Sutton Stracke joined the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in season 10 as a "friend" and it was impossible not to notice her. The wealthy and stylish woman often had her own opinions about the drama that was happening, and she wasn't afraid to talk about it.
The reality star has a net worth of $2 million and turned heads this season when she and newcomer Crystal Kung Minkoff didn't get along pretty much as soon as they met.
While fans of the Bravo franchise have gotten to know Sutton, who was she before joining the world of reality TV? Let's take a look.
Sutton's Background
After being introduced to Sutton Stracke on last season of RHOBH, viewers saw Sutton being tough with Teddi Mellencamp, and it's fair to say that they didn't get along very well.
Sutton Stracke is described as a socialite from Georgia and according to Bravotv.com, she has a background in dance, which is really interesting to learn about. She was the Executive Director of the Augusta Ballet and the Director of Development at the Cunningham Dance Foundation. When Sutton was a young twentysomething, she relocated to NYC to pursue ballet dancing.
After marrying and divorcing Christian, who she was pals with when they were growing up, Sutton has a West Hollywood boutique called "SUTTON." She lives in Bel Air, California, and has three children: James, Philip, and Porter.
According to Bravotv.com, Sutton told The Daily Dish that she can see many differences between Los Angeles and Augusta, Georgia, where she was born and grew up. She said, "Oh my gosh. I mean, there's just so many differences. You can't even count. L.A. is much more fast-paced. It’s much bigger. There's many more walks of life in L.A. There's many more opportunities here. It’s a very cosmopolitan city." Sutton also explained, "I kind of always keep home inside my heart. And I keep home in the way I live."
Sutton shared in an interview with Decider.com that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had customers who shopped online via her boutique's website, and she also did a lot of online shopping during this time.
It's also worth noting that Sutton is also said to throw amazing parties: according to Slice.ca, there is a list called The Salonniere 100 that honors the "best party hosts in the U.S." and she was number 39 in 2015.
Life On 'RHOBH'
It's definitely a learning curve going from living regular life to starring on a reality TV show with cameras everywhere. Sutton told Bravotv.com that she considers herself a "big crybaby" and that out of all of the cast members, she tears up the most.
She said she realizes that she wasn't the softest, nicest person when she first joined the show: she explained that she "came in really strong" and that it might have been on purpose as "a protective measure." She shared that she became more comfortable sharing how she was feeling as time went on.
Sutton also said that remembering her manners and thanking people when they say something nice about her is also important.
It's interesting that Sutton joined RHOBH as a "friend," not a full-time cast member in season 10, and according to Us Weekly, Kyle Richards said that Sutton definitely would have been full-time but she was a "friend" because she didn't shoot enough personal life scenes to be given that title.
Sutton told Us Weekly that she didn't film any scenes with her three children, who are in high school. She said, “That was kind of one of the parts that kept me from filming as much as I would have liked this season. I mean I think I was full-time, we filmed a lot, but there was a chunk of my life that was missing. So hopefully next season we can see that."
For season 11, she is now considered a full-time housewife.
It's definitely true that during Sutton's first season of the show, she seemed a little harsh, and she didn't always look like she was as comfortable as the other cast members. She shared in an interview with Decider.com that while it seems that she's being portrayed as the villain in this season of RHOBH, she doesn't see it that way.
Sutton had an interesting perspective and explained, "I don’t think anybody’s really the villain. I think sometimes we speak our minds and maybe people, maybe a majority of the group disagrees with you. I don’t know if that’s being a villain."
Fans will have to watch the rest of season 11 of RHOBH to see how this plays out and if they agree that Sutton is a villain during these episodes.