Next Gen NYC may only be two episodes into their second season, but the tea is already piping hot between castmates Ava Dash and Gia Giudice.
“Before the episode came out, and before she made some comments about me recently, we were so good and in the best place,” Ava, 26, told Us Weekly exclusively of her relationship with Gia, 25, on Wednesday, July 1. “We had just gone to the Bahamas, no cameras, just a complete friend trip [with] her family there. Her nonna was making us dinner, and we had gotten to a really, really good place, which I was so happy about.”
The season 2 premiere, which aired on June 24, saw the pair get into a tense discussion over Ava’s claim that Gia’s mom, RHONJ’s Teresa Giudice, unfollowed her on social media.
“To hear the recent comments she’s made about me was pretty hurtful and shocking,” Ava told Us. “It really took me by surprise. I’m still a little hurt about it, but I’m not gonna hold a big grudge. I’m not gonna do the same thing to her. It is what it is, I guess.”
The model is likely referencing Gia’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” interview last month, in which she referred to Ava as “nasty.”
“It came out of nowhere and it just seems very convenient. That’s why I thought the whole thing was very calculated because this wasn’t the first time Ava and I had seen each other,” Gia told hosts Evan Real and Danny Murphy of the drama between her and Ava. “She’s very aware of her image and how she would like to be perceived. Obviously, nobody likes bad press or bad attention. But, unfortunately that comes with this territory.”
Gia also blasted Ava with a backhanded comment, stating, “You could be nasty and still beautiful.”
While Ava told Us she goes through a “big friend transformation” in season 2 of the Bravo reality show, she still counts Charlie Zakkour, Brooks Marks and Emira D’Spain among her closest friends on the cast. (Notably, she’s also gotten closer with members of the Summer House cast in recent months, including Kyle Cooke, with whom she’s “having fun” this summer amid romance rumors.)
Rounding out the group of 20-somethings that make up the season 2 cast are Ariana Biermann, Riley Burruss, Georgia McCann, Shai Fruchter, Hudson McLeroy, Rowan Henchy, Liam Obergfoll and Kendall White.
Ava — who is the daughter of music mogul Damon Dash and fashion designer Rachel Roy — acknowledges that reliving friend drama each week as Next Gen NYC airs isn’t ideal, but she stays grounded with the help of her trusted inner circle.
“Hanging out with my friends and family is the best thing I can do,” she told Us. “Grounding myself, just hanging out with my mom and my best friends who are supporting me through filming, going back to them to watch it is really helpful and getting that support.”
Her parents are not strangers to public scrutiny, and have imparted some of their wisdom on Ava as she navigates the world of reality TV.
“Always to just be authentic and not try and, like, control any narrative,” Ava told Us of her parents’ advice. “Just be myself and also just not care what other people think. As long as I’m confident in my decisions and I am following my heart, then I can’t go wrong.”
Looking ahead, she told Us that fans can anticipate plenty of can’t-miss moments. “I’m honestly just so excited,” Ava teased. “There’s so much that happens this season, so I’m just like so eager to have everyone see it all and to see it all myself. I can’t wait.”
Next Gen NYC season 2 premiered on June 24. New episodes air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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