The Real Housewives of Atlanta -Video & Review of The Series Premiere

When The Real Housewives of Atlanta premiered on Bravo, Tuesday, October 7th at 9pm ET, I was glued to my television watching the Presidential debate. I knew The Real Housewives were on, but, I had to keep my priorities straight—the fate of our country or reality TV? With the economy suffering so much I wanted to hear what our next President, Barack Obama’s, plans were.

However, the next day at work, I spoke to three coworkers who all watched the show. One of my coworkers is from Atlanta and from the tone of her voice I sensed that the show may have depressed her. She said that she didn’t think she would be tuning in because she felt it was a poor representation of not only black women but in particular black women in Atlanta because most of the women came across as gold diggers. But I don't believe any of the housewives are originally from Georgia. My coworkers were the most impressed by Lisa Wu although they said Kim was their favorite. And they were the least impressed with NeNe, referring to her as "ghetto". Their opinions made me really want to watch the show, because these ladies are also avid readers and as a writer before even seeing the first episode I knew that these “real” housewives were “real” characters with a goal to attract viewers and since I’m an internet fanatic I was confident I’d be able to find an episode on line, which I did. Well, it wasn’t really as bad as I thought it was going to be based on the advance reviews I was receiving. Did it make black women look bad? It depends. If you are a person of another race who prefers to stereotype people of a certain race then perhaps to you it did or if you are black person and you feel because a person is of our same race they represent our entire race. I don’t feel that way. There are a long list of very successful people who are black so one show is not going to set our race back. The evening news makes black people look bad. The Real Housewives of Atlanta made three black women, one interracial woman and one white woman look rich and a few may have come across as materialistic, but it’s their money to spend as they so please. Their husbands (those who are married) didn’t seem bothered by it so why should we be?

But I will admit I had to watch the show twice. The first time I looked at it with a critical eye. After all, people had warned me, and not just my three coworkers, but other friends I spoke to, that these women were “gold diggers” living off their husband’s money or in the case of Kim, Big Poppa’s money. But I didn't really see it that way. There were parts that didn't sit well with me at all. But are these women really all that bad? Let’s take this for what it is—entertainment. Maybe it's the timing of the show. After all, the economy is suffering, people are losing their jobs, and we are in a recession and along comes a show with ladies paying thousands of dollars for a purse and saying they need a staff of people to do what many of us have done and continue to do ourselves. But for me The Real Housewives of Atlanta was much better the second time I watched it and therefore I think the show will only get better each week.

The Characters (random order):

My favorite, believe it or not, is NeNe, because while she was the loudest she was being herself and she is a character in every sense of the word. She is also the only one that doesn’t have a staff of people working for her. She has a nice home and Range Rover, but her lifestyle doesn't seem over the top. It reminds me of that of many upper middleclass Americans. I like the fact that she is not unforgettable and not dull. When the make-up artist came to her house and she said she wanted her lashes poppin' and her lips bustin’. She wanted to look awake even though she would be drinking, I laughed so loud I nearly cried. If you can make me laugh I’m going to love you and she was the only one of the housewives who made me laugh so she is my favorite for now. I also had a least favorite, but because I refuse to be a hater I will not mention which one she is. I will have to see if she continues to irk me as she did in the first episode. Yes, I will be tuning in either online or on Tuesday evening to see the lifestyle and enjoy the shots of Atlanta, the city I love to visit every chance I get.

Deshawn Snow is a native of Detroit just like me so instantly I like her since she’s a home girl. She is also a Michigan State University graduate who is currently attending graduate school online. She has a beautiful family and a magnificent home. She and her husband seem to be very much in love, and it is very refreshing to watch a black couple in love. She has an estate manager and an entire staff of people whom neither she nor her husband interact with because she says that is the estate manager’s job. But she also runs a non-profit foundation, The Deshawn Snow foundation. The link to the foundation’s website is: http://www.deshawnsnowfoundation.org/website/.

Lisa Wu seems to be down to earth. She says she’s bouncing off the walls she’s so busy. Her first husband was Keith Sweat and she has two sons by him, but you will not see them on the show because Keith Sweat wouldn’t sign a waiver. She dated her second husband, Ed Hartwell for one month and twenty-three days before they married. He played for the Atlanta Falcons and a few other teams. Here’s a little tidbit about Lisa who seems to runs multiple businesses and has a very nice web site: “The play "Change Is Gonna Come" was written and produced by Hartwell and directed by a then, little known director named Tyler Perry. The UPN show, "The Industry" soon followed with a two-year run along with the movie "Black Ball", which she wrote, produced, and starred in.” Source: lisawuhartwell.com

Kim seems likeable. She is divorced with two daughters and she is the only white woman in the cast, but according to her she is really a black woman trapped in a white woman’s body. She’s pursuing a career as a country singer with the help of Dallas Austin.

Sheree Whitfield is the ex-wife of a former NFL player. She is in the middle of a long divorce settlement because she is holding out for seven-figures so she can live the same lifestyle that she has grown accustomed to. The first episode revolves around her birthday party that she says is the talk of the town. She also has a staff of workers and she has aspirations of becoming a fashion designer.

All of these ladies have lovely homes and interesting personalities. I plan to tune in each week and post a blog immediately following.