The Real Housewives of Atlanta is an American reality television series on the Bravo cable television network, that premiered in the Fall of 2008. Season 2 premiered on July 30, 2009. It is the network’s third series in this format, following The Real Housewives of Orange County and The Real Housewives of New York City. The show is produced by True Entertainment, a subsidiary of reality-TV giant Endemol. The executive producers are Steven Weinstock, Glenda Hersh, Shari Solomon Cedar and Kenny Hull. The series differs, however, from its predecessors by being the network’s first docu-drama ever to hit the two million viewer mark among adults 18-49. The series averaged 1.13 million adults 18-49 and 1.495 million total viewers, with the reunion telecast totaling 2.055 million adults 18-49 and 2.817 million total viewers tuning in.

The Season Two Premiere episode gained 2.7 Million views, the most for any “Real Housewives” franchise debut. [1] Where as the Watch What Happens Including the 11 p.m. rerun, nearly 4 million people watched the show.

The series follows the professional, social and family lives of five women who live in the suburbs of Atlanta.

Lennithia “NeNe” Leakes — A Duluth resident, and founder of the Twisted Hearts Foundation, which addresses domestic violence against women. She was evicted from her rental home in the Stonebrier at Sugarloaf gated community on Sugarloaf Parkway, which is approximately 40 minutes northeast of downtown Atlanta. She has two sons, one of whom dropped out of Clark Atlanta University and is pursuing a career in club promotion, and a real estate entrepreneur husband named Gregg. She was once good friends with Kim Zolciak, but now the two are embattled in a feud. Leakes won a Bravo A-List Award for “Guiltiest Reality Pleasure” in 2009.

Sheree Whitfield — From Shaker Heights, Ohio. She is the ex-wife of NFL professional football player Bob Whitfield, with whom she has two children. She used to reside in a Sandy Springs mansion with her ex-husband until it was sold into forclosure.[2] The house is approximately 20 minutes north of downtown Atlanta. She is attempting to develop a clothing line called She by Sheree. She had a feud with cast mate NeNe Leakes earlier in the show, but the two women have since reconciled. Whitfield also has a daughter from a previous relationship.

Lisa Wu-Hartwell — Also a Duluth, Georgia resident, She is married to former NFL linebacker Edgerton Hartwell most recently released by the Oakland Raiders. She has also gone by the names: Sharon Millette Wu, Sharon Lisa Sweat, and Lisa Wu-Sweat when she filed chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2007, despite her mantra during the introduction of the show, “If it doesn’t make me money, I don’t do it.” She lives in the exclusive gated community of the St. Marlo Country Club. Hartwell’s father is Chinese, and her mother is African American. She is co-owner of Hartwell and Associates, an Atlanta-based real estate firm. In addition she runs three aspiring businesses: a jewelry line, called Wu-Girls Designs, and two clothing lines: Hart2Hart Baby, which makes high-end baby clothes, and Closet Freak, a line of sexy t-shirts designed for women for whom dressing provocatively is not the norm. Hartwell is the ex-wife of Keith Sweat, with whom she has two children, both live with Sweat. She is currently suing Sweat for custody of their children. As of July 2009 all of her personal and business websites are down. The house she lived in while filming the first two seasons is now a bank owned property after failing to get a 1.9 million dollar bid during a foreclosure auction held on August 4, 2009. Her family has moved to a property her husband owns in Hoschton, Georgia.

Kimberleigh “Kim” Zolciak — A Connecticut native, and Johns Creek resident. The divorced mother of two is attempting to pursue a career as a country singer while half-heartedly trying to quit smoking. She had a “sugar daddy”, whom she mysteriously referred to as “Big Poppa”,(better known as Lee Najjar). In October 2008, Jezebel reported that “numerous blind items and internet rumors” had identified him as entrepreneur Lee Najjar.[3] He funded her somewhat lavish lifestyle, buying her $14,000 in diamonds and a $60,000 Cadillac Escalade. Zolciak and “Big Poppa” broke up in the last episode of season one. Since the end of the first season, Zolciak has linked in media reports to billionaire Dr. Stefan Lemperle[4] and Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis.[5] The show was originally planned to follow the lives of five black women, but Zolciak, who is white, introduced by Leakes, impressed the producers with her personality.

Kandi Burruss — The Georgia native and former Xscape member is the new Housewife replacing Deshawn Snow.[6] Burruss is a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter who resides in Fayetteville, GA with her live-in fiancé and six-year-old daughter Riley. She is a former member of the platinum-selling musical group Xscape, and won a Grammy Award for her work on TLC’s mega hit “No Scrubs.” She has also written music for artists that include Mariah Carey, ‘N Sync, Destiny’s Child, Alicia Keys, American Idol Fantasia Barrino, female rapper Solé, wife of Ginuwine, award winning artist Pink and Whitney Houston.

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