Season 15 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Clockwise: Marlo, Kandi, Drew, Shereé, Sanya, and Kenya
The Real Housewives of Atlanta (abbreviated RHOA) is an American reality televsion series. Premiering on October 7, 2008, it is the third installation of the The Real Housewives franchise, following Orange County (2006) and New York City (2008). The show focuses on the personal and professional lives of five to six women residing in and around Atlanta, Georgia.
RHOA is notable for being the first Real Housewives series to feature a predominantly Black cast (the Potomac installation of the franchise followed suit in 2016). The inaugural cast of the series was comprised of NeNe Leakes, DeShawn Snow, Shereé Whitfield, Lisa Wu-Hartwell, and Kim Zolciak.
On May 7, 2023, RHOA premiered its fifteenth season. In order of debut, the current cast consists of Shereé Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Drew Sidora, Marlo Hampton, and Sanya Richards-Ross.
It is the most successful installment of The Real Housewives franchise. Historically, it has garnered the highest ratings and has featured some of its most notable Housewives.
Main cast members
- NeNe Leakes (Seasons 1-7; 10-12)
- DeShawn Snow (Season 1)
- Shereé Whitfield (Seasons 1-4; 9-10; 14-present; Recurring: Season 8)
- Lisa Wu-Hartwell (Seasons 1-2)
- Kim Zolciak-Biermann (Seasons 1-5; Recurring: Season 10)
- Kandi Burruss (Seasons 2-15)
- Cynthia Bailey (Seasons 3-13)
- Phaedra Parks (Seasons 3-9)
- Kenya Moore (Seasons 5-10; 12-present)
- Porsha Williams (Seasons 5-6; 8-13; 16-present; Recurring: Season 7)
- Claudia Jordan (Season 7)
- Kim Fields (Season 8)
- Shamari DeVoe (Season 11)
- Eva Marcille (Season 11-12; Recurring: Season 10)
- Drew Sidora (Season 13-present)
- Marlo Hampton (Seasons 14-15; Recurring: 4; 10-13)
- Sanya Richards-Ross (Seasons 14-15)
Bolded text denotes current cast member.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta contains the following tropes:
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All-Star Cast: Atlanta by far has the most star-studded cast of all the installments of The Real Housewives: Kenya Moore, the second Black Miss USA; former supermodel Cynthia Bailey; actresses Kim Fields (The Facts of Life, Living Single) and Drew Sidora (The Game); Olympic gold-medalist track runner Sanya Richards-Ross; and Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter, Kandi Burruss, just to name a few. This cast is among the most accomplished of the entire franchise. - Awful Wedded Life: The list of couples who have experienced this on the show: NeNe and Gregg, Shereé and Bob, Cynthia and Peter, Phaedra and Apollo, Kenya and Marc, Porsha and Kordell, Drew and Ralph.
- The Bus Came Back: The RHOA series has brought back many former main cast members in some capacity: NeNe, Shereé (twice!), Kenya, Porsha, Marlo.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Played straight with Kim Fields and Shamari DeVoe. Subverted with DeShawn who finally returned in Season 14, fourteen years after her final appearance on the show.
- Friendship Denial: NeNe to Phaedra in the latter's debut season.
- Porsha does this to Kenya in Season 9.
- The Ghost: Big Poppa, Kim Z's former boyfriend from the show's beginning seasons.
- A House Divided: Frequently throughout the show's run.
- Season 1: NeNe (and later Lisa) vs Kim and Shereé.
- Season 7: NeNe, Phaedra, and Porsha vs Kenya, Cynthia, and Claudia.
- Kandi manages to remain neutral until she and NeNe get into it at the reunion.
- Season 15: Kandi, Kenya, Drew, and Monyetta vs Shereé, Marlo, Sanya, and Courtney.
- Heterosexual Life-Partner: Several pairs.
- Kim & Shereé
- Kandi & Phaedra (before Season 7)
- Phaedra & Porsha
- Kenya & Cynthia
- One Season Wonder: DeShawn, Claudia, Kim Fields, Shamari.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Mama Joyce's disdain for her son-in-law, Todd, has been a recurring plotline on the show since Kandi introduced him in Season 6. She was not too fond of her previous fiancé, A.J., during their engagement in Season 2 either.
- Only Sane Woman: DeShawn is the only original cast member to not have argued with anyone during the first season. Snow alleges she was fired due to not being confrontational enough and not offering sufficient drama.
- Rivals Team Up: Kenya joins with NeNe to take Kim down at the Season 10 reunion.
- Sassy Black Woman: Atlanta possesses the most quick-witted cast amongst the entire Real Housewives franchise.
- Series Mascot: There's been a few in the history of Atlanta. When NeNe was on, it was certainly her. Since her departure from the show, it has usually been Kandi although Kenya and Porsha have been
- Kandi's picture is one of the profile icons available on the Peaco*ck streaming service where many Bravo shows reside. The only other Housewives in the franchise whose faces are there are Kyle Richards and Teresa Giudice.
- Kenya was selected to represent Atlanta alongside Teresa and Kyle in a football-themed commercial in promotion of the franchise.
- Spin-Off: Atlanta has received the most spin-offs of the entire Real Housewives franchise with a grand total of ten. Below are the cast members whom the series were based off of:
- NeNe Leakes
- I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding (2013): This seven-episode series focuses on NeNe remarrying her then ex-husband, Gregg Leakes. The couple previously divorced and reconciled throughout the third, fourth, and fifth seasons of the show. Castmates Cynthia and Marlo served as Leakes's bridesmaids.
- Kim Zolciak
- Don't Be Tardy (2012-2020): The first Atlanta spin-off enjoyed eight seasons before its cancellation in May of 2021. It featured original cast member Kim Zolciak-Biermann; her then-husband, Kroy Biermann; and their children and other family members. The series first started as a wedding special named Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding in its first season. It later began to document the expansion of the Biermann family and their many adventures. It inevitably became a Spinoff Sendoff following Kim's disengagement and later departure from the parent series in its fifth season.
- Kandi Burruss:
- The Kandi Factory (2013): This series focused on Kandi's musical ventures as she attempts to help jumpstart the careers of aspiring musical artists. Eight episodes aired before the show's end.
- Kandi's Wedding (2014): Kandi's second spin-off focused on her marrying her husband, Todd Tucker. The show featured the couple planning their Coming to America themed wedding. As seen throughout RHOA's sixth season, Kandi's mother, Mama Joyce, is still not happy with her daughter's choice in groom. Kandi's bridesmaids included castmate, Phaedra; Xscape (Group) group members Tiny Harris and Tamera Wynn; and fellow singer, Fantasia Barrino.
- Kandi's Ski Trip (2015): This three-episode series follows Burruss and her family trying to enjoy a ski trip. Tensions are still thick between Kandi's husband Todd and his mother-in-law, Joyce.
- Xscape: Still Kickin' It (2017): Kandi and her Xscape groupmates Tiny, Tamika, and LaTocha are trying to get their groove back after not performing together in nearly twenty years. This also comes after a decade of Kandi's estrangement from LaTocha and Tamika. In 2023, this series was followed up by SWV & Xscape: The Queens of R&B in 2023 (though it is not considered a RHOA spin-off).
- Kandi Koated Nights (2018): This talk show was elevated from Burruss's former online series of the same name. It featured Burruss and various guests discussing sex and other topics involving relationships. Three episodes of this series were aired.
- Kandi & The Gang (2022): This series follows Burruss and her husband Todd managing their restaurant, Old Lady Gang. Alongside them, the establishment's staff are featured cast members as well. And of course, the restaurant's eponymous Old Lady Gang comprised of Mama Joyce and her sisters, Aunts Nora and Bertha, also star in the series. The show was canceled following the conclusion of the first season. However, Burruss later confirmed that the series has been picked up again for an upcoming second season.
- Porsha Williams
- Porsha's Having a Baby (2019): This show focused on a pregnant Williams and her then-fiancé Dennis McKinney preparing for the arrival of their baby girl, PJ.
- Porsha's Family Matters (2021-2022): Williams and her family take a trip to Mexico. Drama soon arises between Williams and her now ex-fiancé Dennis and his mother. This series comes directly after her Season 13 scandal of her engagement to Simon Guobadia, former husband of Falynn who was a recurring cast member at the time. Of course, everyone has their own opinions on the couple's relationship.
- NeNe Leakes
- Token White: OG Kim Zolciak remains the only White woman to have served as a RHOA cast member in any capacity.
- We Used to Be Friends: NeNe and Kim, NeNe and Shereé, Kandi and Phaedra, NeNe and Kenya, NeNe and Cynthia, Kandi and Marlo, Drew and Sanya.
