Bravo has a history of making some dynamic duos thanks to the formats of their docufollow shows. Some pairs are unofficially tied to one another simply by circumstance. For The Real Housewives of Potomac's Ashley Darby and Gizelle Bryant, they have shared many moments together in their reality television history.
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As single ladies during Season 9 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, fans watched them experience speed dating together. Apparently, this experiment was enough to convince Bravo to invite them both to their dating show extraordinaire, Love Hotel.
The interestingly engaging and slightly wholesome dating show watches four legendary Housewives, including Ashley, Gizelle, Luann de Lesseps of The Real Housewives of New York, and Shannon Storms Beador, of The Real Housewives of Orange County, as they dip their toes in the dating pool to find their perfect match. While we don't know who they'll ultimately select and if the romance in paradise translates into the real world, there is one thing that we know for certain: Bravo needs to break up Ashley and Gizelle and let them have their own experiences.
Ashley Darby and Gizelle Bryant Are the New Package Deal
Before we dive into explaining why Ashley and Gizelle need their own separate time in the spotlight, we are not going to get in between their business relationship. GnA, the athletic wear line that the women launched right before our eyes, should remain intact. And as long as we are invited to their parties without any time restrictions, sign us up for a charity event! But beyond that, putting them together on Love Hotel has actually been a bit of a detriment to them as reality television characters. While Love Hotel was filmed after the blind dates that became a plot line on Season 9, it seemed logical to include both women in the new series. Though it did spoil us to the ultimate result of how their relationships with their "civilians" ended, their energetic charisma likely helped with their casting. And really, how many eligible bachelorettes in The Real Housewives Cinematic Universe are actually on the market?
By putting both women on the show together, they became a package deal. They were connected to one another, having a history, which helped figure out which men would be the right fit for them. But it also meant that, unlike Luann and Shannon, their stories were still tied together. And to make matters worse, when Ashley somehow had a whiff of an older man, she ended up making out with Ralph Mastrangelo, the guy Gizelle has been "dating." Ashley had options that none of the other women wanted, and yet, she found a way to make a plotline of animosity with her fellow Potomac star. Was it genuine, or was Ashley really fulfilling her daddy issue fantasy in paradise? Regardless, here we are, discussing Ashley in regard to Gizelle.
Can Ashley Darby and Gizelle Bryant Be Strong On Their Own?
Bravo fans have spent years with both women. At the start of their time together, they were at odds. Will anyone ever forget Gizelle calling Michael Darby creepy? To her credit, she knew all along how icky he was. And maybe that's what ultimately brought them to become good friends in the end. But Ashley has never had the proper chance to showcase herself without someone else in the discussion. Even during Season 9, Gizelle and Ashley were the new tag team with Robyn Dixon out of the picture. Ashley was slotted into the Green Eye Bandits, rather than allowing her story of being free from her divorce to shine. Though, the Karen Huger of it all didn't help either woman. Whatever the case, Ashley and Gizelle feed one another's messes.
As far as Gizelle, she is a strong, powerful, independent woman. Maybe she is a girl's girl, but whenever she is doing something Bravo-related, it's never solo. There is always someone attached at her hip. Bravo's Chat Room allowed her to collaborate with The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Porsha Williams, Below Deck's Kate Chastain, and Summer House's Hannah Berner. Eventually, when Gizelle was cast on Real Housewives' Ultimate Girls Trip, Porsha found herself as a late replacement, but Gizelle was also forced to experience the trip to Thailand alongside Candiace Dillard Bassett. The trip was already filled with some dynamic duos, including The Real Housewives of Miami's Alexia Nepola and Marysol Patton and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City's Heather Gay and Whitney Rose. It forced Gizelle to get lumped into Porsha and Candiace conversations based on proximity.
Both Ashley and Gizelle deserve a chance to find their footing in reality television on their own. There will be naysayers who might say they couldn't stand on their own, but we won't ever know that until they get that chance. As Love Hotel continues on, we'll learn how their friendship ultimately changes. “I will say that even my relationship with Gizelle changed quite a bit,” Ashley told Bravo's Daily Dish. "I mean, yeah, we talk. We talk like for a couple minutes, here and there. But we actually got to spend three solid weeks together, without our children, without anybody else really interfering. So, our relationship grew exponentially.” Did Ralph really wreck things between the Potomac ladies?
