By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday April 16, 2015
Bravo is pulling out all the stops with a three-part reunion of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" starting April 26 to rehash season 7's highlights and lowlights. The reunion was taped in Atlanta last month.
The reunion will feature the six leading ladies and Porsha Williams, reduced to a recurring "friend" status. Despite the demotion, her airtime was not significantly reduced. Demetria McKinney, originally set to be a regular cast member but dropped to "friend" status during production, was such a nonentity this season, she wasn't even invited to the reunion.
As photos and videos show, most of the women opted for cleavage. Surprisingly, Porsha (with a new boob job) chose to stay a bit more demure this time around. And Kenya Moore had to go prop-less this time around. There are new house rules after the scepter incident last year.
Andy Cohen last week on "Watch What Happens Live" with Porsha and Phaedra Parks said the reunion will not be "ratchet' like last year when Porsha attacked Kenya. In other words, there was no physical violence. There is a tease that NeNe Leakes may finally step off her holier-than-thou pedestal and get real with the other ladies, tears and all.
Here is how "RHOA" is breaking down the reunion taping:
In Reunion Part II, airing on Sunday, May 3 at 8pm ET/PT , the women discuss how friendships have shifted and created a new group dynamic, which leads to a tearful Kandi as she and Phaedra address the cracks in their relationship. Accused of stirring the pot, Cynthia speaks out about the backlash she's received for being more outspoken than ever. Finally, the men join the mix to give their take on many of the hot-button issues from the season.
During Part III of the reunion on Sunday, May 10 at 8pm ET/PT , NeNe and Cynthia discuss the demise of their relationship and if there is any glimmer of hope for a reconciliation. Claudia and NeNe address their rocky start and attempt to settle their differences. Therapist Dr. Jeff joins the ladies to rehash their group therapy session and in a shocking turn of events, NeNe breaks down in tears and opens up to the group about her personal history in a heartfelt moment that leads to a surprising conclusion.
Then on May 17, Kandi Burruss will get a three-part mini-spinoff called "The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kandi's Ski Trip." There were rumors circulating that she had a spin-off called "Meet the Tuckers." Those rumors were, as Politifact might deem, "half true." Bravo is dubbing this a "special," not a spinoff and it's only three parts anyway. Plus, they've decided to keep the RHOA name within the title.
Here's how Bravo is describing it:
With so many moving pieces and the recent loss of Todd's mother Sharon, Kandi and Todd decide to plan a Burruss-Tucker family ski trip to Colorado for a much-deserved vacation. They face many of the same problems other newlywed couples encounter from struggling to blend their families to trying to get pregnant. Since exchanging vows, Todd has been traveling nonstop to Los Angeles for the production of his new show [TV One's "Hollywood Divas"], while Kandi continues to run her empire at full speed in Atlanta. As both sides of the family come together to hit the slopes, Kandi and Todd do everything in their power to get their relatives on the same page. Will the chilly getaway provide the rest and relaxation everyone needs, or will having their families all under one roof be too close for comfort?
Clearly, this is semi-manufactured drama by forcing family members on a vacation together. But that's how RHOA works.
About the Author
