Three years ago, Todd Tucker was working behind the scenes on the Bravo show "Real Housewives of Atlanta" in South Africa.
That's when he saw Kandi Burruss for the first time.
What caught him was her smile. Oh, and her booty. "Once we got to talking, I found her real and down to earth," he said in an interview earlier this month. "We started hanging out when we left Africa. I knew quickly she was the one. There was a point when she asked me to get down on my knees and pray. I was blown away!"
That love affair blossomed during the taping of "Real Housewives" seasons five and six. Bravo felt the nuptials worthy of a five-episode spin-off show that debuts Sunday night at 8 p.m. (The wedding itself happened in April.)
Viewers, Todd said, "will see what it take for two people in love getting married despite the odds against them. We pulled it out. I just hope people enjoy it. I gave up a lot. I just put myself out that, gave the world my life."
He got a kick out of Kandi's "Coming to America" wedding party thematic, referencing the now classic 1986 Eddie Murphy film which starts in Africa - like their relationship.
He said the wedding planning "was an emotional experience. It was tough. But the wedding party was one of the best I've ever seen."
Tucker, a producer by trade, is not a ham. He was a reluctant participant season five, clearly uncomfortable in front of the camera as opposed to behind it. This past year, he got used to it. He comes across as rational, fair and loving to his now wife Kandi.
He isn't hot headed like Cynthia's husband Peter Thomas or intensely immature like Phaedra Parks' Apollo Nida.
"I'm like a supporting cast member for her," Peter said. "That first season was really tough. The more we did it, the more I just acted like the camera's not even there. It's kind of weird."
What is especially odd, he said, is experiencing feelings - positive or negatve - while the cameras are rolling, then feeling them again months later when the show airs. "When you see what people are saying, it's like 'Oh my god. They've double-stabbed at you!' "
He said he and Kandi are compatible in one major sense: both are frugal. "We do not like to spend money. We didn't have a wedding planner. I did not want to be part of the planning. She wanted me to. She ended up having her staff plan it. They did an amazing job."
In the first episode, her staff acts skeptically when Kandi suggests they put it all together - in five weeks. Her best friend and right-hand woman Carmen, who clashed needlessly with Mama Joyce during season six, has an especially tough time dealing with the wedding.
While Mama Joyce got all the airtime during season six of "Real Housewives" due to her irrational doubts about Todd, Todd's mom Miss Sharon was barely there. The spinoff allows her to speak her peace. "She and Mama Joyce get to air things out," he said. "My mom was kind of calm about the matter for a long time. She's a lot more vocal than I am and I gave her a chance to let it out. She had a lot building up. It had to happen."
In a preview, Mama Joyce almost attacks Miss Sharon, who calls her the five-letter b word. (See the preview below)
Kandi, in a press conference, said "the conflict between them was inevitable." It was tough for her to watch. "My mom is my mom right or wrong. I don't really want to hear anybody else saying she's crazy even if she is. I don't like to keep stirring it up. It's very hard."
Todd is an optimist. He believes he can turn Mama Joyce around. "There's no way she can't like me," he said. "It's something she's still dealing with. As long as I took that stance, it was harder for me to take it personally. I had to let it roll off my back."
(Then again, there was a point during the sixth season where he demanded Kandi and Mama Joyce hash out their issues with a therapist and threatened to end the relationship if Kandi couldn't make things at least manageable, which she ultimately did.)
Indeed, Todd acknowledged, "it's still a struggle. I take it day by day, chipping away. I believe in her. She was cool with me before we got engaged. I know I can get her."
Mama Joyce continues to spout absurd things during the spin-off. During the upcoming episode, she claims "Todd was raised by a pimp and a prostitute." That can't possibly go over well.
Todd is currently in Los Angeles executive producing a new show called 'Hollywood Divas' about struggling black actresses for TV One. One of the actresses? Lisa Wu (Hartwell) from the first two seasons of "Real Housewives of Atlanta."
They took only three days after the wedding in the Bahamas, not quite a full honeymoon. Both are too busy right now to take even a week off. "We're both workaholics," he said.
He isn't surprised that Kandi is so popular. (I did a poll recently in which she received nearly 50 percent of the vote, well ahead of NeNe.) "People just connect with how humble and relatable she is. Not matter how much money you have, it's more about character, who you are, how you navigate through your life. People respect her."
Kandi herself said she just hopes she "comes across as myself." This season, the producers "didn't hype anything. They didn't change too much. It was what it was. I feel like it was a true depiction of me."
She said both she and Todd like to be the boss. So they've both had to learn to compromise in the relationship and be on the same page. "It took a moment to adjust," she said, "and allowing each person to lead the way in the areas they are strong."
TV preview
"Kandi's Wedding," 8 p.m. Sunday (starting June 1 for five weeks), Bravo
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