Exclusive Interview with Shahs of Sunset’s Anita Gohari

Recently I discovered that Anita Golhari from the cast of Shahs of Sunset was a fan of Tamara Tattles. I was thrilled and immediately asked for an exclusive interview in order to get the scoop on her, her relationship with Reza and the other cast and of course her take on the whole GG confrontation in Vegas.  She also talks about her faith, the Herve Leger swimsuit and Reza’s mustache! Anita is an athlete that enjoys triathlons and staying fit for those fancy swimsuits she wears. She completed the Olympic Distance Nautica Malibu Triathlon and raised over 10 thousand dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She thinks she might be the only Iranian-American triathlete in the country.  That certainly explains her long lean body. Keep reading for the interview, after the jump and find out what question she pleads the fifth on!

TT: How did you wind up on the Shahs of Sunset in the first place?

AG: The director of the show had heard about me through the grapevine, and reached out to me through Facebook. I was reluctant at first, but after some coaxing I decided to take a chance, and here I am!

TT: How long have you known Reza? Where did you meet? Tell me something juicy about him!

AG: I have known Reza for years!  We met through a mutual friend and felt an immediate connection.  He is a loyal friend and we have each other’s backs. As for juicy.. I PLEAD THE 5th! LOL! I will tell you that Reza is super ticklish, and becomes powerless if you get him in the right spot!

TT: What do you do for a living?

AG: I’m currently in transition right now.  Up until recently I was working for an humanitarian organization called OmniPeace. My background is in fashion merchandising and that’s the environment I am most comfortable in. I also have a paralegal degree. I do occasional modeling work when I’m not training as a triathlete. I am also currently working on a side business with my little sister, but it’s still a secret–details soon to come!  In a nutshell, I know how to keep busy.

TT: What is your religious background?

AG: I am Sephardic Jewish which means that I come from a long line of Middle Eastern Iranian Jews. Some of our customs are different from European Jews, including foods, prayers and some of the ways that we observe holidays.

TT: What was your relationship with the other cast members like before going to Reza’s Vegas Birthday party? Had you spent much time with the group or were you mostly friends with Reza? Had you spent much time with GG and MJ before he trip?

AG: Having been born and raised in Ohio, I did not attend high school or college with the group, so I definitely don’t have the kind of history that, for example,  Reza and MJ have together. I would say my relationship was overall good with the cast before going to Vegas although I definitely felt the closest to Reza. I have spent the most time with Reza and through him have spent time also with MJ . My relationship with GG is the most recent.

TT: Were you surprised by GG being so confrontational with you? As a viewer it seemed to me that GG felt you had done something to threaten her in some way. I understand we don’t see everything. Was there anything that you feel you may have said or done to cause the argument? GG did not seem to own up to the things we witnessed her saying and doing on the show and yet you accepted her non-apology and gave her a clean slate. What is your relationship like now?

Yes, I was a little surprised that things ended up the way they did at the pool.  I was really hurt by GG and MJ’s nasty comments during dinner the night before but I didn’t want to ruin Reza’s birthday.  I usually try to avoid petty arguments, but the next day things continued on and off camera, and I finally got fed up with the bullying and took Reza’s advice to confront GG.  I simply asked her why she was talking about me but with the gang there getting involved things got out of hand, and thanks to my amazing reflexes,  I dodged her the Karate kick to my face,although I think GG needs to work on her aim.  Looking back at the episode, it’s obvious that the ugliness started with MJ, but GG jumped immediately on the bandwagon.  Unfortunately, neither took responsibility for their actions, which was frustrating. However, it’s all on tape so everyone knows the truth. I feel that sometimes you just have to be an adult and bury the hatchet, especially over something so silly. I decided to accept GG’s semi-apology and we have since patched things up. I can’t say that I feel the same way about MJ. I think she has some demons to work through and she seems to resent me on a level that goes beyond what happened in Vegas.  I say this having recently read her blog on BravoTV.com.

TT: Can we talk about this whole Reza’s mustache phenomenon? I’ve seen pictures of Reza with a scruffy beard (my favorite) and other incarnations of his facial hair. Has he always been so mustache obsessed? What do YOU think about the stache?

AG: I LOOOVE the stache, as does the rest of world. It gives him character and suits him very well. He has been compared to Freddie Mercury a lot, which is awesome since he was also a fellow Persian.  Reza has had the stache since I’ve known him, and I don’t think I would recognize him without it.It’s become his trademark and I think it’s here to stay.

TT: What has been the best thing and the worst thing about being on the show so far?

AG: I’m glad that I can help shed light on a part of the world that doesn’t always have the best reputation. I think our culture and country is beautiful and has an amazing history that we can help share. I like the friendships and camaraderie that our group has, however, it makes me sad and embarrassed that the world witnessed the ugliness demonstrated in Vegas.

TT: What is the craziest thing Reza has dragged you into other than Shahs of Sunset? Does he get you into mischief?

AG: Reza is like the brother I never had. While it’s more him that seem to get into crazy shenanigans, he helps me kick back and enjoy myself while witnessing his crazy stunts.

TT: We have to talk about the Herve Leger swimsuit. You looked AMAZING in it. It was such a fabulous color on you. But, seriously, you do know that swimsuits are made to get wet. Why didn’t you really want to get in the water?

AG: Thank you, Tamara! I must admit that I bought the suit without ever intending to swim in it–Vegas is all about how you look, and a wet, saggy suit just doesn’t fit the bill. Also, wasn’t too crazy about getting into a pool filled peepee and who knows what else (it is Vegas, after all). I admit that a non-swimming swimsuit is kind of silly, however, must observe that neither MJ nor GG got theirs wet either!

TT: Finally, I recently ran a story about the Kathy Salem lawsuit and David Golshan. In the court documents she alleges you called David your fiance. Is this true? (say it isn’t so!) Were you surprised to be mentioned? What’s the story there?

AG: No, David and I are not and never were engaged.  We have never even dated.  As we all know David is a comedian and is always messing with people.  We were all joking around and I just played along.  It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, so being named in the lawsuit was a big shock to me.  There’s really not too much more to it than that, and I haven’t really been following or involved in it since. I think you probably know more details than I do!

Thanks so much to Anita for giving me the scoop on everything before anyone else! I hope that we see her again in season two in an even bigger role!

EDITED TO ADD MJ’s comments on a Bravo blog about how Anita was treated in Vegas. I had not read it and am frankly SHOCKED.

Bravotv.com: Talk to us about GG/Anita’s confrontation. Why did you decide to get involved? Do you think they can move forward now and get along?

MJ: I still haven’t forgiven Anita. After investing so much time praising and empowering her, apparently, her eye’s only saw red. Why go behind our backs individually to gain false support? We all fell for it at one point or another.

The thing that disappointed me the most, was that after I made such a delightful fuss over her being a goddess in red, she accused me of talking ish about her. Yes, I was there, and I’m not innocent either, but I’m not that petty either. At the time, I felt like saying to her, “Grow up! Walk it off! State your case then let it go!” But she couldn’t, and Anita’s obsessiveness has time again only proven that sometimes beauty only runs skin deep.

Wow, that is even less of an apology than GG gave. We all saw MJ be just as ugly to Anita as GG was, and it certainly appeared she instigated the namecalling. You did talk shit about her, MJ. I don’t think Anita needs to get her empowerment from you or GG. She behaved with class and decorum the entire trip. You and GG cannot say the same. I can’t believe you would not apologize and move on. I’m really very surprised.