The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 4 ran from November 6, 2011, until April 22, 2012. Before its premiere, an episode titled “Before They Were Stars” was released. It looked back at the younger years of the Atlanta housewives, including their childhood photos, teen rebellions, and heartbreak dramas.
The fourth installment consisted of 23 three episodes, although episode 20 served as the season finale. The last three parts featured the reunion of the housewives – something that was done in the preceding seasons. The main cast members from Season 3 also remained.
Cast and Overview of The Real Housewives in Atlanta Season 4
While no regular cast members have been changed, recurring cast member Marlo Hampton was introduced later in the reality TV show. The latest installment kicked off with Kim Zolciak in the midst of her first pregnancy with her boyfriend, Kroy Biermann, whom she married after season 4.
Later on, Kim gave birth to their son. NeNe Leakes still deals with her marital issues and continues her divorce from Gregg Leakes. Shereé Whitfield faces financial problems after her ex-husband failed to provide child support.
As Cynthia Bailey established her own modeling agency, Phaedra Parks planned to launch a family-operated funeral home. The drama continues for the ladies, especially with the arrival of Marlo later in The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 4.
NeNe becomes closer with the newcomer and it causes tension between all women. Their feud escalated during their vacation in South Africa. Kim didn’t go on the said trip to take care of her children. However, she was upset by Cynthia’s negative comments about her during the vacation.
Episode 1 - "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained"
The housewives are back and taking care of business. Kandi Burruss expands her music career by launching an adult toy line, while Phaedra launches her own unusual endeavors. Cynthia enlists the aid of Miss J, a famous runway coach, to assist her modeling school in generating some buzz.
Sheree confronts NeNe over a failed business transaction despite her popularity after being seen hanging out with Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice. Kim, who is heavily pregnant, gets ready to move into a luxurious property with her boyfriend, baby-daddy, and young NFL star, Kroy Biermann.
Episode 2 - "Surprisingly Rich"
NeNe takes a break from Atlanta after her verbal altercation with Sheree Whifield. She gathered Cynthia and Kandi for a girls’ weekend away of fun, sun, and Lesbian Pride in Miami. Phaedra’s fascination with the dead grows. She considers starting her own family funeral business, but her husband, Apollo Nida, is disturbed by her new interest.
Sheree and Kim spend some girl time talking about the latter and Kroy’s future plans. Little did Kim know, Kroy was also up for something. He and Sweetie plan an intimate surprise party for her 33rd birthday, complete with pricey jewelry.
Episode 3 - "Shower the Baby, Muzzle the Boy"
While Phaedra and Apollo deal with the fallout from a case of mistaken identity, Shereé advances her career by supervising the construction of a new mansion. Peter Thomas receives advice about the value of getting along with your in-laws from Cynthia’s baby’s dad.
Kim hosts a large-scale baby shower for Kroy, but the activities are a little more male-focused than she had planned. Meanwhile, NeNe struggles with helping her youngest son, Brent, get used to living in two different places after her breakup with Gregg.
Episode 4 - "Jewels Be Dangled"
Despite having the blues from the biological clock, Kandi organizes her 35th birthday celebration. Phaedra shocks everyone with a “Ridiculous” surprise that neither Kandi nor her mother will ever forget, which turns the party into a frenzy.
Also, Phaedra apologizes to Kim for her husband’s actions during her baby shower in the traditional Southern manner. Phaedra and Shereé visit the Chateau Shereé construction site, but they are disappointed to see no progress has been made.
Meanwhile, Cynthia finds herself caught between her new family and her old one after she attempts to make up with her husband and sister fails. Kim ponders how she will deal with the arrival of her new son.
Episode 5 - "Whine Bar"
Just days before Peter’s Bar One sneak peek celebration, one of his investors bounces a check for $40,000. Cynthia vows not to invest in the bar, but she may have to bail her husband out. Shereé deals with her own financial issues and confronts her ex-husband for missed child support payments.
Kim and her eldest daughter Brielle had a heart-to-heart discussion concerning the former’s worries that the new child’s birth may cause the family to fall apart. In her own mother-daughter conversation, Kandi apologizes to Mama Joyce for the incident during her birthday celebration.
Phaedra introduces the girls to the “It” couple Marlo Hampton and Charles Grant at a fashion show that Cynthia is hosting.
Episode 6 - "Three Wigs and a Baby"
NeNe and Cynthia travel to New York City for business, where the latter seeks advice from an old flame, Russell Simmons, about her new modeling school. She also confides in her best friend Kithe that she is not entirely happy with her life in Atlanta.
NeNe meets with her business partner, John Kolaj, co-owner of Famous Famiglia Pizza, who appears to be interested in more than just a business relationship with her. Meanwhile, Kim gives birth to her first son before her due date.
Shereé’s mother makes a shocking revelation, which prompts her to take Bob to court for child support. Kandi dresses up Mama Joyce for a photo shoot for her online dating site. Phaedra shows off her skills as a lawyer by saving her client from trouble after being accused of using drugs.
Episode 7 - "Law by Sheree"
In a brand-new Kandi Koated Nights episode, Kandi speaks with guests Marlo Hampton and her baller beau Charles Grant. The rumors start to circulate quickly when Charles is asked about dating NeNe by one of Kandi’s co-hosts.
Shereé seeks Phaedra’s counsel after receiving legal documents in the mail. The two housewives boldly go up against Sheree’s ex in court, but to their surprise, he has a trick up his sleeve. Kim and Kroy bring baby KJ home, and commotion ensues as everyone realizes how huge of a change this will be.
Marlo makes her first appearance as a supporting cast member in this episode.
Episode 8 - "New Tricks"
The aftermath of their legal battle against Sheree’s ex-husband causes Shereé and Phaedra’s relationship to become strained. Kim and her growing family move into the mansion of their dreams because their townhouse is bursting.
Kandi makes the unexpected decision to take her musical career on an entirely new path. Kim and NeNe meet for the first time since Cynthia’s wedding at the Bailey Agency, where Cynthia hosts a grand opening party.
Episode 9 - "Unlikely Duos"
NeNe meets with Marlo to debunk allegations regarding an alleged affair she had with the boyfriend of another Atlanta socialite. She also learns a lot more about the newcomer than she had anticipated. Kim struggles with Brielle, who starts misbehaving.
Phaedra is ready to start her family’s funeral business, but Apollo needs to be convinced that working with the dead isn’t as terrifying as it seems. Kandi is driven to write a hit song in every music genre and travels to Nashville to work with country music singer Jo Dee Messina.
Episode 10 - "We Come in Peace (And Packing Heat)"
Cynthia and Peter go on a surprise double date with Phaedra and Apollo and officially bury the hatchet from Kim’s baby shower. Phaedra plans a vacation to South Africa and persuades Cynthia that it would be the ideal location for everyone to reconnect with their roots and put the recent drama aside.
Sheree is shocked to learn from Phaedra that NeNe and Cynthia have been invited to South Africa and about her plans to bring peace to the Motherland. Later, Kandi hosts an intimate dinner for all the ladies, and Momma Joyce is determined to save NeNe and Kim’s friendship.
NeNe’s devoted and affluent business partner travels to Atlanta to work with her on their lounge project and to show her some retail love. Kim is nervous as Kroy takes her to the gun range to purchase her first firearm. They also visit Rose, the longtime psychic, who makes a surprising prediction about their future.
Episode 11 - "Shaping Up and Shipping Out"
Phaedra informs Apollo of Marlo’s criminal past and decides to maintain her distance moving forward. NeNe plans a secret plan to include Marlo in the ladies’ 10-day trip to South Africa. In an effort to lose weight before her vacation, Kandi endures a boot camp session.
As the other women get ready for their getaway, Kim tries yet another quick-slimming technique and is forced to be ready for life without Kroy when the NFL lockout abruptly ends.
Episode 12 - "South Africa: Just Like Home"
The women embark on a 10-day adventure in Cape Town, South Africa, where it’s officially the “Smalls” (Phaedra, Shereé, and Kandi) versus the “Talls” (NeNe, Cynthia, and Marlo). Africa, however, has a mystical effect on them. For the first time in months, NeNe and Shereé put their issues aside.
The ladies discuss their differences with one another and make an effort to start over during a yacht ride in the harbor. But their good time has hardly begun when Marlo, NeNe’s new closest friend, confronts Shereé about excluding her from a dinner gathering.
NeNe plays the odd role of mediating a major altercation. Kim feels the strain of being a single mother of three in Atlanta while Kroy is away at football camp.
Episode 13 - "Make It Rain Down in Africa"
The women’s trip to South Africa goes on as the “Talls” and “Smalls” get past Sheree and Marlo’s dramatic clash. After burning off some steam at a Cape Town nightclub, the ladies drive to the opulent Shamwari wildlife reserve.
While on safari, NeNe is torn between Marlo and Cynthia’s conflicting advances. Sheree, Phaedra, and Kandi discover the medicinal uses of elephant dung. The entire group had the chance to visit a South African orphanage, where they are moved by the kids and feel like this trip had changed their lives.
Episode 14 - "No Bones About It"
The housewives find themselves in a peaceful, harmonious environment with one another after their emotional visit to the orphanage. They experience real African culture by visiting a nearby museum and an unconventional herbalist.
During NeNe and Marlo’s cozy pajama party, the women connect over sex topic. However, the positive vibes are fleeting. Sheree becomes so upset by Cynthia and Kandi’s remarks against Kim that she chooses to inform Kim about this “betrayal.”
Episode 15 - "From Motherland to Waterville"
The girls pack their expensive bags and leave South Africa for Atlanta, where more drama awaits. NeNe contemplates bailing out her son Bryson from jail or teaching him a lesson when he is caught stealing two razors.
Kim’s friendship with her assistant Sweetie begins to deteriorate. She also hosted a catered lunch for the “Smalls” at her new mansion to welcome them back, and she confronted Kandi about the insulting remarks about her in Africa.
Episode 16 - "Peaches and Screams"
NeNe seeks out some unexpected assistance to help Bryson get his act together when he is released from prison. At the couple’s one-year anniversary party, old conflicts between Cynthia, Peter, and Mal resurface. Phaedra, a budding mortician, enrolls in her first embalming lesson, eager to handle a “real dead body.”
Kim and her assistant Sweetie are getting to the end of their rope while Sheree and Lawrence confront Marlo about her use of a homophobic slur.
Episode 17 - "The Error Apparent"
Kandi goes back to Nashville to advance her career in country music. While NeNe reevaluates her decision to divorce Gregg, Sheree considers a marriage proposal to her daughter Tierra. Mal makes an effort to apologize to Cynthia after making a scene during her sister’s anniversary celebration.
Kim and Kandi attempt to mend their broken friendship. Phaedra gives her one-year-old son, Ayden, a Dwight-inspired party at a water park.
Episode 18 - "Fresh Princes"
After spending a month in a football camp, Kroy goes back home. Kim welcomes him with a home-cooked lunch made by a private chef. NeNe and her youngest kid have a significant chat. Phaedra organizes a lavish church ceremony for her son, but tensions between Kim and Cynthia start to flare up.
Episode 19 - "All Pomp But No Circumstance"
Phaedra aids a “genuine” family in navigating the grief process as her apprenticeship at Willie Watkins’ funeral home is almost over. NeNe visits LA to meet with the Glee writers and entertains the thought of relocating permanently to the west coast.
Kandi continues to juggle her enterprises by working on concepts for a new Bedroom Kandi sex toy line, while Kroy pays a visit to Kim’s father for a crucial one-on-one meeting. The ladies show up to support Phaedra at a major ceremony at City Hall, where she makes an unexpected announcement.
Episode 20 - "Happiness & Joy"
Cynthia is looking for Atlanta’s next “It” girl and arranges a model call at the Bailey Agency. NeNe makes a significant decision regarding her marriage, and John, her “business partner,” surprises her with another gift when they meet.
Kim organizes an extravagant birthday celebration for her new fiancé. Kandi debuts her sex-toy brand with a bang but quickly realizes that it will take more than masseurs and vibrators to bring the ladies “pleasure and joy.”
Episode 21 - "Reunion: Part 1"
The ladies of Hotlanta, including Kim Zolciak, Kandi Burruss, NeNe Leakes, Phaedra Parks, Shereé Whitfield, and Cynthia Bailey, gather for an Andy Cohen-hosted panel discussion to address some of the season’s most talked-about shenanigans.
Episode 22 - "Reunion: Part 2"
Georgia peaches Kim Zolciak, Kandi Burruss, NeNe Leakes, Phaedra Parks, Shereé Whitfield, and Cynthia Bailey got together in the second part to discuss some of the most pressing issues. Marlo Hampton and the husbands make special appearances.
Episode 23 - "Reunion: Part 3"
Kim Zolciak, Kandi Burruss, NeNe Leakes, Phaedra Parks, Shereé Whitfield, and Cynthia Bailey bring the heat to Hotlanta as they stylishly cap off an explosive season. Shereè makes her final appearance in this episode before returning as a supporting cast member in season 8 and full-time in season 9.