Get ready for Tanaka to strip down and jump out of a chocolate cake for the diva's 'anniversary.'
If you ever once questioned the mastery of Mariah Carey's shade, the third episode of Mariah's World evidenced that Mimi's tree is tall, leafy and can cast vast shadows.
The most dramatic moment, of which there were many during this latest installment of Mimi's eight-part extravaganza, stemmed from bad blood between Mariah's tough-as-nails manager, Stella, and some of the singer’s ex-employees.
When Mariah learns of the hostile situation, she turns to the camera like a hawk going in for the kill. She has a look. A look she's so good at you know she's given it before. And then...
...CUE ULTIMATE 'I DON'T KNOW HER'-LEVEL SHADE MOMENT…
"They have agreements that they cannot talk to people without my permission. They wanna do that, they can do that, but if I were them, I wouldn't wanna spend my money on that."
Then… THEN… Mimi's eyes still on the camera, she casually spritzes breath spray into her mouth -- natch, a second for emphasis.
She is fierce. She is "fire." She is literally the latter, according to her.
Which brings us to Larry. Larry is replacing Mariah's former hairstylist, Danielle. Danielle is described by Mariah as a "strong woman," which is essentially code for, she clashes with Stella (described by a former employee as a "Russian dictator") because she speaks her mind too.
Anyyyway. Let's talk Larry and his "hump hair," a problem Mimi faces one night during a concert, when her team suddenly discovers mid-performance that her diva hair is not perfect. Nice of her team to save Mariah some money and go with a cheaper hairstylist -- out with Danielle, in with Larry -- but now Mariah only has herself to rely on. Girl puts her 500 hours of beauty school to work, though, and goes DIY.
This leads to a priceless, literal sit-down about the hair situation between Mariah and Stella.
"Have a seat," Mariah dramatically says to Stella, motioning her to a nearby chair. "I've been in the other frickin' room doing my hair… I'll cut to the chase. I mean, we love everybody, but we need Danielle back. Danielle knows how to do what I want. For me, it's important to go on stage feeling good."
Because she is queen, Stella acquiesces, and by episode’s end, Mariah’s hugging it out with Danielle and mercifully, back in the good hands of her trusted coiffeur.
In fact, this third episode was all about making Mariah feel like royalty -- and a familiar face was definitely committed to that goal.
Mariah’s backup dancer Bryan Tanaka -- now simply known to Mimi’s inner circle as “Tanaka” -- has graciously offered to jump out of a chocolate cake during the singer’s upcoming birthday anniversary. "I'm gonna have to steal her for a second," he says, hoping for a little one-on-one time because, "we have a lot to catch up on."
"I love Mariah," he continued during a gushy confessional. "She's been actually one of the most amazing, supportive people in my career because I've worked with her for so long. I've been able to see the most real, authentic Mariah Carey. She is extremely thoughtful. She is extremely caring. There's something so unique about her."
9 Reasons Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ Is the Best Holiday Song of All Time
This is blatantly clear from Mariah's World, which has opened the door to a mishmash of spectacular "moments," as Mariah calls them. Every episode so far is Elusive Chanteuse soup, and our spoon was lapping up every morsel tonight. Like her stepping off a plane in heels and sunglasses (it was nighttime) cupping a glass of red wine (she was thirsty?). Like her not being all about those long texts ("Really, I'm supposed to read this long of a text?"). Like her talking to the camera while random hands tease her hair.
<div align="center"><img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/5wWf7GMEr0tW88xX0nS/giphy.gif" width="640" /></div>
AND THIS.
This is a screenshot of Queen Lingerie daring to be seen on camera looking like a normal person.
Mariah's World airs at Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT Sundays on E!
Do you think future episodes will also feature Mimi trying to relate to the regular people of the world? Tell us in the comments below or shout your comments to (self-proclaimed lamb) @ChrisAzzopardi on Twitter using the hashtag #ETNow!
