(WJAR) — Who is Rhode Island FC Head Coach Khano Smith?

“I think to my core little boy from Bermuda, a small island. Still very much connected to my family, all my families there. Really close to his family. Really close to his mom. I have a daughter, she’s 20. Have a dog. I love dogs. Love soccer. Soccer is my hobby and my job.

At 6’5. The 45-year old’s mom is still the towering force in his life. He recalls a story of him as a young student back home.

Rhode Island FC Head Coach Khano Smith spoke with NBC 10’s Dan Jaehnig. (WJAR)

“My grades were dropping and my mom was trying to figure out a solution. She tried everything. She sat in class with me one day.”

At age 14 she sent her son from the warmth of Bermuda to a boarding school in Maine.

“Yeah, I was probably a terrible 14-year-old. That was the only time I didn’t call my mom on her birthday because I was still upset.”

But mother knows best.

“Yeah, it was the best thing she could have done for me. It taught me to grow up quickly. It taught me to be independent.”

Then to North Carolina for college playing soccer. After two successful seasons in Bermuda, he played for the New England Revs, then in 2023 the head coach and general manager of Rhode Island football club. The pressure is there.

“Yeah, but then you need to realize how fortunate you are and stick to the long term and for me you just need to stay grounded and stay in the middle. Never get too high and never get too low.”

He’s passionate about the game, the club and connects with his players. He has been there. He is hard on himself still.

“The goal of chasing perfection, like I know you can never achieve it, but you can always just chase it.

Off the field the single 45-year-old father of a 21-year-old who lives with her mom in Bermuda is challenged with the lack of time to do it all. He prefers to be single and spend time with his dog.

When he is not watching soccer, “Dances with Wolves” is his favorite movie.

“He is with a group of people that he becomes friends with and becomes friends with a dog. And then he ends up becoming one of those people. I think it was probably at the time impressionable in my life.”

Michael Jordan is his favorite athlete because of his mindset.

When you sit and talk with him you learn that Khano Smith is self-aware. He knows who he is. A little boy from Bermuda who is following his dream.

When asked about what that little boy would think of him now.

“I think, I think he would admire me. I think he would be yeah, I wanted to do that and I think I’ve been fortunate.”

The Real Housewives of Rhode Island Season 1 reunion looks are finally here! And the shell-holders look amazing in their ocean-inspired gowns in varying shades of blue hues.

Cast members Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi all donned their most fabulous fits for their first-ever sit down with Andy Cohen. And every one of the ladies delivered with their dresses, opting for different textures and shades of their blue gowns.

The women looked so stunning in their ensembles. Some, like Alicia and Kelsey, opted for sequins. Others, like Ashley, Jo-Ellen, and Rulla, went for some intricate beading. Meanwhile, Rosie and Liz chose unique textures for their looks. The ocean also inspired their hair too, with most women going for beach-y waves, while Ashley went for a sleek ponytail.

Read on to get all of the details from their ensembles and see their fabulous outfits down below.

Alicia Carmody

Dress: Rat & Boa; Shoes: Jimmy Choo; Jewelry: Hannoush Jewelers; Makeup Artist: Cara Valente; Hairstylist: StephDstyle

Alicia explained to BravoTV.com that she wanted to go full mermaid with her light blue, cowl-neck dress, covered in paillette sequins. “I love a mermaid,” she said backstage. “And so my look today is inspired by a mermaid. A Rhode Island mermaid.”

Rosie DiMare

Dress: Albina Dyla; Shoes: Arnoconti; Jewelry: Baxter’s Jewelry; Makeup Artist: Cara Valente; Hairstylist: Steph Demato

Rosie explained to BravoTV.com that her first ever reunion look, comprised of a light blue off-the-shoulder gown covered in 3D floral embellishments was very true to herself. “My reunion look is very princess-y. Very floral. Very Rosie,” she stated.

Ashley Iaconetti

Dress: ASHLEYlauren; Shoes: Nina; Jewelry; Jennifer Karimi; Stylist: The Stylist Duo; Makeup Artist: Erica Wright; Hairstylist: Jennifer Karimi

Ashley told BravoTV.com that she felt like a Disney princess in her bright blue beaded gown with off-the-shoulder beaded sleeves and silver heels. “My look, my outfit is so mermaid. It’s a very heavily bejeweled blue dress. I feel like Ariel in her wedding scene with Prince Eric,” she explained. 

She complemented this dress with a more toned-down makeup look. “For makeup, I’m doing this look I did a couple of weeks ago for press. And it was so nice and relatively natural looking so love that,” she added backstage.

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Liz McGraw

Dress: L’IDÉE WOMAN, Sleeves: Graehme Alden; Makeup Artist: Kasey Spickard; Hairstylist: Kevin Kelly

Liz explained to BravoTV.com that had two looks to choose from for the reunion, one that brought “fire” and one that brought “ethereal” vibes. “I went with the angelic one because we don’t need any more anger from Elizabeth,” she quipped of her long-sleeved light blue gown with a pleated texture.

Rulla Nehme Pontarelli

Dress: Tabja Couture; Shoes: Jimmy Choo; Jewelry: Ross Simmons (Diamonds and Estate Collection); Stylist: Erin from Bravo; Makeup Artist: George Miguel Arnone; Hairstylist: Julius Michael

Rulla told BravoTV.com via email that she was going for an “elegant, sexy, chic” vibe with a “coastal feel” for her first reunion look. “I just wanted the best look possible and to feel like ‘me.’ And I think we nailed it!” she added.

Kelsey Swanson

Dress: J’amemme; Shoes: Schultz; Makeup: Erika Wright; Hair: Erickson Arrunategui 

Kelsey admitted to BravoTV.com that she went for a more simple look with her bright blue, halter-neck, sequin gown. “The dress kind of has a wet look to it. It’s sequins, it’s simple,” she explained backstage. “But the fact that it’s wet is why we’re doing the wet look for the hair.”

Jo-Ellen Tiberi

Dress: Jovani; Shoes: Valentino; Jewelry: David Yurman; Stylist: Anthony Palmeri; Makeup Artist: Priscilla Distasio; Hairstylist: Kauri Sartini

Jo-Ellen told BravoTV.com via email that she was inspired by movement with her outfit. With this look, she channeled “an underwater goddess brought to life by crystals, couture, and a sculpted silhouette that moves like the ocean.”

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A unique Rhode Island story is headed to the big screen with cast and crew in Warwick currently filming the project.

New England filmmaker Hanna Gray Organschi’s feature directorial debut is underway in the Ocean State, telling the tale of a controversial drive-thru condom kiosk that once really existed in Cranston.

Rubber Hut has been filming on West Shore Road in Warwick since early June and now Deadline.com is reporting even more big names have joined the cast.

From the beginning actress Grace Van Patten (The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox) has been attached to the project playing Emanuella DelVecchio, a former Pan-Am stewardess who opens the condom kiosk in her Italian Catholic town and becomes a lightning rod in the community.

Big Names Join the Rubber Hut Cast

Now, additional big names like Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Ariana Greenblatt (Now You See Me, Now You Don’t), Rosemarie DeWitt (Untamed), and Fisher Stevens (Succession) have been added to the cast as well.

Though character details are still being kept under wraps, filming is expected to continue in Warwick until late June. Some of these stars could be spotted locally soon.

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No word on what other Rhode Island locations might be used in this production or if any further Ocean State filming will continue after the condom-kiosk scenes are through. No release date has been revealed either.

The True Story Behind the Condom Hut

Rubber Hut is the true story of a one-time photo kiosk turned condom kiosk that gained national attention in 1992. DelVecchio had the idea to paint the renovated Fotomat kiosk pink and white and exclusively sell condoms as a public health response to the AIDS crisis.

The Italian Catholic neighborhood she opened in had other ideas.

DelVecchio enraged the community with her “Condom Hut” and they protested the concept. The “Condom Hut” was also condemned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, had a rock thrown through its window and was covered in graffiti. The business closed within a year.

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Now this wild tale out of Rhode Island is getting national attention once again. Cast and crew are shooting scenes at the newly built hut to share this unique story with a whole new generation soon.

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