‘Next Gen NYC’ Star Riley Burruss Compares Gia Giudice to Her Mom, Calling Them Both “Very Outspoken”

Reality TV has been intertwined with Riley Burruss’ existence since her mother, Kandi Burruss, became part of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in its sophomore season. Now a graduate of NYU, the 22-year-old Riley is taking her own leap into the Bravo world with Next Gen NYC, a show spotlighting the lives of young Gen Z individuals, especially the offspring of Real Housewives figures, as they strive to find success in Manhattan.

Riley, who admitted to DECIDER that she “never imagined” she’d follow her mom’s path, is one of the four Bravo kids featured in this new series. The cast also highlights Brooks Marks, son of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Meredith Marks, Ariana Biermann, daughter of Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kim Zolciak, and Gia Giudice, daughter of Real Housewives of New Jersey legend Teresa Giudice.

“I was already good friends with Brooks before, so maintaining that bond was seamless. I hadn’t crossed paths with Ariana in over a decade, so that relationship underwent the most growth,” Riley remarked, adding that Gia is “probably” the one most similar to her Real Housewives mother. “I don’t know her mom intimately, but from my perspective, they seem equally forthright.”

When Riley stopped by DECIDER’s studio last month, she also talked about her friendships with her other castmates, her aspirations in the music industry, and that $14,000 bill that was teased in the Next Gen NYC trailer. Check out the full interview below.

DECIDER: How does it feel to be following in your mom’s footsteps with reality TV? What was the biggest piece of advice your mom gave you before you started filming?

RILEY BURRUSS: It feels really nice. I never thought that I would, honestly. But she just told me to be honest and true to myself and just to not care about the comments when it comes out. As long as you’re true to yourself, it doesn’t matter.

You moved from Atlanta to New York for college. What was the hardest thing to get used to in the Big Apple? 

Well, I moved during COVID so I was adjusting to a whole new city at a crazy time. I really had to adjust to not being able to really socialize as much. But yeah, I had to adjust a lot, actually. 

You lived above the iconic Katz Deli. What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen there? And did you have a signature meal?

I actually never went to Katz, unfortunately, even though I lived on top of it for two years. Every night was crazy, because those streets are the party central. 

I have to ask about that $14,000 bill that’s teased in the trailer. What were you guys ordering? What can you say about how your mom reacted to that?

We were ordering 1942. I don’t usually do that, but I guess it was a special night. And I guess you guys kind of see a little bit of a teaser on their reactions.

You’re not the only Bravo kid on this show. There’s also Ariana, Gia, and Brooks. Who would you say you’ve grown the closest to? And who is most like their mom?

I was already close to Brooks before so it was easy to continue that relationship. I hadn’t seen Ariana in over 10 years, so that was a relationship that really evolved the most. And I say, like, probably Gia is most like her mom. 

How so?

I don’t really know her mom that well, but I just feel like from what I’ve seen, I feel they’re both very outspoken. 

You say that your parents have given you a year to figure things out before they cut you off financially. How are things going with music? What part of the industry do you want to go into?

I grew up with my mom, of course, being in the music industry so seeing her do different things in the studio with different artists was really inspiring. I personally wanna go to law school, be an entertainment lawyer, and eventually have my own label. But now I have the show, so we’ll see where this path takes me. 

Ava Dash also comes from a musical family. Did you get to bond over that?

Yeah, both of our parents knew each other because they both kind of came up in the music industry around the same time. So, yeah, we definitely bonded over that. 

We learn in the show that you and Ariana kind of stopped seeing each other when your moms fell out years ago. As we saw in the trailer, both your mom and Kim make cameos. Will we get to see the four of you reunite? What can you say about that?

I mean, me and Ariana definitely want our parents to reunite because, of course, we’re friends so I think that’s definitely in the cards.

In just the first episode, we saw Ariana open up about her parents taking all of her money. What was your reaction when you watched that scene?

I didn’t know much about this before I met up with Ariana at the time, so I was, of course, surprised and I really feel for her. 

It’s tough. I was surprised at how quickly she opened up about that.

I think that’s a very hard thing to do and I respect her honesty and transparency. 

You said your friends used to call you Captain Save-a-Hoe. Who would you say needed the most saving this season? 

Maybe Brooks because he’s the least confrontational, so I would say probably him. Or me.

You were Team Brooks when it came to the Charlie Zakkour and Chloe Marks situation. Would you say Charlie is going to be this season’s villain? 

I don’t know if we have a villain. I think everyone kind of does their part, but I definitely think Charlie has his moments.

He had a rough start there with Chloe. Do you ship them together?

No. I don’t know about that one. 

At the end of the episode, you refuse to hug Georgia McCann goodbye after she said she didn’t believe in washing her hands. How will we see your friendship play out this season? 

I think with all of the friendships on the show, I think there are ups and downs and different things that happen. I definitely think we have good moments and we have not so good moments, but yeah, it’ll definitely play out. 

We appreciate your honesty in that moment.

At least you know I’ll be honest and straightforward. 

Were you surprised to see how surprised she was that you were grossed out?

Yes. I’ve never had that kind of issue before, so I was definitely surprised that she was surprised. 

I know your mom is one of Broadway’s hottest producers right now. Did you get to see Othello? If so, what’s your review?

I actually was really sick. I was supposed to go to the premiere and I got sick the exact same day and I had to leave. So unfortunately, I did not see it. But I wish I did. I’ve heard great things though and she was really happy, of course, like, how wouldn’t she be? 

Also, everyone loves your grandmother Mama Joyce. How did she react to you getting your own reality show?

My grandma is really happy for me and really proud and whenever she hears anything she’s like, “Oh, is it on right now? How do I find it? Where do I see it?” And we’re like, “OK, it’s not on yet, you need to hold on.”

What else can you tease about what’s to come this season?

I think I have a lot of anxiety and also excitement about the entire series. There’s a lot that goes on, a lot of dynamic shifting, and a lot of surprises, I feel like. But, you know, everyone needs to tune in to see how it evolves.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Next Gen NYC premieres on Tuesday, June 3 on Bravo.