Kenya Moore is unarguably one of RHOA’s most outspoken yet favorite peaches. Although she isn’t an Atlanta native and wasn’t with the franchise from the beginning, her name and over the top antics have become synonymous with the peach state. The 1993 Miss USA debuted on Real Housewives of Atlanta during Season 5 and has been a consistent force to be reckoned with ever since. Kenya is unlike any housewife on any franchise for numerous reasons. She is a culmination of several social contradictions, but it’s this rarity that keeps her in the public’s good graces even though she’s known to get her hands dirty from time to time.

Kenya Moore is as beautiful as she is smart. Unlike some of her cast mates, Kenya was officially crowned Miss USA, translating to viable proof that she aesthetically fulfills the commercial standard of a beauty. There are a few other housewives who have won beauty titles, but none as universally impressive as Miss USA. For Kenya to win this title in the 90s as a chocolate skinned model from Detroit, Michigan further speaks to her irrefutable physical beauty. For anyone tempted to dismiss the odds she was up against, can take a moment to Google “Miss USA” and try to find another queen with Kenya’s skin tone that grew up anywhere close to where she was born, and you’ll understand just how amazing she had to be to win that crown.

She Was Fabulous Before ‘RHOA’

The lethal combination of beauty and brains has served Kenya well throughout her life. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University majoring in Psychology with a minor in Communications. Knowing about her Psychology degree may have served some of her nemesis well in the cast, because Kenya rarely allows her cast mates see her sweat regardless of the stones hurled her way. Her pageant success took her from Michigan to Hollywood where she was the “it” girl in music videos with rap icons including Jay-Z, Tupac and Nas. It was Kenya’s physical beauty combined with her business savvy that landed her in some of the most memorable urban movies to date such as ‘Waiting to Exhale’ and ‘Deliver Us From Eva’. In addition to movies, Kenya’s career includes cameos on the sitcoms that shaped pop culture including, ‘Martin’, ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’, ‘Girlfriends’, ‘The Jaime Foxx Show’ and many more.

Kenya joined the cast of RHOA with more fame than the other cast members, except for Kandi, and she never let them forget it. Unlike Nene Leakes, Kim Zolciak, and Sheree Whitfield who used their Bravo vehicle to gain popularity and eventually become stars, Kenya entered the franchise with a recognizable name but most importantly an enviable face. This foundation allowed Kenya to rest on her laurels as opposed to fighting for attention in every scene. She simply allowed the cameras to find her and then gave them something to talk about. It could be this confidence that instantly earned Kenya the title of fan favorite, but she also had the wits and the intellect to come off the cuff with reads that were both intellectual and audacious. Whether it was bringing a scepter and a megaphone to the season six reunion, pointing out the inconsistencies in a synthetic wigs via the infamous, “You need to stop wearing hair from ‘Toys ‘R’ Us'”, or confronting Phaedra Parks about numerous affair rumors with Mr. Chocolate, Kenya has the kahunas to bring up the issues and the insults that the other peaches shy away from.

Kenya doesn’t engage in cat fights as often as the other women do but when she does, she goes for the jugular. In a recent interview with Carlos King, Kenya insisted she doesn’t start drama but when it comes to her, she finishes it. Her infamous line, “Don’t come for me unless I send for you,” rings true in the way she moves with the ladies on the show.

Fans offers Kenya more grace when she starts drama for a few reasons. The first is the fact that she is unapologetic in her approach. Unlike the other housewives, Kenya doesn’t flip-flop with her opinions. She’ll die on her rhetorical sword to prove a point. Whether she’s being questioned over convenient fall resulting in an ambulance trip to the hospital or defending her Kenya Moore haircare tribute in the midst of Marlo Hampton’s event, Kenya is going to stick to her story. She doesn’t look for validation from the other ladies which means she’d rather lead than follow in every situation.

Not Just Beauty, But Brains Too

Another reason she comes out on top with viewers is that her actions are never motivated by jealousy. This season, Kandi Burruss was enemy number one for the majority of the cast, simply because of her uninterrupted success. Kenya says she loves a smart beautiful girl and is known to praise cast mates who are about their business and their beauty. It was no surprise to see Kenya seated with Kandi and Drew Sidora as opposed to being cliqued up with Marlo and Sheree. “If you know me, I keep a dollars worth of dimes around me all the time,” Kenya answered Carlos King when he confronted her about the possibility of being jealous of another peach.

Kenya’s Past Pain Doesn’t Define Her Present or Future

If you are looking for her Achilles heel it could be her repeated dysfunctional relationships with men. While audiences are baffled at Kenya’s bad choices when it comes to the men in her life, her dysfunctional childhood offers a candid explanation for why she could struggle with intimate relationships. Kenya’s transparency in sharing the painful history with her mother, who denied giving birth to her, and a father that was unreliable at best is directly connected to her inability to secure a healthy loving relationship. RHOA audiences recall her struggling through a domestically abusive relationship with physical trainer Matt Jordan, after a foolish dalliance with entrepreneur Walter Jackson on her first season. Nothing compared to Kenya’s marriage to restaurateur Marc Daly with whom she is currently embroiled in a messy divorce.

Because she’s always been honest about her troubled early years, fans empathized with Kenya’s strong desire to be a mother and to have a family of her own. No one was shocked when it was revealed that the marriage was ending but seeing how ecstatic Kenya was to have her own beautiful baby girl and to finally be a mother, excused her poor judgment when it came to picking a Dad turned donor.

Kenya Serves Shade

It’s easy to assess why Kenya will always be the people’s champ when it comes to the RHOA cast or any other reality show she decides to grace with her presence. Yes, she is beautiful, and we all know how that measures up with viewers, but even more importantly Kenya doesn’t lead with her beauty she leads with her intellect. Her ability to throw strategic shade is only overshadowed by her fearless honesty. Her character hasn’t changed since she showed up as the first infamous star on RHOA in season five, and she has remained stoically consistent. A beautiful woman who knows who she is and has a thorough understanding of her value will always come out a winner. If her only areas of vulnerability are being a sucker for love and the desire for family, most of us won’t hold that against her because most of us have played the fool at least once or twice before.