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Candice Roach Talks “Hustle & Soul”

NY native/bartender Candice Roach is back for another season of WE TV’s “Hustle & Soul.” For season 2 of the hit culinary docu-series centered around Brooklyn’s Pink Tea Cup restaurant, Candice wants to give fans a glimpse at her real life outside of constant staff drama and sometimes violent behavior.

Below the spirited starlet tells Bossip all about the new season and shockingly reveals that she almost didn’t return to reality TV.

Did viewers get to see the real you on season 1?

“I think you guys did, there was some tweaking going, and I really didn’t know what was going on and that was a gift and a curse so audiences were getting my natural reaction. I think everybody else knew what was going on and had a game plan but I didn’t. I was like a deer in headlights. So every reaction from season 1 is all natural, all very authentic, it was very pure. I didn’t really understand reality television, I thought reality television is really reality. I thought everything was 100% real, I was very green. The audience got me, everything I did was raw and authentic but they did edit it to make a story.

We read somewhere that you weren’t expecting the violence that went down in season 1.

“When we were working on the sizzle, we all were told that there would be drama but specifically we were told that there was supposed to be no physical violence. I really grabbed onto that, the executives at the production company said WE TV doesn’t want violence. I said ‘Okay, I’m not a physical person anyway’ but the very first day that we shot,[in the] second scene it got physical. I was really shocked. I was extra shocked that I got hit because I don’t touch anybody in my real life. It threw me off, I was not expecting that at all.”

Via Candice Roach

What made you sign on for season 2 after we saw what happened on season 1?

“What people don’t see is that sometimes when things don’t go accordingly behind the scenes, they stop shooting and we have meetings. After I was attacked the first time we had a meeting; executives, Vice Presidents, CEOs from the production company came down to The Pink Tea Cup and we had a real authentic meeting. And they said, ‘Listen, it’s not supposed to get physical again.’ And I was prepared to walk away [but] after that was established, I decided to continue on with the show and I never got attacked again in season one.

Season 2 I was not going to come back but then they had another meeting and they offered me more of everything and they told me they wanted to portray me in a certain type of light season 2. Season 1 was really hard for me because I didn’t know what was going on. I wanted to redeem myself–I have pink hair! I’m the type of person if people to try to knock you, you gotta come back ten times harder. I would never wear pink hair in my regular life but because I feel like season 1 was so hard for me, I felt like because they’re giving me more of everything, I”m gonna come back stronger, different and extra. Let’s give this a second try.”

Via Candice Roach

What’s your relationship like with your cast members?

I don’t speak or see Ana, Lawrence or Thandi. Me and Sana are friends on and off the show, that’s my baby I love her. Me and the twins we’re real cool and there’s also two new cast members and we’re cool.

What do you want people to learn about you?

“This season I gave a lot of my personal life, I brought my real family on the show, I brought my mom, on the show, I brought my sister on the show, I let it all bare. Things that are very sentimental, issues I’ve had unresolved for years, I let it all hang out. I’m the only cast member that didn’t shoot inside of the Pink Tea Cup this season. I wanted to bring it around, that’s why I opened up my life. I decided to open up my life to my personal side and allow the viewers to see some of the broken sides of Candice so they can see why Candice acts the way she does and why she’s silly the way she’s silly, and why she tries to crack jokes all the time because there are things that are not always so happy in her life and it pertains to my family.”

Tune in tomorrow Thursday, March 22nd at 10pm ET/PT to see Candice and the rest of the cast of WE TV’s “Hustle & Soul.”

Hit the flip for pictures from the Hustle & Soul” premiere.