be as serious as her younger friend portrays it to be. Bria takes offense to Jasmine's repeated efforts to find out which of the available men in the house she might be interested in. Eventually, Bria reveals that she has invited Simon to stay at the house for the last week of vacation.
There's a Common Theme to the Success of Bravo's 'Winter House' and 'Ultimate Girls' Trip'
The crossover "share house" event series ensures entertainment each winter, just like 'Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls' Trip' delivers the drama.Similar to the Milo situation, it at first appears that she once again failed to ask permission from the housemates before making plans. Jasmine's husband, Silas Cooper, sees this as a continuation of disrespect, and he and Jasmine decide to address her plans to have Simon stay for a full week. In the confrontation, he refers to Bria as manipulative, which leads to Bria popping-off on Silas for being controlling, especially when it comes to his wife. Preston is usually the voice of reason, and he wisely observes: "They're both right. Silas is controlling. Bria is manipulative." The editors have Bria's back, however, and show a flashback that establishes she actually did speak to the roommates about Simon's visit in advance. Silas and Jasmine have simply forgotten about it in their quest to control what happens in the share house.
Bria even manages to clash with Summer Marie Thomas, whose cool, calm, collected manner earned her a comparison to Hilary Banks in The Fresh Prince Of Bel Airfrom several of the men in the house. During the season finale party, Milo is once again the center of cast drama. Bria loses her temper with Simon, blaming him for leaving her alone to care for the dog all evening. When Bria storms away from her argument with Simon, Summer elects to stay outside talking with him, to help calm the situation. Bria turns this into an issue, and when Summer attempts to speak to the couple once they are hashing things out together in their room, Bria snaps. She calls Summer "fake as f--k" and demands that she leave the room. When Summer tells her not to speak to her like that, Bria escalates the situation, accusing Summer of "talking to my man."
Summer finally snaps back and starts shouting at Bria that she is trying to help her, and when Bria continues to get in her face, Summer reaches across and shoves her. This sets Bria off even more, and the women have to be separated by producers. As Bria points out, this is the second time a cast member has gotten physical with her. But what Bria misses is how, when she is drinking, she crosses the line of disrespect so audaciously that it risks this elevation when the other party is equally in their cups. It seems that Bria is truly the "common denominator" in many of the arguments that occur in the house, as Preston points out in an earlier conversation. Violence, of course, is never justifiable. However, as Summer notes: "I know my intent going into the room. And it was to create peace. So for her to come into my face, you should not be so close to someone where I can smell your dinner. So she was wrong." Viewers will have to wait for the new season to see if the experience of watching her antics has educated Bria at all, or if she intends to continue her diva antics for another summer.
There Were Many Notable Moments From 'Summer House: Martha's Vineyard' Season 1
Shanice is introduced to the group as someone who has recently gone through an "intense break-up." This all comes to light when Alex points out that Shanice has not been respecting his personal space when flirting, grabbing and touching him repeatedly during their first meeting. She jokes to producers: "What does that even mean? Are you scared of me? I'm 5'7 and weigh 120 pounds, I'm not going to hurt you Alex, I promise." Alex tells producers that he wants to be cautious after what he has "learned about her." When producers ask for clarity on what he means, he says there are things he has heard and read about her, but he does not feel it is his business to repeat it. It eventually comes to light that Shanice has been accused of stalking an ex-boyfriend. The girls in the group each tell producers they know Shanice did not actually stalk her ex, but in a funny moment directly after these affirmations, Shanice admits in an interview: "I'm not gonna lie, I did do some of it." She goes on to explain that she did call his phone "a bunch of times," but that he was denied a restraining order because she was able to prove that despite everything, her ex was still texting her. Alex explains: "I don't think that's the type of vibe that I'm trying to be around."
Jordan was the center of drama when it came to the single men in the house. The former Playboy Bunny of the year announces that due to the extreme attention her Playboy affiliation brings her online, she often questions men's intentions when they are first getting to know her. She wants to be seen for the person she is, rather than simply for her phenomenal looks and online persona. This is partially why she has decided to live a celibate lifestyle, which she makes clear to the men in the house. Regardless, Amir tells the other guys, "If we're doing the whole 'bros call dibs first,' I'm here for Jordan." Alex Tyree, whose claim to fame is being the cousin of crooner John Legend, and housemate Nick Arrington both seem surprised at Amir's bold statement. Their interviews with production cast doubt on his ability to follow through. On her end, Jordan notes that Nick had slid into her DMs in the past, and she had to put him on "restrict" after she got tired of the heart-eyes and flame emojis commenting on her stories.
Eventually, it is revealed that Nick had also DM'd Bria and Shanice as well, despite having an apparent girlfriend that he had failed to mention. Amir's casual pursuit of Jordan throughout the summer, Alex's consistent comments that sexualize her, plus his habit of speaking over her, eventually cause Jordan to break down. At a house meeting, she reaches her breaking point and shouts: "I'm tired of being labeled in this home by the men and not having any say. That's what I'm annoyed by."
What to Expect In Season 2 of 'Summer House: Martha's Vineyard'
The majority of the cast is returning for season two, with a couple of new additions and one notable absence. Silas struggled to adjust to married life on camera in season one, and his actions and words were often not well received by either his roommates or viewers. His controlling nature towards Jasmine led to many arguments in the house in season one, and it would seem he has lost interest in vacationing in the shared house, as he will not be returning for season two. At least, he is absent from the season two trailer and from the cast list on Bravo's SH:MV homepage. Jasmine is very present in the trailer, however, claiming that "so much has changed since last summer." Preston also chimes in, saying: "Jasmine pretends that everything is normal. And that is a different kind of crazy." Presumably, this has to do with Jasmine's pregnancy, which she went into the summer keeping secret from the roommates, wanting to wait for the second-trimester mark before announcing the news.
The cast is gaining a new roommate in the form of Summer's friend Noelle Hughley. From the trailer, viewers learn that she considers herself "boughetto," a portmanteau for "bougie" and "ghetto." She also seems to have snagged one of the largest rooms, considering it "fit for a queen." The entitlement doesn't stop there, however, since there could be a love triangle developing between Noelle, her friend Summer, and the "bachelor of the summer," Alex. As Amir points out, his actions are getting Alex dangerously close to "f--k boy" territory. The other new face in the share house is Amir's girlfriend, who seemingly gets under Bria's skin. She is shown confronting Amir in a clip, shouting at him: "Own responsibility for your girl bro!" In another clip, Nick asks Amir: "You know who Lorena Bobbitt is?" To which Amir comically responds: "No. Should I educate myself on that?" It would appear that Amir's new girl is more than the roommates have bargained for.
Otherwise, viewers can expect more of the same excellence from the SH:MV cast in season two. Preston intends to stay on "bratty" Bria's neck. Alex intends to turn up the charm when it comes to courting both Summer and Noelle. It also seems that Jordan is coming into the house to beef with Amir. In the teaser, she states: "Amir is not keeping it a buck." As her friend Jasmine notes: "When something irritates Jordan, it is zero to a hundred." Even after Bria gave Nick's girlfriend the heads-up that her man had been sliding into other people's DMs all summer in the finale of season one, according to Amir, Nick still has not corrected his "wandering eyes." And then there is always Shanice, who is "in her own world," according to Nick. Everyone is keeping it consistent and showing up ready to prove exactly what is meant by the term "Black excellence" for another amazing summer's worth of reality TV.
The new season of Summer House: Martha's Vineyard airs on Bravo March 24, 2024. Catch up on season one streaming on Peacock.
