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COMMENTARY: Reality TV — The Respectable and the Ratchet

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “These shows draw large audiences because some showcase professional Black women and the triumphs and struggles we all experience daily. They highlight the iconic ‘Black Girl Magic’ that makes the whole world interested in what we are doing. The cat fighting and mean girl behavior definitely add to the entertainment value. I also love the way Black family life is highlighted on both of these shows (RHOA and Married to Medicine),” says Reality show viewer Miranda Solomon.

Published

6 years ago

November 3, 2019

Oakland Post

Whether network or cable television programs, reality television shows garner some of the highest ratings in broadcast and cable television. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Entertainment and Culture Editor

Much to the chagrin of some media critics, scholars and television fans, reality television is here to say. Colloquially referred to as “ratchet tv,” reality television is loved and loathed often by the same fan base who like or detest the genre for the same reasons.

Some of the reality shows, particularly those with all-women and all-black casts, have become synonymous with promoting the worst of women’s behavior with constant bickering, physical fighting, back stabbing, pettiness, anger and mean-spiritedness put on full display.

Many believe the shows highlight the most stereotypical behavior of women in general and black women in particular. Others enjoy the genre as an escape from the reality of their everyday lives and appreciate the entrepreneurial endeavors of the women on the shows, sometimes resulting in spin-offs like Vanderpump Rules and retail businesses owned by members of the casts of RHOA, RHONY, RHOP and Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta.

Whether network or cable television programs, reality television shows garner some of the highest ratings in broadcast and cable television.

Season 12 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) returns to television Sunday, November 3 and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills made history by adding actress Garcelle Beauvais to the cast, making the former model the first Black woman on that particular franchise.

Married to Medicine’s programming day has been changed multiple times; yet and still their fans continue to find them and bring new fans with them along the way.

There’s an old adage that says you should never discuss politics or religion in polite company. Perhaps another category should be added? Reality television.

If you want to hear a heated debate, then bring up reality television in any number of settings and a range of responses and emotions will surface. Some live for the genre, while others despise the television category which is broad enough to include Cops, The Bachelor, The Masked Singer, Dog The Bounty Hunter, 90 Day Fiancé, Say Yes to the Dress, House Hunters, RHOA, Chopped and a host of other reality shows.

Reality shows continuously rank high on ratings lists; reality shows featuring women casts and all black casts continuously rank high on cable ratings lists.

Not only are the shows popular on television, they spawn other streams of revenue for reality show stars. Cookbooks, restaurants, clothing stores, fitness videos, weight-loss products, ear buds and the like are being hawked by cast members of these shows.

Real Housewives of New York’s Bethenny Frankel built a multi-million-dollar empire with her Skinnygirl lifestyle brand. RHOP stars Gizelle Bryant and Karen Huger launched a make-up line and fragrance over the last three seasons. While RHOA’s Kandi Burress, who was already successful in music prior to being cast on RHOA, has morphed into a successful entrepreneur in online retail and restaurants.

RHOA’s NeNe Leakes has jettisoned to mainstream popularity, having starred on two network television series, other reality shows, performed on Broadway and is currently pursuing a career in stand-up comedy, among other businesses.

Model turned RHOA reality star Cynthia Bailey opened a modeling company and lunched a sunglass line. Cardi B launched herself musically into the stratosphere from her journey on Love and Hip-Hop New York to the 2017 cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, relegating rock legend Fats Domino to a corner mention, en route to becoming rap music royalty.

It’s not just the women on these shows who are winning financially, but also the men. The Apprentice’s Bill Rancic sold his cigar company for millions to Synergy Brands, remained on the board of directors and continues to broker million-dollar deals.

Recently, Love and Hip-Hop Hollywood’s Ray J closed a $31 million deal securing the launch of his new electronics transportation brand Raycon.

Reality stars like K. Michelle, Huger (RHOP), Leakes, Shooter Gates (LHHA) also use their platforms to highlight important issues like domestic violence, rape and gun control. While reality television shows featuring primarily all-women casts are problematic, it is difficult to dismiss them and the genre itself with their consistent ratings, successful brands and businesses.

In fact, reality television shows, became so popular with women audiences in the early 2000s, they displaced legendary soap operas like All My Children and One Life to Live, both of which had been on-air for more than forty years each at the time of cancellation (2011).

Reality television mimicked the narrative and stylistic elements of soap operas, but with far less production costs. For example, even though 90 Day Fiancé is a popular reality show on TLC, reportedly, each couple gets $1000 to $1500 per episode, with some cast members starting GoFundMe pages to ask for help with bills.

The Bachelorette (ABC) earns $250,000 per season, while some Teen Mom’s (MTV) like Catelyn Lowell earn $500,000 per season. As for the Real Housewives franchise (BRAVO), the beginning salary per season started off at $7,250 for the entire season of season 1 of Real Housewives of New York.

New reports claim Bethany Frankel made upwards of $1.5 million per season for her last turn on RHON, while Lisa Vanderpump (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) and Nene Leaks (RHOA) make up to $2.7 million per season. It is estimated that Kim Kardashian rakes in $7 million per season for Keeping Up the Kardashians.

While it is easy to assume that reality stars are making that kind of money, the vast majority are not, particularly on women cast shows whose re-runs dominate daytime television programming and new episodes strike ratings gold for primetime audiences.

Most reality shows of this type – women cast housewives shows – are filmed with three to five crew members on location, unlike soap operas which were historically filmed on set, with scores of crew members and star salaries that were in the millions of dollars.

The lower production costs of reality shows including crew and star salaries coupled with the rise of social media giants Facebook and Twitter brought the reign of daytime soap operas to a screeching halt.

While many want to get rid of what some call “Trash TV,” reality television is here to stay, if for nothing else – high return on investment in the form of advertising and viewership relative to the low cost of production and distribution.

Reality show executive producers Andy Cohen, Mona Scott Young and Carlos King understand the business model and know it is good business to produce problematic reality shows. Despite the outcry on social media about the danger of reality television, the popularity of reality shows with audiences challenges the presumption that ratchet television is bad for the culture.

Dr. Mark Cunningham, Professor of Black Popular Culture at Austin Community College, thinks the critique is wrapped in respectability politics. “What we see on these shows falls under everything we discuss in other contexts as stereotyping: self- absorption, hypersexuality, over-indulgence, superficiality, hyper masculinity and so forth, he offers. I don’t buy into these critiques of the shows being worthless although I do recognize that there is some truth to the critiques in terms of the stereotypical behaviors of those on the shows. People need to understand this is just one example of black life. This is not all of black life.”

The reality shows with black women casts do represent the worst of what folks have to say about black people, but they also fill the desire for black people in general and black women specifically to be seen on television.

Dr. Alfred L. Martin, Jr. Assistant Professor of media studies in the departments of Communication Studies and African American Studies at the University of Iowa states, “These shows emerged at a time when black women were pretty non-existent within mainstream media. So, on one hand, they were feeding an unsatiated appetite for black female representation. On the other hand, these representations emerge in a post-network environment where networks are seeking modes of differentiation in an ever more crowded television landscape,” Martin offers.

“At the same time, these representations are complicated in the ways they mix the respectable and the ratchet. So, in a way, they break from ‘Saint’ Claire Huxtable who did not have a ‘negative’ bone in her representational body. These black female reality TV characters — and they are characters versus necessarily being their “real” selves –are far more complex,” Dr. Martin adds.

It is impossible to dismiss the large audiences in general and women of color they draw despite the chorus of naysayers who believe the stereotypes bring more harm than good by playing into the “angry woman” stereotype among others.

Reality show viewer Miranda Solomon has diverse reasons for watching the shows. “Specifically, I watch Love and Listings because I sell real estate and am interested in seeing a show that is entirely focused on people of color doing what I do for a living. I also watch Basketball Wives, Love and Hip Hop (all cities), Real Housewives of ATL and Married to Medicine. I watch each of these shows as a mindless indulgence. Each of these shows provides just the right about of reality escape for me,” says Solomon who also sees the reality in the show despite the cattiness.

“These shows draw large audiences because some showcase professional Black women and the triumphs and struggles we all experience daily. They highlight the iconic ‘Black Girl Magic’ that makes the whole world interested in what we are doing. The cat fighting and mean girl behavior definitely add to the entertainment value. I also love the way Black family life is highlighted on both of these shows (RHOA and Married to Medicine).”

When asked about the negative images perpetuated by both shows and the criticism the show receives because of these images, Solomon offers, “If you’re only watching the cattiness and the fighting, then it is easy to have that opinion. I actually follow the story lines of the characters. I find the characters’ family lives intriguing and, in many cases, endearing. I wonder if the critique is the same for White reality shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette?”

Dr. Martin speaks to Solomon’s concerns. “At base, that sort of critique is rooted in a racialized and racist understanding of blackness. White folks get to consume all sorts of garbage and their consumption is often bound within ‘ironic’ stances toward the ‘bad object’ or general notions of kitsch and camp. When black folks consume ‘bad objects’ it is understood as endemic of our lack of taste, class and education. Of course, that goes back to Stuart Hall’s conceptualization of the function of the stereotype: to fix, essentialize, reduce and naturalize blackness as inherently inferior and ‘othered.’”

Therein lies the rub. Why is it that in a reality genre that is teeming with shows ranging from tow truck operators to police officers to college kids sharing a house together to dance teams and the lives of little people, are so many bothered by the black cast reality shows? It is possible to realize that much of what you are watching is problematic and find some sense of pleasure in the show despite the problematic images? Is Rachel Lindsay, the first black Bachelorette, any worse than the twenty “Bachelorettes” that came before her?

Some television viewers like Donna White, who rarely watches black cast reality television shows because of the problematic images of black people, understands why people want to see these images and believes the cast members should have the opportunity to use their platform to develop and grow their businesses.

However, White, who jokingly refers to herself as a “bean bag culture critic” is still bothered by the representation of black people on these shows. “Reality shows often perpetuate and reinforce stereotypes about black love, relationships, and how black people act and what is important to us. Black folks are dynamic and multidimensional people, but that is rarely captured on most reality shows,” she says.

When asked what it take for her to watch more black reality shows, White states “I would have to see the formula change. I don’t want to see black women always fighting each other. I don’t want to see black men with problematic lives juggling multiple women,” she says.

When asked what type of show she would like to see, White offers, “I’d like to see something with travel and adventure. What I want to see won’t sell and won’t garner the large audiences,” she says making a sobering observation of the realities of black cast reality television shows.

Is there room for more diverse representations of blacks on reality television shows? More importantly, if the formula changed as White would prefer, will audiences watch these new types of reality shows with the same fervor as “ratchet” reality shows? Does it have to come down to the respectable and the ratchet or is there something in between?

This article was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., entertainment and culture editor for NNPA/Black Press USA. Nsenga is also founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news blog The Burton Wire, which covers news of the African Diaspora. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.

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The hidden risks of poor water management in residential properties

Poor water management in residential properties can result in structural damage, health risks, and long-term financial strain. Water is the most important resource for any country, and having access to clean drinking water should be a right that needs to be preserved. Unfortunately, we are noticing a trend in the US right now where poor water […]

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

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Poor water management in residential properties can result in structural damage, health risks, and long-term financial strain.

Water is the most important resource for any country, and having access to clean drinking water should be a right that needs to be preserved. Unfortunately, we are noticing a trend in the US right now where poor water management in residential properties is becoming more common.

It’s not even just access to water that gets affected when residential water management isn’t made a priority. It can result in issues with major leaks and flooding events, which affect the health and safety of residents.

Gradual Structural Damage

The worst thing about flooding or water leaks is the gradual structural damage that real estate investors have to deal with. Water can seep into materials like:

Wood
Drywall
Concrete

It can do so over time, drop by drop, and eventually cause significant damage to these structures.

A slow leak behind a wall or under a floor may go unnoticed for months, gradually compromising the integrity of the structure. Over time, this can lead to:

Warped floors
Cracked foundations
Weakened support beams

If you aren’t interested in spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair your residential properties, then it’s important to focus on water management in your annual plan.

Mold and Indoor Air Quality Issues

Excess moisture creates the perfect growing environment for mold. Within 24 to 48 hours, mold can start developing in damp conditions, and it often does so in hidden places like:

Behind walls
Under carpets
Poorly ventilated areas

Mold is a health hazard, especially for the very young and very old, and those who have a compromised immune system. Indoor air quality starts degrading very fast when mold growth happens, which can result in allergies, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.

Addressing mold problems can be both complicated and expensive, often requiring professional remediation to fully eliminate the issue.

Increased Utility Costs

If you notice that your utility bills have gone up in recent weeks or months, without any corresponding difference in tenants or temperature, it could be due to a water leak. Malfunctioning fixtures can also cause an increase in utility costs.

Even small, continuous leaks can add up to substantial water loss, making regular inspections and maintenance essential. That’s why paying attention to water management is so crucial for any real estate investor.

Foundation and Drainage Problems

Proper drainage is crucial to protecting a home’s foundation. Water needs to be directed away from the property, and if not done so, then it can accumulate around the base of a structure. This can lead to soil erosion, foundation cracks, and even basement flooding.

Clogged gutters, improper grading, and inadequate drainage systems are common contributors to these issues. All of these have to be addressed to prevent long-term damage to your foundation and prevent expensive repair bills that eat away at your budget.

Professional eavestrough installers are necessary to ensure rainwater stays away from your foundation and moves away from the property properly.

Pest Infestations

No homeowner or investor wants pests in their residential properties. It’s not good for the health of the residents, nor is it good for the reputation of the properties in attracting future tenants.

Moist environments often attract pests such as:

Termites
Rodents
Insects

Standing water or damp areas provide ideal conditions for these unwanted guests to thrive.

Once pests are established in your property, they will start causing further damage by eating away at certain structures. To get rid of them requires expensive pest control services and takes time.

Insurance and Financial Implications

Even though insurance does cover certain types of water damage, it doesn’t cover all forms of water damage, and thus, you might end up paying out of pocket in certain cases.

Damage resulting from neglect or lack of maintenance is often excluded from coverage. That’s why it’s so important to apply water management strategies to all of your residential properties.

If you wish to sell your property later, then it’s important to be very cognizant of water damage, as buyers will conduct inspections that could alert them to such water damage and prevent your home from selling in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Some Preventive Measures for Water Management?

There are many home safety tips you can follow to ensure your home stays safe from water damage.

Regularly inspecting plumbing systems, cleaning gutters, and ensuring proper drainage can help identify problems early. Installing moisture detectors, maintaining appliances, and addressing leaks promptly are also effective strategies.

You can also hire a water damage specialist and have them take a look at your home to ensure nothing untoward is going on, especially if you notice a major change in your utility bills.

How Does Water Damage Interior Spaces?

Water damage can occur without the home dwellers noticing it. In some cases, the water damage to interior spaces is very apparent, as when the ceilings start sagging or the walls and ceilings develop water stains.

You might also notice the floors rotting or warping.

In addition to structural concerns, water damage can ruin personal belongings such as:

Furniture
Electronics
Important documents

The emotional and financial cost of replacing these items can be significant.

Nothing good comes out of water damage, but it’s highly preventable if you only take the steps mentioned above. Do not become lazy or complacent in this situation. It could be the difference between saving hundreds of dollars in water damage bills and not.

Protect Yourself From the Risks of Water Damage

Not everyone places such a priority on water management, and that’s a shame. It’s truly when you are dealing with water damage that you regret this decision.

Residential water management can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bills in the future. It’s worth the time and resources you place upon it.

By staying vigilant and adopting proactive maintenance habits, homeowners can protect their properties and protect their investment from degrading into a money-sucking pile of stones.

Please check out related articles on our website for more interesting articles on a wide variety of subjects.

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Black Micro-Schools Deserve Recognition: NABML Creates National Standards and Resources

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE: Black families are the fastest-growing demographic in alternative education. Discover how the National Association of Black Micro School Leaders is providing educators with resources, training, and certification to launch thriving microschools.

Published

6 days ago

April 16, 2026

Oakland Post

by Dawn Montgomery
BlackPressUSA Contributor

Public school advocates and politicians typically spearhead the attack on microschools, focusing on their perceived “lack of oversight and public accountability.” Yet Black families are the fastest-growing demographic in alternative education. This shift is driven by the recognition that traditional public education cannot change quickly enough to serve its children’s needs. The National Association of Black Micro-School Leaders is an organization working to counter this narrative and fill a critical gap. Nicole Stewart, the founder, told The Carolinian that “Black families are the fastest-growing group in alternative education, but Black microschool founders have had no national home, no unified voice, no shared resources, and no collective power.”

Nicole Stewart, a former educator with nearly 20 years of experience in public education, retired to start her education consulting company and later opened her own school. That experience led her to discover microschools. Stewart advocates for a balance between joy and rigor in education, designing learning experiences that honor identity, strength, and purpose. She understands that microschools can be tailored to address the specific needs of the families and communities they serve.

The oversight criticism is legitimate. This concern is precisely why NABML is establishing the national benchmark for community-led education. NABML’s certification is that seal of approval, signaling to families, funders, and policymakers that a school is not merely functioning but is outstanding. Additionally, the organization emphasizes the importance of legal structures, fiscal stewardship frameworks, and community involvement as foundational to sustainability and accountability.

NABML realizes this vision via four main support systems:

Community Design Day: NABML facilitates a process in which the neighborhood tells us what its children deserve. You get to explore new learning approaches and define educational priorities for your community. A community task force is then formed to implement these ideas, and NABML supports you along the way. This creates a space where you can be a part of the process as a founding member of a microschool.

Founders Launch Lab: This professional development experience equips Black microschool founders and educational leaders with the training, operational, and strategic skills to launch and sustain thriving schools. Participants gain the business acumen and pedagogical frameworks necessary to navigate the transition from traditional educator roles to entrepreneurial school leaders.

Membership (The Vault): Members gain instant, 24/7 access to proprietary legal templates, student handbook builders, fiscal stewardship frameworks, and zoning blueprints designed specifically for the microschool model. They also join a curated community of mission-aligned founders through monthly “Brilliance Circles” and a private digital forum. Membership unlocks the NABML Fund, a curated capital pool designed specifically for the network, removing a major barrier to school launch and sustainability.

Certification: This is the seal of approval that tells families, funders, and policymakers that your school isn’t just operating; it is also excelling. NABML is currently developing the national benchmark for community-led education, making sure that certified schools meet rigorous standards for student outcomes, community engagement, and fiscal responsibility.

Whether you’re a parent seeking educational alternatives, an educator ready to launch a microschool, or a policymaker committed to expanding equitable education options, NABML invites you to be part of this transformation.

Ready to start or support a microschool? Visit https://nabml.org/ to learn more, access resources, or join the Founders Launch Lab.

Want to invest in Black educational futures? Make a donation at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/naobml/ to support founders in building schools that serve their communities.

Every microschool launched is a community transformed. Every founder supported is a generation of Black children empowered to thrive.

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IN MEMORIAM: Rest in Power — Minnesota Loses a True Warrior in Yusef Mgeni

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — Yusef Mgeni, a brilliant historian, community organizer, former St. Paul educator and fierce advocate for Black people, died on April 7, 2026, leaving behind a legacy that will echo through generations of Black Minnesota history and community building.

Published

1 week ago

April 15, 2026

admin

By MSR News Online

Minnesota and the world lost a powerful voice and a true warrior on April 7, 2026. Yusef Mgeni is gone, but his legacy will echo for generations.

Yusef was a brilliant historian, a community organizer, a former St. Paul educator, and a fierce advocate for Black people. He carried with him an extraordinary archive of speeches, books, articles, and photographs documenting the work of countless Black scholars and leaders. His knowledge was not just deep. It was generational. Talk to him about any subject concerning Black history, and he would give you a dissertation.

His roots in this community ran deeper than most people knew. Yusef was the grandnephew of Fredrick McGhee, the pioneering 20th-century civil rights activist and attorney who made his mark in St. Paul at the turn of the century. That lineage was not lost on Yusef. He carried it forward with pride and purpose, spending decades making sure the stories of Black Minnesotans were told, preserved, and passed on.

As a journalist, Yusef called NAACP leaders and community figures to identify the issues that mattered most to Black people and wrote about them in local newspapers. He was a contributor to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, a platform he understood and respected deeply. As a former St. Paul NAACP vice president, he remained active and engaged well into his retirement, answering emails and voicemails for residents who were at their wits’ end, helping them navigate evictions, legal challenges, and systemic barriers.

“Generally, they contact us when they are at their wits’ end,” he once said. “They are going to get evicted; their car is getting repossessed. We assist in navigating the system.”

His work was always about access. Under his leadership and alongside other NAACP leaders, the St. Paul chapter helped establish a landmark covenant between the police and the St. Paul community in 2001, a model that contributed to dramatically lower excessive-force costs than in Minneapolis in the decade that followed.

Yusef was also a passionate champion of ethnic studies in Minnesota’s schools, understanding that education rooted in Black and Brown history was not a supplement to American history but central to it.

“Ethnic studies is also American history,” he said. “The fact that the legislature and the MDE have both endorsed ethnic studies requirements in schools is a real plus for giving people the opportunity to explore and learn more about American history, and more importantly, to see themselves reflected in that learning.”

In the 1970s and ’80s, Yusef worked alongside Mrs. Clarissa Walker at the Sabathani Community Center, where they poured their energy into uplifting and empowering the community. Their work helped shape the cultural and political landscape of South Minneapolis during a critical era. They were part of a generation that built institutions, nurtured young people, and fought for justice with unwavering commitment.

Yusef also played a key role in the early development of KMOJ Radio, helping to establish a platform that amplified Black voices long before it was common or convenient. His activism extended through education, the St. Paul NAACP, the Million Man March, and the Urban Coalition, always rooted in a deep and abiding love for his people.

He was also an interviewee in the Rondo neighborhood oral history project preserved by the Minnesota Historical Society, ensuring that the voices and stories of that community would never be lost.

Not long ago, a colleague was blessed to sit with Yusef at his home, where he reflected on his life and his legacy. He talked about his work in education, his activism, and his years of service to the community. But what stood out just as much was how he spoke about his family and his people, with warmth, with pride, and with purpose.

Today, we honor him not only for what he accomplished but for the spirit with which he did it.

A scholar. A builder. A warrior. A keeper of our stories.

Thank you, Yusef, for everything you gave and everything you sacrificed on behalf of Black people. Your legacy stands tall, and our community is better because of you.

Rest in Power, Yusef Mgeni.