VIDEO Are the LHHATL fights real? Secret footage reveals genuine emotion

VH1 is about to air another one of its famed Dirty Little Secrets episodes of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, and this one features a number of prominent LHHATL fights. Show creator and executive producer Mona Scott-Young is pulling back the curtain on some of her tricks and the show’s frequently asked questions; she’s also enlisted Shane Abercrombie, head of security for the show, to talk about some of the most famous LHHATL fights in detail.

The network’s just-released extended preview clip promises a lot of fun and mischief. Among the more revealing facts: often, things get so heated between cast members that a fight that seems to last just a moment or two in the episode’s final cut will actually run much, much longer in real life. For example, when Joseline threw multiple drinks at Mimi during Ariane’s listening party last season, that fight actually took “close to an hour” to get under control–and it only really cooled down when the producers turned the cameras off and said the night’s shoot was over.

Here’s the clip, featuring a decidedly genteel Shane Abercrombie:

If anything, Shane’s incredulity makes him even more endearing. He says he’s been “punched, kicked,” and had “drinks and candles” thrown at him–”and that’s just from the women!”

And Shane’s terminology is sure to net a Twitter hashtag or two when the special does air. What do you call it when you tie together a pair of tables with cable and then weigh them down with 200-pound bags so Tommie and Tiarra and Scrapp can’t flip it when things get out of hand? Why, you “ratchet-strap” it, of course. #ratchetstraptheclub

Love & Hip Hop Atlanta: Dirty Little Secrets 2 airs this Wednesday night on VH1.

(Photo credits: LHHATL fights via VH1)