Mob Wives Chicago premieres Sunday June 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Each week during this season of Basketball Wives, we’ve been following the recaps and blog posts written by the cast to get a better understanding of the show. This week’s episode has prompted a LOT of response, and we wanted to post a part of the blog that Evelyn Lozada wrote in response to the situation that occurred between Tami and Kesha, both of whom she is friends with. Here’s what Evelyn has to say:

Last night’s episode was a whirlwind of emotions for everyone. It’s such a sensitive subject for me because I honestly see it from both sides. I’m not here to condemn or condone anyone especially given some of my choices this season, however I will say that once again last night’s episode and all that happened forced me to look at and examine myself in ways that I haven’t in the past. No matter what the situation is, I’m realizing that we as grown women are allowing ourselves to be placed in a position for judgment. I’m confident that I speak for many of us on the show that when it comes to creating a better balance for television, we are all working very hard to do just that. Many of us are getting help for our inner issues and striving to portray a more positive image overall.

Tahiti was just an example of all of us being a true work in progress…Hang in there with us, as we vow to grow and become better!

Related: Tami Roman Offers Kesha Nichols A Public Apology

Steve has a habit of making these girls’ lives (and dates) hell, and this week, hell was a soupy mess dropped in all their laps. To see how well they could handle a terrible situation and whether or not they can laugh at themselves, the challenges were all about having a sense a humor. So who had the last laugh? Let’s find out.

Melissa, our sweet, innocent virgin, is having some trouble committing herself to Chris, the man she’s been on two dates with but with whom she doesn’t think she has chemistry. This is unfortunate because all the other women in the house live Chris. Shalana thinks it’s awesome that he has all his teeth. Donna thinks he’s adorable and the perfect candidate for Melissa to finally earn a notch on her bedpost. Basically everyone BUT Melissa is smitten.

Steve isn’t content to send the ladies on any old date this week, his plan is to sabotage their dates by having the waitress spill bouillabaisse in their laps to see how graceful they are under fire. And under a light tomato broth. First up was Donna, who was matched with another new date, a man (also) named Chris who is 46, has dimples, and seems to be just her type. Cue the clumsy waitress, and Donna is understanding and kind when a gallon of seafood falls into her. Donna’s almost too understanding and just keeps giggling about it, and Chris is totally like “Someone is going to comp our meal!” And then she does this in the middle of the eatery.

“I think I pulled a shrimp out of my labia!” she laughs. Ha…ha? (BLLPH!) Maybe save this for the ladies room, Donna.

Steve is completely impressed by Donna’s response though…so it’s going to be pretty interesting to see how the rest of the ladies respond to the same situation.

Elizabeth is also the picture of grace, and her date rushes to her aid to clean up the mess. Despite her sexual squeamishness last week, she jokes “It was almost a good thing because he was on his hand and knees wiping down my crotch.”

Danielle was slightly less kind (“I was thinking in my head ‘B—h!’”) about the situation and rushed off to the bathroom to clean herself up in the sink.

Melissa was sweet about it (“Shrimp and perfume, my favorite scent.”) but her new date, Brock, didn’t help her clean herself up which “makes it a little more awkward,” she says. Despina‘s waitress didn’t just drop soup in her lap, she did a pratfall into her whole body which was hilarious,

but overall, the only person to get upset was Danielle when her date was derailed by stew, and she walks out. Her date was unfazed though. Despite the fact that she shut down, he wanted to see her again because she didn’t totally freak out.

Challenge number two in the “can you laugh at yourself?” department involves the women going to a comedy club to do a set of jokes about themselves. Already Stephanie is upset because she feels she’s been made fun of enough in her life and she doesn’t want to make fun of herself. The women are paired up with comedians to help them write their jokes, but Stephanie is not having it and she tells her comic partner she doesn’t watch comedy. “Do you laugh? Like, ever?” the comic asks her.

“I thought it was complete and total bulls— that I had to do something so stupid,” Stephanie says, and actually packs her bags to leave the house because she’s had it. “Stephanie’s actually threatening to leave bootcamp because she doesn’t have a sense of humor? Are you kidding me?” Steve asks. “Spoiled brats don’t do well around here.”

Eventually, even though she went to the trouble of packing her bags, which, I mean, packing is THE WORST, but it turns out she did it for nothing, she decided to stay after all. (By the way, catch my stand up act “Packing, Am I Right, Ladies?” this week at the Giggle Barn.)

So they all head over to the comedy club, and unbeknownst to them, their dates are in the audience. No pressure. Elizabeth, who was one of the most nervous women of all, went first and her nerves didn’t show at all on stage.

And personally, I love that Donna dressed like Sarah Silverman to perform her set.

As for Stephanie, her set was great, despite her bad attitude about making fun of herself.

But Melissa, whose set was easily the most uncomfortable and unfunny of all, totally bombed. Not only that, her date wasn’t even in the audience to comfort her. That’s because he was about to take the stage himself and do his own set. “What is happening??” Melissa asks.

Chris’ set wasn’t so much funny ha-ha as it was funny awww because he basically was asking her for another date, which she finally granted him. Awww indeed!

After the show, the ladies get to know their dates even more and it’s a nice night for everyone except Stephanie. Her date, John, asks her what happened the night she went out and made out with another guy, which she has never told him about. Ohhh boy.

She admits to her make out session and John swears it doesn’t bother him, but the vibe gets tense and before long, he says goodbye.

Over at group, Steve tells Donna that she did the best of the week, and in addition, her date is truly smitten with her. Melissa didn’t do very well this week but alas, she’s not in the hot seat. She does give Steve a ridiculous excuse for why she doesn’t like Chris (“I like a man who’s bigger than me.” Um, what?) but she says she doesn’t want to keep dating him just because he likes her. All Steve asks of her is that she’s honest with Chris and breaks things off with him truthfully, like a mature adult.

It’s Stephanie who lands in the hot seat this week, no surprise there.

Steve warns her that is she ever threatens to leave the house again, he’ll actually help her pack her bags, so that’s strike one. And of course, there’s her conversation with John, which was basically relationship self-sabotage. She feels hurt that she was honest with John and he brushed her off, and she cried about how she doesn’t want to hurt him. So of course, guess who’s there at group?

Welcome, John.

Stephanie starts to cry and puts the blame on John who she says shut down after she was honest with him about her feelings. What she doesn’t seem to get is that she was honest about making out with another guy, so it’s justifiable that he’d be a little upset. “I don’t exactly know how to trust. If you’re out there making out with a guy, is your heart really in this deal?” he asks. Ultimately he tells her “I want it to work out,” and he sticks by her and she promises to stick with bootcamp.
“At this point you need to be ready to say ‘I know what I’m doing wrong,’” Steve tells the girls. They need to be ready to help themselves now that they’re at the halfway point. So will they be able to? We have four more episodes to find out!

Pia Rizza has lived much of her life in her father’s shadow. “I had to live with the stigma of having a father who’s a rat for my whole life,” she says in this brief profile. But this castmember of Mob Wives Chicago is about to make a name for herself in a big way.

Watch Pia and the rest of the cast when the debut on Mob Wives Chicago on Sunday, June 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The second season of Mob Wives is coming to a close, but never fear, we still have Mob Wives Chicago to carry us through the summer. Over the next couple days, we’ll be introducing you to the cast, and first up is Renee Fecarotta Russo. This lady is all about class, respect, and loyalty, like any good mob wife. But also like any good mob wife, you better not cross her.

Mob Wives Chicago premieres Sunday June 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Wow! This is some sad news we weren’t expecting today. Fox News reports that Linda Hogan and Charley Hill, have broken off their engagement and split after four years together. In the emotional finale of the show, Charley proposed to Linda, and when we spoke to her just a couple weeks ago, she admitted that they weren’t focusing on a wedding in the immediate future. We’re sad to read that their wedding plans are now on hold indefinitely.

Linda’s attorney, Raymond Rafool, commented on the situation, stating “There was a lot of therapy involved, and the couple realized they needed to do their own thing. The realization came this weekend. But it was a mutual decision, and a whole new chapter for both of them.”
[Photo: Getty Images]

1. Breakout star of Mob Wives.
2. A woman who likes the wise guys.
3. Plastic surgery.
4. Little Louie, the cutest dog ever.

We made a “Best Of Big Ang” playlist to showcase all of the above, including our favorite scene with Ang and her son A.J. and some of her funniest quotes all season (our fave: “He’s buyin’ me a puppy!”). Watch the full playlist at the link and tell us what your favorite Big Ang quote is in the comments!

At the end of tonight’s Basketball Wives episode, Tami Roman appeared to do some soul searching after her argument with Kesha Nichols escalated and got to a point of no return. Despite her time in anger management this season, her emotions got the best of her and took it out on Kesha. Now that the episode has aired and the conversation about the fight has reached a fever pitch, Tami has written an apology to Kesha on her Facebook page. She says:

I don’t apologize for it 2b accepted — that is ultimately the other person’s right to accept or deny it. My only responsibility is to acknowledge a mistake was made and own up to it. I apologize to my family, my REAL friends, my business colleagues, and my Project Girl ladies 4my recent behavior on BBW. I am NOT a bully as depicted on the show, but I did make poor decisions in handling my differences with my cast mate. I sincerely apologize to all of us, as well as to my castmate who was on the receiving end of my wrath.

Kesha has also responded to the recent episodes with a blog post of her own. In it she writes “As a person who prides myself on turning lemons in lemonade, I had no idea how to turn the negative display of human behavior seen in Episode 12 into something positive, until now. Instead of knit picking, pointing fingers and calling names, I decided to educate myself on the issue at hand. I would like to share some of this information with you now, because when we know better, we do better,” and from there, she simply addresses the topic of bullying. You can read the whole post here.

Master Matchmaker Steve Ward is back for another season of Tough Love, and each week, he’ll be giving us an exclusive look at what went down behind the scenes on the series. This week, we talked to Steve about Tiffany’s abrupt departure from the show, and Elizabeth’s issues with sex.

This week you got rid of Tiffany because it turns out she was married. Tell me about what really went down with that situation.

I try to be the best advice-giver I can be and stay true to my character and be that loud and unapologetic personality that demands accountability, and that comes out very much so in this episode because I was completely flabbergasted by Tiffany. That this girl has the balls to refuse to get up on the hot seat, it’s like okay, now you’re really pushing my buttons. At least try to go out in a dignified fashion. She couldn’t even do that.

Did she have any last words for any of you before she left? It looked like she just got up and left.

Look, she was just running her mouth and making up more nonsense. She continued to perpetuate her lie, that was what was so astonishing to me. When you confront a compulsive liar with the truth, their heads explode. She categorically denies the truth. It’s like, what planet are you from? When you have people that convince themselves of a reality that just isn’t real, that’s disturbing.

Have you spoken to her since she left?

Not at all, I’ve distanced myself from her as much as humanly possible.

The vibe I got from her was like “What’s the big deal, aren’t we all on this show just to be on TV?” and she didn’t care that it happened to be a show about love and relationships.

That’s what was so offensive to me. I actually spoke to her husband! This guy is a truck driver and he was at home caring for her kids. She told him she was going on a show to learn how to be a better wife! I felt so bad for him.

Let’s move on to the sex theme of the show, starting with Melissa’s dominatrix makeover.

After Stephanie got her makeover last week, Melissa, in typical Melissa fashion, was whining and moaning that she didn’t get a makeover. So I thought , well, this is the sex episode, the girls are behind the eight ball again, she’s never had sex, I have to give her some edge. I told her I wanted her to break character. I was like “You come off as a virgin. You come off inexperienced. I want you to get into character with this outfit, to make this guy feel like you know exactly what you’re doing and you’re a sexy woman.” And what did she do? She just was her exact self in a different outfit. Herself in an outfit. She couldn’t break her own character. That’s what disappointed me.

Did she understand that she didn’t do what you told her to?

No! That’s the problem. Some of these girls really just seem to think that they’re in control and this is fun for them and they’re showing off for their friends back home, and you get these moments on the show where they have breakthroughs and realize, yes, this is for real, this is your life, this is not just make believe.

I thought Donna did well on her date but her date basically called her out for being old.

The thing was, it wasn’t anything she did, that was just something that he read off of her. Everything on this show is meant to be a learning experience, and this was a guy we matched her with, he knew her age, he was open to meeting her, but he just sensed that about her. It’s brutal but it will happen.

Were you surprised by how closed off Elizabeth was about sex? I was shocked that she was so conservative on the radio show and at the party.

In fairness, she just met Carl, she’s in her lingerie, she’s on television, and she knows her parents could be watching. She lives in constant fear of her parents’ disapproval. They basically told her if you go on this show, we’re disowning you. Wait till you see what happens later in the season when families start getting involved on the show.

If that’s the case and her parents cut her off wouldn’t she be more prone to —

Rebel? She still lives in fear. She lives in fear of failure, of ending up alone, her parents told her she can’t support herself and she needs a man to take care of her. And when I see that, I really want to take someone under my wing and support them. She needs to break the cycle in which she was raised.

What did her date think of her behavior?

Car was so enamored by her, he didn’t care. He just considered her to be sweet and innocent, and he was attracted to her, so it didn’t make a difference to him.

If you want to keep up to date with Steve Ward or even ask him for some love advice, make sure you follow him on Twitter (@stevenbward), like him Facebook, and friend him on Google Plus.

Never doubt La La‘s commitment to her craft, because as you saw on tonight’s episode of La La’s Full Court Life, she’s willing to get into her scenes. Just ask Po, who got smacked across the face when she was serving as La La’s scene partner. La La is excited about an upcoming audition, and after she enlists Po to read lines with her, she shows just how into her scenes she can get.


La La feels terrible about hitting her friend, but she’s also proud of her acting ability, saying “I feel good about this work.” At least she’s loosened up for the real audition.

La La’s also showing off her entrepreneurial skills with the launch of her makeup line, Motives For La La, and her manager tells her that on top of auditions, she has to head to Miami to promote the makeup line at a convention. “I thought I was going home tonight!” she says, disappointed. “I don’t even have time to have sex with my husband.” Absence makes the heart (and other stuff) grow fonder though! Right? Maybe not. She calls Melo to tell him she won’t be coming back to New York right away and their conversation is brief and a big bummer. Luckily, La is traveling to Miami with Po and Dice and at least they’re psyched for Florida. “You’re not excited about Miami? The beach? Great weather? A lot of daiquiris?” Dice asks. Nope, she really isn’t. And she tells the two of them they can kiss her behind. Here’s a close-up of it:

When they get to Miami, La meets with her friend and makeup partner Loren, and La La confides in her that she misses Carmelo. “I love being is busy, that’s what drives me,” La La says “but I never want to get used to being away from someone.” The vibe between them is weird because they miss each other a lot and they’re apart so often. But the other thing La La needs to consider is just how big this makeup launch is.

The convention she’s attending isn’t just some booth in a convention center, there will be thousands of people there (180,000!) and if things go well, La says, “It could change my life.” Her whole family (aside from Melo) comes down to Miami for the launch, but she is super duper nervous. Luckily, her mom is there to give her a pep talk and a hug, and she’s ready to take the stage.

It’s time to tell the world about Motives, people.

Once she got on stage, her nerves went away and “it flowed,” she says, because “that’s what happens when you’re talking about something you believe in.”

And now that she has once more bullet point on her career resume, she’s finally able to go back home to New York to spend time with Melo. Until…she learns he has to go out of town on business too.

Not good. “I’ve worked so hard to have a successful career that now it’s really starting to have an effect on my relationship,” she says. And with only one episode left, we don’t have much time to find out what’s going to happen with these two. We just hope their success doesn’t actually mean bad news for the two of them…

Whew. From the moment this episode of Basketball Wives began to the moment it ended, it felt like we held our breath and our muscles tensed. We were frozen. For a solid hour we were riveted by the Tami Vs. Kesha showdown that began when Kesha, not interested in fighting with Tami, walked away from her. Over the course of the show, Tami held Kesha’s purse and phone hostage, offering to release them only if and when Kesha apologized for saying that she “could’ve come at Tami and said whatever I wanted to but there’s nothing I could’ve said that would have made her look worse than she was making herself look.” Knowing how Tami feels about being spoken about and not spoken to, this was maybe not the right thing for Kesha to say, and it was also a bad thing for Tami to find out.

Shaunie O’Neal has already addressed that this show needs to show more balance and allow the good scenes to outweigh the bad, and not the other way around. But what was shown from the immature fish prank

to the purse showdown, this was heavy.

Considering the fact that the fight took up so much of the episode and it was hard to look away, we’ll just focus on that as the topic and turn it over to you guys by asking what you think of the whole situation. Take our poll and as always, we look forward to your respectful discussion in the comments.

We just wanted to give you all a heads up that the next episode of Tough Love New Orleans will be airing tomorrow night, that’s Tuesday, May 15, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, in case you want to check out an early sneak peek!

The same episode, “Can You Laugh At Yourself?,” will air again next Sunday night, but since we know you guys can’t get enough of the show, we wanted you to be able to watch it early, this week only! To keep up to date with the full Tough Love schedule and catch up on episodes you may have missed, take a look at the full TV schedule for the show here.

“We refuse to wait any longer,” Renee tells Drita this week on Mob Wives. “We” means Renee and Big Ang, and the wait refers to Drita and Karen having a sit-down to work their differences out. Renee is chief negotiator, and she has procured a location and time for the two of them to settle things.

“Karen and I need to move forward. We need to do something here,” Drita agrees, despite all the harsh words that have been said, both from her own mouth and from Karen’s. She doesn’t want to meet with Karen to just talk about the past though, which might be tough, since Karen’s issues are ALL about the past, so we’ll just see how this will go.

Over in drama-free-land, Big Ang and her son AJ are getting tattoos. And of course Big Ang’s is mob-related, she’s getting the word “Omerta” on her neck. “Code of silence.” It will be her thirteenth tattoo, by the way. Speaking of tattoos, you know Big Ang’s nephew has her tattooed on his arm, right?
Big Ang chose “Omerta” as her tattoo because it’s just a part of her lifestyle. She explains:

“If this is what will make everybody be able to get along, that’s what we’ll do,” Karen tells Ramona when she tells her about the plan to meet with Drita. So it sounds like, hey, great, Karen and Drita are on the same page! But Ramona is more of a realist (some might say pessimist) and is still worried. “You’re dealing with someone who’s schizophrenic or possibly bi-polar,” Ramona tells her, and she thinks that the fact that things have come to blows in the past shows that Drita is volatile.

“I will f—ing go to prison if this does not go right. Hand to God. Mark my words,” Karen swears.

Renee is not just negotiating peace treaties for her friends this week, she’s also trying to work on the good juju everywhere in her life. So she decides to bring someone in to cleanse the aura of her house. When she tells AJ, he looks at her like she’s crazy.

“That sounds like a buncha bulls—t to me!” he says. It’s not gonna stop Renee though. (Even Carla is skeptical: “Like an exorcism? What the f—?”)

Ramona is also turning toward the spiritual and sees a psychic for guidance now that her boyfriend is in jail. The psychic is either really accurate or is a fan of the show, because she tells Ramona that a male loved one is not with her right now (her boyfriend is in jail), and that another loved one (her grandfather) is watching over her. The psychic also tells Ramona that her father, from whom she’s estranged, will find his way back into her life.

Finally, the moment we’ve waited for all season has arrived. Karen and Drita meet up at the location Renee set up, and for the first time it’s just the two of them talking things out.

Their fighting has all been about friendship, Karen says. None of this was ever about Lee, Karen reiterates, it’s all about their opposing definitions of friendship. “I cannot believe she’s going through the friendship thing again,” Drita says.

What it comes down to are these two statements. First, Karen says “The fact that someone can say we weren’t friends when we never had a fight, we never had a falling out, is really strange to me, ’cause when you’re my friend, you’re my friend.”

But Drita thinks that friendships do end, because as she puts it “I will never in my life say I’m friends with someone that I have not seen or spoken to in forever.”

Remember, Drita didn’t want to dwell on the past, but Karen brings up line item after line item of issues they’ve been through: the rooftop fight last year, the rumors that Drita bragged about putting Karen in the hospital, Lee, Karen’s book, and it’s taking a toll on Drita’s temper. “I was bugging out,” she says, and so was her blood pressure.

After Drita denies bragging about hurting Karen in their fight last season, they agree that they need to move past that, and Karen agrees to accept Drita’s word.
“I’m ready to bury the hatchet. I’m done,” Karen says. “I’m calling a truce. We’re mothers, we’re women, and we do need to coexist in the same environment around the same people.”

“Finally!” Drita exclaims. FINALLY, we all say!

And also, finally we get to meet “Mama Donna,” the “urban shaman” Renee has hired to clear out the aura of the house. First, Renee points out an evil face with empty eyes that she sees in the granite on her countertop.

The shaman tells Renee that she’s going to turn the evil face into a clown, and Renee cackles because the evil (i.e. Junior) she’s trying to ward away from the house has an EVIL CLOWN TATTOO on his arm. WHAT IS THAT??? Who does that??

Mama Donna blesses Renee, burns earth elements through the house, and gives the house blue balls. (Don’t ask.) AJ shows up and once again is looking at Renee like she’s bats—t insane. But it’s all in the name of peace.

And speaking of peace…

Big Ang is throwing a dinner party and everyone is invited. All the women, all their friends, all their kids. And even though Drita and Karen worked their issues out, Drita still isn’t so hot on Lucifer, i.e. Ramona. “I hope everyone looks at this as a new beginning and no bulls— drama,” Carla says of the party. The vibe early on is awesome, everyone shows up with their families in tow and everyone is getting along.

The kids are there for celebration, but they’re also there to prevent their mothers from getting into anything. “This is the first time you’ll hear me go like a f—ing nut if anybody starts something in front of my kids,” Carla says, proving the point. These ladies talk about choosing a better path and not fighting because they’re mothers, and nothing will remind them of that quicker than having their kids five feet away.

It’s the first time the ladies have seen Karen and Drita since they worked out their drama, and as soon as they all sit down, they joke that things didn’t go well and they plan to have it out with each other later, which actually worried Renee for a second, until Drita, who can’t keep a straight face, tells them it’s a joke and they made up.

For the rest of the meal, they ladies toast, laugh, and tell stories about the past (fortunately it’s not the parts of the past that they don’t want to dwell on), and all is right with the world, or at least this one tiny corner of Staten Island.

“This is how life should be,” Big Ang says. And if that’s not ready to be made into a bumper sticker, I don’t know what is.

The Basketball Wives reunion was filmed this weekend in Los Angeles, and contrary to anything you may have heard, the whole cast was in attendance and in rare form. We’ll have more dispatches from the reunion, including behind-the-scenes photos, interviews, and clips to show you soon, but in the meantime, check out some of the photos taken by the ladies themselves from the set on Saturday for a look at their reunion fashions.

This weekend, we were surprised to see that Basketball Wives star Royce Reed announced she was deleting her Facebook and Twitter accounts. We saw her Saturday at the taping of the reunion show to ask her why, and she briefly explained that it was to rid herself of negativity. After some thought, she decided to write a post for us to elaborate and explain that she’s not gone forever, but her presence online will be more for business than pleasure. Here’s what she has to say.

I’m writing this blog in reference to my recent deletion of Twitter and Facebook. I’ve been asked why by quite a few people I’d seen in LA while shooting the reunion as well as friends. My purpose was personal. The reason my twitter is reactivated is business. My problem was mixing the two because I’ve been giving away too much of my life. Sometimes you have to put your hand in the fire to know that it burns. We live in world that thrives off of pretending to be someone else just to chastise another person.

We live in a time where people don’t communicate vocally anymore but through fingers. I’m part of that problem. I hardly pick up the phone and speak to people anymore because I claim to be too busy and its “easier” to text or email. The problem with that is there is no tone and many things are misconstrued when reading vs. hearing. My Twitter was becoming toxic, and not because of negativity. It was starting to consume hours of my life. I was trying to respond to everyone like I was on a paid job. If I didn’t respond I got called everything in the book at times. Although most comments were positive it was always the one or two that rubbed me the wrong way. I realized I didn’t really NEED a twitter. Most of the people who follow me I’ll never meet so why does their opinion of my life, my relationship, my career, etc. matter? It shouldn’t…it doesn’t. Deleting the account was extremely easy for me to do. There was no reluctance, there was no question…I just did it. Once I did I was happy. No more checking @ replies to see if someone was talking trash to me or searching a page to see what someone else was saying or doing…DON’T FRONT WE HAVE ALL DONE IT! Go ahead and laugh. We’ve all checked to see who our Boo was tweeting, and/or following or if a friend or ex friend we’ve had an argument with was “talkin’ ish”. All the searching just to start or continue an argument that could’ve been hashed out and squashed if it wasn’t being said thru fingers. Ratchet and reckless for NO REASON! One thing I’ve learned is the reason things were different back in the day was because people were forced to talk. I’m going back to that. I’m going old school. Imma pick up the phone and use the English language verbally. There are some things I need to fix with certain people in my life and I will…soon.

Twitter, at this point is business. Its not about how many followers I have. Its not about how many times I retweet or respond to someone without hurting another’s feelings because I didn’t say Happy Birthday or Thank you. Many have called me immature but what makes me immature? Because I have feelings and I show them? I guess I’ll just have to be immature then. For the past few years I’ve kept in so many tears and so many emotions because I didn’t want to appear weak. Me doing that, I became angry and unhappy. This season you have seen me smile and glow and most think it’s because of Dezmon. Although he definitely brought out a light in me it was mostly because I expressed myself instead of holding it in to save face. Social networking has taken on a whole new life than it was meant to. There are kids committing suicide over twitter, over Facebook, over WORDS! It’s not worth it. I teach young girls ages 5-17, and the best accomplishment is seeing them gain confidence and self esteem. They have a pledge written by me they say every rehearsal. I refuse to set a bad example or be a hypocrite. My fans don’t know Royce…they know a piece of me they see on TV. I’m not perfect but I’m ME. I couldn’t bare the thought of hurting someone’s feelings to the point they wanted to end their lives and I’ve seen it happen many times. At some point it needs to stop…that point is NOW! Ask yourself if you’re a part of the problem or part of the solution. I’m deciding to be part of the solution. Some will continue to think it’s funny to chastise another and belittle or degrade them. Some will find it funny to post things that can compromise someone’s career. I admit in the past I’ve said some things I’m NOT proud of, I’ve responded or reacted in a way not becoming of a woman. I’ve let things get to me I never should have but like I said before…It’s NOT what they call me, its what I answer to. My name is Royce Lyndsay Reed. Anything else is merely AN OPINION…

I’m outtie!!!

We watch reality shows for the “truth is stranger than fiction” element, but this season, Mob Wives basically took the cake in that department. In this one group of women, you had rivalries and enemies, returning exes, NON-returning exes, near-death experiences, and family tragedies. Not to mention the knock-down, drag-out fight that started it all. Which moment was most dramatic? You tell us. We’ve put together a video playlist of some of the craziest moments from this season, so check those out and then take our poll to tell us which scene left you shaking your head and telling yourself “You can’t make this up.”

Lots of shocking announcements this week. Tiffany was ousted, sure, but Elizabeth is opposed to masturbating! I mean. That’s a lot to absorb in one episode.

“When I started working with Tiffany at bootcamp, I just thought she embellished stories to make herself look better,” Steve says at the beginning of this week’s episode. But he’s learned some shocking facts that are about to turn this season on its head. Tiffany already lied about her age and the fact that she has three children, and she’s sworn that there’s nothing else she’s withholding from Steve. But once again, Steve begs her to just come clean in case there’s any other information he needs to know. “I’m not just gonna tell you every single detail of my life,” she says.

When Steve asks her if the date June 28 means anything to her, she reluctantly acknowledges that that was her wedding date, although she’s a little shaky on the details of what year that went down.

“Who would come on a dating bootcamp if you’re married already?” Danielle asks. “Married!”

“Why does that matter??” Tiffany yells at Steve. Am I in bizarro world? Why doesn’t this woman understand why that matters? Then she says, after Steve shows her a Facebook photo on her husband’s page, “We’re not married.” Steve tells her that he’s spoken to her family, her friends, and her maid of honor, and they all corroborate the story that, yep, she’s married. “Honestly, you need professional help,” Steve tells her. “I’ve had enough. I gave you a chance. You blew it. Pack up your stuff, say goodbye, and get out.”

Danielle speaks for us all when she asks “Is this for real?”

It’s for real, and without another word to anyone, Tiffany packs her things and wheels her bag down Bourbon Street and into oblivion.

Now that that’s over with, on to more sexy matters. The remaining women in the cast have been invited on Steve’s radio show to talk sex.

Melissa is worried because she doesn’t think anyone wants to hear what a virgin has to say about sex, but the point of this exercise is to have the women dish out advice and then make them realize that they should probably take it themselves. A couple of the women give insightful, truthful answers about sex and how it affects relationships, but Elizabeth turns out to be the worst advice-giver ever. She tells one caller that you can recognize a real relationship if your man brings you flowers and orders your meals for you (we’re still hung up on that??) and she tells another caller that she doesn’t believe in masturbation, so using a vibrator goes against what she believes in. “Some of my best sexual experiences have been alone,” Donna cries. “To hear that a woman is not doing that makes me so sad!”

But what it comes down to is that Elizabeth isn’t sure she’s ever orgasmed.

Theeeere it is.

“I think I’ve done once, I’m not even sure 100%,” she tells Steve. Steve tells Melissa that she and Elizabeth are about on par in terms of experience and Melissa the Virgin actually scoffs now that she knows Elizabeth’s secret and says no way. “I’ve been masturbating since I was like three years old!” Melissa says as Elizabeth dry heaves at that thought.

For challenge number two, which is still heavy on the sexy, Steve throws a party for the women and tells them to dress provocatively. Part of this test is how they interpret the word “provocative” so this will be fun. Steve holds Melissa back though and gives her a vinyl, dominatrix-style outfit (“Do I get a whip?” she asks) and says he’s structured the challenge in order for her to shine, plus she’ll get a makeover, and yes, a whip.

As the women await their dates’ arrivals, they’re all incredibly anxious. Some of them will have new dates for the first time, and others will be reunited with past dates, but none of this is easy to handle when you’re dressed in PVC and/or pajamas. They women look sexy but the task is to act sexy too, and on a first date, that’s tough. When Danielle’s date, Rodney, shows up, she hopes he’ll look like Morris Chestnut, and instead, she thinks he looks like Uncle Ben. Whatever sexy that might have existed has gone away with that comparison.

Donna likes her new date Julian (“He smells like a man. It’s turning me on.”),

Stephanie and John are making progress (and making out while handcuffed to each other), and all is going well until Steve comes in and gives them all a series of cards with sex questions that the ladies need to ask and answer “with abandon” at the party. The questions in this game include “What’s your favorite sexual position?” which Melissa answers truthfully (none). Danielle’s date tells her what his favorite is and she’s already bored by Uncle Ben (“Really? Missionary?”). Danielle and Uncle Ben are even less compatible when it comes to frequency — she wants to have sex at least (AT LEAST!!) twice a day (who has the time for that?), while he would be happy to have it a reasonable four times per week. “It actually is painful to go n a date with Uncle Ben. Fail, fail, fail!” she says. She’s not getting long grain or wild with him any time soon.

Elizabeth continues to set herself up for the hot seat by avoiding the questions and acting shocked at every single one. She blushed through the entire process and made such a big stink about sharing her sexual preferences, that it’s clear she views sex as a taboo that’s not to be discussed in public.

At the group session, Steve calls out Despina for her tendency to shut down when emotions and intimacy come up. She can have plenty of sex, but none of it’s meaningful and she admits she doesn’t know what to do when things get serious. “You’d rather live with no one than lose someone,” Steve tells her, correctly positing that the thing she’s most afraid of is letting someone in.

Donna, who did well during the challenges and enjoyed the company of Julian, hears his feedback which is basically that he can tell she’s of child-bearing age and he doesn’t want to disappoint her or give her false hope. He basically does everything but call her an old bag, he just implies in several ways that she’s mature and looking for someone else mature, and it’s not him. She’s devastated.

And yes, Elizabeth ended up in the hot seat. Her inability to be open about sex all goes back to the judgmental attitude she inherited from her mom, it turns out, and she just has these sterile, conservative views of sex that she wants to change but can’t.

She also has a serious attachment to the diamond ring she wears which is a reminder of her past relationship, her love of expensive things, and what she values. In short, she needs to get rid of it, and Steve takes it from her to hold for safe keeping. Her diamonds prove to be a girl’s best friend, but they’re not helping her find a boyfriend, so until she does, she and the diamonds need to take a break.

In addition, VH1 and Shed Media who co-produce the show have both released statements about the current media attention the show has received.

From Shed:

“Shed Media US is fully committed to telling the compelling stories of the Basketball Wives in a balanced way. Our producing partner Shaunie O’Neal feels strongly about this, and we fully agree with this stance. We support her as she encourages the cast members to work out issues in a non-violent fashion. We look forward to working with her and the rest of the cast on conveying more balance in the next season.”

VH1 also weighs in, saying:

“Our viewers opinions always matter a great deal to us at VH1. Lately, there has been a lot of conversation about Basketball Wives, a series featuring strong, intelligent women with very passionate viewpoints which can sometimes escalate.

We at VH1 agree with and support Shaunie and the show producers’ “no excessive physical confrontations” policy on the series moving forward. We are all committed to balancing the candid, bold excitement that the viewers have come to love in the series with storylines and representations they can be proud of. Shaunie has been a strong advocate for a more balanced approach to the show and we, along with our producing partners at Shed Media, are all in agreement about moving forward with that goal.”

The relationship between Kesha and Tami on Basketball Wives has never been on solid ground, but on Monday’s episode, it’s on a fault line. Tami is still upset at Kesha for talking about her, but she takes it to another level when she holds Kesha’s purse hostage during their argument. Just watch the sneak peek and tune in Monday at 8 p.m. to see what happens when the fuel gets thrown on Tami’s fiery side.

Karen and Drita haven’t filmed a scene together on Mob Wives since their fight at Renee‘s party early on in season two, but on Sunday night’s season finale, the two finally meet to discuss their problems. In this sneak peek, they both do some serious mental preparation to face each other. Drita says “This is like do or die,” as Karen walks in to meet her. Hopefully they focus more on the “do,” less on the “die.”

And check out an extra sneak peek after the jump, featuring Big Ang getting a new tattoo. Did you know she has one on her butt? You do now!

The Mob Wives season finale airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

[Photo: Vibe Vixen via Life And Style]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. What is this? We watched eight weeks of Couples Therapy and never saw all this bare-chestedness! Kasey Kahl just posted this shot of “the boyssss” in the cast of the show showing off their abs and we have to say, we’re impressed.

[Photo: Kasey Kahl's Twitter]

This season of Couples Therapy has been incredibly emotional, especially as we watched the journey that DMX and Tashera Simmons were on. The couple, who had been estranged and had some deep-seated issues revolving around X’s past with women and his abandonment issues with his mother, resolved to get divorced at the end of therapy, but it was one of the most peaceful resolutions of any couple on the show. Their mutual love for one another only seemed to grow throughout the therapy process, so we wanted to highlight some of our favorite scenes of theirs and ask you which one you loved the most. Take our poll, watch some highlighted clips below, or you can see their entire evolution in our playlist on the Couples Therapy show page.

The new season of Single Ladies will begin in just about two weeks, but we know that viewers are excited to invite the cast back into their living rooms. But are you excited to meet the cast, too? Because now is your chance!

Just enter our contest on the Single Ladies Facebook page to win a trip to New Orleans to attend the Essence Music Festival from July 6-8, watch performances from legends like Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and hang out with the hottest cast we’ve ever seen. So enter the sweepstakes now, and don’t forget, Single Ladies‘ second season premieres May 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

We all love a good “where are they now” story, and VH1′s latest show promises that very thing. Miss You Much, a 30 minute show to debut in September on VH1, will reunite us fans with some of our favorite stars from back in the day, like 90210 star Jamie Walters, Saved By The Bell star Lark Voorhies, and Freaks And Geeks actor Samm Levine. Some of these actors have still been quietly working, and some have decided to leave the business altogether. But Miss You Much will show you exactly what they’ve been doing and host Catherine Reitman will dig deep to find out all their dirt. For more info about the show, take a look at the press release below.

LOS ANGELES, CA, May 10, 2012 – Have you ever wondered what’s up with some of your favorite TV, movie or pop stars from the last 20 years? VH1 will give you the exclusive details with “Miss You Much,” hosted by actress-comedienne Catherine Reitman. Not all young celebrities end up with a mug shot and an arrest record. Some have moved on to careers outside of entertainment, while many are still active in showbiz. “Miss You Much,” the 8-episode, half-hour series will premiere in September of 2012.

Each week, “Miss You Much” will profile three of your favorite celebrities and take a peek inside at they are doing now with their lives. Catherine spends a day with each celebrity and asks the questions all adoring fans would love to ask – even getting a little too ‘personal’ at times. Some of the celebs who will share what they have been up to include: Jamie Walters (90210), Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees), Lark Voorhies (Saved By the Bell), Jeremy Miller (Growing Pains), Romeo (rapper) and Jeremy Jackson (Baywatch).

“‘Miss You Much’ taps into our viewers’ love for 90s and early 00s nostalgia with engaging, positive updates on the famous faces that were plastered across the teen tabloids and on their bedroom walls,” said Jeff Olde, EVP Original Programming and Production.”Catherine Reitman is the perfect host, catching up with the idols of her youth with a grown-up’s curiosity – and a kid’s geeky, yet reverent enthusiasm.”

VH1′s “Miss You Much” is executive produced by Shelly Tatro, Karla Hidalgo and Jeff Olde for VH1.

For more information on VH1, visit VH1.com, the VH1 Facebook page and @VH1 on Twitter.
[Photos: Getty Images]

We caught up with Linda Hogan recently as the season of Couples Therapy was winding down to talk about the big reveal from the season finale: her engagement to Charley Hill. We wanted to know if she had any idea that Charley was planning to propose (nope!) and what’s in store for them now that the show, which she says was incredibly healing, is over.

Congratulations on your engagement!

Thank you!

Was your proposal a total surprise, or did you have some idea?

It was totally a surprise. They had that setup for the other couple that was there to get engaged, Mike and Deja, and they wanted us to go to the ring shop to look at rings. My inner thought was okay, we’re couples with troubles, but a lot of us will have happy endings, and everyone wants that happy ending, everyone wants to be the bride. I thought that the point of that exercise was to make everyone think twice about our relationship, because every exercise we did had a point to it. So we were looking at rings and Charley asked me “Do you see anything you like in here, babe?” and I was like “Hmmm. I haven’t even thought about it.” And, no offense, but my last marriage, I had an eight and a half carat pear-shaped diamond and nothing in the store compared, but then again, nothing compares with Charley. I’ve been there, done that, and my relationship with him is based on pure, simple, “I like you, you like me, we’re good.” But I was open-minded and I said “If I had to pick a ring, what would it be?” and I found one and really started looking at it, it was just a beautiful, classy setting, and I pointed to it without thinking too much…

And then you actually got it!

Next thing you know…

Was it weird to be proposed to in front of the rest of the cast?

I don’t think the cast was surprised by it because we really got along very well and one of the reasons we were at Couples Therapy was because I asked Charley “Would you be willing to go do this show with me, it’s a therapy thing,” and none of us knew what to expect, but it really was therapy. Yes, there were cameras, but once you really got into it, you didn’t care that there were cameras, you didn’t remember that there were cameras, a lot of us are used to the cameras and work well with them around, but the therapy was so heavy and so helpful, it brought out the inner turmoil we were all dealing with and it was so healing to open up, knowing nobody was going to condemn you. Dr. Jenn was honestly amazing. She said to me right away, that she had a feeling she was going to have to break me and Charley up. The age difference just doesn’t work, she said “You’re both too dependent on each other for all the wrong reasons.”

What did you think when you heard that, did you want to prove her wrong?

It scared me. It’s been my fear all along being with Charley, and of course the court of public opinion leaned very heavy on me. There’s a double standard for older women and younger guys, but this is just something that happened to me, I’m not trying to be a trendsetter. When they called me a cougar for the first time, I had never heard that and was kind of offended at that term, I took it almost as I’m a slut or I’m easy and a divorcee who’s hot to trot, but I had to come to grips with the fact that I really love him, and he loves me, and I don’t want to push him away. I want love in my life. It was hard to get that message across that I’m hear for all the right reasons and so is he. It’s been difficult in the public eye and we really wanted to show people what we’re about.

At the end of the day you always worry that you’re with a younger, good looking guy, and what if he cheats on me too? I’ve been through that and done that so much that I don’t think I would be as scorned going through it again, and I’ve braced myself for that, but honestly, if you knew who Charley was and the way he was raised and the family he came from, you’d see it’s either in you or it’s not, and it’s just not in him. He’s very conscientious and loving.

You can tell you guys are very in love. During the first few episodes you just seemed to have it together and my first thought was “Why are they there?” because, aside from the age difference, you seemed great together and so at ease.

Right. And it’s been him, Charley’s been so steadfast in his feelings for me, and I’m the one that’s been freaking out and, you know, it’s not that I want to go date other people or marry somebody older, but really when my mom and, at a certain time, Brooke, and certainly my ex-husband were going against me, you know, I’m sure he was envious that I was with a younger guy, but the machine of life was against me. The public didn’t understand. But why does it work? We came away from therapy knowing Charley probably does need to find his own niche but what we have is real and it’s worth going for it. It was a great feeling knowing I could be heard. Being on this show and having Dr. Jenn and the other doctors listen, was so healing, it felt so good to get all of this off my chest. Not to Charley, not to my mom, not to my kids, just to somebody who could hear me.

Do you still keep in touch with everyone in the house?

We all stay in touch. I would say the only one we really haven’t kept in communication with was Vienna. When we first got in the house, we met Chris and Angelina, then X and Tashera, Vienna and Kasey, and that first day, the other couple didn’t show up. So we weren’t sure if it would just be the four couples or what, but we all got along great and we didn’t know what to expect, and then we were out sitting by the pool and they said “The next couple is here,” and in walked Reichen and Rodiney, and we applauded them. To me, for a gay couple to be together on national television and really express their feelings and to come out on TV and admit they have the same problems as everyone else, we commended them. There was never jealousy or any of that, we were all just there for each other.

What’s next for you and Charley, is there a wedding in motion?

We’ve talked about it. It is exciting. I just feel like I’ve had so much dirty laundry from the first half of my life and I’m just waiting for the dust to clear and i feel like every time I’m getting to that point, something else happens. When is it going to be my time, and my turn? I always put my kids first. I’m also really proud that my ex-husband and I are speaking again, and you know, we just need to find a way to be a family again. Who’s to say what’s right these days? People come together and lean on each other and become a unit and you’ve got to get through life somehow. My ex is remarried, our kids or growing up and will get married and have babies, I have a hot, young boyfriend — which I still think it drives my ex crazy, probably always will. But we want to focus on being a unit, and we’re working on that.

Dr. Jenn Berman has been counseling people and offering advice to people in need for some twenty years now, but on VH1′s Couples Therapy, this marks her first time working with a group of ten celebrities whose relationships are in desperate need of repair. We’ll be checking in with Dr. Jenn each week to chat about the progress of her patients on the show, and what she really thinks of their behavior. Dr. Jenn gives us a post-finale roundup of how everyone in the cast has been doing and how they viewed their time in therapy this week. Dr. Jenn sill consults with some of the cast and therefore still has to maintain a doctor-patient confidentiality, so you’ll see that there are a couple of questions she just can’t reveal the answers to. But overall, it’s safe to say she’s thrilled by everyone’s progress.

I’m interested to see how Reichen and Rodiney fared overall in therapy with you, theirs seemed to be one of the more quiet storylines.

The experience of being on the show allowed them to open up to each other in a way they never had before, and gave them both the ability to voice their needs in a really meaningful way that allowed them to get closer and they left in a very good place, probably closer than they’d ever been in terms of their understanding of each other and their level of respect for one another, which is really beautiful to see.

Let’s talk about Linda and Charley since they had such a big moment at the end of this episode.

I think they had a really interesting evolution and I think that they were both able to see that Linda allowed the media perception of her as a cougar hold her back in her relationship. At a certain point she had to say that what people who don’t know me or care about have to say is not important. My happiness is important. I think she got to that place. And I also think it was very healing for her to be able to have that talk with her mom and for Charley to be able to ask her mom for her hand in marriage.

It was really clear to see what Linda’s hangups were, but I feel like it was harder to see how Charley truly felt through all of this or how he really resolved his feelings.

I think a lot of the stuff that he faced didn’t necessarily make it to the final cut. He really looked at some stuff from his own childhood and how it affected him, but I think the biggest take home for him was that he has to really get to know himself and develop as a man in order to have a healthy relationship with Linda.

What was your reaction to the proposal?

I just loved it.

Did you expect it?

He had given me the heads up, and when he came to me to do that, I was really thrilled because I could see a couple who has been very consistent for four years and very loving, and he’s been very good to her. There’s just something about their relationship that just works really well.

Vienna and Kasey…I guess we should talk about them separately. What do you think of how Vienna ended her time with you?

I think that for her to take a year off from dating was a really important commitment to make and I think it’s the thing that would give her the best chance of having a healthy relationship with Lee or someone else.

Can you tell me if they’re still maintaining some kind of relationship?

I do know the answer to that, but I can’t say.

How’s Kasey?

Kasey is doing great, he’s like a new man. It’s remarkable, I’ve had a lot of contact with him and he is just working on himself so much and this show has been such a springboard for him for emotional growth. I’m really proud of him, I’m proud of the work I did with him, he’s doing really well. He’s such a good guy. Even just looking at him, he looks like a different person, he carries himself differently, he stands up straighter, it’s just a great thing to see.

Tashera and DMX were focused on closure in the finale and accepted that divorce was the best solution for them.

You know, Tashera and DMX, this was amazing for them. This gave her such clarity about how she needed to find her voice in the relationship ad how she needed to find herself and she has done such great work on herself since the show. And he — you can see he listens to her now. Which he never did before. He’s able to listen in a way that he wasn’t capable of when he walked in to the center. His ability to be there for her has gone up exponentially.

Would you have ever imagined they’d get to the place that they’re in now?

That’s why I do what I do. When people walk into my office and I’m able to see where they have the potential to go, I have a goal. I had a goal with each of these couples, in terms of their potential for growth or what their path needs to be, and I love when I’m able to see the outcome come to fruition. It’s incredibly gratifying to me. This is the reason why I exist in the world. This is what I believe I was meant to do.

Finally, let’s talk about how far Chris and Angelina have come.

Those two came so far. Just in terms of their communication, their level of maturity, their ability to listen to one another, they both did great.

I see them tweeting to each other occasionally and I can’t believe it’s the same couple.

I know, I love it!

This group really worked well together, they were very supportive. What else can you say about working with this combination of people?

This was an extraordinary group of people. They blew me away with their willingness to embrace the therapeutic process, with their ability to do deep work, and one of the things I loved was not only did they support each other in such a meaningful way, they also pushed each other to work harder in therapy and work on themselves, and that says a lot about them as individuals and as a group. It wasn’t just about me, me, me, it was about helping each other. A lot of them are still in touch and ave maintained relationships with each other which, for me, says a lot. They were great to each other and they still lean on each other.

Now that the Knicks season is coming to a close and the second season finale of La La’s Full Court Life is two weeks away, we just want to offer up a little thank you to La La and Carmelo Anthony. Thank you for allowing us into your life, for being the superstars that you are, and for being a great example of a professional couple that makes it work. As a tribute to you two, we’d just like to offer up this photo gallery of your cutest moments through the years, from the year you started dating (we LOVE Melo photobombing La La in the picture above, left), to the present. You’re more successful than ever, more affectionate that ever, and more stylish than just about any couple we can think of (just check out that Vogue spread!).