After losing two major cast members after season 13, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” took time to regroup and recast.
The producers decided to bring back original housewife Sheree Whitfield a third time, finally give longtime part time contributor Marlo Hampton a full peach and introduce a former Olympic gold medal track star as a new housewife.
So 18 months after season 13 began, the longest time gap in the show’s history, Bravo introduces the 14th season on Sunday at 8 p.m.
I was able to screen the episode in advance. Here are some observations:
Conflicts are rife: The early teasers show continued animosity between former friends Kenya Moore and Marlo and that pops up quickly in episode one as well. Both women know how to stir the pot so this is no surprise. Arguments are this show’s oxygen, the more pointless the merrier. And Sheree and Drew Sidora appear to get into a row as well.
Credit: Alan Smith/Bravo
Credit: Alan Smith/Bravo
What’s up with Kenya? The season starts in September 2021 with Kenya Moore prepping for “Dancing With the Stars,” and the first episode ends in October when she’s eliminated. (She finishes in 10th place out of 15 contestants.) Surprisingly, she is not fully divorced quite yet from New York restaurateur Marc Daly but Kenya is very much raising her two-year-old Brooklyn by herself in Atlanta. Brooklyn, whose face was blurred last season, is now shown in full.
Full-time Marlo: Marlo has been on the show as a supporting character for a decade. Now she gets more airtime as a full-time cast member for the first time. She has opened a new fashion space called Le’Archive where production companies and individuals can rent her fancy dresses. She is taking care of her two nephews because her sister is incarcerated, which changed her life overnight. And since this is “Real Housewives,” they need to gather the women together for a party so Marlo hosts one to introduce the world to Le’Archive. One flaw to her business concept that Kandi Burruss points out: Marlo is a specific size. What if a woman doesn’t fit into her clothes? Kenya, of course, critiques the party’s lack of models and where is the catalog?
Credit: Darnel Williams/Bravo
Credit: Darnel Williams/Bravo
The newbie: Sanya Richards-Ross, 37, is introduced relatively early in episode one as a friend of Drew Sidora, who joined the cast in 2020 during season 13. The Jamaican-American won four Olympic gold medals in track. She is still in amazing shape with abs of steel. She moved from Austin, Texas, to Kennesaw last fall with her husband and former NFL player Aaron Ross and her 4-year-old son Aaron II. She and Aaron met in college and have been married 18 years. They are pondering a second child but the marriage was tested after she had her son. Richards-Ross first came to the city after producer Will Packer in 2019 hired her as a co-host on his syndicated pop culture news show “Central Ave.,” which aired two seasons but was canceled last year.
The sophomore: Drew, who is launching a meal prep service, is still with her husband Ralph Pittman despite some rocky moments. He hired a woman for his business and Drew is suspicious of her after seeing some texts she thought didn’t seem professional. She also had a hysterectomy and lost some weight.
Credit: Darnell Williams/Bravo
Credit: Darnell Williams/Bravo
...And the OG: Sheree Whitfield, who was one of the original “Housewives” in 2008, returns yet again and she’s still with a man who got out of prison named Tyrone. He lives in Pennsylvania and she visits him twice a month but they are currently not having sex. She doesn’t give a particularly good explanation why that is the case.
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