Ask Carlos: Reigndrops Q&A

00:00:01
Speaker 1: What makes a good reality star? You know what's so funny?

00:00:06
Speaker 2: I think nine Lee should teach a class on how to be a great reality star because she created the assignment that the rest of these girls try to follow.

00:00:16
Speaker 1: Stay tuned.

00:00:17
Speaker 2: We'll get into my audience Q and A right after these quick ads. Welcome to Reality with the King. It's me Carlos King, the King of Reality TV and one of the most sought after executive producers in reality television. With over ten years of production experience, I've executive produced top rated programs such as eight seasons of the Real House Spots in Atlanta. Additionally, I have created shows such as Netflix Is Styling, Hollywood Owns number one rated Love and Marriage franchise at TV one, Hollywood Divas, just.

00:01:01
Speaker 1: To name a few.

00:01:03
Speaker 2: Twice a week on Reality with the King, we'll sit down with my friends across the entertainment industry, recap our favorite reality shows and revisit unforgettable moments that we are still talking and tweeting about. Hey, rain drops, Now look, I got a very special episode for y'all today. The way y'all hit me up on Twitter, on the hotline, on the email. Y'all have a lot of questions for me, and as promised, I am dedicating today's episode to answering all well, not all child because y'all send thousands, but I'm going to get to the ones I feel will resonate to my large audience. So today's episode, I'm answering the tea the most pressing questions. This is Reality with the King Q and A. The first question is from Twitter handle at all lover Anthony. The question he wants to ask is about the casting process and is there ever a disagreement with you and the network on who deserves a spot or to come back? The answer is yes. Let me go back to the first season.

00:02:26
Speaker 1: Of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta.

00:02:29
Speaker 2: So when I was the co executive producer of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta Season one, I was involved in trying to finalize who the casting candidates would be along with Mona Scott Young and the other producer. So you know, we met with STEVIEJ and me. Me and I instantly fell in love with STEVIEJ and Mimi like love them from the word go. Scrappy and Erica love scrappy. Erica was okay, Erica was very normal. We had lots of concerns about Erica Dixon because not everybody wakes up to say I'm gonna be famous or I'm gonna be on television. So Erica was like deer in the headlights. So we all knew, like, uh, we gotta work hard on Erica. Because Scrappy is great, He's a household name, he represents Atlanta.

00:03:25
Speaker 1: But honey, it is Erica Dixon child. We gotta work with her. We found life the cast.

00:03:29
Speaker 2: We had Stevie j and Mimi Scrappy and Erica Kirk and Rasheeda Kay Michelle, and we felt that somebody was missing. So Carly Rid auditioned to be on Love and Hip Hop Atlanta and let me just say no, I did not forget about Joscelene. I'll get into that later because Joscelyn wasn't a part of the original cast. So Carly read auditions and I loved Carly Red loved her. Me and Mona had disputes about Carlely Mana was like, I don't know about this Carli Red, I said, Mona, trust me. Carly Ritt is messy. She's going to give you the tea, the juice.

00:04:15
Speaker 1: Like everything.

00:04:17
Speaker 2: Like Carlie Rid gives zero fucks, like I promise you. So the network at the time, the executives, they weren't too keen on Carlie Red and I really fought for Carly and she knew it because I said it to her.

00:04:33
Speaker 1: I said, look, girl, they ain't feeling you.

00:04:35
Speaker 2: We gotta like I want you to happen because I feel it in my soul that you are going to be fantastic on the show. So when Carli Rid episode one, season one, do y'all remember when Carli Rid had a birthday party and me me was there, Ringan was there and before.

00:04:58
Speaker 1: Stevie J walked then with Joss Lene.

00:05:01
Speaker 2: Carly Rid told me me, I invited such and such and you know Stevie J blah blah blah, and me me goes, oh, that's my man, and Carly goes, no, he's not. I met him with his girl Joscelene. And Mimi's like, no, that's his artist. And carl Ridd is like, no, no, no, no, that's that's her man. Honey, like that's her man. I saw him kiss, I saw him do all that. We the producers were gagging because Carli Ridd was arguing with MEMI like no bitch.

00:05:36
Speaker 1: Stevie J is josce Lene's man.

00:05:38
Speaker 2: I just shot with them two days ago and they were all over each other. And because of that, STEVIEJ walks in with Joscelene and me ME tells Stevie J. She's telling me that Jocelene is your woman. And Stevie J confronts carl Ridd and it's like you messy, and Carlie Redd like, no, I'm not.

00:05:59
Speaker 1: I saw with my own eyeballs.

00:06:01
Speaker 2: Jos Len tells Calie Rid she's messy, and the rest is history. Carlie Ridd was the messy mainstay that the show needed. So that was one of the first times that I felt like, look, I know what I'm talking about. And fast forward to what ten years later, Carlie Ridd is still on the show. So yes, I know a thing or two about casting. My next question is from at Jukebox ares yes for the name, what makes a good reality star?

00:06:38
Speaker 1: You know what's so funny?

00:06:39
Speaker 2: I think Nini Leek should teach a class on how to be a great reality star because she created the assignment that the rest of these girls try to follow when it comes to being a great reality star. The examples I would give are Ninni Leeks, Tiffany New York, Collard, Peter Thomas, Stevie J, and I would.

00:07:01
Speaker 1: Say Ray J.

00:07:03
Speaker 2: So those are people who I think should write a class on how to be a great reality TV star because they're the first of their kind, right, Like, that's what you guys should aspire to be when you want to be a reality TV star. So I'm gonna tell you the dudes now, and then I'm gonna.

00:07:23
Speaker 1: Get into the don't.

00:07:25
Speaker 2: So to be a great reality TV star, you have to have a big personality, not like big and boisious like Nini Leaks, because some people don't have to be that way. I think a good example of a good reality star who isn't big and boisterous and whatever is Melody Hoped from Love and Marriage Huntsville. So Melody isn't like this big personality or this big character. But Melody has a star quality in the sense of she owns the room, she has a presence, she's authentic, she's genuine, she speaks her mind, and she gives you a bur re ounce of what's happening in her life. In order to be a great reality star, you have to be transparent and you have to be vulnerable. And those are two things that Melody Holt is, Nini Leeks tipped The New York Collard, Peter.

00:08:31
Speaker 1: Thomas, and Ray j. So that's what you have to be.

00:08:35
Speaker 2: You have to be that level of authenticity and transparent.

00:08:42
Speaker 1: And speak your mind.

00:08:44
Speaker 2: The don't is you don't have to fight a bitch to be a good reality star. I cannot tell you how many dms I get. Oh, Carlos, I'll throw a drink in somebody's face. Oh Carlos, I'll fight somebody. Girl, you better hop on that streaming app what that's allowed like on a Carlos King show. We don't do that. We fight with our words, honey, not our fist. I like to work with sophisticated individuals who know how to read the room and read people inside that room. That's what you call understanding the assignment. The other thing you don't do that When I say to you, guys, this annoys me is when you sign up on a reality show and the moment the episode starts to air, all of a sudden, you don't like how you're quote unquote portrayed and the show's ratchet. Okay, let's start with this portrayal stuff. No one can add to words in your mouth, okay, no one can make you do things on camera that you didn't do in real life.

00:09:53
Speaker 1: Okay.

00:09:55
Speaker 2: I think the problem is a lot of people try to be on reality TV because they think it's easy and they want the fame, which I'm ad at.

00:10:04
Speaker 1: If you want to be on a reality show.

00:10:06
Speaker 2: Then you should do everything you need to do in order to be great on it, right, and that is being authentic And if you want to be famous, I'm mad at you, says do it.

00:10:15
Speaker 1: But the problem is when you're so.

00:10:18
Speaker 2: Unlikable because you're trying to trick the audience into being something you're not. Nothing annoys me more is when a ratchet person gets on reality TV and tries to act all sophisticated, and then when the ratchet comes out, they blame the producers, they blame the editors, they blame the network. Okay, they blame everybody but the mirror. Like Michael Jackson said.

00:10:46
Speaker 1: I'm looking for the man and the mirror. That's what I'm saying. Look in the mirror and.

00:10:53
Speaker 2: See who you are, because all television is doing is putting a mirror into who you really are. And because you can't stand yourself, imagine what the other cast members are going through because they can't stand you either, because you're not being real.

00:11:10
Speaker 1: You're not being authentic.

00:11:11
Speaker 2: You thought you was gonna get on the show, increase your followers, promote your brand, and then leave and say like, girl, I'm hot. No, ma'am, you're not okay because your intention wasn't right. So those are the don't in terms of what doesn't make a great reality TV star. And what's funny is I'm so real when it comes to the people I work with. I will tell you if I think you're whack. I tell Latitia Scott after the first week of shooting, Hey girl, I don't know about you, don't. I don't think you have what it takes to be on reality TV. You're boring, you don't say anything, and seeing your voice quivers like I don't know this's gonna work out, And she's like, what do you mean? And I was like, I want you to be a confident version of yourself, like your husband Marcella is great. And I said, look t show, I think you're you're great, but you have to believe that you're great, and look at Tsha now she reads the girls, she addresses how she feels, and because of my critique, she now has been on the show for four years. So to recap for all your girls trying to be on a Carlos King produce reality show, this is what your boy needs in order for me to cast you. Okay, big personality, You gotta have an interesting life. Okay, you gotta be authentic. You can't be fake. This ain't Bad Girls Club or sixty Days in So I don't need no fights, no punch is blown, none of that.

00:12:54
Speaker 1: This in what we do over here. Boo, don't try to be Nini Leaks.

00:12:57
Speaker 2: There's only one her baby and you other girls he tried to be her, y'all have failed miserably. Okay, don't try to be New York. Don't try to be Peter Thomas, don't try to be Stevie j Be yourself and the most important thing, Baby, don't blame the edit, because baby, we can only show what you give. Stay tuned as I answer more questions from you.

00:13:25
Speaker 1: This is just getting good, y'all.

00:13:27
Speaker 2: We'll be right back after this quick break. This is reality with the King, and I'm Carlos King. Let's get back into my listener Q and A. My next question is from at Garrett b DP Underscore. Dear Carlos, do you think some shows franchises can become too invested or on a particular rivalry between certain cast members that it begins belaboring the point That is a very very good question. Okay, let's go there. I think rivalries can start off being really good and interesting and iconic, and then after a season or two or three, or four or five, it becomes a little bit overbearing. So let me give you some examples to explore. One of the most iconic robberies to me in reality TV would be me Me versus Jocelyn. It was the first time that reality lovers saw this sort of like polyamhers' relationship. You know, you never saw like the boyfriend the girlfriend and the alleged side check. You just never saw that in terms of all together on the show where they're all the main cast members, right, you've never seen that. We were talking about some sister wives type shit on the first season of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta. So to see that beef fun fold quite naturally. Because Jocelyne was a stripper, Stevie J met her at the Strip club.

00:15:26
Speaker 1: He then wanted to manage her.

00:15:29
Speaker 2: Joscelyne was then his artist, became his whatever you wanna call him, mistress, sidekick, I don't listen.

00:15:36
Speaker 1: I'm not going to label people.

00:15:37
Speaker 2: And then mem Me was his girlfriend at the time, and it was just very messy, and their beef spawned four years and was started off as something very interesting because again we all heard the story of how the music industry is where managers sometimes leaps with the artists while their wife is at home. So we all knew that, but hanti to watch it was a whole different thing.

00:16:06
Speaker 1: So the mem Jocelyn beef became very interesting.

00:16:09
Speaker 2: And then I think at some point it became played out because you kind of saw everything, and at that point it was like, why are you two still beefing?

00:16:19
Speaker 1: Because Mimi, you moved on to another guy.

00:16:22
Speaker 2: And at this point, Stevie J is like Jocelyne's man, so why are you two still beefing? And that's why I appreciate it that I think it was season but five or six they became cordial. I even think at the reunion Jocelene performed, Stevie J was giving Ike Turner with the guitar in the background. Child Joscelene was giving her best Tina Turner Hernandez boo at this reunion performance, and then Mimi came and says something to the fact of like you're now part of my family, and they hugged, and at that time, I think we were all sort of relieved, like, Okay, this is now the in of the Memi versus Joscelyn saga.

00:17:03
Speaker 1: But girls, it continued.

00:17:04
Speaker 2: So yeah, I do think some beefs should expire sooner than later. I mean, look, I follow the reality, so you can't put an expiration day on someone's beef.

00:17:15
Speaker 1: But I think it's the point of trying to like move past it.

00:17:19
Speaker 2: A good example would be Kenya versus Phedra. Like again, started off very interesting, it was very funny. And that's why season seven, when the Girls went to the Philippines, I was very adamant that I no longer am interested and the audience is no longer interested in Kenya Versus Paedra.

00:17:41
Speaker 1: We've seen it.

00:17:42
Speaker 2: It was great on bored We got to show something different, and that's the reason.

00:17:46
Speaker 1: Why I appreciate it.

00:17:47
Speaker 2: On that cast trip, Phadrank Kenya having this reconciliation where there were tears involved and they hugged it out. And that's why season nine it was nice to see them be friends until all things went to when Kenya threw a divorce party and Fedra exited stage left to get some ginger ale.

00:18:10
Speaker 1: That damn Faed's funny at shit.

00:18:12
Speaker 2: Yeah, so listen, that's a point in me stepping in, like, girl, I'm tired of this Kenya versus Phaedra.

00:18:20
Speaker 1: I'm bored.

00:18:21
Speaker 2: I was tired. You're Nani versus Kim for a long time. At some point it gets boring. The other example would be male versus Martel on Love and Marriage Hunts Bill. The difference with that is this, they started off on the show as a couple, a married couple.

00:18:41
Speaker 1: That's the difference.

00:18:42
Speaker 2: So the other beefs that I felt like lasted way too long.

00:18:47
Speaker 1: It was people who truly met on the show.

00:18:49
Speaker 2: So that's why it's kind of like, girlk it over it like this, ain't your real friends, ain't your sister y'all? At this point, coworkers get past the beefy because we're bored. That's hard to do when it's a married couple. So the mel of Martel saga obviously was the big story on Love and Marriage Huntsville, and we followed the reality because that's my formula.

00:19:10
Speaker 1: I don't script anything. I follow the reality.

00:19:13
Speaker 2: And the reality is they had tons of arguments about Martel stepping out and then Martell accusing Melo stepping out, so we followed it, and then the moment that got divorced is when the arguments escalated, and that's when I think the audience this past season was over Mela Martel constantly arguing. But the reality is, if you're going through divorce, that's really what happens in real life. And because they're on the show together, they're around each other more than.

00:19:45
Speaker 1: They probably would like to be. So that was the difference.

00:19:49
Speaker 2: But that's why on this season of Love and Marriage Huntsville we decided to step away from that. Melody in her real life was like me and Martell don't see each other.

00:20:00
Speaker 1: We email each other, we text each other.

00:20:02
Speaker 2: So that's the reality that we followed, and I was like, Okay, this is good because I think the audience is over Melody Martel constantly arguing, and because you get a break from that this season, I think you'll appreciate the dynamic more of, not just their relationship or lack thereof, but you appreciate the other dynamics you get to see, so to recap, Yes, there is sometimes and I'm guilty of this too, we do belabor the pettiness of a big beef and we sort of tell the same story every season.

00:20:43
Speaker 1: But that's why.

00:20:44
Speaker 2: One of the good things about Twitter is you get to listen to the audience who tells you, Carlos girl, I'm tired of this shit, I'm bored, I'm over it.

00:20:54
Speaker 1: Can we move on?

00:20:57
Speaker 2: And for my final question from at Camberly Liz, the question is the future of reality TV?

00:21:07
Speaker 1: What areas need to be better and completely removed from.

00:21:12
Speaker 2: The reality TV space. That's a very good question. I love that, Okay, I strongly believe people are over the violence that takes place in reality television. I'm saying that knowing that there's other shows out there that are hits, whether it's constant fighting. I do think that's a very marginalized audience who just liked it, you know, And it's no shade.

00:21:39
Speaker 1: If you like you like it, you love you love it? Who cares? Right?

00:21:41
Speaker 2: But I do think people are looking for more authentic storytelling, and when I say authentic, they care less about punches being thrown and more about conversations that are relatable that you could sink your teeth into.

00:21:56
Speaker 1: So the example would be love and marriage.

00:21:59
Speaker 2: Huntsville became a huge hit due to the fact that none of those cast members ever had a physical altercation, right, but you were able to see what real couples were going through Martella and melodies and fidelity storyline. You saw Titia Marceau navigating through his wife wanting to have a voice in her marriage. You saw Kimmy and Maurice dealing with the fact that you know, at a particular age, kim is getting married for the first time to a guy who's younger than she is, and from there they had to deal with the blending of their families.

00:22:36
Speaker 1: Real life stuff that people go through.

00:22:40
Speaker 2: And that was a conscious effort for me as I left Atlanta Housewives and wanted to explore more ways of telling stories dealing with people who look like me, but also just people who I felt wanted to see something different. And that's why when it comes to me, I have my own lane when it comes to the reality shows that I produce because I make it a point to really tell a different side of what black people may be going through, or women of color may be going through, or just people in general, because I strongly believe where the world is turning right now, people are demanding more authenticity and they're demanding more realness, and that's my place in the realities guys that I hold near and dear to me, And I appreciate that people are watching the shows that I'm producing because they get to see that because that's what they want to see, and that's honestly what's working. So when you look at these other shows, you know, there's shows right now that.

00:23:46
Speaker 1: People are petitioning.

00:23:48
Speaker 2: To get canceled, or you know, there's these big altercations that happens, and you get people are in hospital, bits child and people are like fistfighting and throwing punches. You know, I think that's going on to get very old, very soon, because it's such a one trick pony in terms of constantly seeing that if it happened once, okay, that's life, right. Every once in a while you may have a knock someone upside, the hit child, that's just life once in a while. But to have that be a staple every episode. I think people are not into that anymore, and I'm hopeful that my community a reality lovers and reality producers are just showing more diversity in the stories that we're telling, and that's what I think is the future of reality TV. I have some fun answering y'all shady questions. So look, if you want your question asked, do not forget to leave me a voicemail because on a future Q and A episode, I just my play it. Yeah, let's do it me boks opinions read Email me at Reality with the King at stitcher dot com or leave me a voicemail at three one oh five nine three eight one eight eight. Thank you for listening to Reality with the King. New episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday. Share, comment, follow, and subscribe to Reality with the King wherever you get your podcast, visit Realitywitheking dot com and be sure to follow me at the Carlos King Underscore on Instagram and Twitter. Reality with the King is a production of More Sauce by Stitcher. It is executive produced by Me, Carlos King, and Jasmine Henley Brown. We are also produced by Sierra Spradley, Rix engineering and music by Marcus Ham Moissauce