A2S- Reality TV Backstories

Yippee! Tabatha is back in her element this week, taming the shrews of Beyond Hair Salon in New Jersey. Aisha McKenzie is up to her bangs in debt and stress, relying on a staff that is shades away from the upscale establishment she craves.

We take a peek at the pre-Tabatha arrival footage to discover a business in chaos. Shouting across the salon is a daily occurrence for this high-end staff, including the owner. If clients want noise, they could do their color at home with Miss Clairol while yelling at their own kids.  Meanwhile, the receptionist doesn’t have a pair of shoes that fit.  No comment. Monica isn’t afraid to call Aisha a bitch, and the entire staff agrees their boss has yet to deal with the loss of her mother to breast cancer, complicating matters at work.

At the assessment, communication is sorely lacking. Apparently, the blow dry and flat ironing makes this salon top drawer.  Huh?  Of course, Valerie has to pop in to complain about her shoes. “ I wanna wear what I wanna wear! Waa, waa, waa!” Tabatha tries to teach assistant Nikeyra a flat iron technique, but she seems resistant and Valarie is busy being a busy body on her cell phone. Tabatha yanks the phone away. Poof-gone. Aisha doesn’t take haircutting 101 lessons well either. No one likes to hear they’re doing something wrong, particularly if they’re an owner, but hey, that’s what you asked for.

The assessment continues with a visit from past and present clients. Aisha is called out for her abusive treatment of her staff. The customers tell it like it is and Beyond Hair’s owner is forced to suck it up. No one has an agenda. They’re just telling it like it is. The beginning of the end seems to be when Aisha’s mom was diagnosed with cancer. How does one juggle the roles of wife, mother, business owner, supporter of your own mom and not have one piece of this puzzle suffer? Talk about mental exhaustion.

Tabatha brings the crew to a cancer support group event. Messages of hope, love and inspiration are written on pink balloons and then popped. Is this a British thing? My experience has been to release the balloons into the air, environment be damned.

Back at the salon, the reopening is in full swing. Monica, with her world of Disney flick characterizations has moved Aisha from Cruella DeVille to Snow White, or some such. I couldn’t make myself rewind that footage.  The one chair in the middle of nothing VIP room of the past has been replaced with an inviting lounge with crisp white curtains. I keep thinking, “bleach, get me more bleach!” Those puppies are going to need it once a month.

The staff pulls together with Aisha at the helm. She’s calm, she’s collected, she’s…. oh wait, wrong motto, but she is taking over her own salon once again.  Professionalism is in at Beyond Hair.  The owner is empowered and invigorated, as well as Diona, the salon manager. She’s anxious, but hopeful.  Nikeya and Valerie are given a warning and six weeks later…

Both stragglers are gone. The rest of the staff is towing the line and Beyond Hair is on the upswing. Business is booming, no more triple bookings and the keys are returned to the owner, in the hopes the salon will never return to boughetto status, whatever that means.

Tabatha is back doing what she does so well.