Eva Marcille, Nivea, and Tammy Rivera Speak on Handling "Conflict" on 'Eat, Slay, Love' (EXCLUSIVE)
The friends said they unlocked a new level of sisterhood while filming the Peacock series.
Published Nov. 7 2024, 10:14 p.m. ET
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Eat, Slay, Love.
After a successful few seasons of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, Peacock has caught the destination bug again with Eat, Slay, Love. The series follows singer Nivea, model Eva Marcille, entrepreneur Tammy Rivera, and comedian London Hughes as they take time away from their hectic schedules to help Nivea celebrate her 42nd birthday in Vietnam.
In addition to Nivea's birthday, the women are on a quest to rejuvenate themselves, find new inspiration, and heal from heartbreak.
Though each cast member had the best intentions for a fun, drama-free trip, that wasn't the case. The three-episode series aired on Thursday, Nov. 7, showing London leaving the trip early after a blowup over cultural differences turned the trip upside down.
Fortunately, Eva, Tammy, and Nivea, three of Eat, Slay, Love's cast members, told Distractify they didn't allow the conflict shown in the series to affect their entire trip. Here's what they told us about the experience.
Eva Marcille, Nivea, and Tammy Rivera said the "conflict" on 'Eat, Slay, Love' was handled with "maturity."
Before Nivea brought Eva, Tammy, and London together for Eat, Slay, Love, they weren't close friends, though Eva, Tammy, and Nivea had mutual friends. However, nothing forces you to get acquainted quite like a trip overseas to celebrate a new friend's birthday.
The group trip initially went well, as the ladies bonded over Vietnam's beauty and commonalities.
While speaking with Distractify before the show's premiere, the cast said that their experiences as Black women in the industry allowed them to bond naturally during the beginning of the trip.
"What brought us together is that we are Black women, and there is a unity in that," Eva said. "There's a strength in that."
The America's Next Top Model alum also shared that she was able to be "more vulnerable" with her castmates than the reality vet has been on her previous shows. And with comfort can conflict, which viewers witnessed during the season.
However, Eva, Tammy, and Nivea shared that their handling of the conflict was indicative of the "maturity" they've gained through similar experiences.
"We all were able to pour into each other and from each other, yes, even in conflict," Nivea said, with Eva adding, "There's no utopia. So the question is, how do you deal with conflict?"
The cast shared that London's exit didn't ruin the "real sisterhood" they formed on 'Eat, Slay, Love.'
Eva, Tammy, and Nivea's ability to effectively help one another through conflict was something they put into action on Eat, Slay, Love. During the series premiere, Tammy and London found themselves forced to handle a dispute amongst one another. The drama began after London made several shady comments about Tammy's hometown, Baltimore, Maryland, where The Wire was filmed.
When Tammy told the comedian the area was where she grew up, she told her she was "so sorry."
Their issues intensified with an argument during the cast's dinner after London suggested issues some Black Americans face, such as poverty, crime rates, and "ghetto" areas, don't exist in Britain.
Her comments forced Tammy to yell at London, "How the f--- can you say that when you're not from the ghetto? You don't know those people's stories!"
The heated exchange caused London to walk away from the dinner and say she was "going home." And while she and Tammy decided to move forward when the group visited a temple, London ultimately decided to leave the trip early. The decision upset the rest of the group, especially Tammy who felt London hadn't taken "accountability" for her comments.
While London chose to protect her mental health by leaving the trip early, Eva, Nivea, and Tammy said they have no regrets about the trip; as Nivea noted, "Nothing was scripted."
They also feel they all learned from one another and formed authentic bonds that they plan to flourish off-camera.
"We were able to definitely find a way to braid and weave each other," Eva shared. "I feel like I took so much from each of the women, even London, who's not here today. And Nivea, who set this up, and my sister, Tammy."
Stream Eat, Slay, Love on Peacock.