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The Federalist

Baddies East is a flop

Baddies East is a flop

The “Baddies” series used to be my source of entertainment with the petty fights and arguments. Now it’s gone from entertaining to irritating, with the baddies losing their whole supposed goal throughout the show: getting the bag. 

Although people have been saying this throughout the show’s run, this season they barely even got gigs due to all the fights. The baddies act like they’re allergic to money and these adults should be able to behave as mature people, considering half of them are in their late 20s to 30s with children. The cast has always been quite problematic and childish, which makes sense since it’s reality TV, but it’s getting extreme. 

It’s impossible to make this point without including the recorded mistreatment of publicly disliked cast member Smiley. I never was her biggest fan. Personally, I think she should’ve taken her ticket out with the eviction notice and ran far away. However, no amount of distaste for a person could make me want to watch an episode full of her experiencing a medical emergency while being bullied, and that’s exactly what happened in episode 11. The time they took to distinguish between whether or not she was faking a seizure was enough time to risk fatality, and the rest of the cast should’ve been smart enough to acknowledge that, instead of yelling at her, laughing, and offering no assistance. The only word I can use to describe the behavior I saw from most of the cast is sociopathic. 

Honestly, I’m surprised this has even caused a debate. Online, I see a lot of people argue Smiley was faking. I don’t think anyone whose main goal is to paint an image of being a baddie is gonna let millions of viewers watch them vomit all over themselves while screaming about how they hate their life. She didn’t need screen time that badly — clearly, she already had enough of it. A cast member said her pupils were unresponsive and that’s impossible to fake. Even if she was faking, they did not know that at the moment and everyone (except Sky) proved themselves to be a terrible person when they remained idle and uncaring. Plus, people sharing the “she faked it” agenda were going off of unseen claims, like Tesehki’s saying that Smiley put her fingers down her throat to cause vomiting. I’m sure if that was the case, other people would’ve seen it, considering she was never alone and the whole thing was recorded. Upon watching the newest episode (ep 12), my opinion is unchanging. Faking or not- they’re just searching for excuses to act like erratic children and go viral. 

It shouldn’t be a hot take that the episode was unnecessary and that the cast handled it with neglect and no compassion. The lack of empathy was astounding, and the amount of them going to the internet to argue Smiley was faking instead of admitting they were insensitive is embarrassing. As a grown woman, you’re old enough to understand principles and old enough to know how to take accountability. I would never sit and watch my enemy have a seizure, because that’s inhumane. People who disagree with that seem to be quite detached from the fact that the people we are watching are real people, not characters. 

Plus, the members are obsessed with camera time now. As if they won’t all still be getting paid the same. Sky has her camera time and respect and she hasn’t fought once. However, the members seem to have resorted to shallow arguments just to get praised online for “standing on business.” In reality, they just seem like they’re obsessed with each other and as if they never received home training. I don’t think they’re entirely to blame; it’s a controlled environment that pits them against each other for extra views. However, it was the same in previous seasons, and those were entertaining. This season just seems so messy that it made me feel like I was watching the first season. The number of people unsubscribing from Zeus proves that the series definitely has gone downhill. 

Admittedly fights like this makes reality TV entertaining, and as someone who’s watched every season, I certainly loved to watch their drama. But From Chrisean getting her sister jumped by outsiders, to Smiley’s drama, to Natalie beating on her supposed “best friend” Scotty once again, this season was a mess. And not in a good way (although it was entertaining nonetheless). Their drama was so shallow that I couldn’t even identify half the beefs and animosities, especially with Scarface over here attacking everyone. For such surface-level beef, they sure did go low to the point that even I was annoyed.

Zeus knew what watchers wanted, and somehow gave the exact opposite. Before this, I would’ve been excited for their upcoming season Baddies Caribbean. Now, I’m just concerned they’ll actually kill each other. It’s honestly embarrassing how quickly they’re losing their fans and I can only hope Natalie Nunn gets her show and her cast together. 

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About the Contributor
Arisa Thomas
Arisa Thomas, Digital Editor-In-Chief
Arisa Thomas is the Digital Edition Editor-In-Chief  for The Federalist. She is a junior in SAS at Alexander Hamilton Senior High. Arisa covers anything that concerns student culture. She is interested in numerous topics ranging from fashion, art, and films to restorative justice and literature. You can share feedback and story ideas with Arisa through email at [email protected] or on Instagram @federalistathami.

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    Jasmine HaroFeb 1, 2024 at 6:17 pm

    You are a very well carried young lady I love how you explained everything & I loved reading this!

    Reply