THINGS GET SHADY IN MARYLAND WHEN BRAVO MEDIA PREMIERES "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC" ON SUNDAY, APRIL 2 AT 9 PM ET/PT

Second Season of Hit Series Returns with New Housewife Monique Samuels Joining Gizelle Bryant, Karen Huger, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, and Charrisse Jackson-Jordan

NEW YORK - February 21, 2017 - Change and attitude ring true in the new season of Bravo Media's original hit series "The Real Housewives of Potomac," premiering Sunday, April 2 at 9pm ET/PT with Gizelle Bryant, Karen Huger, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, Charrisse Jackson-Jordan and new housewife Monique Samuels. This time around, the drama is amped up even more, propelling the ladies head-on into crumbling marriages, betrayed friendships, promising romances, and shifting loyalties. For a sneak peek, go to: http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-potomac/season-2/videos/on-season-2-of-the-real-housewives-of-potomac

As the circle of life continues and a new season begins, Gizelle is in the hot seat yet again for putting Charrisse's troubled marriage out there for all of Potomac to judge. While Charrisse focuses on her kids and struggles to accept her new normal, single-and-always-ready-to-mingle, Gizelle sees sparks fly when a man from her past returns. With both her kids out of the house, Karen plans to upgrade to a bigger home. But Ray wants to downsize, and the queen of Potomac's high standards put a strain on their search. Ashley's Oz Restaurant and Bar is open for business, but the challenges of making it a success take a toll on her marriage and her baby plans. Also, Robyn and Juan's financial hardships have forced them to move farther away from the ladies and lean more on each other. As the two adjust to their new life, Robyn must decide if she is finally ready to let Juan back into her heart. Outspoken Monique who is married to a former star athlete, joins the ladies this season and ruffles some feathers with

her upscale lifestyle.

Season one of "The Real Housewives of Potomac" averaged 2.2 Million total viewers, 1.4 Million P25-54 and 1.3 Million P18-49. It's debut season marked the network's highest-rated freshman series since "Vanderpump Rules" among P18-49 and P25-54, and the most in total viewers since the debut of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." In 2016, "The Real Housewives of Potomac" was among the top ten highest rated freshman series on ad-supported cable entertainment in the coveted P18-49 demo.

Meet the new housewife:

Monique Samuels

Monique Samuels joins the fierce ladies of "The Real Housewives of Potomac" this season, and she is not afraid to shake things up with her "tell it like it is" style. Monique grew up in Pleasantville, NJ surrounded by her loving family. She grew up a tomboy, and her father instilled a sense of strength and independence into her. When Monique was a teen, he would not let her drive a car until she knew how to change a tire and check under the hood. Monique's close-knit family has helped her remain the down-to-earth Jersey girl that she is today.

Monique was the salutatorian of her high school graduating class. After graduation, she moved to Pittsburgh to attend Duquesne University on a full academic scholarship. After a few semesters, Monique decided to pursue her true passion, a career in music. She packed her bags and moved to Washington, DC where she met her future husband, Chris Samuels, a six-time Pro Bowl left tackle who played for the Washington Redskins. Chris and Monique's friendship has blossomed into a marriage of five years and their beautiful four-year-old son, Christopher, and one-year-old daughter, Milani.

Monique is a boss in every sense of the word, as she manages her husband's businesses, which include a real estate investment company, a business enterprise, and the Chris Samuels Foundation. As if that weren't enough to keep her busy, she is currently completing her business degree from the University of Alabama and working on her blog, "Not for Lazy Moms," which discusses holistic and natural remedies for adults and kids. When she has time to relax at one of the couple's five homes, Monique enjoys weekly spa treatments and international jet-setting travel with her family.

"The Real Housewives of Potomac" is produced by Truly Original with Steven Weinstock, Glenda Hersh, Lauren Eskelin, Lorraine Haughton-Lawson and Bianca Barnes-Williams serving as Executive Producers. Mark Bracero and Swaga Deb serve as Co-Executive Producers. Andy Cohen also serves as an Executive Producer.

Source: Nielsen, RHOP L7. Includes Bravo Freshman series (excluding spinoff RHOA: Kandi's Wedding). Freshman series among ad-supported cable 12/28/15-12/25/16 M-Sun 8pm-11pm P18-49

About Bravo Media:

Bravo Media is the premiere lifestyle and entertainment brand driving cultural conversation around its high-quality, interactive original content that focuses on the network's passion points of food, fashion, beauty, design, digital, and pop culture. The network's diversified slate includes Bravo's first scripted series, "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," scripted comedy "Odd Mom Out," and unscripted favorites such as Emmy Award-winning "Top Chef," "Vanderpump Rules," "Below Deck," "Southern Charm," and the popular "Million Dollar Listing" and "The Real Housewives" franchises, as well as the only live late-night talk show, "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." Available in 92 million homes, Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Watch Bravo anywhere: On Demand, online, or across mobile and connected TVs. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and first launched in December 1980.