Originally posted Sunday, March 24, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
For the most part, the tea during this season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” has been pretty feeble.
But since NeNe Leakes' closet blow up, season 11 is picking up some speed. And the tea during tonight's episode was quite tasty indeed.
The brew was started by Marlo Hampton and the victim? Eva Marcille.
So is Eva in serious financial trouble? A bridesmaid said her credit is so bad, she has to rent And Michael Sterling is in financial trouble, too. And have their car(s) been repossessed?
Marlo Hampton chortled after she heard from an unnamed bridesmaid at Eva's wedding who dished heapings full of dirt. She even said none of the bridesmaids are talking to Eva.
These types of gems are like hot potatos on “Real Housewives.” If you’re caught not telling the target at the right time, you end up being the target.
NeNe’s rumor radar went up: “Eva’s going to hold it against me if I don’t tell her.” So she planned to do so the next time she had a chance.
Eva, after getting back from the honeymoon in Greece, met first with Kandi and acknowledged there was plenty of drama with her bridesmaids, one in particular. It’s likely that particular bridesmaid was the one spilling the tea.
At Kandi's second OLG restaurant soft opening, Tanya Sam chose to break the news to Eva, beating NeNe to the punch.
Eva said the bridesmaid in question is Shenita (sic) and she was peeved when she heard Marlo was gabbing to everyone first but her. “It’s juvenile for Marlo to talk about rumors,” Eva said. “It’s sad.”
She decided to leave just as NeNe arrived.
NeNe, who had planned to tell Eva first, got upset with Tanya.
“That was not your place,” NeNe said. “I’m so serious.”
Reality: Tanya and Eva are not that close. And NeNe even said she the best one to tell her.
Tanya backed down quickly. “I’m sorry I jumped the gun,” Tanya said. “That is my bad.”
NeNe got Eva on the phone to get her back to the restaurant. Eva said she would only talk to NeNe off camera and off microphone.
But NeNe kept the mic on so we got to hear Eva claim she had a stalker-type ex and as a result, she had to keep moving around to avoid him.
NeNe said Eva needed to defend herself. “Don’t let them write your damn story,” NeNe said, just as Marlo was throwing more extraneous gossip. (“In L.A., Eva is a full-blown lesbian!” Marlo said.)
So Eva returned and gave the women the story about her stalker.
“Every time I move,” she told the ladies, “he finds me.”
“She’s lying,” Marlo said.
"I do the best I can do with me ever day and I sleep well," Eva said. (She didn't directly address her financial situation.)
"I just want you to keep it real," Marlo said.
Other storylines:
Break up time? NeNe told Gregg how she couldn't stand how mean he was getting. He said he didn't know where that was coming from. "I've been so afraid going through this journey, I had emotions I never knew I had," he said.
“I just want you to know how it has affected me. When you got diagnosed with cancer, I felt like my marriage was lost. I know your life changed but my life changed, too. It’s been really really hard.
“It’s been hard on both of us,” Gregg said. “I didn’t ask for this and it’s pretty severe.”
NeNe said she had been used to having Gregg do a lot of things and she has now had to pick up the slack: “I have a lot of pressure.”
Gregg said he didn’t know much about her stresses. She said she didn’t feel he was in a position to hear it.
“I love you so much,” Gregg told her. ‘I don’t want to make this journey without you. You started it with me. I want to end it with you... I want to see you smile again.”
“I know I’m not the best caretaker,” NeNe said. “I want to do what’s best for you.”
So they end on a positive note - at least on camera.
Oh, that restaurant! Kandi and Todd opened their second OLG restaurant in Atlanta off Camp Creek Parkway last fall. (The original one in Castleberry Hill is currently closed for renovation.) She also told her mom and daughter RIley they were planning to use a surrogate to have another child. Riley, now 16, was skeptical. She said Kandi and Todd are not hands-on enough as it is with Ace or her given their sundry projects. Bringing another child in the picture, she said, won't help.
“We can make this work,” Kandi insisted. Riley’s concerns were swept aside.
It's minivan time! Porsha and Dennis planned a carnival-themed gender reveal party. (Porsha had her baby girl on Friday.) She also was steadfast in staying in Duluth to raise their daughter while Dennis said he would prefer to stay in town. She said it's time for him to be a suburban dad dude now, not a party-going single man. (Porsha, by the way, skipped Kandi's OLG party after missing her dungeon party.)
Next week is the season finale. The Porsha gender reveal party happens. And a rift (again) between NeNe and Cynthia happens over a surprise appearance of Kenya Moore, who left the show this season. Might this be a tease for a return?
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