Jasmine Ellis Cooper, Bria Fleming talk ‘Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard’ Season 2, fan response and representation

TheGrio caught up with the reality stars, who broke down their second season on the hit Bravo series.

“Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” is back, and theGrio caught up with stars Jasmine Ellis Cooper and Bria Fleming, who offered their reflections after their first season and hints of what fans can expect from their second summer out on the Vineyard.

As theGrio previously reported, “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” is one of the most promising new shows on Bravo, following an all-Black friend group during their summer together in Martha’s Vineyard. Cooper and Fleming are once again joined by Nicholas “Nick” Arrington, Jordan Emanuel, Shanice Henderson, Amir Lancaster, Preston Mitchum, Summer Marie Thomas, and Alex Tyree this season, with Noelle Hughley as the newbie in the group.

When speaking to Cooper and Fleming, they broke down their respective approaches to their second season of reality TV.

“Everyone has grown since then,” Fleming explained when looking back at her first summer with the cast. “I know for myself I was a little nervous and hesitant in the beginning going back on the vacation and just being involved with everybody because you don’t know what to expect. Everyone’s in the house, you can get good drama, bad drama or a mixture.”

She added that she chose to go into this summer with an “open mind” and wanted to “be herself.”

Cooper’s husband, Silas Cooper, an Army officer, was in the show’s first season but went on a 10-month deployment to Eastern Europe just before Season Two filming began.

Entering the house solo this year, Cooper told us she took a different approach, explaining that watching the first season she regretted not speaking her mind more. “I really wish I would have vocalized how I felt or thought about things more, and I wish I just had a little more fun, so going into this summer that’s all I was focused on: speak my mind and have fun.”

Since the first season aired last summer, the “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” cast members have enjoyed a rabid online fanbase, Cooper and Fleming told us. “A lot of viewers know people that I know,” Cooper said. “We are representing people that can look to the screen and be like, ‘I know her, or my homegirl knows her or I feel like I see myself in this group … and that doesn’t happen all the time. That is really special.”

“We’re also the only all-Black young cast on air,” Fleming added. “And that speaks a lot. They even get to experience all of our flaws, the good and the bad. It just shows we’re not perfect, but this is our daily life and we’re willing to share and hope that we can inspire.”

“Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” airs 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.

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