After wrapping up Season 12 of Married to Medicine, which was filled with group chat drama, Med Gala headaches, and a couple of bickering husbands, Toya Bush-Harris is gearing up for something new. She’s partnered with INTENNSE, a high-energy, team-based tennis league that is fully reimagining the sport.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Why would Toya be involved with a tennis league?” then you might be a fake fan. Remember that season of Married to Med when she started going to her neighborhood country club to take tennis lessons?
Since then, Toya’s love for the sport has only grown, and she’s taking it to a new level with her equity ownership in an INTENNSE team called Rise. We recently spoke to Toya and got all of the details about the new opportunity. She also spilled a bunch of tea on where things stand with the M2M cast after that extra shady reunion. Let’s just say… she has some high hopes for Season 13.
How did Toya get involved with INTENNSE?
When we first saw Toya playing tennis on M2M, she was taking lessons at her local country club, The Manor. She’ll admit it herself–she was pretty terrible at the time. So, how did she go from a novice player to an INTENNSE partner?
“What people don’t understand is that I think on Married to Medicine, they probably thought it was funny to watch this girl start a sport in her 40s,” Toya explained. “And honestly, I was terrible. I sucked. I was doing everything wrong.”
“I’ll never forget the episode where here they have me driving around on my little golf cart going to my tennis lesson, and not hitting a ball,” Toya recalled.
Eventually, Toya fell in love with the sport and made it a regular part of her routine. She became such a fan that she started watching it on TV and going to matches with her husband, Dr. Eugene Harris. Then, an opportunity came knocking on her door—literally.
Toya explained, “One of my neighbors came to me and said, ‘I have this idea. I know you love tennis, but I think we can take it to the next level.’”
INTENNSE isn’t your normal “country club tennis”
As Toya’s neighbor explained to her, INTENNSE is a little bit different from regular tennis. That’s part of what got Toya so excited about it. The game is faster-paced than traditional tennis and takes a team-based approach.
Teams can sub in new players throughout the match, and the action is non-stop. While regular tennis matches can feel quiet, Toya said that the energy at an INTENNSE match feels more like an NBA game.
“You’re hype, everyone’s in there cheering. We’re dapping up on the field,” Toya told us with a grin.
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re still in a cute skirt,” she clarified. “We’re giving a look.”
For Toya, an added bonus came when she learned how much the league benefited the tennis community. It gives financial opportunities to professional-level tennis players who aren’t a part of the traditional professional leagues. Toya knew she had to get involved.
Toya has other Bravo competition in the INTENNSE family
As INTENNSE gears up for its second official season, Toya has signed on as a Pulse Partner, and she’s not the only Bravolebrity involved.
Shep Rose from Southern Charm is another Pulse Partner, and he has a team of his own called the Outriders. However, Toya assured us that Shep’s team can’t hold a candle to Rise.
“I don’t have anything to worry about with Shep,” Toya said. “His team doesn’t even compare.”
Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right? Toya said she’s feeling confident that her team will crush the other teams, and you’ll be able to catch Toya on the sidelines, cheering them on.
Toya joked, “I might even be telling the coach, ’Take her out. Put him in!’ Literally, I was just texting the coach like, ‘When is our first practice?’”
Opening weekend for INTENNSE arrives later this summer, and Toya said that they’ve gone all out for the new season. At their Atlanta hub, they’ve built out a stadium fitted with lights and plenty of seating for fans to cheer on their favorite team. But is Toya bringing her Married to Medicine castmates to a game after that shady Season 12 reunion? Perhaps.
Is Toya bringing her M2M castmates to the tennis courts?
Although Season 12 ended with a whole lot of shade at that reunion, Toya said she’s in good graces with most of the cast—especially everyone who sat on her side of the couch at the Season 12 reunion.
“In real time, there’s no real beef, except for probably with that Mimi couple,” Toya said, referencing Dr. Mimi Sanders and her husband, Steve Sanders.
Looking ahead at Season 13, she said she’s hopeful there will be a little bit of a cast shakeup.
“One of my biggest hopes is that our side of the couch can get a little heavier,” Toya remarked. “It seems like their couch needs to get lighter, or we need to get heavier.”
Toya has a friend in mind for next season, who can easily replace anyone who isn’t living up to their full potential.
“If you’re going to come back, you need to work. If not, just know that there’s somebody ready to take your seat,” she said.
Toya didn’t name any names for who she wants off the cast, but you can probably use your imagination here. But even if some of her least-favorite castmates do return, she said they’ll still have a seat at an INTENSSE match.
Toya said, “I think that I’m a professional, and because I love INTENNSE, everyone’s invited. Even the people who say they used to play sports, and I only see 18 [receiving] yards. I think everyone is invited.”
Married to Medicine is streaming on Bravo, and tickets for INTENNSE’s opening weekend are on sale now. Toya’s team plays their first match on Saturday, June 6, at 5 pm.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TOYA’S NEW FORAY INTO TENNIS? ARE YOU GOING TO CHECK OUT AN INTENNSE MATCH? WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD RETURN FOR MARRIED TO MEDICINE SEASON 13?
