NBCUniversal Leva Bonaparte
Leva Bonaparte is the figurehead at the center of “Southern Charm’s” spinoff “Southern Hospitality,” which recently saw a second season premiere on Bravo.
Despite being a main cast member of “Southern Charm” in its last three seasons, Bonaparte isn’t involved in a lot of the drama on the show. She recently revealed to People that she wanted to “soft launch” on “Southern Charm” before doing the “Southern Hospitality” spinoff.
“We had been approached before about doing a show, but the timing wasn’t right,” she told the publication. “So when I was in the process of interviewing for ‘Southern Charm’ and they were asking me all these questions about my businesses and the dynamics between me and employees, my wheels were turning and I think theirs were too. And there was definitely part of me that was like, ‘I would rather soft launch myself on an established show than try and do a show my own coming out of nowhere.’ I was thinking long game.”
Follow the Heavy on Bravo TV Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Leva Bonaparte Explained Why ‘Southern Hospitality’ Is Completely Different From ‘Vanderpump Rules’
Although when the concept was first announced, fans often compared it to “Vanderpump Rules” with Bonaparte acting as Lisa Vanderpump, she said there aren’t many similarities between the two. “Vanderpump itself has its own magical thing, but our show is a very different beast,” she shared with People. “Club life has an entirely different set of pressures put upon it than restaurant life. So we’re like the love child of Vanderpump and Below Deck because it has the glitz and glam, but it’s also the chaos and pressure of having to please and entertain clients in a really, elevated way.”
She said while “Vanderpump Rules” can see the serving staff and bartenders face some difficult clients and busy dinner services, the team at Republic is a “high-pressure job” with lines of hundreds of people at the door and a lot of drinking. “This is not, ‘Oh, your dinner was cold.’ This is a different type of game that we’re playing,” she added.
Bonaparte also pointed out that the staff at Republic are mostly all people who want to work in hospitality, whereas most of the cast on “Vanderpump Rules” wanted to be in the entertainment industry even from the early seasons and were also working as actors, models and musicians.
‘Southern Hospitality’ Season 2 Began With the Cast Adjusting to the Changes in the Alcohol Rules at Republic
The second season of “Southern Charm” began with the staff at Republic adjusting to new policy changes brought on by Bonaparte. One main change that rubbed several staff the wrong way was Bonaparte’s strict no-drinking policy during work shifts.
In fact, the first episode began with the cast explaining that the Republic owner had fired season 1 cast member Lucía Peña over her drinking on the job. Later in the episode, Bonaparte ended up firing Mia Alario as well, since Alario said she’d also had some drinks at work.
READ NEXT: Real Housewives Star’s Husband Cries Over Her Plastic Surgery