Remember Claudette Ortiz? She was the (gorgeous) female member of City High, and now she’s coming to reality TV.
You’re welcome 90’s babies.
Ortiz has been announced as a cast member on the TV One reality show R&B Divas L.A., and will be featured with Kelly Price, Chante Moore, Lil Mo, Michel’Le, and En Vogue’s Dawn Robinson.
Each of the women likely have interesting stories, especially Michel’Le who has a child with Dr. Dre and was married to Suge Knight, but Ortiz might take the cake with her epic R&B thug-love triangle. Back in the day, she was not only the object of fan affection, but she caused a rift between her male group members for jumping from one to the other.
After dating Robbie Pardio, Ortiz split with him and married fellow group member Ryan Toby. Losing his lady love, contributed to Pardio’s further decent into addiction, which became the focus of an episode of the A&E show Intervention. On the episode, Pardio was seen drinking a gallon of alcohol a day, and referenced his relationship with Ortiz as the cause of his downward spiral, claims of which she has denied. Apparently, he always had issues. “Initially I wasn’t going to say anything,” she said in an interview. “I think that stemmed from fear because of the relationship I had with Robbie… it was an abusive one. He portrayed it like it was a “lovely romance” & it wasn’t. I just want to move on & put things behind me. Other people may be in the same position I was in… & if you don’t eventually stand up for yourself it can carry on for the next 12 years… like in my case. It was time to tell the truth… the truth that he so conveniently left out in the intervention.”
R&B Divas L.A. is a spinoff of TV One’s first R&B Divas show which was shot in Atlanta and featured the likes of Faith Evans, Monifah Carter, Nicci Gilbert, Syleena Johnson and Keke Wyatt
No word yet on the premiere date, but take a look at some throw back shots of Ortiz. Just because.
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Photos: Michael Levine/Fanpix
