Reel-ality TV Talk

By Marquesa LaDawn
NNPA Columnist

Yes, I miss The Real Housewives of Atlanta, but I getting my fix with Kandi’s spinoff show.

Kandi is almost perfect until you get her around her family (The Tuckers, Moma Joyce and gang, plus the assistants) all headed on a “ski trip.” I hate to say this folks, but most Black folks do not ski. Anyway, it’s less about the skiing and more about the family dynamics.

I love that Kandi called it first on her Bravo blog by saying, “watching my family on the ski trip, reminds me of the Beverly Hillbillies.” The aunties expressed dismay with a lot of things, especially the sleeping quarters. I have to agree that expecting folks of that age to walk far is not realistic, but it did not stop there – they had to share all frustrations. This included Kandi being a bit absent from their lives. Really? She is a newlywed with a new stepdaughter and grieving husband added to an already busy life. Did they forget that she was humiliated by her own mother’s behavior towards her marriage and the aunts did not help? I have to give it to Kandi for handling the situation with class. Yes she tends to sweep things under the rug, but she just apologized and kept it moving. I have a feeling disagreements will not end as smoothly in the next episode.

Meanwhile, The Real Housewives of New York prompted a question: Why is it that brilliant, almost perfect, business women struggle so much in personal relationships? This seems to be a trend, really. (In the interest of full disclosure, I also struggle in this area. And like B, I’m working on it). B started this episode not being very tolerant. To be brutally honest, some folks have weird things that they do that you just have to comment on. Heather, loves to use urban terms like “hola” and “mama” for her friends, and the list goes on. And when you anger her, she becomes a thug girl.

Even so, it seems to go against her look and lifestyle. This makes it tempting for folks like B and others to make fun of her. It doesn’t bother Heather because she’s secure and knows it gives her “flava”! Back to B, she’s not feeling Heather or any of the newer housewives. She’s very direct about letting them know that they must earnher trust. Some may say this seems a bit mean, but if you look at her childhood and on-air therapy sessions, she acknowledges that she’s messed up. It was nice to see her talk things through with her stepfather, after 20-plus years of zero communication. She wants her daughter to experience a total family from her side. In spite of her big issues, she’s still Skinny Girl Perfect.

This episode showed the ladies at a boxing match and it was weird seeing perfectly coiffed ladies getting sweat all over them. It’s always interesting to see how these relationships evolve. It looks like Luann and Carole will not be great friends anytime soon. We all know it’s because of Carole’s relationship with Luann’s nieces ex-boyfriend that happens to be at least 30 years younger. Looking forward to next week when they really talk this out!

My new favorite Queens of Drama

I’m so hurt that my girl, Vanessa Marcil (from General Hospital and Beverly Hills 90210), lost it. I guess I believed her perfect character on GH when, in fact, she’s more like her flawed character from BH 90210. She’s easily irritated and throws tantrums at the drop of a dime. She finally lost it in the week’s episode and ran away. I’m praying for you girl! On another note, Donna Mills had to come down a few notches from the Abby Ewing ladder. She did not want Vanessa to know she was needed to keep the project. I think she’s a little scared that the network will not go for her replacing Vanessa. We will see.

The Braxton’s are back and its saucier than ever…

I was curious to see if Tamar would behave better now that she has a new talk show. It’s too soon to tell, but I see the sisters are accepting one another’s flaws and choosing to move on. The perfect marriage is anything but… Trina, is getting divorced for the third time. It looks like a battle between her and her ex will color most of this season. We are in for some interesting Fireworks!!

A quick word on Blood, Sex and Heels…

 My girl Mia, so perfectly tall, is not ready to be alone. She started dating a guy she considers boring. But, I’m happy with her this season because of her support for Daisy as she deals with cancer.

Marquesa LaDawn is a professional businesswoman who escapes the pressures of living in New York City by retreating into the real world of reality TV. Follow me on twitter @realityshowgirl and subscribe to her podcast at http://www.RealitytvGirl.com.

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