Bravo is expanding the Summer House franchise once again with new spinoff Summer House Martha’s Vineyard and after viewing the first episode, the network may have a certifiable hit on its hands.
Much like the New York-based original, Summer House Martha’s Vineyard gathers a group of friends as they rent a house together for the summer in beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
“Summer House Martha’s Vineyard follows a group of 12 friends as they enjoy their island getaway,” states an official Bravo press release. “With beach parties, decadent dinners, and summer hookups, both fun and drama are in store for these young Black professionals and entrepreneurs.”
The spinoff stars Nicholas “Nick” Arrington, Jasmine Ellis Cooper, Silas Cooper, Jordan Emanuel, Bria Fleming, Shanice Henderson, Amir Lancaster, Jason Lyke, Preston Mitchum, Summer Marie Thomas, and Alex Tyree and has won the coveted post-RHOA slot with tonight’s series debut.
‘Summer House Martha’s Vineyard’ Review: Battle Of The Queen Bees
One key difference between Summer House Season 7 and this new spinoff is that most of the cast have pre-existing relationships with each other and that familiarity pays off in the show’s first hour.
Jasmine Ellis Cooper, newly married to Silas Cooper, is seemingly responsible for the series as she invites the group to Martha’s Vineyard, the place where she and Silas first solidified their relationship status. After quickly making herself at home, she then introduces viewers to her friends as they each arrive to the house — which in itself is pretty similar to the house featured on the New York series — but Jasmine quickly turns on Queen Bee mode as she asserts herself with fellow housemate Bria Fleming.
Regardless of where you fall on their very-silly but very-entertaining confrontation towards the end of the hour, these two are clearly the ones to watch as the season moves forward and know their assignment well.
Amir Lancaster, who is biracial with Black and Lebanese roots, is sure to make a big impression on fans. In the premiere, he opens up about spending what will be his first summer on Martha’s Vineyard surrounded by Black culture at the group’s first dinner together. The housemates share an informative and moving conversation about representation, proving there is so much more to this group than jello shots and beer pong (hello, Hamptons cast!).
Another breakout of the episode is Preston Mitchum, who may just be the house’s secret Shade Assassin. Quick-witted and observational, his commentary provides enjoyable comic relief throughout the somewhat long-winded introductions of some of the other cast members.
Summer House Martha’s Vineyard is the perfect companion to The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Sunday nights and Bravo is smart to give the new series a more-than-solid lead-in.
While the show shares certain similarities with the original (see the beautiful house, the choice of location, and lots of messy relationship drama), the cast is so strong that they arguably could have carried their own series without the Summer House moniker.
With viewers having so many choices for unscripted nowadays, however, it makes sense that Bravo is choosing to anchor the show with a familiar franchise. In addition to this new series, the network also has spinoff Winter House which will return for a highly-anticipated new season later this year.
Not only is this cast attractive and dynamic but they each bring an interesting perspective to the group, as well as a full life. The show almost feels as if the cast members are adding reality TV cameras into their already-entertaining lives and we are just along for the ride. In short, Martha’s Vineyard has legs.
Summer House Martha’s Vineyard airs tonight, Sunday, May 7 at 9|8c after The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo. Click Here to read our RHOA Season 15 review.
