The 5 biggest takeaways from the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ premiere
The ladies are back with returning OGs, new faces, and all the shade
Welcome back, peaches! That’s right, The Real Housewives of Atlanta made their grand return last night over a year since the last premiere. And with a huge cast shakeup, the women brought it all in the first episode.
Marlo Hampton, Peach-holder
After appearing on the popular reality series for over a decade as a “friend,” RHOA mainstay Marlo Hampton finally snagged her peach, and the premiere wasted no time catching up with the fashionista in all her glory. The episode kicked off with Kandi Burruss and Hampton stopping by to congratulate Kenya Moore at her rehearsal for Dancing with the Stars.
We also see Hampton in all of her “munty” glory, as fans may remember that she’s raising her nephews. “A munty is an auntie, like a mom but only funner,” she shared in an interview. “It’s going on almost three years. By now I wanna say, ‘Damn, that went so fast,'” she gushed to a producer.
Welcome Back, Shereé
“I’m back, back, back again,” Whitfield exclaims in the trailer. RHOA OG Shereé returned to the series after her second exit, wasting no time filling in the ladies about how she’s been doing. That included an update on her relationship with Tyrone. She said, “Tyrone has been around for a while. I put in so much time with this guy.” After dating him while he was incarcerated for several years, she shared that she owes it to herself to see if “love conquers all” now that he is out.
Whitfield was also able to see a new side of Moore, who she famously feuded with for years. “The Kenya Moore that I met years ago…she was a mean girl,” she shared. “However, I think after she had Brooklyn she actually became a different person in a good way!”
Meet Sanya Richards-Ross
Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross certainly made a splash during the debut episode as well. The new Real Housewife on the block, Richards-Ross is the first Olympian and first Jamaican housewife in the franchise. “I felt proud to represent the United States at the Olympics, but we are proud and true Jamaicans,” she said in an interview. Richards-Ross is married to her college sweetheart, former NFL player Aaron Ross. The two share a son and Richards-Ross opened up about her husband’s desire for the couple to have another child.
“In my heart, I really do want another kid but I don’t want to put a strain on our marriage that breaks us,” she told Aaron in the episode. He replied, “Not having one might do the same thing.” As part of a very close-knit extended family, Sanya’s parents also chimed in, but only time will tell if the couple eventually decides to try for a second child.
Trouble in Paradise for Ralph and Drew
If you watched the last season of RHOA, you know that Drew Sidora and her husband Ralph Pittman have overcome obstacles in their marriage, and this season, looks like we’ll see more of their often dramatic relationship.
Sidora told the other housewives that her husband had a former assistant offer to give him a massage, which made her feel so uncomfortable she asked her husband about it.
When he revealed that he did text the assistant back after her massage offer, the other women were having none of it. When Pittman came into the room after Sidora made her confession, Burruss told him face-to-face, “Hell to the nah, to the nah nah nah!” She added, “We all know how this goes, let’s be for real!”
Return of the Bone Collector
During her time on RHOA, Whitfield was known as a “bone collector” by her fellow castmates and viewers for constantly bringing back gossip to the parties involved and keeping the “plot” moving. After a years-long break, Whitfield got right back to her delicious pot-stirring ways bringing newbie Richards-Ross along with her. At her Le’ Archive fashion event, both women told Hampton that Moore, Sidora, and Burruss weren’t impressed by the execution.
This led to an exchange between the entire cast, with Hampton coming for just about everyone. Check out the full episode below:
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.
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