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See Every Amazing Detail of Danielle Olivera & Chris Leoni’s “Latino Night” Dinner
The Summer House cast members celebrated their heritage at a dinner filled with delicious food, gorgeous decor, and a fun dance lesson.
To celebrate their Latin heritage, Danielle Olivera and Chris Leoni decided to throw their Summer House castmates a themed dinner night on the show's May 1 episode, and it turned out to be an incredible meal filled with touching moments.
"This night was inspired by mi primo (my cousin), Chris, and we wanted to have a Latino night, like something that shows us off," Danielle stated in a confessional, noting she was going to make her mother's empanadas — which originally came from her "abuela" (grandmother) — for the occasion.
"When you offer food that feels so close to home, it's like you're offering a piece of yourself," she gushed.
Danille and Chris, who bonded earlier in the season over their shared cultural backgrounds (Danielle is Puerto Rican, Chris is Honduran-Uruguayan), encouraged a colorful dress code and created a festive tablescape (with the help of Mya Allen).
As the crew prepped for the occasion, they celebrated each others' stylish looks, with Chris helping Kyle Cooke get some more Latin flavor by unbuttoning his shirt.
"Kyle — what are you doin' with your outfit?" he hilariously asked, helping the Loverboy CEO show some more skin. "The shirt goes tucked in and the buttons come off. You are no longer in gringolandia!"
After throwing back some tequila shots, the group gathered around the beautiful tablescape which included white, yellow, red, and blue flowers and some yummy-looking tostones (twice-fried plantain slices commonly found in Latin cuisine).
The castmates were sure to snap an adorable photo for Danielle's mother to let her know how much they were enjoying the empanadas.
Danielle went on to share a touching speech during the dinner, noting how important it was for her to have Chris around.
"I have really enjoyed this summer with Chris being in the house because being someone who is Hispanic ... you brought this side out in me which I haven't shared with my housemates in ... ever," she shared. "I've always pushed down this part of my persona because I wanted to succeed. And me being a successful person meant being in finance and being around white people."
The speech touched Gabby Prescod, who talked about the struggles she has faced as a person of color. "I wasn't everyone's cup of tea which was [...] my coded language for [saying], 'Not everyone's into Black girls," she opened up. After Mya noted how she "identified" with Gabby's sentiments, Danielle shared how "You kind of lose yourself a little bit."
She added: "It sucks because I'm very proud of who I am now, but it's taken me a while to get here where I can celebrate it versus [repress it]. I just want you guys to get to know me in a different way."
Chris then jumped in to note how much he empathized with Danielle's words. "First off, I just wanna say that us being Hispanic, immediately I was like, 'This is mi hermana,' like, she's like my sister already. I have this connection with her."
He continued: "This is why I'm very happy to have these moments for me. I love when we get together. When we do stuff together like dinner or breakfast — I love it, because this is what my family's all about. We're all about sharing."
Following the dinner, the group took to the living room to learn some special salsa dance moves, with Chris playfully leading the way.
"I would do better with more empanadas in my mouth, " Paige DeSorbo joked as she noted how she and Kyle were "not doing it right."
"That's salsa!" Kyle hilariously conceded, throwing his hands in the air.
Watch Summer House on Bravo Mondays at 9/8c and next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo app.
