Viewers don't watch "Real Housewives" for harmonious relationships or smooth-sailing events.
But that's more or less what we got tonight. So this is going to be a mercifully brief recap.
The ladies were on their best behavior and despite the producers' efforts to make it seem otherwise, Cynthia Bailey's pageant went off pretty darn smoothly for a first-time event. Even Porsha Stewart, who Cynthia dropped as a volunteer from the show the previous episode, didn't bear a grudge and attended the show. And post cancer scare, a more grounded Kenya Moore grinned her way through the pageant as a judge and didn't critique Cynthia's snafus.
The worst issues: co-host and actor Boris Kodjoe dressed too casually. The script didn't always match the girls who made it on stage. And there was an awkward wait for the results as Cynthia and Boris struggled to kill time.
In other words, much ado about not much.
In other storylines:
- NeNe Leakes visited Atlanta for a couple of days from L.A., just long enough to hear her friend Cynthia tell her that Kenya would be a judge at her pageant. NeNe is skeptical. And Cynthia, post pageant, thought it would be a great idea for all the ladies to "clear their schedule" and go to Los Angeles to see NeNe! This was clearly an idea conjured up by the producers because the season is so long, it needs two road trips, not just one. And they need more NeNe, not less.
- Porsha faces some heat from her husband Kordell Stewart when she talks about hiring a nanny if she has a kid with him. He wants her to stay home and take care of the child. She wants to also pursue her "career." We aren't really sure what "career" that is, unless shopping is considered a "career." Anyway, she offers to take care of her brother's toddler daughter Jayden to prove she can handle a baby. My guess is she did just fine though the producers show her struggling a bit with changing diapers (and proceeding to leave a used one on the floor) and keeping up with an active Jayden.
- Phaedra? She and Apollo host a dinner party at their pad with Kandi Burruss and her boyfriend Todd. Chef Roble, who happened to have his own reality show on Bravo in 2011, feeds them mussels because they remind him of vaginas. Phaedra is charmed and a clearly turned on.
- Kandi meets with gospel singer Marvin Sapp to tape her duet "Prayed Up." Though she admits many folks don't think spiritual when they think of Kandi, her grandfather was a bishop. Her father, who is also religious, shows up and is touched by her work.
RATINGS
Last week's episode 14 ratings fell off sharply from a week earlier: from 4.1 million to 2.7 million, the worst since Thanksgiving weekend. But it was up against the Grammys. The numbers will rebound this week. The show still remains ahead of season four year to date.
MORE, THE MERRIER?
Michael Call, a co-executive producer on the show this season, was at the first annual SCAD aTVfest last week. I asked him how many episodes RHOA is doing this season. They originally had 22 set to go, he said, but they had so much material, Bravo has added two more episodes. So there will be 24 episodes, plus three reunion episodes. Each season of RHOA has been longer than the last. And can you blame Bravo for milking it when ratings are so good? For reference, season one had 9, season two had 16, season three had 18, season four had 23 and now they'll have 27, including the reunion shows.
TRAILER FOR TWO WEEKS FROM NOW
"Real Housewives" isn't going to compete with the Oscars so it's off until March 3.
The ladies go to L.A. to hang with NeNe. They get to her home so late for a party, she pretty much turns them away. Porsha tells Kenya that Walter showed up at a party featured in episode 14. Kenya appears to walk away, upset by the topic.
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