Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of TLC has a new reality dating show on VH1 called “What Chilli Wants” but unlike shows of the past, she won’t be sharing the hot tub or handing out fake bling to her suitors.
[READ: Reality Show Alert! Chilli Wants A Man! – VIDEO]
Instead, the 39-year-old singer and mother meets bachelors at black-tie affairs and confers with a dating expert, as well as her 12-year-old son.
Chilli’s new show is amongst the calculated efforts of VH1 to move past the buffoonery of such shows like Flavor of Love and it’s sleezy spin-offs, I love New York, I love Money…. etc.
Although the shows fared well with VH1’s bottom line, executive vice president Jeff Olde explains their calculated decision to shift gears:
“We constantly have to evolve and tell our audience different stories,” he says. “I love that we’ve been able to get more diverse with our audience by ? in large part ? attracting African-American women to the network. We got them in the door with some shows, and now I’m excited about where we’re going and how we’re telling them different kinds of stories.”
It’s about dayum time!
“What Chilli Wants” premieres April 11th but I’ve been invited to a private screening this week. I can’t wait to see how she differentiates her show from the others.