It Begins: Ratings Drop for ‘Basketball Wives’

Photo Credit: VH1
Photo Credit: VH1

By: Amanda Anderson-Niles

Basketball Wives ratings drop? Before “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” came busting on the scene to snatch up the number one position on VH1, there was “Basketball Wives.” The Miami cast knew how to bring in the ratings like no other show on the network, and with a polarizing cast consisting of Evelyn Lozada and Tami Roman, the controversy was non stop. However, many seem to think the ladies took their drama a little too far in season four as Evelyn Lozada could be seen taking off her shoes in a restaurant and hopping on top of a table to attack her former BFF Jennifer Williams not too long after she tossed a wine bottle at Kenya Bell’s head at another restaurant. Then of course people were not pleased about Tami Roman snatching another grown woman’s purse in a drunken rage, effectively earning the label as bully in the former season. Although both Evelyn and Tami claimed they have grown since season four and we won’t see them reenact that type of behavior in season five, the memory of that online petition that managed to cause the show to lose advertisers is still in the back of minds of many of the show’s former viewers. Shaunie O’Neal recently suggested the drama is why the show has done so well for so many seasons, but we have to wonder how she’s feeling about the drop in ratings just two episodes into the current season.

Although the fifth season started off with a strong start as the season premiere brought in a whopping 2.39 million viewers, episode two only managed to bring in 1.97 million viewers. That’s a significant drop in just the span of one episode.

We’re thinking Shaunie and the VH1 executives are aware of that considering they took the ratings information completely off the show’s Wikipedia page. Before the season’s debut, a chart with ratings for every episode in the history of the show could be found on the Wikipedia page, but since the season’s premiere, it can no longer be found.

But considering that the season is only on its second episode, we’ll just have to see if the ratings continue to decline.

23 comments

  1. Ha. Shout out to the BBW fans who came on here and told us to keep on not watching because it wouldn’t affect the show anyway. *sips tea*

  2. The first episode was so boring I just decided I was done. I don’t care about anyone lest on the show, so why watch.

  3. Love it. And wasn’t Shaunie just bragging about how many people still watch the show? I guess that just reminded people why they shouldn’t watch. She should take a page out of Mona’s book and learn how to stop talking so much.

  4. We called it on here…and yes it will drop even more by next week. People have moved on. I don’t even think it’s because of last season’s violence, the show is just boring. They dropped the people we actually liked to keep the ones we don’t care for. It’s their fault the ratings are hurting. None of my friends are watching, we’re all just waiting for Scandal and most of us are watching Breaking Bad while we wait.

  5. If VH1 was smart, it would cancel the BBW shows and pump all its money into Love and Hip hop. I mean that show can expand into several cities. There’s plenty of washed up rappers and baby mamas looking for stardom.

    1. Thats a good idea, BBW first episode and 2nd one was sooo boring… im not even interested in watching it anymore like I used to be.

  6. VH1 will bring this show back at least one more season. They are hoping they can get people to tune back in. But that ship has sailed.

  7. Well for a show like this its near its prime. Most reality show don’t last no more than three to four seasons such as Flava Flave, I Love New York, Real Chance of Love, Charmed School, For the Love of Money and more. One problem is unlike LHHATL which episodes air like most reality shows every six months I believe Basketballwives is spread a whole year to a year and a half apart on some episodes. The first episode was basically the Everyln Lozada hour which was recorded close to that time but by the time it aired a year later we’ve already seen Everyln all over the news, media and interviews with Iylana Vanzant. Rating definitely pick up to among its high levels when Tami and Shaunie go act. Shaunie is right people who critique her show for fighting but loves LHHATL is hypocrites because they do the same thing on that show and even worse with all the cheating that goes on. People love to see a good fight, people also love to hate on Shaunie and what better to drive a huge amount of ratings than to see somebody putting Shaunie O’Neal in her place?

    1. I’ve often wondered the same about people who love LHHATL, but hate BBW because of violence and depicting Black women in a negative light. Both showcase the same foolishness. Star Jones, in my opinion, was the queen of hypocrites on this subject since she was one of the early voices against the show yet she hosted the Bad Girl’s Club reunion. BGC is one of the most violent reality shows to ever air, in my opinion. From the beginning though, I felt her motives were more due to her ex appearing on BBW and being good friends with Jennifer than it was about her actually despising the message being sent. As for the ratings on BBW this season, yes, that’s a big drop, but still too soon to tell.

  8. The premise for BBW was to show these women outside of the famous athlete mates. It was to show who they are independently from their men, their lifestyles, close knit friendships etc. It was suppose to be classy not HOOD. Everyone knew what Love and hip hop was and the trailers depicted the not so glamous aspects of bein the world of hip hop through the men nd women apart of it. BBW was not presented like that….because we expected more from these “suppose” well kept women. Hollywood exes have arguments but none of them get physical and nasty like BBW.

  9. yahhhhh lol lol I am so glad that we stuck together and didn’t support the BS!!! that Shaunie was talking
    along with her GHETTO WIVES Good Bye Shaunie……………….lol lo

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