Season 10 of Summer House — and its explosive reunion — prompted plenty of tears, drama and disagreements. But one of the brightest spots to emerge from the intense (and Emmy-nominated!) season was newbie Mia Calabrese.
Introduced as a friend of Ciara Miller, Mia, 35, is a Chicago native and real estate powerhouse who instantly won over the group with her charm — and the audience followed suit after seeing her fun-loving personality, vulnerability in the face of grief and fierce allyship. The latter earned her the title of “The Ride-Or-Die” in Us’ Reality Stars of the Year issue, on newsstands now.
“I love that I can just fully be myself, and I’m not needing to play any character,” Mia tells Us about entering the reality world. “The only character is me, and to be embraced for being yourself is the coolest thing ever.”
Mia’s loyalty to Ciara was on full display during the three-part season 10 reunion, during which the returning reality star was forced to confront former friend Amanda Batula following news of her romance with West Wilson — Ciara’s ex. (Mia told Amanda, “You went from being married to being one of West’s side bitches,” in a dig heard ‘round the world.)
“I was incredibly nervous because it was my first reunion, and I didn’t know what to expect,” Mia confesses about her mindset going into the intense day of filming. “I just wanted to be able to effectively communicate my feelings [and] I didn’t know what was going to happen when Ciara saw [Amanda and West] face-to-face. I just knew if she can’t handle it, I need to be the person who’s stepping up and saying everything that needs to be said.”
While Mia was ready to stand up for Ciara at any moment, the nurse and model was able to hold her own ground for the most part.
“Going into the reunion, I was looking at it like, ‘Mia, a part of being a friend is standing up for your friends when they can’t stand up for themselves,’” Mia tells Us. “But Ciara did a fantastic job. She didn’t even need me there. I just had to give my two cents in here and there.”
Ciara wasn’t the only cast member Mia grew closer with over the course of the season. Both women quickly bonded with fellow newbie KJ Dillard, serving as “big sisters” for the model and skateboarder as he navigated ups and downs in his personal life. The trio also connected over the unique experience of joining a predominately white cast in The Hamptons for a summer. At one point, Mia, KJ and Ciara had a poignant and candid conversation about race with their castmates, a discussion Mia describes as challenging but incredibly important.
“It’s difficult to have those conversations with your white counterparts or people who don’t look like you or who haven’t had the same experience in the world as you,” she tells Us. “I hope that it was inspiring for other minorities in this country to feel comfortable talking to their non-minority friends about difficult things.”
Moreover, she’s grateful for her friends’ ability to listen to and fully absorb their truth. “What a beautiful thing,” she says. “We all come from different backgrounds, but the reality is that me, KJ and Ciara are minorities of the show, and I commend them for being so open to hearing, listening and learning.”
Despite the emotions and drama, season 10 was not without its fun moments.
Mia cites dressing up as Estelle, an “old black woman from the south,” for Kyle Cooke’s birthday party as her favorite moment from the season, adding, “Mind you, I’m not from the South at all, but I just fully leaned into this character.”
And yes, she still has her costume and “fake butt” on standby in case Estelle ever wants to make a return.
But at the end of the day, Mia says the thing fans want to talk to her about the most is her experience with grief.
“Whether it’s a DM or people talking to me, I don’t think I realized how many men and women were going through a similar experience, and to be able to connect with people on that level has been incredible,” she tells Us. “I feel so grateful that I was able to use this platform to talk about grief.”
While she had no intention of going that deep on the reality series — it’s a show about friends letting loose for the summer, after all — the topic emerged organically. Mia confided in Ciara after having a dream about her mom, who died suddenly a year and half before season 10 filmed. Later in the summer, Mia and her brother visit a psychic medium, with Ciara by their side, in an incredibly emotional moment of connection with their late mother.
“My grief and the sadness that I have of my mom’s sudden passing will never leave me. That’s something until the day I die, I will be heartbroken over,” Mia tells Us. “But I will say, having the experience talking to the medium and hearing so many people who’ve had a similar experience talk to me about how they’re dealing with grief, it made me feel not so alone.”
Looking ahead, fans don’t know much about what to expect from season 11, which will see Mia, Ciara, KJ and Kyle returning with Carl Radke, Lindsay Hubbard, Jesse Solomon and Bailey Taylor. (Amanda, West, Ben Waddell and Levi Sebree will not be coming back.) But after ending her relationship with now-ex Scott, Mia teased her single summer in the forthcoming season.
“This season, I wanted to come in as light as possible,” she tells Us. “I’ve had so many transitions in my life in the last few years, and I wanted this season to feel like a fresh start for me.”
For more from Mia and other honorees, pick up Us’ Reality Stars of the Year issue, on stands this week.
