Bobby Brown: The ’80s R&B superstar — the “King of R&B,” if you listen to Whitney “crack is whack” Houston — became the first black reality TV star of the new millennium. “Being Bobby Brown” was designed to give fans of the former New Edition singer, 39, another perspective of the oft-arrested man of the car-crash marriage to Whitney Houston. Instead, it only served to confirm what most people had already surmised.
Omarosa: Crazy? Perhaps. Smart? Without a doubt. Tenacious? Are you kidding me? Reality TV cruise missile Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, 36, is the rare, unforgettable personality after she turned her brief, boisterous and bodacious stint on Donald Trump‘s “The Apprentice” into an actual brand. Whodathunkit? She was voted “Reality TV’s No. 1 Villain” by TV Guide. So well known is this brand that she was able to translate it into another successful and highly rated reality show, TV One‘s “The Ultimate Merger,” another rarity.
Kevin Powell: Powell, 44, is probably the godfather of black reality TV for he starred in one of the earliest incarnations of the genre, MTV’s “The Real World: New York” back in 1992. We remember Powell because he brought the pyrotechnics as a vocal pro-black activist who engaged in heated discussions with cast mates on stereotypes and racial politics. Since then, Powell has written for The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Essence and Vibe, of which he was a founding staff member. He has published 10 books, appeared on “Oprah,” interviewed Colin Powell and Tupac Shakur and ran three unsuccessful campaigns for Congress. His personal memoirs, My Own Private Ghetto and the Kevin Powell Reader will be published in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Frankie Lyons: She is one of the main reasons — if not the reason — why “Keyshia Cole: The Way it Is” remains the highest-rated television show in BET history. The outlandish yet heart-tugging story of a woman who got cracked out in Oakland, Calif., then tried to repair her life and relationship with her biological child who became an R&B star, captured the minds of urban America. Like Omarosa, Frankie tried to parlay the currency she accrued from the first two seasons of “The Way it Is” into her own reality show, “Frankie & Neffe.” Unlike Omarosa, however, the results left the network and fans wanting — an escape hatch.
NeNe Leakes: You know that you’ve ascended to the level of transcendent star when a top anchor for the world’s leading newsgathering organization, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, goes on Jay Leno’s “The Tonight Show” and sings your praises. That’s really all the endorsement you need. She’s lovable, combustible and irresistible for throngs of reality show and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” fans.
Flava Flav: This modern-day jester and undeniable eye pollution tripped and fell into post-music fame when he and Sylvester Stallone gold-digging dominatrix-looking castaway, Brigitte Nielsen, showed their love on Vh1’s “Surreal Life.” Their unabashed affection for one another so captivated audiences that the two were given their own spin-off reality show, “Strange Love.” Flav, 51, born William Jonathan Drayton Jr., demonstrated his screen charisma and extreme likability so he was given a third reality TV dating show, “Flavor of Love.” The second season was the second highest non-sports basic cable show of 2006. –terry shropshire
