Real Housewives Of Atlanta, anyone?

Cafe Society
1

It’s nice to finally see a reality show that revolves around older women. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes, but it’s catchy the way many reality tv shows are. And again, I like that most of these woman are genuinely struggling to balance family and career and have “real” problems like marital/career/money issues (although in a much higher tax bracket than most of us face them in!)

Also, interestingly enough, I don’t think any of them are housewives. Nene and Phaedra are the only married ones, right?

2

So, when do they turn into zombies?

3

I see what you did there. :slight_smile:

4

I don’t :frowning:
Someone wanna explain?

5

The percentage was a bit higher when the show first started. Lisa Wu-Hartwell (who was at Phaedra’s insane baby shower) and DeShawn Snow were both married and have kids (DeShawn is recently divorced, which isn’t terribly surprising since her husband seemed pretty cool and she sucked). Lisa has a bunch of fake “business ventures” that she use to parade around, and DeShawn’s thing was fundraising (a memorable 1st season episode centered around DeShawn’s ridiculously extravagant charity “fund raiser” that wound up losing something like $10k).

6

Maybe I’m watching a different show than Gestalt, but I’m not seeing any of these women struggle to do anything, and I’m not sure that they’re older than the “housewives” in any of the other franchises.

The only one whose shown any interest in her children (never mind actual parenting skills) is Kandi Burress, formerly of the girl group Xscape. Kandi actually pays attention to her 7-year-old daughter, but doesn’t have great taste in men. Her fiance was killed in a strip club parking lot last season, and Kandi was spending some time with his children from other relationships. Kandi has a Grammy for songwriting, and apparently she’s at least financially stable.

Kandi produced Tardy for the Party (google it, I dare you) for Kim Zolciak. Kim has two daughters and is the mistress of Lee Najjar (aka “Big Poppa”). You can see his house on that MTV show, the one where rich kids show off their digs. Kim claims to a “nursing degree” from U Conn, or maybe it’s Yukon, because does U Conn even do nursing degrees? And would they give her one? She’s dumb as a post but is kinda fun. Anyway, she hasn’t needed to work or worry about money for years.

The other housewives this season –

Cynthia somebody, who introduces herself as a “supermodel” – she wants to be engaged to her boyfriend, or does she – it’s hard to tell. She’s gorgeous and nice, and probably won’t be back for another season because she doesn’t bring either humor or drama.

NeNe Leakes, a former stripper, married, two kids, one of whom is a layabout with an arrest record (statutory rape and drugs), and whose only income is from appearances related to the show, but you may have seen her on a red carpet last year (Emmys, maybe?) – she added nothing. She had a good edit in the first season but was a villain in the second.

Sheree Whitfield, ex-wife of a football player, three kids who we never see. Sheree dabbled in fashion design last season and acting this season, but she doesn’t work. I suspect her income is child support and alimony. Her divorce lawyers just took her Aston-Martin. That hasn’t been mentioned on the show though. Sheree is getting a decent edit this season, but she’s dating a smarmy guy who puts on seminars about love. Last season she kept throwing herself parties, and at one of them the main attraction was a wall-size painting of herself.

Phaedra somebody, an entertainment lawyer (she represented Bobby Brown), married to an ex-convict named Apollo. She’s six months pregnant and insists the baby weighs 9 pounds already and so her labor will be induced, because she’s uncomfortable. The other housewives are dumbfounded that she expects them to believe a doctor would induce at six months or that the baby is that big. They’re speculating that she got pregnant before Apollo got out of prison. I think she’s punking everybody – nobody could be that stupid.

I think the only one with financial problems is Nene, but finances aren’t talked about on the show. Nene puts up a front (hires a chef when she has people over) and I suspect the only reason she’s on the show is because she does bring the humor and drama. Bravo’s probably paying for everything.

This is the only franchise I’ve watched consistently. It’s really quite entertaining, when it’s not depressing.

7

That’s just mean!

8

Sheree had some money problems in season 2. As I recall, she got hardly anything (although who knows what that means) from her divorce from that creepy NFL guy and had to move into a smaller house (remember her ghastly housewarming party?). During season one she went on and on about how she expected a seven-figure payout from her divorce and then I think it turned out the ex had basically frittered his money away a while back. She still has enough money to put on ridiculous fashion shows and, as you mentioned, to commission that absurd, terrifying self-portrait of herself, though. She does seem to get less awful with each season, though.

I love Kandi. I bought the EP she released shortly after season 2 and it’s not bad. Her problem seems to be that she can’t keep the best songs she does for herself. “Tardy for the Party” (which I also bought) was a catchier single than anything on her EP.

I think Phaedra is just insane. I haven’t really read up on her, but my impression is that she made a bunch of money from her past entertainment law dealings and doesn’t do much anymore. She’s had at least a couple televised client interactions this season, which, if real, is unprofessional and gross.

9

I liked her last season – haven’t made up my mind about her this season. There’s some passive-aggressive stuff going on with the new song, “The Ring Don’t Mean A Thing”. It’s gotta be about that “engagement” ring Kim got from her married boyfriend. But Kim doesn’t seem to be picking up on it.

10

I saw the first season but missed the second season. Now I’m watching the third.

I don’t think these women are older than other versions…but NeNe and Cynthia are both with older guys!

This version IS unique in that it’s centered around wealthy black women. There does seem to be a cultural difference between this version and the others (OC, NYC, DC, etc) (heh) so that makes it interesting.

I do like Kandi too. I think Cynthia is beautiful. I agree that she probably won’t be around too long.

11

I really like this version of Housewives, if only for the trainwreck factor.

I don’t know what Kandi’s even doing on the show, she’s obviously too sane to deal with everyone else.

12

I’ve always understood her presence on the show as publicity for her career. Which probably works; I know I wouldn’t have known about her most recent release if not for the show.

What I don’t get as much is why she keeps hanging around Kim. Like AuntiePam said, Kandi acts really passive-agressively toward her lately. In addition to the song, there was that thing where Kandi pointed out that Kim kept all the money from “Tardy for the Party,” even though it was previously agreed that they’d split it or whatever. That might have something to do with it. I’m wondering if she just realizes that Kim gets her lots of publicity, because she doesn’t actually seem to like Kim very much.

13

When I said, “older,” I wasn’t comparing them to the other “Housewives” franchises, I guess I was just comparing all the Housewives shows to other similar reality entertainment. Shows that follow around a group of people with no ultimate aim or end point are usually about 20 somethings and on MTV, from my experience. So these women are a bit older, have kids and jobs, etc.

I do think they are struggling with real issues. Nene’s marriage is falling apart due to lack of communication, Kandi is trying to get her music label started, Cynthia is deciding whether to get married, and Kim is dealing with kids and financial issues (actually I think all of them except maybe Phaedra have money problems).

So no, it’s not the worst stuff in the world, but it’s not Jersey Shore problems either. And it’s not just soap-opera drama either.

The Kandi-Kim thing is weird to me to. If Kim doesn’t like the song, that’s her right. And why is Kandi making something way out of her range?

Also, I listened to Tardy to the Party and I didn’t think it was very good . . .

14

Anybody know why Lisa Wu-Hartwell didn’t return this season?

15

I don’t really think Kim does. Big Papa seems to pretty much give her whatever she wants, and now she has the money she makes from “Tardy For the Party,” “Google Me,” and the show (which includes appearances like the one at the White Party, which incidentally looked like an awful place to be). Is she still pretending to launch her own wig line? She also mentioned last season that the wigs she wears are really expensive and she goes through them quickly (she claimed that she used a new one every day, but that seems insane even for her).

Kandi seems to be okay as well. She’s not Madonna, but she’s been working since she was quite young and as I recall, has been smart with her money. She’s also the only housewife aside from Phaedra (and mayyybe Cynthia) who has an actual career, and one in which she’s very successful.

Nene has well-documented money woes, as does Sheree (although she seems to be doing okay). Lisa and Ed Hartwell can probably do okay off of Ed’s football money (his career is over, as I recall) so long as they don’t blow it all. DeShawn better have gotten a massive payout from her divorce, because she was far too stupid to go make money on her own.

16

I actually based my suspicion of money woes on her garage-sale, although it’s possible that she was just trying to free up some space.

17

It’s also possible that the garage sale was Bravo’s idea, to give Kim some air time that doesn’t involve singing. :slight_smile: She went about that all wrong but it’s like everything Kim does – she’s enthusiastic but doesn’t want to work.

Has she mentioned Big Poppa this season? Is she still wearing the ring? Her ex, the girls’ father, is from a wealthy family on Connecticut. I read that her house is paid for, and with child support and her royalties from Tardy, she’s probably doing okay.

Anyone know how much Bravo pays them? I heard $30K a season.

Gestalt, re Nene’s marriage – they do need to talk, but Gregg is right that communicating is more than somebody wagging a finger in your face and saying “You don’t communicate!” :slight_smile: He hasn’t handled Nene’s celebrity very well, probably because he hasn’t worked since the show started. What money they have is what she’s been bringing in, and he’s not at all involved in that.

18

She talked about Poppa when her parents visited, and as I recall is still wearing the ring. It was super messed up watching both of her parents so enthusiastic over their daughter being what can politely be referred to as a mistress.

Kim’s daughter Brielle is also turning into a carbon copy of her mother, and she’s, like, 13. Eesh.

I thought I read something like $3k per episode, so that sounds about right. Season one was super short, though; something like seven episodes.

Re: Nene’s marriage problems, I have to think that they were exacerbated both by Bryson’s behavior since graduation, and probably by the situation with Nene’s father. Gregg was against her meeting him.

That thing with Dwight at the beginning of this season was also completely bizarre. Gregg was obviously lying about the amount of money Dwight gave him* (what the hell kind of “investment” were the two of them going in on for $500 each?), and the situation took a swan dive from there.

*Of course, Dwight was probably lying, too. He may have given Gregg 10k, but it might also be like the nonsense surrounding Sheree’s fashion show. There’s no way in hell he spent $30k on that show yet doesn’t have any documentation showing where that money went, or interest in getting it back. I would be shocked if Bravo didn’t foot a substantial part of the fashion show bill, anyway.

19

Just a dig at the show as I seriously cannot stand it or any of the others. I think I saw about half an episode of this one before I left the room. Anyway, a TV show that just premiered is The Walking Dead, which so far is set in and around Atlanta. I just figure that these kinds of people are the first to go when the zombie apocalypse happens.