Reality TV rookie Nneka Ihim had a rather unique introduction to The Real Housewives of Potomac. She had the unfortunate luck of coming into the show in the middle of a feud that left the friend group divided. Still, she did her best to deliver.
Nneka spent a good chunk of her first season going back and forth with Dr. Wendy Osefo over her family’s involvement in a prayer shrine. Then, the cameras followed Nneka and her husband to the doctor’s office, and the bathroom at the doctor’s office, where they attempted to get her pregnant via IUI. She had some lows, and now she’s reflecting on the whole experience as Season 8 comes to a close.
Nneka talked to Vulture about her freshman season, and she admitted that it wasn’t easy. Although she had some helpful advice from some of her castmates going into filming, Nneka said there were a few lessons she had to learn the hard way.
A lot of catching up to do
According to Nneka, going into Season 8 of RHOP was already an uphill battle. There was already so much history with the friend group. The cast was more divided than ever. Then, those threatening phone calls from Wendy’s family allegedly started coming in, and that made things even worse.
“It was hard at first because I’m trying to catch up on what has actually happened,” Nneka recalled.
Once the problems with Dr. Wendy started to come to the surface, Nneka said she had to “jump through hoops” to try to make peace. If you’re caught up on the show, then you know we’ve yet to see the two reconcile. Nneka blamed that on Wendy.
“I’m okay with moving on from her, moving on with her, and moving forward, but I don’t think there’s a desire on her end. I don’t believe it’s a priority,” Nneka shared.
Nneka learned to navigate the trolls
In addition to the prayer shrine controversy, Nneka’s other challenge with Season 8 came with intense online criticism. She admitted that she’s receptive to some constructive comments, but we all know that most comments aimed at Housewives are not constructive. As a result, she’s had to learn how to safely navigate being online. Her castmates have helped her along the way.
“Production and the network tried to prep me, and all the girls were incredibly supportive,” Nneka recalled. “Gizelle [Bryant] actually called me for the first several weeks we started airing, just to make sure that I was okay.
Ultimately, it was Mia Thornton who gave her some of the best advice. She told her to “stay offline” and “make sure you take care of yourself.” Nneka said she would give that same advice to any other reality TV newbie.
“The best thing to always do is lead with authenticity,” Nneka shared. “I would also say stay offline because a lot of people online truly don’t know what they’re talking about, and you can easily frustrate yourself by reading things that are not constructive and incredibly unhelpful for you.”
With the end of Season 8 on the horizon, the question on everyone’s mind right now is whether or not Nneka will get a sophomore season. We’re still waiting for Bravo to confirm RHOP Season 9 casting, but Nneka revealed that she’s had a relationship with the network for years. She and her husband were previously considered for another show. If that’s any indication, we can probably assume we’ll see Nneka in Season 9.
