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‘Basketball Wives LA’: Shaunie O’Neal Says January Gessert Was Trying Out, Not Necessarily Cast On VH1 Show

By Shaunee Flowers
Published on: 12:36 PST, Sep 28, 2016

January Gessert made her debut on the most recent episode of Basketball Wives LA on VH1. The reality TV newcomer didn’t come in quietly either and it was quickly discovered that January is not only outgoing but that she has a connection to Angel Brinks that may have her wishing that Tami Roman had never invited a friend to join the cast. January’s status as the newest basketball wife isn’t set in stone though and Shaunie O’Neal has already reassured everyone that Gessert’s debut was merely an “informal audition” while she and others involved with casting decide if she’ll be joining the show for good.

On the last episode of BBWLA, January was introduced along with Marshall Faulk’s ex-wife Lindsay Stoudt. The new women met up with Shaunie and Tami for lunch for a filmed “getting to know you” type of conversation with the two veterans. While Stoudt came across as rather reserved and shall we say classy, January is her polar opposite.

Right from the start, January Gessert came across as rather crass and she made it clear that she certainly was no prude. It was in those first moments that Gessert admitted that she had some familiarity with a few other cast members and one in particular even though they didn’t actually know each other. It didn’t take much pressing for January to reveal that she had sex at some point with Angel Brinks’ ex Tyreke Evans. She didn’t seem too regretful about it but she did make jokes about his abilities when she made it clear that the hook up only happened once.

Things got really messy later in the Basketball Wives LA episode when Tami Roman invited January to the party for her daughter Jazz who was unveiling her new single “All I Want.”

It didn’t take long for BBWLA veteran and easily the messiest of the bunch Jackie Christie to make her way over to January Gessert. Jackie drilled the VH1 newbie about her past and asked her straight up if she knew any of the other girls in the group. It really seemed like Jackie knew exactly what questions to ask as it literally only took a few minutes to get January to confess that she did know Angel Brinks because she had previously slept with her man. That said, the feisty blonde made it clear that Tyreke was single at the time and it wasn’t an on-going relationship.

Almost immediately, Jackie Christie went into action, calling all the girls over so they could introduce themselves. With zero couth, Jackie had Angel introduce herself first and immediately turned to January who knew exactly what messy Jackie was up to. She turned to Angel and told her that she was pretty sure Jackie just wanted her to tell Angel that she had been with Tyreke Evans, clearly stirring the pot.

It was questioned during the party how Tami Roman would be friends with January Gessert, who was labeled quickly as a gold digger and said herself that her type of man is “one with a ball in his hand.” Tami has made it clear in the past that she’s not a big fan of gold diggers and those who sleep around a lot. Despite January’s admitted love for the athletes and casual sex, she might actually be a pretty interesting addition to Basketball Wives LA because she clearly isn’t going to let Jackie play her messy mind games without calling her out for some of the stunts she pulls.

Shaunie O’Neal cautioned in a recent interview with VH1 that January Gessert isn’t necessarily a permanent fixture on Basketball Wives LA yet, though. She called January’s appearance an “informal audition” and it was pretty clear that January got people talking pretty quickly.

It’s pretty clear that both January Gessert and Lindsay Stoudt were brought on board to shake up some of the monotony this season. It seems that the most recent group is a wash, rinse, and repeat of past seasons where everyone knows that Jackie Christie is messy and no one wants to be the one she is focused on. Meanwhile, the rest of the girls continue to recycle their worn out drama and arguments with each other that are so petty they should have been squashed in previous seasons of Basketball Wives LA.

Do you think January Gessert deserves a permanent spot on Basketball Wives LA or did she play all her drama cards in the first appearance? Tell us what you think of this latest VH1 reality TV drama in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by VH1]

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