Are you in the holiday spirit? It might be August, but it’s Christmastime on The Real Housewives of Atlanta this week. And our gift from Santa Claus was an extra-special guest appearance from Cynthia “Cheek Bones” Bailey.
The cast has returned from their Portugal healing journey, but they are still just as disjointed as before they left. Honestly, they should all expect coal under the tree this year. With the trip in the rear view mirror, the ladies settled back into their regular lives at home. But, the aftermath of the argument between Drew Sidora and Kandi Burruss about whether or not Drew kissed LaToya Ali still lingered over the group. By the end of the episode, we finally got the facts and some much-needed closure from this bizarre storyline.
Back in Atlanta
As the ladies settled back into their regular lives in Atlanta, we got glimpses of all of them preparing for the holidays and reflecting on the learnings from the healing journey.
Sanya Richards-Ross roped her sister into helping her wrap presents. It’s another one of her many duties, and we got an update on where they stand on their complicated relationship. The last time we checked in on them was at the Mommi Nation brunch. Her sister was ready to quit on the spot that day.
This week, Sanya explained that because her sister is a Gemini, sometimes she says one thing one day but then changes tune the next day. This was the first of many astrological references in this episode. For some reason, the power of the star signs can explain everything this week.
In an emotional plea, Sanya told her sister, “You’re not a part of my biggest moments in life.” She uses her Mommi Nation events as a milestone. It’s wild to hear an Olympic champion say that a random charity brunch was one of the most significant moments of her life. It’s also absurd to hear Sanya complain to her sister that their relationship lacks normalcy when it’s Sanya’s fault that her sister is constantly working like a dog.
Later in the episode, we learn that her sister has made some progress in her journey to escape from under Sanya’s thumb. For the first time in her life, she’s apartment hunting.
Elsewhere in Atlanta, Kenya Moore and her adorable daughter Brooklyn Daly stole the show for a few minutes with the cutest scene of the season. Kenya has been contemplating having another child. This week, she teased the idea to Brooklyn. She was super excited about the idea of being a big sister! It was the sweetest thing ever, and their mommy and me matching confessional look was cuteness overload! Anyone complaining that Kenya isn’t “bringing it” this season should appreciate that she’s bringing something different this year. She’s come a long way, and it’s beautiful to see.
Cheekbones are timeless
A few episodes ago, we were devastated when it seemed like Cynthia’s cameo appearance had been cut from the episode. Little did we know, the good people over in the RHOA editing room were preparing an extra-special entrance for our favorite supermodel of Atlanta.
Cynthia made a guest appearance this week through a dinner outing at Blaze with Kandi. We saw a montage of some of Cynthia’s most lovable moments before she made her grand entrance at the steak house. But she didn’t just step out for a meal with Kandi for a quick pop-up. Bravo rolled out the red carpet for Cynthia’s appearance, even giving her an entire confessional interview. Let’s hope this is a soft launch to bringing Cynthia back to RHOA full-time because her presence is severely missed. Plus, a lot has gone on in her life since we last saw her on TV.
Fresh off her divorce from Mike Hill, Cynthia told Kandi she was excited to spend more time in Atlanta. She had previously been going back and forth to Los Angeles with Mike. Although still a little wounded from her latest divorce, Cynthia said that she is “always going to live for love.” She said this feeling comes to her because she’s a Pisces.
Seeing Kandi and Cynthia back on screen together felt so right. Their connection feels so genuine, and that’s what’s missing when you look at the entire group dynamic this season. Still, Kandi got Cynthia caught up on all of the drama that went down in Portugal. She had even called Cynthia to get her take on whether or not LaToya and Drew kissed. Cynthia claimed she didn’t remember.
Luckily, Kandi has a Bedroom Kandi party planned to celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary, and everyone involved in kissgate will be there to settle it once and for all. And Cynthia will be there to serve face.
Is it time to recast?
Everyone used to call Shereé Whitfield the “The Bone Collector,” and she was back at it this week, pushing the kissgate story even further in a conversation with Kandi. The entire saga has caused a bit of a roadblock in their plans for having Drew star in Todd Tucker’s upcoming movie, The Pass.
Shereé told Kandi about a conversation she had with Drew about the kissgate argument. When they were in Portugal, Drew told Shereé that “Kandi was producing” this drama because she was trying to warm Drew up to the idea of kissing a woman for her steamy role in the movie.
Kandi couldn’t help but laugh at Drew’s theory, which also made her mad. Now, not only has Drew called Kandi a liar, but she’s also accusing her of manipulating the narrative. That’s a double insult on Kandi. Plus, Kandi is taking it all personally because it’s Todd’s movie, and we all know she is protective of her man.
But it begged the question: Should Drew’s role be recast in the movie? Kenya and Cynthia are available if they need a last-minute understudy to step in.
10 years of Bedroom Kandi
Kandi and her Bedroom Kandi brand took over the selfie museum in Atlanta. They turned it into a sex-positive pop-up to promote Kandi’s latest toy: a vibrating peach contraption that can be used in a million and one ways. In her confessional, Kandi shared that she’s proud to be responsible for thousands of orgasms nationwide. We thank you for your service, Kandi.
The party looks like a blast – and all of the who’s who of Atlanta are there. We see trans icon TS Madison make a cameo appearance, which was everything. Seeing her on Bravo just felt right But with so many people at the party, there was a lot going on. The camera crew must have been running around like crazy to capture it all.
We saw Cynthia and Kenya reunite for the first time since they fell out on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. Since Cynthia left RHOA shortly after RHUGT, we never saw them repair their friendship. However, we learned that the two made up when they ran into each other at Teresa Giudice’s wedding. That wedding may have torn apart a family, but we’re glad it brought two ATL sisters back together.
In another corner of the party, Marlo Hampton and Ralph Pittman discussed the drama from Portugal. After all, Ralph inserted himself into the drama when he sent Marlo a text telling her to stop talking sh*t. Marlo clarified her comments about Ralph “working in technology” and argued that she didn’t think she was being disrespectful. Ultimately, Marlo agreed to call it a truce because Ralph is her “Aquarius brother.”
However, Marlo managed to get one last little dig at Drew before she and Ralph officially squashed their beef. She turned to him and said, “I know you’re dealing with a whole lot and don’t know what you’re going to get when you wake up in the morning, personality-wise.” Ralph couldn’t help but laugh because you never know what will come out of Marlo’s mouth. But imagine how Drew must have felt watching that moment back.
Case closed
The night’s main event wasn’t Kandi’s new sex toy or the Marlo and Ralph drama. It was kissgate, and the ladies were determined to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible. Cynthia couldn’t wait to see the mess play out. As soon as Drew walked into the party, she jumped up and greeted her by saying, “Oh, we were just talking about you!”
With LaToya, Marlo, and Kandi in the building, Drew said she was ready to clear the air about what happened two years ago in South Carolina. The only person missing was Bolo.
The ladies gathered, and LaToya explained to Kandi that she was a little upset that the Bolo night was discussed when she wasn’t around to defend herself. When Marlo joined the conversation, they tried to hold her accountable for recording the videos from that night and sending them to LaToya. That didn’t go so well. When Drew remarked that Marlo sent edited videos to LaToya, Marlo stormed off and refused to engage further.
Finally, Drew got confronted for commenting on Kandi “producing” this entire narrative. Kandi genuinely felt like she was being gaslit, and Drew refused to back down on the narrative that she never kissed LaToya. They ultimately agreed to disagree on the whole thing because they probably realized how absurd it was to still argue about this.
With that said, it wasn’t until the very last moments of the episode that we finally got some closure on this issue. Drew clearly explained where the kissing rumor started in her confessional, and the editors pulled together the footage to prove it.
During the Season 13 After Show, Kandi and LaToya were together on Zoom, and Kandi said she saw Drew making out with her. LaToya immediately denied it, and Kandi admitted she may have honestly been mistaken. They laughed it off and seemingly moved on until 2023.
Back in the present-day confessional, Drew said that because she and LaToya fell out before the reunion, LaToya thought it would be a cute shady moment to go on stage and say they kissed.
It’s just a huge mess, but the bottom line is Kandi didn’t just make this story up out of nowhere to get Drew riled up, nor is Drew saying anything different from what LaToya said back in Season 13. There is no winner here. Now, let’s hope this is the last time we revisit the Bolo night. We can’t keep beating the dead horse.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta continues Sundays at 8/7c on Bravo.
TELL US – DID YOU ENJOY SEEING CYNTHIA BACK ON RHOA? DO YOU THINK THE LADIES CAN ACTUALLY MOVE ON FROM KISSGATE? WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE CAMEO THIS WEEK?
