While Lifetime cancelled "Double Divas" after one season, another locally based reality show made the cut for a sophomore year: "Kim of Queens."
Kim Gravel - a Johns Creek pageant coach and former Miss Georgia with a honey-flavored South Carolinian accent - has been a lovely complement to Abby Lee Miller and the network's established hit show "Dance Moms."
"Kim of Queens," which airs Tuesdays, has drawn an average of 1.2 million live viewers, about 60 percent of what "Dance Moms" typically brings in at 9 p.m.
"Uber excited, challenged and grateful," Gravel said, about the renewal, in a text.
She spurns the "Toddlers & Tiaras" kiddie pageant circuit. Rather, she focuses on teen girls. But she isn't obsessed with good looks alone. She seeks girls with sparkly personalities and genuine talent, so they could become Miss America and win scholarship money. Stylistically, Gravel can be tough but it's tough love.
During the most recent episode, a 13-year-old Maura insisted on being part of a pageant involving swimsuits, Gravel reluctantly assented because the girl stood up for herself.
"Do I agree with putting a 13 year old bikini on stage?" Gravel said. "No. I'm only doing this because you wanted to do it. You had the guts to come in here and confront me and get in my face. I respect that. I want to see a level of maturity. I'm tired of the crying. I'm tired of the emotion. If you can take my hits being hard on you. You better be able to give it back. You better adopt a little bit of your mama!"
To another girl Ansley, who complains she's hard on her:
"Ansley: you can't go where you're going unless you dig deep into yourself. There is power in that pain that you're going through. You can either fake it or be pretty little pageant Ansley or embrace it and be a powerful woman. Show me some spark. This is your wake up call. I know you have it in you but you don't know you have it in you."
To Lauren, a musician, who is worried about the swimsuit portion, Gravel brings her to a recording studio and gives her advice:
"I wouldn't want to push you into something you don't want to do. In pageantry, the swimsuit and crows and gowns are just part of the process. I know what it takes to do what you you want to do. [Gravel is a singer.] I'm telling you if you can't handle the pressure in pageants, you sure won't be able to handle the pressure in this [music] business."
The show is set to return for a second season in June.
TV preview
"Kim of Queens," 10 p.m. Tuesdays, April 1, 2014 (season finale)
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