‘Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard’ stars Jasmine and Silas Cooper on breaking into reality TV, sharing their experience with the world

Jared Alexander
·4 min read
2

The brand new series is the first all-Black cast in Bravo’s popular “Summer House” franchise.

Reality TV fans are in for a treat! “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” has officially made its debut on Bravo, and theGrio caught up with series stars Jasmine Ellis Cooper and Silas Cooper, breaking down their involvement in the series, portraying their first year of marriage on reality TV and what fans can expect from this brand new series.

Among the cast of “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” are Jordan Emanuel, Amir Lancaster, Jason Lyke, Shanice Henderson, Summer Marie Thomas, Bria Fleming, Nick Arrington, Alex Tyree, Preston Mitchum, Jasmine Ellis Cooper and Silas Cooper. (Photo by Stephanie Diani/Bravo)
Among the cast of “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” are Jordan Emanuel, Amir Lancaster, Jason Lyke, Shanice Henderson, Summer Marie Thomas, Bria Fleming, Nick Arrington, Alex Tyree, Preston Mitchum, Jasmine Ellis Cooper and Silas Cooper. (Photo by Stephanie Diani/Bravo)

“SH:MV” lands as an official spin-off of the popular “Summer House” series, swapping the Hamptons location in the main series for Martha’s Vineyard. The show also stands apart by featuring an all-Black friend group, while “Summer House” began with an all-white cast, and has slowly added cast members of color as the years have gone on. Premiering right after “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” on Sunday, the first episode introduced viewers to this fabulous friend group filled with entrepreneurs, models, influencers, attorneys and more with one thing in common: plans to have the summer trip of their lives in Martha’s Vineyard.

The renters of the sharehouse and the glue keeping the group together are the couple Jasmine and Silas, who already are calling the experience, “a crazy ride.” Jasmine, a screenwriter, and former Playboy Club Bunny, said, “Our first year of marriage…one for the books! There has been so much happening in our personal lives and to be able to share that with you all, with our friends, on a platform like Bravo is kind of incredible. We keep pinching ourselves because it’s just like, ‘Is this happening?”

Jasmine Ellis Cooper, a “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” co-star, called it a privilege to vacation on the island. (Photo by Stephanie Diani/Bravo)
Jasmine Ellis Cooper, a “Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” co-star, called it a privilege to vacation on the island. (Photo by Stephanie Diani/Bravo)

“It’s one thing to live in it and it’s another thing to watch it back,” Silas, a first-generation Liberian American who works in finance, reflected. “We’re ready for just the rollercoaster of emotions that are gonna come with watching it … the world is getting to see our photo album of our first year of marriage.”

The couple also detailed the role Martha’s Vineyard plays in the series as a whole and how grateful they are to showcase the vacation destination on the national stage, especially one so entrenched in African American history. “We stand on tall shoulders,” Jasmine explained. “We definitely don’t want to gloss over the privilege it is to not only vacation there but to kind of open it up to the Bravo world and beyond. It’s a huge honor.”

“It’s multigenerational but it also has space for you to create your own chapter here of your life story, of your story out here on Martha’s Vineyard,” Silas said. “We hope the audience gets to see that and live that with us!” Jasmine added, “Martha is the 13th cast member!”

While the couple has enjoyed hosting friends on vacation for years, the reality TV series offered a new opportunity for Jasmine and Silas to curate a perfect group to head to the vineyard with. “When Bravo came to us about it, it really was just for me, selfishly, who can I match on a date? Who is going to enjoy this process this time around with cameras?”

Series co-star Silas Cooper said “everything happened organically” during the vacation. (Photo by Stephanie Diani/Bravo)
Series co-star Silas Cooper said “everything happened organically” during the vacation. (Photo by Stephanie Diani/Bravo)

“That was the criteria we went off of,” she continued. “We didn’t know Amir (Lancaster), but any chance to expose someone to the gem that is Martha’s Vineyard, we’re going to hop on that. Who is ready to have fun, and who is going to be themselves as much as possible still with cameras in every room?”

Teasing what fans can expect for the rest of the season, Silas said, “We know our friends are dope, but being in the house and being concentrated, we get to really see it!” Jasmine added, “We are in our late twenties to late thirties and there are a lot of milestones and changes that we are all still going through … from the parties we threw from the drama that happens, everything happened organically.”

“Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET after “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” on Bravo.

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