As one of South Africa’s most talked-about reality shows, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa, came to a close last week. Now, we’re looking back on the past few dramatic weeks, much of it driven by Christall Kay. Whether she was attempting to weaponize her white woman tears or flipping off her co-stars, the Johannesburg OG found herself at the centre of the drama on the show.
Christall Kay Takes Over Rio
Christall Kay is not new to a girl’s trip, having featured in the debut season of the South African version of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. The cast, which included Durban’s LaConco and Londie London, amongst other South African housewives, alongside Kay, took over Jamaica.
Being lucky enough to be part of two ultimate girls’ trips, Kay is quick to point out the differences between the separate casts, sharing that the Rio ladies were different from the Jamaica ladies because she had no real close associations with any of them.
While she featured in the debut season of the South African version of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, Kay’s housewife history goes much further back – all the way to The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, during which she and castmate Madame Evodia became archenemies during the first season.
That said, she was more than happy to reconnect with the Joburg OG in Rio,
“It was such a surprise to see her, and immediately I felt that we had a newfound bond and that things would be very different between us this time,” Kay shares, “The chemistry of our new meeting and the sparkle of our friendship were endearing.”
Christall Kay’s Battles in Rio
Adding that Evodia turned into her greatest ally, she reveals that the Real Housewives of Nairobi‘s Dr C and Xena were pretty neutral towards her. Yet, she cannot say the same for the other women, referring to Durban’s Angel Ndala and Annie Mthembu, as well as Nigeria’s Mariam Timmer and Princess Jecoco, with whom she routinely clashed, either due to cultural differences, preconceived ideas, or lack of accountability.
“The other ladies came for me as if I had personally caused them harm in some major way in their own lives, which obviously could never have been the case.”
She further adds that the ladies gave her absolutely no chance, despite her intentions to have fun and move past her own passive-aggressive remarks,
“It was their way of grabbing the spotlight and creating drama, fake drama that they believed would set them apart on the show and make them stand out as stars.”
That said, she does admit that she regrets getting into Princess’s personal space and pinching her cheeks,
“However, sometimes on these shows, your normal instincts and reactions take over, and knowing that the entire nation is watching someone insult and debase you can get the better of you. That said – it is never the right thing to use any form of touch or physical action in an argument.”
Yet with all that, Kay admits that the clashes with the Nigerian housewives weren’t the worst part of the trip.
For Kay, she admits that she had previously developed an Instagram kinship with the only other caucasian housewife who’s a minority on her show – Durban’s Jojo Robinson,
“[Jojo] had always seemed to stick up for me and appreciated me as a real entertainer on the shows,” reveals Kay, which made her perceived betrayal that much more hurtful.
“It was disappointing to see how she stuck with her group of friends she had made from Nigeria and her Durban buddies.”
Kay adds that Robinson failing to reprimand the other women and understanding that Kay was innocent(debatable)in the conflicts, hurt.
Queen of Conflict
Christall Kay may be perceived as the queen of the African version of RHUGT for being on both seasons, but she’s also been perceived as the queen of conflict for her multiple bust-ups with cast members. As such, one has to wonder how she stays ‘calm’ during these moments,
“I guess I remain as detached as possible in moments when the ladies are coming for me” shares Kay, adding that the other women had so much venom and hatred for me despite not knowing her from a bar of soap, “They had only seen me on TV and in my previous seasons, and if they were basing it on that, then it certainly wasn’t real emotion.”
In fact, she revels in how her composure really got to the other women and how she gave it back in a way that made them realise they shouldn’t be messing with her,
“I am always confident in my ability to defend myself and show others when they are in the wrong.”
Eat, Pray, Love?
Not one to shy away from romance on vacation, Kay revealed that she met a nice guy in Rio and another one on the very last day. Unfortunately, nothing came of it because she had to leave for South Africa the next morning.
However, while she didn’t find love in Brazil, she certainly found love at home during the season airing on Showmax and Mzansi Magic.
Yes, she’s been called out for her micro and macroaggressions towards her black, South African cast members in the past, so Kay was happy to enjoy the public support this time around.
“The support I received from all races, all genders, and all nationalities, as well as from celebrities, was quite overwhelming. It has given me hope to know that people really do care and that they have a sense of justice.”
The Perfect Housewife?
What makes the perfect housewife?
Money?
Style?
Pitched singing?
An aversion to reality?
For Christall Kay, the perfect Housewife is a woman who has style, class, confidence in herself, charisma, personality, and the ability to stand up for herself. Most importantly, she has great character and is real – she also makes a great travel buddy.
Watch the trailer:
The entire season of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Africa is available on Showmax.
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