By Gabriela Robles
NBC’s new scripted supernatural drama series Siberia is a show where 16 reality show contestants must survive the Siberian winter in hopes of winning 500,000 dollars. When things start to go wrong and they realize that they didn’t sign up for this sort of danger, the contestants must join together in an attempt to survive what lurks in their settlement. One of the stars of the series, Joyce Giraud, explains, “It’s a mix of Lost and Survivor but entirely different than both of them. It feels like reality television, but you get really invested in the drama because it’s a scripted show.”
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The former model plays a bartender from Columbia named Carolina and gives us a peek into her character’s psyche, saying, “Her family was brutally murdered, and the only person she has left is her uncle who’s done everything for her. He’s in desperate need of an operation, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to win the money.”
Luckily, Giraud’s family life is more picturesque than that of Carolina. She’s been happily married to Michael Ohoven, the executive producer of Siberia, for over a decade. Surprisingly, working together is something new for the couple. “I always wanted to do my own thing because I’m a very independent woman, but Siberia was the perfect role.”
This celebrity couple were made for each other. They have an adorable love story to thank for their strong marriage: a mutual friend had given Giraud’s number to Ohoven against her wishes. The actress avoided seeing him for three months until he tricked her into a date. “I thought he was in Germany, so I told him I was going to order in and stay home. I still remember what he said: ‘Perfect, then I’ll pick you up at 8.’” Giraud thought she’d turn him off by dressing in baggy clothing and wearing no makeup but was soon surprised with how she felt when he picked her up. “When I saw him, I felt like I had known him forever. He was exactly the type of man I dreamed of as a little girl – my prince!”
In addition to their romantic meeting, the success of this married pair, who have two sons, is based off of the bond that they share. “My husband is my best friend, and I’d rather spend my time with him than with anybody else,” the Puerto Rican native shares. “It’s important to respect each other, to always think of how to make each other happy and to allow your partner to live the life they want. You need to support each other’s dreams and go through life knowing you can always count on each other.”
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Siberia isn’t the only thing that this actress has on her plate right now. A world-renowned beauty pageant queen, Giraud created the Queen of the Universe pageant in 2012. The competition is open to anyone — married or single — and holds a charitable alliance with United Nations Education Science and Cultural Organization. It’s no surprise, then, that this former pageant star has many beauty tricks up her sleeve, one of which she shared with us: “One of my favorite at-home remedies is an avocado mask that my grandma taught me how to make – it makes my hair very shiny!”
Giraud’s already-busy career is continuing to bloom. She is currently in preproduction of a film that is to shoot later this year. Plus, after many months of rumors, it was recently confirmed that she’s going to be the newest cast member for Bravo’s hit reality show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The brunette beauty was caught at LAX with the other RHOBH ladies waiting to board a flight to Puerto Rico. Moreover, a source close to the starlet told E! Online that she’s already sided with Kyle Richards in the ongoing drama between Richards and Lisa Vanderpump.
We can’t wait to see how Giraud shakes up the set of RHOBH and what else she has in store for her fans!
To connect more with Joyce Giraud, follow her on www.facebook.com/therealjoycegiraud/ and Twitter @joycegiraud, and check out her character Carolina’s bio on NBC. Be sure to catch Siberia this Monday at 10/9c on NBC!
