It seems like it's been forever since last season, but in reality it's only been a little over a year, but the ladies are back.
Like American Idol, America's Next Top Model, and The Bachelor I still do not understand why Basketball Wives is still on the air when there are so many wonderfully scripted ethnic-television shows for viewers to tune into these days. Basketball Wives was once everyones guilty pleasure, but when Love & Hip-Hop came along (specifically Atlanta), as well as petitions for cast-members Evelyn Lozada, and Tami Roman to either clean up their act or for VH1 to cancel the show, suddenly it lost its magic.
Back in June the shows producer Shaunie O'Neal revealed in Upscale magazine how she felt about all of the backlash:
“[It] was so difficult to deal with when it was airing and when it was all over with. I remember saying, ‘what the hell just happened? This isn’t us; we’re mothers, we’re businesswomen. We have to be smarter. We have to represent ourselves a lot better.’”It will be interesting to see what the ratings are like for this season, one that I'm sure will be filled with all of the drama that Evelyn has been going through with her ex-husband Chad Johnson, Tami Roman's dramatic weight loss, and whatever Shaunie's been occupying her time with.
Gone is Royce Reed whom Evelyn had some choice words for when asked about her not returning:
Jennifer Williams, Kenya Bell, and last season's punching bag Keisha Nichols will also not be engaging in any bottle throwing or table hoppping this year, while ass kisser and trouble maker Suzie Ketcham will return for the drama.
"Royce has been a non-motherf---ing factor for the last two seasons, so it just didn’t make sense anymore. And as for Jennifer—Shaunie is [being] nice but I’m going to tell you this—we don’t condone the incident with Jennifer, but we do reality TV. You know something’s bound to happen when you put a bunch of women together and there’s a lot of behind the scenes conversation and gossip going on. So when Jennifer went on this whole anti-show campaign, it was a little tough for us as cast members.”
Fans will be treated to the arrival of a new cast-member, Tasha Marbury who is actually married to Stephon Marbury who currently plays for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. According to VH1, Tasha, who has been married to her husband for 17 years, will be dealing with some of the scandalous rumors surrounding her marriage. Meanwhile, Evelyn will be making attempts at rebuilding her life after the violent altercation with her now ex-husband Chad Johnson. Season 5 will also witness the return of a notorious wife from seasons past, a confrontation with a woman whose alleged relationship with a player puts one of the wives in an uncomfortable position, and another unforgettable turmoil-filled girls’ trip to London.
The show is scheduled to debut on August 19 on VH1, but the question is, will fans return and stay tuned for the entire duration of the season?