‘Real Housewives of Miami’ fan fave Mama Elsa is alive? ‘Sort of’
Some longtime “Real Housewives of Miami” fans were taken aback when a beloved but dead cast member showed up on their Instagram feed the other day.
There she was, Mama Elsa, aka Marysol Patton’s mother, who died from stroke complications in 2019, looking very much alive. She is sitting in a chair in what appears to be her former Coconut Grove home seen on the series. The wine-loving psychic is wearing a silky robe paired with pearls, palm trees behind her.
“I didn’t come to this country to have bad caviar,” Elsa says in a voiceover that sounds like the Cuban native to a T. “This is not just caviar. This is a lifestyle.”
The spot, to promote a caviar named after her, wasn’t a blast from the past. It was recently done, and AI-generated.
“Smooth. Bold. Perfect. Just like me,” says Mama Elsa, scooping up from the jar of the fancy fish eggs, which start at $10 an ounce for American salmon roe, and go up to $119 an ounce for Beluga.
The video ends cheekily with the dearly departed reality star saying, “I need money. I love money.”
“My mother, Elsa, always believed life should be lived beautifully, and never cheaply,” the caption explains. “Before she passed, she shared her love for the finest things … including exceptional caviar.”
Some commenters, especially fellow “RHOMers” like Alexia Echevarria, Kiki Barth and Larsa Pippen, hearted the post> But a few others seemed perplexed. A few critics threw around words like “weird,” “creepy” and “disturbing.”
At least we know the high-end snack has one big supporter: Bravo chieftain Andy Cohen, who practically wanted Mama Elsa to adopt him back in the day.
Patton reshared a clip of her boss touting the stuff as a “Mazel of the Day,” aka a shoutout, on a recent “Watch What Happens Live” episode.
“Mama Elsa is alive!? Sort of,” Cohen told viewers. “Sincerely, I’m in love with this commercial.”
Patton is too. The veteran publicist worked closely with a private AI designer in Argentina to get all of her mother’s unique nuances down pat. (Interested? Various companies are using AI to “resurrect” deceased family members, and there’s even an app for that, called Here After).
“It took months to make sure we got the voice right, that it looked like her, that her outfit and mannerisms were correct,” Patton told the Miami Herald. “Because at the end of the day, I am very protective of my mother’s image. I mean, it’s my mom.”
Patton is well aware she would have her share of detractors who thought the ad macabre.
“It’s not for everyone, and that’s OK. I know it’s a controversial thing,” said the Miami native. “But the majority of the people were like, ‘We were so happy to see her!’ ”
Patton swears she did this for kicks and giggles, and thinks her mother would approve.
“It’s not supposed to be some serious hard sell,” she said. “It’s done to honor her and the things that she enjoyed. With the Internet and social media, you’ll never get a win-win. Unless, of course, you’re a cute puppy.”
