Kandi Burrusshas seen many wives come and go during her 13 seasons onThe Real Housewives of Atlanta, but season 14 has a different feel for her after a casting shake-up.
“It’s fresh,” Burruss, 45, tells PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the premiere. “Now, we got new blood on the show. Everybody is just different.”
After the departures ofPorsha WilliamsandCynthia Bailey, the show will welcomeSanya Richards-Ross. But Richards-Ross won’t be the only new face holding a peach.
Marlo Hampton, a friend of the show since season 4, has been upgraded to full-time cast member. On-again, off-again housewifeShereé Whitfieldwill also return to the series.Drew SidoraandKenya Moorewill help round out theRHOAcast.
“Even though Shereé has been there before, it’s like she came back with a whole new vibe,” explains Burruss. “With Sanya, she just is just fresh energy.”
“Marlo and I have gone through our thing for years, but for a long time, I kept saying, ‘Yo, why does she not have a peach? I don’t understand,'“The Masked Singerchamp continues of her costars. “Kenya came on [with] new energy. Normally, people always have her pegged as the villain… I just feel like she just came in with new energy and it’s like she just didn’t want to be put in that box.”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast.Bravo
Though Burruss is the longest running cast member on the show — starring on the series since season two in 2009 — she doesn’t let any type of pressure get to her.
“It’s always weird,” Burruss explains. “I feel like people always want to put a lot of responsibility or something on the person who’s been there the longest but at the end of the day, I just look at it like this: we’re an ensemble cast.”
“Everybody has to bring it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been there a long time or a short time. Everybody has to be open to sharing and keeping it 100 at all times and not trying to hide your life, not trying to change and save face to protect your brand,” she continues. “You just have to be who you are and hopefully the people will love it, that’s just how it is. I’m not going to let anybody put any extra pressure on me.”
Kandi Burruss.Gary Gershoff/Getty
As mom to daughters Riley, 19, and Blaze, 2, and son Ace, 6, Burruss knows she has a large fan base cheering her on because she’s just like them.
“I feel like people just find me to be relatable,” she explains. “I feel like it just works in a sense because in a world full of crazy, sometimes you need that one person that you can feel connected to that represents what you’re you’re what you’re thinking, how you feel.”
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The Real Housewives of Atlantapremieres on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
source: people.com
