Domestic Bliss?
Bravo's Housewives Moves to Atlanta
2008-10-06
By Ronda Racha Penrice
How many times did you watch The Real Housewives of Orange County, Bravo’s reality saga that spawned it all, or “The Real Housewives of New York” and long for a Black version? Be careful what you wish for. I could be going out on a limb here but I'm going to guess that The Real Housewives of Atlanta isn't quite what you envisioned. That doesn’t mean you won’t watch. In the current reality show climate, it’s hard to predict what will and will not succeed. After all, what network executive really banked on a show about mature women, not scantily-clad twentysomethings, going the distance?
Surprisingly the women resonated. For three seasons, Jeana, Vicki and Lauri, of Orange County, kept it “real” and, not so surprising, they are returning once again. Earlier this year, Bravo broadened its horizons and hit the Big Apple. We never questioned the missing Black housewife because, to be perfectly honest, we know that these women don’t have Black friends. For a reality show to insert artificial diversity would have just been wrong. The only logical route was to go all Black. On Tuesday, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” makes its premiere. Before we get into the nuts and bolts of whether this chocolate-dipped version of The Housewives is the right way to go, let’s meet the players.
All five of the women are mothers. Three have professional sports ties. DeShawn Snow is the wife of NBA veteran Eric Snow, Lisa Wu Hartwell is married to NFLer Ed Hartwell and Sheree (pronounced Sha-Ray) Whitfield was once married to former NFL player Bob Whitfield. NeNe Leakes’ husband is a real estate investor and business consultant and Kim Zolciak, the lone white girl in the crew, is husbandless but, a la Karinne Steffans’, has a Big Papa of her own who is very generous. Like most of the Atlanta area’s booming population, none of these women are actually from Georgia. They are also in love with the bling and they aren’t shy about it at all.
In all fairness, I’ve only seen one episode so there is plenty of room to grow. I must also tell you that I live in Atlanta. Although I am not necessarily moving on up at George and Weezy speed, no one could miss the many trappings of wealth that have become commonplace. Bentley Coupes and Ferraris aren’t exactly a stretch for some Black folks here. Atlanta is full of new money but there’s some old money too; the catch is you already have to be in it to get close to it. So, the ladies aren’t, by any means, exaggerating what’s possible here. The problem is they come off a little more ghetto than fabulous and that won’t sit well with a lot of us.
Money, as L Boogie once shared, may change the situation but it doesn’t change every thing. And, watching money spent carelessly might not be our thing. Neither Snoop nor Rev. Run spent a lot of money before our eyes on their respective reality shows; not even Puffy -- excuse me, Diddy -- actually subjects us to that. We know they are wealthy but they never work so hard to prove it. The same cannot be said of Atlanta’s housewives.
C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) is the overarching theme, the goal clearly being to arouse envy in the viewing audience. In these economically harsh times, that may or may not work. Television is still mainly escapism for most of us. So, no, we don’t want whole shows about folks who are struggling. Most of us can find that in our own households. But there is a tightrope that must be walked. Let’s face it, we love it when our folks look prosperous. Rubbing it in? Not so much. Unfortunately, the housewives cross over to conspicuous consumption regularly. Interpersonal relationships are another big theme, with two of the wives, in particular gearing up for what could be a face-off that doesn’t just seem unpleasant but has the potential to go to that place we are not trying to have captured on television for all posterity.
You can’t please all the people all the time. Sometimes critically acclaimed means low viewership and shows most of us publicly agree shouldn’t be watched are ratings-busters. Flavor of Love immediately comes to mind. Based on the feedback some of our most popular blogs received following Atlanta’s August’s sneak peak, this one should be a ratings dud. But that’s just talk. The numbers don’t lie. For all we know, The Real Housewives of Atlanta may just be settling in for a long ride. That’s one thing they all seem to agree on. The real question is: do you?
Veteran freelance writer and self-diagnosed television junkie Ronda Racha Penrice is the author of African American History For Dummies, which includes a chapter on film and television.
Bravo kicks off The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Tuesday, October 7 at 9pm ET/PT.
