Monique Samuels Opens Up About Her First Season as a 'Housewife'

AOL.com:

How are you holding up as your first season as a Housewife winds down?
I'm good! The thing I love about this is that I'm being me -- I'm being who I am, which makes it so I don't have to put too much energy into it. I'm just living my life, so it's been pretty easy. It's been a fun ride, and I'm enjoying it. I come from a family that loves to laugh and make light of everything. So, you're paying me to clown people and be shady and all of that? This is right up my alley!

Was there anything that you were anxious about heading into the season, though?
Initially, I was concerned with whatever perception viewers would get of me, and [I was] hoping they'd consider me in a more positive light and see me for who I really am. I've seen other reality shows where they take things and spin them, so that was the one thing I was concerned about. But I spoke with my husband [former Washington Redskins star, Chris Samuels] and he said, "Listen, don't worry about things that are outside of your grasp. Just do whatever you can do and take it from here and own whatever you need to own."

What about Chris and the kids? How are they handling being on the show?
It's been really good! My kids, man, you would've thought that they'd come out of the womb with cameras on them. [Laughs] They act like the cameras aren't even there! My daughter smiles at them and waves, and my son is like, "Can I go back downstairs with the dudes?" My husband has obviously been on camera before, and he's enjoying it. The same way that I think it's fun, he thinks it's fun.

Talk to me about the tense scene with Chris' mother, during which you had a heated war of words. What do you think of how that played off on TV?
No, my mother-in-law and I normally don't exchange words like that. That particular time, for whatever reason -- because the cameras were there -- she got really exited and was like, "I'm going to show her up!" She kept coming back to everything I said with something competitive. I was like, "Really?" She does this to all of her daughter-in-laws, but she took it to another level [that time]. I tried my best to remain calm and handle the situation.

It was very ugly, and one day my kids will see their grandmother calling their mother a "heffer." I'm not really concerned about it, but the concern I do have is that they're not going to have the relationship that they should have [with her] because of her. It was definitely disappointing, but we live, we learn and we move forward.

RELATED:  Monique Samuels and Gizelle Bryant's Feud Continues in 'RHOP' Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)