Latest news with #TheRealHousewives'
IOL News
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Reality TV gone rogue: unpacking the crime and corruption of 'Trainwreck: P. I. Moms'
Ami Wilt is one of the private investigators featured on 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms'. Image: X The phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" forms the premise of the new documentary, 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms', where real-life events were so dramatic that they could easily pass as a telenovela. The Netflix series, which premiered in July, is one of the latest in the streaming giant's 'Trainwreck' franchise. But this offering stands out for its shock value as it centres around working moms whose noble desire to inspire women across the globe, as the show notes, was 'to undo the deeds of a few men.' This explosive doccie has also been captivating viewers with its harrowing tale of rampant criminal activities, internal sabotage and police corruption as it delivers a neatly compressed but highly entertaining rollercoaster ride. Directed by Phil Bowman, 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms' takes viewers back to the early 2010s. Amid the reality television boom following the monumental success of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' and 'The Real Housewives' franchise, the Lifetime network greenlit a reality TV series about San Francisco mothers, Michelle Allen, Charmagne Peters, Denise Antoon, and Ami Wilt, who were working as private investigators. A scene from 'Trainwreck: P.I. Moms'. Image: X The soccer moms were all likeable characters, and they each had heartfelt and inspiring personal reasons for getting into the industry. The network, which hired acclaimed showrunner Lucas Platt, also believed that the manner in which the ladies balanced motherhood could empower other women. Their dangerous work at Private Investigations, Inc., which included undercover operations and busting criminals, also saw them featured in 'People' as well as 'The Today Show' and 'Dr. Phil.' With the attention from Lifetime, which saw the series having massive viral potential as well as possible franchise options, the moms agreed to be in the show. They only had one condition - that the reality series would focus on inspiring storytelling, instead of pitting women against each other. Lifetime agreed with this perspective and hired a crew to start shooting. The moms were thrilled to get started, with filming for the pilot getting off to an emotional start as one of the women detailed the harrowing death of her son while she was getting a tattoo in his honour. But that's basically where any positivity ended, and what followed was chaos and mayhem. The cracks at the firm began to show with the first problem being Carl Marino, the agency's director of operations, whose desire to be a star resulted in him pleading with producers for him to be a main character. Marino was so enraged when they refused that he tipped off a suspect that the moms were about to bust while the crew were filming. Even more sinister was that Marino had a secret operation going with the firm's founder, Chris Butler, who was also a main character in the Lifetime series. With a law enforcement background, he was celebrated for hiring women and giving them such a platform. He initially presented himself as a passionate professional, but soon into filming, producers noted his awkward nature but didn't think much of it. But unbeknownst to them, the firm's clients, the moms working there, and the world at large, Butler and Marino had a shady side hustle which saw them working with a crooked cop to resell drugs that had been seized as evidence by the police. To make matters worse, this scandal was brought to light by a reporter, who, after doing some investigative work on the firm following a tip-off. These explosive revelations, which went on to make international headlines at the time, resulted in the reality show being canned before it even aired.
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
MaBlerh spills the tea: Nonku's no-show and the Londie-Minnie beef in 'Real Housewives of Durban' season 5 reunion
MaBlerh hosts the season five reunion of "The Real Housewives of Durban", marking his third time in this role. Image: Supplied The most fulfilling interviews begin with an initial unfamiliarity, evolving into a connection akin to being besties for years by the end of the chat. Such was my interaction with a true Jack of all trades, MaBlerh (real name Mthokozisi Cele), when I called him to chat about the two-part reunion special of 'The Real Housewives of Durban' season five, the day before it dropped on Showmax. Part two will air on Friday, July 11. This is the third year in a row that he's been hosting the special, and he doesn't disappoint. He also hosted 'The Real Housewives of Gqeberha' and season three of 'The Real Housewives of Johannesburg'. Having been a die-hard fan of 'The Real Housewives' franchise, it was indeed a full-circle moment for him to become the go-to choice to host several reunion episodes. Of course, we kicked off with the elephant in the room - Nonku Williams being a no-show. With her holier-than-thou attitude, the entire season, where she picked fights with newcomers Kwanele Kubheka (aka Fafa) and Lo Sithole, viewers and co-stars alike were left gaping in shock by her tardiness and diva-like behaviour. The other cast members added to the dynamics include Ayanda Mthembu as well as Minenhle "Minnie" Ntuli and Precious Udoye, who are brought in as friends of friends but end up taking up a chunk of the screen time. MaBlerh shared: 'You know, like any other viewer, I love Nonku. I love the fact that Nonku asks the kind of questions that people are scared to ask. And, yes, it lands her in hot water, but we need that. She is the firestarter. 'For me, it was weird being at the reunion without Nonku. It was just that something was missing. It would have felt the same way if Sorisha (Naidoo) weren't there. Like, they are the OGs.' As someone who fearlessly asks the burning fan questions, I inquired if it threw a spanner in the works of him leaving no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of the drama. After a quick chuckle, he noted: 'Not really. For the first time, I feel like Nonku had wrapped up any of the drama that she had with the 'Housewives' within the season. 'The only thing I would have wanted to ask Nonku was what was in that letter that sent her over the rails like that.' When I mentioned that I was not sad to see the back of Nonku, MaBlerh quickly pointed out, 'You're going to miss her'. He qualified his statement by adding, 'She's the character that a lot of people love to hate. And she's a polarising figure.' But I held firm in my viewpoint even though he made a valid statement. After all, every reality show needs a villain to stir the pot. Nonku Williams, an OG in 'The Real Housewives of Durban', decided against attending the season five reunion and has bowed out of the franchise, too. Image: Supplied MaBlerh added: 'Let me tell you what the problem is with new villains, they don't know where the line is. Unfortunately, when you don't know where the line is, it's easy to actually piss off viewers rather than make them love you as a villain." And while Sorisha does orchestrate chaos on the show, she somehow comes out smelling like roses. Cough: Mabusi Seme in season four and Londie London this season. Moving swiftly along, I asked MaBlerh to weigh in on the additions to the cast. 'I really enjoyed Fafa this season, and let me tell you why. I feel that there is potential for her to grow, to be something we don't expect because there is a lot of personality there. But I think that she was still trying to establish herself. She's a dark horse. That's what I love.' He also sang the praises of Angel Ndela. 'With the Angel that we had last season and the Angel that we had this season, I'm seeing growth, and I love it. It's the same thing that I'm enjoying with Jojo (Robinson), every season we see Jojo evolving.' Hosting the reunion episodes of shows of this nature is not easy, as personalities clash and the atmosphere has a tendency to get quite tense. But MaBlerh is the epitome of calm, confident and supportive. He offers a balanced perspective when irrationality runs riot, making him akin to a reality show whisperer. On how he manages to stay so zen, he said: 'Get your pen and paper out and note this. I believe that God prepares you for certain things without you actually knowing what you are being prepared for. And that is how I was prepared for this. 'I grew up with my mom, and I've only got two siblings. Unfortunately, one passed away, the girl. She was in high school. And my brother, who is much older than me, moved out of the nest very quickly, leaving me in a house with all my female cousins, aunts, and all of these people. 'Even my helper had her granddaughter living with her as well. So in total, I was living with about five women at times. And I became the sounding board for them. That is how I learned how to navigate female drama.' MaBlerh pointed out that while many view the catfights as 'trivial, overdramatised and women overreacting', he learned 'that these are actual feelings and that they are valid because women tend to be more in tune with their emotional side'. He continued: 'I understood the thought process, and so I was able to understand, listen, ask the right questions and direct someone to their blind spot. I applied that to my female friends, and I found that it worked, and then I found myself on 'The Real Housewives of Durban'.' In case you are wondering, London is at the reunion. MaBlerh added: 'I still want to get to the bottom of how that Londie and Minnie thing escalated to what it is. I'm sure you can attest to this; it just went from zero to 100.' Another massive talking point this season was Nonku's close-knit friendship with Jojo hitting a few rocky patches, culminating in the BFFs unfollowing each other on social media shortly after the season aired. He joked: 'A friendship dies every season and a new one comes along.' That said, he did reveal that the Minnie and London saga, as well as the demise of 'Joku', will be unpacked in the second part of the reunion.
USA Today
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Collin Morikawa dust-up is just the latest in history of spicy moments to Rocket Classic
DETROIT — Drama. Who doesn't love it? Come to the Rocket Classic, and there's a good chance you'll catch some highly charged moments, because at this tournament, golf and drama go together like Detroit and coney dogs. Over seven years of the PGA Tour event at Detroit Golf Club, we've had some spicy moments that would make a catfight on 'The Real Housewives' seem like a classy tea party. In 2020, on an empty course during the coronavirus pandemic, Bryson DeChambeau lost it on a TV cameraman who dared to do his job by shooting his poor bunker shot and subsequent outburst. The next year, Phil Mickelson went after the Detroit News for publishing an article about a decades-old $500,000 gambling bet a bookie had cheated him out of. He promised never to return. Fans took it out on all the media with signs and chants of protest. This week, we got our latest dramatic installment of 'As the Rocket Turns,' courtesy of the highest-ranked player in the field: Collin Morikawa. The world's No. 5 golfer took umbrage Wednesday, June 25, with how he came off in a Golfweek article that day about his split with caddie Joe Greiner. Morikawa thought his quote about not wanting to be approached during his Pro-Am round made him look bad. It's a confusing issue complicated by history between the reporter and Morikawa. I won't name the reporter, but I've known him for years. He is excellent at his job and was totally within his rights to approach Morikawa, who preferred to speak during his scheduled availability a few hours later. The reporter published the scoop and included Morikawa, saying 'Ask me anything you want in my press conference later. I'm with my pro-am partners now.' Here's a little basic Journalism 101, if you care to know. The reporter had a big scoop he wanted Morikawa to confirm. Waiting 2½ hours to ask the question — in an open news conference — would nullify the scoop he worked hard to get. I wouldn't expect Morikawa to fully understand this journalistic nuance. But the drama ensued when the reporter asked Morikawa during the availability who his future caddie would be. Morikawa then unloaded his frustration in a tense back-and-forth with the reporter. 'Look, I'm not here to tell people how to do their jobs,' he said, 'but I don't get why you would make me sound bad because you put out my quote that I was playing with pro-am partners out front.' The reporter defended his article by saying he thought it made Morikawa look good by focusing on his pro-am partners. I agree, but Morikawa clearly didn't. 'OK, we can all read it very differently,' he said. 'That's not how I read it. I don't know how — I'm just telling you, like, I think there's a perspective where people can read it like that.' Morikawa and the reporter kept their cool. It never got ugly. But after the news conference, the argument — which I caught a few moments of as I walked past — got more heated outside the media center. Morikawa struggled with his new putter in the first round on Thursday, June 26. He shot a frustrating 3-under-par 69 that left him seven shots behind co-leaders Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter. PGA Tour players are not required to speak with reporters, but Morikawa agreed to my request. I was mildly surprised, considering the drama that had played out a day earlier. But more than that, I was impressed with Morikawa. Because, unlike so many other pro golfers, who basically come in nuanced flavors of vanilla, he was willing to defend himself in a public forum. So I asked why he felt it was important to stand up for himself in such a public manner. 'Well, because I think everyone should, and that's a trait that you should learn how to do,' he said. 'At a point, you can only follow so much and you have to stand up for yourself. 'Look, this has happened twice between the same — between me and (this reporter). It hasn't happened between anyone else. A lot of other reporters, media, I respect everyone.' Morikawa was roundly criticized in March for not speaking with reporters after he finished second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, so it's understandable that he's sensitive to media relations issues. 'This whole idea that I don't (talk to reporters),' he said, 'I mean, I've looked up how many times I've finished second, it's not once. … 'I have to stand up for myself because I'm not going to let someone throw little jabs at me and just make me into someone I'm not because I know who I am and that's all that matters. I know my people, my team, my family know who I am. But this whole perception out there right now is just, it's a little ridiculous.' No matter where you stand on this issue, or even on Morikawa himself, you have to give him credit for being authentic and still being willing to talk. With nearly 1 million followers on his social-media channels, he could decide he doesn't need the media and just take to X for a rant. I hope he never does that, because golf needs more players like Morikawa — golfers not only among the best in the world but also willing to speak their minds, even if it can be tense, a little combative and not necessarily aligned with their carefully curated images. I'm glad he is who he is. I'm glad he's here. I'm also very glad he's brought some color and, yes, even a little drama to the Rocket once again. Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@ and follow him on X @cmonarrez.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Joe Giudice Begs Trump For Pardon, Issues Emotional Plea- 'Let Me Visit My Daughters'
'The Real Housewives' star Teresa Giudice's ex-husband Joe Giudice is making headlines after publicly begging President Donald Trump for a pardon so he can visit his four daughters in the U.S. Deported to Italy in 2019 after serving time for fraud, Joe says he just wants a chance to see his family. Fans are divided with some supporting his plea and others calling it 'another case of celebrity privilege'. His legal team is exploring options. Watch-
Boston Globe
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Our weird reality is killing reality TV
Now, you might be asking yourself, who cares? And I get that. But I think the reason reality TV is dying is interesting. It reveals something deeper about how our society might be unconsciously metabolizing the seismic political shifts in the last year. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Reality TV originally thrived because it offered an escape from everyday life. We indulged in epic rollercoaster romances, shameless debauchery, petty entanglements, and the guilty pleasure of rooting for 'shade-throwing' self-obsessed villains who seemed hellbent on taking someone down each season. For roughly 43 blissfully chaotic minutes, we entered a world where the worst of human behavior could be enjoyed safely, from a distance, and, most important, turned off at will. In the end, it perversely left us feeling better, even relieved, about the predictable ordinariness of our own lives. Advertisement But our current political reality — starring its own egotistical villains running amok and creating havoc — has become so chaotic and theatrical that reality TV now feels dull by comparison. Sigmund Freud, in 'Civilization and Its Discontents,' argued that our primal instincts, driven by sex (pleasure/procreation) and aggression (power/survival), are in conflict with the external demands of civilization — the social order that keeps us functioning as a collective society. In short: Our rawest individualistic urges are always brushing up against the demands of civilized living. To manage this conflict, we rely on outlets like art, literature, film, and television — forms that allow us to sublimate (to unconsciously and symbolically indulge) our primitive urges without destabilizing society or our own psychological well-being. Reality TV — because it features 'real people' in dramatized settings — gives us permission to flirt with our more primitive impulses: envy, competition, cruelty. It lets us vicariously indulge in dysfunction and chaos from the safety of our couches, without breaking social rules or causing lasting harm. And then Donald Trump, a former reality TV personality himself, made every day a real-life spectacle. Trump entered both terms of his presidency by shattering the protective barrier of the screen and displaying all the hallmarks of reality TV's genre's most notorious villains: narcissism, manipulation, performative cruelty, engineered tribalism, and unchecked grievance. What was once safely held in the collective unconscious and expressed through art now plays out in the real world — unfiltered, uncontained, and unrelenting. The primal chaos we once safely indulged in during 43 minutes of petty drama and escapism now spills into our news feeds, our laws, and our wallets. There's no off switch. The conflicts on 'The Real Housewives' and the scheming on 'Survivor' now feel like the ones between Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd: cartoonish, low-stakes, and recycled. They're dull compared with our real 'reality.' Advertisement In lieu of reality TV, I've turned to British mystery series, like 'Midsomer Murders,' where the world may be grim, but order is restored and justice usually prevails. With each episode, the bad guys are caught and the community heals. It's the kind of resolution I no longer trust reality TV, or our real lives, to deliver.
