On Sunday night, after the I Love New York reunion, Vh-1 unleashed their latest Flavor of Love spin-off, Charm School. Thirteen gals from the first two seasons are living together (again) and vying for $50,000. Comedian Mo’Nique is the headmistress of the Charm School. She’s gonna be teaching the gals the commandments of personal empowerment such as “Check Thyself Before Thy Wreck Thyself.”

Funny, not!

It’s sad and denigrating that these gals are being trotted out and treated like crap. (For a full recap, see Reality Shack.) The judges are rude to them especially the dude, Keith. He makes Simon Cowell seem nice and cuddly. Even Mo’Nique is giving them tough love with a lot of tough and very little love. I want to see more of a mentorship. These gals needs guidance and gentleness. They need to be empowered, not torn apart.

Sure, some of them are there for the money like Saaphyri or fame like Pumkin. I mean is there a reality TV show she hasn’t tried to do?  However, can you really blame them? What else are they gonna do?

I was really upset that Leilene got called out on the carpet for picking ‘team handicap.’ Instead of realizing that she’s very sweet and sensitive, which are fantastic qualities, she was told it’s better to be all about ME. If that’s what Charm School’s teaching, maybe I don’t wanna watch.

It was also upsetting that the team challenge was a very physical obstacle course. Poor Darra (Like Dat) was demeaned and denigrated by undertaking this challenge. She held her team back and was made to feel like less of a person for having more meat on her bones. Mo’Nique, as a plus-sized icon, shouldn’t have stood for that but rather stood up for her full-figured sistah!

Okay, maybe I’m just sensitive today. It could be the weather or what-not. I know I’ll continue to watch, but I think the show is missing the boat so far. I was hoping for positive empowerment, not skanks in Catholic school uniforms. That’s just wrong. What was even worse was that they kicked Thela off. Yes, she has anger and substance abuse issues, but she wanted to be there to learn how to be a better person. In a way, she needed to be there. Thela (Rain) needs therapy and help and I hope they got her some.

So, what do you think of Charm School? Are you annoyed that the gals are being exploited? Let me know below. I’d love to hear from you.

Here’s a tribute to the gals courtesy of YouTube: