These shows started off with a bang — and great ratings — but over time they fizzled out and for some reason, unbeknownst to us, remained on the air.

“Basketball Wives”

Former basketball wife Shaunie O’Neal had a hit on her hands when she introduced the world to Jennifer Williams, Evelyn Lozado, Royce Reed and Gloria Govan, better known collectively as the “Basketball Wives.” While some of the men in the NBA were upset the women in their lives were given a show, fans tuned in each week to see how the rich, yet slightly ratchet, lived. The show was so successful, it spawned a spinoff version in Los Angeles. But as the cast members changed each season, the show’s fights became more insane. By the time Evelyn jumped over a table barefoot to go after her former friend and fellow cast mate Jennifer, there was a public outcry against the show and a petition was started to end the violence. While the fights have now died down, so did everyone’s interest in the show.

Season 11 of “Bad Girls Club” just premiered and it garnered a lot of attention due to cast member Milyn “Mimi” Jensen.  Before appearing on the show, she was associated with being the reason young, uber-couple, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez broke up.

In Milyn opening introduction on BGC, she expressed that being connected to celebrities is nothing new to her.

“I had sex with Rob Kardashian (worse sex ever)… I’m blocked, mind you, by like Dwight Howard…J.R. Smith, like all these athletes I’m blocked by them because they were like:  ”Oh, this Itchbay is telling all of our business.”

Ms. Jensen isn’t the first girl from The Bad Girls Club that has been allegedly associated with celebrities either before, during, or after their time on the show, so why don’t we take a look at the women who have:

Source: Instagram

Police officers were called to the Colorado home of Denver Nuggets player Ty Lawson and his pregnant reality TV star girlfriend Ashley King aka Ashley Pettiford, TMZ reports.

When authorities arrived on the scene, Ashley, who is most known for her role on Oxygen reality show Bad Girls Club, tearfully told officers that she and Ty got into a verbal disagreement after she overheard him on the phone speaking to another woman the night before. She reportedly went on to say that after the argument, she began packing her things to leave, but Ty stopped her by shoving her onto the bed. According to reports she reacted by throwing his phone and breaking it. In turn, he reportedly placed her phone under water.

Ashley, who is six months pregnant, went on to tell police that despite being shoved, she was sure that her baby was okay because she felt it moving around after the incident. Both Ashley and Ty were placed under arrest. Ashley was arrested for criminal mischief due to the damage she’d done to Ty’s phone. Ty was arrested for suspicion of domestic violence and criminal mischief for the damage he’d done to Ashley’s phone. They were both later released from jail on $1,000 bond.

The phrase ratchet reality star almost sounds repetitious since there are few, if any, individuals on reality TV with redeeming qualities  But these stars here are some of the most notorious on the tube, and quite honestly, the worst 15-minute celebs we’ve seen in the past few years.

Source: Blog.Vh1

Stevie J

To put it simply, Stevie J is scum and think he’s God. Sorry to break it to you Stevie J, but you’re just ratchet. He has no respect for women and makes everything a joke (remember his strip club threats?) I feel sorry for Mimi and Joseline. They have a problem on their hands forever.

Just when we think Ray J can’t become any more disillusioned than he already is, Brandy’s little brother goes and one-ups himself.

I know everyone talks about Kim Kardashian on a nearly daily basis, but it seems no one keeps her name in their mouth more than the man who so proudly hit it first, Ray J Norwood. In an interview with the Jasmine Brand, the singer — term used loosely — talked a bit about his new gig as the host of Oxygen’s Bad Girls All-Star Battle, but inevitably the conversation turned to his relationship with Kim K. when he was asked about he and his old boo thang’s success with reality TV. He told the site:

We been there kinda from the start; like I think when reality first started people were a little bit afraid of it, but ya know now it’s the new wave, it’s the new TV, it’s pop culture. It’s everything in one as far as entertainment. It has its own space now and I think we saw it from the beginning and I think now it’s just evolved. It’s so big–everybody wants to do reality everybody wants to have a show about their life or their family and a lot of people think it’s easy but it’s not. I think people are really hand picking the right people to fit this space, and I just think we always kept it real always kept it 100 and we still here.

Where exactly is “here” Ray J? picking random women to date and sleep with on VH1? Say what you will about Kim, but her reality TV game is quite different, and I don’t think I’m going very far out on the limb when I say she’s the only one “still here.”

But Ray J also thinks he’s the sole reason Kim is famous and that he legitimately hit it first so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this nonsense either. Oh wait, one more joke from Ray J. When asked what he thought of Kim’s odd Met Gala dress, he (straight up lied) and told The Jasmine Brand:

“I haven’t got a chance [to see the dress], I don’t be on the internet like that. I got to step my internet game up. I don’t know, I’m sure she looked good though.”

Oh you don’t be on the Internet like that? I want him to stop playing. Do you consider Ray J a reality TV pioneer?

Hey y’all!!  Last week we did the seasons 1-4 ladies, now let’s get it on with the season 5-8.  Season 9 just ended, so let’s give them some time before we check in on what they’re doing.  Enough with the talking about it, let’s be about it with:

SEASON 5:  Welcome to Miami

blogs.bet.com

Catya Washington

Catya was a self-proclaimed “classy” bad girl, with the phrase:  ”I’ll either snatch a b–ch for you, or you get snatched by that b–ch.”  Known for wearing high class garb, but letting her Philly side jump out whenever she was tested, she left the BGC because it was beneath her.

Well, before the show she was an already established urban model who appeared in print campaigns and music videos.  But it was her appearance in the “Best I Ever Had” video that lead to a relationship with Drake.  To be fair, the relationship happened before she went on BGC.  In fact, it was a contributing factor of their break up (because Drake didn’t want her to make him look bad on TV), the other fact was that he was getting a little too chummy with Malia.

Other than running into those drug peddling charges, she was in other music videos, she released her own single “Best Friend,” released a line of catsuits called Body by Cat.  She also is a radio personality and a blogger.  By the way, her Body by Cat line is doing a charitable donation by helping hungry families in Philly during December.  So, if you’re in that area, check it out here.

catwashington.com

harrahresort.com

On November 5th, 2012, Oxygen wrapped up the 9th season of “The Bad Girls Club” with a 3 part reunion.  While watching it I realized how far (or low, depending on your way of seeing things) this show has come.  In 2006, Oxygen premiered the very first season of “Bad Girls Club” and created a show that has simultaneously caused entertainment and controversy.  Some people have blamed the show for glorifying violence and teaching women and young girls that fighting is a solution to a problem.  But, however you look at it, it draws viewers in with each season.  Now that the show is about to go into its 10th season in Atlanta, why don’t we take a trip down memory lane and see where some of them have ended up?

SEASON ONE presented the show as a way of trying to help the ladies to fix their negative behaviors.

twitter.com

Ty Colliers

Season one was memorable for two things.  That Ripsi rampage, and that beach fight.  When the ladies went to the beach, and fellow bad girl Aimee refused to help carry the beach equipment to the car, this created a thorn in Ty’s side.  Not being one to expect people to read her mind, she not only told Aimee how she felt, but she also served her a two piece with a biscuit, causing her to be ejected from the house.

According to Sandrarose.com, in 2008 she was… hustling in the world’s first profession.  But as Phaedra Parks would say:  ”Every saint has a past and sinner has a future,” so no judgment!  She graduated college and was working on a memoir entitled “Love Me or Hate Me.”  She’s a mother now, and it seems she puts her daughter first instead of indulging in current bad girl shenanigans, so good deal.

sandrarose.com

Source: buzz.eewmagazine.com

Looks like Fannie heard everyone’s been talking about her and the rumors surrounding her son’s father, Antwaun Cook. At the end of last week, stories were swirling about Antwaun hooking up with a member of the “Bad Girls Club,” and on top of that sites were reporting the singer had a bit of a breakdown on stage as she talked about Jesus being the only one who will never leave you, not to mention a horrific picture of said breakdown.

That’s neither here nor there now, because the singer appeared to be in a much better place during the Essence Music Festival this weekend, so much so that in between customary barefoot performances of songs like “Bittersweet,” “Even Angels,” and “Nobody Greater,” she imparted these words to the audience:

“I’m doing me now, and I don’t care what the folk have to say. So put that on your Twitter. Sweep around your own front door before you try and clean around mine…”

OK then. Looks like someone hit her with that “I told you so” about her borrowed man like I predicted.

Regardless, the important thing is she’s doing what she should be doing which is singing so she can provide for her children, and I must say I’d much rather hear her say she’s doing her than to be depressed about the rumored love she’s lost. My only hope is that doing her extends to not doing Antwaun anymore because it’s time to retire that triflin’ man.

Do you believe Fantasia’s done with him?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Source: Thatgrapejuice.net

I’m sure someone somewhere is telling Fantasia “I told so,” but hopefully they also have some comfort for the mother of two whose boyfriend/second child’s father Antwaun Cook has supposedly left her for another woman. Oh, and the woman isn’t the wife we’re pretty sure he’s still married too either.

The story stems from a photo “Bad Girls Club” member Kendra James uploaded on Instagram of her getting cozy with a man who looks dead on Antwaun. Making things even more suspect, when fans questioned her about who he was, she deleted the pic and any links to it.

Yeah that’s him.

I’d like to say I’d think this woman would be smart enough not to get involved with this man but she did appear on “Bad Girls Club” after all, and from the looks of things they’re already very much involved. The YBF also has a source who confirmed the men in Kendra’s other pics are Antwaun’s fraternity brothers and they say she’s definitely dating ol’ boy. Many are speculating this situation is at least part of, if not the full reason, Fantasia had a break down during her performance in Trinidad last weekend, she reportedly told the audience:

“The only person who will never leave you is Jesus.”

All I can say is she better hold on to God’s unchanging hand right now because it looks like things with Antwaun are o.v.a. Considering they probably should have never started in the first place, this really isn’t a bad thing in the long run. What do you say?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Back in the day, and by that I mean the mid-80s, there used to be a show on television called G.L.O.W, an acronym for The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

The best way to describe GLOW is that it was the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) with women.  But these weren’t the typical buxom sidekicks we see now in today’s male-dominated sports. No, these women had identities of their own; they were both heroes and villains, athletic and thick, and had names like Palenstina, Mt. Fiji, California Dolls, Heavy Metal, the Housewives, Spanish Red and, my favorite, Coronel Ninotchka.  And more importantly, they were badass – well, at least for the 80s.

I remember the show being a staple in our household. My brother and I would settle in front of the television and watch a bunch of women go at it in the infamous GLOW Battle Royales and debate who was the better competitor.  The show quickly became the favorite amongst us young girls, who would christen ourselves the name of our favorite character and try to emulate wrestling moves like pile drives and body slams on school yard playgrounds during recess.

Like most wrestling shows, it was filled with lots of scripted drama and high-flying stunts. That didn’t bother us so much because it was entertaining – at least for a short while. But after a time, our attentions began to dull to the show when the orchestrated drama began to overshadow the real talent of these women – that they could jump, kick and body slam as hard as the men.  When that happened, we got over it.

Anyway, I thought of GLOW recently when I started thinking about my obsession with reality shows, particularly the messy ones like Basketball Wives, Love & Hip Hop and Bad Girls Club.  Last night I watched a bunch of episodes of the BGC and came to the conclusion that I really think I’m through.  The show, which documents the exploits of seven ill-behaved women, some with behavior and possibly physiological problems, living in a cartoonish style mansion, has finally gone too far for my liking – hard to believe that about a show name Bad Girls Club, right? But seriously, this season was the absolute worse.

Besides the fist-fights, hair pulling and name calling we come to expect, one of the new girls to the house was jumped by all six of her other cast mates for no other reason than being the new girl to the house. I don’t know about you all but that certainly sounds like a gang initiation.

Point blank, jumping someone is just cowardice personified. In those instances I certainly understand the usefulness of laws like Stand your Ground. But this is television, more specifically BGC, so the more appropriate response for the jumpees would have been to stand to their feet, throw up factious gang signs and say, “This is the Bad Girls Club, Biyatches.” But it is not just Bad Girls Club.  More and more we are seeing a growing distain for the aggressiveness of characters on shows like Love & Hip Hop and Basketball Wives. Viewers, at least verbally, seem to have grown weary of the volatile tempers and verbal outbursts -so much so that a boycott and petition has been created to protest the characters for allegedly encouraging bullying.