“There’s a lot more that you haven’t seen,” Eva Marcille told TooFab at our mention of the explosive trailer for the upcoming season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” “It doesn’t even touch the tip of the iceberg.”
Though Season 12 doesn’t premiere until Sunday, Eva was able to fill us in on a few secrets. For starters, there’s a newcomer in the group who she’s seen calling “crazy” in the trailer. While she couldn’t reveal the name of the woman she was speaking about, Marcille was able to tell us this person “kicks up so much dust this season. Oh, my God! It is absolutely amazing how much drama she creates. I knew from the start when I first met her that she was crazy. And she displays her craziness for everyone to confirm.”
Eva also claimed there’s a “snake” among the group who “severely” fractures various relationships and friendships throughout the season. Unfortunately, she didn’t say whether this alleged “snake” had anything to do with the aforementioned newcomer, who’s the friend of one of the castmembers.
“There’s definitely a snake in the group, and a lot of this season you see us trying to figure out who the snake is,” she explained. “And it’s like so unassuming and kind of catches you off guard. Literally no one expected it. At some point, you’ll find out who it is, but you couldn’t guess it. They just created so much discord between the girls, and different relationships and friendships were severely fractured from this snake.”
“We spend the better part of the season trying to figure out and realize who the snake really was,” she added. “And it’s a snake, so unless the grass is cut low, the snakes won’t show. You don’t know who it is because there’s so many people involved. Oh, my gosh. It’s crazy.”
Season 11 was a particularly difficult one for NeNe Leakes, whose husband, Gregg Leakes, was battling cancer. The role of being his caretaker was understandably overwhelming for NeNe, and it caused strain on a lot of her relationships. By the time the reunion rolled around, NeNe was barely on speaking terms with her co-stars.
“This season definitely picks up right where we left off last season,” Eva told us. “You guys didn’t miss a beat. Relationships are exactly where we left off. Last season, NeNe was attempting to or questioning or choosing to make amends with a lot of the women because, even though our relationships and friendships and issues and discord were not related, it all just happened to happen at the same time. So I can see how NeNe was feeling on the outs, though that wasn’t not the case. I can see how it can look like she was being ganged up on, but everyone had their own personal grievances, which was literally not connected to the next person.”
One of Eva’s biggest grievances with her once-“big sis” was that NeNe remained mic’d for a conversation Marcille specifically asked Leakes to keep private. Were they able to reconcile?
“NeNe and I — we’re in an okay place,” Eva said. “You get to see during the season where we left off, which was not so great, and us try to figure out what’s gonna happen here — if we’re even gonna make amends and what that would look like — so we spent some time trying to figure out what that would look like. Today, I can say we’re definitely not where we were and not where I wish or thought we would be now, but it’s not as bad as it could be.”
To Eva’s surprise — and despite warnings — she actually got along with returning castmember Kenya Moore.
“I wouldn’t say I had reservations, but I was warned about what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised, I must say,” she revealed. “I don’t know if it’s because she’s a mom or what it is. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we didn’t always see eye-to-eye, and that you will see during the show. We definitely had our share of disagreements and not being on the same page. However, overall as a person — I can’t say the same for absolutely everybody; there are some people where I’m like ‘ugh’ — but when it comes to her, I like Kenya. She’s a good egg. She’s a nice woman. She’s definitely genuine. However you like to slice it, whether you like it or not, is what you’re gonna get.”
When we noted that the two seemed to go at it in the trailer, Eva said she “went at it with just about everybody!”
“I was pregnant this season, so I was sober and I couldn’t have a cocktail,” she explained. “And these women, as much fun as they are, they are absolutely annoying. And so I found myself laughing and yelling all in the same day.”
In addition to being a full-time working mom of three and wife who’s in the process of moving into a new house, Eva also has her own CBD line called cEVAd. She got into the business after realizing the health, wellness and beauty properties the extract provides. Eva says the oil helps her manage her time, sleep more soundly and calm her anxiety when life gets hectic. The product, she says, has also helped alleviate her mom’s sciatica pain.
“CBD works for inflammation, which means it ends up working for your skin. It’s like Heaven-sent,” she said, noting that she’s got two new products launching today: Bliss (a high-potency, THC-free tincture made of broad-spectrum CBD-rich hemp extract and palm-free coconut oil) and Radiance (a high-potency, THC-free facial moisturizer with broad-spectrum CBD-rich hemp extract and a blend of essential oils including macadamia, arnica and jojoba).
“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Season 12 premieres Sunday, November 3 at 8 p.m. on Bravo.
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