For Ava Dash, Next Gen NYC Came Right On Time

Ava Dash is no stranger to reality TV. “I used to watch Bravo when I was a kid,” she tells Bustle. “Orange County and New York — I loved all of [the Housewives]. I thought they were all so uniquely themselves.” Now, as a cast member on Bravo’s latest show, Next Gen NYC, she’s hoping to follow in the OG Housewives’ footsteps. “They were so raw, and had no filter,” she says. “I just want to be my authentic self.”

She’s already had some practice. Although Next Gen NYC marks Dash’s first outing as a reality star, the 25-year-old model has been around cameras for years.

First, there was the time she spent on We TV’s Growing Up Hip Hop, which documented her life as the daughter of fashion designer Rachel Roy and record executive Damon Dash. Then there were her blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos in the Bravoverse, which started with an accidental appearance as Crystal Kung Minkoff’s babysitter on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, back in Season 11. (Dash wasn’t even expecting to be filmed, but was nonetheless spotted trying to corral Crystal’s 5-year-old daughter. “I’m chasing after her in the backyard being like, ‘Come back!’” she says of the scene.) Later, Dash briefly returned to RHOBH, this time as the girlfriend of Diana Jenkins’ son, Innis.

“I’ve seen on TikTok people are putting it together. Like, ‘Wait, that’s the same Ava.’” she says. “It’s funny how it’s just such a small world.”

Small world, indeed. Starring alongside Dash in Next Gen NYC are a few children of Housewives — and they’re just as eager to step out on their own. “We are all genuinely trying to figure it out,” she says of the Gen Z cast. “Being happy and being successful and having independence, and getting to make a name for yourself — or come out of the shadows of our families.”

Below, Dash opens up about the new show, dating, and how she manifests her next move.

You’ve been on reality TV before. What made this the right time to return to that world with Next Gen?

The fact that the cast was actually people I was really close with made it something that I was very excited about. After we filmed the sizzle reel, and I literally had the best time, I was like, “Wait, I can do this — and get paid for it. We need to make this happen.”

I had just moved back to New York from LA at that time, so I was very authentically discovering New York again as an adult. I think everything happens for a reason, and it was just the perfect time.

On the show, your dad asks if your friends are all “trust-fund babies.” He seems to really value work and entrepreneurship. Is that something you’re conscious of while hanging out as a group — that some of the cast might be more hustle-oriented than others?

We all have our different things that we’re passionate about. But I think this show does a good job of showing our career and us actually hustling and putting our best foot forward. There’s certain people that are less, I don’t know, “boots on the ground.”

You come off as one of the real professionals of the group — but I also love the juxtaposition when you ask your dad, “Do we have health insurance?” It’s such a real and funny encapsulation of being in your 20s. Do you ever have those moments when you feel like you’re still a kid?

Yeah, [I feel like] I’m a teenager. I’m still 17. It’s so weird that I’m 25, I’m like... help? I turned 25, my dad’s like, “So you’re 30.” I’m like, “No, I’m not!”

I’m very spontaneous, and I’m not necessarily a planner. I am a huge manifester. I definitely have goals in my head, but no idea how to reach them at all times. And that’s OK.

Do you have a go-to manifestation practice?

Oh my gosh, yes. There’s so many different things that I do to tap into it. I love saging, and my crystals. I love journaling, putting on the frequencies, having some alone time, and Pinterest boarding. Something I do with my dad a lot — and my mom, too, but on the show I do it with my dad — [is] where we sit down and he’s like, “OK, so what do you want to do for yourself this year? Let’s plan out the next three months.” And I’m like, “Oh, I can’t plan.” And he’s like, “No, seriously, what’s something you want to do?” And he’ll help me figure out steps to get there.

You met your boyfriend, Hook, through Charlie [Zakkour] — but in the latest episode, Emira [D’Spain] says that you and Charlie would be a good match. I know we’re only a few episodes in, but what is your take on that?

Yeah, it’s all silly. I think because we’re genuinely friends, some people are probably like, “Hm, can boys and girls really be friends?” But yeah, he did introduce me to my boyfriend. He invited us to a lunch, and we randomly sat next to each other and hit it off.

Georgia [McCann] touching your shoe stirred up a small controversy about hand-washing. Where do you stand on that?

I mean, I wash my hands. I have hand sanitizer in my purse. It’s New York — like, New York is dirty.

You’re in the middle of a busy press run. Is there anything about the show that you haven’t had a chance to talk about, but you’re excited for people to see?

I filmed a lot with my family, and that was my favorite part — just interacting with each other, and laughing, and people being able to see that dynamic of my dad with his little one-liners, and all the work that we do together as a family. I feel like people in the media like trying to tear families apart, but we’re a family that’s actually very, very close-knit, and it’ll be sweet to watch that play out.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.