'Haus of Vicious': 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Tami Roman's BET Show

When Basketball Wives star Tami Roman introduced her new television series Haus of Vicious, social media buzzed with anticipation. And now that the show is finally here, fans can’t seem to get enough of it.

What is ‘Haus of Vicious?’

Haus of Vicious is a BET original television show directed by Living Single alum Kim Fields. The series includes eight episodes starring Tami Roman as main character, Chantel Vivian. Vivian is a fashion designer navigating the competitive New York City fashion industry. And as if being a top designer isn’t hard enough, Vivian must fight to protect her reputation as well. Her “success is overshadowed by her narcissistic husband, addiction, unresolved childhood traumas, and dysfunctional personal life.”

Each week, fans tune in to watch as Haus of Vicious covers several themes, from infidelity to drug addiction. The series garnered a large fanbase and has since become the topic of conversation on social media.

Haus of Vicious earned much success, however fans of Tami Roman know that this isn’t her first rodeo. In fact, the Basketball Wives cast member stays booked and busy.

She hosts Caught in the Act: Unfaithful, a popular VH1 reality television series that helps victims of infidelity seek justice for their broken hearts. She also stars as Denise Ford on The Ms. Pat Show, and London Duncan on Carl Weber’s The Family Business — two TV series on BET+.

Not to mention, she made her reality television debut on the MTV franchise The Real World. And later returned for their ‘Homecoming’ spinoff in Los Angeles and New York.

Haus of Vicious is the drama series we didn’t know we needed. From murder to drug relapse, the TV show is as real as it gets. Even better, the series is just getting started. Can’t get enough Haus of Vicious? Here are five interesting facts about the show that you probably didn’t know:

Director Kim Fields is serious about her craft

In an interview with Urban Bridgez, the Haus of Vicious cast talked about their experiences working on the show, including with legendary actress Kim Fields. Erica Peeples, who plays Jaelyn, reveals what it feels like to work with Fields. 

“Kim Fields is a beast.” She says, revealing that Fields was “very specific” about how the process should run. “She knew the script in and out. She was writing scenes on the set as we were going, coming up with creative ideas.”

And as a skilled actress, it’s no surprise that Fields was just as committed to the talent as she was to the script.

“She made me a better actress. She taught me some things that I didn’t even know I could do.” Peeples says, later adding that she allowed her “to be completely vulnerable and feel safe.”

The show is all about sisterhood

Haus of Vicious may be a BET drama, but the series is all about sisterhood behind-the-scenes. The show is directed and produced by women and its majority female cast had a lot to say about it.

Tiffany Black, who plays Raven, explained the dynamic on set. “It was so much fun. And then you just meet more people that you love.” She says, adding that she also learned an important lesson from being on set. “I’ve learned a lot about just saying ‘yes’ to people that you care about because it’s only going to lead you to more things that you love.” 

Kayla Eva, a.k.a. Dayna, agrees, comparing her experience working on previous television sets. “OMG, how refreshing. I felt so protected. I felt like the women had my back. I was just like…it was comfortable.” 

It's based on parts of Roman's life

In an interview with Madamenoire, Tami Roman talked about the series, including the similarities between her and the character she plays on the show, from her experience with loved ones battling drug addiction to overcoming unhealthy relationships. “That’s what acting is.” She says. “It’s people watching and pulling from every experience you have so that you can provide the right emotion for the character.”

She recalls the relationship she had with her mother and how it shaped her today. “My mother was a disciplinarian. She worked three jobs and she was a single parent. She was very hard on me in the aspect of learning quickly on how to navigate life because nobody gives you anything.” She reveals. “So in trying to bring that to life with Chantel, that aspect was very easy to do.”

The show has a message for its fans

In an interview with EURweb, Tami Roman discusses Haus of Vicious and the message she hopes fans take away from the show.

“I want women to look at Chantel and find their strength.” She says, noting how Chantel starts to want better for herself after struggling in a toxic relationship.

“And we as women have to start demanding that for ourselves in real life, because a lot of us settle. So here again, we have all of the characters going through some really deep, dark things, but it’s the recovery that will come over the episodes and over the season that I want people to be able to take that message away.”

Lyric Anderson killed her audition

Tami Roman enlisted her daughter Lyric Anderson to play Tia in Haus of Vicious. And in an interview with EURweb, Roman calls out fans who point to nepotism as the reason for her casting. 

“I begged her to audition, but she still had to audition. And she went in there and she did what was needed for the character of Tia. All of the producers and the writers signed off on her.” She says.

Still, Roman doesn’t see anything wrong with helping loved ones. In fact, she encourages many in the Black community to do the same.

“I think the African American community is the only culture that when people are successful, we look at it as a downtrodden thing to elevate, help assist people in our family.” She starts. “Other races and nationalities, when they get on, nobody says anything about so and so’s daughter, so and so’s cousin, so and so’s auntie, somebody’s working in makeup. Nobody says anything about that, but the minute we do it’s like she only got the role because her mom was the EP. And I just want to provide some clarity to that. She got the role because she’s talented and she worked to be here and she did everything that was required. And if she did get the role because I’m her mama, what is wrong with helping uplift your family?”