There’s a duality to Melody Shari: she’s intentionally messy but always comes out with her hands clean, despite viewers knowing how dirty she can play – and she receives empathy due to her trash ex-husband, Martell Holt. With all the good and the bad she remains the fan favorite of the reality series, Love & Marriage: Huntsville, and why despite her flaws, viewers want to see her win.
Season one of Love and Marriage Huntsville was initially supposed to be focused on The Comeback Group, a group of friends and business partners made up of three couples, The Holts and the Scotts, both brothers Marsau Scott and Maurice Scott and their wives, Tisha Scott and Kimmi Scott. However, shortly into filming, a cheating scandal arose that would change the trajectory of the series moving forward. Martell had stepped out on his marriage with Melody, and the fallout afterward took Melody from being a regular member of the group, to villainess.
At a dinner with the full group, Melody brings up the term, “respectful cheating”, which is an entire oxymoron, and that doesn’t go unnoticed by the group. It’s clear that she is coyly nodding at a very real situation, and the group naturally had follow-up questions. This is the first of many examples of Melody being the drama. She has the incredible gift of shadily dropping a lit match into the gasoline tank of mess within the cast and walking away when it explodes.
For example, she told everyone that Martell said that Marsau was cheating on his wife Tisha, which led to her and Tisha falling out. Or when she released her new song and music video that she said was not about Martell that was obviously about Martell and his longtime mistress, Arionne Curry. Well, there were actually two songs, one of which was titled “Sidechick of the Year Award.” There’s also the infamous episode featuring her inviting Tisha’s cousin Keke to her party, but not Tisha, despite Melody being aware of Tisha and Keke’s issues. In all of Melody’s messiest moments, she starts it and then says, “My name is Bennett and I’m not in it,” then proceeds to deny any involvement in it. And honestly, it keeps things moving in an interesting way, so we certainly can’t knock her for it.
There is also the flip side to Melody, and that is she is both strong, caring, and endearing. And after seven years of dealing with Martell’s mistress, verbal and emotional abuse, and mental gymnastics, she finally chose herself and walked away for good. With Martell’s infidelity, fans empathized with Melody’s struggle. It is obvious that Martell has a controlling side, and she has been having to navigate that ever since she filed for divorce, and even in their 14-years marriage prior to their final split. He has made up lies to make the custody battle over their four children that much more difficult, a custody battle that he initiated. But throughout all of this, she has managed to push through, maintaining her businesses while keeping focused on her own family. And his lies have definitely been out there. His latest threats of releasing revenge porn are downright disgusting, and these continued actions of his really say a lot about his character.
There is also her ability to prioritize her mental health. This has become most apparent in this current season in her disagreement with Stormi Steele, as well as her past disagreements with Tisha. Melody has stated multiple times that when the show is not filming she likes to separate herself from the rest of the group. Many see this as a villainous act, but for those of us who are introverts that need alone time to recharge, it makes absolute sense. Especially considering she works with her toxic ex on the show, something many people avoid in everyday life. She may not be a total introvert, but after having cameras in her face for days on end, who wouldn’t want a break from people, even friends? It is perfectly okay to take space when you need it, and permitting there isn’t an emergency that she’s needed for, she shouldn’t be villainized for it.
Melody has become a fan favorite mainly because of her honest duality. She is capable of starting the drama and leaving it behind her, and we love her for it. At the same time, it’s easy to see that she truly cares about her friends, and is there for them when she can be, but also prioritizes her own sanity. As a mother and a business woman going through a messy divorce and custody battle, that is huge. This duality is what makes her fun to watch, and we certainly can’t wait to see what she does next…and who her new boo is…if they’re even still together.
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