EPISODE 8 | SEASON FINALE
Mother-daughter time. Toya and Reginae stand in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on a pepperoni pizza, vying for the position of top chef. Reginae is convinced that she wears the crown, hands down. Toya’s not so sure. The conversation turns to the internet and dating, as Reginae talks about reading on the blogs that her mother is dating Eminem. Toya tells her she’s not supposed to be reading; she’s supposed to be doing her homework and focusing on learning. But Reginae tries to deflect by reassuring her mother that she was on the Internet researching the Sons of Liberty for a class project. Toya doesn’t fall for her own old tricks. Reginae expresses that she doesn’t want her mother to date at all, although she concedes that maybe when she’s 18 she’ll have a change of heart. But as the conversation progresses, she begins to change her mind, becoming more open to the idea of her mother dating.
Tiny, Kiesha and the members of their girl group, Juice, enter the hair salon and are greeted by Trenase, the head stylist, and some of the other staff. The stylists immediately go to work changing the looks of the girls. Jasmine, one of the members of the group, is not happy about having to get her hair cut. Kiara does not want a full head of weave, fearing that it might look like a wig. Lauren is hesitant about taking out her weave and wearing her short hair. The makeup artists drastically alter the girls’ appearances. Tiny and Kiesha are met with skepticism from the girls. Tiny knows the girls must learn to trust her and Kiesha’s judgment. She hopes they can all pull it together before the showcase.
Later, Toya and Tiny hang out on Tiny’s back patio and talk about Toya’s impending blind date. Toya does not appear too excited, but Tiny tells her that she just needs to give the date a chance. Toya rolls her eyes, explaining, “If he’s just anybody… I’m walking!”
But her blind date – James Hardy, an NFL player – is definitely not ‘just anybody’. He’s tall, dark and handsome with pretty teeth. What more could a girl ask for? Toya meets James for dinner and initially there is the nervous laughter of people meeting for the first time. Neither Toya nor James has ever been on a blind date before. They are amazed at how much they have in common, having come from a similar family background dealing with the issue of addiction. They immediately hit it off.
The date is going so well that Toya and James decide to hang out at a bowling alley. Toya becomes very competitive and makes a bet: whoever loses the game has to do the dance, the ‘Stanky Legg’. Bets are on and Toya bowls strike after strike. Who knew she had such skill? James tries, but this day, he doesn’t have what it takes to pull out the match. And so Toya watches and laughs as James does his rendition of the ‘Stanky Legg’ dance, his penance for losing. As the date comes to a close, James goes into mack daddy mode to secure the next date. Toya takes it all in, but doesn’t reveal what’s really on her mind.
The next day, Toya calls her girls Tiny and Lidia to give them the rundown of her blind date. Toya is obviously taken by James. Tiny and Lidia are excited for Toya and immediately ask if Toya is going to see him again. Smiling, Toya leaves it at “maybe.”
Tiny brings her girl groups together and they rehearse for their big showcase at Apache, a club that has featured some of the greatest young talent in Atlanta early in their careers. The girls are excited about the opportunity, but they are sidetracked by some of the bickering going on within the group. Jasmine, one of the members of Juice, becomes frustrated and goes off into a corner crying. Kiesha, Tiny’s business partner, goes over to her to figure out the problem. Jasmine reveals that some of the girls are not getting along.
Tiny and Kiesha take the girls into the studio to get them more focused on their music. But after a few sour notes, Tiny shakes her head “hell no” and wants to know what’s really going on with them. The girls begin to talk over one another as they each try to express their concerns. A couple of the girls don’t seem to be getting along, but Tiny shuts them all down immediately. “It’s too early for this to be happening… we got to focus on the showcase.” Everyone gets quiet. And for a moment, the tension calms.
Everyone rushes around Tiny’s house getting ready for the showcase. There is half-applied makeup, shoes and colorful hair tracks scattered, and girls walking around in costume. Tiny’s two girl groups each put the finishing touches on their dance moves and warm up vocals as Toya reminds the girls that it’s almost show time.
The showcase is about to begin. The audience waits patiently as comedian Duvall warms up the crowd with his jokes. Judges take their seats, as do Tiny and Kiesha, just as Juice takes the stage. They’re fun, sexy and work the stage and crowd. There is no doubt that these ladies are stars, but they are about to be outshined by the OMG Girlz. The younger group confidently takes the stage and performs like seasoned pros. The crowd goes wild. The show is a success.
When the show ends, Tiny grabs the mic and calls Toya to the stage for a surprise. Toya does not know what to expect. The suspense ends as Rudy, Toya’s youngest brother, appears at the back of the venue and walks through the crowd toward her. Toya is overcome with emotion as she embraces her brother. He announces that he is in Atlanta to stay and Toya clings to him. She finally got something unexpected but deeply desired … family.
As a photographer snaps photos, the images freeze on frame and Tiny and Toya remind us that the thing about endings is that they’re really beginnings…