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“The Real Housewives”: Peaches. Oranges. Big Apples. Oh My! , © NaimaLett.com/blog



© Bravo, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Orange County & New York

Peaches. Oranges. Big Apples. Oh My!

I finally watched an episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta yesterday. Apparently, I’m 5 years late to the Peach party, but I didn’t miss a thing.

Like every other reality show, there’s a villain, a bevy of “unsuspecting” women to villainize, and an instigator to insure the pot’s always stirred.

Unreal Reality

What amazes me is how producers could think we’d think the show is “real”. Just in case anybody out there is still confused, let me say for the record, The Real Housewives ain’t real.

It’s a created, highly produced and orchestrated Bravo franchise of a dozen past and present series based originally on the ABC juggernaut, Desperate Housewives. Since premiering The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006, executive producer Scott Dunlop has created: The Real Housewives of New York City (2008), Atlanta (2008), New Jersey (2009), Beverly Hills (2010), D.C. (2010), Miami (2011), Athens (2011), Israel (2011), Brazil (2012), Vancouver (2012) and Dublin (2012).

The Big 3 Originals, our Peaches (Atlanta), Oranges (the O.C.), and Big Apples (New York City) are all in syndication, and 5 spin-offs have been produced including Bethenny Ever After, The Kandi Factory and Vanderpump Rules. The participants use the shows to build their platforms, sell their products and expand their businesses. One thing’s for sure: everybody’s got plenty of personality and there’s fruit loads of fruit cake to go around!

And Bravo is cooking all the way to the bank.

Real/Fake Housewife-Boyfriend Talks

But Bravo didn’t count on one of its “housewives'” boyfriends spilling the beans.

In December, Atlanta entrepreneur Walter Jackson, the ‘supposed’ boyfriend of former Miss USA Kenya Moore (new villain on Housewives of Atlanta), went on the PR circuit to tell the truth about the show. He disclosed in several radio interviews that his storyline was completely fake. He says that he briefly dated Kenya for a couple of months 3 years ago. She called him out the blue last April and invited him to “play her boyfriend” on the reality show that was “full of acting”. He obliged for a few episodes, but didn’t realize the drama that would ensue.

Fast forward several months, the episodes start airing. But pictures surface online of Walter and his REAL girlfriend (who is not Kenya) around the ATL. Kenya’s PR machine goes into overdrive accusing Walter of being gay to try to save face. Bravo executives scramble to save their season and question if Walter has violated confidentiality. His net worth is reportedly $2 million, he owns a successful trucking company, he has lawyers. He wouldn’t be that careless.

Truth Comes to Light

Why do I write about any of this? It’s a great reminder that truth always comes to light.

Shakespeare said it through Lancelot in Act 2 of The Merchant of Venice: “Truth will come to light. Murder cannot be hid long—a man’s son may, but in the end truth will out.”

John, Jesus’ disciple, put it this way in John 3:21, “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Is there any area in our own lives where we are not living in reality? Are we lying to ourselves or others? Are we pretending to live one way, but really, it could be for the cameras? Caution, Fam. In the end, truth comes out. It’s probably best to just live in the truth to begin with.

For Your Entertainment

If watching women yell, curse each other out, almost fight (no one can actually physically punch as per contract) and throw food and drinks at each other is your cup of tea, by all means, keep a’sipping. Bravo has created marathons of reality TV for your entertainment. Just don’t make the mistake of calling it real. :=)

Listen to the fake boyfriend of the non-housewife. He’s telling the truth.

As for me, I think I’ll pass on future episodes. I absolutely love fruit and can get down with a fruitcake or two, but hanging through all that fighting was simply exhausting! LOL,
Naima

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