Which 'RHOA' Season 1 Alum Returns for a Gossip-Filled Dinner?

After a one-week break, the ladies of The Real Housewives of Atlanta are back with an uncharacteristically (almost) drama-free episode.

Drew Sidora’s impending divorce and the never-ending saga that is She by Shereé took a backseat, as all eyes were on the Season 1 alum who returned to our screens. If you’ve been with RHOA since the beginning, you probably reminisce about the golden Nene Leakes era. While Nene is extremely unlikely to make a cameo on Bravo any time soon — after suing Andy Cohen and the network for discrimination — three OG cast mates decided it was time to give the fandom something worth talking about, and they didn’t disappoint.

Here’s a recap of everything that went down on Season 15, Episode 9 of RHOA:

Don’t be tardy for the party

Bravo divorces are a dime a dozen but it doesn’t make them any less sad. So when it was announced that former RHOA star Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kroy Biermann were getting divorced, everyone was shaken. The couple, whose meet cute was documented on RHOA Season 3 were a match made in heaven. They quickly married, blended their families and even had a child. It seemed like a dream until the shock announcement that Kim had filed for divorce on May 8 of this year.

Since then, it’s been a steady flow of sad stories, hot gossip, and mess. From rumors that their home in Atlanta had gone into foreclosure to Kim frantically selling her signature wigs online in a bid to cover her alleged gambling debts, the Biermann family have been in crisis mode for months. Though, inexplicably, on July 7, it was announced that the couple have now called their divorce off.

Naturally, the last person anyone expected to see pop up in an episode of RHOA was Kim. Of course it was Shereé Whitfield who invited the Don’t Be Tardy For The Party star along with two other RHOA OGs, Lisa Wu and DeShawn Snow.

However, this reunion wasn’t all rainbows, hugs, and kisses. Shereé arrived to the restaurant first in her floor-length mink coat and ordered a lychee cocktail. And it wasn’t long before spicy little Lisa and Season 1 icon, DeShawn joined. Kim’s arrival may have elicited a squeal and smile from her bestie (and sometimes frenemy) Shereé but Lisa was less impressed.

Dressed in head to toe Kim-Kardashian garb (think all-black Balenciaga), Kim greeted everyone as Lisa exclaimed: “I don’t know if I should hug you or chop you in the throat.” Despite only co-existing on the show for three seasons, it didn’t take much for Kim to get under Lisa’s skin. But just as quickly as Lisa had threatened to choke Kim, she relented that she no longer hated her and they immediately made up.

This kind of reconciliation — short, sweet, and painless — is something Shereé hopes for her current cast mates, after her Gucci Brunch failed to mend bridges between Marlo and Kandi, Marlo and Kenya… basically Marlo and everyone. And it was here she revealed her plans to once again attempt to bring everyone together with a girls trip to Portugal.

Cue to the scene where Shereé invited Kenya Moore over FaceTime to the trip, to which our favorite haircare mogul responded: “I’ve never been to Spain before!” Look, geography isn’t everyone’s strong suit.

Back at the dinner, the mention of Kenya’s name caused Kim to expel an insuppressible, “Ugh really? Is that bitch still alive?” Maybe there are some feuds that are truly irreconcilable.

One thing about Kim that you may have forgotten in her absence is that she always manages to bring the conversation back to herself. And this fever dream is a stunning example of that very divisive trait. It isn’t long before she’s talking about how great her and Kroy’s relationship is, especially after 11 years of marriage. (Yikes!) While this scene was obviously filmed before the divorce announcement, the foreclosure rumors had been rampant for a while. Even though mere moment ago, Lisa had called a truce, she didn’t hesitate to jump in and inquire about the rumors. “Do you think I’m gong to foreclose on my multimillion dollar house over $200,000?” Lisa barely hid the face she made, clearly unconvinced.

After a brief discussion about all their respective divorces, Kim once again stole the show by bringing up her run in with former best friend Kandi Burruss at Porsha Williams’ wedding. It’s easy to forget how Kim and Kandi bonded in Season 2, but it all comes rushing back thanks to the shady editors who plaster the screen with headlines about Kandi suing Kim for stealing Don’t Be Tardy For The Party from her. But we all know who really owns that song, and despite winning in court, it’s not Kim.

Related: A Meltdown at a Gucci-Themed Brunch Leaves One 'RHOA' Fleeing in Tears 

Better late than ugly

The cast of housewives’ past really did upstage the current ladies, who gifted this week’s audience with a light sprinkling of drama. (However, if the mid-season trailer is anything to go by, this is simply the calm before the storm.)

Sanya Richards-Ross hosted her first charity event with her non-profit, MommiNation, which supports displaced mothers across the US. Rising tensions with her sister/hair stylist resulted in Sanya breaking down in tears, because despite being an Olympic runner, she isn’t good at everything, especially communicating or scheduling. This was just the precursor to an even bigger issue. After her auctioneer for the charity event dropped out due to Covid, Sanya was forced to find a quick replacement. And the only person her team suggested was Kenya.

While Kenya is great at a lot of what she does — being a mother, entrepreneur, leaving people quaking in their boots thanks to her unfettered reads — she isn’t very reliable. So expecting her to turn up on the day of the event early, or even on time, was Sanya’s first mistake. After all, we’re given a quick glimpse into Kenya getting dressed as she attempted to get a whole dress altered the same day.

Despite being tardy to the MommiNation brunch, she got the dress on and arrived just in time for the auction. And Marlo Hampton had a lot to say about that dress. “You know in the Wizard of Oz when the house lands on the witch and those ruby slippers get all crumpled up? That’s what Kenya looks like. Those damn slippers.”

Crumpled slipper chic might be the new charity event dress code though, because somehow Kenya took that mic and blew Sanya’s initial goal of raising $50,000 out of the water. Some may say it's the outfit, others could boil it down to some healthy poking, but all that matters is that Kenya successfully got everyone to empty their pockets for a good cause and raised $78,000.

While Sanya relented that after all that “Kenya was worth the trouble,” it looks like their relationship is bound to take a turn for the worse.

Related: Bring the Drama! Everything about The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 15

So what happens next week?

This week the ladies were able to get along just fine, but from what we see, that won't last. The explosive mid-season trailer is packed with dizzying gossip, incredible announcements, and some twists and turns no one could have predicted.

Sanya announces she's pregnant, Marlo continues to rendezvous with her blind date, and Shereé throws a party for her glam-baby. But it seems as though Drew's marriage is set to implode, with rumors of her having an affair with former WNBA player, Ty Young coming to fruition. Ralph Pittman confronts her, the ladies interrogate her and Marlo seems to have video footage of it all.

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