‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ recap: season 13, episode 16

Stripper Gate is the scandal that won’t go away. It happened several episodes ago and news reports have pointed out that Porsha Williams may have slept with a stripper at a bachelorette party in South Carolina. (So what? She’s single. She can do whatever she wants!)

It became central to another drama, this time involving Marlo Hampton on Sunday’s episode of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” while the ladies were on a trip to New Orleans hosted by Drew Sidora.

Marlo was friends with Porsha, but Porsha got upset when Marlo kissed and made up with longtime frenemy Kenya Moore during the beach trip.

Last week, Marlo and Porsha tried to clear the air after a dance class, noting the awkwardness between the two of them. But Marlo also asked Porsha point-blank if she had slept with the stripper. Porsha said no.

Marlo this week, during a dinner cooked up by New Orleans rapper Big Freedia, says she feels like Porsha had lied to her about sleeping with said stripper. (To be fair, Porsha has implied but never stated outright that she slept with Bolo, the stripper. And Bolo himself on Instagram has denied it happened.)

Oddly, Marlo broached the subject in a roundabout way in front of all the ladies during the meal; she sought Big Freedia’s opinion about the situation without naming names. Finally, Porsha, super annoyed, outs herself and wonders why Marlo is dragging a random third party into this mess.

The conversation quickly turns sideways, and Marlo gets frustrated and leaves, cursing up a storm, calling the ladies fake.

Kenya, with Marlo gone, keeps poking Porsha. Porsha asks her not to say her name. Kenya keeps saying it. It’s about as mature as a middle-school cafeteria fight.

When Kandi asks why anyone should care about this, Kenya claims she doesn’t care about Porsha, which others feel is odd because if she didn’t care, why does she keep making such a capital case out of it?

Porsha, sticking with the “you go low, I go lower” routine, starts mocking Kenya by saying she slept with “everyone,” even the dude who cooked the pig. She jokingly said she should have knocked on Kandi’s door. Then she starts calling Kenya the dreaded “b” word.

Kenya isn’t pleased with this childhood taunt, and Porsha sardonically wonders if she hurt Kenya’s little feelings.

“You can’t hurt me because I’d actually have to respect and care about you,” Kenya responds. “You’re a fraud. You’re a fake. Everything you say is a lie.”

Kandi is just fed up with this entire sequence of events.

“What will bring it to the end?” Kandi says.

Porsha ends it by just leaving New Orleans in a huff.

Kenya cackles when she hears the news. “That girl is so foul in every way!” she says.

Later, Cynthia Bailey sums it up nicely: “It’s time to focus on something else.” (Please!)

In the meantime, Kandi leaves early to get ahead of the incoming Hurricane Zeta. LaToya Ali catches her departing. Kenya is annoyed that Kandi didn’t bother to tell her.

Kandi and Porsha are smart because Zeta hits landfall, and the electricity in Hotel Indigo goes out.

“At least the Isle of Palms, the ladies had a good time,” Kenya concludes. “In New Orleans, not so much. Good try, Drew, but I win.”

POST NEW ORLEANS

Back in Atlanta, Drew feels she did pretty good on the trip despite the challenges.

Kandi, on the set of a Lifetime movie called “Envy” that is coming out April 17, gleans acting advice from veteran actor Clifton Powell.

Kenya is shown thrilled to see Michigan go blue during the presidential election. Cynthia and Porsha meet up and celebrate the Joe Biden presidency.

“Georgia’s turning blue baby!” Porsha says. “I’m so happy for our hero Stacey Abrams, who is leading the pack.”

She says the entire Marlo blow-up was embarrassing in front of Big Freedia. The result: Porsha is finished with Marlo as a friend.

Later, we see the start of a tasting party at the latest restaurant venture by Kandi and her husband Todd Tucker: Blaze Steak and Seafood, named after their son.

Both Porsha and Marlo show up, and it’s immediately awkward again. The episode ends with a “TO BE CONTINUED” tease.

BY THE WAY...

Where is Tanya Sams? It seems after the shenanigans at the Cynthia beach party, the “friend” of the show just straight up disappeared. The gossip columns including TMZ say she stopped shooting once she knew that Stripper Gate was going to be a thing and didn’t show up to the reunion, which taped late last month. She was accused of being part of a three-some with Bolo, the stripper, and Porsha. While Porsha is single, Tanya is engaged. It didn’t help matters that Tanya admitted on camera she was in Porsha’s room that night.