'Mistresses of Atlanta' reality show may be in the works

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It seems as if hardly a week goes by without a new reality show popping up on our television screens.

Well, according to several sources yet another “real” TV show full of drama, catfights and confrontations between women of color is poised to hit the airwaves: welcome to the world of the Mistresses of Atlanta.

Nothing has been confirmed yet, but a well-known pin-up girl Maliah Michel (she is rumored to have dated both Drake and Sean Kingston) is reportedly shooting a test pilot or show allegedly called, Mistresses of Atlanta.

According to tweets posted by Michel the show brings the drama early, “Just finished shooting first scene 🙂 it’s a wrap…Shooting scene 2 now…Damn they fighting already… Not me I’m a lover…Waiting to do my interview about my life and how I like the other cast members…”

Of the other four possible cast members is a girl named Rosee Divine, Atlanta rapper M’Jae, singer Strings and another woman named Sarah Oliver.

Based on the tweets from cast members, photographers, makeup artists, and clothing designers outfitting them for the show, this is the first week of filming.

If the rumors are true and the pilot is approved it will join a growing list of reality shows, such as T.I. and Tiny, The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Braxton Family Values, all filmed in and around Atlanta.

“Most networks really don’t want to spend the money on seriously written black television shows or real black talent,” says one African-American network development executive who asked not to be identified in a recent interview with Ebony magazine.

“Reality television shows are cheap to make and the talent is cheap to get,” adds the executive. “Why spend money on a good script or talent that’s worthwhile when any brown face fighting on the floor will do?”

Indeed, this has been a persistent source of criticism of the genre — the negative way some reality shows, which often revolve around a female ensemble, portray women, especially African-American women.

Media analyst Brad Adgate of Horizon Media says reality television has obvious advantages because this time-tested format, “is relatively inexpensive [to make] compared to scripted entertainment shows,” and often attracts younger viewers, “an importance demographic for advertisers.”

“A decade ago no one would have predicted the prevalence of reality television shows,” says Adgate. “But in this day and age reality is part of the programming strategy for any network.”

Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter at @Kunbiti