Entertainment
Tanya Sam From 'RHOA' Is So Much More Than Her Hibachi Grill — Although It Is Really Cool
The Real Housewives franchise has grown to be a pop culture phenomenon with a major impact on many businesses. But what about the people who aren't trying to sell products? They are few and far between, but Tanya Sam breaks the mold. So, who is Tanya Sam?
She joined Real Housewives of Atlanta as a "Friend of the Housewives" a few episodes into Season 11. With so many big personalities and part-time status, the viewers haven't had enough time to get to know Tanya. Not only that, but it's just impossible to see every part of anyone's personality on reality TV show. And with Tanya, there is just so much to share.
She is really bringing a lot to the table, minus the drama. Sure, she can stand up for herself when she needs to. Those tiffs with NeNe Leakes in Destin, Florida and in Tokyo, Japan come to mind, of course. However, Tanya isn't just starting drama for the sake of a storyline. That's just not her style. Tanya is one of those people who thinks that everyone can "win" at life. She is all about lifting others up and helping everyone achieve their goals. Unfortunately, this mentality doesn't get highlighted often on Real Housewives shows.
There is so much to Tanya Sam. These are just some of the things that the fandom needs to know about the newest Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member.
She Works In Technology
In a December 2018 interview with Page Six, Tanya explained how she started working in technology after being a nurse for ten years. She shared, "Then I started dating Paul, my fiancé, a serial entrepreneur — he went to Morehouse, got a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech — so he is like the quintessential tech genius geek."
Throught their relationship, Tanya learned so much about his line of work and she couldn't help being inspired. She shared, "He was building his third cybersecurity startup, him and his co-founder." She went on to explain, "And so as they were building that company I got more and more involved in building that company. So I say it was kind of like a real-life business school." That makes perfect sense.
Now, Tanya works for TechSquare Labs as its director of partnerships.
She Is From Canada
Tanya is not a native Georgia peach. On her official website, Tanya revealed that she was born in Toronto, Canada and that her parents are actually from Ghana and England. Before moving to Atlanta, she worked at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
She Is Engaged
Tanya is engaged to Paul Judge, but they are not planning a wedding any time soon. They are happily engaged and focused on their business ventures.
Even though Tanya is in no rush to tie the knot, she knew right away that Paul was the one for her. In a Jan. 31 interview with Bravo's The Daily Dish, Tanya revealed, "I met Paul, I was in Los Angeles, I was on Rodeo Drive with my sister, and we were shopping in Louis Vuitton and I saw this guy and he was super cute, something about him, I just looked at him and I looked at my sister and I was like, 'I love him.'"
She was super into him, but she was actually pretty shy, leaving her sister tot step up and make a move on her behalf. And, there's actually a Real Housewives tie-in here. Then, they ended up having drinks at Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant Villa Blanca with Paul and his friends.
Tanya concluded, "And then at that time I lived in New York and he lived in Atlanta so about five days later, he came to visit me in New York and that was kind of it... And now I look it, I'm like, oh my gosh, it's what, seven years later, it was kind of love at first sight." Which is a longer lasting love than most couples on reality TV.
She Is A Champion For Diversity
Tanya is very outspoken about the importance of inclusion for underrepresented demographics in general and in the tech industry. She has spoken about this at many events and in interviews.
She Has A Hibachi Grill In Her House
The Real Housewives of Atlanta viewers got to see the ladies argue over hibachi. Nevertheless, the fact that Tanya has a full-blown hibachi grill in the comfort of her own home deserves to be highlighted many times over.
In a Jan. 31 interview with Bravo's The Daily Dish, Tanya admitted, "It’s actually pretty amazing and it’s more useful than people think because you can find a lot of things to cook on a hibachi grill."
She also shared, "Drunk food on the hibachi grill is just amazing! Give me any excuse to host hibachi!" That's an invitation that any fan would want.
She Is Philanthropic
Tanya makes it a point to give time to causes that are important to her. Tanya wants to use her platform to raise awareness for charitable organizations. Taya has even hosted charity events in her own home, hopefully implementing her hibachi grill.
Tanya Sam is a strong woman who manages to get so much done even though she has the same number of hours in her day as everyone else. Now, we just need to see more of her on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
