Poor Toni Braxton. She was singled out from her four sister’s successful singing group and became a superstar. And no matter what they say, at times they resent her for it. Each Braxton sister would like to have a major singing career like their older sister. She on the other hand, wants a life as a renowned singer that doesn’t include having her sisters joined to her hips. This is the premise of “Braxton Family Values”, seen on the WE cable channel.
Every one of the Braxton sisters can sing, and well. They want to produce an album with all five of the sisters, including Toni. But there are complications with getting Toni’s participation.
Toni is separated from her husband Keri Lewis, and rarely do they speak about him. She is quiet and reserved on the show, but extremely passive-aggressive when it comes to her career. The Braxton’s want to do another sister album that would showcase each of their singing abilities. Toni is non-committed. She doesn’t show up for rehearsals. She avoids the studio when the sisters are there to work on the album. Toni never says she won’t be there. She just doesn’t show up. This is a big family bone of contention.
Towanda and her husband Andre have been separated for years, but they still live together. He does whatever he wants with other women while living off of his wife. He is Mr. Mom in the house, and takes good care of their children. But Towanda feels like they are just marking time and should make a change. She ultimately decides to separate from her husband of seven years in front of the camera.
Trina, dubbed “the party girl” has a husband Gabe, who has been cheating for 5 of the 7 years they’ve been married. Sister Tamar implies that Trina may be bi-sexual.
The show makes a big deal about Trina’s drinking. She gets a DUI, and the family is appalled. They stage an intervention. But in future shows, Trina continues to drink to excess. She and her husband try to work out the issues that turn her to drink in marital counseling.
Toni carries herself with dignity throughout the show. Still, she feels smothered by her sister’s desire to be as famous as she. They all love each other, but they are tired of being Toni’s backup singers. Especially with Tamar, they want to stop riding on her coat tails for work. She explains to her manager that she wants her own kind of singing career, not necessarily with her sisters in tow.
Tamar’s husband Vincent Herbert is Toni’s manager and Lady Gaga’s record producer. They live in Los Angeles and are rich beyond dreams. Tamar wants her own music career, but doesn’t appear to want to pay her dues. Her husband says she must a recording contract with him before he can do anything for her. She constantly refuses even as she castigates Vince for not helping to make her a star.
The youngest of the Braxtons, Tamar is clearly spoiled. How he can put up with his wife’s opinionated, neurotic, diva, and selfish behavior, is unknown. At the same time, she’s not a stupid woman. She is well aware that her husband is a lightening rod for women who want to take her place. In spite of Tamar’s strong personality, Vince and Tamar’s marriage seems to be very strong.
Traci is the “wanna be”. She had to leave the group years ago because she was pregnant when they did their album. She lives in Maryland, but would love to be with her sisters singing again in Atlanta. Oh yeah - her husband Kevin cheats, too. She wants to move to Atlanta to be on the new album the sisters are trying to produce.
Her sisters refer to Traci as the “hood rat” of the family. She has not had the opportunity to travel and live the life of an entertainer. She lacks many social graces, sensibilities, and refinement. She wants to catch up musically with her sisters. She states that she feels like a middle child, who no one takes seriously.
There is a brother, Michael Braxton Jr. who is seen in a few episodes.
Evelyn, the mother, is a strong, confident woman. Recently divorced from her husband of over 35 years (not amicably), she is a presence in the show, and is as opinionated as her daughters.
Underneath their tough and confident exteriors are their vulnerabilities when it comes to their father. They feel abandoned by him since he divorced their mother for the woman with whom he was having an affair. The meeting of the entire family was explosive. Evelyn clearly is still angry and has not let go of her past with her ex-husband. The sisters have the emotions of children and are taking the divorce hard.
This fiery and controversial clan has captured the attention of many fans. The show has already been picked up for a second season with 13 episodes, two more than the first season.
These are five extremely good singers who need to be picked up by some producer who wants to make some money. Make that four good singers. Toni already has a career. She informed her family that she is moving back to Los Angeles where she has more work opportunities. This leaves the album in serious jeopardy. They don’t want to do a Braxton family album featuring Toni Braxton. Toni only wants to do a few cuts.
For me, watching all the drama made it a tough season. The last scene where the family ate dinner on one side of the table sharing “news,” was too much of a scripted scene. It reminded me that in spite of the exciting trials and tribulations of the family, this is still a reality show.
The reunion episode was just as it was supposed to be – outrageous behavior. Traci storms off the stage after being called a hood rat. Tamar is voted the most popular sister of the show. Trina has no shame about how much she drinks. The intervention clearly did nothing to slow her down. She admits during the reunion that she had a drink in her hand about 70% of the time on the show.
Season 2 looks like there will be more of the same – Drama and Intrigue. Will Traci leave her husband and children and move to Atlanta? Will Tamar finally sign her contract? Is Toni really moving to Los Angeles? Will the Braxton Sisters album ever get made? This family is one big train wreck. But rest assured that next season I will be right there in front of my television watching it. 