Tabatha Takes Over (2008)

Tabatha kicks off season five when she visits the up and coming area of East Nashville, Tennessee where celebrity stylist Tanzy Clark Wright’s salon Mogulz is in a tizzy. Although Tanzy has been a pillar of her African-American community for years, she has struggled to evolve her business to attract the diverse clientele that now inhabit the booming area. Not only has the salon fallen out of touch with the community, the pregnant shopaholic Tanzy has lost her drive, her money and control of her staff. To save Tanzy’s salon, Tabatha must get her to step up, be responsible and lead her and her staff to embrace the diverse wave of the future.

VIP Nightclub in Riverside, California was once the talk of the town, known for its fabulous, fierce drag shows, it also doubled up as a hip gay nightclub with lines out the door. But time has been unkind to this Riverside landmark. When Tabatha arrives, she is welcomed by three stubborn owners, whose spirits have been broken by their rundown business. These grumpy unmotivated owners, along with an indifferent staff, and a club filled with rotting furniture are taking this business closer to shutting its doors for good. Tabatha embarks on a mission to get the drag queens back on their rightful throne. By changing the owner’s antiquated attitudes and straightening out the staff, Tabatha hopes to turn this outdated dive back into the VIP hotspot it once was.

The owner of a salon is afraid of returning to work, and tries to run her business from home.

NexGen barbershop in Murfreesboro Tennessee was once known as the place to go if you needed to maintain your mane or a five o’clock shadow. All that has changed since owner Mike Garcia abandoned his business for nearly a year to work with a youth ministry in another state. As Mike’s passion for ministry grew, his wife Layla and his barbers were left to manage the shop as best as they could. With customers coming in at a snail’s pace, morale was low, tensions were high and Nexgen dwindled down to a thing of the past. Before Mike knew it, his barbers staged a walk out causing Mike to be angry, bitter and left his wife to pick up the pieces. With the business on the verge of a meltdown, Tabatha must step in to clear the air and help Mike turn this once bustling business, into the upscale barber shop it was intended to be.

Tabatha helps Mary, the owner of the Summers Sports Bar, get the place back on track after the death of her husband left the business in bad shape.

Jennifer Norfleet and Tiffany Crawford are best friends turned business partners. However, Bombshells Salon and Spa is about to implode. Tiffany treats the business like her personal piggy bank, while Jennifer puts her blood, sweat and tears into the salon only to never receive a paycheck. With a staff that prefers to party rather than prep their stations, the business on the brink of failure. Tabatha must lay down the law to turn these two owners into a united front, mend their friendship and salvage their business.

Reg Mangone, owner of House of Synergy Salon and Spa, has lost control over his business.

Veronica de Messina hoped Café Treats in Sherman Oaks, California, would hit the sweet spot with customers. Unfortunately, her café has garnered the reputation for leaving a bad taste in people’s mouths. Veronica thought that her large Mexican food menu, coffee, teas and juices with a Moroccan theme would have the formula for success. However, Veronica’s lack of experience in the food industry, her abrasive management style, and unfocused menu has been a recipe for disaster. Tabatha must get Veronica to hone in her passion, get the staff up-to-par and size down the menu before Café Treats becomes a business gone bust.

CJ Barnes opened up a nail salon without any experience, and now her business is failing.

Photographer and former Miss West Virginia pageant beauty queen, Jenn Cady knows the ins and outs of glitz and glam. However, having perfect hair and a million dollar smile couldn’t help her when she opened up a combined photography studio and hair salon. This passive, people-pleasing owner has no rules, no structure and sells everything from jeans to jewelry in her salon. To make matters worse, Jenn has handed over management to her best friend and her daughter. Instead of making things better, the mother-daughter duo constantly feud with the staff, causing major strife and a division within the studio. Tabatha must weed through the fighting and drama in order to get Jenn back on her throne and become the take charge owner she needs to be.

Nadia’s Family Salon in Englishtown, New Jersey was once a close-knit team of stylists that were more like family than colleagues. Owner Kevin Lichen’s passion for his salon led to a successful business that won the hearts of his staff and the business of customers. Within a few short years, all that has changed. Kevin’s absence from the salon, his gambling addiction, anger issues and poor communication skills, have driven the salon down the steep road towards failure. The stylists no longer respect Kevin and have made a mockery of him in his own business. Tabatha must get Kevin to take control of himself and the salon in order to be the business owner his staff needs him to be.

On the season finale, Tabatha revisits the most memorable businesses from past seasons. Are they striving, struggling, or even worse, have they closed? Tabatha stops by Dr. Flavio’s Beauty School in Torrance, California, to see if Flavio’s 50 year old legacy has been kept intact by his daughter. In Long Beach, California, we’ll check in to see if the party at Club Ripples has started back up and if the owners have regained the reputation of having the best gay nightclub in town. Has Avanti Salon on posh Newberry street in Boston Massachusetts survived? Has the owner stepped up to become a leader, or has he gone back to his old ways? In San Bruno California, the catty Phun sisters “work hard, play hard” ethic at their salon Mia Bella weighed heavily towards “play hard.” Has the partying and cattiness subsided or are their claws out for more? Along the way, Tabatha leaves the owners and staff with new recommendations and even gets a few surprises along the way.