Married to Medicine Houston

Married to Medicine Houston reality stars are revealed in dramatic way

Married to Medicine Houston cast, from left, Rachel Suliburk, Ashandra "Shan" Batiste, Elly Pourasef, Erika Sato, and Monica Patel.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

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:

Movie Review

The Devil Wears Prada 2 turns up the glamour but lacks substance

Photo by Macall Polay

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2.

When The Devil Wears Prada came out 20 years ago, it was a sensation for essentially two reasons: The showcase of the glamour of the fashion industry, and the performance of Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly. Streep’s withering glares, disdain shown toward Priestly’s subordinates, and delivery of several instantly iconic lines rightfully earned her an Oscar nomination.

Two decades later, the gang has come back together for The Devil Wears Prada 2, trying to recapture some of that magic. Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), freshly fired from her job at the fictional New York Mirror, is brought back into the fold at Runway magazine to be their features editor. Miranda is still in charge and as standoffish as ever, but Nigel (Stanley Tucci) welcomes her back with open arms.

Like everything else, Runway has had to change with the times, going mostly digital and having to kowtow to advertisers to keep the money flowing. That includes sucking up to Miranda’s former assistant, Emily (Emily Blunt), who’s now the head of the New York branch of Christian Dior. However, even Andy’s incisive writing and Miranda’s keen eye for the next fashion trend may not be enough to keep the magazine afloat.

The filmmaking team of director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna have also returned, and they have done a good job of keeping the tone of the original film without relying too much on nostalgia. Most of the main characters have aged/changed in reasonable and appropriate ways, and it’s initially fun to see them all interacting again. The fashion side of things keeps the film feeling high-class, even if most regular people can’t afford most of what’s on display.

The filmmakers have lots of ideas on how to update the characters for the modern world, but the follow-through on those ideas is not as great. Because there is no longer the same power dynamic between Andy and Miranda, Frankel and McKenna go in search of other conflicts, none of which work as well. The two-hour film ends up feeling like a bunch of individual scenes that are tenuously held together by the barest thread of a story.

Strangest of all, though, is the film’s treatment of Miranda. She remains somewhat imperious, but her influence has diminished in multiple ways. In trying to make her change with the times, including bowing to politically correct terminology, the film has neutered what made her such a great character. There is rarely a point where she feels in charge, and the story choices made because of that weaken the film overall.

In 2006, Hathaway was just barely out of her Princess Diaries phase, and she has gone on to become a major, Oscar-winning star with no fewer than five different films coming out in 2026. She remains the heart and soul of this film, and she elevates every scene she’s in. Streep is hamstrung by the changes in her character, but she still brings her unique presence to the role. Tucci remains a delight and has great chemistry with Hathaway, but Blunt is underserved by a role that keeps her apart from the others for large stretches and tethered to an annoying character played by Justin Theroux.

As with many sequels, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is enjoyable just because it allows fans to spend time with some favorite characters again. Even though the filmmakers don’t utilize those characters in ways that are as memorable as the first time around, the film is still a fun time at the theater that gives moviegoers a glimpse at a world many can only dream to be in.

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The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens in theaters on May 1.

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