Kelsey Swanson Calls 'Real Housewives of Rhode Island' Cast's Shared History a 'Blessing and a Curse': 'We Have All These Connections'

Kelsey Swanson is bringing authenticity to the new season of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.

The reality TV newcomer and former beauty queen won over fans by living unapologetically on camera and confronting those who questioned her.

Swanson speaks exclusively with OK! about why the cast's long history can be both a positive and negative element, confiding in Liz McGraw, putting her life on television, what sets the New England franchise apart from any other and what she wants out of the upcoming reunion.

Unlike many of the other shows, some of the ladies of the New England state go back decades.

"It can be a blessing and a curse because people know you. They can catch your bulls---," Swanson admits. "When you're filming something, especially something new for all of us, it does make it better that you're in it with somebody who you can talk to once the cameras are off. You can call and be like, 'What was that?' There are things that the luxury of knowing someone does help. We all have these connections."

During the first episode, Swanson opens up to McGraw about her boyfriend, who spends six months of the year living in Miami with another woman. Despite having tension during episode three, the former Miss Rhode Island says they will always be tight.

"Liz and I are the closest," she says. "She has so much wisdom and is very good at articulating feelings into words, whereas I am not. I would try to say something, and she would finish the sentence because she already knew what I was thinking. We bounce off of each other. I always look up to her. She's real, and I know that she doesn't judge me. I felt like if there was someone I could open up to and talk about it with, it would be her. I knew that her advice would be comforting in a way."

"I love Jo-Ellen [Tiberi] too. I've known her the longest," Swanson adds. "But I think from a wisdom point of view, Liz was probably better to talk about it with, but Jo-Ellen's closer. She knows the family and knows what I was going through, so I would've talked to her too."

Luckily for viewers, Swanson wasn't intimidated by the world seeing her unique set-up with her partner, in which they can both see other people.

"There was nothing out there to me that would've made me upset or especially about my relationship," she says. "I've always been an open book in my life with my family and friends. It was nothing I hadn't already talked about many times over. But he [her boyfriend] loves reality TV. He watches it. He thinks the show is great so far. He doesn't care."

RHORI might be the franchise's eleventh city, but it's unlike any other.

"When you're born and raised in Rhode Island, there's a familiarity between all of us," Swanson says. "It's a common denominator that we share and a mentality that you grow up with. We all have those connections, where a lot of states don't. You go to California; there are lot of people who are transplants. It's so big for those other states. In Rhode Island, there are a million of us, but it's super compact. You can't escape any rumor, whether it's the truth or a lie. It becomes your identity because people don't care to look further into the truth to see if people are actually fact-checking, but the closeness of our community makes us different from the rest."

While the show has only released three episodes, the women are gearing up for their first reunion.

"I'm not looking forward to any part of that reunion at all. I'm actually dreading it," Swanson admits with a laugh. "But I'm looking forward to people giving their side of their story that wasn't on the show. I am curious to see their point of view and if it's changed now that the show is airing."

New episodes of The Real Housewives of Rhode Island premiere on Bravo on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET and stream via Peacock the next day.