Exclusive Interviews
‘Members Only: Palm Beach’ Ladies Take Us Inside Their Love Lives, Cast History & More
What To Know
- Netflix’s new reality series Members Only: Palm Beach gives an inside look at the lives of the Florida elite.
- The series follows Hilary Musser, Taja Abitbol, Rosalyn Yellin, Ro-mina Ustayev, and Maria Cozamanis.
- Ahead of the premiere on December 29, all five leading ladies sat down for an exclusive interview with Swooon.
Ahead of the premiere of Netflix’s new series, following the Florida elite, Members Only: Palm Beach, the five leading ladies caught up with Swooon to give viewers a closer look at how they achieved their social status in Palm Beach society, an introduction to their loved ones, and a glimpse at their relationships with the rest of the cast members.
The upcoming series follows five women — Hilary Musser, Taja Abitbol, Rosalyn Yellin, Ro-mina Ustayev, and Maria Cozamanis — as they navigate friendships and rivalries (sometimes at the same time) and new money versus old to answer the question: Who is the true queen of Palm Beach?
Scroll to get to know all five of the ladies, their families, and more, from interviews with Hilary, Taja, Rosalyn, Ro-mina, and Maria.
Meet Ro-mina Ustayev
When Ro-mina sat down with Swooon, she explained, “I was born in Uzbekistan, which was the USSR back then. So I speak Russian, and I came to America when I was five.” After coming to America, Ro-mina’s family lived in Philadelphia, where she lived for most of her life, until she moved to Palm Beach in 2022, making her the newest member of the sun-soaked society. Crediting her rise in success to her father, she shared, “My dad was a super hard worker, and he taught us how to, just like, take risks in life and never give up.” After selling her home care agency, she and her husband began investing in real estate. Now, she’s pursuing her passions of fashion and music.
Ro-mina has been married to her husband, Roman Ovrutsky, for nine years. She told Swooon, “We’ve been together for a long time, and we knew each other even, like, way before that.” Together, they have three sons. “We have a very hyperactive family,” she continued. “That’s probably the best way I can put it, we’re all really loud. It’s always wild. There’s never a dull moment in my house. I mean, my three kids are also in three different stages of life. I have a 16-year-old, a six-year-old, and a two-year-old. So, literally, there’s never a dull moment.”
Roman Ovrutsky / Facebook
When Ro-mina’s casting was announced, Roman posted on Facebook, gushing about his wife. He wrote, “If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live on a rollercoaster with no seatbelt… now’s your chance 😅 Buckle up, follow her, set your reminders, and get ready to binge the chaos, the glam, the laughs, and the very real life of the woman who somehow does it all. So proud of you, babe — watching you achieve this is wild and absolutely deserved.”
Within the cast, Ro-mina revealed that she is closest to Maria. She explained, “Maria’s definitely, I think, my best, bestest friend in the cast, because we have a lot of similarities. We’re both into music. We’re both big dreamers. We’re both silly and funny. But I also, I’m pretty close with Rosalyn, because I’ve known her the longest, and I really admire her, and I think it’s amazing.”
Meet Taja Abitbol
“Well, I’m originally from New York, born and raised,” Taja told Swooon. “My grandparents were snowbirds. They were based in Palm Beach during the season, and I used to visit them all the time, and sometimes spend the whole season with them. When I was a little girl, I used to think Palm Beach was Fantasy Island. I’ve always loved it, especially the weather, because everything is better in the Palm Beach weather. Although I love New York, I have just always wanted to live here. And finally, my dream came true almost 10 years ago. Then, after moving here, all of the rest of my dreams came true. I opened an amazing business, I got a show, everything is going so well, because when you’re in the sunshine, it’s easier to, I don’t know, make your dreams come true.”
Taja lives in Palm Beach with her longtime partner, former New York Yankee David Cone, and their son, Sammy: “They’re the best part of me, my family. My son, Sammy, is amazing. He’s like my little twin in a boy version. He has my personality, but he looks exactly like his father. He’s like a carbon copy of his dad. David is amazing. He’s an iconic legend, and he’s very humble.” She confessed, “They say opposites attract, right? We are definitely opposites. I’m a big personality, and I love to be social, and he’s very quiet and likes to be alone a lot.”
Cindy Ord / Getty Images
When asked who she’s closest to in the cast, Taja explained, “It evolves all the time. You know how that works. It’s like, today I could be close with Maria, and then tomorrow I could be close with Ro-mina, and then yesterday I was close with Rosalyn. It’s tricky; it really depends. I mean, I do love them all. We have a sisterhood, but we’re all so different.”
Meet Rosalyn Yellin
Members Only: Palm Beach star Rosalyn is incredibly involved in Florida’s charity world. However, she originally comes from New Jersey. “I’m from Margate, New Jersey, so I was raised in South Jersey,” Rosalyn told Swooon. “I then moved to Philadelphia when I was around 21, met my husband, and got married young.” When her youngest of five children went to college, the couple moved to Palm Beach as “empty nesters.” She explained, “It was always our dream to move to Florida. I got my social standing in Palm Beach by getting heavily involved in the charity world. I found that to be a really great way to meet very nice people. And I kind of just rose up through the charity world to now hosting and chairing events with 700 or 800 people, which is a very high honor.”
Rosalyn confessed that you probably won’t see her husband, Jonathan, on Season 1 of Members Only. She revealed, “So my husband is not featured on the show a lot, but my husband and I have an amazing marriage. Maybe in future seasons he will be on the show, but he just wanted to see what it’s all about first.” She continued, “I met my husband young and fell in love. I love him more and more every year as the years pass by. We have five children, three daughters and twin boys. They’re all wonderful, high-achieving, amazing kids, and we’re so proud of them. We also have four grandbabies. I could talk a lot about raising children or having a great marriage. We really do have a love story, and I really wish everyone could see it. As far as the show went, my husband was like, ‘Well, I don’t want to be on the show, but I would never tell you not to pursue your dreams.'” Rosalyn recently shared a look back at her relationship with Jonathan on Instagram, as seen below.
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Within the cast, Rosalyn shared that she feels closest to Ro-mina. “I have a different kind of relationship with Ro-mina. So, for me, I feel closest to her. I know as a friend, she’s probably closer to Maria, but my relationship with Ro-mina is different. I feel like a mentor. I feel like a protector. I feel like I want to help her, especially because we are from the same county, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and I brought her on the show, and so I feel almost like, you know, like a big sister would be protective. I love Ro-mina, and I’m always there for her. So she’s my number one.”
Meet Hilary Musser
Hilary Musser has been in Palm Beach longer than the rest of the cast, with 22 years under her belt. During her interview with Swooon, she explained how she rose in Palm Beach society. “I grew up in Boston, but my husband [Pete Musser] and I were very involved in Philadelphia society, and then we also spent a lot of time in Nantucket,” she revealed. “When Pete and I separated, I decided to move to the Nantucket house with our son, Cooper, and I lasted like a month. So I flew down to Palm Beach in one of my friend’s planes. We looked at houses, and in two days, I bought one on the street beside Mar-a-Lago. And that’s how I became a member of Mar-a-Lago, and I automatically had friends. I was very involved in Nantucket society, and the same in Philadelphia, so I was already in society; I never tried. I met a lot of people at Mar-a-Lago on the tennis court, too. Tennis is a way where, if you’re a decent player, people will call to play with you. So that’s it, there was no ladder for me to even think about having to climb.”
Hilary is currently in her fifth marriage with her husband, Luke. She told Swooon, “Luke and I had a very whirlwind romance. We met in Amsterdam. He literally chased me to Germany and drove seven hours to take me to lunch after I saw him a few times in Amsterdam. He texted me, and I texted him back something kind of sexy. I don’t remember it, but he has it in writing, so I can’t deny it. I said, “I wouldn’t be so lonely if you were here,” which is like, really forward for me. But he goes, ‘See you tomorrow for a late lunch.’ Then we had three days together, two weeks later, we hung out in New York, and we decided to get married sometime during the week. We have a great relationship. I’m completely difficult, and he just laughs at me, which is sort of reminiscent of my relationship with my son’s father, who passed away.”
Hilary Musser / Instagram
When it comes to the rest of the cast, Hilary revealed that she is closest to Taja. She explained, “I’m definitely closest to Taja, because I knew her when we started the show.”
Meet Maria Cozamanis
Compared to the rest of the ladies, Maria, a.k.a. DJ Tumbles, came into Palm Beach society in a bit of an unorthodox way. She explained, “I hail from the Great North, so I’m originally Canadian. I moved to the U.S. almost 18 years ago, and I’ve been in Palm Beach for nine years, but in the Palm Beach scene for about three years. So I’ve been around for a while, but it took me a minute to discover the great land of Palm Beach.” She told Swooon, “So my social standing in Palm Beach is actually twofold, because I’m in Palm Beach as two separate personas. I DJ under the name Tumbles, which is how I was actually introduced to Palm Beach. I started DJing for the charity circuit, and before you knew it, Tumbles was DJing at Mar-a-Lago and some of the big country clubs, and she just kind of took Palm Beach by storm. So Maria, naturally, is embraced right after that, because who doesn’t love Tumbles?”
Tumbles’ “daytime persona,” Maria, is married to Damon Cozamanis. Maria told Swooon, “You’re going to laugh every time I talk about my husband, I cry, and it’s not even in a bad way. You think after 18 years I’d be like, ‘Oh my God, that guy. ‘ But I am literally married to the best human being that has ever walked this earth.” She revealed, “We met 18 years ago. I lived in Canada, he actually lived in the US, and we met online. It was a very chance meeting. I had to come here and get married, and then, eventually, after seven years, I became an American citizen, but it was worth it. He’s my best friend.”
Maria Cozamanis / Instagram
“I would say that I’m closest to Ro-mina,” she explained. “She and I gravitate to one another because we have very similar personalities. She’s probably the easiest for me to navigate. I happen to be a very touchy-feely person when it comes to my personal relationships. I just feel very deeply. You know what I mean? I see a lot of myself in her. And I also do see a little bit of like a little sister in her, you know, when it comes to our relationship, she’s landed in Palm Beach, kind of the same way that I did.”
Members Only: Palm Beach, Season 1, December 29, Netflix
