'The Real Housewives of Dubai' new season 2 star all set to show the world what 'women in the Middle East bring to the table'

Earlier this month, Taleen Marie, 36, took to her social media to share the big news — becoming the newest member to join the cast of the much-loved show The Real Housewives of Dubai (RHOD) Season 2. The announcement that sent social media into a tizzy, took place at BravoCon, essentially considered the ‘Super Bowl’ of Bravo – the network that airs RHOD and all the other franchises.

“It’s definitely overwhelming but I’m very excited. Surrounding myself with family and close-knit friends is helping me stay calm and get prepared for the world to see me,” Marie tells Khaleej Times, in her first official interaction ever since the big announcement.

“I’m getting a lot of phone calls and messages from people who went to high school with me and random, distant cousins. I’m thinking, ‘Are you sure we’re related?’" (laughs)

The new ‘housewife’ to join the group, Marie is a proud mum of two, happily married and a successful entrepreneur based in Dubai, who moved to the city almost 10 years ago, for love. “It's been quite a journey,” says Marie. “My husband [Rafael Khanoyan] had been living here for about 20 years. We connected through family and initially met in the States,” says the 36-year-old, who, at the time, was residing in Los Angeles (LA), working in the music industry.

Originally hailing from Armenia, Marie was born and raised in Northern Virginia, US, and moved to LA at the age of 17. “For two years, we maintained a long-distance relationship. Rewind to 10 years ago, we got married, and I made the move to Dubai.”

Move to the 'city of opportunities'

Ever since her move, the city has provided her with ample opportunities. “The opportunities here are bigger than anywhere else in the world,” says the Armenian-American. “The convenience and quality of life are much better. I’ve been thriving ever since. Additionally, having kids — I have two children — makes Dubai the safest place in the world. It’s truly the greatest place to raise a family.”

Marie, who wears the multihyphenate tag with immense pride, is not only a mum, a fitness expert and an entrepreneur, but is also one of the founding shareholders and creative advisory board members for the well-adored beauty brand, Ctzn Cosmetics.

Family's reaction

When asked how her husband and children took to the news of her venturing into the complex world of reality TV, she responds, “Initially, my husband was very cautious. He’s been in this region for 20 years, and his family has a good reputation out here. A lot of these shows can bring out the worst in people, so he was a little apprehensive.”

“But he’s also such a showman. He’s very entertaining himself. So, he jumped right into it and by the end of it, he loved it. I had to say, ‘Alright, relax, Mr Hollywood,’” she added, saying that her two daughters, Gabriella and Sienna, were also easy with the news.

Choosing whether or not to put her children on the show, however, was a crucial decision for Marie. “I was nervous to put my kids out there because I would never want to exploit my children in any way. Being a mum is my number one priority and they’re very young, Gabriella is four and Sienna is two. So, I couldn’t fully explain this to them.”

However, considering motherhood to comprise significant part of who she is, Marie found it necessary to showcase that side of her life on the show and ‘keep it raw, real and unfiltered’. “Being a mum is a huge part of my life. It was an opportunity for me talk about what I’ve been through and how I became a mother, which was a really difficult process in itself. I knew many mothers would be able to connect with my story,” she adds.

Journey to motherhood

Before becoming a mum to Gabriella, Marie experienced three miscarriages and when she finally became pregnant with her, she had to undergo an emergency C-section, early on in her third trimester. She also experienced severe postpartum depression and anxiety. “It was an uphill — and at the time, what felt like a very lonely — battle.”

What came to her rescue through the turmoil was finding solace in fitness training. “When I moved to Dubai, I shifted my focus towards fitness, gaining traction on social media by running women-tailored boot camps,” she adds. “I made it my mission to help women through fitness, to regain their identity and strength and get through challenging times.”

“It’s a significant part of my brand and who I am, and I want people going through similar journeys to feel heard and seen.”

“I didn’t want to just go on the show to show off or become famous, I went with a purpose. It’s a platform at the end of the day, and I just want to be able to connect with people,” says Marie.

The 'reality' of reality TV

What attracted her towards the show was how eclectic the cast was, she adds. “Dubai is essentially known for being a melting pot of different races and cultures. And the cast represents that beautifully. So, I thought I’d be able to bring in that American-Armenian side to the show. So, it all just aligned perfectly,” says Marie, who will be filling in the place of Nina Ali, who announced her departure from the series following season 1.

Though Marie has had prior exposure to the entertainment industry and is used to being in the spotlight, filming for season 2, which ended in May, earlier this year opened up a whole new world for her. “Initially, I was nervous about the fact that there would be cameras and crew around us all the time,” she admits. “I wondered how will I truly be myself with all the cameras around?”

But her apprehension changed very quickly. “When there’s a crew filming at your house for eight hours straight, you tend to forget that they’re even there, or that you have a mic on you and there are these cameras around. You’re just there, living a normal life with your family,” she adds. “And I’ve been around cameras before, so I wasn’t a deer in the headlights. It came naturally to me.”

Scripted or unscripted?

While the term ‘reality TV’ suggests unscripted, real-life situations, many reality shows involve some degree of scripting and production planning and can sometimes get flak for being “too scripted”. Going into the shoot for RHOD, the influencer admits she did think there would be some degree of scripting involved but she was quickly proven wrong. “I’m here to set the record straight, it is not scripted one bit,” she adds.

“The scenarios are obviously set up to a certain degree. Let’s say you have an argument with somebody. The last thing you want to do in real life is to have lunch with them the next day. But on the show, you’d probably have to go for that lunch because the makers want to keep the storyline moving forward,” says Marie.