By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, April 9, 2015
VH1's "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" this season will be adding a 30-minute after show hosted by V-103's mid-day host Darian "Big Tigger" Morgan.
The absurdly soapy reality show returns for a fourth season on Monday April 20 at 8 pm. The live talk show will be shot in Atlanta and air at 9 p.m. with various cast members joining to discuss the highlights and lowlights of the previous hour.
As the press release noted: "The show will also highlight the funniest, most outrageous memes, Instagram posts, Tweets and Vines about the night’s episode as quickly as they appear online." It's all about social media, people! Engagement! Connection!
Big Tigger joined V-103 in 2012 with a national profile thanks to his time hosting BET's "106 and Park."
This after-show idea makes sense given it's VH1's most popular show, averaging more than 3.5 million overnight viewers and at least six million counting repeats, DVR and on demand viewing. AMC's "The Walking Dead" after show "Talking Dead" hosted by Chris Hardwick will typically retain half the "Walking Dead" crowd and drew a whopping 7.5 million for the season finale.
While four "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" characters were cut from season three (Waka Flocka, Tammy Rivera, Althea Eaton and Benzino), several newcomers have joined to fill the gaps. I think we are now at 20 named cast though only a handful are considered "main" characters and show up every week.
VH1 provided a quick synopsis of the plotlines, some that may actually resemble reality:
Original cast member Mimi Faust has started a management company - or an excuse to stay connected to the music business. She supposedly "signed" two new rap artists Jessica "Dimepiece" and Tiffany Foxx. (I know, these sound like stripper names, right?)
Her ex-Nikko Smith remains and his estranged wife Margeaux pops up for the first time while Nikko still gravitates toward his porn tape partner Mimi.
Karlie Redd is inexplicably back with no particular relationship story line now that she's broken up with Yung Joc, who surprisingly stays for the fourth season with new girlfriend Khadiyah.
The producers plant a new artist for Kirk Frost to potentially mess around now that he and his wife Rasheeda are back on good terms. She is named Ashley Nicole. (Yet another porn/stripper name! Is this by design?)
Lil Scrappy is back on good terms with his girlfriend Bambi but Erica Dixon haunts him as they battle over support for their daughter. Feisty Momma Dee gets her own love story for the first time as her ex-hubby Ernest leaves prison after seven years.
Kalenna returns a second season now very pregnant. Her husband Tony decides to invest in a nightclub (like Cynthia Bailey's husband on "Real Housewives").
And Stevie J and Joseline? Still at it, of course. And he is trying to stay out of jail over $1 million in alleged non-child-support payments.
Rumors of K. Michelle returning as a cast member proved to be untrue though that doesn't mean she won't pop up a time or two.
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