Kandi Burruss has a new original show that involves three generations of family, including herself, in partnership with Amazon.
The former The Real Housewives of Atlanta reality TV star is known for her business savvy as she has created and invested in multiple ventures throughout her career. Her latest endeavor, Generation Face-Off on Amazon Live, premiered on Prime Video‘s interactive, free ad-supported (FAST) Channel in November. The show features her daughter, Riley Burruss, and her mother, Joyce Jones (aka Mama Joyce). They each share their holiday traditions, from family and fashion to cooking and dating, while showcasing their favorite gifts and home essentials. Highlights include a hilarious white elephant gift exchange, competing in a festive cook-off to crown the family’s best chef and more.
Additionally, viewers can seamlessly shop the showcased items in real-time using Amazon’s innovative “Shop the Show” feature. Burruss recently chatted with Blavity about the collaboration, how it is working with her family again for a different show format and what’s next.
She’s worked with Amazon for the past few years, and it’s been a “wonderful experience” helping shed light on small business owners nationwide. So, when the company approached her with the idea of creating a concept for a live-streaming show, she didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.
“I have been with Amazon as, you know, one of their live hosts for a minute. Like, I’ve doing it for a couple years and I really do enjoy doing it,” Burruss told Blavity. “But when they said there was the opportunity to do something different, I thought it would be super cool to have my mom and Riley be a part of it because first of all, they both love the shop, especially my mom. I just thought it would be really cool because each one of us definitely represents a whole different generation, and we do not see eye to eye on most stuff.”
When she pitched the idea to Riley and Mama Joyce, they were immediately on board to do the show because they love to shop themselves and Amazon is a shopping retail platform they utilize.
“They loved it because they’ve been on Amazon Live with me before. But they knew it was gonna be a little bit different because we just get to sit around and talk to each other and just really have real conversations. So, they were excited about it. They were looking forward to it. I was excited about it because it gave Riley a reason to come from New York to come home because she never really wants to hang out,” she said. “But now she’s like, she does not wanna come back. She’s like a New Yorker, so it’s like, ‘Oh gosh! Come on, girl. You need to come home!’”
Plus, the bonus was it wouldn’t be difficult for all three since they were familiar with being on TV.
“I feel like we’re naturally comfortable to be on camera. I mean, Riley’s been on camera her whole life. That’s where she grew up pretty much since she was six years old. And my mom, she’s a natural. Let’s just give it to her,” she explained. “For me, it’s totally different than doing a reality show because it’s just us being us. It’s not about trying to find the drama with my family. The drama just naturally happens. But you know, it’s like not forced. You know, when sometimes it feels like reality can be forced.”
What Burruss tickled her the most was witnessing her mom and daughter’s debates on different topics.
“They both obviously have different things, but to just sit there and hear some of the back and forth between my mama and Riley, I think that was the part that was over there killing me,” she laughed. “But it was funny for me. It was funny watching them, and the things they were trying to stand on and the points they were trying to make. And then it definitely makes you realize what the things that my mother’s generation find to be important. Or, it’s like totally different than what Riley’s is.”
Something else she enjoys is reading the fans’ and other Amazon Live watchers’ feedback on the episodes.
“People hit me on the text and they may say, ‘Hey! I love whatever particular item that they loved. Or I loved how you and your mom were saying certain things. They get good laughs. Then, even when I go back to watch the episode after it’s aired, sometimes I’m just going through the comments and seeing what people are saying,” Burrus said. “People got a lot of good laughs off the show, which is cool. Because to me, whenever you’re watching, like even when it is just me doing my regular lives, I don’t want you to feel like I’m just sitting here just selling you a product because I’m just not that person that likes to push something that I don’t even like.”
She then mentioned what her preferred shopping method was when it came to in-store versus online shopping.
“Please deliver [to] me,” the entrepreneur exclaimed. “I’m a mature one, okay? So, I remember the days when you couldn’t just pick up the phone and order everything. I hated shopping. Like I’m not that girl who loves to shop. That’s not who I am. If I did go shopping, I’m last minute. I gotta have somebody go with me so they can help me carry stuff. Like Christmas time, I hated it. It was like all the bags, trying to lug it all through the mall. It’s just terrible. I hated that. So, I love to be able to shop online.”
As for what’s next for Burruss, she hopes to continue doing Generation Face-Off with Amazon. She’ll also be starring in Season 7 of The Chi, set to premiere in 2025. And although she couldn’t spill the details, she’s working behind the scenes for a new TV show with Bravo TV network that she’s excited about.
The post Kandi Burruss Explains Why She Was Happy To Work With Her Mother And Daughter On ‘Generation Face-Off’ appeared first on Blavity.
