Approximately forty two percent of the people in Dallas identity as Hispanic, so Guadalajara, Mexico-born, Dallas residing Kary Brittingham joining The Real Housewives of Dallas in their fourth season (the show returns to Bravo on Wednesday, September 4th) is a long time coming. Already a good friend of now “Friend of” the Housewives Cary Deuber, Brittingham was well versed in how the ladies interacted and their histories when she finally decided to take the leap into the world of reality television. While sometimes the feedback reality television fans provide on social media can prove to be toxic for the subject, this Mexican-American stunner’s “like me or don’t like me, but you’re going to get the real me” attitude is refreshing and will serve her well as she goes head to head this season with someone who has become a force of nature in the stratosphere of the Real Housewives, LeeAnne Locken. I managed to grab some time to chat with Brittingham about what finally made her join the Bravo smash hit, what ladies she has hit it off with (and hasn’t) and how suddenly being a favorite of the LGBT community nationwide will be for her.
Michael Cook: Welcome to The Real Housewives of Dallas! How does it feel?
Kary Brittingham: Thank you so much! It is definitely very interesting, that I will tell you. I am loving every minute of it, it’s definitely in stages though. First I filmed the show, then I get to do all of the interviews, and then finally I will get to watch all of the craziness when the show airs.
MC: Tell me about your background; what is going to make you a fantastic addition to The Real Housewives of Dallas?
KB: I originally moved to Dallas to go to SMU nineteen years ago. I ended up getting married for the first time in Dallas and then I had three children with my first husband. I divorced and married my second husband and ended up staying in Dallas after having kids. I have actually been friends with Cary Deuber since before she was cast on the show. She has been telling me about it since the beginning and had actually been encouraging me to try out for the show. I wanted to wait and just watch it and also watch her a bit first. Finally this last year, I was talking to her and mentioned that I had a jewelry line as a hobby, and she suggested I try out for the show again. I said “you know what, why not”? I tried out, and here I am!
MC: With every new Real Housewife, they sometimes end up knee deep in some of the more complex relationships with the other ladies on the show, depending on how deep some of the relationships are. Some of the relationships on The Real Housewives of Dallas has solidified, while others have definitely fallen apart.
KB: I was very lucky, I know D’Andra Simmons a little while longer actually, we live close to each other. She is the other person, besides Cary Deuber, that I really had been talking to. When Cary Deuber did not do the show full-time this year, D’Andra was really a great friend of mine. We went to a girls night out, and I love my girls nights out! D’Andra came, and I met Stephanie (Hollman) and Brandi (Redmond) at that dinner also and I automatically became great friends with them! Stephanie and I speak every day, we are very close. I am very close to Kameron (Westcott) also, and Brandi and I are definitely very similar. We love to have a good time and we both are Cancers, so we both have a lot in common As for LeeAnne, it was very hard throughout the whole season to really get along with her.
MC: Is there anything about filming this season of the show that looking back on it, was completely different than you thought it was going to be?
KB: You know, it was not that hard. The hardest thing for me was filming at home with my nineteen year old daughter, because you never really know what is going to come out of a nineteen year old’s mouth! (laughs). What are you going to say?! Anything involving kids was definitely challenging. I came in and I honestly said what was real and just be me. If they ask me anything, I told myself that I was going to be real and say exactly how I feel; I put my life out there. I said to myself that if I am going to do a show like this, I am going to be real and be exactly who I am. When you really are who you are and you are real, it is really not hard. It’s like they were just filming what I do and how I feel. Some people are going to love me and some are going to disagree with me, I totally get it. That’s life really.
MC: The LGBT community in particular, absolutely adore the Dallas Housewives. I hope you’re ready for a ton of attention from the boys as an official cast member!
KB: I absolutely love that! My absolute favorite nights when I go out are when I go to all of the gay clubs with my gay friends, those are the times when I have the most fun. They are a blast and I definitely love to have fun. I am so excited for that part of the experience. They like to have fun, and that is exactly what I like to do. Dance drink and have fun!
MC: Looking back on the entire experience, what do you think you are the most proud of during the whole experience?
KB: That I am real. That I am going to share a lot of my personal life, and there are parts that I think a lot of people would not talk about. I am proud that I am real and that above all, I always stay true to myself.
“The Real Housewives of Dallas” kicks off Season Four on Wednesday September 4th on Bravo (check local listings)