'RHOA' Season 16 Premiere Confirms Atlanta as the Materialistic Capital of the U.S.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta premiere solidified Atlanta's reputation as a city that prioritizes all things over-priced. From former friend of the show-turned principal peach Shamea Morton's 9 million-dollar home and birthday gift of a half a million-dollar Rolls-Royce Cullinan to newcomer Kelli Ferrell gifting her daughter with 17 designer purses for her 17th birthday and Brit Eady's solitaire wedding ring upgrade from a 10-carat diamond to a 15-carat diamond, the RHOA Housewives are back and willing to prove that their city can rival Beverly Hills any day of the week, but especially on Sunday nights.

Even Nene Leakes But Couldn't Compete Financially With the Beverly Hills Cast

It's no secret that the Atlanta-based franchise of Real Housewives has suffered from several poor-performing seasons after losing some of the series' primary stars. Nene Leakes is quite possibly the most infamous star from the series, but after attempting to sue Bravo for racial discrimination, critics are convinced the possibility of her returning to the series is two steps past slim to none. During Nene's time on the show, she bragged about her finances. Who could forget her famous quote, "I'm very rich bitch!" In addition to Nene, the series lost troubled socialite Kim Zolciak, and most recently Kandi Burruss.

Kandi was the longest-standing housewife in Atlanta history and brought her legendary R&B status to the franchise. There were memorable supporting cast members throughout the seventeen-year run, including Lisa Wu, Sheree Whitfield and even a puzzling season with actress Kim Whitfield. Atlanta was an immediate hit with Real Housewives fans, but the franchise struggled to keep up with the more affluent cities like Salt Lake City, Beverly Hills, New York, Potomac, and, of course, Dubai. The RHOA newbies introduced over several seasons offered beauty, fashion and popularity, but failed to impress the loyal RHOA fans. Producers decided to take things up a notch in season 16, by elevating Atlanta's principal cast with a focus on financial elitism to change the direction of the franchise.

Tyler Perry Is One Of the Biggest Contributors To Atlanta's Wealth

Atlanta has been referred to as 'Black Hollywood' for its thriving music, film and TV industries. Tyler Perry's historic studios made the city a destination for Hollywood's A-listers, filming blockbuster movies and hit television shows. The city is also known for its influential civil and political history and as a capital of black entrepreneurship. This season, producers leaned into the city's reputation and rearranged the cast, focusing on the fly and flashy identity of the city, starting with changing the dynamic of Shamea's role as a sometimes on-sometimes-off friend of the show to the principal character and the show's foundation moving forward. Introduced as Porsha Williams' BFF, Shamea was introduced as the friend that delivers a good time whenever she is in the room.

Shamea was beautiful, with a body to die for and didn't seem to mind supporting her fabulous friend Porsha. Audiences learned Shamea was married to a wealthy African man, but the information ended there. Shamea's role all but dissipated when Porsha left the show to focus on her spin-off and her impending marriage to her own wealthy African. Season 16 opens with Shamea as the foundation of Atlanta, narrating the premiere episode from her 9 million-dollar palatial estate. The sheer opulence of the home is something never before seen in Atlanta, supporting Shamea's claim that she's been content being in the shadows but could outshine the best of them.

Shamea Alluded to Outshining the Other Women This Season

If there was any doubt that money was the focus of the season, and Shamea was being set up to be Atlanta's new queen bee, it was made clear at the end of the episode with her birthday celebration. As party-goers spilled out of her home to see what her loving husband bought for her, Shamea embraced the moment. Years after being introduced as Porsha's sidekick, Shamea returned as the Queen of Atlanta, presented with a brand-new half-a million-dollar Rolls-Royce Cullinan, while her BFF Porsha's fashionably late grand appearance fell flat. Porsha was criticized for attempting to steal Shamea's thunder, but even if she was, it didn't make enough of an impact to be acknowledged. In a strange turn of events, Porsha's marriage to Simon Guobadia failed after less than fifteen months and at the opening of season 16, she finds herself unable to film in the mansion that was worth snatching a friend's husband to live in. The totality of her current storyline is the messy divorce that audiences predicted three years ago when she left to pursue true love in the form of someone else's rich husband.

Producers took a chance by introducing three new cast members for the season: Angela Oakley, the wife of former NBA franchise player Charles Oakley, restaurateur Kelli and rich socialite Brit. Kelli gets the biggest slice of the newbie pie in the first episode. She brags about her lavish lifestyle earned from running Nana's Chicken and Waffles, a breakfast spot on the outskirts of Atlanta. Kelli is going through a public divorce but seems to be managing as well as she can. She throws

a Kardashian-inspired birthday party for her 17-year- old daughter Chloe. Aside from presenting her daughter with 17 high-priced designer bags, Kelli tells her co-stars that she feels like living in the house with her three daughters is like being in a sorority house. She assures her friends that her other three daughters will have equally elaborate celebrations all of their lives because they deserve it.

Kelli's friend Brit is guaranteed to get a reaction from RHOA fans with her in-your-face personality. A self-titled Barbie, Brit enters the season showing off her wedding ring that could've inspired Jay Z's verse in Beyonce's 2006 hit single 'Upgrade You that states, 'that rock on your finger's like a tumor, you can't fit your hand in your new purse." Brit's ring got the attention of RHOA OG Kenya Moore, but she remained unbothered by Kenya's petty shade. In the first episode, Brit makes it clear that her husband will buy her anything her heart desires and that price is never an option. According to Google, prices for a 15-carat diamond can range from $150,000 for a basic stone and up to $15-20 million. With her high-dollar diamond and exotic sports cars, Brit qualifies for the new and improved wealthy version of RHOA. Last but not least, Angela Oakely is a great addition to the cast with her privileged NBA wife lifestyle adding more financial credibility to the cast.