It seems as though we need a little refresher on how Bravo contracts are renewed or initially offered. But first, please read the commenting rules about things you read elsewhere. I am not here to address every rumor you hear elsewhere. It is not my job to worry about what other people are saying. You should discuss those things on the sites where they were published. Let’s review how RHOA contracts work.
Last week, pick-up letters were drafted and prepared to be sent to the RHOA this week. This is the first step in securing the talent for the next season. Contracts are always sent to the existing housewives first. It’s all about the money. The housewives on RHOA have the greatest pay disparity of any franchise. Nene and Kandi make ridiculously large salaries. Those two are responsible for the vast majority of the talent budget. Porsha got her three episode spin-off which gave her a pay bump for the year. Cynthia’s contract is up for negotiation for season 12. She will likely receive a low-ball offer and will have to decide if she wants to take it. That was the situation Kenya was in when she refused to accept her new very low contract.
Step One: Send Pickup Letters To Existing Housewives
The first part of casting for the upcoming season is picking up the existing talent. That is where we are now. Shamari was not given a full-time contract so a peach is up for grabs. But first, they have to hammer out a contract with Cynthia Bailey. Not even in season ten when Nene Leakes and Kim Biermann came back were they offered contracts until all the RETURNING TALENT CONTRACTS were completed.
It’s all about the money. Nene Leakes makes more than 95% more than Shamari per episode. So Shamari’s open peach position comes with a very small salary. Much less than Kenya Moore turned down last season. Much less than Phaedra Parks made when she was on. They don’t have the budget to off either of them a salary anywhere near what they once made. Those days are over.
Step Two: Issue A New Contract To Those Expiring (Or Don’t)
So AFTER THE PICKUP OFFERS ARE ACCEPTED and Cynthia’s contract is worked out (or not worked out), the Bravo suits will determine who, if anyone, to put in Shamari’s place. And/or Cynthia’s place if she doesn’t get the deal she wants. But first, they have to see where they stand with the existing budget.
What that means is RIGHT NOW, no one has a new contract with Bravo for season twelve. No decisions have been made on Kenya Moore or Phaedra Parks or Tanya Sam. No one has gotten a contract for the open peach position at this time. That is not how the process works.
Do Kenya and Phaedra want that peach? Yes they do. But they are not going to be pleased with the salary for that position. Kenya has already turned down an offer that was probably higher than the one she will be offered this time, if she is offered one. Phaedra will be very shocked by any offer they may make to her. That is why my source feels that Tanya Sam will take Shamari’s peach. Then Kenya and/or Phaedra could have a higher per episode pay rate for a handful of appearances. It’s all about the money.
Step Three: Assess The Available Budget
But we haven’t even gotten to negotiations with Kenya or Phaedra yet. So anything you hear from any site about Shamari’s peach being taken by anyone is not true. We are not to that part of the process yet. If you recall, the pass the peach game has been known to continue right up through early filming. That is not as likely this year because I’ve been told they are not bringing in any new people for testing. At least not at this point. That means they seem confident that some combination of Tanya, Kenya and Phaedra will occur.
But at this point. They are going to have to find some money from somewhere. And that money may come from a pay decrease for Cynthia just like they tried to do with Kenya. Or they may choose not to offer Cynthia a new contract. The Bravo suits have to work out Cynthia’s contract before they can start looking Kenya or Phaedra.
Andy Cohen Is Irrelevant To The Process
And once more with feeling, Andy Cohen DOES NOT have the final say in who gets a contract. If he did, he would NOT bring Phaedra back at all. He did not appreciate Nene Leakes bringing her to his baby shower. And he did not appreciate Phaedra’s behavior at the baby shower. Basically, she didn’t sing the praises of Andy Cohen or Bravo. Failure to kiss the ring never pleases Andy Cohen. Kandi Burruss will have more impact on blocking Phaedra than Andy Cohen will.
They still have months to figure out who will be on next season. Just because we are in a hurry to know what will happen doesn’t mean the Bravo suits are. Things always change right down to the wire. But at this current moment. No one, except for the peach holders from last season are under contract.
That does not include Shamari Devoe or Cynthia Bailey. Again, Shamari is sort of a non-issue budget-wise, She had a very low salary. It’s not a sure thing that Cynthia will be offered a RHOA contract at all. If she is it will be a reduction in pay. The Cynthia contract will determine what money is available for the Tanya/Kenya/Phaedra so nothing will happen there until that decision is made. Kenya has the best lawyer for negotiating. However, they didn’t come to an agreement last season. So we shall see. It’s all about the money.
So y’all need to calm your tits.
Whenever I see the rumors elsewhere, I’ve made it a rule to wait for you to speak the truth here. It really is all about the money.
I can see them giving Phaedra a cameo, or maybe even a “Friend” position, but it sounds to me like Kandi still isn’t interested in sharing a whole lot of camera time with her friend-turned-frienemy-turned-non-entity.
I do not understand why Phaedra at all. She behaved with criminal intent trying to ruin Kandi’s and Todd’s reputation. She had been unpleasant to look at with her crazy facial contortions.
There are marvelous talented younger women in Atlanta who would excel at being a housewife. Nasty Phaedra I would not watch.
Tits at peace…thanks!
Breast at rest,
Boobs on snooze. 😀
Perfect. I promise to alert you to any new information! Until then, we should just keep our tits calm. I don’t even know where that phrase came from but I love it.
And, side note. I TOTALLY wanted to use it Easter Sunday when there was a drunken brouhaha over a photo. And it wasn’t me and my NO PHOTOS RULE. It was someone freaking out because they weren’t included in one,
I left just as that travesty started. My family is a hot mess. And being sober on holidays is a real trip.
TT you never fail to make me laugh with the hideous unflattering pictures that you find of Phaedra!! 🙂
This is the first season I’ve actually felt that Cynthia should return with a peach her and Nene are driving the anticipation for season 12. People want to see that.
I’ve always loved Cynthia, but I see where you’re coming from here. The last couple seasons, she’s really been bringing it! It’s a shame Bravo and EndemolShine are tossing low-ball offers Cynthia’s way, and they’d be fools to let her go when she played such an integral role in driving the narrative this past season.
Cynthia is currently the third highest paid. But she doesn’t bring the ratings. If they REALLY WANT Kenya or Phaedra they will have to let her go. If they do make an offer, it’s going to be very low compared to what she made. Exactly like they did Kenya. But I think Cynthia is more likely to take whatever is offered.
Like I said, as long as Kandi, Porsha, Eva, Tanya and Shamari are on I’m good. I hope Shamari takes the friend position, I could see her and Kenya hitting it off and cutting up for next season. Whatever happens with Cynthia I wish her the best. TT what does that mean for Kandi if Phaedra is on in any capacity next season?
I don’t think Shamari is being offered anything. It’s always possible she will be invited to film a big event. But we are most likely done with her.
😭
My source says it is not a consideration for Bravo. They don’t feel like Kandi would walk away from her salary. It’s a lot of money.
Wait…if Kandi signs her contract before they potentially approach Phaedra, how would she be able to walk based on her threat if Phaedra comes back?
If Bravo’s crafty contracts could get Ashley in the same room as any cast member of Southern charm, (even when there is a custody case at stake) it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to ambush Kandi with Phaedra.
Kandi will play every card she has to avoid Phaedra but at the end of the day, they film with who they are told to or face the consequences.
This. And Kandi has the luxury of knowing she is getting paid a lot more money than everyone except Nene. Plus she has a lot of really good perks in her contract involving Bravo having first right of refusal to anything she wants to produce on other networks. She’s got a masterful attorney crafting her contracts. That is why Bravo is confident she won’t walk away from it.
You have been proven right on the process of housewife contracts again and again and again. I honestly can’t believe you have to explain yourself at this point T.
Instead of chasing or contributing to ridiculous speculation on who is in and who is out (driven by Bravo obviously) you give common sense. If you understand the process, you can very rarely be surprised by Bravo’s picks or fall for Nene or Kim Z’s lies about how rich they are. Like when you go into a fancy store with no makeup on and they treat you like shit and you think to yourself ‘Bitch, you’re in retail. I know what you make.’
They don’t seem to be able to afford Kenya and I think we are going to have to live with that unfortunately.
To be honest, the ONLY way I see Kenya coming back is if she takes CYNTHIA’S peach. And that would be heartbreaking. Plus the suits hate Kenya almost as much as production. I do wonder what they are going to do with Cynthia though because as of yet they have not negotiated with her AT ALL. So if they let her go, then we will see where things stand. I think Cynthia is ready to move out to Mike though. It’s way more complicated behind the scenes right now than most people understand.Cynthia is at a point in her relationship where she is deciding how much money is enough to keep her in ATL and away from her boyfriend.
I never watched this sh-t show past the first few seasons but somehow I always seem to know most of what’s happening on the show. I remember a scene from the ancient times with NeNe yelling at Kim on a tour bus – while they were supposed to be such good friends – Kim had her old nose and really bad wigs – it was a Big Poppa season – anyway I knew at that moment way back then that NeNe was UTTERLY VILE and so was this disgusting show. What is my point … by writing about it you are in a way promoting it (please don’t kill me).
Oh i get it and agree. Though a lot of folks here just re the recaps without watching. I’ve tried for years to offer up much better viewing options. But I am at the mercy of you guys. I only pay the bills if I cover things YOU want to read about. then I sneak in things I WANT to promote, like Killing Eve, when time allows. For example, if I had not had to unexpectedly write most of another recap today and and if Nene hadn’t been a drunkend mess on stage, I could have watched Killing Eve and recapped it today. I, Am. Still. Trying. To. Get, There.
But at the end of the day, I have to watch what pays my bills, and unfortunately it is the Misogyny Channel. And yes, I am conflicted. But I like to keep the lights on.
I shut this show off when Eva and Marlo were arguing about designer labels and who really owns the clothes and who wears the clothes and gets kickbacks. It was so vapid and came across as out of touch with reality…and not in a fun way. Nene did not earn her salary this season IMO because she refused to film so many times. I get it–she was going through a hard time, but she is paid to the big bucks to “bring it.” I thank you TT for watching this show and doing recaps. I read the recaps now for this franchise (along with Dallas and Potomac). xo PJ
Tamara writes about it so….we don’t have to watch it. It’s much more fun to read and imagine all that bad behavior. Very grateful.
Here is what I would do if I was a Bravo Suit.
Nene can go fuck herself.
Cynthia &
Kandi must return.
Marlo can follow Nene.
Porsha has surprised me this season. She can return.
Shamari can be a drunk friend.
And return Kenya to her natural habitat.
I’m with you.
And NO Phaedra EVER! Unless she is in handcuffs. And not in the kinky way.
Micmac you read my mind! No Phakedra now or ever
I was waiting for this post after reading comments. Have I been around too long? Thank you for the info TT!
Get rid of Nene and you can have several old and new housewives. I really wish the execs would look at it that way. Nene brings nothing to the table except for a STANK attitude.
Cynthia just posted her picture with Porsha and Tanya with a caption “peach secured”. Porsha posted the same picture with tge caption #alliance.
Cynthia has posted a pic on Instagram with Porsha and Tanya saying they’ve secured their peaches. Tanya has also reposted it. I’d be happy if that was true as they’re the ones I’d like to see next season. Would love Shamari to come back as well
Hey TT,
I don’t believe the following violates your rules, but please let me know!
The ladies have gone to social media to confirm their “secured peaches.”
This has me so confused because I’ve never known them to 1) have their contracts confirmed this early as you have mentioned in this blog, or 2) go to announce their contract finalization on social media.
Their posts seem a bit presumptuous. Do you have any insight into what is going on?
Looks up to see if extensive explanation number 479 is still up there. Oh look it is.
You are a genius
At least SOMEONE understands me. 🙂
Guess we just gotta keep on following I did see something on Instagram Cynthia saying secured 🍑
What is the reason the suits and production hate Kenya?
Mostly they just say she is difficult, but I recently got a more thorough exploitation. Kenya fancies herself a producer and wants to produce her own segments and dictate what they can and cannot show. Everyone else does what they are told and Kenya makes suggestions, requests and tries to produce all of her scenes.
According to my source. The others on the other hand are for the most part willing to just do whatever they are told and go along with the manufactured storylines.
Please, suits, drop Nene! Then you will have lots of money to keep Cynthia and bring other people who are not vile like Nene. Drop Nene, free up money!