'Real Housewives of Potomac': What Did You Think of Premiere?

POTOMAC, MD — So the first episode of the new reality TV show “The Real Housewives of Potomac” is in the books, what did you think?

Promotional ads for the show billed it as an introduction to the wealthy African-American families who have broken racial barriers and now reside in the sophisticated community.

The latest addition to Bravo TV’s Housewives franchise about privileged women premiered Sunday, Jan. 17.

The show will follow socialite and single mom Gizelle Bryant, international model and TV personality Katie Rost, society grand dame Karen Huger, social butterfly Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, publicist and single mom Robyn Dixon, and restaurateur Ashley Darby.

Viewers weighing in on Twitter and Instagram seemed bored with the fixation on etiquette – and whether pointing fingers hurts the lady delivering the lecture.

And there was a fair amount of sniping about real hair and the cast’s homes.

Comments were filling social media under the #RHOP hashtag.

Here’s a sampling of Tweets from Sunday night:

Said brotherRATCHET: “for these women to have so much money U would think their hair would be on fleek, instead it’s stiff & cheap.”

Viewer Kaelyn tweeted, “All these females got bad weaves besides Robyn .”

On the etiquette debate TLiMS63 shared, “#RHOP they’re all beautiful but true old money ladies of a certain status are gracious & respectful of others”

And NY Justice Seeker commented, “Not a fan of the Stepford Wives overtones or the etiquette lectures.

»See more audience reaction on Twitter below

A promotional trailer for the show focuses on admitted diva Huger schooling Bryant for her supposed etiquette breach by sitting in Huger’s place at her birthday dinner. To reinforce Bryant’s lapse, and “help” her avoid future society gaffes, Huger gives her a gift, a framed list of the five rules of etiquette when attending a birthday party.

“As her friend, it’s my responsibility if she doesn’t know any better to teach her better,” Huger tells the camera.

The etiquette decrees include that the host should always be in charge and to never order your food before the birthday honoree arrives.

“Karen, you don’t have to school me on etiquette,” Bryant chides. “I didn’t come from the cabbage patch. I have a legacy and a pedigree. You grew up on a farm.”

Cast Members’ Bios

•Ashley Darby: The former pageant queen won the Miss District of Columbia title in 2011 and then competed in the 2012 Miss America pageant.

Her husband is Australian Michael Darby, the principal and co-founder ofMonument Realty in Washington, D.C. The pair met when Ashley interned at the real estate firm.

In the meantime, Ashley owns and operates the restaurant she opened in October with her husband called Oz located in Arlington, Virginia. It offers a new take on cuisine from Down Under, such as skewers, pies, and sausage rolls.

•Katie Rost: Billed by the show as a model and TV personality born and raised in Potomac, part of an “affluent and philanthropic biracial family.” While her parents groomed her to be a doctor or lawyer, Rost instead went to New York to work as a model for Chanel, Macy’s, CoverGirl, and more. She made The Vogue 100 List of style icons in 2009.

Rost is a single mother of three who is said to be dating one of “Potomac’s most eligible bachelors, Andrew Martin, an investment executive.” A former beau was hip-hop legend Russell Simmons.

As a TV personality, Rost was one of the hosts of BET’s teen talk show Teen Summit and worked as a celebrity correspondent on Direct Access with Big Tigger in DC.

•Karen Huger: RHOP says Huger is the “grand dame of Potomac society,” and its etiquette maven. Married to Raymond Huger -- entrepreneur, former IBM executive and current president and CEO of tech company Paradigm Solutions International – she’s a mother of two.

This RHOP wife is often seen around town, supporting a charity, or having a night out with her castmates, says the show.

•Robyn Dixon: She married her University of Maryland college boyfriend, Terrapins basketball star Juan Dixon. He played for the Washington Wizards and three other NBA teams before becoming a coach at UMD.

The pair divorced in 2012, but still share a home with their two sons.

Robyn works as a publicist and event manager for the marketing and special events firm TAA PR, representing Shake Shack, The Ritz-Carlton and one of celebrity chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurants.

•Gizelle Bryant: The mother of three girls grew up in a prominent family before marrying her high-profile now-ex-husband, Jamal Bryant. He is known as the founder and pastor of the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore and an unsuccessful Congressional candidate. The couple divorced in 2008.

Her father, Curtis Graves, was the first African-American to serve in the Texas House of Representatives since the late 1800s, and then worked at NASA for three decades.

Bryant is working on a makeup line for women of color that is scheduled to launch next year.

•Charrisse Jackson Jordan: The mother of two teenagers has been married to former NBA player Eddie Jordan for more than 18 years; he later served as head coach of the Washington Wizards before taking the head coaching post at Rutgers University.

A former teacher, non-profit organizations have been the focus of Jordan’s energy in recent years, including Knock Out Abuse, Men Against Breast Cancer, and N Street Village, which supports homeless women in Washington, D.C. For four years she was president of Behind the Bench, the National Basketball Wives Association.

Last year, Charrisse won the DC’s Dancing Stars competition for charity.

»Cast photo courtesy of Bravo