‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’ is now a monster hit for VH1
Joseline has become a stand-out presence and focal point of controversy on "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta." CREDIT: VH1
Take that, “Real Housewives of Atlanta”!
America now has a new trashy local show critics can complain makes Atlanta look bad: “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” on VH1.
The reality show – which focuses on local hip-hop musicians and their twisted love lives – is now pulling in more viewers than “Real Housewives of Atlanta” did in its fourth season.
This past Monday’s episode hit a series-high of 3.5 million viewers, with another 2.1 million who caught the repeat at 10 p.m. The show has seen steady growth after opening at 1.9 million in its first airing in June. The 18-49 rating has jumped from 1.1 to a 2.0 over five weeks.
Through six episodes, the show has averaged 2.9 million viewers, comparable to the original “Love and Hip Hop.” In metro Atlanta, the show draws around 150,000 viewers.
The show is also lifting the fortunes of “Single Ladies,” the Atlanta-based scripted relationship drama despite the departure of Stacey Dash. “Single Ladies” hit a series high 2.66 million viewers this past Monday.
I solicited comments on my Facebook page about the show. Tarryl BrotherTee Rosier sampled one episode and dubbed it “pure trash.”
“I dislike VH1 even more now that they are showing that program on their station,” Rosier wrote. “Even though, I don’t like both programs, I will say that RHOA has more class than LHHA.”
Demeeka Mhoon likens the show to “a wreck on 285 u see miles ahead, but u still look once u pass by. Its absolutely horrible as a TV program.”
Juanita Vann willingly admits she enjoys it: “A lot of people who watch it are ashamed to say so because they feel it portrays African-American’s and Atlantans in a negative light. I watch it EVERY week! It’s funny, entertaining and oh so ratchet. People who are calling for boycotts of it need to have a seat. This is ENTERTAINMENT. If you don’t like it, just don’t watch it. The simple fact that it’s pulling in such strong numbers is a testament that somebody likes it. By the way, I feel it is more trashy than RHOA, and the “housewives” have lost a bit of their edge. I was totally bored with the last season. I hope the next season can capture some of the craziness from prior seasons that made it so much fun to watch!”
Nyssa Green, on Twitter, simply called it “a hilarious train wreck.”
I resisted but now that it’s clear this show isn’t going away, I will begin writing recaps Monday.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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126 comments Add your comment
Jasmine T
July 26th, 2012
12:19 pm
So are all Armenian women trash because Kim K is a slore?
ATR
July 26th, 2012
12:19 pm
Its the Stevie J show. lol Lil Scrappy trying to be so gangster. Maybe his career will take off now. Notice the er at the end of the word. The show doesn’t make Atlanta look bad. It makes those that start on the show look bad. If you REALLY want to see Atlanta watch the straight to dvd Curtis Snow in the bluff THEN you see Atlanta for real.
nestle73
July 26th, 2012
12:22 pm
Don’t like the show, but watch it because it’s “funny” to me. I keep it onVH 1 so I can remember to watch Single Ladies, which I love.
ANGEL
July 26th, 2012
12:34 pm
UBETTAREDNECKANIZE! HONEY BOO BOO!
GREAT COMMENTS…RODNEY WILL WE EVER SEE AN ASIAN SHOW CAST THIS BAD???
NO OFFENSE, BUT AS BROTHA SPIKE WOULD SAY, BA-FFOON-ERY AND COONERY @ ITS BEST.
zoe
July 26th, 2012
12:35 pm
Are all insipid and unsophisticated people in Atlanta on TV?
Da Commish
July 26th, 2012
12:40 pm
and be sure to check out http://www.loveandhiphopatlanta.net for more info on the show as well.
Niss
July 26th, 2012
12:51 pm
To ???, I totally agree with you I couldn’t have said it better….very well put!!!
TB
July 26th, 2012
12:52 pm
People can continue to say that shows like this are just entertainment, but until you’ve met people who acutally live like this and think it’s okay, then you don’t really know what you’re talking about. The sad truth is that, whether or not people believe these shows are scripted, these “entertainers” come from parts of town many of us never had to drive through. Come on…how many of us had mothers who were pimps?
Not to say it’s right, because people grow up and learn right from wrong, but it’s not just entertainment. Those who live similar lives see this on tv and feel okay about their own situations.
tyrace
July 26th, 2012
1:13 pm
Love the show it just entertainment. But it funny great and real life we all go threw life like this we just not on TV.
haha
July 26th, 2012
1:21 pm
Stevie B is the man, I like how he puts it down. wassup with counseling?
daamn stevie you need to make sure jose, oops joseline aint a switc hitter.
scrappy, “feel me?” yeah we feel you scrappy.
Julius the son
July 26th, 2012
1:25 pm
Stevie J is funny as hell.
Pitchy
July 26th, 2012
1:27 pm
The show is what it is, something to laugh at, tsk, tsk, tsk at and sometimes sit there with big eyes. Is the show scripted? Ummmm, who takes a pregnancy test with a camera in the bathroom? Who fakes acting tears when looking at the results? No way this show is shot from the hip with no script. No freaking way.
L. Hill
July 26th, 2012
1:29 pm
If you ingest trash, what does that make you? Go to the library, read a book, pray, meditate, EXERCISE, spend some time with your kids, visit a sick friend … black people are wasting too much time on foolishness! BTW, black people watch more hours of TV than any other race. Practice turning the TV off – especially trash TV!
Brainwashed black women
July 26th, 2012
1:32 pm
I dont see black women marching in the streets to get this turned off….
Pitchy
July 26th, 2012
1:40 pm
Since I pay my own cable bill, I’ll watch as much nonsensical tv I care to.
'trtainmntatitzbest
July 26th, 2012
1:46 pm
Omarosa got rich and famous from ‘not being nice’ then turned Preacher then saved her boyfriend’s life. Trash is Trash, there’s no levels of TRASH…what did the viewers expect the LHHA Show to be about.
Pitchy
July 26th, 2012
1:56 pm
I guess when our grandmothers watched Peyton Place back in the beginning of time, wonder if anyone said turn that “white trash” off the boob tube!!!
luvlife
July 26th, 2012
1:56 pm
IT IS WHAT IT ISSSSSSS……..
carla roqs
July 26th, 2012
2:00 pm
where does one find the statistics on who watches the most tv?
Atl rep
July 26th, 2012
2:02 pm
What happened to education, class and professionalism? Yet alone the bible attachment and with morals and manners. To each own but damn…. A disgrace to the community.
Maxx
July 26th, 2012
2:29 pm
I love everything about the show. It’s very entertaining and why not get a tatse of Love And Hip Hop Atlanta style. I am a fan and I will continue to watch.
Sissy
July 26th, 2012
2:37 pm
I just don’t know what to say. It’s trashy at some moments and entertainment at times. I just look at it to see the different places here in ATL that I don’t get out to see. I hate driving around this city, so I can see it on the shows. Sometime things get out of hands/control, but that’s show biz. Same thing for Single Ladies, RHOA and any other show dealing with ATL.
Funny
July 26th, 2012
2:40 pm
Like the other comments of “watching a train wreck” and not being able to turn away because it is sad, dysfunctional, and funny-all rolled up into one! But who is smarter than the average bear? The entertainers on the show or the producers, or VH1?
DebDoes
July 26th, 2012
2:41 pm
Yep, watched it by mistake, once, because I saw Atlanta skyline in the background. It does appear scripted (I watched the ice cream scene with girl and her mom in Chamblee). I really wished these guys that are lucky enough to have a tv show, please use proper English/grammar and not speak in Rap/Ebonics. For the kids sake in this town that watch this stuff….at least prove you have some sense of proper English. Or buy a book with all that money you are making!
Exagg
July 26th, 2012
2:46 pm
Dixiecrat posted: “Every time I go to Montana, or somewhere out West to go fishing, and tell the guide(s) I’m from ATL, they make some comment about the Housewives of ATL.”
Right!?!? The fishing guides in Montana are watching VH1 and RHOA to the degree that they can comment on it??? Must we lie to make a point? Let’s pretend what you’re saying is true. You need better associates. I’m black… and when I travel the world, nobody brings up those shows when they find out I’m from Atlanta. Sometimes, it’s the company you keep.
IloveMyself
July 26th, 2012
2:51 pm
I think Mimi need THERAPY MY HERSELF. Where is Mimi’s mom are other close relatives to give her sound advice? I do think Stevie is a poor excuse for a man period, simply pathetic, unexcuseable, and so on. I know that some of the people that reside in Atlanta are a little ashame of the show because they not only represent hip hop community but the state of Atlanta. There is another side to Atlanta-but the producer decided to include some blank, blank, people that do not care who they step on and what they do to get what they want. For the ones that have kids, what are you thinking-but again I GUESS YOU ARE NOT.
Don Barksdale
July 26th, 2012
3:03 pm
Joseline is my kind of woman, I will be looking for her on my way back from boston in sept, yeah she’s all that and then some @DBarksdale . You better ask somebody !
Don Barksdale
July 26th, 2012
3:08 pm
Joseline is my kind of woman, she’s bound to come out on top cause she already is with me, oooh weee!
Daniel
July 26th, 2012
3:17 pm
I don’t think the show, as it stands right now, has staying power. The quality of the show has to improve in order to sustain those ratings.
carla roqs
July 26th, 2012
3:20 pm
daniel, i do not watch it and even i know that the show HAS those ratings because of its current quality…or lack thereof…
Devil's Advocate
July 26th, 2012
3:45 pm
I am not a fan, but I think almost anything is better than “Basketball Wives.”
Former Atlantian now in D.C.
July 26th, 2012
3:48 pm
I encourage every parent to sit down with their daughters and sons and watch the show. It’s a perfect real life example of:
A. The kind of lady you don’t want your daughter to be
B. The kind of man you don’t wan your sont to be
C. How a man shouldn’t treat lady
D. How a woman shouldn’t let a man treat her
E. How it sounds when you speak poorly
Miss J
July 26th, 2012
4:09 pm
@Former Atlantian now in D.C
Ok,
But before I sit my child down to watch this show – I will need to explain to him/her that what they are watching is just that a show. It’s probably scripted and sometimes it may mirror various issues that some of us maybe going through.
LOL ….I will not be using TV to raise my kids…that’s my job.
FOLKS IT’S JUST A SHOW ——IT’S HOLLYWOOD – IT’S SCRIPTED….IT’S FOR FUN….IT’S NOT REAL…………
PLEASE DON’T TAKE THIS SHOW SO SERIOUSLY
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mona Scott Young Denies Cancelling Reunion For Hit Show Love & Hip Hop
July 26th, 2012
4:10 pm
[...] miss out on an opportunity to cash out the huge ratings of the reunion show? According to latest reports the VH1 reality show hit a series high with 3.5 million viewers for Monday night’s 8pm [...]
Ron D
July 26th, 2012
4:24 pm
Scary………..
Bad Newz!
July 26th, 2012
4:26 pm
It is a sad day to read the responses supporting these trashy programs. Is it entertainment or exploitation? Folks, it is 2012, please wake up for your own good! Just look where we, as African-Americans, are ranked (education, jobs, health, ownership, networth, etc) in this country. We are doing an injustice to our proud heritage supporting these sort of negative programs. WE MUST DO BETTER and WE MUST DEMAND BETTER! Enough said, peace out!
Quagmire
July 26th, 2012
4:30 pm
Can anyone translate what lil scrappy and his mother are saying to each other? They sound like to lost slaves in California for the first time
Quagmire
July 26th, 2012
4:34 pm
Call this show what it really is(all the VH-1 shows). When Groopies Get Old
Dixiecrat
July 26th, 2012
4:35 pm
Hey Exagg…I assure you I’ve been out West fishing in MT each of the last 11 years and the “guides” there have satellite dishes and cable and they do watch VHI and the shows that are on there. Unfortunately, ATL is “stereotyped” negatively from the ATL Housewives and the LHHATL shows. People who haven’t been here may think that our city is comprised of nothing but black people who are living beyond their means, having kids out of wedlock, aspiring to be a rapper or actor, and filing chapter 7 because they can’t pay their bills. The producers of the show know what they are doing to attract an audience, and to each his own. It’s just not for me and I think it’s an embarrassment.
Midtown Diva
July 26th, 2012
4:41 pm
I think Stevie got more problems than MiMi, I think Ms J is a Mister. I don’t care how many picture he/she post..That is a man.
Former Atlantian now in D.C.
July 26th, 2012
4:42 pm
@ Miss.J
It might be a show and it might be scripted. Personally, I don’t think they have the acting chops to make it seem real if all of it was scripted. I do think they use extras at the various backdrop locations.
Unfortunately, there are people in the real world that think and behave the way these people do. I know some of them from my 6 years in Atlanta. As far as using a TV show to educate a child, nothing is better than a visual aid to reinforce what you’ve been saying.
@Quagmire
You do need an Atlanta Urban dictionary to understand Scrappy and his mom. When I need to laugh I imagine Scrappy as a telephone customer service rep.
TheEssence
July 26th, 2012
4:48 pm
First of all lets be clear THERE IS HIP HOP AND THERE IS RAP!!!! This show which I refuse to watch consist of artist who are on the shelves and have been for years. This show is not about Hiphop as not one single HIPHOP artist is a cast member. Common is hiphop Mosdef is hiphop Lil Scrappy is a failed RAPPER. Please stop confusing the two. And please kill the racism is 2012 already
pat
July 26th, 2012
4:51 pm
I honestly did not think there was a show that come make African American women look worse than NeNe and her crew. I was wrong. This is a pity and the housing marketing is going to start to suffer if we continue to let the world think we are this dumb. Who would want to live next door to any of them?? Seriously!
Nellina
July 26th, 2012
5:17 pm
People need to sit down and shut up. Everyone wants to act perfect in the open but still have issues in their personal lives. These people are sharing their personal lives with us and just like everyone else these people are not perfect. Just sit back and enjoy the show. I wish all the cast well. Thanks for sharing your lives with us. I’m looking forward to watching you guys every week until the season ends.
smart
July 26th, 2012
5:22 pm
All these reality shows are scripted and they have nothing on the new reality show “The Jackson’s Madness”. Now that’s reality at it’s best.
Love & Hip Hop Reunion Show Not Cancelled Says Mona Scott Young
July 26th, 2012
5:45 pm
[...] miss out on an opportunity to cash out the huge ratings of the reunion show? According to latest reports the VH1 reality show hit a series high with 3.5 million viewers for Monday night’s 8pm [...]
scott
July 26th, 2012
5:49 pm
simply trash and negativity for the black race as a white male..it feeds my friends sterotypical views of the black race ..and makes Atlanta not look like the capital of the black middle class but the ghetto capital of america..strickly embarrasing to the city and hard workin and decent ,intelligent blacks ..it lumps them all in a pile
scott
July 26th, 2012
5:55 pm
if THE GREAT martin luther king was alive today and saw how black americans murder each other in record numbers,walk around with their pants saggin,has the highest hiv rate in the country,committing record crime everyday in his hometown ,walk around with numerous tatoos all over their bodies,disrespect each other,speak in boken english,having numerous kids out of wedlock,..HE WOULD SHAKE HIS HEAD IN DISGUST ON TOP OF WATCHING THIS MESS ON TV
Animal187
July 26th, 2012
6:19 pm
I do not watch either show because I think it is a direct disrespect to black people not only who live here in Atlanta but in the entire country. Alot of people are right that it is entertainment and should be viewed as such as well as it is on cable and there are more channels than just this one to watch. If you do not like HWOA of LHHA…then turn it off. But my question is, how many white people do you hear complain about My Redneck Vacation, Swap People, or Duck Hunters? It is about white people doing some of the craziest stuff but in a different way.
DUV4LUV
July 26th, 2012
6:19 pm
wow……………………………the overwhelming number of posts and HIGH VIEWERSHIP ***** say LOVE & HIP HOP – ATLANTA is crazy, shameful and sometimes outright distasteful********************* but i admit *************** im addicted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im addicted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im addicted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im addicted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yea im addicted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!