Married to Medicine Houston
Married to Medicine Houston reality stars are revealed in dramatic way
For months, rumors have swirled about just who exactly are the women who will star in Married to Medicine Houston. Now, Bravo has revealed them, along with a dramatic video touting the reality series that premieres on November 11 in back-to-back episodes, before settling into its regular slot at 8 pm Fridays (see the video below).
While there are five stars, Cindi Harwood Rose, the mother of The Bachelor Season 9 villainess Erica Rose and the wife of famed plastic surgeon Franklin Rose, is a featured player, and from the sneak peek, seems to know how to keep the action going. "I am part African-American," Rose tells a surprised Ashandra Batiste in the video.
Rose's dubious boast notwithstanding, the cast is diverse — one of the most diverse casts Bravo has ever had — and the stars seem accomplished, so we're kind of wondering why they would agree to do this (must be the chance at TV reality fame). As in most reality shows, each star is pegged to provide a certain role (the fun one, the serious one, the bitch, the saint, etc.). Here's what we can ascertain in revealing the cast:
Monica Patel: The Ready-To-Get-Married One
Occupation: Quadruple board certified cardiologist.
Training: After receiving her bachelor of science degree in biology and chemistry at Houston Baptist University, Patel attended the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She completed an internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at the UTHealth McGovern Medical School in Houston.
Drama: As a first-generation Indian American raised in Houston, Patel comes from a very tight-knit and traditional family. But in the series, the glamorous cardiologist seems more concerned about getting her hunky boyfriend to propose.
Quote: "Say you're going to marry me right now," she shouts at him while she madly drives a golf cart and he holds on for dear life. "Say it! Say it! Say it!"
Erika Sato: The Conflicted One
Occupation: Cosmetic surgeon.
Training: With a doctorate of medicine from the University of Missouri – Columbia, Sato completed her general surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she also completed her plastic surgery residency. She now practices at the Houston Plastic Craniofacial & Sinus Surgery where she specializes in cosmetic surgery and breast reconstruction. Her husband is completing his general surgery residency.
Drama: Sato seems conflicted over whether to start a family.
Quote: "We're going to freeze the baby for one year, " she announces at a dinner party. She is also featured in another scene where she says, "I never wanted to be the trophy wife."
Ashandra "Shan" Batiste: The Happily Married One
Occupation: "Batiste is a feisty dental surgeon who will drill your teeth in six-inch heels," according to the Bravo website.
Training: Batiste graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and Howard University College of Dentistry. She her own dental practice, Elite Dental Wellness. She is married to a medical device sales representative. They are parents of a 3-year-old and Batiste's daughter, 10, from her previous marriage.
Drama: All seems happy with Batiste and her too-perfect-to-be-true husband, although she's not always so nice around her other reality colleagues, at one point threatening to take off her stilettos and "whip your ass."
Quote: When Batiste's husband is asking for something from her (sex, we think) four times a week, she responds, "What you're asking for I'm willing to give."
Elly Pourasef: The Google-able One
Occupation: Audiologist.
Training: Pourasef received her bachelor degree and doctorate in audiology at the University of Texas at Austin. She owns Memorial Hearing, a private practice in Houston. Her husband works in the automotive industry.
Drama: A first generation American, Pourasef moved to Houston from Iran at age 5 with her parents and younger sister. She also has an event-planning side business that caters to the Persian community in Houston. But the video preview shows her more concerned about gaining the respect of the other doctors.
Quote: "There is a hierarchy. I'm not as high up as some of the other doctors," she admits. At another point, she shouts, "Did I ever say I was a medical doctor?" And, to confirm her credentials, she says,"You can Google me."
Rachel Suliburk: The Social Climbing One
Occupation: Suliburk is a nursing student at Chamberlain College of Nursing. She is married to Dr. James Suliburk, a surgeon who works in Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at Ben Taub Hospital.
Drama: Bravo describes her as a "sassy Southern Belle" and as an "aspiring socialite." In the first episode, Rose enlists Suliburk to co-chair a charity gala but later offends her, causing a rift with Sato, who originally brought them together.
Quote: "Do not turn the situation on me."
See the Married to Medicine Houston video here:
