Chanel Ayan Is the Best Thing To Come to Bravo

The Big Picture

• Chanel Ayan has one of the most memorable entrances in the franchise, always drenched in luxury wherever she goes.
• Ayan has shown that she’s not afraid to get into it with fellow housewives or shade her castmates, yet has displayed a rare level of vulnerability.
• Chanel Ayan has an important backstory that sheds light on the mistreatment of women in her culture, which is important to highlight on reality TV.

She’s a supermodel, a devoted wife, a loving mother, and exceptional television. The minute Chanel Ayan came on screen, a reality star was born. One of the most well-rounded Housewives the Real Housewives universe has seen, Ayan has proven that she can be silly and oblivious one minute and in tune with reality the next. By sharing her difficult life story on the screen and finding herself in a situation where she has learned from her mistakes, Ayan has displayed a vulnerability many Housewives fans rarely see. With Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Dubai on the way, Ayan’s star will continue to rise. She may soon be Bravo’s biggest asset.

Bringing the luxurious life of living in the City of Gold, The Real Housewives of Dubai captures the desert heat as the women of the cast showcase their families, businesses, and extravagance on the screen. The first season had a lukewarm reception from longtime Bravo fans, but the biggest thing to come out of the newest Housewives franchise was the brilliant Chanel Ayan. An African-born supermodel, Ayan made a statement with her initial entrance onto the program, always bringing luxury to everything she does or wears. With a wardrobe most can only dream of, Ayan was the breakout star of the show, much to some of her costars’ chagrin. Using her platform to share her experiences and empower others, Chanel Ayan has captured the hearts of Bravo fans, rising toward the top of Bravolebrity favorites.

Chanel Ayan Is a ‘Real Housewives’ Enigma

It’s rare to throw the word enigma around in the Bravo Cinematic Universe. With the expansive reality show catalog the network is known for, there are certainly character types and personalities that pervade each series. But when it comes to enigmas on The Real Housewivesthere has truly never been anyone quite as special as Chanel Ayan. To arrive on screen in a divine gold garment, head rising from a sand dune, off for a photo shoot in the desert heat, no one has made an entrance quite like her. She’ll even remind viewers how special she is by sharing in confessional that she’s a badass bitch…in four different languages! She is the definition of what makes The Real Housewives of Dubai different from any of the other franchises.

For her tagline, Ayan says, “They don’t hate me because I’m beautiful. They hate me because they’re basic.” For someone whose wardrobe is straight out of a fashion designer’s studio, she can get away with a comment like that. Chanel Ayan is one of the chicest Bravolebrities in the entire universe. She dresses to impress. Regardless of how exuberant or over-the-top her attire may be, she is the talk of the town in all the best ways possible. No one gets dressed to the nines to go gold shopping — only Chanel Ayan!

Ayan is one of those people whose comments may come off shady, but they may just be lost in translation. Her intent is always well-meaning. Even when she is shading someone, it’s never said with ill-intent. Ayan is actually quite a funny personeven when she’s deliberately not trying to be funny. Ayan’s ability to find the playfulness and humor in her conversations make her someone you immediately want to be friends with. Her cadence and delivery kept the audience cackling, leading to some of the biggest highlights of the season.

Even in Fights, Chanel Ayan Comes out the Champion

No matter the iteration of the franchise, there are bound to be fights between the ladies. Chanel Ayan is no stranger to having beef with some of her costars during the first season of the franchise. To kick off the season, she and Caroline Stanbury did not see eye-to-eye. Coming from drastically different backgrounds and upbringings, the ladies had trouble finding a balance in their relationship. But what Ayan did, that many others seem to negate, is she used her battles with Stanbury as teaching moments for herself. Now, did she really not know that wearing a white gown to any sort of wedding event was not Kosher? That, we may never know. Leading into the next season, Stanbury and Ayan seem to be in a better place, but this is The Real Housewivesand friendships do tend to have expiration dates.

When it came to Caroline Brooksthe pair always got into disagreements simply because they couldn’t quite understand one another’s perspective on various situations. They are the type of friends who just happen to fight because they can recover from it afterward. Ayan, who is infamous for giving her friends giftsgave Brooks a pot of lemons. It was baffling to all, but the intention was to bury the hatchet regarding being bitter about not being invited to Stanbury’s bachelorette party. In an attempt to bring the mantra “make lemonade out of lemons” to life, the moment was met with amusement, but fans were certainly impressed by Ayan’s ability to try to improve the situation. As much as the pot of lemons was a nice gesture, nothing will ever compare to the gift she gave Lesa Milan and her family. RIP Miss Goat.

Chanel Ayan’s Story Is Important for Audiences To Hear

Ayan is quite open and vocal about her life experience, sharing her story with viewers when the opportunity arises. She has been with her husband, Luca Hellosince 1995. They have a son, Taj, together. Ayan is very proud and supportive of her son with a relationship that makes them look like best friends. She’s even ready to go off to college with him, which, of course, he will not allow. Dare we say, he’s a bit embarrassed of mom! Ayan’s joy of sharing her family with the world is a testament to the life she led. Ayan dove deep into her past, sharing that she is a survivor of her culture as her father not only attempted to sell her into a marriage, but at a very young age, she and her sister were forced to undergo female genital mutliation.

Ayan shares these stories with her costars and audience to help bring awareness to the awful things people in her culture, and around the world, have endured. Watching a woman like Ayan on a reality show like The Real Housewives of Dubaishows that never giving up and fighting for a free life is possible. What Ayan does beautifully is be a voice for people who may be afraid to speak out. If there are feathers, it must be Chanel Ayan. The impact that she has made on The Real Housewives of Dubai is massive. She is a breath of fresh air that marches to the beat of her own drum and dances to the rhythm in her mind. And because of that, fans love her! She may have been a queen in a past life, but right now, she is the Queen of Bravo!

Season 2 of The Real Housewives of Dubai is set to premiere on June 2nd. Season 1 is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.

Watch on Peacock