It’s a wrap on The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 17, but before we fully say goodbye to The Peach Life and all of its chili cheese Frito insults, conspiracy theories, and cheating rumors, we’ve got one more part of the reunion to get through.
Last week, Angela and Shamea exchanged some half-hearted apologies, Cynthia dropped the song of the summer, and we learned that in addition to thousands of dollars of business debt, Pinky was also grappling with a behind-the-scenes feud with Phaedra. She’s got a “significant device,” and she will not be discussing it further!
Now, in The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 17 Episode 20, “Reunion Part 3,” the only real thing left on the table was the most explosive fallout of the season: Porsha and Shamea.
What happened on The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 17 Episode 20?
During Part 3 of the RHOA Season 17 reunion, K. Michelle continued making her case for why she behaved the way she did this season. Then, Shamea and Porsha were forced to relive the toxic comments they made about each other’s mothers in Scotland. Andy had to work overtime trying to get them to make progress. And although Porsha and Shamea’s friendship may never be the same, most of the Atlanta ladies somehow managed to end things on a positive note as we look ahead to Season 18.
Drew and K. Michelle found common ground
The Season 17 finale ended with Drew literally falling over herself trying to prove that K. Michelle had some sort of connection with Blakk. But since no one wants to claim that man, we’re not wasting another word talking about him. What we do want to talk about is that K and Drew managed to overcome their drama at this reunion. That’s genuinely worth celebrating.
K. Michelle, once again, admitted that her fear of how things would play out with the cast made her hypersensitive. From the Blakk comments to Porsha joking about oysters in Dallas, K spent so much energy trying to get ahead of conversations that might have never happened had she not started them herself.
What was interesting is that Drew seemed to be receptive to K’s explanation of her first-season paranoia. Even Angela chimed in, admitting she understood where K was coming from, comparing it to her own rookie season during the “Phaedra is the Godfather of Atlanta” saga.
“I was trying to push a square peg through a circle hole,” Angela said of her paranoia-fueled missteps.
Fourth wall be damned. It was refreshing to watch these women openly acknowledge the fears and insecurities that come with joining a cast like this. And with this new openness, K. Michelle and Drew seemed genuinely ready to move past being enemies and upgraded their status to frenemies. We can’t wait to see how that evolves, and we’ve got our fingers crossed that Blakk will have nothing to do with it.
Did anything get resolved between Shamea and Porsha?
As we all know, Shamea found herself in the middle of a dozen beefs this season, but the main event was always her and Porsha. After that explosive dinner in Scotland where they dragged each other’s moms through the mud, all eyes were on these two heading into the reunion. Where do they go from here?
Apparently, nowhere. Even Andy seemed hesitant to touch the topic, and Porsha was visibly uncomfortable when he brought it up.
When she did speak on it, she wanted to act like she left the whole Shamea situation back in Season 16. In her mind, the friendship had been dead since then, and she claimed that Shamea’s backstabbing behaviors have been going on for years, all the way back to the NeNe and Shereé era.
Shamea pushed back, arguing that Porsha never wanted her on the show in the first place. She printed out some old text messages to make her case. And when it came to the Scotland fight, Shamea explained that her outburst was a result of all of the mess that had been thrown her way all of this time. She was grieving her friendship with Porsha, felt backed into a corner, and exploded in the worst way possible.
If you were hoping for some sort of kumbaya moment between Shamea and Porsha, it didn’t happen. They listened to each other speak, but that was about as far as it went.
That said, Shamea did manage to make peace with pretty much everyone else on Porsha’s side of the couch. Before all was said and done, she hugged it out with Cynthia, Angela, Drew, and Phaedra. Literally! That means there is a small glimmer of hope for Shamea in this group. Just not with Porsha. That door is closed and bolted shut.
Andy tried to end things on a positive note
All season long, the burning question has been: where does this cast even go after Season 17? Kelli couldn’t stop yelling. Angela couldn’t stop making up sexually charged accusations about her castmates. Shamea and Porsha can barely make eye contact with each other. Where the hell does this “friend group” go from here?
While it’s still not entirely clear, Andy was having so much fun at this reunion that he couldn’t help but feel a sense of optimism. He went around the room and had each woman reflect on what they learned this season, encouraging them to hold onto the progress made at the reunion rather than letting the internet drag them back into the trenches.
“Let’s be mindful of the place that we ended things before we hit the keyboards today,” Andy said, adding: “Fun shade, not blow-up-the-bridge shade. I want you to be able to start next season in this place.”
Amen to that, Andy! If they can lead with the laughs and keep the mamas out of it, this group might just come back stronger than ever. They just have to try, and perhaps bring Phaedra’s healing flute for good measure.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US — WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PART THREE OF THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA SEASON 17 REUNION? WERE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE SHAMEA HUG IT OUT WITH SO MANY OF THE WOMEN? WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD RETURN FOR SEASON 18?
