Sheree Whitfield’s return the Real Housewives of Atlanta hasn’t even been televised yet, but there is all kind of drama popping off behind the scenes.
Whitfield’s return to Bravo’s top-rated franchise was announced months ago, but it is not not close to the deal she thought she was going to get. In other words, Whitfield got duped out of a full-time role on RHOA by the show’s former executive producer Carlos King — and he also conned her out of a role with another reality show that she brought to his attention, the media reports.
Whitfield, ex-wife of Atlanta Falcons star Bob Whitfield, thought she would be replacing NeNe Leakes after she famously quit the show. And she got twisted up like a pretzel with a backroom deal with King on a reality show based on black real estate agents called “Selling It in the ATL.”
“Here she thought she was returning to pick up where NeNe left off as one of the original cast members, but now her episodic run is as limited as Demetria McKinney’s was last season,” the source tells Daily Mail Online.
Whitfield, 45, is angry that she is only going be featured as a “friend” of the show instead of being shown holding a peach as a full-time cast member.
First of all, Whitfield didn’t get a contract for the show until after she started production on Season 8.
“She was several weeks into taping when the network presented her a contract for a limited number of episodes, much to her surprise,” the source intimated.
Whitfield met with the producer earlier this year and pitched him a concept about African-American real estate agents in Atlanta. (When Whitfield departed from the show three years ago, procured her real estate license).
In her original deal, Whitfield wanted to be featured in the real estate show along with several other women. She wanted King to sell the show to a network.
‘Without telling Sheree, Carlos started pitching the show to networks and WE TV became interested,’ claims the source.
The problem is that King allegedl sold the show without Whitfield’s involvement. Once WE TV bit on the concept, King had to go back and try to repair relations with Whitfield, lest she sue him for stealing and selling her idea without her permission.
The is why Whitfield has returned to the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” full-time. He was being proactive in case Whitfield wanted to take legal recourse against King.
WE TV is selling the show to the world as a spin-off of their successful existing series, “Cutting It: In the ATL,” a show about Atlanta-based celebrity hairstylists.
As a consolation prize, Whitfield has been named as a co-executive producer in the release.
The problem with the deal is two-fold: one, Whitfield was forced to just accept co-executive producer credits because Whitfield did not develop legal paperwork before pitching the show concetp to King.
“With no non-disclosure or partnership agreement in place, she knew she had an uphill battle if she sued Carlos and trusted him again by accepting his offer,” explained the source.
Secondly, Whitfield has not been cast as a full-time housewife on “RHOA” as she was originally told. In fact, Whitfield is only going to appear in 10-12 episodes out of the possible 24 episodes Bravo ordered. Basically, Whitfield has been designated as a part-time housewife as Porsha Williams and Demetria McKinney were last season.
“Little did she know, he had duped her yet again,”
Worse, “Sheree actually shot her final scenes for the show this past weekend in Washington, DC at the Million Man March with cast members Phaedra Parks, Porsha Williams and Peter Thomas.”
“It’s the last time viewers will see her on the show and she likely won’t be a part of the reunion, just like Demetria wasn’t,” said the source.
The embarrassment is on top of the fact that Whitfield began construction on a new home she called Chateau Sheree — and it remains an unfinished product three years later.
“Selling It: In the ATL” premieres on Nov. 5, while “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Season 8 on Nov. 8.
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