People Magazineexclusively announced thatBravo is currently filming the pilot episode of a reality showabout the wives and girlfriends of the two-time back-to-back Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.The show is still in its initial stages, and the casting is unconfirmed.Peoplehinted that the potential WAGs joining the season are the fiancée of wide receiverMecole Hardman Jr.,Chariah Gordon, andSheawna Weathersby,who shares two children with defensive tackleChris Jones. These seem to be some front-runners for possible leading ladies, andBravo already has one WAG from the team on another series.
Jassi Rideaux,the fiancée of Chiefs linebackerDarius Harris, was already filmed as a “friend of” in the most recent season ofReal Housewives of Potomac. Considering her future onRHOPis unconfirmed,filming Rideaux planning her wedding to Harris, while Gordon simultaneously plans her wedding to Hardman, would be an outrageously unmissable first season for a new series. However, Bravo would need to extend the scope of the series beyond focusing solely on the Chiefs, as Harris was transferred to the Dallas Cowboys in August. What has been confirmed regarding the cast isBrittany Mahomeswill not appear in the series, and neither will mega-super-star,Taylor Swift. And the series is better off for that, if I’m being honest.
While the thought of seeing Swift on a reality series could seem like a great idea to some, for me the truth of the matter is, her involvement onWAGSwouldn’t make any sense. And ironically, her nemesisKim Kardashianis a perfect example of why that is. The differences between the series that made Kim famous,Keeping Up With the Kardashians,and the reality series she currently produces with her famous family for Hulu,The Kardashians, perfectly demonstrate the pitfalls of a reality series that follows someone who is already globally renowned. Looking at these series will show pretty clearly whyWAGSis better off without Swift taking an unhinged career trajectory from global superstar musician, singer, and songwriter to reality star as the girlfriend of a football player.
Taylor Swift Is Too Famous for Reality TV, Just Like Her Nemesis
Okay, I’ll just say it, a reality series titledKatching Up With the Kelcesfeaturing the romance ofSwiftand her football beauTravis Kelcefrom the Chiefs would be an epic troll.Kardashian and Swift have had an on-again-off-again feud since the infamous 2009 Video Music Awards whenKanye West, Kardashian’s future husband, interrupted Swift accepting her Best Female Video award. And thenthe feud between Kardashian and Swift was born, which also gave rise to Swift’sReputationalbum and stadium tour.
Keeping Upshowed the Kardashian/Jenner sisters at their best and their worst. They were still working to build an empire, in whatever lane they could find.Their familial rivalries and authentic moments highlighted their grit and their heart, even despite their many bratty tendencies. The low moments allowed the audience to empathize with the sisters, who also often make it rather difficult to do so. The series showed a different lens into their world, especially as it centered around the unfiltered relationships between the sisters. All that has changed inThe Kardashians. It’s clear to me that now, because the sisters are also producers and able to control what scenes are filmed, how they are edited, and exactly what is said, the series has lost both the empathetic moments and the must-see, water-cooler quality it once had. For me, if Taylor was to be involved in the new Bravo series, the scenes surrounding her interactions with the other Chief WAGs would be so highly contrived that it would make for boring TV.
All of this is to say that despite how great it possibly could be to see Swift on the small screen getting into petty rivalries with other “wives and girlfriends,” in reality, I think the move would make no sense for someone like her. Swift’s champagne problems are online trolls who also happen to be mega-superstars, which wouldn’t work for reality TV, because of how strategically limited both parties would have to be on the series.To me, it seems likeSwift’s global stardom and immense wealth give her a platform and power that is simply unequaled. With that global stardom comes an obligation to maintain a certain image, a graciousness and benevolence that really has no place on reality TV. But a look atThe Kardashiansshows that once someone has reached the level of global fame that Swift and the Kardashian clan have achieved,the “reality” that they are able to share on reality TV is so contrived that it loses the entire premise of the genre.
‘The Kardashians’ May Be Manufactured But It Still Reigns Over Reality TV
Season Four of ‘The Kardashians’ lacks the “must see” quality of past seasons of ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians,’ but remains a reality TV staple.
Bravo Already Has the Blueprint for ‘WAGS’
The originalWAGSseries onE!network was so interesting, I’m surprised that the idea hadn’t been revived before this. It’s clear that Bravo wants to take advantage of the moment, with all the international hype surrounding the Chiefs that has come from Swift’s romance with the team’s tight end, and the Kelce brothers' recent Super Bowl rivalry.But the series should leave its inspiration on the mood board, and build a connected group of women who have interesting personalities and genuine histories with each other. Just like with theReal Housewivesfranchise, this combination can produce reality TV gold.
But in my opinion, making the series with Swift would be a mistake, just as allowing the sisters onThe Kardashiansto over-produce and under-deliver scenes in their series after they reached global stardom was also a mistake. Even having the women who are cast talk about their interactions with Swift while cheering on the team together, would be a mistake.I think Bravo’s newWAGSseries should keep the focus on the genuine relationships and authentic lives of their cast, and leave the global celebrities to what they do best.
The Kardashiansis available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
The Kardashians
Follow the Kardashian family as they celebrate new ventures and navigate through their new normal: motherhood, relationships, and career goals.
Watch on Hulu
