Adriana de Moura says 'The Real Housewives of Miami' hit its 'sweet spot' in season 5, but it took 'twists and turns' to get there.
No mojito, no problem! Adriana de Moura, an OG star of The Real Housewives of Miami, might still be a "friend of" in season 5, but she's bringing plenty of fire along with her. And "Fyah" (her new single).
"I think this season might be the best season yet, because I think we reach that sweet spot that you want for every cast," she muses to ET over video chat. "I think this is a season of twist and turns, and so many surprises and revelations that have never been revealed before in past seasons. So, yeah, there is a different dynamic that is developing between castmembers, OGs and newbies, and I think the newbies find their voice in a way, also, and contribute more to be a part of the drama."
"Overall, I think it's an epic season," she adds, noting she believes her BFF, Julia Lemigova, to be the season 4 addition who most stepped up her game in season 5.
"I’m proud to say that Julia found her voice the most," she remarks. "It's just blooming into a beautiful flower."
Julia's got a bit of an adversary, at least to start, in Larsa Pippen, who labeled her a "weirdo" on social media between seasons 4 and 5, after Julia kept chiming in -- in the comments section -- in defense of Adriana, who also spars with Larsa. It's all part of a pact Adriana says the two made when RHOM returned after an eight-year hiatus.
"When [Julia] first came in, and I was like, 'Just make me a promise: whatever happens, let’s not let this ruin our friendship,'" she recalls, "because that’s No. 1, and we stuck to our promise to each other -- but she also understood what it takes to not let people run all over you and make your mark."
Adriana calls Larsa's "weirdo" comments -- yes, more come up in the first few episodes of season 5 -- as "not nice," but they didn't deter her from wanting to move forward with her season 4 foe. She pulls out a literal olive branch as an offering to wipe their slate clean, after making a number of comments about Larsa's appearance and social status last year. She also didn't respect her co-star's request to not discuss certain figures in her life, namely one-time close friend Kim Kardashian's then-husband, Kanye West. Adriana claimed to have seen the controversial rapper's manhood at an event years prior, a story she repeated a few times, much to Larsa's chagrin.
"You know how hard it is to find an olive branch in Miami?!" Adriana exclaims. "I had many palm branches, but an olive branch? It wasn't an easy task, but I found one."
"I've had fun with Larsa and we started season 4 on a good foot, and then that went with down with the whole Kanye West comment -- which I didn't really think it was a big deal -- but it became a big deal," she continues. "Anyway, long story short, I made a promise during the [season 4] reunion that I wasn't going to mention that anymore, anything Kardashian-related, and I kept my promise. So that helped us get back on a better place."
Whether they stay in a better place remains to be seen; Adriana hints at "some ups and downs" to come in season 5.
"I'm trying to stay on a positive trend with her," she professes, "but there are moments where I still have to stand my ground, or I have to defend my friend, and those are contentious times."
Things get contentious for Adriana and some of the other OGs this season, too, notably Alexia Nepola (née Echevarria); the trailer for the season shows the two going at it over an allegedly "slanderous" comment Alexia made, seemingly about Adriana.
"A longtime lasting friendship sometimes can have its trials, and I think slander is one of them -- and I just don't take slander lightly," she shares, before confirming something Marysol Patton told ET about the upcoming episodes: there's some sort of OG breakup by season's end.
"I left the season very disappointed at some OGs," she offers, but won't name names. She does rule out Lisa Hochstein, though, who's an OG by legacy -- she wasn't on season 1, but joined in season 2 and is now the longest-serving cast member with full-time Housewife status on RHOM. She definitely earns her mojito this year, laying it all out there as her "dream life" turned into a nightmare when her husband, plastic surgeon Dr. Lenny Hochstein, asked her for a divorce somewhat out of the blue -- and on camera.
"It was heartbreaking to watch her go through that, and knowing exactly what she was going through, because I had gone through that not too long before," Adriana says, referencing her 2020 split from husband of 10 years Frederic Marq. "But having been there and gotten to the other side, just to let her know, you're gonna be OK, you're gonna come out stronger and happier. It's hard to see that when you're just in the middle of the divorce, and you have so much that you just lost, so it's just keeping that perspective and saying, 'I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you're gonna come out of this OK."
Adriana says it was "very nice" to see the group rally around Lisa; while they might not agree on much, they all agreed to support their friend during this time.
"It feels so good to realize that humanity in us all, you know?" she says. "You can have it all, and the next minute have nothing ... that is a very humbling experience, and very in unifying experience."
Part of Lisa's support system in season 5 if a blast from the past: OG Housewife Lea Black. The "mayor of Miami," as she was known in the series' first three seasons, pops by for a cameo to counsel her pal, a surprise to much of the cast, who found out about the moment when the trailer debuted at BravoCon. The sight of Lea hit Adriana especially hard, seeing as the two were incredibly close in the early days of RHOM, but fell out over the course of season 3.
"Lea, I know she would be the person that she would jump in and be there and help and give advice," Adriana admits. "That is very much who she is. So, I wasn't surprised to see it, but I was like, 'Oh, nice... I didn't know.'"
"Still one of my biggest regrets when it comes to Housewives was the loss of our friendship," she laments, "because I really care for Lea, and our boys were so close, and still! So much so that just recently her son turned 21, and then they had a party, and she invited my son. So, they were together, reminiscing their little boys' childhood moments, and now they're grown-up. And so, I sent her an email-- I mean a text message, thanking her for including Alex, and she says, 'We love Alex. He's such a great guy, positive influence on R.J. We love him,' so it's like, how can you not love somebody when you love their kid? That's who they are at the end of the day."
Adriana "hopes" that text exchange opens the door for a more formal reconciliation for her and Lea, which could make a potential season 6 must-see TV. Until then, there's a lot of season 5 to watch -- and Adriana's especially exited for the fans to see her musical endeavors for the first time on screen.
"A lot of people didn't know that the theme song is my song," Adriana points out, referencing "Feel the Rush," the dance track with Miami-themed lyrics that plays underneath the cast's taglines at the top of every episode.
"I never put it front and center in any other season, previous season," she continues. "So it's nice to be able to show that musicality, and then the fun that it is, you know?"
Adriana dropped her latest single, "Fyah," near the end of season 4; this season, cameras follow her as she organizes a music video for the song, starring her co-stars. Well, at least some of them.
"I invited everybody, every single one, to the video," she explains. "Some people said, yes, some people said, no ... some people said, maybe, but then didn't show up to the rehearsals, creating some problems there. So, the video, it became something quite interesting to watch."
And some... asked for money!
"Some even mentioned that," Adriana confirms. "You'd be surprised. I was like, 'Oh, well, we don't have the budget. You have to do this as a work of love."
The Real Housewives of Miami returns to Peacock with four all-new episodes on Thursday, Dec. 8, with new episodes debuting on Thursdays.
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