The Real Housewives of Potomac‘s Stacey Rusch has continually risen to the occasion of spilling details on her love life — and she has a damning theory on why, as she claims, Gizelle Bryant has not done the same.
As early as the RHOP Season 10 premiere, Stacey addressed accusations — primarily from Gizelle and Ashley Darby — about her and Thomas Anthony “TJ” Jones’ messy breakup. Later, she fielded even more questions about the authenticity of her reconciliation with Thiemo Rusch, and most recently on Episode 5, Stacey confronted her rumored interest in dating Monique Samuels’ ex-husband, Chris Samuels.
So, when Stacey came across a blog’s undercover photos of Gizelle — who had insisted on multiple occasions that she was “single” — on a date with her “new man,” Shawn Springs, she instantly called out what she perceived to be a double standard.
“I mean, I just think that it’s so duplicitous of her to constantly question me about my authenticity,” Stacey explained in an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish. “It’s not very authentic to have a boyfriend that you don’t talk about, that no one has met besides Ashley, and someone that you were trying to keep secret.”
Why Stacey Rusch was bothered by Gizelle Bryant’s dating “secret”
When Stacey first revealed rumors that Gizelle was dating Shawn to friend Jassi Rideaux during an Episode 3 lunch, she opened up about why the so-called secrecy was so bothersome.
“It is beyond me that Gizelle calls me a liar and says that I’m a phony and a fake, when she’s the one faking it all along,” Stacey explained in a confessional. “Why are the standards with me so different than everybody else?”
Vowing at the time to “find out” more intel on the new romance, she asked Gizelle point-blank in the following episode if she had a “boyfriend,” to which the later, again, replied, “I do not. … I’m single.” So, Stacey temporarily tabled her investigation — until the topic came up again during the cast trip to Nevis.
RELATED:Â Stacey Rusch Speaks Out on Her Relationship With Monique’s Ex-Husband: “I Adore Chris Samuels”
“It’s beyond me that you hold this standard for me that, you know, I have to show who I am and I need to be accountable,” Stacey remarked during a group dinner on the Caribbean island. “You guys are always talking about my relationship; why don’t we talk about yours, Gizelle? You have a whole man.”
After the dinner ended during RHOP‘s Nov. 2 episode, the drama continued at the resort where the ladies were all staying.
“You guys have been pointing the finger at me since I’ve known you,” Stacey said, prompting Ashley to accuse her of “lying” about her so-called friendship with Chris.Â
Stacey’s response? “Gizelle [is] lying too, because she clearly has a man.”
Gizelle Bryant clarifies if Shawn Springs is her boyfriendÂ
During the aforementioned Episode 5 dinner, Gizelle had done little more than clarify that Shawn was someone she was dating, but not her “boyfriend,” before Ashley jumped in and redirected the conversation back to Stacey’s romantic life.
Following that small reprieve, later on, Stacey and some of the other ladies hurled the ball back in Gizelle’s court, at which point she finally divulged a few details about the nature of her relationship with the NFL vet.
RELATED:Â Gizelle Bryant Reveals Status With Shawn Springs Amid Claims He’s Her “Boyfriend”
“So, I realized I really need to be serious about my future and about a man,” Gizelle explained, before referencing her late father, Curtis Graves. “My father, before he passed, I remember one conversation that we had was like, ‘Look, you need to find a man that fits like a comfortable shoe.'”
Gizelle went on to confirm to the ladies that Shawn was, indeed, a “comfortable” fit, but remained coyly tight-lipped on whether they’d “had sex” and if he had met her three daughters, Grace, 20, and 19-year-old twins Adore and Angel Bryant.
“Actually, only one of my daughters, Grace, has met him,” Gizelle added in a confessional. “And she thinks he’s age appropriate and she thinks that he’s checking the boxes.”
As the drama plays out on RHOP, take a closer look inside Stacey and Gizelle’s tense confrontation in Nevis.
— Additional reporting by Stephanie GomulkaÂ
