Episode Eight

It's the next morning, the life coaches are having another meeting about Deb. Iyanla votes she should stay. Egghead dude seconds it. As he talks about Deb's issues, Rhonda looks like she wants to do him.

They all agree: Deborah is just way too important for TV ratings.

Deborah calls Rhonda, says she's going to leave. Rhonda doesn't fight it.

Iyanla visits as Deborah packs. "Do you want to leave?" she asks. Deborah says no. Iyanla projects a lot of warmth and acceptance, however bombastic that projection may be. She tells Deborah they still love her no matter what her decision. "Make another choice," Iyanla keeps repeating as she hugs her.

GROUP w/ IYANLA: "Are you strong enough to stand up without your shit?" Well, your "stuff"-- meaning, that all your crap is such a part of you, much of it is necessary for the you that hasn't changed to function.

Iyanla makes Towanda do pushups for her daddy. Don't ask me. Towanda says she's pissed off about some of the details of how her dad's cheated. Iyanla tells her it's none of her damn business.

Josie meets w/ Rhonda. One of her goal steps is stability, they figure that the details of that are: money, having a home, and child care.

Iyanla takes Towanda to "peoplewatch". This is a hobby of Towanda and her hubby. Towanda sits in the mall with Iyanla, describing people that pass by as "a hoodrat", "homely", "ghetto w/ an attitude". All negative perceptions.

Cut back to Josie. "Did you learn stability from your parents?" Rhonda asks. It's not really been a part of Josie's life, of her "inherited legacy", i.e. it isn't something her forefathers learned for her. She's going to have to learn it herself to pass it on to Chloe.

Iyanla has Towanda dress up in her wack homely outfit from the night before and walk around in public. Yeah!

Rhonda takes Sinae to Koreatown to spend some time with Natalie, another blind bitch. Sinae needs a mentor, and this chick lives by herself and gets around without having to depend on someone for help. Rhonda leaves them alone to chat.

Josie has a meeting with a career counselor. The counselor gives her a test. It's psychic! It reccommends careers Josie has already dreamed of pursuing.

Natalie looks totally blind, unlike Sinae. The segment makes uses again of the Starting Over Blindcam-- for some reason they fog up the lense to where only the circular center of the shot you can see clearly. Great simulaton, guys.

Cut back to Towanda, who is totally pissed and humiliated that she has to wear crap clothes in public again. She tries to swallow it, Towanda keeps pushing her. "You are SO emotionally dishonest," Iyanla goads.

"WTF does this have to do with my daddy?" Towanda asks. Yeah, that's a good question. Iyanla insists it does. She brings it all around to what people wear on the street, it's just like the details of her dad's affair: it's none of her business. Alright, I'll give Iyanla a point for that one.

Sinae and Natalie go out to eat. Sinae tells the audience in voiceover she's learned a new trick from Nat: instead of struggling to read menus in poor lighting, annoy the waitress instead by having her read the entire menu to her.

They start talking about braille, and again it's a little hard to swallow. Like I said, I'm legally blind like Sinae, and I don't need no damn friggin braille, even without my glasses. And she's been handling the baby, baking cakes... wouldn't that be going overboard?

Josie on the phone w/her mom: She wants her mama to visit, mama says it's a bad time, that she's finally moving. She insists it's what's best for her, and it's obvous Josie feels a lot differently about it. Kinda heartbreaking, how Josie wants to be close to these crappy parentals and they just cast her away to fend for herself. All she had for a rock was Grandma, and she's dead now.

Jen reveals a shocker...she's DISAPPOINTED that Deb left??? She hated her the most out of everybody! Ah yes... we NEED our shit to survive, don't we.

Kim refuses to get used to Deborah being gone. Like Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, or any other supernatural force of pure evil, she feels that Deborah will eventually be back.

Lock your doors...