Urban Grandstand Digital Issue 9 | Page 24

The reviews Developed by Nicci Gilbert (of R&B Divas & Brownstone) and launched through a venture with Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit empire, the show features Sara Stokes, formerly of Diddy’s Making Da Band, former actress Stacii Jae Johnson, former Detroit Chief of Staff Christine Beatty, actress Chrystale Wilson, and Kim Smedley, who got caught up for illegal butt injections. Viewers will remember Johnson from A Thin Line Between Love & Hate, while Chrystale Wilson was once popular for her role as Ronnie in the Ice Cube film The Player’s Club. As of press time, the first two episodes of “From the Bottom Up” have already aired, and while the show is surely interesting at the very least, it still lacks the expected punch. Trust; there’s drama from the gate for anyone who likes to see that sort of thing; you can’t help but feel after each episode that you still don’t know much about the women. Obviously, much of their individual stories can be searched online; however, it’s still quite difficult to get to know the ladies through the show, and that could be because a few are slightly evasive with their pasts, along with the fact the show is only 30 minutes. With five women telling their stories, 30 minutes simply isn’t enough time to really get into the meat of it when you add commercials. With only six episodes total, it’s not clear how much you’re necessarily learn about the ladies at this rate. The beauty, again, is that you do have the ability to search each woman via the internet to learn more about their plight and struggles. It would be great to see the show extended to an hour each week. At least that way, you feel like you’re getting more of a story. Nevertheless, it’s definitely worth checking out. For more information on the show, visit the official Centric TV website at www.centrictv.com stay tuned Reality television has taken on a life of its own throughout the years. What once stood in a negative light has literally taken over and paved the way for reality television. One of the latest reality vehicles to hit the small screen, “From the Bottom Up”, aims to put a positive spin on things, showing the process of several former stars who have seemingly hit rock bottom, and are striving to make it back to the limelight. entertainment