The Lantern

Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Arts

Media Credit: Courtesy of Panther PR "I Married a Baller" gives viewers an inside look at the sometimes not-so fabulous life of Taj Eddie, the wife of famous Ohio State running back Eddie George.

Eddie George has an extensive resume; he is a former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL superstar, restaurant mogul, fitness guru and a successful businessman.

But now he can add another thing to that list: reality TV star.

George and his wife, Taj, are the stars of the new reality show, "I Married a Baller," debuting on TV One Saturday at 10 p.m.

The show revolves around how Taj and Eddie interact with each other and how they handle situations that come up in their everyday lives.

But if it appears the show is strictly based on Eddie, that would be totally wrong. In fact, the show has more to do with Taj and her charismatic personality.

"The show is kind of based on her," Eddie said. "It is about her life and being married to me. She is just as famous and just as important as I am. The show touches on her personality and her life. Where she came from and her back story. I think a lot of young women can identify with that and how she became a success based on that."

Taj broke into stardom in the early '90s as a member of the Grammy-nominated vocal group SWV. Though things have slowed down for SWV in the last few years, her prowess as a performer and her energy and magnetic charm keep the show interesting.

"Two or three years ago, I was predominantly known as Taj from SWV," she said. "But now, I am becoming known as Taj, who is married to Eddie George. But it doesn't bother me at all. I am proud to be his wife."

The idea was born a few years ago as Datari Turner, one of the show's executive producers, was watching another TV show.

"Datari (Turner) came up with the concept a few years ago after an episode of Oprah," said Shannon J. Love, one of the show's executive producers and writers. "It was about athletes and their wives and about all the drama that surrounds them."

Turner really wanted to do a show about what goes on behind closed doors once the athlete gets off the field or court.

After an extensive search, the producers decided the Georges added enough depth and character to the show and what they wanted to do.

"They both had so much stuff going on ... There were so many angles and so much stuff that would make some really great stories. A lot of times you have these celebrity couples where you have the superstar athlete and a wife that just goes around shopping for Louis Vuitton all day. They didn't have that at all."

The first few episodes are filled with emotion as Eddie interacts with his mentally ill father and Taj loses her dog. But these heavy subjects are just part of the show and the reality that is Eddie and Taj's life.

"You are going to see a little bit of everything," Love said. "There are going to be moments of comedy. There are going to be moments of sadness and laughter. We just want to make sure each episode is giving you something that makes you want to watch and welcome the Georges into your living room."

Alex Drumm can be reached at drumm.33@osu.edu.

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